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February 23rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!

VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly publication covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 23 Feb 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--23feb-2011/11304.html February 23rd, 2011

In today's news roundup: Enthusiasts ponder ways on how one might be able to build the cheapest possible PC based off Intel's new Sandy Bridge platform; OCZ's RevoDrive amd Vertex 2 SSDs get reviewed; Angry Birds officially crashes into Windows; Motorola's Atrix 3G smartphone gets reviewed; Nintendo might eventually produce a 'Wii 2' which may feature support for HD content, and EA 'accidently' leaks a few details pertaining to an upcoming sequel for the popular RTS title Command & Conquer Hardware News: XFX Radeon HD 6850 Black Edition Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews Description: There are a lot of video cards on the market today to choose from, but when one shows up on the market with killer performance at the $159 price point and a double lifetime warranty it is worth a closer look. The XFX Radeon HD 6850 Black Edition costs $20 more than the standard version, but it comes factory overclocked and to some that is worth it. Read on to see how this card performs against a Radeon HD 5770 in both single and CrossFire situations.

Auzentech X-Meridian 7.1 2G Review - XSReviews Description: Auzentech have been around for a few years now and that's a good thing; as well as being impressive. They entered the sound card game when it was all about Creative and they did so by simply taking a popular chip, the X-Fi, and throwing it on a board of their own with some nice tweaks. A winning formula. Now though, they're branching away from these roots with the re-tooled X-Meridian 7.1, named the 2g.

Packing a C-Media CMI8788 audio processor with support for plenty of connectors, a daughter board and replacable OpAmps; audiophiles look like they're in for a treat. Let's see if the rumours are true.

OCZ RevoDrive and Vertex 2 120GB SSD Review @ Overclockers Australia Description: Today we have the opportunity to benchmark a pair of mainstream SSDs from OCZ's Vertex 2 and RevoDrive ranges. These are separate products and quite different implementations of the SSD concept, but we're going to examine them both in this article. So, let's see what each variant has to offer!

Corsair Hydro Series H70 CPU Cooler review Description: In comparison to the previous Hydro H50, the H70 has cut its pump/waterblock height in half, measuring now only 30mm. However it has boosted heat dissipation with a 48mm-thick radiator, double the previous model, and the addition of a second fan. It still maintains a black finish and features proprietary hoses that virtually eliminate evaporation of water, and due to the decrease in hose length and pump height, it now includes rotating connectors on the pump side to help with varied mounting positions.

OCZ RevoDrive and Vertex 2 120GB SSDs Review Description: The Vertex 2 follows the standard of a SATA 3Gb/s data and SATA power connection as found in any new mechanical hard drive and most SSDs. However the RevoDrive is a little more exotic, and utilises an x4 PCIExpress connection for even more bandwidth. Unlike earlier SSDs that utilised a PCI-Express interface, the RevoDrive is bootable, meaning that it can be used as primary system drive.

ASUS GTX 560 Ti DirectCU II Top review @ ocaholic Description: With its GTX 560 Ti Direcet CU II Top, ASUS shows a factory overclocked version of the NVIDIAs latest mid-range GPU. Additionally this card got ASUS' powerful DirectCU II cooler as well as an attractive design. Theoretically this card even has the potential to outperform a Radeon HD 6950. Amongst other thigs this is what we'll show in the following review.

PowerColor AX6950 PCS++ Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews Description: When is a 6950 not a 6950? Well, quite often, as it turns out. In the case of the PowerColor PCS++ Radeon HD 6950 video card, it just depends on which way you flip the switch. Push it one way and you have a standard Radeon HD 6950, with 1408 shaders running at 800 MHz. Push it the other way and you have 1536 shaders running at 880 MHz, which is the exact configuration of the HD 6970. The only difference is! that PowerColor kept the 1250 MHz memory chips in the PCS++, instead of springing for the 1500 MHz memory, like a real HD 6970 has. Join Benchmark Reviews

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as we investigate this unique product from PowerColor, that's sure to cause some excitement in the marketplace.

sound adds a level of immersion to games and movies that other 2.1 systems cannot reproduce.

ECS H67H2-M Black Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps Description: The H67H2-M Black motherboard from ECS is the most equipped from their H67 chipset series and incorporates technologies like USB 3.0, EZ Charger and Dual Gigabit LAN with teaming support. The board supports only Intel HD Graphics overclocking, the CPU overclocking by multiplier is locked and the memory frequency is limited at 1333MHz.

BlackBerry Torch 9800: The Olympic Torch @ InsideHW Description: Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry (BB) brand, has been one of the leading smartphone manufacturers for a while now. One of the main reasons for their popularity is the focus on the business environment, in both devices and services offered. A feature present in nearly all BB devices is the existence of a physical QWERTY keyboard with separate keys, and starting with the Storm line, RIM has also delved into the area of touchscreens.

Torch is their latest product that unifies these two worlds within a single device, as well as providing the latest operating system (OS), version 6, with significant advantages…

Build an Intel Sandy Bridge budget system - OcUK @ Vortez Description: "Today we will be doing something a little different from the typical review/article. With many moving over to the Sandy Bridge platform due to the excellent price : performance ratio, those wanting to upgrade at the current time will be surely considering Sandy Bridge. But not everyone has the cash to spend on a high-end system, and as our Sandy Bridge reviews have revealed - mainstream boards are now at a much more affordable cost when compared to any other platform to launch. Mainstream performance comes at budget pricing."

Consumer Electronics and Software News: Angry Birds Available For Windows On Intel AppUp Store Description: Oh, happy day! Angry Birds is now available for the PC. “But wait,” you say. “There’s no app store on Windows.

How will I download it?” Don’t worry: Intel has you covered.

Backlit LED market drives digital TV semiconductor growth Description: The market for digital TV (DTV) semiconductors will see double digit growth in 2011, with backlit LED TVs leading the way.

Mionix Propus 380 Gaming Mouse pad @ TestFreaks Description: Mionix who are known for their gaming accessories have released a high performance gaming mousepad named the Propus 380. This oversized mousepad is designed to provide an ice like surface for a smooth glide while still maintaining the ability to have precise movements.

Motorola Atrix Review: Great Phone, Weak Netbook Description: Saying that the Motorola Atrix is the best Android phone isn't a big deal; that throne gets usurped every few months. But even though the Atrix's accompanying laptop dock is slow and and expensive, the idea behind it is one of the first innovations in mobile technology in quite a while.

Motorola Atrix 4G Smartphone Performance Benchmarks @ Legit Reviews Description: This morning AT&T began selling the Motorola ATRIX and since they are marketing it as the world's most powerful smartphone we had to buy one and take a look at the performance of the phone compared to several other popular Android devices. How will the Motorola ATRIX do against the Droid X, Epic 4G and Droid Incredible on benchmarks like Linpack, Quadrant and Nenamark? Read on to find out!

Antec SoundScience Rockus 3D 2.1 Speaker System Review @ Tweaknews Description: Antec's Soundscience has made an impressive launch into the PC speaker market with the Rockus 3d 2.1 system. Not only can a buyer expect to hear sparkling high frequencies, clear midrange and tight bass response, the 3D

Gaming News: Nintendo To Have Wii 2, Supports HD content ?

Description: We have heard of various rumors on the Wii 2 and possible potential but Nintendo made announcement about four months ago, claiming the company any has got no immediate plans to work on an upgrade to its existing Wii video game console.

"There is no next [Dissidia]" says Tetsuya Nomura Description: As Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy approaches its Japanese release date, fans are speculating on where the series will go from here. According to a recent issue of Dengeki PlayStation (translated by Andriasang) when producer Tetsuya Nomura was asked about the future of the series, he replied "There is no next. We're thinking about ending this pattern of Dissidia here." He also states that there will not be an international re-release for the sequel after launch as was the case with Dissidia Final Fantasy: Universal Tuning.

