gadgets, geeks, technology, internet, social media

April 5th, 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 - 5 April 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--5april-2011/11454.html April 5th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Reviews of AMD's Radeon HD6790 graphics card have started making their presence known on the Internet; Thermaltake's Level 10 GT chassis gets reviewed; A group of Windows Phone 7 hackers have released an update that allows existing WP7 users to get the latest Microsoft NoDo patches for their smartphones without having to wait for carriers to officially roll out the update; More information about Dell's elusive Alienware M14x notebook gets revealed; Japan is attempting to proceed on with life as usual by announcing that the Tokyo Game Show 2011 event will take place as planned, and EA has launched their new online-only, free-to-play version of Battlefield.

Hardware news Thermaltake Level 10 GT Case Review Description: Taking some cues from the original Level 10, Thermaltake hopes to be able to capitalize on it by offering a more down to earth 'GT' version. Not only is the Level 10 GT more affordable, it's also smaller and lighter, but has it lost all that made the original such a work of art?

Mach Xtreme Technology MX-GX 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review @ Madshrimps Description: The Mach Xtreme MX-GX USB 3.0 Flash Drives offer incredible read speeds and come in 4 different flavours: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB; they are also priced competitively, the 16GB model being found at CaseKing.de for about 29.90 Euros.

Synology DS-211J Diskstation Two-Bay NAS Review @ Tweaknews Description: Synology's DS211j is a great addition to an expanding home network. Not only does it provide storage

and backup solutions, it also offers print and media server capabilities, website hosting, PC-free downloading, and much more at a price that is easy on the wallet.

OCZ Vertex 3 Solid State Drive Tests @ Benchmark Reviews Description: The OCZ Vertex 3 SSD is based on the secondgeneration SandForce's SF-2281 SATA 6Gb/s controller and maintains all of the original core technology introduced in the original SF-1200 series, but now improves SSD performance with 20% faster IOPS and 40% faster sequential read/write throughput. OCZ promises 60,000 IOPS at up to 550 MB/ s transfer speeds with the Vertex 3 SSD, and Benchmark Reviews confirms that they're keeping this promise with tests of the new storage device on a B3-stepping Sandy Bridge platform against the Crucial RealSSD C400.

Sapphire Radeon HD 6790 1GB Video Card Review Description: If all those NDAs last month weren't already enough for everyone, we start the NDA run for April nice and early. With AMD having taken care of the high end segment with cards like the HD 6970 and HD 6990, while also taking care of that mid-range - high end segment with cards from the HD 6800 series, it was only a matter of time 'till we saw some more mid-range, cheaper cards hit the market. Considering NVIDIA released the GTX 550 Ti last month and more midrange models are rumored, it comes as no surprise that AMD are starting to release their line-up. The first comes in the form of the HD 6790. It's clear that the xx30 naming scheme didn't work for them in the past, so it seems they've decided to look at a 50, 70 and 90 line-up now.

Thermaltake Armor A30 SFF Chassis Review Description: Now, when most people think SFF, they immediately gravitate to Lian Li or Silverstone, but dreams of building a portable gamer on a budget usually get dashed by the cost of a full aluminum chassis, or maybe the configuration and airflow aren't up to par to handle the powerhouse you plan to put in the smallest package possible to impress your friends and foes at the next LAN event. Thermaltake jumped in with both feet and threw the A60 in the dryer for a while until it was just the right size. Not in reality, just conceptually.

AMD Radeon HD 6790 1GB Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews Description: AMD wanted a video card to fill in the price and performance gap between the Radeon HD 6850 and the Radeon HD 5770. The release of the Radeon HD 6790 graphics card at the $149.99 price point should fill that gap and give the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti a run for its money. Read on to see how the AMD Radeon HD 6790 compares to dozens

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of other cards and yes, we also overclock it and show you the thermals and power numbers!

Radeon HD 6790: Ace Up The Sleeve @ InsideHW Description: Last month, NVIDIA nicely summed up this year’s first quarter with GTX 550, which seemed like a great competitor against Radeon HD 5770. Everything would have been perfect for the Americans if AMD hadn’t already planned the counterattack for the very beginning of the second quarter, or to be precise, 5th April. The new Radeon is named HD 6790 and is somewhat of a modification, or a weakened version of, Radeons HD 6850/6870, based on the Barts GPU. As such, this model is based on the VLIW5 architecture, which is somewhat old and doesn’t belong to the truly high-class Radeons; all chips from the Cayman family are based on VLIW4 (Very Long Instruction Word). Besides, the Barts chip located in HD 6970 has been weakened in order to replace the already obsolete HD 5770...

Consumer Electronics and Software news See your location history dashboard and more with Google Maps 5.3 for Android Description: Today, we’re happy to announce Google Maps 5.3 for Android, which lets you see your Google Location History dashboard, check in at “home,” and add your own aspects for places when rating them.

Bing Becomes a Default Search Option for Firefox Description: Companies like Microsoft and Google have a major advantage due to their sheer size; they can optimize their extra products (such as IE9 and Chrome) for their existing services (such as Bing and Google search). As such, the fact that Microsoft is losing ground with Internet Explorer is significant for all their additional products. Internet Explorer 9, with its more minimalist structure, better hardware acceleration, improved security, and faster overall load times, is an attempt to re-capture that ground – and it’s little surprise that IE9 is also fully integrated with Bing. What may be somewhat surprising, though, is that Microsoft has been working to integrate Bing with Firefox – their top browsing competitor.

Apple followers have difficulty coping with Android's fame Description: Fanzine Apple Insider appears to be having a little difficulty when it comes to the fact that Apple is slowly losing the mobile operating system wars to Android. Faced with web analytics statistics that say that Android is kicking the Apple OS's bottom, Apple Insider elected to say the complete opposite to keep the reality distortion field going.

Raptor Gaming M3X gaming mouse: 4800DPI of fail Description: The newly released M3X gaming mouse is the latest gaming mouse from German gaming peripheral maker Raptor Gaming (being distributed by CompuExpert here in the United States). The M3X has a good feature set and it's certainly comfortable, but a critical, physical design flaw quickly makes it irritating and annoying to use.

Get Windows Phone 7 NoDo on your phone now Description: For those of you who can’t bear to wait around for your carrier or Microsoft to push out the NoDo update to your Windows Phone 7 device, great news. Chris Walshie of Team ChevronWP7 (the folks behind the WP7 “jailbreak”) released a tool on his blog that allows all WP7 device owners to

Published by: VR-Zone

update their phone to the latest version of Windows Phone 7.

The update works on any WP7 phone (that use the supported languages: English US, English UK, French, Italian, Spanish and German) and has the pre-NoDo update, NoDo update 1 & 2 all in one process. As usual, this is an unofficial method to update your phone, so make sure you know what you’re doing before attempting anything, but from reports so far; the update seems to work great. Head here for more details and let us know if you decide to use the update.

More shots, specs of Alienware M14x surface Description: Thanks to Chinese tech site Zol, the previously leaked M14x gaming notebook from Alienware has been more fully uncovered. The specs also have been made more concrete, with a quad-core, 2.3GHz Core i7 CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M both being present to give it relatively fast gaming. The notebook will also get Klipsch speakers and a stainless steel nameplate that can be engraved.

Next-gen iPod Nano to Also be a Tiny Camera?

Description: The previous generation of iPod nano had more features than the current one. The older model packed a bigger display as well as a video camera to capture 720p video. While the quality wasn't great, it gave a very popular music player a camera that worked for casual capture uses.

Gaming news Tokyo Game Show 2011 To Proceed As Planned Description: Following Japan’s recent 9.0 earthquake last month, many events and services were delayed or shafted, people were concerned if it affects the Tokyo Game Show this year. Fortunately, the organiser CESA has confirmed that the event will proceed as planned from September 15 to September 18 at the Makuhari Messe just outside of Tokyo.

EA Launches Battlefield Play4Free Description: EA's free online battlefield has gone live.

Battlefield Play4Free opened to the public this morning, combining the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 with the classes and weapons of Bad Company 2 for 32-player shootouts.

NGP could be delayed by Japanese earthquake Description: Sony Computer Entertainment America president Jack Tretton says supply-chain disruptions caused by disaster may delay the forthcoming portable in some regions.

NVIDIA announces Quadro 400, empowers designers and engineers with 10x better performance Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-announcesquadro-400-empowers-designers-and-engineers-with-10x-betterperformance/11805.html

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Published by: VR-Zone

April 5th, 2011

software drivers, and simplifies upgrading to a new solution.

