gadgets, geeks, technology, internet, social media

March 25th, 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.

Asus launches the Eee Pad Transformer in Taiwan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-launches-the-eee-padtransformer-in-taiwan/11703.html March 25th, 2011

With regards to the software features, Asus has added a custom DLNA app called MyNet which allows for media streaming to and from other DLNA compatible devices.

MyCloud is a version of Asus' cloud storage service which is free for the first year and US$4.99 a month after that and it's supposedly unlimited in terms of storage space. Another cool feature of MyCloud is remote PC access which allows you to access your desktop or notebook computer even if you're not at home or in the office. Finally MyLibrary is an eBook/ eMagazine/ePaper app that is tied in with various service providers depending on where in the world you live. Asus has also included a copy of Polaris Office 3.0 which is compatible with standard office document files such as .doc .xls and .ppt.

It's been nearly three months since Asus first showed off its Android tablets and earlier today the first of the new models launched, at least in Taiwan. The Eee Pad Transformer was launched by the company chairman, Jonney Shih with what appeared to be every single local media on location. Not much that wasn't already known was announced, although we did find out a few new details with regard to software features as well as the much important retail price.

It's been nearly three months since Asus first showed off its Android tablets and earlier today the first of the new models launched, at least in Taiwan. The Eee Pad Transformer was launched by the company chairman, Jonney Shih with what appeared to be every single local media on location. Not much that wasn't already known was announced, although we did find out a few new details with regard to software features as well as the much important retail price.

The build quality of the final product units of the Eee Pad Transformer are much better than the units we've seen before, although one concern is the overly stiff hinge of the keyboard dock and the fact that in “notebook mode� the Eee Pad Transformer we got some hands on time with today didn't shut properly as you'd expect of a notebook. Minor issues maybe, but not something you'd expect of what is meant to be production ready hardware. We were told that the reason for the stiff screen hinge was that it's because of the weight of the tablet part and in Asus' defence, it's nowhere near as top heavy as Acer's W500 AMD C-50 tablet and Asus' proprietary dock connector feels a lot more secure than the standard USB port that Acer decided to use.

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Published by: VR-Zone

The pricing ended up better than we expected, in fact the Eee Pad Transformer is one of the most affordable Tegra 2 tablets to date. Just keep in mind that it doesn't have 3G/ HSPA connectivity which is a contributing factor to the lower price point. The 16GB will retail for NT$14,900 (S$639) in Taiwan, with the 32GB model at NT$16,900 (S$725). These prices don't include the keyboard/battery dock which is an extra NT$3000 (S$129) in either configuration. You'd be mad getting the Eee Pad Transformer without the keyboard dock though as not only does it double the battery life, but it also adds a pair of USB 2.0 ports and a full-size SD card slot. The tablet itself houses a microSD card slot, a mini HDMI port and a headphone socket.

Lightning strikes twice: MSI launches N580GTX Lightning and R6970 Lightning graphics cards Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lightning-strikes-twice-msi-launchesn580gtx-lightning-and-r6970-lightning-graphics-cards/11702.html March 25th, 2011

MSI has unveiled its two flagship cards, the N580GTX Lightning and the R6970 Lightning, based on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and AMD Radeon HD 6970 respectively.

These cards are specifically designed to handle extreme overclocking under the hands of world-renowed overclockers and enthusiasts. The N580GTX Lightning can break the 1GHz core clock barrier easily on air-cooling, thanks to its industryleading Power4 power delivery architecture and Twin Frozr III dual-fan advanced cooling solution.

Industry-leading reliability

MSI has unveiled its two flagship graphics cards, the N580GTX Lightning and the R6970 Lightning, based on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and AMD Radeon HD 6970 respectively. These cards are specifically designed to handle extreme overclocking under the hands of world-renowed overclockers and enthusiasts. The N580GTX Lightning can break the 1GHz core clock barrier easily on air-cooling, thanks to its industry-leading Power4 power delivery architecture and Twin Frozr III dual-fan advanced cooling solution.

Power4

architecture

for

overclocking

The MSI N580GTX Lightning and R6970 Lightning graphic cards inherit the impressive Power4 architecture from previous Lightning cards along with improved components and design in four areas.

• PWM module is twice as large as before and provides double the amount of current to the GPU, • memory has its own independent power supply using an 8-pin connector for minimum interference to greatly increase overclocking potential, • next-generation Proadlizer capacitor increases signal stability by leaps and bounds, and • CopperMOS, the industry's best MOSFET, provides the GPU with a large and stable power supply.

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Combined, these features provide ordinary users as well as extreme overclocking enthusiasts with a more stable operating environment.

Twin Frozr III and Propeller Blade technology takes cooling to the next level

Published by: VR-Zone

Reference: MSI Press Release

A.C. Ryan PlayOn!HD2 review: it's all about HD content Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/a.c.-ryan-playon-hd2-review-it-s-allabout-hd-content/11607.html March 25th, 2011

The all new Twin Frozr III cooling design with Propeller Blade technology doubles the amount of airflow compared to conventional fans. The twin 90mm PWM fans are able to push air over a large surface area to remove heat quickly and effectively.

Together with SuperPipe (large diameter heat pipes) and the 'form-in-one' heatsink, the result is reduced full load temperatures by 21째C for the N580GTX Lightning, and 26째C for the R6970 Lightning over the respective reference boards.

Fan noise is also lower by 5dB and 11dB respectively.

Another day, another media player shows up in VR-Zone's office, where it sits on my desk awaiting its judgement in the form of a review. And this time, it is A.C. Ryan's Playon!HD2 which will be in the hot seat. How well will it fare when put to the test? We shall see.

Overclocking potential unleashed with GPU / Memory / PLL(VDDCI) triple overvoltage The MSI N580GTX Lightning and R6970 Lightning graphic cards come with the latest version of MSI's exclusive Afterburner overclocking utility. The utility not only adjusts core and memory clock but also manages VGPU, VMEM and VPLL (VDDCI) to maximize overclocking potential.

Thanks to the triple overvoltage feature, the overclocking potential of N580GTX Lightning is 30% higher than the reference board.

King of extreme overclocking Apart from V-Check Points and V-Switch for monitoring and adjusting the VGPU, VMEM and VPLL (VDDCI) in real time, Dual BIOS and XtremeCool3 switches help to effectively prevent potential problems stemming from liquid nitrogen cooling. PWM Clock Tuner also helps to increase overclocking potential.

Most people enjoy watching movies, but not everybody is willing to spend good money on a movie ticket that is only good for one screening of a certain show. After all, common logic dictates that it is more practical to go for the cheaper digital purchase of the film in question which allows for unlimited playbacks, as opposed to blowing it all on a single-trip ticket to the movie theatre, even if the theatre offers a superior audio and visual experience.

Carefully selected materials Both Lightning cards use top-quality Military Class II components including all-solid capacitors for overclocking, Super Ferrite Chokes (SFC) for 10% higher efficiency and 30% increase in maximum current, as well as Hi-C capacitors with tantalum core which boasts eight times the lifetime of conventional solid capacitors.

Of course, users who opt to go for digital downloads will still want to be able to enjoy their downloaded movies on their television sets, and that is where devices such as A.C. Ryan's Playon!HD2 comes in to fill that need. In this review, we will take a look at the aforementioned media player to see whether it will fit the bill as a suitable device for the home theatre enthusiast.

These high-quality components not only increase the graphics cards' overall service life, but also enhance GPU stability.

As usual, here is a quick listing of the Playon!HD2's technical specifications.

A.C. Ryan Playon!HD2 media player technical specifications:

The design of the Lightning series represents MSI's unceasing commitment to delivering new breakthroughs and providing consumers with product features and overclocking potential that exceed their expectations.

Chipset A/V Output

Realtek 1185DD Video: HDMI 1.3, composite video, Ypbpr Audio: Digital 5.1(optical +coaxial) audio, composite stereo L/R 3

March 25th, 2011

USB Interface Supported File Systems Supported output formats

Published by: VR-Zone

2 x USB 2.0 (host), 1 x USB 3.0 (slave only) FAT, FAT32, NTFS, EXT3, HFS+ PAL / NTSC / 480p / 576p / 720p / 1080i 50Hz / 1080i 60Hz / 1080p 50Hz / 1080p

60Hz / 1080p 24FPS Supported Video Formats AVI / MKV / TS / TP / TRP / M2TS / MPG / MP4 / MOV / M4V / VOB / ISO / DVD-ISO / IFO / DAT / WMV / ASF / RM / RMVB / BD-ISO

Supported Subtitle Formats Supported Audio Formats

FLV resolution up to 720p / 1080i / 1080p SRT, SMI, SSA, IDX/SUB, SUB MP3 / MP2 / WMA / AAC / FLAC / WAV / OGG Vorbis / PCM / LPCM / MS-ADPCM /

LC-AAC / HE-AAC / COOK / RA-Lossless Supported Audio Systems Stereo Dolby Digital AC3 5.1 (passthrough & downmix to stereo) Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 (passthrough) Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (passthrough & downmix to stereo) DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (passthrough & downmix to stereo)

Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi: Now available in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-galaxy-tab-wifi-nowavailable-in-singapore/11700.html March 25th, 2011

Forget about the April 4 launch date that the rumour mill has been churning out about the WiFi-only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab; a press release issued by Samsung has just revealed that consumers down in sunny Singapore can expect to see the WiFi-only Galaxy Tabs hit retail stores much earlier than that aforementioned date.

