VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! by VR Media Pte. Ltd.

May 3rd, 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.

Seagate announces 1TB per platter hard drives Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/seagate-announces-1tb-per-platterhard-drives/12046.html May 3rd, 2011

If you've been waiting for a triple-platter 3TB hard drive, then we have good news, your wait is over as Seagate has as the first hard drive manufacturers announced 1TB per platter drives. The new Barracuda XT series will the home for the new 347GB per square inch 1TB platter disks. If you've been waiting for a triple-platter 3TB hard drive, then we have good news, your wait is over as Seagate has as the first hard drive manufacturers announced 1TB per platter drives. The new Barracuda XT series will the home for the new 347GB per square inch 1TB platter disks. The Barracuda XT series does of course feature SATA 6Gbps interface, 64MB of cache, a 7,200rpm spin speed and all the usual features you'd find on a modern high-end hard drive. Seagate claims a sustained data transfer of 138MB/s with a random read seek time of 8.5ms. Hardly impressive compared to modern SSDs, but bear in mind that the largest model can store a massive 3TB.

Seagate is asking for $299.99 (S$369) for the 3TB version, while the two platter 2TB is priced at $199.99 (S$246). Seagate also announced that it will have a 1.5TB and 1TB version of the Barracuda XT, although no pricing was announced. Retail pricing is already a lot lower than Seagate's asking price and we've spotted the 3TB drive for $229.99 (S$283) and the 2TB model for $159.99 (S$197), although the difference is that the drives Seagate sells directly comes bundled with a SATA cable, a power splitter, mounting screws and some software. That said, we don't really think that's worth the extra money compared to buying a bare drive, but even the retail kits can be had for a lot less than the MSRP.

Razer Goliathus Mouse Mat Redesigned and Reinforced Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/razer-goliathus-mouse-matredesigned-and-reinforced/12045.html May 3rd, 2011

Razer announces that the Razer Goliathus has been redesigned and reinforced with a dense, anti-fraying and long-lasting stitched frame. Price: Omega – US $14.99 / EU €14.99, Standard – US $19.99 / EU €19.99, Alpha – US $24.99 / EU €24.99, Extended – US $34.99 / EU €34.99. Availability: May 2011 Full Press Release

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

With its anti-fraying stitched frame, the edges last longer, giving you the freedom to tear your opponent to shreds, and not your mouse mat. Price: Omega – US $14.99 / EU €14.99 Standard – US $19.99 / EU €19.99 Alpha – US $24.99 / EU €24.99 Extended – US $34.99 / EU €34.99 Availability: Carlsbad, Calif. – 3 May, 2011 – Razer, the world’s leading high-end precision gaming brand, is proud to announce that the Razer Goliathus has been redesigned and reinforced to ensure your soft mouse mat swiping experience is more hardcore than ever before.

Razerzone.com – May 2011 Worldwide – May 2011 Product Features: Heavily textured weave for maximum mouse control

Maintaining the same well-loved, speed-enhancing and control-precise features, the redesigned Razer Goliathus mouse mat delivers maximum performance to propel you to gaming stardom. Now imbued with a dense, anti-fraying and long-lasting stitched frame, your mouse mat stays sharp for consistent tournament ownage. “The only thing wearing down should be your enemy,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President Razer USA. “The Razer Goliathus is our pride and joy when it comes to soft mats, designed with professional gaming-validated weaves for an exceptional mouse swiping experience. Now with anti-fray edges, you can go forth and frag even harder, worry-free.” About the Razer Goliathus Control Edition Mouse Mat:

Anti-fraying stitched frame extends mat durability Pixel-precise targeting and tracking Rubber base for a secure grip on smooth surfaces Mat Dimensions (mm) Space-efficient (Omega): 270 x 215 x 3 Mid-sized (Standard): 355 x 254 x3 Large-sized (Alpha): 444 x 355 x 3 Desktop Length (Extended): 920 x 294 x 3

MSI's 990FX and 970 chipset boards make brief European appearance Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-s-990fx-and-970-chipset-boardsmake-brief-european-appearance/12044.html May 3rd, 2011

The Razer Goliathus Control Edition gaming-grade mouse mat takes your mouse’s superb precision up a notch by having it matched with the mat’s specially textured weave capable of registering even the smallest of movements. This gives gamers an unprecedented level of targeting and tracking accuracy, while maintaining a perfectly controllable yet consistent glide.

Details of three of MSI's upcoming AM3+ motherboards have appeared on a European price comparison website and some of the specifications of three different models have turned up. On top of that we now know what these three models will cost, at least in Euroland and for what it's worth, the boards seem to be pretty competitively priced, especially against Intel based motherboards. Details of three of MSI's upcoming AM3+ motherboards have appeared on a European price comparison website and some of the specifications of three different models have turned up. On top of that we now know what these three models will cost, 2