NVIDIA announced today the Quadro 400 graphics processing unit (GPU), a new professional graphics solution that puts the power of the GPU in the hands of designers and engineers. Built for use with professional applications, such as Autodesk AutoCAD, the NVIDIA Quadro 400 GPU provides up to 5x faster performance over high-end consumer gaming cards. It also gives up to 10x improvement when running industry leading CAD / CAM applications.

• Hardware 3D Window Clipping - Accelerated clip regions enable faster data transfer between a window and the frame buffer to improve overall graphics performance.

• High-Quality Display Connectivity - Drives ultra-highresolution panels, producing phenomenal image quality, supporting two active connectors, including dual-link DVI with up to 3840 x 2400 resolution @ 24Hz on each panel, and DisplayPort (DP) with up to 2560 x 1600 resolution.

• NVIDIA® Mosaic™ Technology - Enhances workspace across up to eight displays (using one card per two displays), enabling seamless taskbar spanning, as well as transparent scaling of any application. Works over multiple displays or a single high-resolution display, and with NVIDIA nView® desktop management software.

SINGAPORE - April 5, 2011 - NVIDIA announced today the NVIDIA Quadro® 400 graphics processing unit (GPU), a new professional graphics solution that puts the power of the GPU in the hands of designers and engineers.

Built for use with professional applications, such as Autodesk AutoCAD, the NVIDIA Quadro 400 GPU provides up to 5x faster performance over high-end consumer gaming cards.

It also gives up to 10x improvement when running industry leading CAD / CAM applications.

Priced at just US$169, the Quadro 400 GPU also offers excellent power efficiency, consuming less than 35 watts, and its low-profile footprint means it offers the flexibility to fit into any workstation, including small form-factor systems.

With 512 MB of DDR3 memory, the Quadro 400 processor enables professionals to interact with a wide range of design models. It also provides high visual fidelity, featuring a 30bit (10-bits per colour) colour engine with a dynamic range of over one billion colour variations. Quadro 400 drivers are optimised and certified on leading professional applications.

"Designers and engineers, whether designing the largest assemblies or smallest components, rely on Quadro," said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions Group, NVIDIA. "The Quadro 400 is the right tool to help ensure that job gets done the right way, especially when it comes to running professional apps like Autodesk AutoCAD."

The NVIDIA Quadro 400 processor also supports NVIDIA 3D Vision™ and 3D Vision Pro active shutter glasses 3D technology that delivers crystal-clear, stereoscopic 3D visualisation for the most immersive 3D experience, ranging from desktop workstations to collaborative work spaces.

Designed, Built and Engineered by NVIDIA to the Highest Standards of Quality As with all Quadro professional graphics cards, the Quadro 400 is designed, built and warranted by NVIDIA to provide industry-leading performance and reliability when running professional applications. Companies consistently certify Quadro professional graphics solutions for their users whose livelihoods depend on them.

Availability and Pricing The Quadro 400 (US$169 MSRP) is available immediately for the HP Z800, Z600, and Z400 Workstations, and for all Fujitsu CELSIUS workstations. It will be available later this month and next on select Lenovo ThinkStation D20, C20, S20 and E30 models. It's also available from NVIDIA Quadro channel partners including PNY Technologies in North America and Europe, ELSA in Japan, and Leadtek in Asia Pacific.

Source: NVIDIA Press Release

Additional features of the new Quadro 400 GPU include: • Unified Driver Architecture - Guarantees forward and backward compatibility with professional application 3

April 5th, 2011

COMPUTEX 2011 Spotlight : Smart Handheld Devices and Internet of Things Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/computex-2011-spotlight--smarthandheld-devices-and-internet-of-things/11804.html April 5th, 2011

The Taipei Computer Association (TCA), the organizer of COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011 has expressed that the change in computer usage of the consumers and the applications of Internet of Things (IOT) is increasing gradually, boosting Taiwan ICT industry toward the development of supply chain for Smart Handheld Devices and IOT, which relevant products and devices will exhibit during COMPUTEX. Smart Handheld Devices and Internet of Things (IOT) are the hottest words in the ICT industry in 2010, including Tablets, Smartphone, Internet TV, Smart TV, 3D display products become the spotlight of the global market, clearly show the wireless broadband infrastructure of the new information society is taking shape.

Published by: VR-Zone

According to the latest statistics, the number of COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011 exhibitors reached 1,800 and would be using more than 5,200 booths, up by 8% from 2010. It is estimated that the number of overseas buyers will top 36,000 and expected to create US$25 billions worth of business opportunity.

During the Pre-show Press Conference held in March 30 at Taipei International Convention Center (TICC), Mr. Walter Yeh, the executive vice president of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) pointed out that COMPUTEX TAIPEI is one of the international exhibitions for large enterprises to launch their latest products, foreign enterprises include AMD, Hitachi, Intel, Microsoft and etc., while local companies led by Acer, Asus, Foxconn (Hon Hai) and others; which will showcase their latest products such as Tablets, eBook readers, Smart phones, 3D Display and products related to cloud computing at COMPUTEX, brightly shining into the sight of thousands overseas buyers.

Mr. Zhang Li, the deputy secretary general of TCA also mentioned that in the midst of Smart Handheld Devices, Tablet PC will have a tremendous force and becomes the focal point during COMPUTEX 2011, estimating around 50~100 new Tablet PCs to be displayed. Not only have the Taiwanese ICT manufacturers to show its strength in development of the Tablet PC, but also to seize a big piece of market shared from the grip of iPad. During the speech, Mr. Stephen Su, general director of Industrial Economics and Knowledge (IEK) under the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said the average annual sales rate of netbook and e-book reader will not go over 4% from the period of 2011~2014. As for notebook will experience some effects, Su thinks that the average annual sales rate of notebook will stay above 16% from 2011~2014. Complete research report named "How Tablet will Transform the Landscape of ICT Industry" is available for download under this link http://www.computex.biz/photo/ images/computexshow/list/file_20110330135542.pdf.

The mobile life becomes a trend after wireless broadband is available, which driving the ICT manufacturers to develop information technology products and equipments for smart life. The Taipei Computer Association (TCA), the organizer of COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011, the world's most complete communication supply chain industry, has expressed that the change in computer usage of the consumers and the applications of Internet of Things (IOT) is increasing gradually, boosting Taiwan ICT industry toward the development of supply chain for Smart Handheld Devices and IOT, which relevant products and devices will exhibit during COMPUTEX, witnessing Taiwan ICT industry in steps with the hottest trend that never stop growing!

Gathering of large enterprises in COMPUTEX bolsters explosive force on the Tablets

Smart Handheld Devices integrate with wireless broadband makes a new information society Li expressed that the Smart Handheld Devices and Internet of Things (IOT) are the hottest words in the ICT industry in 2010, including Tablets, Smartphone, Internet TV, Smart TV, 3D display products become the spotlight of the global market, clearly show the wireless broadband infrastructure of the new information society is taking shape.

Starting from Q4 of 2010, TCA is conducting quarterly economic prosperity survey where the audiences are the local exhibitors, the result of each quarter refer as COMPUTEX Exhibitor Index (CEI). The result of Q2, CEI is 1.64 that means in the Above Average area, while 43% of interviewed enterprises viewed between Good and Above Average. On the 4

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statistical, the exhibitors whom are dealing with Tablet PC, Smartphone, Internet TV, Smart TV and products related PC systems including photo-electronics products are optimistic and gave Good rating on Q2. Consequently, TCA thinks that this coming June, many relevant products will be displayed during COMPUTEX, which is worthy of expectation.

In order to realize the market potential of Smart Handheld Devices, TCA and Ministry of Economics Affairs (MOEA) established a Smart Handheld Device working group, hoping Taiwan to generate production output value worth US$50 billions by 2014, which develops Taiwan to become the innovation and manufacturing center of Smart Handheld Devices in the world. On the other hand, TCA established Taiwan Internet of Things Alliance (TIOTA) recently; in which COMPUTEX will be hosting IOT Area at TWTC Hall 2 that will be one of many new highlights in this year's COMPUTEX. Not only limited to PC and peripheral products, TCA believes under the efforts in many aspects, the COMPUTEX TAIPEI will become the world's purchasing platform for Smart Handheld Devices and IOT products.

Shift 2: Unleashed Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/shift-2-unleashed-review/11799.html April 5th, 2011

For the racing fanatics, here is one game you might want to try - Shift 2: Unleashed And in this review, we bring Electronic Art's latest racing title for a spin down the racing track. and see how it fares. More after the jump.