Command & Conquer Gets New Studio, Next Game in the Franchise Now in Development Description: Nothing to see here is EA's clumsy response after launching a website yesterday that reveals a new Command and Conquer game is currently being developed by new studio Victory Games. The site and its details about the new C&C game have since been pulled, but the web, she sees all, and she never forgets.

HP announces redesigned consumer PC portfolio Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-announces-redesigned-consumerpc-portfolio/11309.html February 23rd, 2011

HP has recently announced their newly redesigned consumer PC portfolio which include the Pavilion dv4, dv6, dv7, g4, g6, TouchSmart 610 and HPx2301 Micro Thin LED monitor . The products are scheduled to to be available next month and in April.

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HP has revealed a redesigned consumer PC portfolio at their "A New HP World" event in Shanghai, China, with sleek looks and latest technologies to enhance the way consumers connect to the people, entertainment and information that matter to them to pursue and achieve their personal passions.

The new HP Pavilion dv series notebook PCs include impressive features such as HP CoolSense Technology, HP TrueVision HD webcam and HP SimplePass. Select models of the HP Pavilion dv series also feature Beats Audio for a powerful audio experience.

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Designed to maximize user‘s multimedia experience, the Pavilion dv4 expresses full PC functionality and performance with up to second-generation Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors and powerful AMD Radeon 6750M graphics. With a stylish exterior in Espresso Black lattice imprint, the notebook is just 1.11-inch thin and weighs from 2.2kg. It features a 14inch diagonal HD BrightView display and has an optional integrated Blu-Ray player. An integrated six-cell battery provides up to 6 hours of battery life.

The latest HP TouchSmart610 Consumer PC reclines from upright to almost flat, providing increased comfort for longerterm use and the freedom to position the TouchSmart610 Consumer PC on a kitchen counter, or anywhere the family gathers.

HP Pavilion dv6 and dv7 The HP Pavilion dv6 and dv7 boast performance, entertainment and security features that suit seamlessly into the lives of users. Available in a dark umber metal finish, they use HP‘s exclusive Beats Audio that provide excellent digital music. Both the Pavilion dv6 and dv7 also include newly optimized on-board quad speakers, and the dv7 features a HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer for additional depth and power.

HP Pavilion g-series The new HP Pavilion g-series is ideal for the everyday user, offering up to second-generation Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, attractive designs at a great value. Available in charcoal grey and sonoma red, the Pavilion g-series notebooks – the Pavilion g4 and g6 – offer full connectivity for surfing the Internet and connecting with friends . The notebooks also include a HD BrightView display, with Altec Lansing speakers and SRS Premium Audio for enjoying movies and music.

Available with up to second-generation Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors and optional AMD Radeon graphics, the Pavilion dv6 and dv7 provide enhanced performance. HP CoolSense Technology combines advanced hardware and intelligent cooling software for a notebook that feels noticeably cooler.

The technology automatically adjusts cooling levels according to a customer‘s personal preferences.

HP Pavilion dv4

HP TouchSmart610 Consumer PC The new HP TouchSmart610 Consumer PC offers increased range of motion, superior viewing and an intuitive touch experience with a 23-inch diagonal high-definition (HD) display. It has touch-optimized applications from Facebook, Twitter, as well as HP‘s exclusive RecipeBox, webcam and music applications where users can add new applications via the TouchSmart Apps Center . For the gaming enthusiast, select models of the TouchSmart610 Consumer PC are available with an exclusive HP touch-enabled version of Ubisoft‘s real-time strategy game, R.U.S.E.. It also features Beats Audio and the new HP LinkUp application for users to wirelessly link a notebook PC to the TouchSmart using a home network .

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As in, iPad 2! Or, as BoomTown is now officially nicknaming it: iPad Too! The report goes on to say that the scheduled date is firm and that the event will take place in San Francisco.

It's not clear when Apple will begin sending out its famous invites for gathering, but I am guessing soon, in order to get the Apple faithful to the proper level of froth.

Reuters also posted a story and they are also hearing that Apple will introduce the next iPad on the same day.

Monitor that delivers your digital world The limited edition, stunning, multi-faceted 23 inch HP x2301 Micro Thin LED monitor, features LED backlighting which illuminates the display and an edge lit illumination around the screen. The HP x2301 Micro Thin LED monitor comes in a sleek, slim and sophisticated profile and full HD resolution.

Pricing and availability — The HP Pavilion dv4 starts from US$749 and will be available from mid March 2011 in Asia Pacific.

— The HP Pavilion dv6 starts from US$799 and will be available from early March 2011 in Asia Pacific.

— The HP Pavilion dv7 starts from US$899 and will be available from early March 2011 in Asia Pacific.

— The HP Pavilion g4 and g6 starts from US$549 and will be available in March 2011 in Asia Pacific.

— The HP TouchSmart610 Consumer PC is expected to be available in China from 28 February, Australia and New Zealand from 7 March and Hong Kong from 8 March. The pricing starts from US$1,399.

— The HPx2301 Micro Thin LED monitor is expected to be available in April 2011 in Asia Pacific, starting at USD$239.

Apple will host an event on March 2, where the company is expected to take the wraps off the newest iPad model, an individual with knowledge of the situation said. Apple declined to comment.

The New York Times also ran a similar story announcing that Apple will indeed introduce their flagship tablet on the second day of March.

Now people with knowledge of the matter say that Apple will host an event on Wednesday, March 2 to showcase its new iPad. If true, Apple should be sending out media invites for the event in the following days.

Update: Engadget just posted on their site that they've received the following media invite from Apple indeed scheduled on 2nd March. As you can see, they are very likely going to announce the next iPad from the teaser invite.

Apple scheduled media event to unveil iPad 2 on 2nd March?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-scheduled-media-event-tounveil-ipad-2-on-2nd-march-/11307.html February 23rd, 2011

Numerous reports have surfaced suggesting that the California-based tech giants have plans for a media event on 2nd March to introduce the much-anticipated next-generation iPad. Update: The rumours are true, Apple has started to send out invites.

According to a report by All Things Digital, Apple has scheduled a media event in the start of March where they are going to announce the upcoming iPad 2.

To those who intensely cares about this kind of stuff - which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem - Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely successful iPad.

Refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro specs leaked, Intel's Light Peak known as Thunderbolt?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/refreshed-13-inch-macbook-pro-specsleaked-intel-s-light-peak-known-as-thunderbolt-/11306.html

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Earlier today, leaked photos and specs of Apple's upcoming 13-inch MacBook Pro hit the Internet and through the leaked images, we discover this shocking symbol. Is that Light Peak?

Well...

It seems that according to this leaked image, Apple has incorporated Light Peak into their new machines under the name "Thunderbolt". And it seems that the new Thunderbolt port will be a hybrid port found on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, sharing the port with the DisplayPort.

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generation versions of Apple's flagship iOS devices will be available, he explicitly mentions that any "delays" are false and everything is going like clockwise on Apple's side.

From what I've heard this morning both products are on schedule and will ship when they are supposed to.

Only Apple knows exactly when that will be, but the products are not delayed.

In addition, Dalrymple goes on to note the phenomenon of "delays" for products that haven't even been announced to the public.

It seems amazing that rumors of Apple missing product deadlines are running rampant when Apple hasn't even announced the product yet. The only deadlines that have been set are by the media, not Apple.

Having said that, the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 are not delayed.

Without delays, Apple is expected to launch the next iPad between March and April, and June-July window for the nextgeneration iPhone.

GlacialTech Unleashes New Notebook Coolers No delay of iPad 2 and iPhone 5?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/glacialtech-unleashes-new-notebookcoolers/11303.html February 23rd, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/no-delay-of-ipad-2-andiphone-5-/11305.html February 23rd, 2011

Just yesterday, there were a pair of analyst reports that suggests Apple's upcoming iPad 2 and iPhone 5 will see a delay on their launches due to "issues" with production. But now, there is a chorus of denials on those claims.

