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News for 8-31-2010

Kristofer Brozio — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:39:29 +0000

Time for the news!

Storage Related

NZXT Internal USB Expansion Module Model IU01 Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/nzxt_usb_expansion/
Article Snippet:
"Frankly, when I first looked at NZXT’s IU01 internal USB module I was prepared to be underwhelmed. After putting it through its paces, I now see how wrong first impressions can be. The device performed as advertised and can really be a boon to users with insufficient USB port availability and/or power hungry USB devices."

ASUS SBC-06D1S-U External Slim Blu-ray Combo Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/asus-sbc-06d1s-u-external-slim-blu-ray-combo-drive-review/

Quote: “Last year we took a look at ASUS’s first external Blu-ray combo drive, the SBC-04D1S-U. It was the perfect external combo drive for a laptop or desktop and received a perfect 10 out of 10 score in our testing. ASUS has updated the SBC-04D1S-U with faster Blu-ray read speeds and a few other features. They are calling this new combo drive the SBC-06D1S-U. Let’s see if ASUS can make this drive any better than the previous drive we tested!"

Vantec Nexstar CX SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/vantec_nexstar_cx_usb_3/
Article Snippet:
"Vantec’s NexStar CX is a budget-friendly USB 3.0 enclosure that pairs with your favorite hard drive to create an easy to use external storage solution. Not only does it carry a reasonable price tag, it features blazing fast speeds thanks to the USB 3.0 interface and the passive cooling translates into silent operation."

Audio / Video:

OCIA.net has posted their review of the ASUS Cine5 Speaker and Xonar D2X Sound Card.

"Today we are reviewing the Asus Cine5 sound bar in combination with Asus’ older Xonar D2X 7.1 channel sound card. The Cine5 is a compact speaker designed to simulate 5.1 channel sounds with just one front unit. While there are a few similar devices out there, the major advantage of the Cine5 is that it doesn’t require any calibration or adjustment.."

Direct Link: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/asuscine5/page1.shtml

Phiaton PS 20 NC Review
"Earlier this year we had an opportunity to review Phiaton’s PS 210 headphones. Their unique "half in-ear" design proved to be an admirable design point that improved how securely they fit as well as their sound quality. Now, we take a moment to review the new PS 20 NC headphones, a set of noise-cancelling earphones that combine the same "half in-ear" design with active noise cancelling that proposes to reduce ambient noise by 95%."
Link to the review: http://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/phiaton-ps-20-nc-review/

Title: Urbanears Medis Headset
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=9017&Itemid=40
Quote:

The Medis earphones have a very different design than most other earphones. The design requires the pads to be selected to fit your ears or else they will not fit very well and be very uncomfortable. The idea is pretty good as the earphone design pushes the sound toward your ear canal. In reality, the Medis don’t work as well as I’d hoped – at least on my ears. . .

Samsung EX1 10-Megapixel Digital Camera Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/samsung-ex1-10-megapixel-digital-camera-review/

Quote: “When people think of manufacturers who make compact digital cameras, few will probably think of Samsung. Though recently, it seems Samsung has been building more photographic equipment, and been doing a great job of it too. The latest compact digital camera from Samsung to reach the market is the EX1. With its compact metal body, an impressive F1.8-2.4 optical zoom lens capable of 24mm at the wide-angle and an articulated screen, it looks like Samsung is serious about their cameras. There are many features of the Samsung EX1 that was unexpected but highly desirable, the impressive F1.8 aperture capabi lity, their high quality OLED articulated rear display and the ability to capture images in RAW (an uncompressed/lossless file format)."

Western Digital TV Live Plus
Quote: " The WD TV Live Plus has some great features over the original Netflix only players. While the Roku maybe well known for its Netflix streaming support, the WD TV Live Plus has Netflix and more. Combine tons of internet content with support for your internal network content and you’ve got a product ready to be at the center of your media needs. "
Link: http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=11985

Hardware Bistro has just posted latest review on Arctic Sound P311 Bluetooth Headset.

Quote: "In old days Arctic Cooling was an outstanding brand with its Accelero but today it is no longer limited with this graphic card cooler but it’s also known with other tremendous products such as CPU cooler, chassis, PSU, audio products and so on. Today let us review one of its latest audio product; Sound P311 which is a Bluetooth headset and suitable for mobile phone, laptop and other music devices."

Mobile Related:

ASUS Eee 1215N 12.1-inch Netbook
QUOTE: "Netbooks are growing up right before our eyes. When they first surfaced, the screens were in the 7-inch range. They then grew to a norm of 10-inches and today the 12.1-inch netbook is fast becoming one of the most popular sizes on the market. These machines have more screen space and perhaps more importantly a larger keyboard than the 10-inch netbooks we typically see.
I am sure there are many people out there who have been waiting for a nice netbook to surface with Optimus tech and Ion graphics from NVIDIA. ASUS has put one of its shiny new Eee 1215N netbooks into our geeky little hands and it has all the goodies packed inside."

Monaco Mobile Phone Solar Charger Review at CCE Review
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/monaco-mobile-phone-solar-charger/
Quote: Utilizing solar power is turning into the way of the future. The Solar Charger presented here today is an excellent power alternative to powering your mobile phones and other small hand-held devices. While out on the road, this device can be a real lifesaver, giving juice to your Blackberry when you need to make that emergency call, or simply powering your iPod when you need to listen to some tunes on a long road trip.

Samsung Epic 4G vs. HTC EVO 4G
"The first 4G phone in the United States finally has some competition. On August 31, Samsung’s Epic 4G arrives on Sprint, ending the EVO 4G’s nearly three-month run as the big man on campus. But is it actually a better choice? We stacked both superphones side by side to see which rules the 4G airwaves.."
Link to the article: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-epic-4g-vs-htc-evo-4g/

News: Toshiba’s Nile-powered Satellite T235D notebook

Does AMD finally have a good alternative to Intel’s CULV platform, and should this 13" Toshiba notebook be on your shopping list this back-to-school season?
http://techreport.com/articles.x/19518

Samsung Captivate Android Smartphone Review:
http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Samsung-Captivate-Review/

Smartphone manufacturers have been using very boastful smartphone names lately—everything from the HTC Droid Incredible to the Motorola Droid X (where X stands for extreme). Certainly with names such as these, expectations will be high. We’ve already taken a look at both of these phones and deemed them to be worthy competitors in today’s smartphone market.

Mobility Digest Review: RightWay Spotter Dale Jr. Edition 4.3" Touchscreen GPS

Today for review Geeks has sent me over another of their GPS Devices, this one though is bit special in that it’s a themed type with Dale Jr as its theme. Yes, it’s a Nascar themed GPS unit that comes with pictures and movies featuring Dale Jr and the GPS uses Dale’s voice to guide you along the way. If you don’t want his voice you can of course change it to one of the other selections. The unit itself is really a portable media player with GPS functionality, it can do movies, music, pictures and even e-books. As a GPS unit it works well really, except for having Dale’s voice guide you, that can be annoying…

http://mobilitydigest.com/mobility-digest-review-rightway-spotter-dale-jr-edition-4-3-touchscreen-gps/

Mobility Digest Review – Checklist v2.1

Looking for a finger friendly, easy to use app to manage pretty much any kind of list. Then Checklist is for you. While not what you would call "feature rich" I was immediately attracted to this app for it’s streamlined and simple interface. It does one thing, and one thing well; manage checklists, plain and simple. The app will work on any VGA or WVGA device and has been tested on WM 6.5.X devices, but my guess is it will also work on WM6.1.

http://windowsmobile.mobilitydigest.com/mobility-digest-review-checklist-v2-1/

Assorted Stuffs:

Alan Johnson CryoPC Interview @ XSReviews

Article Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/editorial/interview/cryo-pc-interview/
Quote: "Here at XSReviews, while we mostly review individual PC components we sometimes take a peek at full system builds. One company we’ve worked with in the past is CryoPC who produce some seriously impressive high end gaming rigs. Today we speak with head honcho Alan Johnson who tells us all about the system building process and what it’s like to run a custom PC production firm. "

Overclock3D Launches Power Supply Certification Programme.
Quote: OC3D has launched a new certification programme designed to make the purchasing of PC Power Supplies easier for enthusiasts.
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/articles/power_supply/overclock3d_launches_power_supply_certification_programme/1

Desktop PC Platform – Saved By Overclocking @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: The desktop hardware industry was made popular by knowledgeable members of the community willing to share their overclocking experience with others. Passionate hobbyists aligned with similar goals graciously helped eager learners to tweak hardware components until they performed like the next model in the series, but pre-tweaked enthusiast products were slowly driving down the number of people who qualify as overclockers. It’s not easy watching our hobby get dumbed-down to the point where the push of a button can replace years of trial-and-error experience. At some point, the real overclockers will return to save the desktop platform.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11569&Itemid=8

Coolermaster Inferno Gaming Mouse @ Pro-Clockers

SteelSeries 7H Gaming Headset Review @ KitGuru

Roccat Pyra – handy gaming mice review

Funky Kit Review: Battle of the Mice – QPad K5 vs Sharkoon FireGlider

Quick Links:

BitFenix Colossus Full Tower Chassis

iXBT Labs Review: ASUS EAH5850 TOP, Gigabyte GV-R575SL-1GI, MSI R5770 HAWK Graphics Cards

Funky Kit Review: Gigabyte Radeon HD 5770 Silent Cell (1Gb GDDR5)

Enermax Revolution 85+ 1020W Power Supply Review @ KitGuru

Lian Li PC-A77F Review @ Vortez.co.uk

ASRock 880G Extreme3 Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews

Sapphire IPC-AM3DD785G Socket AM3 DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard Review

Corsair Hydro Series H70 CPU Cooler

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 1GB @ PureOverclock

Cooler Master V6 GT CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Canucks

XFX Radeon HD 5970 4GB Black Edition Limited with Eyefinity @ HardwareHeaven.com

Foxconn NetBox-nT330i Barebone Review @ Madshrimps

ASUS P6X58D-E (Intel X58 Express) Motherboard

OC3D: Prolimatech MK-13 VGA Cooler Review

Mobility Digest Review: Airlink 101 AP671W 802.11N Access Point

News for Monday April 26th 2010

Kristofer Brozio — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:00:43 +0000

It’s that time again for the news:

Storage Related:

Kingston HyperX PC3-15000 (1866MHz) LoVo 4GB Kit
QUOTE: "We have to wonder, though; does Low Voltage and HyperX deserve to be in the same category? It seems a little conflicting. HyperX is all about power and Low Voltage is all about taking care of the environment and hugging trees.
Let’s hope that this isn’t just some normal kit of memory with a new colored heatsink and fancy title. Hopefully we’ll discover that the kit deserves to sit in the HyperX series and LoVo is something that we should be interested in."

Corsair Flash Padlock 2:
English link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/21838/corsair-flash-padlock-2.aspx
Swedish link: http://www.rbmods.se/content/14463/corsair-flash-padlock-2.aspx
Quote: Flash drives has hit the market hard in various sizes, but one thing that has been missing is a security flash drive. I have seen ones with thumb prints but Corsair has released the Padlock 2 which encrypts the drive and locks it with a pin code. How well does it perform?

Patriot Viper II DDR3 1600mhz Triple Channel Kit @ TechwareLabs

Quote: A fact that many computer users overlook is that the ram in their system plays a critical role in both the stability and performance. It is important not only to have enough ram but also that your ram is good quality and fast. Join us as we test the speed and performance of the Patriot Viper’s DDR3 1600 ram kit.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/patriot-viper-ii-ddr3-1600mhz-triple-channel-kit/

Super Talent RAIDDrive USB-3.0 Flash Drive @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: SuperSpeed USB-3.0 delivers a very dramatic improvement over the older USB-2 protocol. Bandwidth speed has increased from 480 Mb/s to 5000 Mb/s, and file transfer rates as fast as 400 MB/s are now possible; making SuperSpeed USB-3.0 very competitive with the Serial-ATA interface. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Super Talent RAIDDrive ST3U64SRK SuperSpeed USB-3.0 flash drive, a product with up to 128GB of capacity which utilizes two SSD controllers in a RAID-0 array. The Super Talent USB-3.0 RAIDDrive is capable of 320 MB/s according to specifications, making it the fastest USB flash drive on the market.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=503&Itemid=60

Stardock USB 3.0 HDD Dock and Card Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/other-products/stardock-usb-30-dock-and-card/
Quote: "When it comes to portable storage there are two different improvements everyone is interested in hearing about: capacity and transfer speeds. One of the newest ones to hit the market is the advent of the new USB standard, USB 3.0. Today we’re looking at a Startech package that gives you not only a hard drive dock supporting the new port, but also a PCI-E card giving you a pair of USB3 ports to make sure you’re fully compatible. "

Patriot Valkyrie Dual Bay NAS
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8519&Itemid=40
Quote:

The Patriot Valkyrie is a nice quiet alternative to the popular DNS-323 dual-bay NAS. They both have basically the same feature set and Patriot makes theirs unique with the backup feature that can quickly and easily backup your USB media to the box. The Bittorrent feature seems to work well, and the iTunes server works as advertised. All-in-all, the overall experience was very good. . .