The rumour mill might be a great place to search when it comes to digging out pre-launch leaks for a wide variety of products, but it should also be pointed out that any information obtained via such sources usually comes with a lot of question marks where accuracy is concerned. After all, the rumour mill operates under the condition of anonymity; as such, it is usually difficult (if not downright impossible) to verify the legitimacy of claims originating from it.

That being said, if you have been keep up with our news postings, you might have probably noticed that we had posted a story describing a rumour that Samsung was planning to release a WiFi-only version of the GALAXY Tab sometime in April this year for approximately US$399. Well, it turns out that the rumour mill was both right and wrong on this: while Samsung has confirmed that there will indeed be a WiFi-only GALAXY Tab, the idea of an April release date is bogus, at least where Singapore is concerned.

AAC 7.1 (passthrough & downmix to stereo)

Supported Codecs

Supported Image Formats

FLAC MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 SP/ASP/AVC (H.264 | x264) / XviD / DivX / WMV9 (VC-1) RealVideo 8/9/10 (up to 720P) JPEG, HD JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIF, PNG

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So when will Singapore be getting its shipments of the Samsung GALAXY Tab WiFi? Well, according to the official press release, the WiFi-only version of the tablet will be available starting tomorrow (26 March) at all leading mobile phones and electronic stores at the RRP of S$538, inclusive of GST. And yes, it comes bundled with version 2.2 (Froyo) of the Android operating system, just as the rumour mill had predicted.

Published by: VR-Zone

Google Music now under internal testing, still lacks definite release date Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-music-now-under-internaltesting-still-lacks-definite-release-date/11697.html March 25th, 2011

Nook color to get apps and flash in April update Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nook-color-to-get-apps-and-flash-inapril-update/11699.html March 25th, 2011

A long, long time ago in a news posting far, far behind, we wrote that Google was in the midst of planning some form of cloud music service in order to offer a more complete user experience on its Android ecosystem. More details about that service has since been unveiled, and the information we have gathered seems to suggest that Google Music is almost ready for a consumer launch. Read on to find out more.

Made as an e-reader, who would have thought that the Nook color would become one of the most popular device amongst the android developers community. It's set to be even better with the April update. Read on.

According to the Home Shopping Network, the April firmware update will include Flash support and apps.

The Nook color took the Android tablet community by storm shortly after its release. Developers have been able to transform the Android based ereader into something which is able to match the galaxy tab in terms of performance. At just US$249, it is set to be one of the strongest contenders in the budget tablet arena.

Officially supporting apps and flash will gain support from those who are less keen to tinker with the inner workings of their devices. It is still unknown if the apps support refers to Barnes & nobles' own app store or the Android market.

Google might not have its own online music service yet, but it should be of no surprise that the search giant has always harboured plans for such a service that could be integrated into both its search engine and Android ecosystems. After all, we had already posted a story way back in June last year which shed some light about Google considering the possibility of a music service, and a more recent article published last month has revealed that the music service was indeed a reality, thanks to a slip of the tongue by Motorola's CEO Sanjay Jha. However, a lucky find by an XDA Developers forum member has suggested that Google's development on its music service has proceeded much faster than many would have expected it to. In a forum post made two weeks ago, the poster claims that he was playing around with a custom Honeycomb ROM for his smartphone, only to find out that the ROM contained a fully working version of Google Music preloaded, complete with cloud syncing capabilities.

More recently, a report published by CNET claims that music industry sources close to the search giant have revealed that Google is already well into the next step of the testing process.

Known as 'dog-fooding', it refers to employees being tasked to try or test out a new product or service in order for developers to gather data on how the service might function under typical real world circumstances. Add both findings together, and most users will probably come to the same conclusion - that

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Google's upcoming online music service is almost ready, and it is only a matter of time before Google Music goes live.

At first glance, that might sound like a godsend. After all, online music sales have been largely dominated by the likes of Apple, and competition from a powerful content provider such as Google ought to give iTunes a run for its money.

Unfortunately, it seems that Google will have its work cut out for it, as CNET's report claim that industry players close to the search giant have identified content availability as the biggest problem faced by Google Music. This is due fundamental differences in Apple's and Google's approach to digital music: unlike Apple, Google is reportedly negotiating with record companies for rights to all music synced to Google's cloud servers, and not just tracks made available for download via Google Music.

Needless to say, record companies are understandably wary of Google's unorthodox proposal; this has resulted in delays over content availability for Google Music. Still, one should not overlook the fact that Google has had experience in digital music, and it is entirely possible that Google's approach might come off as the better solution as opposed to Apple's iTunes.

But we shall wait and see.

Fukushima workers rushed to hospital

Published by: VR-Zone

Relative to exposure to radiation by air, exposure via water poses a greater threat to personal safety. Direct exposure to radiation can result in inflammation. The two hospitalised are now being treated for radiation burns to the feets and legs.

RIM confirms support for Android applications in upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rim-confirms-support-for-androidapplications-in-upcoming-blackberry-playbook-tablet/11696.html March 25th, 2011

Remember the rumours made some time back about RIM's upcoming tablet being able to run both its own apps alongside that of Android's, even though it uses a different operating system? Well, it turns out that the rumours were true after all: the PlayBook will indeed come with such functionality built into the BlackBerry Tablet OS, along with a few extra features.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/fukushima-workers-rushed-tohospital/11698.html March 25th, 2011

Three workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant had to be rushed to the hospital following exposure to high dosages of radiation. Read On.

It is no secret that it is no longer enough for a mobile operating system to boast high-performance and a visually appealing user interface. While nobody will deny that the aforementioned characteristics play a part in an operating system's popularity, the real deal maker comes in the form of the operating system's application repository. SImply put, if a mobile OS wants to do well in the market, it has to offer a large enough app repository that can satisfy just about every single user's needs.

Three workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant were exposed to radioactive water that was 10,000 times the normal level, and two of them stepped into the water without boots, according to a report.

With that being said, how will a completely new OS like the BlackBerry Tablet OS in RIM's upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook solve the problem of having only small library of native applications? Well, the rumour mill was claiming that RIM would attempt to achieve some form of compatibility with Android by giving its tablet OS the ability to run Android applications without forcing developers to recompile their apps. And as it turns out, the rumour is indeed true, for RIM has confirmed that such a feature does exist in its BlackBerry Tablet OS.

According to a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), "Three workers who were working to lay cables in the basement of the turbine building were exposed to radiation between 170 to 180 millisieverts."

According to a report posted by gadget website Electronista, RIM's approach in ensuring app compatibility between its new tablet OS and Android is made up of two steps. The first step requires that developers carry out some 'repackaging' on their

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existing Android apps: this will allow users to download the apps off RIM's own BlackBerry App World.

The second step involves the use of 'players', which appear to be some kind of compatibility wrapper or unofficial implementation of Android's APIs and libraries. This 'player' will allow Android apps to run under the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment, albeit non-natively. If it works well, this move will give RIM instant access to the large library of applications currently available for download on the Android Market, along with other third-party repositories which offer similar Android software.

Last but definitely not least, RIM reportedly claims that the PlayBook's OS will come with its own Java engine which is supposedly compatible with legacy BlackBerry Java applications. No news about RIM's Java engine has been made public yet, but speculations are rife that RIM might opt to drop the Dalvik virtual machine currently used by Android in favor of another implementation to avoid crossing paths with Oracle over the lawsuit the latter has filed against Google regarding unauthorized used of Java code.

Google deliberately withholding source code for Honeycomb?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-deliberately-withholdingsource-code-for-honeycomb-/11695.html March 25th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Many people might have different interpretations of what actually constitutes an open-source project. However, it does not change the fact that anything released under an opensource or free software license is required to release its underlying source code in order to allow other developers the chance to study, adapt, and where applicable, make changes to the codes for the benefit of both users and programmers.

Which, for the most part, are characteristics which describes Google's Android operating system to a T. After all, Android's open-source nature has resulted in Android users having a large variety of custom ROMs to play around with, courtesy of the hacking community. However, it seems that this cosy relationship between Google and the hacker community is about to hit a snag: a report published by BusinessWeek has revealed that the search giant is not about to release the source code for Honeycomb to the open-source community for the "foreseeable future".

According to Google, the reason it is refusing to release the source code for Honeycomb is due to the fact that the aforementioned build of Android was specially developed for a specific class of devices; tablet PCs. The search giant fears that, by open-sourcing Honeycomb, the hacker community will attempt to re-purpose the operating system for devices it was never meant to be used on, which will have an adverse impact on end-user experience.

"To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," said Andy Rubin, vice-president for engineering at Google and head of its Android group. He added that they "did not want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones", as it would have required "a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable".

"So we took a shortcut," he said.