Published by: VR-Zone

The game is a direct sequel to the original Shift launched back in 2009 and puts the basics in perspective by adding a rewarding experience system for everything you do in the game, online or not. Together with game's economy which you earn by getting several achievements or winning a place, you are able to give your car some lovely cosmetics and engine customizations. The sequel offers more than 140 vehicles from 37 manufacturers, a huge boost from the original's 60+ cars.

As easy as it may look but the game be a tough nut to crack as extra experience are earned by fulfiling the right requirements or sticking to the green racing line marker on the track. All these actions fill up the experience gauge which unlocks other tracks, customizations and advancing of the story.

Driving your vehicle is not just breeze but it can be rather a 'terrifying' experience. Shift 2 Unleashed takes a step further to get close with racing simulation genre, an attempt to place itself with the likes of other simulation titles such as Gran Turismo 5 or Forza Motorsport. So think twice before cranking up the speeds to the maximum and trying to achieve some impossible drifting at a sharp corner.

To make this realism on a higher notch, Shift 2: Unleashed adds a helmet cam view that puts the player in the driving seat. As suggested by the name, you will see the the dynamic view as what a real driver would and feel its effects: A blurring view of the sides as speed hits insanity levels or nasty bumps and gray-outs with shedding doors, broken glass and bonnets after a nasty crash. It is a nifty addition but gives an immersive experience on the overall gameplay.

The screeching of tyres on the track is no stranger to any racing game and games involving vehicles of such genre. The fundamentals of winning is simple: get down the racing track and win.

Electronic Art's Need for Speed franchise has been around for more than 15 years and with Shift 2: Unleashed, this is the 17th installment in the series, developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by EA.

ouch!

Being preferential towards arcade racers, Shift 2 took me a while to get used to its driving mechanics. Regardless of what car I choose, I will just crash and find myself in the last place 5

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but there are intriguing factors in the game which keeps me going for a reason.

Shift 2 Unleashed Noteworthy Features

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AMD: Llano APU is Shipping Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-llano-apu-is-shipping/11803.html April 5th, 2011

Social at its best Autolog, a social feature that began in Hot Pursuit returns as the core of the game, putting together your friends and those glorifying statstics in a leaderboard-like system. More often than not, you will be racing your friends and compare fastest times and stats with one other.

Recent rumours of AMD shipping Llano in April were met with some skepticism. However, the rumours have turned out to be true, as AMD is shipping Llano A-series APUs to OEMs, as of 4th April 2011, for revenue. In a webcast, CFO and Interim CEO Thomas Seifert announced, “Customers are very excited about Llano coming to market and we will look forward to seeing our “Llano”-based systems in the market this quarter — the second quarter.”

Career Mode This is where the main bulk of the game lies - Career mode. In the single-player campaign, your Shift 2 racing career begins with a quick test on the track using a Nissan GT-R. Don't be fooled as the results of the race will determine your skill level and the recommended enhancements such as anti-lock brakes, traction assistance and a racing guide line.

All of this is to prepare you for the open seasons to the grand FIA GT1 series finale. A different range of events await from standard races and time attacks, to eliminations and drift challenges. With approximately 40 tracks, the game should satisfy an average racer looking for terrain differences.

In fact, Llano (as part of the Sabine platform) has been shipping since late March, as suggested by the above picture a celebration at AMD's Singapore branch.

While AMD remains silent about when we can expect the OEMs to ship systems with A-series APUs, rumours suggest we can see Sabine based laptops as early as May. Of course, we can certainly expect the notebook and desktop worlds, OEM and retail, to be flooded with A-series Fusion APUs within this quarter, by June. Rumours suggest AMD has notched up an impressive number of design wins for its A-series APUs. Despite being so close to release, we don't know much about Llano and it's Sabine platform and Socket FM1, beyond a tentative line-up and some performance demos by AMD. AMD's Llano release is now expected to be closely followed by its next-gen CPU release, FX-Series (Bulldozer) in what is a crucial few months for AMD.

Realism For easy crashers like me, I will enjoy the total destruction of my vehicle. Damage is not visual-only and by changing an option, damage to your vehicle affects the car performance; even an engine blowout with tyres rolling onto the tracks.

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera Announced Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nikon-d5100-digital-slr-cameraannounced/11802.html April 5th, 2011

Forget about other camera angles, go for the driver seat view and experience the way the game is meant to be played.

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Published by: VR-Zone

After much anticipated wait, Nikon D5100 is real and official.

Product availability and prices will be announced at a later date but let us look at the official specs.

Additional Features and Functions Nikon announces the D5100 Digital SLR camera, introducing new features and upgraded specifications as compared to its predecessor.

The D5100 will come with Nikon’s latest CMOS image sensor and the new EXPEED 2 image-processing engine. The updated sensor will bump the effective megapixel count to 16.1, the same that was found in Nikon D7000. The camera adds a new High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature that captures two shots of varying exposure each time the shutter-release button is pressed, and then combines the two shots into a single image with a broad dynamic range.

- High-speed continuous shooting at up to approximately 4 fps and a very precise and durable shutter unit that has passed testing for 100,000 cycles - Equipped with Quiet shutter-release mode for shooting in situations in which quieter shutter operation is desired. Infrared receivers for remote control operation on the front and back of the camera enable wireless control over the shutter from both in front of and behind the camera (optional ML-L3 wireless remote control supported).

The D5100 another new feature known as the "Effects mode" found on the Mode selection dial which is essentially special effects applied on images and videos. A total of seven special effects, including Selective Color and Color Sketch are included.

Night Vision is another feature which ramps up the ISO to 102400 which enables shooting under conditions of darkness while verifying the subject and composition in the monitor (this feature shoots in JPEG format and in black and white.

RAW recording is not possible) Visibility has been increased with the large 3-inch display found on the D5100 that has approximately 921k-dot highresolution that supports viewing on various angles.

Nikon adopts a side hinge for the vari-angle monitor that prevents the monitor from hitting the tripod when it is opened while the camera is mounted on a tripod.

The vari-angle monitor opens from 0 to180° to the side, and can be rotated up to 90°clockwise and up to 180° counterclockwise when it is open. Say yes to self-portraits.

- Equipped with 16 scene modes that enable the simple capture of beautiful photos of the desired scene with automatic optimization of camera settings - Built-in HDMI-CEC compatibility enables control over playback of still images and movies using the television's remote control when the camera is connected to a high-definition TV via the HDMI connector.

- HD movie recording and editing 1Manual focus, M or S mode, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values

Specification Chart Type Lens mount Effective pixels

Single-lens reflex digital camera Nikon F mount (with AF contacts) 16.2 million 7

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Image sensor mage size (pixels)

Published by: VR-Zone

23.6 X 15.6 mm CMOS sensor • 4,928 X 3,264 (L) • 3,696 X 2,448 (M)

File format Media

Frame advance rate ISO sensitivity

Movie

• 2,464 X 1,632 (S) 1) NEF(RAW), 2)JPEG, 3)NEF(RAW)+JPEG SD (Secure Digital) memory cards *1 SDHC, and SDXC memory cards Up to 4 fps *2 ISO 100 – 6400 in steps of 1/3 EV. Can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.7, 1, or 2 EV (ISO 25600 equivalent) above ISO 6400; auto ISO sensitivity control available Frame size (pixels) and frame rate : • 1,920 X 1,080, 30 p/25 p/24 p, high/normal • 1,280 X 720, 30 p/25 p/24 p, high/normal

Dimensions (approx.)

(W×H × D) Weight (approx.)

Major supplied accessories

128 X 97 X 79 mm 510 g without battery, memory card, or body cap 560 g with battery and memory card but without body cap EN-EL14 rechargeable Liion battery, MH-24 battery charger, AN-DC3 strap, EGCP14 audio/video cable, UCE6 USB cable, DK-5 eyepiece cap, BS-1 accessory shoe cover, DK-20 rubber eyecup, BF-1B body cap, ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

• *1Not applied to Multi Media Card • *2Manual focus, mode M or S, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values • Unless otherwise stated, all figures are for a camera with a fully-charged battery operating at an ambient temperature of 20° C (68° F).

• 640 X 424, 30 p/25 p, high/normal A frame rate of 30 p (actual frame rate 29.97 fps) is available when NTSC is selected for video mode.

25 p is available when PAL is selected for video mode.

Actual frame rate when 24 p is selected is 23.976 fps.