Barron's and Reuters are now refuting the claim that the nextgeneration iPhone 5 and the upcoming iPad 2 is delayed for shipping and will arrive consumers' hands later.

According to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, these claims of delayed iPad 2 and iPhone 5 launch are simply untrue.

While he did mention that he does not know when the next-

GlacialTech, provider of cooling, power supply and PC enclosure solutions for consumers and industrial applicators, has released the V-Shield Series Cooling Pads.

GlacialTech, provider of cooling, power supply and PC enclosure solutions for consumers and industrial applicators, has released the V-Shield Series Cooling Pads.

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V-Shield Series V3

V-Shield Series V7 Last but not least, we have the V7. Measuring 350 x 335 x 45.5mm and weighing 1.3kg, the aluminum cooler has two USB 2.0 ports, four rubber feet, supports laptops up to 15.6", and is equipped with a 200mm LED fan for cooling.

Availability and pricing is unknown.

Nokia launches E7 business phone in Singapore, available now V-Shield Series V5 First up, we have the V3, which measures 340 x 310 x 59mm. It supports netbooks/ notebooks up to 15.6�, has anti-slip pads at the bottom, one USB 2.0 port, and is cooled by a 120mm LED fan. The V5, available in red (V5R) or blue colors (V5B), measures 345 x 340 x 43mm. It has two USB 2.0 ports, support netbooks/ notebooks up to 15.6", a perforated metal mesh surface, and is cooled by a 200mm LED fan.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-launches-e7-business-phone-insingapore-available-now/11300.html February 23rd, 2011

Today, Nokia announced their new E7 that claims to be "The Ultimate Business Smartphone" in Singapore, designed for mobile professionals. The E7 is available now.

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from enhancement in performance and functionalities, for the whole range" says Berka.

According to Berka, the company is working on the transformation and transitioning from Nokia Ovi Store on specific levels. and what will happen to Ovi Store and Microsoft Marketplace. There isn't a lot of details released yet, though the intention is to port the content into Marketplace and Nokia will be working with the developers to do so. Nokia will also be making sure to look into new and innovative areas in terms of content.

Vlasta Berka, general manager of Nokia Singapore,Malaysia and Brunei, gave an opening speech and talked abt the trend of users who are using their smartphones for business.

"More and more users are using their personal smartphones or mobile devices for business use. According to IDC, this trend is the biggest contributor to the growth of business mobile email. It is also forecast by 2014, there is going to be roughly 62 percent of all mobile devices being used are in the business mobility area. But 60 percent of those are personal devices that are being used in the business and enterprise areas."

Genius Announces Navigator 905 Vogue Mouse Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/genius-announces-navigator-905vogue-mouse/11302.html February 23rd, 2011

KYE Systems Corp. (or Genius), manufacturer of the first scroll wheel mouse (Genius EasyScroll) in 1995, has unveiled the Navigator 905 Vogue wireless mouse.

Antony Wilson, head of marketing for Nokia Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, was next to introduce the E7 smartphone and its various features which include the 4inch ClearBlack touchscreen display, QWERTY keyboard, 8-megapixel camera, mobile office, security, and social networks.

So, how will the company convince customers that they will have the support, say one or two years time, especially when security features get updated fairly frequently?

KYE Systems Corp. (or Genius), manufacturer of the first scroll wheel mouse (Genius EasyScroll) in 1995, has unveiled the Navigator 905 Vogue wireless mouse.

"Nokia has got over 200 million Symbian-based devices on the market and have also announced to sell another 150 million (or excess of 150 million) Symbian-based devices, which is close to half a billion in the market. This is by far the largest install-base of any other platform and manufacturing in the market. While the Windows Phone 7 is going to be the primary smartphone for the Finnish company, we will be mad not to look after the customers. What we have got in store are number of improvements and very robust roadmap. For the remainder of this year, we are expecting to release in excess of 50 improvements to the Symbian platform. They will range

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The mouse boasts a stylish diamond-pattern design, BlueEye advanced optical tracking technology (works on any surface), storage slots for the wireless dongle, two buttons, ‘Magic Roller’ scroll-wheel technology, and connects to the PC via a 2.4 GHz RF wireless interface. Powered by one AAA battery, the Navigator 905 Vogue is available through major resellers and e-tailers at a MSRP of US$45.

News via [Techshout]

AMD has "no plans" to enter smartphone market Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-has-no-plans-to-entersmartphone-market/11299.html February 23rd, 2011

While Intel still valiantly attempts to make a break into the mobile and embedded space with its x86 processors, it seems that AMD has already given up the fight even before starting.

According to a statement made by the company's interim CEO, AMD has got no plans at the moment about even thinking of making a break into the highly competitive mobile and embedded segement. On a brighter node, it appears that the company's line of Fusion APUs are performing much better than expected.

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The market for processors and highly-integrated System-on-achip (SoCs) is currently all for ARM and its licensees to take at the moment, and it seems that the status quo is not about to see any sudden upsets, at least in the near future. After all, almost every single smartphone and tablet out on the market today make use of an ARM-based SoC save for a few niche devices that sport full-fledged Atom processors.

Apparently, this current state of affairs is all the information needed to convince AMD that it does not stand much of a chance in successfully breaking ARM's dominance in that market segment. In a statement made by AMD's interim CEO, Thomas Seifert put an end to any further speculation by declaring that the company has no plans to make an entry into the smartphone chip market, even though it has an extremely low power, 1W chip up its sleeves in the form of its Bobcat processor which is currently being used by Acer for its new Windows 7-based tablet.

"We have no intention of entering the smartphone space at this point of time. We are not in the process of developing [a] baseband [chip] and this is a clear statement. There are enough players in the is market that have a hard time earning money," he said, when asked about AMD's plans for the smartphone market at the Goldman Sachs Internet and Technology Conference.

On a brighter note, it would seem that AMD's Fusion strategy might well be starting to pay off handsomely. According to a report on DigiTimes, unusually high demand for the company's 40mm Ontario and Zacate processors is causing supply for the aforementioned chips to dry up. To remedy the issue, AMD has reportedly started stocking up on its inventory levels and placed new orders for more processing capability from TSMC.

Windows 7 SP1: Now available for download Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/windows-7-sp1-now-available-fordownload/11298.html February 23rd, 2011

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Do you see that Update button hiding inside the Control Panel in your copy of Windows 7? Well, now is the best time to actually start making use of it if you have not been doing so. That is because Microsoft has just released the highlyawaited SP1 update for its popular operating system for public download.

Well, everybody asked for it, and it would seem that Microsoft has finally delivered. Remember the few stories we ran about the highly overdue SP1 update for Microsoft's currentgeneration operating system, Windows 7? Yep, it seems that the day has finally come for all Windows 7 users to hit the 'Check for Updates' button on Microsoft/Windows Update and start patching the world's most popular operating system against from the few security vulnerabilities that it has been exposed to in the past year of its life.

As we have stated before, SP1 for Windows 7 does not offer any new user-centric features, so you might want to shelf all expectations of seeing some random new option pop up in Windows 7's Control Panel after applying the update. That being said, what you should preparing yourself for when you reach home today is a very, very long updating process.

According to Microsoft, the 32-bit version of SP1` for Windows 7 sports an astronomical package size of 755MB, while the 64bit version throws all notion of size out the window with a combined size of 1GB.

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Rumour: Nintendo Wii 2 will feature support for HD content?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-nintendo-wii-2-will-featuresupport-for-hd-content-/11297.html February 23rd, 2011

Nintendo may have kept its lips tightly sealed over the possibility of releasing an updated Wii console to compete against the likes of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but it seems that the heat competition might be finally starting to get to the Japanese console maker. While the company has confirmed that a console refresh is a distinct possibility, it would seem that Nintendo might have a little extra something planned for the new machine. Read on to find out more.