The open-source nature of Google's Android operating system means that just about anybody can pick up the underlying source, adapt it for their own use and contribute bugfixes patches back to the main source tree if they feel inclined to.

However, it seems that this close relationship between Google and the open-source community might be about to take a turn for the worse: various sources have suggested that Google might be deliberately withholding the source code for the latest version of Android, also known as Honeycomb. What could be happening here?

In some ways, Google's fear is very real. After all, enterprising tablet OEMs had attempted to port early builds of Android over to tablets, and the result was that the end-user experience was anything but spectacular. While later versions of the Android operating system such as Froyo were robust enough to scale up with the large displays of tablet PCs with little issue, it is clear that Google does not want to deal with similar issues about Honeycomb potentially playing nasty with non-tablet devices such as smartphones, set-top boxes or even vehicles.

Needless to say, Google's move has sparked off a fierce debate about the legality of its decision, with open-source and free software enthusiasts claiming that the various licenses Android is currently released under explicitly prohibits the withholding of source code. However, the search giant has attempted to address the community's ire by confirming that the status quo for the overall Android ecosystem remains unchanged, and that the Android project will always be opensource.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--24mar-2011/11693.html March 25th, 2011

Description: Just below that is an innocent looking GeForce logo, and while at first it seems a fairly standard decal, to our surprise when first powering the card we were greeted with a sleek illuminated GeForce logo. This is also used to indicate any issues with the power connections. This illuminated logo was something that was photographed last year before the GTX 580 launch, and while the card displayed was uncertain, and speculated to be the GTX 580, it didn't ship with such a decal. So we love that this distinctive feature was finally included in a production card.

In today's news roundup: Reviews of NVIDIA's latest graphics card, the GeForce GTX590, have started surfacing in cyberspace; The GTX590 gets compared against AMD's Radeon HD 6990; Chrome 11 will reportedly come with a new speech-to-text feature; Bertrand Serlet, the guy who led the development of Mac OS X since the beginning, is leaving Apple; Our sister site SGCafe has published a report on the official announcement of Asiasoft's new 3D MMORPG known as AIKA SEA, and Capcom has confirmed that Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica X will be released as downloadable titles in Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

GeForce GTX 590 vs Radeon HD 6990: You Want The Best? @ InsideHW Description: Every time that a new series of graphics cards is presented, it’s merely a matter of time before multiGPU solutions are presented to be the cream of the crop of the current product gamma. These models don’t stay on the market for long, nor do they shift sizeable amounts of units sold, obviously, having in mind their outrageous price.

Besides, the power efficiency of these models isn’t exactly something to be envied on, while the ludicrous dimensions and heating is also something to account for; besides the environmental threat they pose, these cards have to be provided with a large enclosure as well. So, why even bother to make them, one may ask...

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 24 Mar 2011

Hardware news Patriot G2 PC3-12800 Review @ XSReviews.co.uk Description: Today we’re looking at some DDR3 memory from Patriot. An offering from their Gamer series, the G2 enhanced latency kit is aimed towards gamers seeking the best performance at the best price. Let’s take a closer look and find out if it’s as good as they say it is.

EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified Dual Graphics DirectX 11 Video Card Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The EVGA GTX 590 Classified video card consists of two GF110 GPUs on a single PCB. The EVGA GTX 590 Classified has 3,072MB of GDDR5 memory on a 768-bit memory interface equipped with 1,024 CUDA cores. Clocked higher than the stock GTX 590, the EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified edition carries a core clock of 630 MHz and a memory clock of 3456 MHz. Despite the muscle, the EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified runs silently with a single low RPM fan actively cooling a pair of advanced vapor chamber heatsinks and only measures eleven inches in length. For enthusiasts who want maximum performance in ultra high resolutions including 2560 x 1600 with up to 64x AA, the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Classified’s power is hard to ignore.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 Gemini Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews Description: With 512 CUDA cores each, two independent NVIDIA GF110 GPUs join to deliver 1024 total cores of graphical processing power. There are six 64-bit memory controllers that offer 384-bit combined bandwidth per GPU, and feed 3GB of combined GDDR5 video frame buffer. All of this is said to deliver comparable performance to the Radeon HD 6990, which is good for gamers, but it does so while using less power and emitting less noise. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the GeForce GTX 590 against the AMD Radeon HD 6990 and an entire market of top-end desktop graphics solutions.

Zalman CNPS11X Extreme CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews Description: Zalman really has it going on with the new 11X Extreme. The five composite heatpipes and the innovative design allow its fan to provide some excellent cooling with very reasonable acoustics. Really, the only complaint I have about the 11X is the mounting solutions. While the cooler is very secure with this mounting scheme, I miss the ease with which most previous Zalman coolers could be installed, even inside the case.

ASUS EAH 6990 Review @ ocaholic Description: With the EAH 6990, ASUS presents its first AMD Radeon HD 6900 series graphics card featuring two GPUs. The successor of the already very powerful Radeon HD 5970 lets us all hope for another superb graphics card with excellent performance because it's a fully functionnal dual Cayman XT (aka Radeon HD 6970) with high clock speeds. We expect really good DX11 performance and we're going to show you if the Radeon HD 6990 performs as well as an HD 6970 CrossFire setup.

Antec Nine Hundred Two v3 Review - XSReviews.co.uk Description: Continuing our spate of Antec case revamp reviews, today we have the baby of the bunch, the Nine Hundred two v3. Sure it’s a few hundred Antec numbers below the Twelve Hundred we reviewed recently, but it’s a lot more than the P193 right? In numbers anyway. Still, featuring a new SSD slot, and a USB 3.0 port, what could go wrong?

Consumer Electronics and Software news Chameleon X-1 gaming mouse / gamepad review: greater than the sum of its parts Description: Manufactured by Hong Kong-based company Shogun Bros, the Chamleon X-1 may be the most innovative gaming mouse to ever grace a desktop or laptop bag. The Chameleon X-1 gaming mouse pulls triple-duty as a wireless

ASUS GeForce GTX 590 3GB review 8

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gaming mouse, a wireless gamepad, and a media remote -- and it actually handles each of those tasks pretty well.

Seagate GoFlex 1TB External Drive for Mac Review @ Bigbruin.com Description: Once again, we are quite pleased with the overall performance of a Seagate GoFlex product. Seagate is clearly hoping the GoFlex for Mac will fill one of the only real voids left in the GoFlex lineup, and at the same time provide a product targeted directly at Mac users. While their other products do work with OS X out of the box, the others are not optimized for the Mac platform.

The Father of Mac OS X Is Leaving Apple Description: Bertrand Serlet, the guy who led the development of Mac OS X since the beginning, is leaving Apple. He was one of the heavyweights and a legendary figure at the company, even while he wasn't well known by the general public. But why is he leaving?

Chrome 11 Beta Brings Voice-to-Text Capabilities Description: Google has pushed Chrome 11 to the beta channel, bringing a couple of improvements, including the browser’s ability to transcribe voice to text.

Windows Phone 7 Update schedule arrives: stinks for AT&T users Description: In a bid to penetrate the fog surrounding Windows Phone 7's updates, Microsoft has published a table to let users know where their network operator stands and get a feel for when they might actually get the update. For most, it looks like the update is out of testing and will be scheduled for release soon. Not so with AT&T, however.

Hercules XPS Diamond 2.0 USB Speakers Description: Can a speaker be a girl’s best friend? We suppose so, if the speaker is made out of diamonds. Well, theoretically speaking, it is going to be an extremely expensive pair of speakers if this were to be true – but perhaps something like the Hercules XPS Diamond 2.0 USB Speakers might make do as a replacement.

MSI brings Fusion-based AE2050 AIO, CR650 notebook to US Description: MSI brought two of its earliest PCs using AMD's Fusion technology to the US on Thursday. The Wind Top AE2050 headlines the group by putting AMD's 1.6GHz E-350 into a 20-inch, multi-touch all-in one. Moving to the chip cuts power use by as much as 74 percent over a typical desktop but still gives it proper 1080p playback and otherwise modern Radeon HD 6310 graphics.

Gaming news Asiasoft Announces AIKA SEA, Prepares For Closed and Open Beta Description: Asiasoft shows us a preview of AIKA SEA, a localised version of AIKA Online - a 3D MMORPG that focuses on the Player vs. Player (PvP) in the enchanting land of Arcan. Developed by JoyImpact, a studio under HanbitSoft, the South-east Asia version will be opening up for Closed Beta on March 31 and Open Beta on April 12.

Published by: VR-Zone

least till next week. The latest portable gaming console from Nintendo will be available on retail beginning March 28 at a retail price of S$399. A midnight launch event be held in Funan Challenger store on March 27.

Resident Evil 4 HD Hitting PSN and Xbox Live, Resident Evil Code: Veronica X also coming.

Description: Capcom said today it will release Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica X as downloadable titles on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this Fall.

MSI launches CX640 notebook, upgrades others to Sandy Bridge Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-launches-cx640-notebookupgrades-others-to-sandy-bridge/11694.html March 25th, 2011

Earlier today we attended an MSI launch event in Taipei where the company unveiled its new CX640 notebook alongside second generation Core i platform upgrades two a few other models. One thing that struck us is that MSI has added USB 3.0 connectivity across all of the new and upgraded models which is something that no other manufacturer have done across so many of its models to date.