File format/Video compression: MOV, H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding Audio recording device:

Monitor

Power source

Built-in monaural or external stereo microphone; sensitivity adjustable 3-in., approx. 921k-dot (VGA), vari-angle lowtemperature polysilicon TFT LCD with 170° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment Battery : One rechargeable Liion EN-EL14 battery AC adapter : EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5A power connector (available separately)

7-inch Android tablet with IPS panel display spotted in China Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/7-inch-android-tablet-with-ips-paneldisplay-spotted-in-china/11801.html April 5th, 2011

In-Plane Switching technology (IPS) has been around for a long time, being made available for high-resolution displays including Apple's first generation iPad. And recently, another manufacturer is making a tablet that is using the IPS panel for its display.

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Published by: VR-Zone

The Apple iPad incorporated In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology for its screen, which may explain why images looked sharp and vivid on the tablet. It has taken many months before IPS panels become affordable for manufacturers to adopt them.

And it seems like a Chinese company is coming up with a 7inch tablet device running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and equipped with IPS screen. A picture of the prototype is out on the web (shown above). The tablet will also come with A9 AMlogic CPU which has the performance to stream either Flash or HTML5 video with no buffering. HDMI out, SD card reader, 3G sim and USB. Pricing will be approximately and available from 10 April.

1900

yuan

(US$290)

ASUS P8H67-I DELUXE (Intel H67 Express) Review

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 4 April 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--4april-2011/11456.html April 5th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Three USB3.0-capable flash drives with capacities of 64GB get put to the test to see which product offers users better performances; Thermalright's TR-360 replacement cooler for the Xbox 360 video game console gets reviewed; A future version of iOS might receive OS X's Spaces feature; Panasonic is reportedly starting to ship BDXL optical discs which boast up to 100GB of storage space; Dynasty Warriors 7 is set to receieve a DLC which restores the game's original Japanese voices, and Anonymous has declared war on Sony in support for George Hotz

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-p8h67-i-deluxe-intel-h67-expressreview/11734.html April 5th, 2011

Hardware news

While Mini-ITX solutions are often looked down upon as slow and somewhat cheap, not all of them are destined for use as low-power media centres or 8-hours-a-day office machines. Enter the latest Mini-ITX motherboard from ASUS, the P8H67-I DELUXE which is based on the Intel H67 Express chipset, and supports all second-generation Intel Core 'Sandy Bridge' processors. How will this mighty midget perform? We find out.

ASUS Routers: Wireless Elegance @ InsideHW Description: In order to create a good SOHO wireless network environment, one always has to provide reliable equipment.

In order to avoid the regret of not having chosen equipment more wisely when first setting up the network (unlike some of us), make sure you look comprehensively at the current market situation. If you don’t have a personal contact that would provide adequate advice, cruise the internet a little and take a look at what others are recommending. It’s likely in both cases that you’ll end up in the default product gamma of a large manufacturer, but at times, you may be surprised by the quality of the solutions offered by other familiar names in the IT field. This is one such occasion, and we’ve had the chance to thoroughly examine two of ASUS’ wireless solutions, namely DSL-N10 (modem/router) and a dual-band router RT-N56U...

Intel's second-generation Core 'Sandy Bridge' processors can be mated to a few 6 Series chipsets, including the P67 Express and H67 Express which are often used in consumer and enthusiast builds. The core frequency of Intel Unlocked 'K' processors can be overclocked only on the P67 Express chipset, while the H67 Express trades that for integrated Intel HD Graphics overclocking capabilities. The ASUS P8P67-I DELUXE that we will be looking at today, is powered by the H67 Express - you have no access to a 'K' processor's unlocked multipliers.

Obviously, this particular motherboard is not really aimed at enthusiasts, but its small form factor is definitely excellent for SOHO implementations. Although small in size, that does not necessarily mean it has limited computing power. In this article, we test the P8H67-I DELUXE with an Intel Core i5-2500K Processor. Read on to find out more!

USB 3.0 64GB Flash Drive Round-up Description: In the last year we have reviewed a handful of USB 3.0 devices and today several memory manufacturers offer flash drives claiming to utilize the extra performance offered by the revamped interface. Today we are looking at three 64GB flash drives: the AData Nobility Series N005, Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 and Patriot SuperSonic.

Thermalright TR-360 Xbox 360 GPU Cooler Replacement Review @ Madshrimps Description: Designed for the XBOX 360 GPU, to provide better cooling and heat dissipation, reduces the chances of break down and prolong the XBOX 360 life.

Lian Li Lancool PC-K57 Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews Description: Lian Li LanCool's PC-K57 chassis has a lot going for it, and the potential for much more. The bold look and solid construction are quite welcome, but there is a lot more to recommend it. With a roomy interior, solid tool-free features and outstanding cable management, including the innovative cable channel, the PC-K57 was a joy to work in and the dust filters are easily serviced to help the user keep the case in good shape.

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OCZ ZX 850 Series 850 Watt Power Supply Review Description: The ZX series of power supplies is aimed at powering gaming and enthusiast systems alike and is available in 850W, 1000W, and 1250W flavors. This range of power supplies offers plenty of power for those seeking to power systems with a single GPU all the way up to a triple GPU system with dual processors. The ZX series of power supplies boast 80Plus Gold certification, fully modular cables, and a single 12V rail. Today we take a look at the ZX 850, the smallest of the three ZX series power supplies.

ASUS Sabertooth P67 Motherboard Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: This year ASUS introduced the Sabertooth P67 motherboard. The Sabertooth P67 is the next generation in durability and reliability. The Sabertooth P67 has enough features to hit every market of user, from the server computer, to the enthusiast gamer. This P67 motherboard supports the newer Intel 1155 socket CPUs and up to 1866 DDR3 memory.

The main specific features to note with the Sabertooth P67 are the TUF thermal armor, TUF thermal radar, TUF components, Digi+ VRM, and E.S.P. The TUF thermal armor is a shunt designed panel that covers all of the critical components.

Zalman ZM-F4 135mm Multipurpose Fan Review Description: We've visited similar offerings from Zalman's Computer Noise Prevention System (CNPS) products with the Zalman ZM-F3-FDB & ZM-SF3, along with the CNPS 9900 MAX. We at Legit Reviews have come to respect the Zalman products we have seen since they perform admirably and live up to their claims. Today was no different. Zalman's ZMF4 Multipurpose Fan was probably one of the best fans I have ever run into. Its sound was as smooth as butter. It outperformed most offerings on the market. It also did so while still remaining quiet and affordable...

Patriot G2 (GAMER 2) 1600MHz CL9 8GB Review @ Vortez Description: It was at the very end of last year that Patriot Memory announced the commencement of a new series named Gamer 2 (G2 for short). This new series of memory, again, like many of our recent memory product reviews is focussed on the new Sandy Bridge platform. Apart from their attractive price-tag they also have a number of pleasing characteristics - they are extremely low profile, so much so that the heatspreaders are in fact shorter than the modules they cover. They are also said to give impressive performance figures too.

Consumer Electronics and Software news Patent Describes OS X Spaces on iPad Description: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a new patent that describes a system by which Spaces, Apple’s system for operating multiple independent desktops on one computer, might be brought to the iPad. Could this be a preview of the merger of iOS and OS X? Samsung UN55C9000 55 inch 3D LED TV Review at Overclockers Online Description: Flip through any magazine and you’ll see that sex sells and an ultra thin 55″ 3D LED TV is just downright sexy in any room! Mouths drop in awe when friends come over and see what I have in the living room. Picture quality is just as important to how a TV looks and the UN55C9000 has one of the best displays Samsung has ever made. The colors stand

Published by: VR-Zone

out and the LED backlight highlights dark scenes extremely well. Not to be outdone by any 3D TV on the market, the UN55C9000 comes fully equipped with 3D playback as well as wireless LAN for media streaming and Internet browsing.

A.C.Ryan PlayON!HD Mini 2 Full HD Media Streamer Review Description: The space and user friendly PlayON!HD Mini 2 may not be perfect in every possible aspect but it is without doubt amongst the best standalone Media Players A.C.Ryan has designed and manufactured to date.

Sony CEO tips Apple built-in camera plans, iPhone 5 delay possible?

Description: In an on-stage interview at Carnegie Hall with Walt Mossberg, Sony CEO Howard Stringer appears to have confirmed an earlier rumor that an upcoming iPhone 5 will have an 8MP digital camera with a sensor made by Sony.

Stringer made a number of somewhat cryptic comments to Mossberg about Apple, at one point commenting on the irony of Sony making "the best camera" for Apple devices.