Barely four months ago, Nintendo made an announcement claiming that the company has got no immediate plans to work on an upgrade to its existing Wii video game console. And its reason was as simple as it could get: its current sales numbers did not justify the pouring of additional resources into creating a successor for the current-generation console.

To top it off, Nintendo's US president Reggie Fils-Aime bluntly told the media back then that that would be no talk of such a console until the company could meet its sales targets: "As we sit here today we're saying the Wii has many, many more units to sell. After we've reached an installed base of 45m here in the US we can have a conversation about the next generation."

Apparently, Nintendo seem to have backtracked on its words, for the company's European MD of Marketing was reportedly telling a reporter from Edge that there will (eventually) be a Wii 2. And when the time is right to release the Wii's successor out to the retail market, it will still sport the optical drive as the main medium for gameplay, although digital game downloads will still be supported.

But that is not all. According to the predictions made by Michael Patcher, an analyst with Wedbush, the Wii 2 will come with support for HD content, if only because the console maker is already trailing far behind the competition in this aspect.

Needless to say, you will want to hit the 'Update Now' button and leave your PC or notebook on overnight while Windows does its work uninterrupted. Here's hoping your ISP is up to the task of dealing with larger-than-usual data consumptions tonight: after all, nobody wants to see the dreaded 'Service Pack failed to install' error message, right?

Of course, much of this information is made up of nothing more than speculations from consumers and analysts, so it is 9

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highly prudent that readers take these details with nothing less than a truckload's worth of salt.

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install custom ROMs legitimately into your Xoom sounds like? *Note: the image shown above is NOT that of the real Motorola Xoom's bootloader screen!

Apple iPad 2 shipments delayed from April to June?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-ipad-2-shipments-delayed-fromapril-to-june-/11293.html February 23rd, 2011

Apple's upcoming next-generation iPad is expected to be announced later this month and shipped out to consumers' hands by April. But according to a note, the iPad may be delayed from April to June.

As reported by Bloomberg, they cited a research note by Yuanta Securities Co. with the claims of the much-anticipated iPad 2 meeting production issues and thus, a delay in shipment.

The report by Vincent Chen and Alison Chen, analysts at Yuanta, cited ?production bottlenecks? at Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. after Apple made design changes before the Lunar New year.

With the delay in release of the next iPad, this might just give a small gap of oppurtunity for the Andriod 3.0 tablets, which a number are to be launced in April and May.

Installing custom ROMs on a smartphone is always considered to be an act that resides well within the grey area between making legal or illegal modifications to one's device. However, the case for smartphones based off Google's Android operating system is a lot more complex, as its open nature means that technically anybody who is savvy enough can potentially cook up their own custom ROM and release it for public use while being covered by the various open-source licenses governing the use of Android.

Unfortunately, as far as most OEMs are concerned, the very act of rooting an Android-powered smartphone to gain access to its bootloader is an instant passport to voiding one's warranty. But once again, it would seem that certain flagship products are exempt from the need to lock down the device's bootloader. In an announcement made on a Twitter, Motorola's mobile department has confirmed that the Xoom will sport an unlockable bootloader, just like the Nexus S before it. And lest you think we are making this up, here is the actual Twit in all its glory:

Motorola confirms a special feature on Xoom for Android enthusiasts Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/motorola-confirms-a-special-featureon-xoom-for-android-enthusiasts/11296.html February 23rd, 2011

Motorola has had its fair share of criticism from the Android hacker community, especially with its less-thanfriendly policies regarding any act of ROM or firmware modification. However, the latest news from the company seems to hint at a complete about-turn of Motorla's Android strategy: apparently, the upcoming Xoom tablet will sport a certain feature that should make it highly sought after by the aforementioned enthusiasts. How does the ability to

So what will this mean for both end-users and developers?

Well, simply put, it appears to be a win-win situation for all parties involved. End-users who desire a more customized version of Android are free to load up the Xoom with customized Android ROMs for their own use without having to worry about tripping any electronic security mechanism (if any) found in the tablet. On the other hand, developers are free to perform all kinds of hacks on both the Xoom and its firmware to further tweak the device and fix certain bugs, if need be.

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PQI 64GB SDXC Class 10 Flash Memory Card Review @ Legit Reviews Description: The 64GB PQI SDXC card has a very impressive storage capacity with respectable performance numbers. For example the Canon EOS Rebel 550D/T2i DSLR camera records HD video and the user's manual recommends at least Class 6 memory cards in order to record 1080p video smoothly. The PQI 64GB SDXC card should be able to keep up when recording 1080p video and images in continuous burst mode. Having a card that pushes 20MB/s read and write also means you can easily offload all of images and videos from the memory card to computer... *This is NOT the real bootloader screen for the Motorola Xoom!

Still, whether Motorola will continue to offer the freedom of an unlocked bootloader in future tablet and smartphone offerings remains to be seen. However, it would also seem that the ability to install custom ROMs without having to worry about treading into what is essentially a legal minefield out there definitely more than makes up for the lack of Flash support in the initial batch of Xoom tablets to hit retail shelves, don't you think?

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 22 Feb 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--22feb-2011/11292.html February 23rd, 2011

In today's news roundup: Gigabyte is expected to launch a new overclocker-friendly motherboard, the X58-OC, which will supposedly feature various options not found on standard enthusiasts boards; Intel finally updates its aging Itanium lineup with the new Poulson processor; Microsoft charts out its ambitious plans to sway cloud computing and softwareas-a-service applications to its fold via an extremely large ecosystem based on Windows 7, Internet Explorer and Windows Live; Apple's draconian restrictions pertaining to in-app subscriptions has drawn friendly-fire from evebn its own partners; Gran Turismo 5 gets an update, and Sony has been rumoured to be hard at work on a new version of the PlayStation 3 console that cannot be compromised by the master key discovered by 'geohotz' and the fail0verflow group.

Hardware News: ATi Forum.de investigates the top AIB of 2011. Last year, Sapphire won and so how will it end this year?

The contenders for this year are Sapphire, HIS, ASUS, XFX, PowerColor, MSI, Club3D, Gigabyte, Vertex3D, GeCube and, Diamond. The survey runs until 21 April 2011 so cast your votes today.

Corsair Vengeance 12GB DDR3 1600 CL9 Memory Review on Technic3D (German) Description: (Machine translation) The Corsair Vengeance 12GB DDR3 1600 CL9 Memory-Kit arrived Technic3D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclocking against the G.Skill Trident, Mushkin Ridgeback and Corsair Dominator Memory Kits on Windows 7 64 Bit and the Gigabyte X58 Extreme Mainboard. You can see 1.932MHz (1,65V) with 9-11-11-24 (2T) and more in the following Review.

Corsair Graphite 600T Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews Description: It seems that vanity has no limit, as there aren't many markets more entwined in style and appearance than the consumer electronics industry. It makes sense, since these are called Personal Computers, after all. Identity is everything to consumers, which is what makes computer cases such a personal choice for system builders. Corsair is helping to make these decisions a little easier for enthusiasts by offering their Corsair Graphite 600T computer case. Like most things that come from this performance-orientated company, the Graphite series of computer enclosures delivers what people want most. In this article, Benchmark Reviews investigates the CC600T model for functionality and value.

Crucial Ballistix Tracer Black PC3-12800 Review @ OCIA.net Description: What always surprises me about computer memory, is that for months it can hover around the same price range, and then seemingly overnight the bottom will drop out. About this time last year I was reviewing some Ballistix Tracer Red in a 4Gb dual channel kit, and now they have that same pair listed for half the cost, even less at some online retailers. As far as I can determine, prices fell through the floor sometime between the holidays and prior to CES 2011 last month. For those users still on DDR2 who have been holding off on a memory upgrade, waiting for prices to come down, now may be the perfect opportunity to do so.