Earlier today we attended an MSI launch event in Taipei where the company unveiled its new CX640 notebook alongside second generation Core i platform upgrades two a few other models. One thing that struck us is that MSI has added USB 3.0 connectivity across all of the new and upgraded models which is something that no other manufacturer have done across so many of its models to date.

Let's start with the new CX640 model which features a completely new design and MSI claims that they've drawn inspiration from Audi's cars of all things, although we can see a few other sources of inspiration. For example the side mounted, round green power button is meant to draw its inspiration from the engine start/stop button found in some cars, but we'd say it's very similar to what Sony have been doing for a few years now. Not that there's anything wrong with drawing inspiration from competitors products and MSI didn't stick the power button in the screen hinge.

Nintendo 3DS Available In Singapore On March 28, Midnight Launch on March 27 Description: Waiting patiently for Nintendo’s 3DS to be officially available in Singapore ? Your wait is over, well at 9

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Published by: VR-Zone

memory and up to 640GB of hard drive space. The standard optical drive is a DVD writer, but an optional Blu-ray combo drive will be available in some markets.

An interesting touch of symmetry is that the power connector is located on the exact opposite side and is high-lighted with a silver circle which makes it look similar to the power button.

The overall design of the CX640 is a big step in the right direction for MSI as even though this is a mid-range model from MSI it feels like a high-quality machine. The CX640 will be available in black and silver and both models have a machined track pad of decent size that feels like it's been cut out of a solid piece of metal. Both the wrist rest/keyboard surround and display back appears to be made out of metal too which adds to the high-quality feel of the CX640.

Other design touches includes most of the important ports located on the left hand side, including the power, D-sub, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet and the two USB 3.0 ports. MSI suggests that this removes the problem with wires sticking out on the right hand side for those wanting to use a mouse, although the only flaw in this reasoning would be left handed people. On the right hand side is the optical drive, a pair of audio jacks and two USB 2.0 ports. There's also a card reader around the front.

MSI has also included a 1.3 Megapixel webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi support and Bluetooth 3.0 + HS. The CPU options will depend on the market, but MSI will offer the CX640 with a selection of Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, up to 8GB of DDR3

There are actually two SKUs available, as the CX640 is the version with discrete graphics whereas the CR640 is identical in terms of design and features, but lack the discrete graphics options and as such relies on Intel's HD 3000 graphics. In the case of the CX640 MSI is offering a GeForce GT 520M with 1GB of graphics memory. The GeForce GT 520M is anything but a high-end solution with a 64-bit memory interface and 48 shaders, but as it doesn't appear as if MSI is support graphics switching on the CX460, this might be as well as at least it should be a fairly low power GPU.

One interesting feature MSI has added to the CX640 is what the company calls a Time Stamp button which is pretty much a quick backup button which takes a snapshot of the current system state. This will according to MSI allow for quick system restores when needed. Other features worthy of note includes a hard drive drop sensor which prevents damage to the hard drive in case you'd drop the notebook, am ambient light sensor that adjust the screen backlight automatically and MSI's HiFre (don't ask us what it stands for) Wi-Fi antenna which the company claims boost Wi-Fi performance by 1.3 times.

Overall the CX640 is an impressive new model from MSI simply because it's not like anything MSI has ever done before.

The best part of it is that it's an affordable model with the Core i3-2310M model with 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive starting out at NT$27,900 (S$1,188) in Taiwan, with a CPU upgrade to a Core i5-2410M will increase the cost by NT $3,000 (S$128) which sounds like a pretty decent deal to us.

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World's fastest graphics card?

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/world-s-fastest-graphics-card-nvidiageforce-gtx-590/11701.html March 25th, 2011

NVIDIA has introduced the GeForce GTX 590, the fastest dual-GPU graphics card available today which also happens to be the world's quietest too. Powered by dual fully-enabled NVIDIA GF110 GPUs on a single card, the GTX 590 is designed for uber enthusiasts and those looking to build the ultimate PC gaming rig.

NVIDIA engineered the GTX 590 to be the world's quietest dual GPU product. It features a special cooling system and dual vapour chambers which deliver both astounding performance and acoustics. Measured with a standard decibel meter, the GTX 590 clocks in at 48dB, more than two times quieter than the closest competitive product under full graphics load. To the human ear, this difference means the GTX 590 delivers a 3D gaming experience that is typical of a quiet library. In comparison, the competition's product is more on par with a busy freeway.

"The GTX 590 is the best dual GPU product ever built," said Drew Henry, general manager of GeForce GPU business at NVIDIA. "With leading performance, support for multimonitor 3D gaming, Quad SLI, and an acoustic envelope that begs to be heard for how quiet it is, the GTX 590 epitomises what a perfect dual graphics card looks, performs, and sounds like."

SINGAPORE - March 25, 2011 - NVIDIA has introduced the GeForce® GTX® 590, the fastest dual graphics card available today which also happens to be the world's quietest too.

Powered by dual NVIDIA Fermi™-class GPUs on a single card, the GTX 590 is designed for uber enthusiasts and those looking to build the ultimate PC gaming rig.

With a combined 1024 NVIDIA CUDA® architecture cores, 3GB of GDDR5 memory, 6 billion transistors and over 2200 individual components all packed into an 11-inch dual slot card, the GTX 590 delivers a staggering 32 tessellation engines that can power today's cutting edge DX11 games at resolutions of 2560 x 1600 and higher. With four separate video outputs on each card, consumers can configure their PC with four independent displays, or they can span their gaming across 3 3D displays, at a resolution up to 5760 x 1080 for an intense, immersive, stereoscopic gaming experience utilising NVIDIA 3D Vision™ Surround technology.

Like all NVIDIA "DX11 Done Right" GPUs, the GTX 590 delivers the world's fastest performance for DX11 gamesi. And with NVIDIA SLI® technology, the industry's most scalable multi-GPU platform, gamers can increase their PC's gaming performance by adding a second GeForce GTX 590, for an incredible Quad SLI gaming mode.

With an estimated selling e-tail price starting at US$699, the GeForce GTX 590 is available starting today from the world's leading add-in card partners, including Asus, EVGA, Gainward, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, POV, Palit, and Zotac.

For more information on the new GeForce GTX 590, please visit: http://www.geforce.com/Hardware/GPUs/ geforce-gtx-590/overview.

For an interactive demo of the new GeForce GTX 590, please visit: http://www.geforce.com/Hardware/GPUs/ geforce-gtx-590/productdemo.

Source: NVIDIA Press Release

ASUS Announces Xtion PRO Developer Challenge Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-announces-xtion-pro-developerchallenge/11692.html

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March 25th, 2011

ASUS has announced the start of a new competition designed to showcase the exciting features of the new ASUS Xtion PRO. With over US$24,000 up for grabs, creativity and ingenuity is a must as competition will be fierce. In addition to the cash prizes, participants will have a chance to earn future business cooperation opportunities with ASUS. Do you remember the short story about ASUS's new motion sensing controller for PCs, the WAVI Xtion, that we published some three weeks back? Well, if you do, you might possibly be wondering how developers or programmers might be able to find a use for it. After all, full body motion sensing controllers are still somewhat new and unfamiliar territory to many, and it is understandable if developers are regarding this new trend with some degree of scepticism.

Last but definitely not least,developers are also required to provide a short two-minute video to explain their applications, and how users can use the Xtion controller to interact with it.

If that sounds like something that is right up your alley, you might want to start cracking: the competition has already commenced and will run until 31 May this year. And with over US$24,000 in prize money up for grabs, we'd wager that things are about to get really competitive in no time.

More information about the competition can be obtained here.

HP Rebuts Oracle, Pledges Intel Itanium Support Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-rebuts-oracle-pledges-intelitanium-support/11690.html March 25th, 2011

Apparently, ASUS is fully aware of this issue, and is keen on ensuring that the Xtion controller receives the developer support it needs to create its own market. To achieve that, the Taiwanese OEM has announced a developer competition for the Xtion, in which programmers will pit themselves against each other by attempting to design applications that take full advantage of the Xtion's capabilities.

The rules of the competition are fairly straight-forward: developers who wish to take part should ensure that their applications are written in either C++ or C#, and that the resulting software be fully compatible with the Xtion controller. In addition, developers are required to ensure that their applications meet the following criteria:

Developers will be given free reign over the kind of application they wish to design, although ASUS has stated that the finished software should fall into either one of three categories, namely Games, Multimedia and Miscellaneous.

HP reiterated that it will continue the development and innovation of Itanium-based Integrity server platforms and will continue to support customers running existing versions of Oracle software on Itanium-based Integrity servers, both existing and future platforms. This latest Oracle action of disinformation is clearly an attempt to force customers into purchasing Sun servers in a desperate move to slow their declining market share.

HP reiterated that it will continue the development and innovation of Itanium-based Integrity server platforms and will continue to support customers running existing versions of Oracle software on Itanium-based Integrity servers, both existing and future platforms.