May 3rd, 2011

at least in Euroland and for what it's worth, the boards seem to be pretty competitively priced, especially against Intel based motherboards. Starting from the bottom we have the 970A-G45 which should be one of the more basic AM3+ boards from MSI with the 900series chipset. As the name gives away, this board sports the AMD 970 northbridge and the SB950 southbridge. The board has two PCI Express x16 slots, although as far as we're aware, the 970 chipset doesn't support split PCI Express lanes, so we'd guess the second x16 slot only has four lanes worth of bandwidth. There are also two PCI Express x1 slots and two PCI slots. As with the SB850, the SB950 supports six SATA 6Gbps ports and various RAID modes. Around the back we're apparently looking at six USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1-channel audio, but that's all we know so far. Internal connectors are meant to add two more USB 3.0 ports and another six USB 3.0 ports. Sadly we don't have any pictures of any of the boards, so we can only go with what's been listed by the price comparison site. Cost wise the 970A-G45 is listed at €82.10 (S$159) in Germany. Next up we have the 990FX-GD65 which again as the name gives away is based on the 990FX northbridge and again the SB950 southbridge. This board has two full PCI Express x16 slots, three PCI Express x1 slots and two PCI slots. Again we're looking at six SATA 6Gbps ports with RAID support. The rear I/O is the same, with two USB 3.0 ports, six USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1-channel audio. Internally the board has pin headers for four additional USB 2.0 ports, but we have a feeling there will be at least one for a pair of additional USB 3.0 ports as well. This board is listed at €124.43 (S$227), again in Germany. Finally we have the 990FX-GD80 which is the top of the range board and it too has the 990FX/SB950 chipset setup. However, this board has no less than four x16 slots and we'd dare to wager that when all are in use they operate at x8 mode. There's also a pair of PCI Express x1 slot and a single PCI slot. Once again we have six SATA 6Gbps ports with RAID support, although at least this time around we know that there's support for two internal USB 3.0 ports, as well as four USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire port. Around the back we're looking at two USB 3.0 ports, six USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1-channel audio. This is also the most expensive of the three boards at €171.97 (S$314). We did find a fourth model as well, the 990FX-GD70, but we haven't managed to track down any kind of specifications for this model. However, we did find a price and it ends up between the GD65 and GD80 price wise, much as expected, at €158.13 (S$288). So far it looks like MSI has a pretty decent line-up of AM3+ boards coming and we'll make sure to bring you all the detail of the new boards from Computex, if not before.

Biostar's TZ68A+ motherboard leaks ahead of launch

Published by: VR-Zone May 3rd, 2011

These days there are four major Taiwanese motherboard makers and then we have Biostar and Jetway somewhere down the bottom-end of the market. That said, Biostar has had some success with the overclocking crowd and now details of its first Z68 based motherboard and although we can't say that this is a board we'd rush out to buy. These days there are four major Taiwanese motherboard makers and then we have Biostar and Jetway somewhere down the bottom-end of the market. That said, Biostar has had some success with the overclocking crowd and now details of its first Z68 based motherboard and although we can't say that this is a board we'd rush out to buy. The TZ68A+ is so for the most spartan Z68 we've seen to date. In fact, we have a feeling we won't see another Z68 board that has so few features from anyone else. That said, we're hopefully looking at a really affordable Z68 board and it should be more than adequate for most users. On a brighter note, Biostar has at least added a trio of display connectors around the back which consists of an HDMI, DVI and VGA port. The only other ports around the back is a PS/2 port, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports (via an ASMedia host controller), a Gigabit Ethernet port and three audio jacks for 5.1-channel audio. The board layout is pretty clean if somewhat uninspiring with a pair of x16 PCI Express slots where the second one is a x4 slot rather than being a switchable slot, a single x1 PCI Express slot and two PCI slots. To Biostar's defence this does at least mean there are no blocked slots, nor any shared bandwidth from the chipset, so anything you plug in will work as intended without on-board features being disabled. The board has the standard four SATA 3Gbps and two SATA 6Gbps ports, but these are sadly not angled, although it's not likely that any of them will be blocked by an add-in card. The board also has a power and reset button, oddly high-end features on what is otherwise looking like a fairly basic board. There are also three headers for an additional six USB 2.0 ports, as well as a serial and parallel port header on the board. One of the more disappointing features, or lack thereof, is the fact that Biostar has only fitted a single 4-pin PWM fan header and it's for the CPU fan and even so there are only two other fan headers on the board which seem stingy. The power regulation circuitry is also very basic which what appears to be a 4+1phase design. In as much as this is good enough, it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the overclocking potentials for this board. Still, at the end of the day, it all comes down to cost and this better be a cheap board is it's not going to do well.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/biostar-s-tz68a-motherboard-leaksahead-of-launch/12043.html

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

ONFI 3.0 forces Intel to move to BGA NAND packaging Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/onfi-3.0-forces-intel-to-move-to-bganand-packaging/12023.html May 3rd, 2011

If you've ever seen a picture of an opened SSD or the inside of an SD card, you'll have noticed that the NAND Flash chips used are of the TSOP (Thin Small-Outline Package) variety, i.e. an oblong chip with small pins of the short ends. TSOP is a fairly standard packaging for a wide range of computer ICs, but it seems like more advanced technology will soon see it passed into the history books as far as NAND Flash is concerned. If you've ever seen a picture of an opened SSD or the inside of an SD card, you'll have noticed that the NAND Flash chips used are of the TSOP (Thin Small-Outline Package) variety, i.e. an oblong chip with small pins of the short ends. TSOP is a fairly standard packaging for a wide range of computer ICs, but it seems like more advanced technology will soon see it passed into the history books as far as NAND Flash is concerned. According to Intel's NAND Flash roadmaps we're looking at a move towards BGA (Ball Grid Array) packaging as TSOP isn't advanced enough to handle the higher speeds required by new NAND Flash interfaces such as ONFI 3.0 (Open NAND Flash Interface). As such, all of Intel's enterprise level NAND Flash is already being transitioned to BGA packaging, both SLC and MLC products. For now the consumer (Intel refers to it as client) end of the market remains at TSOP as it's far cheaper to produce, but we'd expect things to look different come next year.