ASUS GeForce GTX 580 DirectCU II Review @ Overclockers Australia Description: ASUS kick-started the year with a new range of non-reference Radeon HD 6900 and GeForce GTX 500 series graphics cards, both featuring an exclusive DirectCU II cooler with copper heat pipes and twin cooling fans. Today we overclock and test the GTX 580 version - let's see if it's a worthwhile addition to their range.

Micron: Our 25nm NAND Flash Memory Is Perfectly Fine.

Description: Transition of NAND flash memory manufacturing to 25nm fabrication process seems to have run into issues. Some customers of OCZ Technology have complained about lower capacities of solid-state drives based 11

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Published by: VR-Zone

on 25nm memory and also their lower performance. But Micron Technology, the maker of 25nm NAND flash memory, claims that the memory itself has the same reliability as previous-generation and competing makers of SSDs are to be blamed.

frequency response. Total output for the Ruckus is 150 Watts.

SoundScience has also added 3Dsst™. This technology uses digital sound processing algorithms to simulate a surround sound environment. Inputs include 3.5mm, RCA, and optical (TOSLINK).

Intel updates Itanuim architecture with Poulson Description: Intel is finally starting to talk about the upcoming Poulson chip, the first real update to the Itanium architecture in years. While the chip may be huge and technically complex, it is hard to see anyone other than die-hard HP big iron shops actually caring.

Windows Phone 7 update bricks some Samsung users Description: Uh oh – bad news for Microsoft. After releasing the Windows Phone 7 update this week, some folks have ended up with an unusable phone and no way of fixing them save a factory reset or returning them to the store. Although the problem is said to only affect a limited number of people, it makes you wonder whether Microsoft’s decision of pushing out the updates themselves was a good decision to make.

Hopefully this issue gets resolved sooner than later and won’t happen again in the future. On the bright side, this was only a minor update and not the long-awaited copy paste update for the phone – Microsoft could learn from this mistakes to make the next update a better experience for those who got their devices bricked this time around. How many of you have had problems updating your Windows Phone 7 device?

Gigabyte to release X58-OC overclockers mobo Description: Gigabyte is working on a new X58 motherboard totally pimped up and designed for overclocking, as their blog reported. The new color schema is quite wicked alright, anyway the mobo will be called the X58-OC and will come with four PCIe x16 slots and one PCI slot.

Consumer Electronics and Software news: Microsoft's strategy for cloud devices and development of relevant applications: Establish a complete computing architecture of Cloud plus Client based on Windows 7, IE 9.0, and Windows Live Description: Estimates by IDC, Gartner, Strategy Analytics, and Wall Street analysts show that the global PC shipment in 2014 would be at least 50% higher than 2010, and 18% of the growth would come from notebooks, compared to only 1% from desktops. According to Jochen Siegl, manager of ODM Business Development, Microsoft, it is obvious that untypical computing devices such as notebooks, netbooks, and smartphones are replacing desktops and becoming mainstream products in the market, but this also helps extend the average product life cycle of PCs. Apple Smacks Readability In The Face With Subscription Rules; All SaaS In Trouble Description: We’ve already been over (and over and over and over and over) Apple’s new iOS subscription rules. And the initial backlash has seemingly cooled down as everyone has moved on to the next hot topic of the hour. But it’s pretty clear that this issue is going to keep surfacing, because it really does screw a lot of developers. And sure enough, it’s already back today.

Google May Kill Chrome URL Bar Description: Google is working on a “major” overhaul of its Chrome browser user interface (UI). Among the options on the table is the elimination of the URL bar, which could be the most significant UI change to the web browser since its invention. Another feature that appears to be already signed off is the support of multiple user profiles that can be used in parallel.

Antec Rockus 3D SoundScience 2.1 Speaker System Review @Hi Tech Legio Description: The Antec Rockus 3D SoundScience 2.1 Speaker System is Antec's entry product into the sound market. The Rockus 2.1 Speaker System offers out-of-the-box professional quality sound. The Rockus contains two 25 Watt satellite speakers constructed out of anodized aluminum that offer clear highs and mids. There is a 100 Watt active subwoofer with a passive radiator that creates an extended low

Sony makes neon-hued VAIO CA, CB official Description: Sony on Tuesday took the second of its notebook concepts into reality on Tuesday by launching the VAIO CA and CB. The line comes in a wrap-around translucent plastic and has the option of rare neon orange and green hues that create a "glow" around the edges and the trackpad; black, white and (in Europe) pink are also available. TV integration is a cornerstone as they both have the option of WiDi 2.0 wireless video streaming to an adapter as well as Remote Keyboard to steer menus and the keyboard on a Bravia TV, Blu-ray player or PS3.

Windows Phone 7 update updates updater Description: Microsoft has finally shipped an update to Windows Phone 7. Unfortunately, this is not the long-awaited copy-and-paste update. For that, we still have to wait until March. No, this new update updates Windows Phone 7's update mechanism. It's an update to allow next month's update to actually work properly.

Gaming news: Sony Developing Hack-Proof PS3?

Description: Sony is currently working on a 'hack-proof' PlayStation 3 as a counter-measure against recent piracy concerns, according to EverythingHQ. Donations pour in for PS3 hacker; Sony court battle continues Description: George Hotz is in the middle of what could be a long, punishing legal battle with Sony, and his money is running out. "Media, I need your help. This is the first time I have ever asked. Please, if you support this cause, help me out and spread the word," he wrote on his newest blog entry. "I want, by the time this goes to trial, to have Sony facing some of the hardest hitting lawyers in the business. Together, we can help fix the system."

GT5 update revs onto PS3 Description: Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong recently announced a new online update for Gran Turismo 5 that is now available upon starting up the game. The

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new update adds a slew of features, including remote racing between PSN friends to level up their drivers.

Lenovo launches six new ThinkPad laptops Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lenovo-launches-six-new-thinkpadlaptops/11295.html February 23rd, 2011

Lenovo has launched six new ThinkPad laptops - T420s, T420, T520, L420, L520 and W520 - based on the second generation Intel Core and Core vPro processors. The ThinkPads are scheduled to be available in March.

Published by: VR-Zone

battery combined. For extreme battery life requirements, the ThinkPad T420, with its standard 9-cell battery and optional 9-cell slice battery, provides up to 30 hours of computing power. The business class laptops also feature NVIDIA Optimus that switches graphics automatically; the T Series and W Series laptops provide 33 percent better battery performance over previous discrete graphics models.

Ease of Use Lenovo’s Instant Resume helps to maintain wireless connection on the laptop during sleep mode for up to 99 minutes, eliminating the need to login and reconnect. The ThinkPad T420s claims to be the first business class notebook to offer Dolby Home Theater v4 for clearer audio quality.

Pricing and Availability The ThinkPad T, L and W Series will be available starting in March from Lenovo business partners and www.lenovo.com.

Pricing for the T420s, T420, T520, L420, L520 and W520 starts at approximately US$1,329, US$779, US$909, US$719, US$719 and US$1,329, respectively.

Additional details on Intel's Z68 and Patsburg models Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/additional-details-on-intel-s-z68-andpatsburg-models/11294.html February 23rd, 2011

Lenovo has announced six new ThinkPad laptops - the T420s, T420, T520, L420, L520 and W520 - that claim to maximize performance and offer higher productivity for mobile business professionals.

The ultra-thin, sub 1.8kg ThinkPad T420s speeds up boot time 30 percent with Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0; the T420 boasts battery life of up to 30 hours with extended battery; the W520 mobile workstation offers twice the performance of previous models; and the L Series gives users recognized ThinkPad durability at exceptional value.

Smart PC Power & Performance Management The new laptops incorporate self-aware and adaptive technologies to sense where power is needed most. With Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, it can increase processor speed during performance intensive tasks such as video editing, and 3D applications. Incorporating Lenovo Turbo Boost+, it enables laptops to stay in Turbo Boost even longer by keeping processor temperatures below required thermal limits. In this way, the notebook PCs can achieve up to 30 percent longer battery life.