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"Oracle continues to show a pattern of anti-customer behavior as they move to shore up their failing Sun server business," said Dave Donatelli, executive vice president and general manager, Enterprise Servers, Storage and Networking, HP. "HP believes in fair and honest competition. Competition is good for customers, innovation and the marketplace. We are shocked that Oracle would put enterprises and governments at risk while costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity in a shameless gambit to limit fair competition."

This latest Oracle action of disinformation is clearly an attempt to force customers into purchasing Sun servers in a desperate move to slow their declining market share.

In a direct contradiction to a statement made yesterday

by Oracle, Paul Otellini, president and chief executive officer, Intel Corporation said, "Intel's work on Intel Itanium processors and platforms continues unabated with multiple generations of chips currently in development and on schedule. We remain firmly committed to delivering a competitive, multi-generational roadmap for HP-UX and other operating system customers that run the Itanium architecture."

Published by: VR-Zone

specific dates, both FX-series and A-series seem very likely to release between late Q2 and early Q3.

Western Digital introduces 6TB external storage device in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/western-digital-introduces-6tbexternal-storage-device-in-singapore/11687.html March 25th, 2011

How much hard disk space is enough for a typical content creator's needs? 1TB? 1.5TB? Or perhaps even 2TB? Well, Western Digital thinks that even that amount is insufficient today considering how the digital landscape has evolved. And its solution? Why, a new external strorage which boasts an astronomical 6TB of data storage capacity. Are you ready to welcome WD's My Book Studio II into your digital lifestyle?

Poulson is Intel's next-generation 32-nm, 8-core-based Itanium chip, and is on track to more than double the performance of the existing Tukwila architecture. Kittson is an officially committed roadmap product for Itanium beyond Poulson and also is in active development. Intel(R) Itanium processor industry momentum will be highlighted in a keynote at the upcoming Beijing Intel Developer's Forum.

Sterne Agee: AMD Llano (ASeries) shipping in April Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sterne-agee-amd-llano-a-seriesshipping-in-april/11691.html March 25th, 2011

Vijay Rakesh, semiconduntor analyst at financial consultants Sterne Agee, insists that AMD is set to ship Llano to major PC vendors, including HP and Acer, as early as April. AMD's official stance has been "Summer 2011" for quite some time, while lastest rumours indicate a July 2011 release. In addition, in a conversation with Tech Trader Daily, Rakesh re-iterated that Llano was always expected to ship in April.

When it comes to expanding one's available storage capacities in a desktop or notebook PC, there are generally two ways to go about in doing so. For hardware-savvy users, the solution is usually to purchase a new hard disk and install it as an internal storage device in order to take advantage of the significantly faster speeds offered by the SATA interface.

However, end-users who have little to zero experience in dealing with a PC's internal components or just want a quickand-easy method of expanding their PC's existing storage limits will opt for the second method, which is to simply purchase an external storage device that connects to one's machine via USB, eSATA or Firewire. And if you belong to this group of users, Western Digital's latest announcement is sure to be nothing short of good news. Anyone fancy juicing up your PC's storage space by as much as a whopping 6TB?

Technically, the US summer is often described as late May to early September, so shipping by April for release in May is within AMD's timeline. If true, we will see systems based on Llano in stores within Q2. Surprisingly, Rakesh also states that Bulldozer (FX-Series) will release in Q3, contrary to rumours of a late Q2 launch.

Of course, this is anything but official information, so it must be taken with a big grain of salt. Regardless of rumours for 13

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Published by: VR-Zone

This card will only be available in some regions such as US, Europe, Japan, Australia and China for a suggested retail price of US$699. There isn't any for Singapore market if you are wondering.

Logitech launches Z906 theater-quality surround sound speakers Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/logitech-launches-z906-theaterquality-surround-sound-speakers/11686.html March 25th, 2011

According to Western Digital, the new My Book Studio II is a dual-drive external storage device that is optimized for use on Mac OS X. Of course, by 'optimizing', the company means that the My Book Studio II has been factory-formatted in the HFS+ file system currently used by Mac OS X. This allows Mac users to not only access the full range of read-write capabilities available for use on the storage device, but also renders it compatible for use with Time Machine. This is because NTFS support on OS X is limited to read-only, and Time Machine does not support writing to non-HFS+ file systems.

The Logitech Z906 is the successor to the award-winning Logitech Z-5500 speakers, and promises 5.1-surround sound for movies, games and music. For those looking for a new 5.1surround sound speakers, the Z906 will be available at end April.

In addition, the My Book Studio II also supports connections via eSATA, USB 2.0 or Firewire (800 and 400). This makes it a highly versatile storage device, as it can offer users a choice between compatibility (USB) or performance (eSATA, Firewire), especially if consistent, high-sped data read-write speeds are required. The My Book Studio II can also be set up to run in various RAID configurations for greater performance and data security.

If that is enough to have you thirsting for a My Book Studio II, the good news is the My Book Studio is currently available for sale in Singapore at selected resellers, and that there will be two distributors in charge of ensuring supply. The bad news is that you might probably have to tighten your belt a little, thanks to the device's S$699 pricetag. Last but not least, Windows XP users will have to sit this one out, as the 10-yearold operating system does not support storage devices with capacities larger than 2TB.

GeForce GTX 590 Gathers Much Fanfare Before Launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/geforce-gtx-590-gathers-much-fanfarebefore-launch/11689.html March 25th, 2011

Logitech unveiled their surround sound speakers Z906.

Delivering 500 watts (RMS) of power, the Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z906 are THX Certified to create a theaterquality audio experience in your living room.

If you enjoy house-shaking bass, the ported, side-firing subwoofer delivers 165 watts of pure, distortion-free bass. And the Logitech Surround Sound Speakers convert two-channel stereo into an immersive surround sound experience.

The Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z906 are designed to complement your existing living room setup. You can connect up to six audio devices simultaneously — including your TV, DVD, DVR, Blu-Ray player, Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii, iPod and even your PC or Mac laptop. And with its easy-to-read display and easy-to-stack design, the control console looks good with your home-entertainment system.

Pricing and Availability The Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z906 are expected to be available in Singapore in end April for a suggested retail price of S$609.

This card will only be available in some regions such as US, Europe, Japan, Australia and China for a suggested retail price of US$699. There isn't any for Singapore market if you are wondering.

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Plantronics M100i limited edition radiant red Bluetooth headset retailing at Apple Stores Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/plantronics-m100i-limited-editionradiant-red-bluetooth-headset-retailing-at-apple-stores/11685.html March 25th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

100 units will be sold in retail stores - Challenger, selected Apple stores and retailers in Funan Mall and Sim Lim Square.

Hands on with Fujitsu's new Sandy Bridge consumer notebooks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hands-on-with-fujitsu-s-new-sandybridge-consumer-notebooks/11684.html March 25th, 2011

Plantronics has announced their new limited edition M100i Bluetooth headset which sports a stylish, ultra-slim and lightweight design. It is available now at Apple stores till 18 April.

Yesterday we got to spend some time with three new second generation Core i processor notebooks from Fujitsu at a press event in Taipei, namely the Lifebook LH531, A531 and NH751.

We did of course snap a few pictures of the new machines and a model or two just because. So let’s take a closer look at what Fujitsu have coming out in the next few weeks as far as its consumer notebooks are concerned.

Yesterday we got to spend some time with three new second generation Core i processor notebooks from Fujitsu at a press event in Taipei, namely the Lifebook LH531, A531 and NH751.

We did of course snap a few pictures of the new machines and a model or two just because. So let’s take a closer look at what Fujitsu have coming out in the next few weeks as far as its consumer notebooks are concerned.

The Plantronics M100i is very easy to setup and use, and includes convenient voice alerts for remaining talk-time, lowbattery, mute, and connection status. A new feature for iPhone users allows them to monitor headset battery levels with an onscreen battery meter. When it comes to noisy environments, the M100 automatically adjusts to sound levels, so users are always hands-free and able to focus on the task in front of them.

Let’s start with the smallest machine of the three, the 14-inch Lifebook LH531. It comes with an option of a Core i3-2310M or a Core i5-2410M processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM and a 320, 500 or 750GB 5,400rpm hard drive.

Other M100i features include: - Multipoint technology pairs one headset to two Bluetooth devices.

- Battery that provides up to six hours of talk-time and 10 days of stand-by life.

- At only 9g and 8mm thin, the Plantronics M100i is lightweight and comfortable for extended wearing.

- Soft gel ear tips, in three different sizes, together with an optional ear loop provide multiple wearing options for a perfect fit.

The Plantronics M100i is already selling in stores at a recommended retail price of S$139. The limited edition M100i in radiant red also carries the same S$139 price tag, except that it will be retailing on the Apple online store from 19 March to 18 April 18. (http://store.apple.com/sg/product/H2517PA/A? mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY). Following the promotional period,

Graphics is either from Intel’s HD 3000 graphics, or via a discrete GeForce 410M which is a basic GPU from Nvidia with 48 shaders and a shader clock of 1150MHz which suggests a GPU clock of 575MHz. Fujitsu has added 1GB of discrete graphics memory, although the GPU only has a 64-bit memory interface, so don’t expect this to be a gaming grade solution.