It's possible that by the time that Intel moves to ONFI 3.0 for its lower-end NAND Flash products we'll see an entirely different kind of packaging used for the NAND Flash, something that's a bit more affordable than BGA. Cost is of the essence and Intel knows that, but with increasing demands for faster NAND Flash the chip makers don't have a choice but to move to faster NAND Flash interfaces such as ONFI 3.0 which offers chip level speeds of up to 400MB/s. Intel's current products use a DDR-200 interface, while ONFI 3.0 uses an NV-DDR2 interface which has been designed to work better with NAND Flash. It's just a shame that in the SSD market space it's the enterprise section that gets the fast new toys to play with first and not the consumers, but if you have enough cash, you could always splash out on some enterprise grade hardware for home.

Gigabyte's Z68X-UD5 and Z68X-UD4 motherboards detailed Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-s-z68x-ud5-and-z68x-ud4motherboards-detailed/12042.html May 3rd, 2011

We're definitely getting close to the launch of Intel's Z68 chipset and more details of Gigabyte's upcoming boards have turned up on the internet. Not only have we found pricing of the three high-end boards, but the Z68X-UD5 and Z68X-UD4 have been given a thorough going over in a detailed preview, of course without benchmarks as Intel don't condone benchmark figures ahead of a launch. Intel is planning to move its 20nm NAND Flash SLC and MLC products to ONFI 3.0 towards the end of this year, but as you can see from the slide, this is likely to be its enterprise products. That said, the same roadmap also has a 20nm ONFI 2.2 product on it, but this is likely to also be a TSOP package. Intel is also looking at increasing the capacity per chip in the enterprise NAND chips, but the consumer level products remains at the same capacity, at least for now.

May 3rd, 2011

The Z68X-UD5 is pretty much the same motherboard as the P67A-UD5 with the exception of the chipset of course. In fact, the boards are so similar that if it wasn't for the red ports around the back on the Z68X-UD5 and the silk screen on the board with the model name, we wouldn't be able to tell the two boards apart. If this is a good or a bad thing is a matter of what you're after in terms of features, but it's pretty clear that there's no real reason to get the P67A-UD5 any more, especially as the price difference appear to be minimal. In fact, the Z68X-UD5 has already appeared on an Australian online retailer priced at AU$319 (S$427) and the same company stocks the P67A-UD5 for AU$305 (S$408). In as much as this is a price premium, we're sure it won't last for long.

Published by: VR-Zone

At the rear the Z68X-UD4 has a PS/2 port, seven USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one eSATAp (USB/eSATA combo with power), one eSATA, a Gigabit Ethernet port, FireWire port and 7.1-channel audio with optical and coaxial S/PDIF out. The same Australian retailer is listing this board for a pretty affordable AU$239 (S$320) which looks like a much better deal compared to the Z68X-UD5, despite the somewhat peculiar board layout and lack of one expansion slot that might not be to everyone's liking. For those of you that are looking at going for the high-end Z68X-UD7 we can let you know that the price of this board is AU$399 (S$534), once again from the same Australian retailer. We'd expect these boards to be slightly cheaper in the US of course and it's worth keeping in mind that the US dollar is now worth less than the Australian dollar. For detailed pictures of all three board models, hit the link below. More pictures: Lab501

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 3 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--3may-2011/12038.html May 3rd, 2011

The Z68X-UD4 on the other hand is nothing like the P67AUD4, instead this looks like the P67X-UD4 which was shown off at CeBIT but never launched. We can't say we're overly keen on the board layout, as Gigabyte has made a few peculiar choices here. For starters the 16-phase VRM is taking up an unusual amount of space on the PCB and this means you end up losing the first expansion slot. The slot layout consists of a pair of x16 slots in a dual x8 configuration when both are used, two x1 PCI Express slots and two PCI slots. On the other hand, the Z68X-UD4 has an additional two SATA 6Gbps ports beyond the two supplied by the Intel chipset, which is also two more than the Z68X-UD5 which seems very odd. Gigabyte has also fitted a pair of Etron USB 3.0 host controllers to the board, rather than using VLI USB 3.0 hubs and a single Renesas chip as per the Z68X-UD5. This means that you'll actually be able to get better performance out of each of the four USB 3.0 ports, although you do lose out on an additional four ports compared to the Z68X-UD5.

In today's news roundup: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 590 gets pitted against AMD's Radeon HD 6990 to determine which company's hardware is capable of offering the better tripledisplay gaming experience; AMD's Phenom-II X4-980 BE processor gets reviewed; Apple has updated its iMac line of all-in-one PCs to include Intel's Sandy Bridge platform, new graphics cards and the recently announced Thunderbolt port; RIM's latest BlackBerry 7 OS has been confirmed to lack legacy support, which means that older BlackBerry handsets have officially reached a dead end with regards to software updates; Videos of Atelier Meruru's prologue and parts of the title's gameplay has started showing up on major video streaming sites such as Youtube, and Rumour has it that Nintendo is ready to launch a 'Wii Select' line of heavily discounted bestselling titles for its video game console. Hardware news SandForce SF-2141 Controller & Intel Z68 Chipset: Destined to be Together? Description: Today we are going to play a brief game of connect the dots with information that is publically available. We are going to mix two parts of facts and one part speculation. The pinch of speculation has been verified by two sources and in the media world that gives it enough validity to 'go to print' so to speak. The overall picture will be a little cloudy, but I think enough of a silhouette will pass through to give us a close representation of what's to come. The good ole' "Things That Might Be Happening, but What Do I Know? Triple Monitor Gaming: GeForce GTX 590 vs. Radeon HD 6990 Description: By utilizing three monitors games can become roughly 3x more demanding as the graphics card is required to 5