OCIA.net has posted their review of the Kingwin DockMaster USB 3.0 HDD Dock.

"Kingwin has added three USB 3.0 devices to its product roster this year, two SATA enclosures (one 2½" and one 3½") and the DockMaster SATA HDD dock we have for review today. The DM-2535U3 is a single bay drive dock that accepts either 2½" or 3½" SATA drives. It features USB 3.0 connectivity for bandwidth up to 5Gb/s and plug and play capability. Facing competition from an overabundance of USB 2.0 drive enclosures and the already super fast eSATA interface, can USB 3.0 really surpass the popularity and speed of existing devices?"

Direct Link: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/kingdm3/page1.shtml

Western Digital VelociRaptor 600GB HDD Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-1066,1-western-digital-velociraptor-600gb-vorsicht,-bissig.htm

Quote: "The Western Digital VelociRaptor 600GB HDD (VR200M) arrived Technic3D. Available in 150GB, 300GB, 450GB and 600GB configurations. We will check the new High-End SATA 6 Gb/s HDD WD6000HLHX with 32MB Cache and 10.000rpm against the older version and SSDs in Windows 7."

OCZ Solid 2 Series SATA II 2.5" 60GB SSD @ TestFreaks

Today for review I’ve got another value priced SSD, this one is from OCZ, it’s called the Solid 2 and it is 60gb in capacity. I’ve put it up against a couple other value series SSDs and found that the Solid 2 performs well overall. During my testing I also found that the Solid 2 performs better than the specs indicate it should, which is good thing. So read on to learn more..

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-ocz-solid-2-series-sata-ii-2-5-60gb-ssd/

Mobile / Notebook/ Etc:

Camangi WebStation Google Android Tablet PC @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: The Camangi WebStation is a compact tablet WiFi or 3G-connected PC that utilizes the Google Android Operating System. Similar to the Apple iPad, the Camangi WebStation adds all of the features an Android smartphone offers and combines them with tablet size and functionality. Weighing a mere 13 ounces, the Camangi WebStation tablet can double as an eBook reader with the installed Aldiko or Google Books applications. Internet phone calls can be made using Fring, and the 3G Wizard adds connectivity when WiFi is unavailable. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Camangi WebStation Google Android Tablet PC in a combination of everyday uses to see how well it can replace other compact computer devices.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=476&Itemid=66

Lenovo Thinkpad X100e: AMD in Thinkpad @ InsideHW

Summary: The idea of being able to own a ThinkPad notebook for just 400€ seems very good indeed, but one shouldn’t rush the decision.
Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/Lenovo-Thinkpad-X100e-AMD-in-Thinkpad.html

The best thing about HTC HD2 @ t-break

A well-kept secret of the HTC HD2 is that it can operate as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, giving any Wi-Fi device access to the Internet through it’s 3G data connection.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/04/the-best-thing-about-htc-hd2/

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Razer Orochi Mobile Mouse.
Quote: If you’ve got a laptop but still like to game, maybe Razer have just what you want.
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/input_devices/razer_orochi_mobile_mouse/1

Ricoh CX3 Review – Recommended!

We’ve just published our review of the new Ricoh CX3 – an update to the Ricoh CX2 – it features a new 10 megapixel back-lit CMOS sensor, 720p HD video mode, 16:9 aspect ratio, new Pet scene mode, Auto-Scenes, Noise reduction options (from the GR DIGITAL III), Face priority focus, and the same specifications as the CX2, such as 5fps shooting, wide angle 10.7x optical zoom lens (28mm – 300mm), 3" 920k pixel screen, image stabilisation, Dynamic Range shooting, electronic level, AF bracketing. 299

http://www.digicamreview.com/2010/04/ricoh-cx3-review-recommended.html

HTC Incredible vs. Apple iPhone 3GS
"We have little doubt that HTC’s Incredible is king of the Android mountain for the time being. But even if it stares down at the myTouch puttering around in the foothills and the Droid on a craggy outcropping just below, it still has to measure up against that veritable Everest in the distance: Apple’s iPhone 3GS. How does the HTC Incredible measure up? Break out the altimeter and sextant, we’re going to find out."
Link to the article:http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/devices/htc-incredible-vs-apple-iphone-3gs/

Dell Vostro V13’s laptop

URL: http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/?p=5292

Snippet: “Dell’s latest ultraportable laptop—otherwise known as the poor man’s Adamo—is a great looking machine, constructed with durable and premium materials at a decent price. Its specifications aren’t cutting edge, but it’s so much faster compared to most netbooks which use Intel’s low-cost Atom processor. The biggest criticism of the Vostro V13 is that its svelte design results in poor battery life and the inability to swap out the cell or system memory. Graphics performance isn’t too hot, either. But if you or your colleagues are mostly deskbound, need a laptop that impresses at client meetings, or want something that is small and light to carry, then the Vostro V13 could be a prudent choice.”

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 Review
"Let’s blow away the smoke-this is one of the best new digicams we’ve reviewed in a long time, well deserving its pick as an Editor’s Choice. It’s far from the perfect camera we’re always searching for but it does so many things well, it should go near the top of the list of anyone shopping for a new digicam. Why are we so juiced about the TX7? Read on and find out."
Link to the review: http://www.digitaltrends.com/digital-camera-reviews/sony-cyber-shot-dsc-tx7-review/

HTC Incredible @ TestFreaks

Today for review I’ve got what has to be the best phone on the market today in terms of both quality, usability and price really. The HTC Incredible from Verizon Wireless was just announced and will be available on the 29th to the public, but in my time with it I’ve truly grown to love it. Yes it’s not without faults, but the pros very much outweigh the cons of this phone. To put it simply, the HTC Incredible is the best Android based phone out there right now.

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-htc-incredible/

Audio / Video:

Asus MS238H LCD Monitor Review:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-MS238H-LCD-Monitor-Review/

Today we’re taking a look at a monitor, the Asus MS238H, that’s part of a new trend sweeping the display market. No, we’re not talking about 3D technology. The Asus MS238H is the first desktop LCD monitor we’ve tested that features LED backlighting. This is basically the same technology found in the HDTV arena which makes displays thinner and lighter than ever before. LED back lit displays are so slim, they can be hung on walls like picture frames, eliminating the need for the heavy duty mounts that standard LCD products previously required. Furthermore, the MS238H sports a 23" widescreen layout, 1920 x 1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 2 ms response time, and ring shaped stand that distinguishes it from every other monitor available…

Asus Xonar Essence STX Sound Card Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/asus_xonar_essence_stx/
Article Snippet:
"Asus’ Xonar Essence STX may be pricey, but for audiophiles or those with the money to spend on an excellent sound card, this is the one to get. It looks good and performs even better. It’s made with high quality components throughout, right down to the capacitors and EMI shield and this attention to detail becomes evident right from the first listen."

Grado GR8 Review
"The folks at Grado Labs are well educated in matters of high performance headphones. Their SR60i headphones, for example, made our Best Headphones of 2010 list and are frequently praised as the best sounding on-ear headphones you can get for under $100.00. Considering the popularity of the iPod and other portable players, one might think that offering an in-ear model would be a foregone conclusion. For whatever reason, though, Grado has quietly gone without an in-ear mode until now. With the introduction of the GR8, Grado acknowledges that the portable media player is here to stay and that a large segment of listeners demand a high quality, comfortable set of in-ears to go with their iPod. In this review, we’ll take a close look at the GR8 and see if they really are as ‘great’ as their name might imply."
Link to the review: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mp3-player-reviews/grado-gr8-review/

Assorted Stuffs:

Win one of three Cooler Master chassis @ Elite Bastards

Entering the competition is simple, and you can find all the details right here:
http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1482&catid=1&Itemid=9

How to find out the Model of the Motherboard You Have @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/how-to-find-out-the-model-of-the-motherboard-you-have/

Quote: “Knowing who makes your motherboard and what model you have is very important. Many motherboards have new drivers and BIOS updates that fix problems with the motherboard once it has been released. To download and install these updates you need to know the exact model name and manufacturer of your motherboard. Many people who have built their own computer should already know this, but if you somehow forget or you have purchased your computer from a store this guide will easy show you where to find this information."

NETGEAR GS605AV 5-Port Gigabit Network Switch
QUOTE: "In almost all of our networking reviews we have talked about Quality of Service or QoS. This handy little feature allows you to adjust priority for different types of network traffic. It makes keeping a network from becoming congested, easy.
Enter the NETGEAR GS605AV; it is a 5-port GBe (Gigabit Ethernet) switch that has all the QoS done internally for you at the low price of $46.99 from NewEgg.com. All you have to do is connect your network to it in the proper fashion. To make things even simpler, they have also color coded the ports on the back so you almost can’t screw up."

A Futurelooks Guide to Finding the Best Alternatives to Apple Products

The boys and girls who work in Cupertino have released some wonderful gadgets over the years. At the same time, there are far too many people out there who blindly listen to Steve and buy Apple products without considering some suitable alternatives. Just as you would probably spend a good deal of time shopping around for a new car or even a new home, it pays to do some background research before splurging on a new gadget or gizmo too. It’s your money and you probably want to make sure that it’s well spent. Let’s have a good look at some of the best alternatives to Apple products, or in some cases, the best alternatives to products that Apple “reinvented”.

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/a-futurelooks-guide-to-finding-the-best-alternatives-to-apple-products/

Exclusive: GIGABYTE demo On/Off Charge for Apple products
QUOTE: "Earlier today we were invited down to the GIGABYTE Technology headquarters here in Taipei where we were given an exclusive demonstration of its new "On/Off Charge" technology for the Apple iPod and other Apple products such as the iPhone and iPod.
GIGABYTE quietly launched a software driver a little while ago that allowed its motherboards to charge Apple products via USB even when your computer was turned off. Now the Taiwanese motherboard heavyweight steps things up some more with its new On/Off Charge tech."

Gaming Related:

Mionix Naos 5000 Mouse Review at Overclockers Online
Link: http://www.overclockersonline.net/reviews/mionix-naos-5000/
Quote: I plugged in the Naos 5000, loaded up the software, and fired up a few games. I played through all of Assassin’s Creed 2 and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced War Fighter with it, and I have to say, it never let me down once. The mouse was accurate and steady with pinpoint precision, firing off life-dependant head-shots and reflexive counter-attacks. Every dpi and macro setting proved useful as well.

Double Charge Station for Wii Review @ Wii digest

Today for review I’ve got an inexpensive product from CTA Digital called the Double Charge Station. What it entails is two battery packs for your Wii Remotes and a charging base to charge them while they are in your remotes. The Charge Station retails for about $15, and that’s not bad considering how much batteries cost and how much you could save using rechargeable batteries. The charge station is compatible with the Wii MotionPlus too, so you can charge the batteries with it on, but you can’t charge with the rubber covers on the controllers. So read on to learn more about this product…

Link: http://wiidigest.com/2010/04/22/double-charge-station-for-wii-review/

Nvidia’s Geforce GTX 480 and 470 deliver an interesting feature for quality oriented gamers: Full screen Supersampling Anti-Aliasing under DirectX 10 and DirectX 11. Up to now this high-end image enhancement had been available under DirectX 9 with AMD’s Radeon HD 5000 series only.