Nvidia’s Optimus graphics switching technology is at least supported which is a bonus.

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Published by: VR-Zone

i5-2410M, but as always price and configurations vary from market to market.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 23 Mar 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--23mar-2011/11683.html March 25th, 2011

Moving on, we have a 14-inch screen with 1366x768 resolution and although Fujitsu calls it an anti-glare display, you can see from the pictures that it’s actually quite reflective. An optical drive is also included and Fujitsu offers the LG531 with either a DVD writer or a Blu-ray combo drive. In terms of connectivity the LH531 features four USB 2.0 ports of which one allows for charging of USB devices even if the notebook is switched off, a D-sub port, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a pair of audio jacks.

In today's news roundup: Intel has declared that it will continue to maintain development on the IA64 architecture, even after Oracle dismissed the platform as one that is about to reach EOL status soon; DRAM contract prices are slated to increase by some 3% in 2H March; Sprint announces HTC EVO 3D smartphone and EVO View 4G tablet ; Apple has sued Amazon for using the words 'App Store' to market its app repository by claiming that the latter's move will mislead consumers into thinking that Amazon is selling Steve Jobsapproved apps; Singapore is slated to get the 3DS by March 28, and Sony is alleging that hacker 'Geohotz' has removed critical data from his hard disks and left North America in order to put himself out of the court's jurisdiction.

Hardware news

Other features include a memory card reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and a built in 1.3 Megapixel webcam.

The 6-cell battery is said to be good for up to about 6h of usage, although that would be using the Intel graphics. At 2.2kg the LH531 is a pretty typical 14-inch notebook in terms of weight, so nothing out of the ordinary here.

MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone II OC Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews Description: The MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone II OC 1GB graphics cards is based on the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 550 Ti GPU, but is kept nice and cool with the MSI Cyclone II cooling solution. The N550GTX-Ti Cyclone II OC is factory overclocked with the core clock set to 950MHz and the memory at 1075MHz. We put this overclocked GF116 card to the test to see how it performs, keeps cool and overclocks!

ASUS EAH6870 1GB Video Card Review @ ITShootOut.com Description: The Radeon HD 6870, contrary to its somewhat confusing name, is not the successor to the Radeon 5870.

Instead, it acts as an almost direct replacement for the Radeon 5850, both in terms of performance and in price. Today we are looking at the Asus variant which has some exclusive features including the Voltage Tweak functionality we have come to particularly enjoy when overclocking.

Fujitsu will offer the LH531 in at least black, red/black and pink/red where in the latter case the keyboard is the red part.

Speaking of the keyboard, Fujitsu is sticking with its typical and very distinctive keyboard design which we’re not entirely sold on, but it’s far from the worst out there. The track pad on the other hand is a bit on the small side in our opinion, especially for a notebook this size. Starting price in Taiwan is NT$29,800 (S$1,274), although that price includes the Core

Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 Pro CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews Description: When it's all said and done, Arctic Cooling's new Freezer 13 Pro, with it's innovative “Cross Blow” feature, is a worthy successor to the Freezer series of coolers. As of this writing, it only seems to be available from the Arctic Cooling website for around $55 US. Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Flex Edition 2GB DDR5 DX11 Video Card Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: Sapphire is back on the scene with the Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 FleX Edition. The Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 FleX comes with the onboard ability to use Eyefinity 16

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without the need of a DisplayPort monitor or Active DP adapter. The underlying 6950 is still the original stock model.

This sports a 800MHz core clock and 1250MHz (5 Gb/ s effective) memory speed. The HD 6950 has 2 DVI, 2 mini Display Port, and a single HDMI 1.4a slot. There is also advanced technology with the HD 6950, including dual graphics engines, 22 SIMD engines, and 88 texture units.

Sapphire has also included TriXX utility support and their Vapor-X cooling solution.

NZXT H2 Review @ Vortez Description: The H2 is a case that slots into NZXT's "Classic" series and is regarded as the "Silent Midtower" due to the fact that there are thick side panels which feature foam underlay. It differentiates itself from the gaudy gamer styled cases currently swarming the market, by offering elegance and a minimalistic approach to styling. Fans within H2 can be controlled through 3 stages giving the user complete control over audio levels emitted from the chassis. With much more to talk about, lets begin our analysis of the new NZXT H2 that launches today.

Fractal Design Define R3 Case Review on Technic3D (German) Description: (Machine translation) The Fractal Design Define R3 is the next PC-Case in the Technic3D Editorship. Define R3 – the successor to the good selling Define R2! Now available with a bunch of improvements, including improved cable routing, air flow and bigger hole in M/B plate for mounting CPU coolers. We will check this and more in the following Review.

DRAM contract prices up 3% in 2H March Description: In order to ensure chip supply, which reportedly is likely to be short of demand starting in May, PC and system vendors are more willing to accept higher prices, according to sources at DRAM makers. Prices will go up in April anyway as PC OEMs begin to rebuild their low inventory, even without taking into account the effects of Japan's earthquake on the chip supply chain, the sources said.

Intel: We Are Completely Committed to Itanium Platform.

Description: Intel Corp. on Wednesday said that it would continue developing Itanium-series microprocessors and the mission-critical platform will continue to exist. The company's statements were a response to Oracle's claims that the IA64 platform was nearing the end of life.

Consumer Electronics and Software news Sprint announces HTC EVO 3D smartphone and EVO View 4G tablet Description: HTC is getting in on the 3D action with Sprint announcing the upcoming release of the 4G-capable HTC EVO 3D smartphone, which will be appearing alongside the equally 4G-capable HTC EVO View 4G tablet.

ARM cooperating with Microsoft, says ARM Taiwan president Description: ARM has been cooperating with Microsoft to develop processor architectures, according to president Philip Lu for ARM Taiwan at a March 22 press conference in Taipei.

Published by: VR-Zone

Description: MasterImage 3D announced today that it has received a $15 million investment from Samsung Ventures.

The company is focused on 3D - for cinemas (with over 60 installations), mobile displays and 3D camera ASICs. We're guessing that Samsung is more interested in the glassesfree handset displays and cameras than the cinema 3D technology...

Apple’s Mac Chief Departs as Big Changes Come to OS X Description: Apple SVP of Mac Software Engineering Betrand Serlet is leaving the company, according to a press release issued by Apple. He will be replaced by Craig Federighi, Apple’s VP of Mac software engineering. Frederighi’s chief responsibility at Apple has been OS X development.

Torvalds backs Google Android Description: The man who gave the world Linux, Linus Torvalds, has dismissed claims that Google's Android violates the Linux licence.

Apple sues Amazon over "app store" Description: Fruity peddler of broken iDreams Apple is suing the online bookstall Amazon, claiming that it invented the words "app store". Apple has been getting very defensive about the phrase "app store" lately. Microsoft has appealed to the Trademark and Patent Office to stop Jobs' Mob from suing everyone for using it.

Samsung Galaxy Tabs 8.9 and 10.1 Are Official: HD Video Recording And Superfast Networking Stand Out Description: Samsung just announced their two new Galaxy Tabs, the 8.9 and the 10.1. Both are just 8.6 millimeters thick and support 4G and WiFi. Click through to watch the live video launch of these two Honeycomb tablets (with TouchWiz on top).

Gaming news Singapore 3DS launch slated for March 28 Description: The 3DS may already be out in Japan, but gamers in Asia are still in the dark about when the handheld will be arriving in the region. Until now, that is, with a recent press release from Singaporean distributors MaxSoft confirming that the handheld will be available at all retailers in Singapore on March 28.

Sony: PS3 Hacker George "Geohot" Hotz in South America Attempting to Dodge Court Authority Description: The ongoing PlayStation 3 security breach battle of Sony Computer Entertainment America versus George Hotz is set to continue on April 8. But according to the latest legal filing, it's possible Hotz will be a no-show as he continues what Sony calls "a campaign to thwart jurisdictional discovery at every turn" -- a campaign that includes Hotz's convenient trip to South America.

Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D Dated in Japan Description: There's some big Resident Evil news coming out of Japan today. Joining the announcement of Resident Evil Revival Selection for PS3 and Xbox 360 comes a final release date for Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D.

Samsung invests $15 million in mobile 3D technology company

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Sony Ericsson unveils Xperia Play, Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-unveils-xperia-playxperia-arc-and-xperia-neo-in-singapore/11682.html March 25th, 2011

This afternoon, Sony Ericsson held a media event to unveil the new Xperia Play, Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo Android smartphones in Singapore. All three smartphones are preloaded with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will be in stores soon.

"2011 is going to be a very important year for us. In the beginning of the year, we made some announcements in the Xperia range smartphones in the ranks of Arc, Neo and Play.

And it is our ambition to achieve the number one position in Android smartphones. We are also among the first to launch Xperia smartphones on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)," said Eugene Goh, deputy general manager and head of Singapore, Sony Ericsson.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc features a large 4.2-inch Reality display with mobile BRAVIA engine. And it runs the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread mobile operating system.

It measures 8.7mm at the thinnest part and on the right, you can find the volume control (and also camera zoom), and a micro USB connector.