May 3rd, 2011

render an overwhelmingly higher number of pixels. Whereas we commonly test graphics cards at single monitor resolutions of 1680x1050 (22”), 1920x1200 (24”) and 2560x1600 (30”), today we are taking these and adding two more LCD monitors for effective resolutions of 5040x1050, 5760x1200 and 7680x1600. AMD Phenom-II X4-980 BE Processor @ Benchmark Reviews Description: As is common with AMD CPUs, the next in the Phenom-II X4 Black Edition series is being released; the Phenom-II X4-980BE HDZ980FBK4DGM. The X4-980BE will take over as AMDs flagship quad-core processor and guess what, it is 100MHz faster than the current quad-core king at 3.7GHz. Without surprise the Phenom-II X4-980BE will be released at the same price the X4-975BE was released in January 2011 with an MSRP of $195. And because we are just that reliable, Benchmark Reviews is here to give you the run down on the Phenom-II X4-980BE to show you how it stacks up against its younger brothers and the similarly priced (though slightly more expensive) Core i5-2500K. Gigabyte H67A-UD3H ATX Review @ OCIA.net Description: The majority of users that select an H67equipped board do so to take advantage of Intel HD graphics built into Sandy Bridge processors and thus, won't be using a high-end graphics card or really any other add-in cards. Builds where a Micro ATX board would be suitable include home theater PCs and small form factor builds where a small footprint is needed. A quick check at Newegg revealed only three full size ATX H67 boards, one of them being the board we are taking a look at today, the Gigabyte GA-H67A-UD3H. HIS Radeon HD 6790 1GB IceQ X Turbo Video Card Review Description: Just before the launch of the HD 6790, HIS emailed us and asked if we wanted to get a sample of the normal version, or if we were happy to wait a couple of extra weeks for the IceQ X Turbo one. Since we had a reference clocked card already on the way and the IceQ X and Turbo series being two great ones, it was a no brainer and we chose to wait. Well, the card finally arrived and we got a chance to put it through its paces to see what this new mid-range card was able to offer. Being part of the IceQ X and Turbo series means we've got both an upgraded cooler and an overclock on offer. Antec KUHLER H2O 920 Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler Review Description: Since I caught wind of the H2O 620, I assumed the "fat radiator" version was already in the works. Why not keep up with the Jones' if you are already basically mimicking a product already on the shelf is my take, and I was right, well, sort of. Antec did release the thicker radiator design with the 920 moniker, and we are about to take an up close look at not only the cooler, but the software that comes shipped along with this new cooler from Antec. Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 850W Power Supply Review @ Real World Labs Description: The latest addition in Thermaltake’s ToughPower series called the Grand comes with an 80 Plus Gold Certification, high quality components, rock solid rail stability, elegant design and a rich bundle. ASUS Maximus IV Extreme P67 Motherboard Review @Hi Tech Legion

Published by: VR-Zone

Description: The ASUS Maximus IV Extreme is the latest Republic of Gamers motherboard for the Intel socket 1155 mainstream platform. The ASUS Maximus IV Extreme features an updated sleek heatsink design, Extreme Engine DIGI+, DDR3-2200 (OC) support and 3-way SLI/CFX. The Maximus IV Extreme also boasts a wealth of overclocking options, including onboard debugging tools and switches as well as remote overclocking controls via Bluetooth devices or through a laptop. In order to achieve 3-way SLI/CFX support, the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme is equipped with an NVIDIA NF200 chip located where the Northbridge is typically placed. The new B3 version of the Maximus IV Extreme has 10 USB 3.0 ports including two at mid-board for front panel support as well as four SATA 6Gb/s ports for high speed connectivity options. Consumer Electronics and Software news Apple updates the iMac: Thunderbolt I/O, quad-core and more Description: Apple's desktop lineup has typically pushed users requiring plenty of fast I/O towards the Mac Pro - but the latest iMac refresh has broken the tradition. While quad-core Sandy Bridge CPUs and faster ATI Radeon HD GPUs are welcomed, it's the addition of Thunderbolt ports (one in the 21.5-inch and two in the 27-inch) that really ups the ante for a number of professional users. Adobe CS5.5 Available for Download Now Description: Adobe has just broken the seal on Creative Suite 5.5, the latest installment of its design and development software. Of course, the new release brings the usual round-up of improvements and tweaks, but the fireworks in CS5.5 lie in the suite’s new HTML5 and mobile app-specific capabilities. Cooler Master NotePal Infinite Evo Duo Silent Fan Notebook Cooler Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: Cooler Master is ready to release their newest line of NotePal coolers, starting with the NotePal Infinite Evo Duo Silent Fan Notebook Cooler. The Infinite Evo adds a bit of style and high performance and an excellent price. The design uses a unique U-shape airflow method that intakes with two 80mm fans. Fans can be controlled by a speed control wheel on the side by the USB power connection. The top of the Evo is made of a high quality aluminum pad that has a sand-spray finish. It is USB powered and includes a 3 port USB 2.0/1.1 hub. There is also an ergonomic design angle for optimal viewing and typing. There is support for 12" to 17" laptops. Plantronics Gamecom X40 Xbox headset Review @ XSReviews.co.uk Description: Recently we visited Gadget Show Live 2011 and while our article on that event did quite well, this one did a lot better. Despite that however, the real highlights of the event are checking out the hardware and one company was kind enough to let us test a lot of it. Not only that, but Plantronics were such fans it seems that they plied us with their entire range of Xbox headsets. Needless to say, we had to find bigger bags. That aside though, today we test the first of this lineup, the Gamecom X40. Blackberry 7 OS abandons old handsets Description: RIM has two Blackberry smartphones on the way, under the banner of the Blackberry Bold 9900 and the 6