K-Touch W700 Anroid phone looks pretty sweet Description: While the Chinese have been known for creating poor copies of existing phones and slapping on a different OS and brand name on their devices, phone manufacturers, KTouch, has introduced a phone worthy of not being branded as some cheap knock off. Called the W700, this Android phone has got some pretty nice specs to boot. It packs a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, it runs Android 2.2, has 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, a 3.8″ display (480 x 800), a 5 megapixel rear camera, a 0.3 megapixel front facing camera, WiFil, Bluetooth, GPS, FM tuner, and microSD card slot. It will be released in China mid-April via China Unicom for 3500 Chinese Yuan ($535). No word on whether it’ll hit our stores but we wouldn’t mind seeing phones like these on sale at low prices.

Panasonic to ship first-ever 100GB BDXL recordable disc Description: Panasonic claimed the distinction on Monday of being the first company to ship a BDXL rewritable disc. The three-layer, 100GB disc gives users as much as eight hours and 40 minutes of full-quality, 24Mbps 1080p video they can write many times. It should theoretically be tougher than most discs with a coating to guard against fingerprints and scratches.

Windows 8 to use Ribbon, Phone 7 design?

Description: Screenshots from early builds of the next version of Windows suggest Microsoft is favouring its Ribbon inteface.

Early versions of Windows 8 have popped up online over the past few weeks, with the pre-beta code apparently leaked as Microsoft sends it to partners.

Gaming news WC 11: Clone Wars Season 4 - Grievous vs. Gungans!

Description: A teaser for Clone Wars Season 4 shows some cool clips glimpses at what's to come, including a Jedi so bad ass, he has two double-sided lightsabers.

Anonymous Declares War on Sony Description: Gulp! That's the collective reaction Sony likely had this morning after receiving a slap to the face from the hacker activist group famous for taking on the Church of Scientology, Anonymous. For its recent actions against

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Published by: VR-Zone

PlayStation 3 hackers, including George "Geohot" Hotz, Anonymous has declared war on Sony.

Dynasty Warriors 7 To Get Japanese Voices In Free DLC Description: The US release of Dynasty Warriors 7 will be getting Japanese voices for free in the form of a DLC. The DLC will be made available via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

The free DLC update will also include additional costumes.

No release date was mentioned but the developers mention another paid DLC is also on its way.

Apple's 7th generation iPod nano may come with built-in camera Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-s-7th-generation-ipod-nanomay-come-with-built-in-camera/11797.html April 5th, 2011

Go-Rock SRS 3D surround Bluetooth mini-speakers coming to Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/go-rock-srs-3d-surround-bluetoothmini-speakers-coming-to-singapore/11795.html April 5th, 2011

A leaked photo from a Taiwanese Apple-related blog, Apple.pro, shows an iPod Nano with a camera hole. If that is believed to be true, this means that the portable digital media player could also take videos (and even images) like its 5th generation sibling.

The picture you see above is taken on Saturday from Taiwanese Apple-related blog, Apple.pro, which is well-known for leaking Apple's hardware. However, the author could not verify if this is genuine. It was only a day after April's Fool, though it is unlikely this is a joke, seeing how the blog has correctly leaked each of the previous six generations of the iPod nano past years.

The 5th generation iPod nano has received a built-in camera from the 4th generation, but the 6th generation which comes in a smaller, squarish form factor has the camera removed.

Perhaps Apple would bring the camera back to the upcoming 7th generation after much feedback from consumers.

Taiwanese manufacturer Go-Rock is known for their range of products including cables, power adapters and audio accessories for computers, mobile phones and MP3 players.

And the latest product comes in the form of Bluetooth minispeakers which are coming to Singapore.

The Go-Rock SRS 3D surround Bluetooth mini-speakers features PumpBass Technology which claims to maximize the sound bass within limited and constrained space. The speakers may have a small footprint, but feature stereo 3D surround audio experience for the audiophiles.

The Go-Rock can connect wirelessly to your iPad, iPhone, tablet PC, notebook PC, mobile phone, PSP or any devices that support A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles. On top of that, the speakers also come with two-way power supply, retractable built-In cables, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and a charging USB cable.

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Sony Alpha 33 DSLR Production Halted in Japan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-alpha-33-dslr-production-haltedin-japan/11794.html April 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

775/ 1156/ 1366 and AMD AM2/ AM2+/ AM3 processors, the M608 Pro can be found in stores in Europe at a MSRP of â‚Ź48.90.

News via [Xilence]

Sharkoon Unveils AL2 and AL4 PC Chassis Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sharkoon-unveils-al2-and-al4-pcchassis/11792.html April 5th, 2011

The Alpha 33 DSLR camera is Sony's first to feature a translucent mirror technology though it is not known why the camera was canned in less than a year.

German-based Sharkoon Technologies has expanded its lineup of PC chassis with the addition of the AL2 and AL4. Similiar in designs, the AL2 (395 x 375 x 180mm) supports all miniITX and micro ATX motherboards while the bigger AL4 (480 x 192 x 430mm) can fit full-sized ATX boards.

Xilence Debuts M608 Pro cooler Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xilence-debuts-m608-procooler/11793.html April 5th, 2011

Taipei-based Xilence Technology has announced the M608 Pro, adding on to its line-up of CPU coolers for PC. Measuring 143 x 136 x 129mm, the cooler boasts four copper heat pipes, a copper base, and is equipped with a 120mm PWM fan that operates at 500 RPM to 1,500 RPM.

Taipei-based Xilence Technology has announced the M608 Pro, adding on to its line-up of CPU coolers for PC. Measuring 143 x 136 x 129mm, the cooler boasts four copper heat pipes, a copper base, and is equipped with a 120mm PWM fan that operates at 500 RPM to 1,500 RPM. Compatible with all Intel

AL4 German-based Sharkoon Technologies has expanded its lineup of PC chassis with the addition of the AL2 and AL4. Similiar in designs, the AL2 (395 x 375 x 180mm) supports all miniITX and micro ATX motherboards while the bigger AL4 (480 x 192 x 430mm) can fit full-sized ATX boards.

AL4

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Published by: VR-Zone

Available in silver or titanium colors, they feature external 5.25" drive bays (AL4 - four, AL2 - two), one exposed 3.5" bay, PCIe slots (seven on AL4, four on AL2), pre-installed blue LED fans (front), and and front-side I/O panels with two USB 2.0 ports and audio ports. The AL2 and AL4 can be purchased from major retailers and e-tailers at MSRPs of â‚Ź44.90 and â‚Ź49 respectively.

News via [Softpedia]

I-O Data Readies New External Blu-ray writer AL4

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/i-o-data-readies-new-external-blu-raywriter/11791.html April 5th, 2011

I-O Data has announced the BRP-U6X, an external Blu-ray writer with support for the BDXL standard. Measuring just 20mm thick and weighing 320g, the slim writer sports a USB 2.0 interface and supports write speeds up to "6x for BD-R (single- and dual-layer), 4x for 34-layer BD-R, 2x for BD-RE, 8x for DVD-R+R and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-R+R DL and DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 24x for CD-R and 16x for CDRW".

AL2

AL2

I-O Data has announced the BRP-U6X, an external Blu-ray writer with support for the BDXL standard. Measuring just 20mm thick and weighing 320g, the slim writer sports a USB 2.0 interface and supports write speeds up to "6x for BD-R (single- and dual-layer), 4x for 34-layer BD-R, 2x for BD-RE, 8x for DVD-R+R and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-R+R DL and DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 24x for CD-R and 16x for CDRW". Covered by a one year warranty, it comes bundled with WinDVD BD and Nero Express Essentials. The BRP-U6X is expected to hit store shelves in Japan in April at a MSRP ofUS $270.

News via [Techconnect]

Silverstone Announces DC01 NAS Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/silverstone-announces-dc01nas/11790.html April 5th, 2011

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SilverStone Technology, well-known for its high performance PC cases and thermal solutions, has released the DC01, a compact aluminum NAS device.

Published by: VR-Zone

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 1 April 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--1april-2011/11457.html April 5th, 2011

SilverStone Technology, well-known for its high performance PC cases and thermal solutions, has released the DC01, a compact aluminum NAS device.

In today's news roundup: NVIDIA talks about its plans and hopes for both its mobile Tegra platform and its workstationoriented Project Denver CPU based off the ARM architecture; Tier-1 notebook ODMs are reportedly thinking to cutting out the ExpressCard expansion slot from all future designs in an attempt to conserve space and cut costs; Images of a mirrorless Pentax camera featuring interchangeable lenses and a retro, rangefinder-esque look has started leaking onto the Internet; Nokia has released the entire source code for the latest (and final) version of Symbian in a bid to keep the mobile operating system alive in the developer community; The recently-released Angry Birds Rio game for smartphones get reviewed, and our sister site SGCafe has published its review on the latest game that has taken the world by storm: Crysis 2.