At the top are the power button and HDMI connector. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc also features an 8.1-megapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture and high definition recording. It is scheduled to be available at the end of Q1 (which is like end of this month) in midnight blue or misty silver. No word on the pricing though.

Chua Khim Guan, product group marketing manager for Sony Ericsson, also introduced the features of the new Xperia Neo, Xperia Arc and Xperia Play Android smartphones such as the mobile BRAVIA engine and HDMI output.

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LG introduces wireless charging pad for mobile phones Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-introduces-wireless-charging-padfor-mobile-phones/11681.html March 25th, 2011

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- Slim and sleek design – allows for convenient storage, taking up minimal space - Effective Range – 7mm from center of placement guide - Dimensions – 6.29x3.54x0.39-inches

Apple iPad 2 coming to Singapore next month Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-ipad-2-coming-to-singaporenext-month/11680.html March 25th, 2011

While wireless battery charging technology has existed for sometime, it looks like LG in Korea has introduced their new charging pad that lets users charge their mobile phone wirelessly. Read on for more details.

Apple have announced the iPad 2 earlier this month, and while it is already retailing in US, the tablet is making its way to Asia too. And Singapore is one of the countries to get it. In case you're asking when? The iPad 2 is set to arrive in April next month.

LG today announced their wireless charging pad (WCP-700).

Featuring a sleek and sharp design, the WCP-700 comes with inductive coils built into the battery doors and internal contacts, and advanced wireless charging technology which provides cord-free power source. This also alleviates the need for external connections that limit the phones usability.

The LG wireless charging pad provides industry leading wireless charging and ergonomics. For easy and intuitive use, it offers audible and tactile feedback when a phone is placed on the pad, as well as multi-colored LED lights to indicate charging status. Taking the hassle out of charging your wireless devices, LG Wireless Charging Pad also sports a compact, sleek design to easily accommodate users on-the-go.

Key Features: - Visual, audible and tactile feedback – allows user to see, feel and hear when the phone is placed properly on the pad - Power LED - Blue = Plugged in - Battery LED - Orange = Ready to Charge - Battery LED - Flashing Green = Phone is Charging Correctly - Battery LED - Solid Green = Phone is Fully Charged

Apple has announced that the iPad 2 will go on sale in 25 additional countries this Friday, March 25. Apple iPad 2 will be available at Apple retail stores and select Apple authorized resellers, and online through the Apple Store (www.apple.com). The company has also announced that all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April.

The iPad 2 features a new slimmer design and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. It features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a frontfacing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 boasts up to 10 hours of battery life.

Pricing and Availability iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,

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Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK on March 25.

The suggested retail price are US$499 for the 16GB model, US$599 for the 32GB model, US$699 the 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi+3G will be available for a suggested retail price of US$629 for the 16GB model, US$729 for the 32GB model and US$829 for the 64GB model. The iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April, and in many more countries around the world in the coming months. Further international availability and pricing will be announced at a later date. iMovie and GarageBand for iPad apps are available for US $4.99 each from the App Store on iPad or www.itunes.com/ appstore. The Smart Cover is available in a range of colors in vibrant polyurethane for US$39 or rich leather for US$69.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 22 Mar 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--22mar-2011/11678.html March 25th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Japan has suspended the production of almost a quarter of the world's supply of silicon wafers as a result of the recent earthquake; Intel's new batch of Celeron processors based off the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture appear to have had most of their video processing capabilities deliberately crippled in order to fit the 'entry-level' moniker; Buffalo unveils its new sleek piano-black MiniStation and DriveStation portable hard disks; Adobe releases a patch for its Flash platform which was recently found to have suffered from a zero-day vulnerability; The upcoming Atelier game, also known as Atelier Meruru, has been reported to be the final installment of the the Arland series, and the limited edition of the game will reportedly come bundled with its own Nendoroid, and Legend of Heroes and Ys maker Falcom have revealed that they're working on an original RPG for Sony's upcoming NGP console , and there are plans to make the new game into a launch title Hardware news XFX HD 6950 XXX Graphics Card Review @ Tweaknews Description: Overall, the XFX HD 6950 XXX 1Gb is an excellent graphics card for the consumer wanting a HD 6950 with a little better performance and an extensive amount of additional overclocking headroom. When overclocking, it seemed like I couldn't hit the limit and is by far one of the best overclocking cards I have tested in recent memory.

PowerColor AX6990 4GBD5-M4D Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews Description: The PowerColor Radeon HD 6990 takes a slightly different tack, as the full complement of shaders (1536) is always available from each GPU. There is a BIOS switch that unlocks the core clock and the GPU voltage for the more

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adventurous among us. Normally that kind of enhancementon-a-switch might seem a bit ho-hum, but with the power of 5.3 billion transistors on board, there are physical limits that must be respected. Heat and power go hand in hand, and some say it's folly to try and pack this much power into a single package. It's better to! have two cooling systems, and two slots, and two sets of PCI-E power connectors to spread the load, they claim. They may be right; we'll just have to test it and see...

Antec Six Hundred V2 Mid-Tower Gaming Case Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: One entry in the budget gaming category is the Antec Six Hundred V2 Mid-Tower Gaming Case. The Six Hundred V2 comes with all of the same features as the original Six Hundred, but with one minor change, there is a 2.5" HDD hot swap bay instead of a 3.5" hot swap bay. The Six Hundred has 3 external 5.25" drive bays and 6 internal 3.5" drive bays.

The rear has 7 expansion slots. The Six Hundred has excellent cooling with a large 200mm TriCool blue LED fan on the top and one 120mm TriCool blue LED fan on the rear. HDDs can be front loaded with a removable panel that can also house 2 more 120mm fans, if needed.

ASUS Ultimate GeForce GTX 550 Ti Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews Description: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics card is going to be a popular gaming graphics card in 2011 due to it's lucrative $150 price point. When the GeForce GTX 550 Ti was launched last week we noticed that ASUS came out of the gate with not one, but three cards for this series. We take a look at their fastest card, the ASUS UL ENGTX550 Ti DC/DI/1GD5, which is clocked at 1015MHz! Thermaltake Jing CPU Cooler Review @ OCIA.net Description: Thermaltake is known for a variety of products -everything from cases to CPU coolers. Today we are going to take a look at one of their new CPU coolers – the Thermaltake Jing. The “Silent by Design” tag line indicates this will likely be a quiet cooler. CPU coolers have a tendency to be either very quiet or very efficient, but hitting both can be a challenge. The Jing was noticeably absent from Thermaltake's CES lineup earlier this year so this will be our first look at this new cooler.

ASUS GTX 570 DirectCU II Review @ ocaholic Description: With its GTX 570 Direcet CU II, ASUS shows a factory overclocked version of the NVIDIAs GTX 570 GPU. Additionally this card got an overworked power design as well as ASUS huge triple slot cooler. This should therefore be both more powerful and more silent.

Japan Earthquake Suspends Production of 25% of World's Silicon Wafers Description: The Japanese earthquake has resulted in the suspension of one-quarter of the global production of silicon wafers used to make semiconductors.

Manufacturing operations have stopped at Shin-Etsu Chemical’s Shirakawa facility. MEMC Electronic Materials also stopped manufacturing at its Utsunomiya plant.

Together, these two facilities account for 25% of the global supply of silicon wafer used to make semiconductors, according to IHS iSuppli.

Intel’s Sandy Bridge Celerons video features fused off

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Description: In as much as we appreciate that Intel (INTC) is selling a range of CPUs and some of them have had certain functions fused off in the manufacturing process to create a range of models, something that has been done for years, we’re none too impressed by Intel’s latest move. The Intel Celeron B810 might only be an $86 mobile CPU, but Intel seems to have gone one step too far with the scalpel and cut out pretty much all of the graphics related features that makes Sandy Bridge’s graphics worthwhile.

the device which can do 3D video and HD video, as well as a front facing camera for video call purposes.

Consumer Electronics and Software news

'Hummer' handsets now account for 24 percent of US smartphone sales, prove Steve Jobs wrong Description: Remember when Steve Jobs had a dig at Apple's mobile competition and proclaimed that "no one" would buy their Hummer-like 4-inch-plus smartphones? Well, going by the latest NPD data, that group of "no ones" among US smartphone consumers is now a meaty 24 percent. Separating handsets into screen categories of 3.4 inches and below, 3.5 to 3.9 inches, and those above 4 inches, the stat mavens discovered that the midrange is holding steady, but smallerscreened devices are starting to lose out to their jumbosized brethren. No prizes for guessing that Android-powered devices were behind that big sales increase, with the HTC EVO 4G and Motorola Droid X leading the way, followed by Samsung's multivariate Galaxy S range. Now, care to tell us more about our mobile future, Steve?

Buffalo unveils sleek piano-black MiniStation and DriveStation Description: Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of storage and wireless networking solutions, has announced a stylish design for its external storage range. Available now, the glossy, piano-black MiniStation portable device and the DriveStation desktop hard drive, will allow users to add additional external storage to any computer or laptop simply using a USB port.

Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera Battery and Travel Charger from Battery Heads @ TestFreaks Description: I’m sure you own a digital camera, pretty much everyone does these days right? Depending on the type of camera you have it might not use standard batteries, and that can be a hassle as you don’t readily have access to a spare.

I take a lot of pictures and go through batteries quickly but I haven’t got the chance yet to get a spare battery from my Nikon Coolpix. Recently I was contacted by a company called BatteryHeads.com and they asked me to review one of their brand of batteries under the brand name TechFuel, and I said sure. They were also kind enough to send me along a travel charger with it. So read on for a quick review of what I received.

BlackBerry PlayBook Available for Pre-Order Today for $499 Description: BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM’s foray into tablet territory, is now available for pre-order in three different versions, starting from $499.99.

Adobe follows Google, patches major Flash exploit Description: Adobe has issued a patch for all platforms affected by the critical vulnerability in Flash Player 10.2.152.33 and earlier versions. The Adobe patch follows the updated version of Chrome issued by Google on Monday which included a fix for the issue. Adobe has issued a new bulletin explaining the flaw and the steps that users need to take in order to install the patch.

T-Mobile offers LG G-Slate for $529 Description: Are you in the market for a tablet and somehow haven’t gotten bitten by the amazing iPad 2 bug just yet? Well, there are some good looking alternatives around, and LG also has something from their stables that entices itself to jump into the palm of your hands after you decide to part with $529 for this, courtesy of T-Mobile. Of course, this price point comes about after a rebate and when you decide to sell your soul to the mobile carrier for a 2-year contract. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, the LG G-Slate will come with an 8.9-inch display, powered by the tablet-specialized Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, coupled with two 5-megapixel cameras that are located on the back of

Amazon’s Android App Store: Your New Android Market Description: The alternative app store for Android is now live—however much Apple doesn't like others using the term "app store,"—where US Android owners can download the new Angry Birds Rio game for free, along with 3,799 other apps.

It's been years wandering the desert, but Android users finally have an app oasis of their own.

Gaming news: Atelier Meruru Announced, Limited Edition Includes Nendoroid Description: The next Atelier game in the Arland series will be titled Atelier Meruru, a direct sequel after the events of Totori and Rorona. Meruru is a fifteen year old alchemist who stays in Earls, a country outside Arland. Atelier Meruru is the last of the Arland series and will feature a conclusion to the entire game.

PSA: XBL Deal of the Week now launches on Tuesdays Description: Microsoft's Major Nelson has dropped a note on his Twitter account that the Deal of the Week promotion will now roll out each Tuesday instead of Monday. The Major noted further that the weekly promotion will now run each week from Tuesday until the following Tuesday.

Legend of Heroes Developer Readying NGP Launch RPG Description: Sony's next generation portable system, NGP or whatever it ends up being called, is going to have some major RPG support right out the gate. Legend of Heroes and Ys maker Falcom have revealed that they're working on an original RPG for the platform, with a goal of making the new game into a launch title.

VR-Zone Giveaway #7 - ASUS EAH6870 DirectCU 1GB Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/vr-zone-giveaway-7--asus-eah6870directcu-1gb/11679.html March 25th, 2011

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Follow four easy steps and stand a chance to win different prizes every week. This week..we are giving away: 1 x Asus EAH6870 DirectCU 1GB Check out http://launch.vrzone.com and find out how you can win these prizes

HP Personal Systems Group unveils vision, strategy and latest products in Singapore

Ang Sue San, category director, Personal Systems Group, HP Singapore also introduced eight innovations of the new products including USB3.0, CoolSense technology, HP ProtectSmart, HP SimplePass, GDDR5, DLNA certification, Intel Widi and powerful audio experiences (with Beats Audio).

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-personal-systems-group-unveilsvision-strategy-and-latest-products-in-singapore/11676.html March 25th, 2011

Today, HP Personal Systems Group (PSG) has a media event to showcase their latest products, share the company's vision and also the strategy in Singapore. Read on for the coverage.

Serena Yong, general manager, Personal Systems Group, HP Singapore, gave an opening speech and said that the company is number one PC company in Singapore, number one in workstations and also desktop PCs. "Our success is underpinned by the mission to drive for marketshare and profitable growth. Our vision is to transform how people think, feel and connect. This is to provide a unified experience whether they are at work, on the go, or at home. In the future, we would put our vision into context, which is to give the best mobile experience to all our integrated devices as well as across the devices. And now with the WebOS, we should be able to scale, increase our footprint in 2011, and extend the WebOS not just for the smartphones, but to the PC, laptops and even to the printers," Yong said.

One of the main attractions is the HP TouchSmart610 consumer PC which can recline from upright to almost flat for increased comfort even during long usage. The display can recline at up to 60-degree and forward-tilt at up to 5-degree.

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The first thing that came to mind when we got a chance to get all touchy-feely with the FREEWAY was that the speakers were small enough to be mounted onto a car windscreen or visor without causing much of a distraction. For those who are curious about its exact dimensions, the FREEWAY measures a mere 99 x 120 x 19mm (L x W x H), which is only slightly larger than the fully outstretched palm of an adult.

The HP Pavilion dv4 features AMD Radeon 6750M graphics with 1GB GDDR5 video memory, which boasts higher graphics performance compared to the older graphics with GDDR3 memory.

Pricing and availability - The HP Pavilion dv4 starts from S$1,299 and will be available from March 2011 in Singapore.

- The HP Pavilion dv6 starts from S$1,799 and will be available from March 2011 in Singapore.

- The HP Pavilion g4 starts from S$1,099 and will be available from March 2011 in Singapore.

- The HP TouchSmart610 Consumer PC starts from S$1,899 and will be available from March 2011 in Singapore.

No word on the pricing and availability of the HP TouchPad here in Singapore, which was showcased at "A New HP World" event in Shanghai, China last month.

According to Jabra, the FREEWAY is capable of delivering audio content at high fidelities, and this is possible due to the presence of two, 3W mid-range speakers and a sub-woofer built into the unit. In addition, the FREEWAY also comes with various audio-related enhancements such as noise reduction and virtual surround, both of which combine to provide a rather decent experience. This makes it suitable for use as both an in-car speakerphone and a portable Bluetooth 2.1 speaker system for listening to music while on the move.

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Hands on with the Jabra FREEWAY and Jabra Stone 2 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hands-on-with-the-jabra-freeway-andjabra-stone-2/11675.html March 25th, 2011

Jabra has also confirmed that the FREEWAY features built-in support for HD voice transmitted over wideband frequencies.

And with Starhub and Singtel reportedly preparing for wideband, this feature will allow users to enjoy almost life-like speech quality over the network.

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Jabra held an informal working lunch with the media today at the Grand Hyatt Singapore hotel, and VR-Zone was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the event. In addition to talking about their plans for expansion in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region, the company unveiled two products aimed at taking media connectivity to the next level: the Jabra FREEWAY Bluetooth in-car speaker system and the Jabra Stone 2. And the good news: these toys have been confirmed for local availability.

Unlike some of the company's earlier devices, the Jabra FREEWAY in-car Bluetooth speakers do not make use of touch sensors for the activation of various features. Instead, the FREEWAY is operated entirely by buttons, which means that users will have to physically push on the various labels located on the FREEWAY. Don't worry though, you will know that you are doing it correctly as long as you hear a satisfying 'click' sound.

Jabra FREEWAY in-car Bluetooth speaker Are you tired of having to fiddle with a wireless earpiece or headset when taking a phone call while driving? Well, if your answer to the question above happens to be a resounding 'Yes', Jabra's upcoming product will probably be of much interest to you. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you Jabra's premium in-car Bluetooth speaker, the FREEWAY. 23

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Jabra has confirmed that the FREEWAY in-car Bluetooth speakers will be reaching the shores of sunny Singapore by May this year, and is expected to retail at approximately S $200.

Crysis 2 PC dropdown ~ console in-game Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/crysis-2-pc-dropdown--console-ingame/11674.html March 25th, 2011

The FREEWAY also comes with a simple metal clip affixed to the rear of the unit and is not removable by any typical enduser means. According to Jabra, the clip is designed to simplify the task of clamping the FREEWAY to a car's sunshade.

For those who are concerned about how a user is supposed to operate the FREEWAY while driving, fret not This is because the FREEWAY supports voice controls, so all users have to do is to speak various commands such as 'PAIR' or 'REDIAL' and the FREEWAY will proceed with its task, thus allowing for near-complete handsfree operation.

Serious catnip for the PC FPS Gaming purist who have not seen this in recent A-lister games - includes configurable CVARs for FOV, graphics options and typical multiplayer RCON commands like kick/ban/changemaps... Read more to see the screenshot in full-screen.

Serious Catnip for the PC FPS Gaming purist who have not seen this in recent A-lister games - includes configurable CVARs for FOV, graphics options and typical multiplayer RCON commands like kick/ban/changemaps...

Last but definitely not least, the simplicity and elegance that is characteristic of Jabra-branded devices are all too apparent on the FREEWAY as well. Considering that its sides feature nothing more than a microUSB port for charging purposes and the obligatory power switch, you can put that 3.5mm stereo cable back into the drawer where it came from.

Pricing and availability

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