Extended Battery Life With its standard 9-cell battery, the ThinkPad T420 delivers up to 15 hours of battery life, while the T420s offers up to 10 hours with its 6-cell and optional optical bay

It didn't take long for additional details to make its way online about Intel's Z68 motherboards that we wrote about earlier today and now a slide detailing both models have appeared over at Xfastest which gives a lot more details than what we'd seen so far. It also gives us a few additional details of Intel's upcoming consumer focused Patsburg chipset models codenamed Siler and Thorsby that we wrote about a few weeks ago.

It didn't take long for additional details to make its way online about Intel's Z68 motherboards that we wrote about earlier today and now a slide detailing both models have appeared over at Xfastest which gives a lot more details than what we'd seen so far. It also gives us a few additional details of Intel's upcoming consumer focused Patsburg chipset models codenamed Siler and Thorsby that we wrote about a few weeks ago.

Also on the roadmap are details of Intel's first H61 model, the DH61AG which is a mini-ITX board. Although the H61 chipset is Intel's budget chipset, this board has a few extra features that you don't normally get as standard with it, such as SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 support. The board will also sport DVI and HDMI connectivity and SO-DIMM slots, the latter most likely to save space on the PCB. It's also interesting to note that Intel 13

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labels this as a thin-AIO (All-in-One) board which means it might be a low profile board.

As for the Z68 boards, first up we have the media focused DZ68DB which will offer USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps connectivity as well as DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. It's clear that this isn't the board most people have been waiting for, but if you want an ATX size board that has a good selection of display outputs alongside overclocking abilities and RAID support, this might be the one for you.

The board that is interesting in this case is the DZ68BC which again sports USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps, but it also offers a pair of x16 PCI Express slots (in dual x8 configuration), a feature that should appeal to high-end users and the reason why this board is located in Intel's Extreme range of boards.

The DZ68BC also offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity via a USB adapter (a feature Intel is already offering on some of its other boards) and it does of course feature overclocking and RAID support. There's no mention of any display outputs on this board, although we'd guess there is at least one port on the board.

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According to this roadmap we're looking at the H61 chipset to arrive fairly shortly and the Z68 towards the end of this half of the year, at least if the scale is corresponding to launch dates. This falls in line with what we said in our earlier post today with most Z68 chipset boards launching at Computex. As for the Patsburg based boards, well, it looks like we're in for a longer wait here and we're hearing late Q3 or early Q4, suggesting a potential IDF San Francisco launch in September. So for all of those of you waiting for new chipsets and motherboards, sadly you're going to have to wait a bit longer as Intel doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry at the moment.

Zalman Unveils 135mm ZM-F4 Fan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/zalman-unveils-135mm-zm-f4fan/11291.html February 23rd, 2011

Korean cooling specialist Zalman has announced the 135mm ZM-F4 fan, targeting overclocking enthusiasts. Measuring 135 x 135 x 25mm and weighing 151g, it can be installed on 120mm mounting fan holes and has a MTBF of 50,000 hours. The ZM-F4 Fan can operate at speeds of up to 1,300RPM (at 26dBa) and is bundled with Anti-Vibration Silicone Pins and a Resistor Cable (to control fan speed and noise).

ZALMAN PRESS RELEASE As for the Patsburg boards, well, still no model number, but the Siler model is now listed as the DXxxSI so all that's left for Intel to insert is the expect 68 or 78 numbers in the middle (for X68 or X78) depending on what the company decides it want to call its next high-end chipset. The Thorsby is now the DXxxTO and shared features between the two models include dual x16 PCI Express slots, although it might be worth pointing out that these are PCI Express 3.0 slots and both boards also sports eight DIMMs (four more than we expected), USB 3.0 connectivity, most likely SATA 6Gbps even though it isn't mentioned, but it's part of the chipset spec and of course overclocking and RAID support. The DXxxSI also offers dual Ethernet ports, most likely of the Gigabit variety and the DXxxTO sports a TPM module.

It's interesting that Intel has chosen to go with eight DIMMs, as this means two DIMMs per channel as the LGA-2011 Sandy Bridge-E processors use quad channel memory. However, as the memory controller will throttle the memory speed if you add more than one DIMM per channel, this seems like a bad move on a consumer motherboard as it could have a potential negative impact on the system performance. Pictures that leaked of a somewhat blurred out MSI board about a month ago showed that MSI had decided to go with only one DIMM per channel for a total of four DIMMs and we're not sure why Intel didn't do the same.

It is our pleasure to introduce Zalman NEW fan, ZM-F4. There are many Case fans in the market, but they only restrict the size up to 120mm for the normal cases. With our ZM-F4, you don’t have to worry about what kind of cases you have. Once your case can support 120mm fans, then you can just go ahead with our new ZM-F4 to enjoy bigger 135mm Fan for higher CFM. Please check for your cases if they have mounting holes for 120mm Case fans, then you are ready for ZM-F4!

Like our Case fan series, ZM-F4 comes with Silicone pins for anti-vibration operation with RC56 (Resistor) to lower fan speed for lower operation noise.

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Super Talent Readies CoreStore Series SSDs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/super-talent-readies-corestore-seriesssds/11290.html

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Published by: VR-Zone

February 23rd, 2011

About Super Talent Technology

Well-known flash storage and memory maker Super Talent is preparing to introduce its CoreStore line-up of SSDs. Featuring mini PCIe/ PCIe interfaces, they boast a Marvell 88NV9143 controller, MLC (multi-level cell) or SLC (singlelevel cell) NAND flash memory, and support data transfer rates up to 350Mb/s (read) and 80Mb/s (write) for MLC models and 350Mb/s (read) and 220Mb/s (write) for SLC variants. The CoreStore SSDs are available in capacities ranging from 16Gb to128Gb. SUPER TALENT PRESS RELEASE San Jose, California - February 21th, 2011 - Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced their CoreStore TMline of SSD solutions designed to bring a new level of performance to the SSD market. By combining the very latest Marvel controller (88NV9143), new DDR ONFi 2 flash and plugging directly to the PCIe bus, Super Talent is now able to create two solutions that deliver unforeseen performance.

Available in two standard formats, mini-PCIe and PCIe Card, Super Talent has a drive to fit many popular applications. The mini-PCIe card (30mm x 50.95mm) is perfect for embedded applications, Industrial PCs, All-in-One PCs, Netbook PCs, Notebooks. Don't have a min-PCIe slot, Super Talent also offers a version of this product that will plug directly into a standard PCIe card slot; perfect for any Desktop PC. Note Gen 2 PCI slot required for top speeds.

Super Talent Technology Corporation based in San Jose, California, designs and manufactures a full range of DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 memory modules and Flash based storage devices for computers and consumer electronics. An ISO 9001 certified company, Super Talent utilizes its state- of- theart factories and leading-edge components to produce award winning products with outstanding reliability. Super Talent is an active member of the JEDEC and ONFI standards bodies.

With over 250 patents, the company was ranked 38th in the 2009 Wall Street Journal's Patent ScorecardTM for the IT industry.

Sony Singapore unveils new products at "Inspiring Innovation" launch for 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-singapore-unveils-new-productsat-inspiring-innovation-launch-for-2011/11288.html February 23rd, 2011

This morning, Sony Singapore held their "Inspiring Innovation" 2011 product launch at Marina Bay Sands Convention and Expo, showcasing the new products this year.

"By utilizing our relationships with both first tier controller manufactures and DDR flash manufactures, we are able to create innovate solutions such as the CoreStore SSD and offer them to our customers before anyone else.", CH Lee COO of SuperTalent.

Taisuke Nakanishi, managing director of Sony South East Asia, was at the event and said that this year, the company will launch products that can enhance, engage and redefine the viewing experience.