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,745901/Geforce-GTX-480/470-with-unmatched-image-quality-in-modern-games/Practice/

Splinter Cell Conviction (PC) Review @ GamingHeaven.net
"What a difference a beard makes… Seriously. The promotional material for Splinter Cell: Conviction saw pictures of a bedraggled Sam Fisher plastered everywhere just to let us know that things had changed. Its the classic movie convention – clean cut equals a by the book good guy, stubble equals either a bad guy or a good guy with a tendency to make up the rules as he goes along but the full beard is the uniform of a broken man."

http://www.gamingheaven.net/gamingreviews.php?reviewid=894

Brink Questions Answered by Richard Ham @ [OC]ModShop

Brink is set on the Ark, a massive artificial city floating far out in the Pacific Ocean, built as a prototype for mankind’s “perfect green future.” It’s a complex that should house around 5,000 people, but unfortunately, the ocean levels have risen, and people from all over the globe have come to Ark as refugees, overrunning the place with a population of 50,000. Resources are running out and people are scared, leaving the whole place on the brink of all-out civil war. When the game starts, you choose if you want to fight as a member of Ark Security or the civilian Resistance movement. Each side of the
conflict has their own goals and objectives, and each side thinks they’re the good guys.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1753

Quick Links:

akasa Freedom Xone PC Chassis Review @ XtremeComputing

PNY GTX-470 @ Bjorn3D

OC3D: HIS HD5830 Review

ASRock X58 Extreme3 Intel X58 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

NZXT Hades @ PureOverclock

AMD FirePro V3800 & FirePro V5800 @ Phoronix

ASUS P7P55D-E Deluxe Intel P55 LGA 1156 Motherboard Review @ OCIA.net

Gelid Solutions Wing 12PL @ LanOC Reviews

Lian-Li Silent Force 650W PSU Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Gigabyte AMD 890GX Motherboard BIOS Update Improves Power Consumption @ Legit Reviews

AeroCool V12XT Touch LCD Fan Control @ High Tech Reviews

ASUS GeForce GTX 470 ENGTX470 Graphics Card Review @ Legit Reviews

SilverStone HDDBOOST @ Phoronix

be quiet! Dark Power Pro P8 750W PSU Review on Technic3D

Lamptron Fan Controller FC5 @ techPowerUp

Asus Crosshair IV Formula AM3 Motherboard Preview @ eTeknix.com

ASRock 890GX Extreme3 AMD Socket AM3 DDR3 Motherboard Review

Cooler Master Vortex Plus CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular Power Supply Unboxing Video @ eTeknix.com

Thermalright Venomous X Heatsink Review @ Ninjalane

PowerColor Radeon HD 5870 PCS+ @ Techgage

Sapphire Radeon HD 5970 TOXIC 4GB Video Card Overclocked

Prolimatech Armageddon @ PureOverclock

Cooler Master 690 II Advanced @ LanOC Reviews

ASRock 890GX Extreme3 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

eXtreme PSU Calculator Update

Foxconn FlamingBlade Socket 1366 Motherboard Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Ikonik Ra 2000 Black IC-RBDAB-C000 Full Tower Chassis

Xtreme Gear HP-1216B Five Heatpipe Copper CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

PowerColor Radeon HD 5870 PCS+ graphic card review

HIS HD 5850 iCooler V Turbo @ techPowerUp

Hybrid PhysX Mod v1.03 @ NGOHQ.com

News for 4-1-10- April Fools Day

Kristofer Brozio — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:33:19 +0000

it’s April Fools Day and here’s the news from around the world:

Storage Related:

Hardware Canucks is pleased to present our review of the Kingston SSDNow V+ (gen.2) 128GB SSD.

Article URL: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/28708-kingston-ssdnow-v-gen-2-128gb-ssd-review.html

Quote: In the highly competitive SSD market, there is no end to the number of companies vying for your hard earned dollars. From no name brands to the who’s who of the computer hardware industry, there are so many products out there it is getting extreme hard for consumers to choose. With their SSDNow V+ series, Kingston is aiming to please everyone from first time buyers to enthusiasts who are looking for the right combination of price and performance. But, can the 128GB version of this drive compete in its intended price bracket?

Cirago USB Hard Drive Dock with Card Reader CDD1000 Review

I’ve looked at many hard drive docks in my time, and most are pretty much the same, just a place to stick your hard drive to transfer files back and forth. Cirago has sent me over their new HDD dock that adds a bit more features to the regular plain dock, theirs has a built-in card reader and two additional USB ports as well. The additional features do make the dock more useful than the plain HDD docks that we’re accustomed to, with this dock you won’t need a card reader and USB hub because it’s all right there for you. Not a bad idea overall, but let’s see how it performs when I compare it to my Thermaltake BlacX Duet HDD dock. Read on…

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15980&Itemid=1

Synology VS60 Surveillance Station Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/other-products/synology-vs60-surveillance-station/
Quote: "With the price of NAS drives becoming a little more managable and the increased capacities necessary for the backup of everyday work and family photographs increasing, this type of hardware is becoming more proliferant in our homes. However, they arn’t the only additions to your network you can make, with several add-on boxes made available by companies like Synology.

KINGMAX “Turbo Vaccine” Antivirus (UD-01) Flash Drive @ PCShopTalk
Quote:
"Through all the hundreds, even thousands of flash drives types on the market, Kingmax comes with an interesting looking drive, which has an antivirus on it named "Turbo Vaccine", which does not need to be installed on the computer, it simply runs right from plugging in the drive into a spare USB port. It features both Windows Xp and Vista compatibility, but not Windows 7."
Link: http://www.pcshoptalk.com/content.php?287-KINGMAX-Turbo-Vaccine-Antivirus-UD-01-Flash-Drive

Addonics NAS2XU2 NAS 2.0 Adapter Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/addonics_nas2xu2_nas_adapter_review/
Article Snippet:
"Today’s review will cover the NAS2XU2 NAS adapter from Addonics, which turns any USB hard drive into a network attached storage device. It’s a small, very portable device that also provides a DHCP server, FTP server, Xbox 360 media server, and more. Time to take it for a test run."

OCZ Vertex Series 60GB 2.5" SSD review
"The underside of the drive gives us a peek at the Vertex’s Serial ATA 3Gbps interface, with power also provided using the normal Serial ATA power connector of course. Underneath this outer shell, the Vertex’s PCB contains a single 64MB chip for the drive’s cache, and a handful of MLC (multi-level cell) Samsung NAND flash memory chips which make up the 60GB of storage offered by our sample. All of this is handled by Indilinx’s "Barefoot" IDX110 controller chip, which uses an ARM controller to handle data between the Serial ATA interface and the flash chips upon the device itself. This particular controller is designed with enough bandwidth to maximise write speeds, particularly for small writes, while the controller’s firmware is custom designed by OCZ themselves, and in its 1.5 revision (used for this review) TRIM is fully supported under Windows 7 alongside garbage collection routines to ensure that drive performance remains optimal no matter how much usage and punishmen
t the drive goes through."
http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1375&catid=13&Itemid=27

Kingston SSDNow SNV425-S2 128GB @ PureOverclock

Review URL: http://www.pureoverclock.com/article945.html

“Today brings both a surprise and a non-surprise. The non-surprise? Kingston has added another SSD to its lineup. The surprise? This drive is the same capacity as competing premium SSDs but retails for about $100 less. So what’s the catch? Well, the catch is that the performance specifications on this Kingston drive aren’t quite as impressive as say, the Indilinx-based drives, for example. However, this Kingston SNV425-S2 does support TRIM out of the box. And costs $100 less. Does curiousity have you interested yet?”

A-DATA S599 100GB SandForce SF-1200 Solid State Disk
QUOTE: "We managed to get the first review of a SandForce SF-1200 product out before anyone else when the Corsair Force F100 went up just last week. At the time we were planning on the A-DATA S599 arriving before the Corsair drive which came in unannounced and was a great surprise. Two days later the S599 arrived and at the same time Intel let us know that a new driver was on the way that would support RAID TRIM and bring new optimized performance for many SATA products.
A-DATA has been playing the SSD game since the first generation X25-M. Their first product was exactly that, a rebadged Intel drive, but it was just enough to spring them into the market. Since the X25-M the company has released a few Indilinx Barefoot products that allowed A-DATA to skate by, but at CeBIT they put the market on notice that A-DATA would not be just another ‘me too’ solid state drive company."

Plextor PX-128M1S 128GB SSD Review

"Plextor, best known for manufacturing optical drives, has finally stepped into the SSD market with the PX-128M1S, a 128GB drive that uses multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash memory. The PX-128M1S is a 2.5", SATA 3Gb/s drive, which makes it compatible with most notebooks. It can also be installed into a desktop computer with use of a mounting bracket (not included). With a capacity of 128GB, the Plextor PX-128M1S is well-suited as a boot drive. Unlike 64GB drives which can be a little tight in that regard, you’ll have enough space to install Windows, everyday applications like Microsoft Office."

URL: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2510

GeIL Black Dragon 6GB DDR3-2000 @ PureOverclock

Review URL: http://www.pureoverclock.com/article944.html

“We are looking at a set of GeIL Black Dragon 6GB DDR3-2000 memory modules that look very unique from what we normally see, sporting no fancy heatspreaders. Going with a different approach, there is a black PCB design, gold printing, and red LEDs make these Black Dragons quite refreshing in a sea of clichéd products that want us to believe that sleek metal casings can justify the high price tags that accompany such things.

IN WIN Na 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Vortez.co.uk
DESCRIPTION:
"Better known for their computer cases, IN WIN has designed various quality products throughout the years. An aspect that is interesting about this Taiwanese company is that it tries to please both gaming-oriented and fashion-conscious users. It is evident from IN WIN product index (see Link) that some cases focus on an industrial and rugged design whereas others have trendy and stylish tones. These same ideas have been brought to IN WIN’s storage devices. The AMMO, an external 2.5" hard drive enclosure, previously reviewed on Vortez Hardware (see Link) is oriented towards gamers with its evident war theme. On the other end of the spectrum, the Na is IN WIN’s external 3.5" hard drive enclosure with a simple yet attractive design."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=149

Everything USB is pleased to announce our in-depth review on Corsair Flash Padlock 2 8GB Secure Flash Drive review.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago when Corsair first unveiled their Padlock USB secure flash drive, a secure drive with a nifty keypad to unlock the storage by PIN code without the need for platform-specific software. Too bad the security was bypassed in less than a year by a group of dutch engineers armed with a simple 10K resistor. Corsair’s not one to take such humiliation lightly, however, and has jumped back into the game with the Flash Padlock 2, now backed by 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Better still, the Padlock 2 is now housed in the same rubber casing as the ever-durable Flash Voyager, meaning it’s practically begging to withstand much more than its fair share of flagrant abuse. So how did this new contender fare in the hands of a crazed reviewer? Read on to find out…
http://www.everythingusb.com/corsair-flash-padlock-2-flash-drive-18671.html

ADATA S599 SandForce SF-1200 SSD Test @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: ADATA is a finished-goods company with deep roots in the enthusiast system memory market. Like nearly every company that sells DRAM-based products, ADATA has gone the way of the SSD. Promising 280/270 MBps read/write speeds with Windows-7 TRIM support, the ADATA S599 Solid State Drive offers 100GB of high-speed storage capacity. Built from the SandForce SF-1200 SSD processor, Benchmark Reviews tests ACHI speeds and performance with the ADATA S599 against some of the fastest storage devices available.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=484&Itemid=60

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Corsair Flash Padlock 2 8GB Review.
Quote: Carrying your personal data around on a USB drive may be convenient, but what happens when you loose it?
Link here

Audio / Video:

ITShootOut.com have just reviewed the Razer Mako Speakers.
Quote:
"At £250/$375 the Makos are aimed squarely at the enthusiast crowd and, as they are a 2.1 channel set, at users with somewhat limited desk space. Whilst many gamers will baulk at such a steep price tag for a bundle comprising of merely two channels, these speakers’ specifications are top notch, and with no less than 300W of RMS power available they are more than a match for most surround sounds sets. The all-important frequency response specification also speaks volumes about the Mako’s capabilities as it stands at an impressive 25-20,000 Hz."
Link: http://itshootout.com/r-337/razer-mako-speakers-review/

Arctic Cooling E361-BM

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ArcticCooling/E361

Brief:Arctic Cooling known for their innovative cooling solutions recently launched a new line of in-ears. In this review we will be taking a closer look at their top-of-the-line in-ear dubbed E361-BM. Fitted with a microphone and remote these earphones also double as a headset, both for PC and phone.

Microsoft Zune 30GB Media Player
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/zune30gb_1
Quote: I have been using the Microsoft Zune for a little over a month now, and I am really enjoying it. I would not recommend it for those who want a super portable media player, but if you want to transport a fairly large collection of audio and video files with you, this 30GB unit can accommodate you nicely. I see it as a good choice for use at work, with a home stereo, or in a car.

OCIA.net has posted their review of the Ozone Strato 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones.

"According to their about us page, Ozone was created by a group of gamers that were fed up with the current offering of peripherals targeted specifically to gamers. This group set out to produce cost-efficient gaming gear that delivers function and performance without sacrificing quality and style. Today we will be taking a look at one of their flagship gaming audio products, the Strato 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones."

Direct Link: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ozonestrato/page1.shtml

Mobile / Laptops / Netbooks:

Scosche solCHAT II Solar Powered Bluetooth Speakerphone Review

I had the opportunity to try out the first Scosche solCHAT solar-powered Bluetooth speakerphone a while ago and was generally pleased with what it had to offer. The second-generation Scosche solCHAT II (CBHSOL2) takes on the exact same form factor, but it comes with a few minor upgrades worth noting.

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/scosche-solchat-ii-solar-powered-bluetooth-speakerphone-review/

MEGATech Reviews: CoolerMaster NotePal ErgoStand Notebook Cooler

It’s not enough for a notebook stand to simply prop up your laptop anymore; we want it to be an effective cooling pad and we want it to have some extra features to boot. The CoolerMaster NotePal ErgoStand, despite a somewhat awkward name, seems to fit the bill quite well.

Direct Link:http://www.megatechnews.com/megatech-reviews-coolermaster-notepal-ergostand-notebook-cooler/

3 iPod Nano 5th Gen Cases Reviewed

Today for review we’ve got three cases for the iPod nano 5th generation from USBFever.com. We’ve got a clear plastic case, a rubber case and an armband style case for the active lifestyle. So read on to learn more..