May 3rd, 2011

Blackberry Bold 9930. They'll sport its new OS, Blackberry 7, which will not be available as an upgrade to customers with older devices. The long-rumoured mobiles will sport an "iconic design" with a touch screen, RIM predictably says, shipping with Blackberry's new operating system, Blackberry 7. Blackberry 7 does not have legacy support so users with older handsets will be stuffed if they want to run the improved system.

Published by: VR-Zone

Joining the Intel Z68 club is MSI's Z68A-GD80. We take a peek at the features with which MSI hopes to make its board stand out from the rest. Several of the MSI Z68A-GD80's features are prominently advertised on its box, including of course the assurance that you are getting the trouble-free stepping of the chipset.

OS X Lion to bring iOS-style uninstalls for Mac apps Description: If you thought that the iOS method of uninstalling apps was awesome, you’re going to love OS X Lion. The latest developer version of the operating system revealed that it features the same uninstalling method as iOS for apps purchased from the Mac App Store. Users just click and hold onto an app’s icon, and it will start to wobble just like how it does on iOS. Then users can click on the X icon that appears on the top left corner to delete the app. Google Nexus One gets Android 2.3.4 early Description: Android 2.3.4 software for the Nexus One smartphone is now available for download as an early build that will require some bug fixes (ZIP). It will also arrive in a more finished version over the air anytime now, however. Unlike the version of the software for the Nexus S, no support exists for the Google Talk video and voice chat features.

The Z68 PCH is passively cooled, which should come as no surprise given that the TDPs of Intel's recent chipsets have all come in under 10 watts. The CPU power delivery system, on the other hand, gets a more elaborate cooling solution.

Gaming news Hector Badge of Carnage Review at PC Game Examiner Description: Hector: Badge of Carnage marks a turn for the ruder and cruder for Telltale Games. Although good for a few laughs for the boob and fart joke crowd, the game's bleak and soulless story doesn’t quite hold up to Telltale’s other offerings. Put the kids to bed before you play this one folks. Atelier Meruru Prologue and Gameplay Videos released Description: Have a look at Gust’s Atelier Meruru through this prologue and gameplay videos. The prologue which is four minute long tells the background story of of the Arland series starting from Rorona and Totori. The gameplay video shows some world exploration though there is no battle. Rumor: 'Wii Select' budget line launching this month Description: After only four and a half years, it looks like Nintendo is finally ready to introduce a line of budget titles in North America. Kotaku reports that the "Wii Select" line will launch alongside the newly discounted Wii, which is rumored to drop to $150 two weeks from now. The first titles reported to be part of the $20 lineup include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Super Sluggers and Wii Sports.

The MSI Z68A-GD80 provides 12-phase power to the CPU using MSI's DrMOS system. DrMOS uses integrated circuits that combine the MOSFET and its driver into a single chip, which MSI claims achieves 96% efficiency. By reducing the number of phases active when the system is not under load, power consumption can also be reduced. The number of active phases is indicated by a row of LEDs along the top edge of the motherboard.

First Look: MSI Z68A-GD80 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/first-look-msi-z68a-gd80/12035.html May 3rd, 2011

The memory and chipset each get 2-phase power. There is also an additional PCIe 6-pin power connector, which MSI claims 7

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

will improve the overclocking capabilities of installed graphics cards.

Next, we'll be looking at the onboard features and expansion options offered by this motherboard.

GIGABYTE shows off new entry-level PoweRock PSUs

Known as the KX 370, KX 420 and KX 470, GIGABYTE claims that the KX series of PSUs are compliant with the ATX 12V v2.0 specifications set forth by Intel and feature a 120mm cooling fan, along with protection from over-voltage, over-current and short-circuits to ensure system stability. In addition, the KX series of PSUs are reportedly capable of providing over 78% efficiency and a MTBF of over 100,000 hours.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-shows-off-new-entry-levelpowerock-psus/12036.html May 3rd, 2011

Need an entry-level PSU for use in building a cheap PC? Well, leave it to GIGABYTE to deliver the goods once again with a new addition to its value-oriented PoweRock line of power supplies. Known as the PoweRock KX series, these PSUs are available in three different ratings, all of which happen to be lower than 500w. After all, we did mention that these PSUs were designed to be used on entry-level PCs, no? When it comes to having an extensive lineup of PSUs available for the enthusiast with an entry-level PC, few can match what GIGABYTE has offer with its PoweRock and PoweRock EX lines of PSUs. However, it would seem that GIGABYTE is not content with merely having two product lines for the entry-level market, for the Taiwanese company has silently introduced three new additions to its lineup of entry-level PSUs, all of which will be sold under the PoweRock KX branding.