YouTube Demo httpwww.youtube.comgosupertalent#pu01ySFYRYuz8s

The products unveiled at the launch include full highdefinition (HD) 3D-capable BRAVIA LCD TVs, Cybershot cameras, Handycam camcorders and VAIO personal computers.

Available March 2011 15

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on the Intel X58 Express chipset and supporting Intel Socket LGA 1366 processors. A decent Gulftown will have a Core i7-2600K for breakfast, lunch and dinner under the same extreme overclocking conditions, which is why the 'ageing' platform is still the fastest... at least till the end of this year.

For the BRAVIA HDTV lineup, there will be 26 new models, with eleven 3D-capable and 20 Internet TVs in the 2011 lineup. Some of the new models will also incorporate Sony's new X-Reality PRO and X-Reality Engine digital video processors to produce the best picture. The new BRAVIA range include BRAVIA HX925 with LED backlight and supports 3D (available in May); 3D-capable BRAVIA NX720 (available in April); BRAVIA EX720 with LED backlight and supports 3D;BRAVIA BX420 and BX320 (both scheduled for March).

GIGABYTE has released some photos of the new board and we shall take a quick look at its five main overclocking features: • OC-VRM, • OC-Touch, • OC-PEG, • OC-Cool, and • OC-Dual BIOS

OC-VRM

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-OC Overclocking Features Preview Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-ga-x58a-oc-overclockingfeatures-preview/11262.html February 23rd, 2011

The folks at GIGABYTE have released a set of pictures showcasing their upcoming Intel X58 Express chipset-based overclocking motherboard, the GA-X58A-OC. There are quite a number of cool features on the board, so we shall take a quick look at them. Join us!

It appears that both GIGABYTE and us at VR-Zone.com share the same thought: the Intel X58 Express platform is far from dead. During a period where Intel's new 'Sandy Bridge' seemingly rules the roost, the motherboard maker is about to officially introduce its GA-X58A-OC motherboard, based

The GA-X58A-OC motherboard has dual 8-pin CPU power connectors for input up to 720A. A variety of Intersil power management ICs handles power delivery on the new board.

PWM frequency can be adjusted to 300KHz, 600KHz and 800KHz according to the information we have on hand.

The processor voltage regulation module (VRM) is a 12-phase 'dual power' design supporting up to 600A output, while the Uncore portion is a 3-phase design, and the memory a 2-phase.

Surface mount POSCAP tantalum capacitors are used as they are not only reliable, but save space as well. The low height 16

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clearance and added space means enthusiasts no longer need to worry if their larger cooling solutions will be obstructed.

In fact, on the GA-X58A-OC, GIGABYTE has completely done away with the can-type solid capacitors.

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Chasis + CM Storm Spawn Mice) Check out http://launch.vrzone.com and find out how you can win these prizes

OC-Touch To make things a little more convenient for overclockers, the GA-X58A-OC has voltage measurement points for: • VCORE, • CPU PLL, • DDR, • DDR VTT, • QPI VTT, • QPI PLL, and

New MacBook Pro to be lighter, have larger trackpads and dedicated SSD to boot Mac OS X? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/new-macbook-pro-to-be-lighter-havelarger-trackpads-and-dedicated-ssd-to-boot-mac-os-x-/11287.html February 23rd, 2011

• IOH

Yes, as mentioned in the (mouthful) title of this news, these are the latest rumours to the upcoming MacBook Pro that is expected to drop on us later this week. A lighter machine with larger trackpad and a dedicated SSD just to store and boot the Mac OS X? There is also a debug LED that will flash BIOS POST codes.

Debug LEDs almost became extinct the past few years, before making a return starting with higher end Intel P67 Express motherboards.

The red power switch is um, self-explanatory I guess...

The '4G' button will help 'newbies to reach 4GHz'. Man, what a way to put it in the material! Anyway, this button will simply tell the motherboard to automatically overclock the processor to 4GHz on the next boot.

Overclockers can then use the two sets of buttons to adjust CPU ratio (the set on the left) and BCLK (the set on the right) on-the-fly. The 'Gear' button changes the adjustment step of the BCLK back and forth between 0.3MHz and 1MHz.

VR-Zone Giveaway 3: It's Cooler Master Week Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/vr-zone-giveaway-3-it-s-cooler-masterweek/11289.html February 23rd, 2011

Follow 4 easy steps and stand a chance to win different prizes every week. This week..we are giving away: 3x ( CM Elite 430

Despite the rumour that the latest updated Apple MacBook Pro will be available later this week and the inclusion of the latest generation Sandy Bridge processors, not much is known about what other new features the new refreshed MacBook Pro would carry. But more details have been leaked from recent reports.

A larger trackpad in the new MacBook Pros? Well, that's certainly highly possible as that will allow Apple to develop more vivid gestures and flexibility for users.

The reports also claim that the new and updated laptops will offer a dedicated solid-state drive of 8 to 16 GB purely to house the Mac OS X system files. The result will be similar to those that we can see in today's MacBook Air: dramatically fast bootup and performance. Additional storage for other applications

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and media files will be available in either traditional hard drives or with solid-drives upgrades.

The next bit of information doesn't quite make sense to us, but we have been told the OS on the laptops will be loaded to a separate (internal) 8-16GB SSD while everything else will remain on the regular hard drive.

There will be options for just SSD drives but the base models will feature regular hard disks with the SSD combo for the OS. The report ends off with the source indicating that Apple has apparently reduced half a pound off the weight of each of the MacBook Pro models. The new and improved MacBook Pros has been speculated for release this coming Thursday.

MSI announces new ultrathin netbook for the masses Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-announces-new-ultrathinnetbook-for-the-masses/11285.html February 23rd, 2011

Is the netbook in danger of getting replaced by the tablet? In all honesty, the likelihood of it happening some time in the future is there, but it would seem that the netbook is still safe for now.

And with the demand for netbooks still going relatively strong, it would seem that MSI has deemed it fit to launch yet another notebook and capture a little more market share in the process of doing so.

The fact that MSI is calling the U160MX a 'netbook; should be a clear giveaway as to what kind of hardware will come bundled with the device. True enough, a quick look at MSI's press release reveals that the U160MX is about as networkworthy as it can be: it sports 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 10inch LED-backlit screen makes up the netbook's display, while processing power is provided by the not-so-impressive singlecore Intel Atom N455 processor and onboard GMA 3150 GPU. However, it would seem that MSI is also bundling the netbook with various different features in order to distinguish it from the competition. Apparently, the U160MX will come standard with MSI's proprietary TDE Overclocking Engine to give the processor a speed boost needed for certain heavy usage situations, while its ECO energy-saving technology claims up to 8.5 hours of computing uptime on a single battery charge.

Unfortunately, as is the case with most MSI-related announcements, no release date and pricing details have been disclosed. Bummer. Oh well, at least they left the full list of hardware specifications behind for us:

Is the netbook in danger of going the way of the dodo? Several pundits and analysts might seem to think so, but it would seem that their eventual death is not about to take place any time soon, especially when the tablets of today still sport price tags which are large enough to warrant the purchase of a more powerful, full-sized notebook PC that supports the vast library of hardware available for the Windows software ecosystem.

Of course, there is no denying that technological advancements in hardware fabrication and design will mean that the prices of tablets will eventually drop given sufficient time. However, it is also clear that road warriors who desire a cheap yet highly mobile computing device are not about to surrender their handy netbooks for a 10-inch slate that does not come with a large-enough physical keyboard that is vital for for their productivity needs. And it appears that MSI is banking on this particular premise with its new netbook, the MSI Wind U160MX.