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15975&Itemid=1

InsideHW.com has reviewed Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand.
Summary: With the price about the same as the NotePal Ax model, and the handy feature of elevation adjustment, as well as the 4-port USB hub, we can freely say that Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand is a very good buy indeed.
Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/Cooler-Master-NotePal-ErgoStand-Cools-and-Lifts.html

Samsung 15.6" R580 Multimedia Notebook:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Samsung-156-R580-Multimedia-Notebook-Review

Taking all that into consideration, we have to commend Samsung on the launch of their R80 series. These machines were just introduced this month, and we have managed to grab one of the first R580 notebooks to leave the production line…

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…"

‘LG Chocolate’s battery life more sour than sweet’
LG’s BL40 Chocolate may look stunning with its full cinema screen but the battery life lets it down.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/lg-chocolates-battery-life-more-sour-than-sweet/

Apple’s iPhone 4G: What We Know about the "iPhone HD"
"Steve Jobs just can’t seem to catch a day of rest. With the allegedly world-changing Apple iPad now less than a week out from launch, Apple astrologers with eyes gazing skyward have allegedly caught focus of Apple’s next world-changing product launch: The iPhone 4G. Though still hazy, details that make a startling amount of sense have started to pile up. Have these Internet street preachers really foretold the fourth coming of the Jesus Phone?"
Link to the feature: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apples-iphone-4g-what-we-know-about-the-iphone-hd/

‘Will Xperia X10 recapture some glory for Sony Ericsson?’
Sony Ericsson’s Android-powered Xperia X10 is rumored to hit the Middle East soon. Can it recapture some of the company’s glory after they’ve been trying to find their way in recent years with a variety of questionable smartphones?
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/04/will-xperia-x10-recapture-some-glory-for-sony-ericsson/

ASUS UL50Vf Notebook Review – NVIDIA Optimus Takes the Stage @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1255/1/

Quote: "ASUS is really stepping up to the plate by taking one of their best-selling notebooks that offers advanced power savings and adding to it even more advanced artificial intelligence that is NVIDIA Optimus. NVIDIA Optimus takes the worry and task of manually switching between integrated and discrete graphics away from the user and handles it on-the-fly. This is a perfect match for the average user that just wants results when necessary and wants the extra battery life. With these users in mind, the UL50Vf is a perfect match with NVIDIA Optimus and GeForce G210m graphics…"

Assorted Stuffs:

Win an Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gaming PC! @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/win_an_intel_core_i7-980x_extreme_edition_gaming_pc/
Quote: You’ve read our review, so by now you should know just how exciting Intel’s new Gulftown-based processors are. So how about a chance at winning a gaming PC complete with the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition? Until April 16, you’ll have the chance to win such a PC, and entering couldn’t be much easier! Read on, and good luck!

Zotac Interview with Simon Greer @ HardwareHeaven.com
"Simon Greer Vice President of Sales for EMEAI talks to HardwareHeaven about the GTX 480, ZBOX and the ION platform."

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/interviews.php?interviewid=25

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum 5.9
Review Link : http://www.bayreviews.com/computers/3381-winx-dvd-ripper-platinum-59
Quote : "I don’t usually rip DVD’s but when I got the chance to try out the WinX DVD Ripper Platinum software, I just couldn’t resist. It is a very light weight tool that you can use to copy or rip almost any DVD movie to many popular formats like AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, 3GP (Blackberry and others), iPod/iPad, PSP and more. It is pretty easy to use and the ripping is fast too."

Mac OS X 10.6.2 vs. Ubuntu 10.04 Performance @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=14723
Summary: "While we are just weeks away from delivering the most comprehensive Mac OS X vs. Windows 7 vs. Linux benchmarks, and Apple is on the heels of releasing the major Mac OS X 10.6.3 update, for those impatient ones today we have published an extensive set of tests comparing the performance of Mac OS X 10.6.2 against a development build of Ubuntu 10.04. This is our first time exploring how Canonical’s Lucid Lynx can compete with Apple’s Snow Leopard."

Internet cafés might spy to help combat terrorism

If you are using public Wi-Fi in London any time soon then you had better be on your guard, the administrator of the Wi-Fi service may be watching you.

Apparently British police have asked all those who offer public web access in the UK capital to voluntarily keep an eye on what their customers are up to and to check what sort of things they are downloading, and of course to report any suspicious activity.

Quick Links:

Wii Games Releases for April 2010 @ Wii digest

Thermaltake PWB 100 @ Bjorn3D

Xigmatek Utgard Review

Thermaltake Contac 29 CPU Cooler Review

Ozone Ground Level Mouse Pads @ LanOC Reviews

Gigabyte Ghost Xtreme GM-M8000X Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews

Logitech Gaming Mouse G500 @ Barry’s Review Blog

Steel Series Xai @ LanOC Reviews

Noctua NH-D14 Review at Overclockers Online

ASRock P55DE3 (P55 Express) Motherboard

Gigabyte 790XT-USB3 @ Bjorn3D

Thermaltake SpinQ Six Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Sapphire HD5770 Crossfire Review

Catalyst vs. Mesa Performance With Ubuntu 10.04 @ Phoronix

FSP Group Zen 400 Watt Fanless Silent Power Supply Review @ Tweaknews

Antec Truepower New 750W Power Supply Review @ ThinkComputers.org

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 Video Card Overclocked

AMD Athlon-II X2-255 AM3 Processor @ Benchmark Reviews

Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD7 LGA 1156 Motherboard Review @ Hardware Canucks

NVIDIA GeForce GTX480 Video Card Review

Sapphire TOXIC HD5850 2GB DDR5 Video Card Review

Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 400 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Fractal Design Define R2 Midi-Tower Review on Technic3D

GPU WARS! NVIDIA GTX 480 vs ATI RADEON HD 5870! VGA Card Battle!

In Win Maelstrom Case Review @ Verdis Reviews

Thermalright Venomous X Review

Steel Series Kinzu @ LanOC Reviews

Noctua NH-D14 Heatpipe Cooler Review @ XtremeComputing

Lamptron FC5 Fan Controller Review @ Hardware Canucks

Steel Series 4HD @ LanOC Reviews

NVIDIA Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

Micro Cool Banchetto 101 @ High Tech Reviews

Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 – GF100 Has Landed @ Techgage

News for Wednesday March 17th 2010 –St Patrick’s Day

Kristofer Brozio — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Happy St Patrick’s Day! It’s time for the news!

Quick Links:

MusicSkins Custom Wii Skin Review @ Wii Digest

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Enermax MODU87+ 700w PSU Review

Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews

GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H (AMD 890GX) Motherboard

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro Intel P55 LGA 1156 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Microsoft Sidewinder X4 @ LanOC Reviews

ASUS Maximus III Extreme Motherboard Review

Coolink SWiF2 Series Cooling Fan Roundup Review @ BayReviews.com

iXBT Labs Review: AMD 890GX Chipset Overview

Mionix Naos 5000 Mouse Review @ Hardware Secrets

Thermaltake SpinQ @ techPowerUp

NZXT Premium Cables Review @ OCIA.net

Gigabyte X58A-UD3R Ultra Durable Motherboard Review @ Ninjalane

ProlimaTech Armageddon CPU Cooler Review @ Benchmark Reviews

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600 Watt Review @ Tech-Reviews.co.uk

Best CPU Cooler Heatsink Performance @ Benchmark Reviews

Thermaltake Element Q ITX Chassis

Cooler Master Excalibur @ LanOC Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: MSI P55 GD85 Review

Antec Two Hundred Mid Tower Chassis

Forza Motorsport 3 @ Barry’s Review Blog

MSI R5770 HAWK @ Bjorn3D

be quiet! Pure Power 430W

Coolink Corator DS Gapless Direct Touch CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: XFX Radeon HD 5670 1GB Review

Not Yet Another Core i7 980X Review – Overclocking With LN2 @ Madshrimps

Antec CP-850 850W Power Supply Review @ ThinkComputers.org

HIS Radeon HD 5770 1GB Video Card

Storage Related:

G.SKILL PIS Series 4GB Kit 2000MHz (F3-16000CL6D-4GBPIS).
G.SKILL has been making affordable memory DIMM’s since 1989 and if you’ve built a computer within the past 2-3 years, you more than likely know exactly who G.SKILL is. It’s hard to look passed G.SKILL’s value line of memory especially if you’re on a budget, but what about the hardcore enthusiast? With their PI Series line of memory, G.SKILL has been known to offer high frequency compatible memory at decent pricing. This DDR3, 2000MHz, 4GB dual channel kit we received from G.SKILL is no exception. With 6-9-6-24 2N timings and 2000MHz of frequency to play with, we were very eager to see what this PI Series kit was capable of.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1806

JMicron JMF612 Solid State Drive @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Western Digital depends on the JMicron JMF612 Solid State Drive controller inside their WD SiliconEdge-Blue SSD to produce 250Mbps reads and 170Mbps write transfers. JMicron has also secured their JMF612 processor in the A-DATA S596, the upcoming Corsair Reactor SSD series, and the yet-to-ever-release Active Media Predator-X7. While the SSD industry grows daily, only a few select manufacturers offer popularly-accepted Flash NAND SSD controllers. In this article, Benchmark Reviews evaluates the JMicron JMF612 Solid State Drive processor.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=481&Itemid=60

Seagate BlackArmor PS110 500GB USB 3.0 Portable Drive
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/seagateps110_1
Quote: The BlackArmor PS110 500GB drive is Seagate’s first entry into the new world of USB 3.0 hard drives. And considering that it may be the typical consumers first USB 3.0 product, they have put together a great bundle to make the transition as easy as possible. You get not only the 500GB drive, but everything else you might need to use this with a laptop computer.

LITE-ON iHOS104-08 Blu-Ray Drive @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Just a couple of years ago, 1080p TVs were a thing of miracles and if you were to mention that you had a Blu-Ray drive, you would be considered a sort of miniature deity. Now everyone and their brother had an HDTV. Let’s check out what Lite-On has that can get the best high-def out of your HTPC, without breaking the bank.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/lite-on-ihos104/

Kingston & Mushkin: High-speed DDR3 memory kits @ InsideHW
Kingston’s HyperX is the fastest DDR3 memory kit we’ve met so far and we have to disregard its price and honour it with an “Editor’s Choice” award, while Mushkin kits are still very good choice.
Article link:http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Memory/Kingston-and-Mushkin-High-speed-DDR3-memory-kits.html

Crucial 8GB Kit DDR3-1333/PC3-10600 CT2KIT51264BA1339 Memory Review
Link:http://www.ocinside.de/html/results/crucial_8gb_pc3_10600.html

These new Crucial 4GB UDIMM DDR3 modules were announced recently and each module has 4GB per module instead of the so far usual 2GB per module.
This capacity makes an enormously high memory upgrade possible for current High-End systems, because with e.g. 4x 4 GB modules it is possible to reach gigantic 16GB DDR3 RAM. This is fantastic for developer of 3D animations and graphic designer, but also for all other power users with a 64 bit operating system.

Audio / Video:

Arctic Cooling E361-WM Earphones Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/948
Summary:The cooler makers try their hand on the audio market with an earphone (with integrated microphone) for the iPhone, smartphones and PCs. Let’s see how they fared.

Ankit Stay True Headphones and the link to the review is:
http://www.topreviewshop.com/ankit_stay_true_headphones
"Ankit aims to bridge the gap between earphone and accessory without losing focus of the main purpose of the former – sound. Could their line of in-ear earphones really appeal to both the hipster and the audiophile? Let’s find out."

Arctic Cooling Arctic Sound E352 Earphones @ PCShopTalk
Quote:
"Arctic Cooling have diversified a lot their product types. Now we get to see from them game consoles, portable game consoles or even audio devices. In the next article I’m going to take a look upon their Arctic Sound E352 earphones model for a more in-depth presentation."
Link: http://www.pcshoptalk.com/content.php?282-Arctic-Cooling-Arctic-Sound-E352-Earphones

SanDisk slotRadio Player
Quote: Never heard of slotRadio? It is an initiative by SanDisk to capitalize on the DRM encumbered music market. For a one time fee, you get lots of music that is playable on certain devices that can play slotRadio media. We at ASE Labs thought that the market moved on from proprietary forms of media. Still, we’ll see if it has some worth to it.
Link: http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=5628

Arctic Sound E361-BM Earbuds @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/quick-gage_arctic_sound_e361-bm_earbuds/
Quote: It’s not uncommon for a company which focuses on one thing to branch out into another, but I am not sure many people would have predicted a company such as Arctic Cooling would begin producing audio equipment. Fortunately though, the company has obviously done its research, as the audio quality is very good (with great bass!).