The hardware specifications of the PSUs are as follow: PoweRock KX 370

PoweRock KX 420

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

platform will take place two weeks after the Asia release - on 26th June.

PoweRock KX 470 Judging by AMD's hectic schedule for June, the FX-Series and Lynx platform (A-Series for desktops) will release sometime in July. After several years of anticipation, Fusion and Bulldozer are finally about to release in the next 2 months. June and July will undoubtedly be two of the most important months in AMD's history.

LG launches new Xnote notebooks in Korea Once again, we should point out that the PoweRock series of PSUs are designed to be used only by entry-level systems, and the just-launched KX-series is no exception to the rule. Therefore, if you are in need of a PSU to power a sibling's PC that sees most of its uptime performing tasks such as gunning meatbags down on Crysis 2, the KX-series of PSUs are definitely not the ones you are looking for.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-launches-new-xnote-notebooks-inkorea/12034.html May 3rd, 2011

Report: AMD to announce ASeries, FX-Series in June

Now that high-performance, ultra-thin notebooks are fast gaining popularity among consumers for their portability and visual appeal, it would make sense that OEMs are starting to funnel more of their resources into churning out such notebooks in a bid to gain a greater share of the notebook pie. Of course, LG is not about about to let itself get left behind in the competition; the Korean company has just announced in a press release that it has launched two new additions to its Xnote line of ultra-thin notebooks - the P430 and P530 series. And yes, they are powered by Intel's Sandy Bridge platform.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-amd-to-announce-a-series-fxseries-in-june/12037.html May 3rd, 2011

AMD's extraordinary schedule for June kicks off at Computex 2011, Taipei, where AMD A-Series will be announced, alongwith the VISION 2011 branding. AMD 900 Series chipsets will also be announced. These three announcements will be held on June 1st. Fast forward to the next week, and E3 2011 - AMD will announce the FX-Series brand and logo, alongwith the AM3+ platform - on June 7th. These announcements will be shortly followed by the Asia release of the Sabine platform (A-Series for notebooks), around the same time as the AMD Fusion Developer Summit. Llano will be formally announced for the rest of the world on June 14th at AMD's 2011 Client Launch Event. Both the Sabine (notebook) and Lynx (desktop) platforms for A-Series will be announced. Finally, the the worldwide release of the Sabine

If LG's new notebooks could talk, we'd wager that the first words they would probably say will be something along the lines of "Move over, Macbook Air", and for good reason. After all, ultra-thin notebooks boasting full-power processors are starting to gain popularity among road warriors who need portability and performance bundled together in a single package, an offering which only Apple's Macbook Air could fulfil back then. However, times have since changed, and LG is seemingly keen to wrest back marketshare from the competition with two new introductions to its ultra-thin Xnote line of notebooks, namely the P430 and the P530 series.

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone May 3rd, 2011

According to the press release issued by LG, the P430 will be available in three different models, each with differing hardware specifications. At the top end of the scale is the P430-KE7BK, which boasts an Intel Core i7-2620M processor clocked at 2.7GHz (3.4GHz under TurboBoost), 8GB of memory and a 720GB hard disk. The mid-range configuration is provided by the P430-KE4BK, which utilizes a (slightly) weaker Core i5-2410M processor clocked at 2.3GHz (2.9GHz under TurboBoost), 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard disk. Lastly, the P430-KE3UK offers users a Core i3-2310M processor clocked at 2.1GHz, 4GB of memory and uses the same 500GB hard disk found in the P430-KE4BK. In addition, all three models of the P430 will feature a 14-inch widescreen capable of a native resolution of 1366 x 768, a gigabit Ethernet port, an 802.11bgn compliant WiFi card and an NVIDIA GeForce GT520M graphics card which supports the Optimus switchable graphics technology.

On the flip side, the 15-inch P530 series of notebooks have not been officially unveiled yet, although LG claims in its press release that the P530 series will be made available at a future date after the P430 hits retail shelves some time in the early parts of May this year. Lastly, we are as clueless about pricing details as you are, simply because LG made no mention of such details on its press release, so we can only wait and see.

In China, love comes in the form of a five-inch tablet Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/in-china-love-comes-in-the-form-of-afive-inch-tablet/12032.html

Okay, maybe equating a mundane device such as a tablet PC to the principle known as love might be stretching it a little bit, but it is quite hard to see it any other way, especially when the company responsible for marketing this little device has a name which makes a reference to the word 'love'. That being said, does anybody fancy a five-inch ACHO tablet, all decked out in a brilliant white plastic body? Just when one thought that the tablet wars could not have gotten any fiercer, out comes OEMs with a new breed of tablets that skirt the fine line between that of a smartphone and a tablet PC. With screens no smaller than the three-inch displays used by most smartphones but also no larger than five inches, such mini-tablets can either be seen as the best or worst of both worlds, and are mostly aimed that users who want the versatility of a tablet in a pocketable form factor. And apparently, the idea of having a pocketable tablet has seemingly started to catch on on China. Indeed, reports have confirmed that a new mini-tablet device has been reported to be making its rounds in China's domestic tablet market, and is currently being sold under the ACHO brand name, with a model number of C902.