Hardware news Sapphire Pure Black X58 Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews Description: It has been a few years since Sapphire has put out a new motherboard. Here we are though, getting ready for a look at their first Intel motherboard since the days of the Intel Pentium 4! The Sapphire Pure Black X58 supports USB 3.0, SATA 6, and CrossfireX for starters! Is the Sapphire Pure Black X58 motherboard going to be the right board for you? Read on to find out!

Kingston HyperX Genesis 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com Description: The aesthetics may be slightly different from what we expect from Kingston, but the under the hood of the HyperX Genesis 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 kit the performance is the same. Testing on a Sandy Bridge system showed that this kit has the ability to offer high speed performance with minimal effort thanks to the plug and play nature of XMP profiles.

Measuring 123 x 123 x 33mm, the enclosure runs on a dual-core ARM11 processor, has one 2.5" drive bay, Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, one eSATA and two USB 2.0 ports. It also supports VPN/ Bit-Torrent clients, and doubles-up as an iTunes/ DLNA/ print-server. The DC01 is covered by a one year warranty and can be found in stores at a cost of US $149.99.

News via [Techpowerup]

Corsair TX850V2 850 Watt Power Supply Review Description: Fast forward to today and we now have the Corsair TX Version 2. The specific power supply on the bench right now is the Corsair TX850V2. On the surface, the TX850V2 differs little from its predecessor. Connector availability remains the same and if it wasn't for the sticker denoting it as a TX850V2 instead of a TX850W, you probably wouldn't know they were different. Corsair took a good look at the internals and decided to make some changes there, bringing with it improved efficiency and higher quality DC output. Read on as we take an in depth look at the Corsair TX850V2.

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Asus P8P67 LE Motherboard Review @ ITShootOut.com Description: The P8P67 LE is the baby of Asus’ extensive fullATX Sandy Bridge motherboard range. The variant we are looking at today is one of the B3 editions, meaning it doesn’t suffer from the potential SATA issue that plagued the first generation of all P67 motherboards.

Laptop makers to stop using ExpressCard slots?

Description: There are reports that some Tier-1 laptop manufacturers are considering dropping ExpressCard ports on all laptops - to reduce size and costs. ExpressCards haven't been successful and almost all laptops now include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and enough USB ports to make these modules quite unnecessary.

NVIDIA Interview: Tegra 2 and Project Denver - March 31, 2011 @Hi Tech Legion Description: Paul at HiTech Legion chats with Nick Stam, NVIDIA technical marketing director and Bruce Chan, senior PR manager of Tegra 2 to discuss the past, present and future of Tegra. With the announced Tegra roadmap outlining the creation of powerful ARM-based, multi-core, ultra low-power processors that are significantly faster than anything the tech industry could have imagined, how much will the lines be blurred between desktop and mobile computers in the future?

How far is NVIDIA willing to push the performance envelope of sub-1W computing?

Prolimatech Super Mega CPU Cooler Review @ Vortez Description: Prolimatech first came into the market with their Megahalem using a very original dual tower that came in a package the same size as other traditional tower heatsinks such as the Thermalright Ultra Extreme. It proved to be highly successful amongst enthusiasts but from our own results it failed to keep up with Thermalright's offering, its closest competitor. Moving on three years from then, Prolimatech have made tweaks to their design and are ready to take on the top coolers once again with their new ultimate Super Mega iteration, this time facing the Noctua NH-D14, Thermalright Silver Arrow and Venomous X. HIS Radeon HD 6870 IceQ X TurboX Video Card Review Description: Today we've got a fancy HD 6870 from HIS; the IceQ X TurboX. It's a bit of a tongue twister, but we're fairly sure we're going to love it as it carries that IceQ tag along with the Turbo tag, our two favorite from HIS. Before we look closer at the actual card, though, let's check out the package that HIS has got gone on. Then we'll see the IceQ cooler they're using before looking at the specifications. We'll then finally get into the performance that's on offer.

Consumer Electronics and Software news Nexus takes the click out of the computer mouse Description: The clicking sound we hear when we press a mouse button is part of the device's switching mechanism, that has also become a kind of audible comfort cushion for computer users. However, Dutch component manufacturer Nexus believes that in these days of notebook trackpads and tablet touchscreens, we no longer need the audible confirmation that a requested action has been performed – we can see it onscreen. The company has now discovered some silent switching technology and installed into a couple of its

Published by: VR-Zone

input peripherals, so that they operate without so much as a squeak.

Your mobile phone is watching you ... closely Description: While most of us know it is theoretically possible for our movements to be tracked by detecting which tower our mobile phone is connected too, it might come as a shock to see just how much of a digital footprint we leave as we go about our daily lives SteelSeries Scope Pro Gaming Glasses Review Description: The Scope Pro Gaming glasses by SteelSeries and Gunnar help reduce eye strain and fatigue while at the same time they can improve your gaming performance by reducing glare, improving contrast and enhancing detail.

Internet Explorer 9: Better Than Ever @ InsideHW Description: On 14th March, a new chapter in the neverending browser war began. In the blue, Microsoft corner, the long-awaited Internet Explorer 9 finally made its official appearance. After several months of open testing of beta versions, we got the finished product, promising high performance and a simple interface, ready to ease your work and entertainment on the web…

Google’s Music Search Engine Quietly Vanishes From The Web Description: A tipster pointed out the disappearance of the old Google Music Search landing page to us, which doesn’t necessarily mean it vanished recently, but I’ve searched everywhere for mentions of Google officially or unofficially retiring the service and have been unable to find any reports about it. I wonder if simply nobody noticed it was gone, or that my search skills or simply not what they used to be.

Symbian source code released by Nokia Description: Just to confirm with people that they’re finally done with the aging operating system, Nokia has released the source code to the latest version of Symbian to the public.

Originally a job for the Symbian Foundation, Nokia took over when the foundation closed its doors late last year. Now the code for the Symbian platform is out in the wild, as well as the SDK and build tools. Now other developers can take Symbian and pick up where Nokia left off, and hopefully they’ll be creating something new in the process – maybe a heavily modified, homebrew version of Symbian that would make even Android and iOS users want to use? (Although highly unlikely) What we do know is that Nokia is finally saying goodbye to Symbian as it prepares itself for the arrival of Windows Phone on their hardware. Bad news for the Symbian devices coming out later this year though – when people find out there’s no more love for the operating system from the parent company, will they even be bothered to give those new Symbian phones a shot?

Pentax NC mirrorless camera spotted with vintage design Description: Corroborating earlier rumors surrounding a mirrorless Pentax camera, several press photos have finally surfaced. The images are tied to the model NC-1, which is said to represent one of the smallest mirrorless cameras to arrive on the market, while the company is also alleged to be working on a second mirrorless system with a larger build.

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Angry Birds Rio for Android @ TestFreaks Description: The birds are back! This time our fine feathered friends are traveling to Rio to rescue their fellow birds who are being held captive by smugglers. Today the Amazon Appstore for Android was unveiled and with it the release of the newest version of everyone’s favorite way to pass the time called Angry Birds Rio. I figured I would take a quick look at it for you, it’s certainly worth getting I think.

Nintendo 3DS vs Smartphone Gaming: Which Wins?

Description: Nintendo has released the 3DS, the next generation of its mobile gaming console and successor to the immensely popular DS, at an interesting time for mobile gaming, adding 3-D capability, better graphics and a 3-D camera to the proven dual-screen format of the Nintendo DS. Crysis 2 Review for PC Description: Crysis. The game that made mainstream rigs come to a cripple back in 2007. Its lush graphics and physics that boast “realism” remains as a visual and performance benchmark for today’s games and hardware. We find out if Crysis 2 is worth the bang for the buck for the hardcore gamer in you.

In addition to those changes, Gigabyte has also added a Marvell 88SE9172 SATA 6Gbps RAID controller which we're not familiar with and that doesn't appear on Marvell's website.

On top of that we gave a pair of Etron EJ168 USB 3.0 host controllers which means you get two rear ports as well as two front ports via an internal USB 3.0 header. Finally a VIA FireWire controller has been added, a feature missing on the P67A-UD3

Gigabyte quietly launches the P67X series of motherboards Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-quietly-launches-the-p67xseries-of-motherboards/11789.html April 5th, 2011

Although Gigabyte showed off one of its P67X motherboards at CeBIT in the beginning of March, that board has as yet to turn up, but the company has quietly added a couple of other boards from its P67X series to its website. The two models are the P67X-UD3 and P76X-UD3R, both of course using the B3 stepping chipset.