Sennheiser HD800

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sennheiser/HD800
Sennheiser’s latest and greatest headphones are put to the test. The HD800s created quite a fuzz when released, not only were they one of the most expensive headphones launched last year, they were also the most anticipated ones. In this review we put them to the test and see if there can be a reason to spend $1800 on headphones.

SteelSeries Siberia v2 headset and mobile device adapter review
"At last, let’s take a proper look at the headset itself, which comprises of a pair of headphones complete with a design that automatically adjusts to comfortably fit the size of your head thanks to the flexible black band you can see above the headphones themselves, something which really works rather well, only proving to be very slightly uncomfortable after a long period of use. SteelSeries also provides an two metre extension cable with support for both line-out and microphone jacks, giving you a three metre cable length to play with in total – A joy to behold compared to the excruciatingly short cables offered by many headphones."
http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1332&catid=13&Itemid=27

Arctic Cooling E352 Earphones
QUOTE: "Since the last pair I looked at things have not changed a whole lot. Output power stays the same, as does impendence, cable length and connection type. However, we do see a change to the frequency`s response with a lower, or as I like to call it, more accurate rating of 18Hz – 22KHz.
The most notable change here is of course the wooden chassis used instead of the aluminum one. However, I cannot see any specific information regarding the choice to use wood other than ‘warm sound definition by exquisite wooden chassis’. So, clearly Arctic Sound thought they were onto a winner, but equally did not want to give too much away."
For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3186/arctic_cooling_e352_earphones/index.html

Mobile Related / Laptop / Desktop:

Acer AspireRevo Review
"There’s something to be said about a "desktop PC" small enough to fit in a drawer, yet brawny enough to power a whole entertainment system. Acer’s AspireRevo R3610 nettop PC fits just that role. Hovering around $400 certainly doesn’t hurt its cause, either, except the price may be too good to be true if you’re looking to make this your primary PC."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/desktop-computer-reviews/compact-computer-reviews/acer-aspirerevo-review/

Overclockers UK Titan Goliath Core i7 Full Gamer System Review @ Verdis Reviews

Starting at £854.99, the OverclockersUK Titan Goliath features an array of customisation with numerous different graphics cards, hard drives & SSDs, cases and operating systems to be added for a performance boost. Described as the “pinnacle of performance”, the Goliath certainly looks good on paper but how will it compete against rivalling systems? Let’s take a look…”

URL:http://verdisreviews.com/reviews/overclockers-uk-titan-goliath-core-i7-full-gamer-system-review/

OtterBox iPhone 3G / 3GS Impact Series Case @ PCShopTalk
"On the market there are tens if not hundreds of case types for the Iphone 3G/3GS. Most of them are made to enhance the phone design, but do not offer full case protection. OtterBox has designed a case that looks stylish, but also offers full phone protection. Let’s look further upon this review for a more in-depth presentation. "
Link: http://www.pcshoptalk.com/content.php?281-OtterBox-iPhone-3G-3GS-Impact-Series-Case

Coolink Lapchilla Laptop Cooler Review @ Tech-Reviews.co.uk

Briefing: Today we have the Coolink LapChilla Laptop Cooler. Coolink has created a cooler which allows you to change the adjustment for your particular use with a multi-angle design.

Link: http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/coolink-lapchilla-laptop-cooler/

Evercool FIT NB-FT1 Notebook Cooler Review
"Since 1992 Evercool Thermal Co Ltd have been specializing in producing thermal solutions for the computer and telecomms industries. They have an extensive product range. Today we look at the Evercool FIT notebook cooler."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=143

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13" Notebook Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/254-lenovo-thinkpad-edge/
The ThinkPad Edge notebook that we’ll be looking at today is part of an all-new series from Lenovo announced early this year at CES. The ThinkPad Edge blends some of the things we liked on the IdeaPad with the power and legacy of ThinkPads. Aimed at style- and budget-conscious business users, this system features some firsts from Lenovo, like a new keyboard layout and a low entry price for ThinkPads at just $579.

Assorted Stuffs:

Interesting News: Facebook’s Warning to Avoid Using Bogus Apps

If you have deliberating on using any applications which allow you to see who is viewing your profile then you might want to think twice.

http://www.gaj-it.com/16661/facebook-warning-avoid-using-apps-allowing-you-to-see-who-is-viewing-your-profile/

‘Dubai Twestival March 25′
The first Twestival of 2010 takes place March 25 at the Intercontinental,Dubai.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/dubai-twestival-march-25/

A Guide To Going Green for Saint Patrick’s Day

The legend of Saint Patrick says that he was responsible for banishing snakes from Ireland. He was also known as a patron saint of Ireland, but the holiday named in his honor is probably better known for its never-ending flow of green beer, hooligans and shenanigans. Before you hit up the bar for some festive ale, perhaps you should consider taking on some green habits as part of your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Here are a few green tips to help keep the environment happy.

Direct Link:http://www.futurelooks.com/a-guide-to-going-green-for-saint-patricks-day/

Home Theater PC Building – A HotHardware How-To
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Home-Theater-PC-Building–A-HotHardware-HowTo/

Building a Home Theater PC is often times a much better option for enabling your entertainment center for various forms of digital media playback capability. Rather than stepping up to additional discrete components, like a stand-alone Blu-ray, DVD or CD player, why not infuse your living room entertainment center with real intelligence and multimedia muscle and build an HTPC (Home Theater PC)?

Interesting New: Augmented Reality App for Auto Trader

So how does it all work? If you see a car which catches your fancy when you are out, then all you would need to do is take the picture of the car, crop the image and leave just the number plate and the app will use the iPhone’s GPS and 3G connections to search for similar models for sale near you.

http://www.gaj-it.com/16573/iphone-ipod-touch-app-auto-traders-augmented-reality-app-for-second-hand-car-hunting/

Integrated Systems Europe 2010 Tradeshow

We visited Integrated Systems Europe 2010 this year, the show for professional Audio Video and electronic systems integrations, located in Amsterdam RAI.
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=990

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!

WIN with Noctua – NF-P14 FLX and NT-H1
DESCRIPTION:
"There’s just one week left until our Noctua competition closes. Be sure to get your entry in to be in with a chance of winning a Noctua NF-P14 FLX and NT-H1. For details follow the link."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/content_page/win_with_noctua_nf_p14_flx_and_nt_h1.html

Megacon 2010 Coverage @ TechwareLabs

Quote: From costumes and celebrities to models, magic and more the MegaCon 2010 show has it all. We walked down the hall of the Orlando Convention Center and through the doors and might as well have stepped into another galaxy. Our journey through MegaCon lasted a short four hours and we only managed to see a small part of the events and happenings going on. The walls were lined with memorabilia and every gizmo and gadget from your favorite show, comic, and film. Check out our huge gallery of pictures from the event where people dressed as their favorite characters.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/megacon-2010-coverage/

News for Saturday March 13th 2010

Kristofer Brozio — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:12:16 +0000

Time for the news from around the world…

Quick Links:

PowerColor HD 5750 Go Green @ techPowerUp

Altitude – PC @ LanOC Reviews

NZXT Panzerbox @ LanOC Reviews

InWin Diva MITX Case @ TechwareLabs

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Mionix NAOS 5000 Review

Antec P183 Advanced Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

SteelSeries Xai Laser Mouse

Lian Li PC-T1R Spider @ techPowerUp

Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1GB Review @ XSReviews

CoolerMaster GX Series 750 Watt ATX Power Supply Review

Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

CeBIT 2010 Coverage with more than 100 pictures on 11 pages

Enermax MODU 87+ 600W PSU Review on Technic3D

NZXT Hades @ techPowerUp

ASUS HD 5870 Matrix 2GB & ASUS HD 5870 "V2" Sneak Peek @ Hardware Canucks

iXBT Labs Review: AMD Athlon II X2 215 Processor

Zalman CNPS10X Performa CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Win a Dell XPS Laptop with OC3D and Dell Outlet.

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Mionix KEID 20 Review

Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse @ TechwareLabs

COGAGE TRUE Spirit LGA1366 Heatsink Review

iXBT Labs Review: MSI 770-C35 Motherboard

akasa NeroS heatpipe CPU cooler Review @ XtremeComputing

Jetway NC96 NC96-510-LF @ Phoronix

MSI HD 5870 Lightning @ techPowerUp

ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 890FX Motherboard Sneak Peak @ Hardware Canucks

Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse and Vespula Mouse Mat Video Review

AZZA Helios 910R Case Review

Radeon HD5830 DirectX-11 Gaming Performance @ Benchmark Reviews

CoolerMaster 690 II Advanced vs. CoolerMaster 690 @ Ninjalane

Asus Maximus 3 Extreme @ Bjorn3D

Enhancing Your Dual Boot System @ TechwareLabs

Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition Full Tower Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Silverstone Fortress FT02 90 Degree Motherboard Case at Modders-Inc

Logitech Wireless Keyboard K350 Review on Technic3D

Zaward Golf Fan II Review @ Tech-Reviews.co.uk

Prolimatech MK-13 VGA cooler

Noctua NF-P14 FLX 140mm Fan @ Rbmods

iXBT Labs Review: 59 CPU Roundup

Axle GeForce G210 512MB Review at Overclockers Online

Intel H55/H57 Round-up: Full coverage for Core i3 and i5 @ InsideHW

Facebook launches payments between friends service

Storage Related:

Imation M-Class 128GB SSD
Quote: With SSDs becoming more popular and with newer operating systems finally offering native support, it is only natural that more and more companies would be stepping into the ring with products. Today, HardwareLogic has the Imation M-Class 128GB SSD for review, and is one of Imation’s many entries into the SSD market.
Link: http://www.hardwarelogic.com/articles.php?id=5629

Title: Ineo Technologies I-NA314Ue – Review
Article Clip: Being a computer enthusiast, i often use accessories to get my work done. I have a lot of files which i keep on about 20 hard drives and sometimes it takes me a while to find the right hard drive with the right files. There are few accessories on the market which will let you to plug your hard drive in and browse the files with in. Those accessories are very much valuable in the geek world. Today we are going to take a look at one of these accessories, I-NA314Ue by Ineo Technologies.
Article Link: http://umlan.com/reviews/hardware/h113.html

Everything USB is pleased to announce our in-depth review on Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive review.
Storage is critical in today’s technologically advanced home and business. Some would say more storage is better, others would say performance is king, but what would you say if you could have both performance, capacity and portability in one simple and attractive kit at a generous price? Today we’ll review Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 – the world’s first truly portable USB 3.0 hard drive – over the fastest consumer storage interface available.
http://www.everythingusb.com/seagate-blackarmor-ps-110-usb-3.0-performance-kit-18298.html

G.Skill PC3-18400 (2300MHz) PI Series 4GB Kit
QUOTE: "When I think of memory companies that want nothing but speed, only a few really come to mind and one of them would have to be G.Skill. While so many companies these days produce high end memory, we only really see a few leading the pack and when I say that I mean we see the same few companies ahead of everyone with most other companies playing catch up when it comes to speed.
While most companies are sitting around the PC3-17600 mark these days, G.Skill as always has kicked it up a notch with a PC3-19200 kit and a PC3-18400 one which we have on hand today. Like most high performance memory kits at the moment, the modules are aimed at P55 platforms due to them coming in dual-channel packets."
For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3175/g_skill_pc3_18400_2300mhz_pi_series_4gb_kit/index.html

Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 128GB Solid State Drive
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/kingstonvplus_1
Quote: The Performance Upgrade Kit is a great way to purchase the Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 128GB SSD. Not only do you get the drive, but you get an external enclosure, mounting rails, and additional cables to allow you to connect your new SSD to just about any system. You might not need all of these extras, but for the difference in price you might as well get the bundle.

Asus TS Mini Home Server Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/asus_ts_mini_home_server_review/
Article Snippet:
"Today I’m going to take the Asus TS Mini home server for a test run and see how it performs when integrated into a typical home network. Since this is a product designed for the home market, it should be easy to setup and maintain, operate quietly, and be small enough to not be in the way of other electronic equipment."

A-DATA PC3-17600 (2200MHz) Gaming Series 4GB Kit
QUOTE: "There doesn’t seem to be a single memory company standing still at the moment; every week we’re getting a press release from someone that they’ve released a new high speed kit. PC3-16000 seems so last year all of a sudden as PC3-17600 has become the number high end users want.
Today we’ll be looking at an A-DATA kit which is part of the Gaming series. While we haven’t seen anything from the Gaming series before, hopefully the modules follow the same winning formula that we’ve seen on previous kits of A-DATA memory."
For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3181/a_data_pc3_17600_2200mhz_gaming_series_4gb_kit/index.html

Axus FiT RAID 500 Storage Device Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/axus-fit-raid-500-storage-device-review/

Quote: “I myself have not played around with a RAID setup as I’ve never had more than 1 of the same hard drive kicking around to try it out. I have seen RAID in action and some of my buddies love to have RAID setups, but I’ve never really looked into it until now. When asked what I wanted to look at next in terms of product reviews, I wanted to look at a storage system with redundant capabilities. In my head I thought some sort of RAID system. Bob got back to me and asked if I wanted to look at a RAID enclosure made by a company called Axus. I got to choose between a 3-disk setup and a 5-disk setu p, naturally I choose the 5-disk setup known as the FiT 500."