As it was for the case of the seven-inch C901 released before it in the later part of 2010, ACHO is making no attempt to produce an iPad/iPhone/Galaxy /(insert name of device) lookalike, a trait seldom found in most Chinese domestic designs. In addition to its original design, the ACHO C902 is also fitted with a Rockchip RK2818 processor which is reportedly clocked at 1GHz, utilizes a five-inch touchscreen display capable of a native 800 x 480 resolution. and will come with version 2.2 of the Android operating system pre-installed into the it. Also, word has it that the C902 will feature built-in support for 3G and WiFi, along with hardware accelerated HD movie playback at up to 720p. Unfortunately, no price for the C902 has been revealed, although it is speculated that ACHO may price the C902 anywhere between 399 - 499 yuan (approx US$61-75) 10

May 3rd, 2011

HP partners with Branded Ltd to bring "Music Matters LIVE with HP" to Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-partners-with-branded-ltd-tobring-music-matters-live-with-hp-to-singapore/12030.html May 3rd, 2011

Do the words 'Music Matters' ring a bell? If it does, chances are you will have much to look forward to come 26 - 28 May this year. An Asia Pacific's pioneer music industry event has been confirmed to be heading down to Clarke Quay at sunny Singapore to "bring digital entertainment, music and live music industries together under one roof for the first time in Asia". And to top things off, HP is going to be a major player at Music Matters; the company has partnered up with Branded Ltd to offer its expertise in high-quality audio to aspiring talents and artists.

Mmusic lovers will probably be looking forward to what is about to take place in Singapore come 26 May this year, for Branded Ltd has announced that Singapore will be playing host to the popular Music Matters LIVE with HP music industry event this year. In addition to that, HP is also hopping on board the event to expand its Beats Audio technology to "bands and music enthusiasts to pursue and achieve their passion for music".

Published by: VR-Zone

HP's vice president for marketing in Asia Pacific and Japan, Robin Seow, claimed that HP has always been taking a strong interest into the music and digital entertainment segments. "HP has a very simple mission: to connect with our target audience out there. Music plays a very important role in connecting to the audiences. Two years ago, we started a partnership that has resulted in the creation of Beats Audio, a technology which delivers studio-quality sound for users to enjoy music the way songwriters and composers intend it to be," he said. Seow also claimed that Music Matters LIVE With HP event will be a very meaningful platform where talents from all over the world can utilize HP's technology and create music for others to enjoy. To that end, he cited success stories such as Alicia Keys and JJ Lin, both of whom are users of HP's Beats Audio technology. Last but not least, Universal Music Group International's president for South East Asia, Sandy Monterio, spoke about the importance of talents familiarizing themselves with the trends of digital entertainment that will be touched upon in two companion events, Digital Matters and Music Matters (not to be confused with Music Matters LIVE With HP).

"Every change in the music industry was actually pre-empted (in Digital Matters and Music Matters). Universal is surviving because we paid attention to these changes. Those executives who didn't pay attention...well, they are no longer in the business," he quipped. The Music Matters LIVE With HP music event is organised by Branded Ltd and is slated to be held at various venues all over Clarke Quay for three days, starting from 26 May this year. Branded Ltd has also confirmed that more than 40 bands will be taking part in this year's Music Matters LIVE 11

May 3rd, 2011

With HP, along with local talents such as 53A, Jack & Rai and Typewriter. Music fans interested to know more about Music Matters Live With HP can hit up the Music Matters home page here.

Logitech launched Ultimate Ears 100, 200 and 200vi earphones and headsets

Published by: VR-Zone

keeps your earphones looking and sounding good — whether you’re exercising or commuting to work. And the new Ultimate Ears earphones come with a carrying pouch that easily fits into your pocket or your bag while you’re on the go. Plus, you can use your earphones with your iPod, MP3 player or any laptop with a 3.5 mm jack. To express your personal style, the Ultimate Ears 200s are available in purple, grey or blue.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/logitech-launched-ultimateears-100-200-and-200vi-earphones-and-headsets/12028.html May 3rd, 2011

Logitech has launched their new Ultimate Ears 100 and 200 earphones and headset that claim to deliver secure noiseisolating fit with distinctive patterns and colors for the trendy users. The Ultimate Ears are available in stores now. Today, Ultimate Ears, a product unit of Logitech, has introduced the Ultimate Ears 100 Noise-Isolating earphones, the Ultimate Ears 200 Noise-Isolating earphones and the Ultimate Ears 200 vi Noise-Isolating headset in five distinctive patterns and three colors.

Ultimate Ears 200vi Noise-Isolating Headset For your iPhone or Blackberry, the new Ultimate Ears 200vi Noise-Isolating Headset offers an integrated microphone and a 3.5 mm jack (volume control functionality not available with BlackBerry devices.) For iPhone users, the on-cord controls let you switch seamlessly between music and phone calls with the push of a button, and give you the ability to pause songs, adjust volume and take phone calls all without taking your smartphone out of your pocket. Pricing and Availability The suggested retail price for all variations of the Ultimate Ears 100 Noise-Isolating Earphones is S$25. The suggested retail price for the Ultimate Ears 200 Noise-Isolating headphones and Ultimate Ears 200vi Noise-Isolating Headset is S$39 and S$49 respectively.