Although Gigabyte showed off one of its P67X motherboards at CeBIT in the beginning of March, that board has as yet to turn up, but the company has quietly added a couple of other boards from its P67X series to its website. The two models are the P67X-UD3 and P76X-UD3R, both of course using the B3 stepping chipset.

The PWM heatsink appears to have shrunk a little bit though and gone is the blue streak of colour found on the P67A-UD3.

Finally the colour of most of the rear ports has changed from black to red for some reason and we can't really figure out why.

Still, it might make them easier to see under a dark desk, but it's the only thing we can think of that would make any sense.

As for the P67X-UD3R we're looking at Gigabyte's new black PCB and all of the changes done to the P67X-UD3 are carried over here too. In fact, the only difference we can see between the two boards is a different PWM design for the P67X-UD3R going up from six to 10 phases and it's apparently using Driver MOSFETs, something the P67-UD3 appears to be lacking.

Again we're missing the blue colour highlights on the heatsinks of the P67A-UD3R and it also appears like Gigabyte went with a pair of smaller PWM heatsinks on the P67X-UD3R.

So what makes these boards different from the P67A series?

Well, from what we can tell there are some small but important changes as well as one rather odd one. Comparing the P67XUD3 to the P67A-UD3 the most visual change is a much larger heatsink on the chipset and also a relocation of the chipset position on the motherboard away from the PCI Express x16 slots. This has also lead to the SATA ports being moved to the front of the PCB and they're now angled at 90 degrees.

We can't really see anyone not picking a P67X over a P67A board; unless the P67X are a lot more expensive, but we have a feeling it won't be the case despite the extra features. What 16

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we don't understand is why Gigabyte is offering two very similar SKUs that will compete directly with each other. We're still waiting for the P67X-UD4 which showed up at CeBIT, but we're sure it'll arrive soon enough and it might even get accompanied by more X series boards from Gigabyte.

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is that MSI has gone for a different rear port layout that the Sapphire card of which pictures appeared earlier this week.

Is Google making an app that would identify people's faces?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/is-google-making-an-app-that-wouldidentify-people-s-faces-/11787.html April 5th, 2011

Today's news story comes from CNN, which released a story claiming that Google is developing an application able to identify people's faces. It is only natural that Google... ...has the technical capability to perform such a feat but most people remain sceptical and rightfully fear for their privacy.

CNN reports that "Google is working on a mobile application that would allow users to snap pictures of people's faces in order to access their personal information, a director for the project said this week." and of course Google claims that "We recognize that Google has to be extra careful when it comes to these [privacy] issues. Face recognition we will bring out once we have acceptable privacy models in place."

We fear to think what kind of new "trend" Google's "Faces App" might become; people taking pictures of your face at any random encounter and then "Googling" for your personal data (which include your e-mail and phone number) could prove to be dangerous, especially for younger people and females.

Exclusive pictures of MSI's Radeon HD 6790

We presume MSI will offer a couple of different versions and the pictures we have are of the most basic model which we believe will be called the R6790-2PM2D1GD5 going by MSI's standard naming scheme. We'd also expect to see an OC version at some stage and maybe even a Cyclone or Twin Frozr II version. MSI has gone for a high-end rear I/O layout with a pair of DVI ports, a pair of mini DisplayPorts and an HDMI port. The cooler features three heatpipes and is of the same design as MSI uses on a couple of its Radeon HD 6850 cards.

You'll of course get a copy of MSI's afterburner overclocking software bundled with the card, but what we can't quite make out from the rendered box shot is what the free bundle is, but it appears to be some kind of adapter or something, possibly a mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter. The card is "limited" to driving four displays at once, but this is unlikely to be an issue for anyone considering this card.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-pictures-of-msi-s-radeonhd-6790/11786.html April 5th, 2011

Details of AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 6790 cards have been leaking all week and now VR-Zone can offer you the first pictures of MSI's upcoming card based on the new GPU. We don't have too many details on hand, but what we do know is that MSI has gone for a different rear port layout that the Sapphire card of which pictures appeared earlier this week.

Details of AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 6790 cards have been leaking all week and now VR-Zone can offer you the first pictures of MSI's upcoming card based on the new GPU. We don't have too many details on hand, but what we do know

As for the specifications, well, we're expect this to be a stock card so expect the GPU to be clocked at 840MHz, the memory at 4.2GHz effectively, 800 shaders, 40 texture units, 32 ROPs and a 256-bit memory interface. AMD is said to be launching the Radeon HD 6790 series on the 5th of April for a price of between S$220-260. For more detailed specifications, head

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over to Nordic Hardware for a full breakdown as well as pictures of Sapphire's card.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc Review: Super slim smartphone with great multimedia experience Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-xperia-arc-review-superslim-smartphone-with-great-multimedia-experience/11775.html April 5th, 2011

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CPU Memory Screen Graphics Display Resolution Connectivity

Expansion Slot Battery life Talk time It was only last week when we attended the Sony Ericsson media event whereby the company showcased the Xperia Arc, Xperia Neo and Xperia Play Android smartphones. And today, the Xperia Arc is officially retailing in stores. So how good is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc? Read on.

Platform Dimensions Weight

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc Qualcomm MSM 8255 1 GHz Scorpion Internal phone: 320MB 4.2-inches (FWVGA) 854 x 480 8.1-MP camera w/ auto focus, LED flash 3.5mm audio, microUSB, 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth 2.1 w/A2DP, aGPS. HDMI microSD up to 32GB 1500mAh rechargeable Lithium-ion Up to 400 hour standby time; Up to 420 min talk time Android 2.3 Gingerbread 125 x 63 x 8.7mm 117g

Latest OS X Lion developer preview features new 'About This Mac' windows Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/latest-os-x-lion-developer-previewfeatures-new-about-this-mac-windows/11783.html April 5th, 2011

Sony Ericsson is perhaps one of the few phone manufacturers who is offering their products on a single platform (Google Android), seeing the company has chosen to drop Symbian OS late last year. In 2010, the company introduced their flagship Xperia X10 smartphone which was widely received in countries including Japan, though one complaint was that the phone was preinstalled with a not-so-new Android 1.6 when other smartphones that were launched were getting Android 2.1. (In case you didn't know, a lot of apps including Angry Birds can only run on Android 2.1 and above). Although the Android 2.1 update came later, it looks like the company was playing catch-up than being one of the leaders to offer the products with the latest Android OS. But this year, the manufacturer has caught up with the pack as it is one of the first companies to offer their new range of Xperia phones with the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread mobile operating system. For this review, Sony Ericsson sent us the Xperia Arc which claims to be the ultimate smartphone with super-slim design and uses Sony's state-of-the-art technology.

Before we go on, here's a look at the specifications of the Xperia Arc.

With OS X Lion well on schedule for its eventual release, it will be of little surprise that the occasional screenshot leak of Apple's upcoming operating system will eventually start making its rounds around the depths on cyverspace. Indeed, the latest leaks seem to indicate that certain features in Lion will now be presented in what we would possibly call a 'new look'.

When it comes to creating user interface, it is probably a safe bet to say that no one makes them like Apple does, and for good reason. After all, it is hard to for most people to fathom how hiding features and options is supposed to result in a more user-friendly interface that empowers the user into making well-informed decisions when navigating around their computers, and yet Apple has somehow managed to pull it off.

Of course, this trend is all set to carry on in Apple's next iteration of the OS X operating system, and early developer builds, along with mockup screenshots seems to reinforce 18

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that fact. And with the latest developer build now reportedly being made available, it seems that Apple's obsession for flashy, graphics-heavy user interfaces is even being extended to windows as mundane as the 'About This Mac' information window. Gone are the days of staring at a tiny window that informs users about their Mac's processor, OS version and serial numbers: that information has been given a makeover.

Granted, the new About This Mac window definitely looks way more prettier than the way its information was presented to users in pre-Lion versions of OS X, but we could not help but feel that this change is only going to appeal to the average Joe and not your typical tech enthusiast or IT support personnel, both of whom are more inclined towards seeing that information presented in simple text entries.