Nexus One gets Honeycomb, problems are aplenty Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nexus-one-gets-honeycomb-problemsare-aplenty/11284.html February 23rd, 2011

The Nexus One is supposed to be one of only two Androidpowered phone that can receive OTA vanilla firmware updates, 18

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but it would seem that such a luxury means nothing to an enterprising developer. Apparently, a group of hackers who have gotten a little impatient about having to wait for the official Honeycomb build have gone ahead and cooked their very own such ROM. The caveat? The holes in its usability outnumber those found in a block of Swiss cheese.

Do you own a smartphone which happens to be powered by Google's Android operating system? If you do, chances are you should be no stranger to the healthy demand for custom ROMs, which supposedly offers users added benefits over OEM-supplied ROMs such as better battery life, improved performance, or even the ability to install newer builds of Froyo which the OEM has got no intention of supporting.

Of course, the last 'benefit' mentioned above does not really apply if the user happens to be using an official Googlebranded smartphone such as the Nexus One or the Nexus S, especially when these particular handsets are capable of receiving OTA firmware updates directly from Google itself.

However, it seems that a group of developers who have gotten impatient with Google's slow progress on the upcoming Honeycomb build has taken matters into their own hands. And their response? A custom Honeycomb ROM cooked specially for the Google Nexus One.

According to a forum posting made on XDA-Developers, the cooked Honeycomb ROM should install into any Nexus One smartphone, although its usability is anything but smooth.

Apparently, the successful installation of Honeycomb into the Nexus One is the only thing that works right now for the smartphone: almost every single other critical feature such as phone calls, WiFi, Bluetooth, sound, 3G are non-functional.

In short, a Nexus One flashed with the custom Honeycomb build is nothing more than a black brick with a nice digital user interface and more usability holes than an actual honeycomb.

Of course, this means that the custom Honeycomb ROM for the Nexus One is definitely not intended to be used by end users. The forum post on XDA-Developers also backs this claim, stating that there are easily 'a million (issues)' with functionality at the moment and is intended for developers who desire a clean vanilla build for tackling very specific issues.

And no, we are not going to tell you how you can root your Nexus One and install the cooked Honeycomb ROM, simply because there is enough information floating about the web for that kind of instructions.

Published by: VR-Zone

It's official: Microsoft opens Kinect development libraries to hackers, as long as they use Windows Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/it-s-official-microsoft-opens-kinectdevelopment-libraries-to-hackers-as-long-as-they-use-windows/11283.html February 23rd, 2011

Well, it seems that Microsoft has finally understood what the age-old saying of 'if you can't beat them, join them' means. Apparently, the software giant has decided that the hacker community could prove to be a valuable resource and has thus released a full SDK for the Kinect motion controller for the aforementioned community to play around with. Interestingly, this sudden turn of events comes exactly three months after the Redmond giant claimed that it had 'intentionally' left the Kinect's interface open for precisely the same reason.

Remember how we spoke about how the average Joe might soon be able to to look forward to the day where just about everything in our come could be operated with the humble Kinect motion controller for the Xbox 360? Well, it seems that that day might just be around the corner after all, thanks to a certain act of charity from the likes of the Redmond giant. No, it is not because they are about to start shipping free Kinects to every single hacker who wants to tinker around with the device (though that would be very nice indeed).

Rather, it is the fact that Microsoft appears to have finally recognized that the hacker community could prove to be an extremely valuable asset in helping to promote the Kinect as a versatile device that has the potential to change the way we interact with our daily electronic devices. To that end, the Redmond giant has gone ahead and done the unexpected: the company has just announced in a press release that a complete, non-commercial SDK for the Kinect will be made available as a free download for hackers who wish to get more out of the device.

According to the press release, the non-commercial SDK will contain all the bits and pieces needed to exercise complete control over the Kinect, and is aimed at igniting "further creativity in an already vibrant ecosystem of enthusiasts".

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But of course, as is always the case the Microsoft, there will always be a few certain 'conditions' that need to be met in order for users and developers to enjoy the benefits of its charitable act. While Microsoft has not disclosed the terms of the developer license agreement for the non-commercial Kinect SDK, the press release seems to suggest that the SDK is not cross-platform compatible and must be installed on a Windows-powered system.

Published by: VR-Zone

Unfortunately for us consumers, it would seem that this is a typical case of Murphy's Law in action. Apparently, a microsite hosted by US carrier Verizon to advertise the Xoom has dropped a bombshell which is sure set tongues wagging.

According to Verizon, it seems that the first batch of Xooms being sold to consumers will be offered sans support for the allimportant Adobe Flash plugin, as shown in the image below.

And we all know what that means, don't we? Yup, it seems like OS X and Linux users will have to resort to reverseengineering the Windows-only development libraries in order to set up their own development environment for the Kinect.

Well, that's only fair: after all, Microsoft has to look out for its own ecosystem, doesn't it?

News'flash': No Flash for Xoom + Honeycomb combination Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/news-flash--no-flash-for-xoom-honeycomb-combination/11281.html February 23rd, 2011

It might not be the case down here in sunny Singapore, but in other countries, it would appear that the success of a tablet is tied to a single critical factor: support for the 'full Web content'.

Which, needless to say, includes Adobe's proprietary Flash plugin used in a vast majority of websites today. However, it would seem that Motorola is about to test the validity of such a claim: after all, what other reason can there be for the former to even think about shipping an Android tablet sans the critical plugin?

Now, the lack of Flash support for Android devices is definitely not unheard of. After all, earlier versions of Android were wellknown for not having support for the Flash plugin as well, and it was only with Froyo that Android users were finally able to experience the 'full web experience' often touted by Google and hardware OEMs as a key factor of its alleged superiority over iOS. Still, it does not change the fact that the lack of Flash support is definitely not going to give Honeycomb users the 'full web content' that they can come to expect, especially after the success that was Froyo and Gingerbread. That being said, it is worth pointing out, if only for consolation's sake, that Flash will eventually make its way down to Honeycomb, as long as users do not mind waiting it out for a few more months. After all, 'eventual' Flash support is still infinitely better than opting for a platform that has 'completely zero support' for the plugin, is it not?

Intel's first Z68 board model names leaked Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-s-first-z68-board-model-namesleaked/11282.html February 23rd, 2011

Intel have been anything but forthcoming with details about its upcoming Z68 chipset, but VR-Zone can now as first publication give you the model names of Intel's own brand Z68 chipset motherboards. Intel is planning two models at launch and they're placed in the extreme and media motherboard sections in Intel's line-up.

So the Motorola Xoom tablet is well on its way to hitting retail shelves, and certain carriers will get first dibs on the device before the tablet is released for saleas a standalone unit and not as part of a data contract bundle. That sounds good enough for us: after all, just about all the details pertaining to the Xoom has already be revealed, so nothing else could go wrong for Motorola's and Google's flagship tablet, right?

Intel have been anything but forthcoming with details about its upcoming Z68 chipset, but VR-Zone can now as first publication give you the model names of Intel's own brand Z68 chipset motherboards. Intel is planning two models at launch and they're placed in the extreme and media motherboard sections in Intel's line-up.

Sadly we don't have a ton of detail's at hand, but we wouldn't expect it to be too long until the first real solid details will start 20

February 23rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

to appear. What we do know is that the top of the line model will be called the DZ68BC and the slightly lower-end media board will go under the name of DZ68DB. Both of the boards are expected to arrive in the second half of this year according to roadmap details we've seen. However, the chipset should launch some time in Q2 alongside Intel's budget H61 chipset.

This suggests that there won't be too many Z68 boards on display at CeBIT in March, although there ought to be plenty of boards on display at Computex which starts on the 31st of May. The slide that leaked some time ago detailing the specifications of the Z68 proved to be the real deal and nothing has changed in terms of chipset features since then. We would like to point out one small thing though, the Z68 chipset won't support SSD caching from day one, as this is a feature that will rely upon Intel's Rapid Storage Technology drivers which will only add SSD caching in release 10.5. This would also require a firmware upgrade for the Intel SATA controller, but this would be part of a BIOS upgrade for the Z68 motherboards.

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