Tsunami Ultimate II 3500 Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/cases/tsunami-ultimate-ii-3500/
Quote: "While we’re reviewed some pretty expensive and feature heavy hard drive enclosures and NAS drives in recent weeks here at XSR, not everyone wants something so complicated and all encompassing. What of those that want something that’s far more plug and play, far more simple and most importantly far cheaper. For those perhaps the Tsunami-Tech Ultimate II 3500 is what you’re after. Let’s find out."

Mobile Related:

BELKIN Iphone 3G/3GS Leather Folio Case @ PCShopTalk
Quote:
"For the Iphone 3G and 3GS there are a lot of cases on the market, from different materials; not all of them offer complete protection: for example, some of the cases do not cover the main Iphone button which can become damaged after a while because of dust accumulation. In this review I will take a look upon the Belkin Iphone 3G/3GS Leather Folio case made from leather, which offers complete protection to your phone and looks extremely well when it is closed."
Link: http://www.pcshoptalk.com/content.php?280-BELKIN-Iphone-3G-3GS-Leather-Folio-Case

X2 Snowboarding –iPhone Game Review

Even though the Winter Olympics are over you can still become a virtual Shaun White with today reviewed iPhone game – X2 Snowboarding. This digital snowboarding game comes from X2 games and combines impressive game play with graphics are on par with those found on PSP games.

Link: http://www.mobilitydigest.com/x2-snowboarding-iphone-game-review/

Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T410-Review/

Lenovo proved at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that it wasn’t messing around when it comes to latest generation of notebook technologies. The company has a vast array of options, from tiny to huge, and they span the gamut from casual road warriors to hardcore business users. There’s also a machine or two in there for the gaming and multimedia crowd, though you probably wouldn’t guess that the ThinkPad T410 was in that category at first glance. This machine, along with the T410s, T510 and W510, received notable upgrades just last month, with Intel’s latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors hopping on board to give the classically tough and plain ThinkPad line a much-needed breath of life.

The T410 that we’re reviewing today is a ThinkPad through and through. From top to bottom, side to side, there’s no mistaking that this is a member of the iconic ThinkPad family…

Top 10 Essential (And Not So Essential) Car Gadgets

If there are two things that we guys really like, it’s cars and gadgets. And when you combine the two and give us gadgets for our cars, well, that’s Heaven on four wheels.

Link: http://www.thebachelorguy.com/top-10-essential-and-not-so-essential-car-gadgets.html

Review: Destinator 9 for iPhone

The iPhone version of the application brings a rich, featured filled GPS client complete with real time traffic updates, on-board maps, voice guided directions, extended POIs and more.

link: http://www.geardiary.com/2010/03/12/review-destinator-9-for-iphone/

This Week’s Best iPhone Apps

In this week’s bipolar app roundup: Foursquare, squared! Slow ISPs, tattled on! Videos, easily streamed! Street Fighter fans’ high standards, met! Twitter apps, set free! Your entire life, documented! Your every plan, shared! And more…

link: http://gizmodo.com/5492332/this-weeks-best-iphone-apps

Audio / Video:

QNAP NMP-1000 NETWORK MEDIA PLAYER REVIEW @ APH NETWORKS

Description: When I started to plan the upcoming review schedule for APH Networks early last month, the influx of new network media players onto the market really caught my attention. Providing more digital media integration
with your living room audio/video equipment than ever before, long gone are the days when we were restricted to watching certain videos on our computers only, or swapping a bunch of CDs every time you wanted to listen to those songs on the big system. Last month, we reviewed the Patriot Box Office network media player, which delivered excellent media compatibility for a very low price of admission, but failed to provide the kind of experience users would come to expect for a home entertainment device. Inevitably, there are compromises due to its cost. At the same time, I also began testing QNAP’s NMP-1000 network media player. QNAP is known for making absolutely brilliant network appliances in both performance and reliability, such as the QNAP TS-439 Pro network attached storage system we examined back in September last year. But here’s the thing: The QNAP NMP-1000 retails for $400 at press time — effectively four times the price of products such as Asus’ O!Play and the Patriot Box Office as aforementioned. It is probably no surprise that you are wondering at this point what makes the NMP-1000 so much more expensive than other products that carry out pretty much the same tasks. And you know what? I was asking the same question before I got my hands on these products as well, haha. Is the QNAP NMP-1000 truly the ultimate, no compromise, fully featured high performance network appliance with multimedia features for the home user to justify its price tag, or will it fail to hold its own against the competition? To answer all these questions and address everything else in a detailed and thorough manner, well, let me present to you this week’s review!

* Link: http://aphnetworks.com/reviews/qnap_nmp_1000

Plantronics Gamecom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-1044,1-plantronics-gamecom-777-surround-sound-fuer-gamerohren.htm

Translation Link: http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http%3a%2F%2fwww.technic3d.com%2Farticle-1044%2C1-plantronics-gamecom-777-surround-sound-fuer-gamerohren.htm&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

Quote: "The Plantronics Gamecom 777 Surround Sound Gaming Headset arrived Technic3D. With full 5.1 Dolby surround sound capabilities, the GameCom 777 Stereo Headset will let you hear your opponents before you actually see them, so you can fire off crisp, clear orders during your next line of attack? The GameCom 777′s 5.1 Dolby technology gives you the surround sound effects of a five-speaker setup by using digital signal processing that electronically simulates five speakers in a virtual room. This and more see you in the following Rewiew."

Title: Patriot Box Office Media Player
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8335&Itemid=40
Quote:

I must admit that I am kind of spoiled. My primary media box is a full PC running XBMC and so I have come to have high expectations from my media device. I don’t think I am alone though in my expectations. However the Box Office does definitely have price in its favor, and if you can overlook some of its UI shortcomings you will get an inexpensive device that is well built, quiet as a mouse (even after playing 1080P video), power friendly and very small. . .

Arctic Sound E361 Earphones and the link to the review is:
http://www.topreviewshop.com/arctic_sound_e361_earphones
"The Arctic Sound E361 earphones are advertised to work equally well with mobile phones, digital music players and computers. Let’s find out if these Swiss earphones live up to the reputation Arctic Cooling has earned in other markets."

Arctic Cooling E361-BM Earphone
Review Link : http://www.bayreviews.com/electronics/2445-arctic-cooling-e361bm-earphone
Quote : "I recently had a chance to check out these head phones by Arctic Cooling and I have to say, they are awesome. If you like bass, this is a must have. It also has outside noise cancellation so you can enjoy your music even more."

Assorted Stuffs:

‘So did you order an iPad yet?’
Yesterday Apple started accepting pre-orders for the iPad to be delivered in the US on April 3. Did you pre-order an iPad yesterday? If so, which one did you go for?
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/so-did-you-order-an-ipad-yet/

Gaj-it Weekly Round Up of Gadget News and Reviews

WIN the perfect formula – ASUS Crosshair III Formula Motherboard
DESCRIPTION:
"It’s competition time again. We have teamed up with ASUS UK to give one lucky reader the chance of winning an ASUS Crosshair III Formula Motherboard worth over £150."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/content_page/win_the_perfect_formula_asus_crosshair_iii_formula_motherboard.html

A List of PC Game Classics Available Free of Charge
http://www.techspot.com/guides/258-free-pc-game-classics-list/
Major game companies don’t hesitate to charge an arm and a leg for new releases, with most launching around $60 these days. As much as you enjoy lining up outside the local GameStop at 3AM to embrace the latest shooter, parting with 60 big ones hurts a little inside. It doesn’t help that many developers rub salt in the wound by lacing titles with DRM mechanisms — but let’s not go there.
Alternatively, there are tons of free games online, but very few are worth playing (yeah, we’re looking at you Obama Alien Defense). What you may not be aware of however, is the wealth of older commercial titles freely available, just waiting to be discovered.
Dozens of old school favorites like Doom and GTA can be had at no cost. We’ve compiled a brief list of popular titles from yesteryear that you can download absolutely free of charge — and that’s something to appreciate in an age of hidden fees and fine print.

Proluma Deluxe Triple LCD Stand
QUOTE: "Since the release of Eyefinity, we’ve seen a larger push for multi screen setups. Sure, the technology has been around for years and years; I was using a dual 17" CRT setup back in the day myself which was always fun. But what ATI have done is make the technology a bit more mainstream. Sure, Matrox did it a few years ago with the TripleHead2Go, but they don’t have the same weight as a company like ATI.
Eyefinity has brought with it a more mainstream push for multi screen setups. What we’re seeing is companies working on getting bezels thinner and other ways to make the technology simply better. Something that was lacking was high quality monitor stands for three-monitor setups. Having a look around eBay we found some cheap ones that promised support for 24" monitors, but didn’t actually support them. You can find a few floating around the U.S. market, but they’re extremely expensive and it doesn’t help people in other parts of the world."
For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3176/proluma_deluxe_triple_lcd_stand/index.html

, ‘Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 Review’
Top notch features at a reasonable price.
The Full Article can be viewed at
http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/03/kaspersky-internet-security-2010-review/

DIY Guides: Exploring CPU Performance in Windows Vista vs. Win 7

"Stuck with an older PC that runs slow in Vista? Upgrading to Windows 7 might breath new life into that PC and extend its useful life. In this DIY Guide PCSTATS is going to compare the performance of a handful of AMD and Intel processors running under Windows Vista to Windows 7, with an eye towards answering this question; "Will upgrading to Windows 7 breath new life into older PC hardware previously sluggish under Windows Vista?"

URL: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2507

Core i7 Six Core CPU Coverage:

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

Quote: Intels Gulftown is the tock to the i7 tick. Have we got unlimited power within our grasp?
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/intel_980x_gulftown/1

PC Games Hardware has reviewed the Core i7-980X, Intel’s first 6-core Gulftown. We ran benchmarks in applications and games to check the performance of the new processor. Furthermore we took a look at the overclocking capabilities as well as the new Boxed Cooler.

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,699873/Core-i7-980X-aka-Core-i9-Review-of-the-six-core-Gulftown/Reviews/

Intel I7-980X Gulftown Six Core Processor Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/intel_i7-980x_gulftown_processor_review/
Article Snippet:
"The Intel I7-980x being reviewed today is one of those products coming onto the market that you know know is more of a 32nm victory lap rather than a product that is trying to leap-frog the competition. With nothing in sight that could even touch the Nehalem in terms of performance, the Gulftown adds to an impressive performance market lead that will not be superceded by anyone but themselves for some time to come."

Intel Core i7 980X 6 Core Gulftown CPU Review

Without a doubt, the Core i7-980X is a fast CPU, the fastest out of the box CPU available. The 980X has a retail price of $999, meaning it will replace the 975X in Intel’s lineup. In terms of applications that will take advantage of the 6 cores, there are many game manufacturers working on optimization for multiple cores and with the support for DirectX 11 multithreaded rendering speeding up performance in games that support it, the Core i7-980X CPU to the next level, allowing for higher level of detail and more animations in games that support multi-threading. . The new CPU cooler allows the retail purchaser to overclock the CPU more than the traditional Intel cooler that doesn’t provide much leeway due to thermal margins.

Review Link: http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/2024_15.html

Intel’s new Gulftown Six Core CPU meets LN2 Extreme Cooling
QUOTE: "I’ve been chomping at the bit to have an opportunity to torture this latest offering. With whispers of massive headroom for overclocking, more tolerance for extreme cooling and performance to die for, it’s enough to get any tech-head excited.
For this article we will be torturing this latest offering from Intel over a variety of multi-threaded applications at pre-determined speeds as well as seeing how much further we can push the cooling before we start hitting cold bugs (most Bloomfields stopped operating around -90 to -100 degrees celcius)."
For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3178/intel_s_new_gulftown_six_core_cpu_meets_ln2_extreme_cooling/index.html

Intel’s Core i7-980X Extreme Edition – Ready for Sick Scores? @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/intels_core_i7-980x_extreme_edition_-_ready_for_sick_scores/
Quote: It’s official. We’re now entering the six-core realm, thanks to Intel’s Gulftown. The first model, Core i7-980X, is more than capable of delivering the sick scores that our title suggests, and along with it, we can begin to see some major benefits of the 32nm process. To sweeten the deal further, Intel even includes an effective new CPU cooler.