Published by: VR-Zone April 5th, 2011

Today is clearly a bad time for any companies to release any legit press releases or information as they could easily be taken as April Fools' Day jokes, pranks or hoaxes. Anyway, here are some of the tech pranks we roundup for some good laughs we hope. *Constantly updated*

Probably this April Fools' Day prank from Razer will take the top spot for now. Razer released a high precision biomechatrioc exoskeleton called the "Talon" that boost your actions-per-minute (APM) from a 100 for a typical gamer to 3000! According to Razer, this thing will learn your primary mouse and keyboard actions and will take over and begin to execute your actions at a lighting fast pace. No wallhacks or any cheating software is needed anymore. That's what i call the ultimate unfair advantage over your opponents especially in FPS and RPG games. Last but not least, it comes with complimentary Razer Snake Oil that lubricates intense friction coming out of those insane speed. It doubles up as sunscreen and pheromone enhancer too. Check out more here.

Furthermore, considering that the information listed on the windows shown above are anything but end-user comprehensible (most people won't even know that DDR3 memory sticks come in different speeds, nor do they need to), it seems that these changes are only there to let OS X users enjoy the fact that their system specifications are presented in nicer looking windows than their Windows-using counterparts.

Source and images: Ars Technica

April Fools' Day Tech Pranks Roundup Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/april-fools-day-tech-pranksroundup/11785.html

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Published by: VR-Zone

teamed up closely with SandForce and has run G.Skill Phoenix EVO through a wide range of rigorous tests with the latest firmware. All Phoenix EVO drives only use strictly selected original flash chips from key suppliers to guarantee the top reliability and stability.

G.Skill Unveils Phoenix EVO 115GB SSD Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/g.skill-unveils-phoenix-evo-115gbssd/11784.html April 5th, 2011

G.Skill today announces its new Phoenix EVO SSD using SandForce SF-1222 controller and 2xnm NAND flash chips.

The Phoenix EVO drive contains 115GB with rated speed of read/write 280/270 MB/sec, and will be available via G.Skill authorized distribution partners in early April.

Although 2xnm based Phoenix EVO requires more overprovisioning space and less performance comparing with G.Skill current 3xnm based Phoenix Pro drive, it certainly is a great choice for cost effectiveness and delivers a positive impact on affordability for the customer. On the other hand, all G.Skill Phoenix Pro drives still use only 3xnm flash ICs to guarantee the consistency of rated performance and capacity.

“The performance benchmark of G.Skill Phoenix EVO is listed on G.Skill official website. With the information transparency, consumers can easily choose the right product according to their desire and budget” said Wales Tsai, the G.Skill SSD product manager.

G.Skill Phoenix EVO SSD comes with 3 years warranty and the G.Skill technical team is always ready to provide consumers with complete technical support via online forums, telephone and email.

Taipei, Taiwan 1st April 2011 - G.Skill International Co. Ltd., manufacturer of extreme performance memory and solid-state storage with solid quality, today announces its new Phoenix EVO SSD, utilizing the performance leading controller SandForce SF-1222 and high quality 2xnm NAND flash chips. The Phoenix EVO drive contains 115GB with rated speed of read/write 280/270 MB/sec, and will be available via G.Skill authorized distribution partners in early April.

Keeping pace with the flash manufacturers’ transition from 3xnm to 2xnm, G.Skill has utilized 2xnm flash chips for its award winning SSD, Phoenix family. To ensure the best performance and reliability during the transition, G.Skill has

AFOX leaks news of unreleased NVIDIA GT530 graphics card Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/afox-leaks-news-of-unreleased-nvidiagt530-graphics-card/11782.html April 5th, 2011

If this was an early April Fool's joke, chances are that NVIDIA is not going to be very amused about it. And if it were the real deal, we can see even more reason for NVIDIA to initiate 'panic mode' and attempting to cover up the news soon.

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Apparently, a Hong Kong manufacturer of enthusiast-grade hardware known as AFOX has leaked in spectacular fashion information about an unheard-of GT530 graphics card. Truth or hoax? You decide.

Poor NVIDIA just cannt seem to break away from its recent string of bad luck lately. Barely a few days after news broke about the company's recently launched GTX590 graphics card catching fire and going up in a puff of smoke when using press drivers, up comes another issue for the GPU processor manufacturer's PR team to deal with.

Apparently, a Hong Kong-based AIC known as AFOX which specializes in enthusiast-grade hardware such as motherboards and graphics cards has gained a large amount of global attention over details of a certain NVIDIA GT530 graphics card posted on its website. Now, this would not have been a problem until one takes into consideration the fact that the GT530 is an unheard-of GPU...until now, that is.

To further rub salt to NVIDIA's wounds, AFOX has also released a detailed list of the GT530's specifications, as shown below:

Needless to say, news of this supposed leak on AFOX's part has gotten the enthusiast community all excited about a potential entry-level GPU from NVIDIA. However, as NVIDIA has not released any official statements confirming or rejecting the existence of such a card, along with the fact that hackers have yet to find any reference to such a card in NVIDIA's driver strings, we'd advise readers to take this information with a pinch of salt until more information is forthcoming.

Microsoft Windows 8 to come with backup feature similar to OS X's Time Machine?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-windows-8-to-come-withbackup-feature-similar-to-os-x-s-time-machine-/11781.html April 5th, 2011

When it comes to restoring one's PC to an earlier state, there are usually two main methods of going about it, with each method being specific to the kind of operating system 21

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being used on the machine. However, leave it to Microsoft to improve on its restoration solutions for the upcoming Windows 8: rumour has it that the Redmond giant is planning to take system restoration to a more user friendly level...by making it similar to Apple's Time Machine.

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Last but definitely not least, leaked screenshots of the test builds of Windows 8 have already surfaced online, courtesy of Russian website Winreview.ru:

Once in a while, we get so carried away with our PCs that we accidently do something to it that necessitates a complete system restoration, either to an earlier restore point or to a completely clean factory image. And for the most part, there are usually two known methods for doing so, each specific to the user's operating system. Windows users will undoubtedly be aware of the OS's built-in System Restore feature, while OS X users will swear by Time Machine.

While most people will be quite hard pressed to deny that Windows' System Restore function is usually capable of fufilling its intended tasks, the same cannot be said about its usability. After all, System Restore does not have its own dedicated user interface to make backups and restoration easier; as such, non tech-savvy users are more inclined to ignore the feature altogether rather than spend time learning how to master it. And it is this situation which Microsoft is seemingly aiming to nip with the new Windows 8, for the rumour mill has churned out news that the upcoming version of Windows will sport a backup and restoration feature similar to that of OS X's Time Machine.

Of course, with the information about the new Time Machineesque feature being nothing more than a rumour right now, there are virtually no details about what this feature will be named in the final build of Windows 8. However, ITmedia is speculating that the new feature will allow for the automatic backup of a user's content on a regular basis, as such, this will allow for the restoration of both the system state and the user's personal content, of which the latter is not available in the typical System Restore feature.

In other news, Microsoft has reportedly started offering test versions of Windows 8 to developers, but adventurous users would do well to avoid downloading these builds due to the fact that these copies can only be activated with a single-use code. In theory, this measure will prevent such test builds from leaking onto BitTorrent, as most downloaders will be unable to activate the operating system.

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Chinese company rips off PopCap's Plants vs Zombies game

Published by: VR-Zone

in its report that it has contacted PopCap Games, with the latter claiming that it has never granted ShunXiang Technology any permission to use the game's title, characters or artwork.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/chinese-company-rips-off-popcap-splants-vs-zombies-game/11780.html April 5th, 2011

Is there anything that the Chinese cannot clone? Well, apparently not, especially when you are talking about a country which has been known to rip off just about anything they can get their hands on. And in the latest instance of blatant disregard for copyrights, a Chinese company has seemingly raised the bar by performing a near-complete rip off of PopCap's popular Plants vs Zombies game.

Plants vs Zombies. Most of us would have played that game at least once during the past few years since it was launched, right? After all, simple as it may be, the game always seems to have some weird appeal that keep s drawing people back to it every once a while, especially when said gamers feel the need to take down some zombies without having to deal with the blood and gore found in most zombie-themed games.

Unfortunately, it seems that PopCap Games is also starting to realize that the popularity of its titles also means that the games it publishes are prime targets for theft and clones, and what a particular company in China did recently probably has to take the cake where theft of copyrighted materials are concerned. Apparently, this company, known as ShunXiang Technology, has released an arcade version of Plants vs Zombies, which, at first glance, appears to be nothing more than a complete rip off of the original PopCap title.

Just like the original title, this version of Plants vs Zombies plays exactly like PopCap Games' version, although it comes with a few minor differences. While the original title was a single-player game, the arcade version allows for up to four players taking part in some friendly zombie carnage, and the character artwork appears to slightly different.

However, these minor differences are not going to change the fact that ShunXiang Technology's version is an unauthorized derivative of the original. Indeed, Game163.com has claimed 23