Intel Core i7-980X 32nm LGA-1366 Six Core CPU
QUOTE: "In the current market our CPUs are multi-core. It is almost unheard of to have a CPU with a single core, unless you are buying a netbook or a very low-end system. Starting at the mainstream level the dual core is king. You find them in all shapes and sizes. Moving up, AMD has their tri cores. From there both AMD and Intel have quads and finally Intel has the quad with Hyper Threading; the 8 thread monster called the Core i7.
Well, Intel is looking to add a new level at the very top. This is a 6 core, 12 thread behemoth called Gulftown. Once it hits the retail channels it will be the Core i7-980X. But Gulftown is more than just 6 cores on a CPU die. Intel has moved to 32nm and also stuffed in some new instructions (including AES encryption)."
For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3177/intel_core_i7_980x_32nm_lga_1366_six_core_cpu/index.html

Intel Core i7-980X Extreme 6-Core Processor:
http://hothardware.com/articles/Intel-Core-i7980X-Extreme-6Core-Processor/

The new Core i7-980X Extreme is an interesting animal, however, that requires much explanation. Although its branding implies that it may be just a simple speed-bump over the previous flagship Core i7-975 Extreme, the 980X is actually a totally different beast. Come on by and take a look…

Intel Core i7 980X Extreme 6 Core Gulftown Desktop CPU Video Review

Well Intel Has done it again folks and they now bring to the table the first Six-Core CPU to the desktop market. The Core i7-980X is codenamed Gulftown and replaces the Core i7-975X CPU in Intel’s lineup as their top of the line CPU. Gulftown is their first 6-core consumer CPU to hit the market. This also marks the separation from the mainstream i7 CPUs as the new CPU requires the X58 chipset and won’t work on the LGA-1156 CPU Socket found on the P55/H55/H57 etc chipsets. This CPU is also an Extreme Edition CPU, meaning that it is unlocked and can be overclocked higher by changing the multiplier as well as the BCLK upwards. This CPU will become publicaly available in a few weekes from the release of this review. Want to see the fastest CPU available? Check out the review.

Review Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggDpMHB4bI4

Today Intel launched a new CPU based on their newest 32nm process technology codenamed "Gulftown". It is an "Extreme" CPU both in name and price – weighing in at 3.33 GHz (base, Turbo hits up to 3.60 GHz) with six individual cores (and thanks to HyperThreading that means twelve threads) and 12MB of shared L3 cache, the Core i7 980X Extreme Edition will set you back a bit over $1000 when it hits e-store e-shelves this week.

We put it to the test against the identically clocked (and nearly identically priced) Core i7 975 Extreme, and a handful of other $500+ processors to see how it competes in today’s applications (we threw in a Phenom II for good measure, too).

So how does this beast perform today? Read on to find out!

http://www.hardcoreware.net/intel-core-i7-980x-extreme-six-core-cpu-review/

TITLE: Intel Core i7-980X Gulftown Processor Review @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Intel offers something for everyone, as their extensive product line can prove. The chipmaker produces desktop, notebook, server, and personal digital appliance CPUs, Ethernet and WiFi network processors, and countless co-processor units. Keep this in mind as Benchmark Reviews presents the Intel Core i7-980X processor, a six-core Westmere 32nm CPU. Codenamed Gulftown, this 3.33GHz Extreme Edition processor features an unlocked clock speed multiplier with twelve computing threads and a 12MB cache. Built for the Intel X58-Express enthusiast platform, Benchmark Reviews tests the BX80613I7980X retail part in gaming, computing, and overclocking performance.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=475&Itemid=63

Hardware Canucks is pleased to present our review of the new Intel Core i7-980X Gulftown Six-Core 32nm processor.

Article URL: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/29632-intel-core-i7-980x-gulftown-six-core-32nm-processor-review.html

Quote: It has been a long time coming. Intel’s six core processors have been talked about since the Nehalem architecture was first introduced and with the Core i7 980X, Gulftown has finally seen the light of day. Naturally, this new processor is expensive but with six physical cores and 12 threads, can it perform up to everyone’s expectations?

Intel i7 980x (Extreme).
SNIP:
With the Intel Core i7 980x in hand benchmarks have been humming along. Strictly business gaming sessions (that’s our story), photo editing, and general computing have been eye popping. Some things have been flying by so fast that we had to re-check them just to make sure they actually happened.
With six cores (32nm) and 12 threads pushing the Westmere processors, 1.17 billion transistors sitting on a 248mm square die data isn’t the only thing pumping along. Once in a great while you get your hands on a game changing product that sets your blood pumping and the mind careening wildly along possibility paths previously unexplored. The Intel Core i7 980x is one of those products.
When the Core i7 965x hit the bench it was a thrilling day even for seasoned reviewers. At that time it meant upgrading your motherboard to LGA 1366, upgrading to (then) expensive DDR3 triple channel RAM, and purchasing a top end i7 965 that ran (at release) $1200. The thought of sitting on a cutting edge i7 965 was a daunting proposal. The i7 980x is an LGA 1366 drop in upgrade. If you’re sitting on a LGA 1366 platform already, simply flash to the latest BIOS, pop out the old processor and drop in the i7 980x and you will be running the top desktop processor on the planet.
In the short time we’ve had the Core i7 980x we’ve been flooded with benchmarks and fielding a lot of inquiries. We couldn’t comment on the i7 980x because of Non-Disclosure Agreements but one question we get asked almost daily is: ‘What’s the fastest desktop computer on the planet?’ All we could do under those conditions was point to the test bench and say with certainty, ‘That one.’
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1801

Intel’s dominance with the Nehalem Core i7s has been nearly complete, and yet a replacement will soon arrive in the form of Gulftown, a 32-nm, six-core monster with 12MB of cache. How good is it? Should it replace your Pentium 4? Your Core 2 Quad Q6600? We investigate.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18581

Intel Core i7-980XE Gulftown 6-Core 32nm Processor Review

Today’s processor technology is the result of years of innovative thinking put to action. For instance, Intel’s microprocessor architecture has proven that we’ve taken the first steps into an era where computers are capable of doing far more than just calculating a few spread sheets or playing video games.

There is a lot more unlocked potential from Intel and if you love your Quad-Core i7, then you’re going to love this! How about a 6-core Intel Core i7-980XE Gulftown 32nm Processor? That’s right! We’ve got Hexa-Core!

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/intel-core-i7-980xe-gulftown-6-core-32nm-processor-review/

Article Title: Intel Core i7-980X Processor Extreme Edition Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1245/1/

Quote: "The Intel Core i7-980X Desktop Processor Extreme Edition was found to exceed our exceed our initial expectations, which says a ton. Having six physical processing cores created an amazing user experience when running multi-threaded applications. The enormous growth of HD media content in the home is driving the demand for computer systems that have the horse power to deliver an enjoyable user experience for the consumer. If you have ever tried to create a Blu-ray movie or just tried to transcode some HD movies you know how much time it takes to work on a project and that can be frustrating for those that do it often. With the new Intel Core i7-980X Processor you can improve productivity, save power and the best part is that it can be a drop-in replacement for those with existing socket LGA1366 motherboard. Anybody that runs multi-thread applications is sure to appreciate a six-core processor…"

News for Friday 1-29-10

Kristofer Brozio — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:45:23 +0000

I’ve got a bunch of news for you today first, and then later I’ll be starting to post scans of covers and discs..

We’ll start with some stuff from over at TestFreaks:

Review of Driver Cleaner

Review of Mionix Keid 20 Gaming Headset

Review of Das Keyboard Model S Professional

Review of ARCTIC SOUND E361-WM Earbuds

Review of Divinity II Ego Draconis for Xbox360

Review of Uniea U-Sleaf Reversible Netbook Sleeve

Review of Ultrasone Zino Headphones

Review of Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic and FishEye Optic Lenses

Review of Verizon Wireless DROID Eris

and then some stuff from Bona Fide Reviews:

Review of NZXT IU01 USB Expansion Board

Review of NZXT TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series

NZXT HADES Crafted Series PC Case

and here’s the rest:

Storage Related:

24GB DDR3 and Windows 7 @BCChardware

Quote:Recently, Crucial launched 4GB and 8GB memory modules that allow more people to be able to load up their systems for some serious multi-tasking applications. We will be briefly looking at two pair of 12GB kits in our test system that gives us 24GB of memory to play with. This is a pretty solid chunk of kit and it will currently set you back close to $1,000. The interesting thing to see is if we can bog down a system and make it bleed. . .

URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8185&Itemid=40

Title: Patriot Memory Torqx 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) Review @ ModSynergy.com

Quote: "A few months ago, I had the chance at sharing with you about Solid State Drive (SSD) technology, but it was meant as a removable storage laptop application. I shared with you about SSD technology, how it is an alternative to the conventional hard drive, but at the same time offering you the advantages of flash based technology. I shared with you the benefits such as zero noise, low heat and substantially faster sustained transfer speed. But I never had the chance to experience SSD in a desktop platform day in and day out.

That chance arrived thanks to the folks at Patriot Memory and now I’d like to share with you how my computing experience has changed over the past 3 months; I reviewed the Patriot Memory Torqx 128GB Solid State Drive (PFZ128GS25SSDR). If you thought SSD wasn’t ready for primetime, you’re dead wrong."

Link: http://www.modsynergy.com/review213.html

Thecus N4100PRO: A Data-Treasure Cave @ InsideHW

“Since he became conscious being, man has collected and kept various stuff. First, those were material things like food, land, gold or money, and how the man became more modern and educated, information has become the most valuable and most wanted good. Because we live in a time of information revolution, it is no wonder that the hunger for digital information is inextinguishable…”

Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Storage/Thecus-N4100PRO-A-Data-Treasure-Cave.html

Vantec NexStar Universal Storage Adapter Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/vantec-nexstar-universal-storage-adapter-review/

Quote: “Have you ever had an old IDE drive sitting around that you needed something off of, but you have seem to have lost the IDE cable? Well have no worries! The Vantec NexStar Universal Adapter will allow you to connect not only 3.5” IDE devices but 2.5” and 5.25” devices as well. This adapter also supports SATA devices and includes a 66-1-in card reader. Surely this device has enough to support your storage needs, read on further to find out more about it."

Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/seagate_barracuda_xt_2tb/
Quote: SATA 3.0 may have been available to consumers for the past couple of months, but the number of hard drive options out there are ultra-slim… just one. That drive is Seagate’s Barracuda XT. The question we’re looking to answer here is whether or not the $100 premium for SATA 3.0 is worth it, at least on a mechanical offering.

A-Data T907 Jack Skellington 8GB Flash Drive

Link: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AData/T907_Flash_Drive

Brief:
A-DATA continues their Disney licensed series with the T907 Jack Skellington flash drive. Inspired by the movie ‘Tim Burton’s The Night before Christmas’, we take a close look at Jack to see if he brings joy or quiver to our hearts.

OCZ Vertex 2 Pro 100GB SSD Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/242-ocz-vertex2-pro-ssd/
While we don’t expect solid-state drives to become mainstream just yet, they are by all means moving quickly in that direction. Current generation SSDs deliver more value than ever before, plus they have the speed advantage, features, and adequate capacity to become viable alternatives to standard disk drives to most users.

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Synology DS410j NAS Station.
Quote: With the ever growing need for digital storage, Synology have released a new 4 bay NAS solution for the home and small business user. Look inside to see if it checks all the boxes.
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/storage/synology_ds410j_nas_station/1

Kingston 128GB V+ Series SNV325-S2 SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1197/1/

"Kingston Technology’s second generation of their SSDNow V+ Series of SSDs performed very well and was stutter free no matter what the task was that we threw at it on the desktop or in our notebook. The Kingston SSDNow V+ was said to have sequential read speeds of up to 230MB/sec. and write speeds of up to 180MB/sec. We were able to meet or exceed those rated speeds when using benchmarks like ATTO…"

Kingston SSDNOW V+ Series 128GB Review And Benchmarks

Kingston has once again launched a new product, this time its an updated second generation SSD. Today we take a look at the specs and then perform some tests to see how well the new Kingston SSDNOW V+series 128GB SSD does against the competition. This is a very fast drive check out the video and see for yourself.

Review Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCa-T-R5ZKQ

Kingston SSDNow V+ 128GB Solid State Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/kingston-ssdnow-v-128gb-solid-state-drive-review/

Quote: “A little while ago we took a look at Kingston’s SSDNow V-Series 128GB solid state drive that was targeted at entry-level and mainstream users. Kingston had put out a V+ series drive which had better speeds and was targets at high-level users and corporate environments. Recently Kingston has developed a second-generation of the V+, which supports Windows 7 TRIM support, is available up to 512GB and provides faster performance over the previous version of the drive. Today we will be taking a look at the 128GB version of the drive."

Gen-2 Kingston SSDNowV+ Series SSD SNV325 @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Solid State Drive technology is developed for two groups of users: large-scale Enterprise environments and individual end-users. Kingston Technology has been in the business of satisfying enthusiasts and gamers for many years, and their SSDNow series of NAND-flash storage products has been the affordable solution for system upgrades. In this article, Benchmark Reviews introduces the second-generation Kingston SSDNowV+ Solid State Drive series. Based on the high-performance Toshiba T6UG1XBG processor, the Kingston SSDNowV+ SNV325-S2 delivers native TRIM support with a maximum rated read speed of 230MBps and write-to bandwidth peaking at 180MBps.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=445&Itemid=60

SanDisk 8GB Gaming Memory Stick Micro (M2) for Sony PSP Go @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1143/1/

"Today, we look at the 8GB version of the SanDisk Memory Stick Micro (M2) designed specifically for Sony’s PlayStation Portable Go or PSPGo handheld electronic gaming system. The SanDisk M2 is not only an ultra-small IC recording media designed for the PSPGo, but it is also designed to work for the growing storage needs of highly compact, multifunctional mobile phones and cameras. The M2 card that we have today is designed to offer an easy way of storing downloadable games, movies, TV shows, pictures, comics, and music. Our package included a Memory Stick Micro M2 to Memory Stick PRO Duo adapter which allows gamers to go back and forth between Memory Stick M2 and Memory Stick Duo compatible slots…"

OCIA.net has posted their review of the NZXT IU01 USB Expansion Kit.

"In addition to their current case lineup, NZXT produces several different types of accessories, from cables to power supplies, cooling fans to fan controllers, and other case accessories as well. The item we have for review today falls into that last category, the IU01 USB Expansion module. As NZXT points out, the IU01 addresses an issue common to most gaming PCs, a lack of substantial power and expandability from front panel USB. While it is not uncommon for motherboards to have several USB headers, cases often only have one or two sets of front panel USB ports to connect to them. Some USB devices may also have higher voltage requirements than can be provided from the motherboard through a traditional USB port. This is where the NZXT IU01 can really help."

Direct Link: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxtiu01/page1.shtml

Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/kingston_ssdnow_v_series_40gb/
Quote: Want to make the upgrade to a solid-state drive, but prefer to avoid the high cost of adoption? Kingston helps ease that pain with its SSDNow V Series 40GB, a modest drive that features Intel’s NAND and impressive G2 firmware, which helps it deliver stellar performance when compared to an HDD, for an easy-to-stomach price.

Mobile Related:

MEElec RockMee II 8GB Portable Media Player Review @ TopReviewShop

http://www.topreviewshop.com/meelec_rockmee_ii
"With a list price of $129.99, the RockMEE II falls square in the middle of the price distribution for most 8gb flash players on the market. However, the RockMEE boasts a very enticing combination of features including a 3” TFT widescreen display and a MicroSD expansion slot. Is the RockMEE II user-friendly enough to make it worthy of consideration? Let’s find out."

ASUS show off pictures of their DR-950 eReader @ eTeknix.com

Link – http://www.eteknix.com/news/asus-show-off-pictures-of-their-dr-950-ereader/

Quote:Ok, I’ll admit… I love to read books… There, I said it, I LOVE TO READ BOOKS. So long as it is not Twilight or some other book that foolishly tries to display romance and the unrealistic idea that there are 2 perfect guys for

VIZO EZSurf @ LanOC Reviews
DESCRIPTION: Cooling is essential to any computer, but has become even more vital for those users running higher-end laptop models, such as gamers. The nature of the notebook is a hot one, and putting extra hardware and stress in little spaces only adds to the problem. We’ve reviewed many laptop coolers in the past, each with their own tactic to tackle a common enemy. The weapon of choice has always been fans, ranging in size, quantity, and speed. That is, until now. VIZO has introduced a new, fanless tactic to the arsenal of laptop cooling, and sent us a sample to try for ourselves.
ARTICLE URL: http://www.lanoc.org/review/hardware/laptop/2304-vizo-ezsurf

==
BlackBerry Storm2 – For a Rainy Day
Category : Mobile Phones
Rating : 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Departing from its usual QWERTY-based devices, Research in Motion launches its second touchscreen BlackBerry device, the BlackBerry Storm2. With its predecessor being marked down significantly, we put the new Storm2 under close observation and present our findings in this review.
URL : http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/control.php?cid=24&id=3120&src=3rd

Powermat Portable Wireless Charging Mat
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/powermat_1
Quote: The Powermat portable wireless charging mat can greatly reduce the number of chargers you need to power your devices… A good thing for when you are at home, and an even better thing when you are traveling. Instead of a jumble of cables and power bricks, you might only need the portable Powermat and its accessories packed neatly into its case.

Asus Eee PC 1101HA Seashell Netbook Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/234-asus-eeepc-1101ha-seashell/
A little over a year ago netbooks were the emerging trend that had everyone buzzing. Now the so-called ‘internet tablet’ seems to be stealing that spotlight. But while these new devices have yet to prove themselves on a commercial scale besides maybe some niche business applications, netbooks have already found their place on the market, at least for now.

Nitrox iConn+ iPhone Battery Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/nitrox-iconn-iphone-battery-case-review/

Quote: “One thing many iPhone users have complained about is the battery. If you are using mobile web, GPS, or an app that using the internet you will see your battery life start to die very quickly. For this reason many companies have made charging packing and iPhone cases that have batteries in them to charge your iPhone. Today we will be looking at the iConn+ iPhone Battery Case from Nitrox, a newcomer to the iPhone accessory market. Let’s take a look…"

Image and Video Related:

Acer P235H 23 Inch LCD Monitor Review @ RealXtreme.Net
Quote: "Come with us as we take a look at the Acer P235H 23 inch LCD monitor. To enthusiasts, this may seem like your average-joe flat screen monitor, while to many mainstream PC users this would be a dramatic upgrade. Check this monitor out with us as we give it a thorough once-over. You never know, it may surprisingly have a bit to offer that you weren’t expecting."
URL: http://www.realxtreme.net/review/23-inch-acer-p235h-lcd-monitor-review

Samsung P2350 23" LCD Monitor Review @ HotHardware.com

Today we’re taking a look at one of Samsung’s most affordable displays. Just don’t assume its nominal cost equates to inferior quality right from the start. The SyncMaster P2350 is a widescreen LCD monitor that features Samsung’s Touch of Color (ToC) design, a piano black cabinet, a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 2 ms response time, and 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. This value oriented 23" monitor does not offer speakers or a ton of connectivity options, but its performance and low price tag promise to make it an enticing option for those who want the most bang for their buck. Keep reading as HotHardware takes a look at the P2350 to see if this screen has what it takes to be on your short list…

Samsung P2350 23" LCD Monitor Review:
http://hothardware.com/articles/Samsung-P2350-23-LCD-Monitor/

==
Veho Muvi Micro DV Camcorder
The Veho Muvi Micro DV camcorder is a diminutive camcorder around the size of a large Bluetooth headset that records videos of 640 x 480 resolution.
URL : http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?cid=7&id=15548

Western Digital Live TV @ t-break

WD Live TV is one of the easiest ways of getting your pictures and videos from your hard drive to your big screen.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/01/western-digital-live-tv/

HP De-Branded 23-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/hp-de-branded-23-inch-widescreen-lcd-monitor-review/

Quote: “So many people think that Computer Monitors are all the same, but really they are not. You cannot simply just go out a purchase a monitor and be done with it, especially if you have specific needs. Today we will be looking at a 23-inch widescreen monitor from Geeks.com which features 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution, a 5ms response time, HDMI input and integrated speakers. This display sells for just over $150, let’s see if it’s a good deal or not…

Kodak Zi8 Review @ Digital Trends

"Although our first mini HD camcorder rodeo roundup crowned Cisco’s Flip UltraHD the reigning king of mini HD camcorders, six months can make a world of difference. Kodak’s new Zi8 bucks the leader by addressing many of its predecessor’s shortcomings, while systematically outdoing the competition on just about every feature. Combined with a reasonable $180 price tag, Kodak’s Zi8 now confidently struts it stuff as king of the ring."
Link to the review:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/camcorder-reviews/flash-memory-reviews/kodak-zi8-review/

Samsung SyncMaster F2380 23-inch 16:9 Widescreen LCD Review @ PCSTATS.com

"The Samsung SyncMaster F2380 monitor isn’t based on either TN or IPS technologies. Instead it uses a LCD pixel alignment technology called Patterned Vertical Alignment (PVA). PVA panels offer better viewing angles than TN-based LCD panels, and better contrast ratios and response times than high-end IPS-based LCD panels. It’s a compromise that gives you the best of both worlds!"

URL: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2492

Samsung HMX-U10 Pocket Camcorder Review

The pocket camcorder market is as popular as ever, because people want a simple and easy way to record videos on the go. As this market continues to mature, people are expecting higher resolution videos and additional features without taking away the ease of use. The Samsung HMX-U10 represents the first entry into this arena by Samsung and, on paper, it sounds quite a bit more appealing than many of its direct competitors. Does it deliver? Let’s find out.

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/samsung-hmx-u10-pocket-camcorder-review/

QNAP Network Media Player NMP-1000 Review @ Ninjalane
URL: http://www.ninjalane.com/reviews/storage/nmp-1000
Quote: QNAP has attempted to tackle this dilemma by taking their award winning NAS appliances and adding sound and video capability. It is really a natural progression for a NAS product, simply take the thing that is already storing your media files and allow you to play them anywhere with a network connection.

Printers etc:

Title: Samsung SCX-5635FN Monochrome Multifunction Printer Review at CCER
Link:http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/samsung-scx-5635fn-monochrome-multifunction-printer/
Quote: The Samsung SCX-5635FN multi-functional printer is definitely capable of doing many things for the home or office. It is able to print a single sided Word document at 36 pages per minute or 18 sheets per minute in duplex, essentially saving you paper while not slowing down your print job. The level of detail on the scanning and capabilities offered through SmartThru Office and on the printer itself makes for a very versatile unit. You won’t have to spend time copying at one machine and faxing at another – it can all be done with the SCX-5635FN.

Assorted Stuffs:

iPad’s Identity Crisis and Apple’s A4 CPU Showstopper:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Apple-iPad-Hits-Misses-And-How-The-A4-Could-Impact-Mobile-Computing/

Apple has worked itself into a corner where people simply expect each and every new product release to change that product category for the better; to revolutionize things in a way that no other company has done so far. On almost every front, the iPad doesn’t do that. However, what’s really interesting is Apple’s A4 CPU…

Gaming Apple’s iPad: How Well Will Video Games Play on the Device? @ Digital Trends

"Given that Apple’s new iPad tablet computer runs nearly all of the iPhone’s 140,000 apps (over 20% of which are video games), plus can power even more advanced 3D graphical experiences as well as enhanced versions of these titles and first-run platform exclusives, let’s be honest. The question we should be asking isn’t whether or not the iPad will make a decent gaming device, but rather just how long it’s going to take for it to capture players’ imaginations and actually take off."
Link to the feature:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/games/gaming-apples-ipad-how-well-will-video-games-play-on-the-device/

The Five Best Features of Apple’s New iPad Tablet @ Digital Trends

"In case you missed Apple’s iPad tablet announcement, it was quite the whirlwind. There’s a lot to digest, so for those of you who don’t feel like skimming through six different live blogs to get the gist, we’ve got the Clif Notes. Here are five of the most exciting features we think the new Apple iPad brings to market."
Link to the guide:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/mac-computing/the-five-best-features-of-apples-new-ipad-tablet/

iDisappointed in the iPad @ t-break

In its current stage, the iPad is a let-down. There is so much more potential in a device like this.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/01/idisappointed-in-the-ipad/

Title: Is It Time to Move to Solid-State Storage?
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/162
"Everywhere you look, people are talking about SSDs (Solid State Drives) and their advantages. You may think that everybody has already replaced their hard drive with an SSD but you. This is far from the truth; what happens is that most memory manufacturers are putting a lot of effort on marketing SSDs basically because their profit margin on regular memory modules has dropped tremendously in the past few years. Add the price drop on memory itself, and SSDs seem to be a good idea for them to make more money. So a lot of people talking about SSDs don’t mean that everybody is using SSDs, but that manufacturers are pushing people to talk about them."

10 Things I Love About Technology

Teaser: I’ve been reviewing my technology-related blog posts of late and I’ve noticed a particular trend that I find troubling: I seem to be a technology doomsayer. The overriding theme I’ve identified in my own writing about technology is one of skepticism and caution. My posts tend to focus on the problems that technology creates, not on all the wonderful things it has to offer. You might think that I’m a real technology Chicken Little, constantly screaming that the sky is falling. But the truth is that I am an optimist about new media. I’m constantly on my smartphone, checking email, updating my web site, posting blogs, and using Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter in my work.

Click here: http://bit.ly/7q7r8W

Is CES Slowly Going Away? @ ThinkComputers.org

Article URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/is-ces-slowly-going-away/

Quote: “I myself have been going to CES for 5 years now. For us here at ThinkComputers it is really the highlight of the entire year, we really don’t attend any other trade shows. We get to see the latest technology, new products and catch up with old friends, not to mention getting to spend a week in Vegas. Something really stood out to me this year during CES…it was very small! Also this year CEA (the company that runs CES) tried to kick out many exhibitors who opted to use hotel rooms instead of paying for a booth."