Samsung launches GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0, and HMX-Q10 camcorder Ultimate Ears 100 Noise-Isolating Earphones Ultimate Ears latest earphones offer 24dBs of noise isolation, giving comfortable, secure fit that helps block outside noise and envelop you in sound. Plus, every set of Ultimate Ears 100 Noise-Isolating Earphones comes with four soft ear cushions — from XXS to M — to guarantee a comfortable fit. Featuring artwork from well-known graphic album artist Chuck Anderson and images from established Rock Star photographer Greg Watermann, the Ultimate Ears 100 NoiseIsolating Earphones’ five new genre-based styles allow you to express your musical style. Ultimate Ears 200 Noise-Isolating Earphones The Ultimate Ears 200 Noise-Isolating Earphones deliver 26 dBs of noise isolation, so you can really get in the zone. With five pairs of soft silicone ear cushions, you won’t have to worry about getting the right fit. A durable, sweat-resistant design

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-launches-galaxy-s-wifi-4.0and-5.0-and-hmx-q10-camcorder/12027.html May 3rd, 2011

Samsung Korea has announced their new GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 smart players that offer users entertainment on the move. In addition, the company has also launched the full high definition HMX-Q10 camcorder, which is retailing in stores now. Samsung today launched GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and the GALAXY S WiFi 5.0. Featuring 4- and 5-inch screen sizes respectively, both can deliver the powerful application experiences as the original GALAXY S. The two versions give 12

May 3rd, 2011

users an unrivalled entertainment experience through a clear display, a swift 1GHz processor and the Android 2.2 Froyo platform. The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 will be first available in Russia and will be gradually rolled out in other countries. The GALAXY S WiFi 5.0 will be first available in Switzerland. The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 claim to deliver rich smartphone experiences of the GALAXY S smartphone. With video communications via VoIP services and rich video and music entertainment with multi-codec support, the Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 will keep users constantly entertained.

Key Features: - Display: The clear display makes web surfing and multimedia viewing a joy. Enjoy movies, favourite TV shows, photos and web-browsing anywhere. Samsung’s latest mDNIe image engine technology ensures that video and images look stunning. - Android 2.2 Froyo: The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 feature the Android operating system, with possible upgrade option to 2.3 Gingerbread.

- Application Customization: With access to over 150,000 apps available on Android Market, the Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 are fully customizable smart devices. Integrated GPS support further expands the capabilities of the device, letting you benefit from Google’s map services and directory applications.

Published by: VR-Zone

- HD Video & Images: A camera lets you shoot and share your life, capturing high-quality video or still images. The Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 support DivX HD, allowing highdefinition video playback; Support for various codec standards including MPEG4, H264, DivX, XviD, WMV codecs ensures you can enjoy huge catalogues of content from all over the web.

- Audio excellence: The Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 Smart Player put entertainment at its core, designed to deliver the best possible audio and video experience. Samsung SoundAlive technology provides unrivalled sound quality, with deeper bass and greater tone articulation.

- Enhanced Memory Capability: Packed with generous 8/16 GB memory, plus mircoSD slot and powered by a powerful 1GHz for an industry leading performance, the GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 are equipped to handle any user demand.

Sony hit by hackers again Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-hit-by-hackers-again/12025.html May 3rd, 2011

In addition to the theft of over 70 million account details from Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, hackers have also stolen the personal information and credit card details of users from another Sony network. Read On.

- Google Mobile Services: Enjoy premium Google services such as Gmail, Google Talk and YouTube. Utilize voice recognition technology to search with Google faster than ever on the Internet.

- Samsung Social Hub: Your entire social life in your hand. Simultaneously post messages and pictures on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter using Samsung’s Social Hub. The integrated address book provides the ultimate command & control station for the most popular SNS services. Synchronize your personal calendar with friends, family, and the latest events.

- VoIP Voice & Video Calls: The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 utilize cost-effective video and voice communications services. The Qik application allows video chat which can be shared over social network services.

While Sony is still recovering from the fallout of its Playstation network and Qriocity services being compromised, there is more bad news. Sony has just announced that hackers may have stolen the personal information of 24.6 million Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) users. Sources claim that 12,700 credit card details were stolen in this attack. All of Sony Online Entertainment's games services have been taken offline. An advisory on the SOE website has stated that the stolen credit card information are from an oudated 2007 database. 13

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The notice assures consumers that the main database has not been compromised. Sony Online Entertainment is best known for its MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) such as Everquest, Everquest II and DC universe online.

It is official: Honeycomb's successor will be known as Ice Cream Sandwich Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/it-is-official-honeycomb-s-successorwill-be-known-as-ice-cream-sandwich/12026.html May 3rd, 2011

We have danced around the issue for quite some time, but nothing beats having the official word (or endorsement) to confirm (or deny) what we have already suspected. As it turns out, Google has unintentionally confirmed that the next Android release will go by the name of Ice Cream Sandwich after sending off an email about various bugfixes in the Linuxbased operating system for smartphones and tablets.

It has long been speculated that the first version of the Android operating system to be released after Honeycomb will be named after the ice-cold dessert that many people from all over the world know and love, and for good reason. After all, hints about an ice cream-based release have been dropped by various developers working on the operating system, and ice cream does start with the letter 'I'. Which, as we all know, is directly after that of Honeycomb's 'H'. And as it turns out, it seems that the speculations were correct after all, for an internal email sent by Android developer Romain Guv has essentially confirmed what everybody had been suspecting all this while; that the next version of Android will indeed be known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

Unfortunately, little else about Ice Cream Sandwich has been revealed save for the information that had been previously announced months ago: that Ice Cream Sandwich will feature the 'best of both worlds' by incorporating elements of both Gingerbread and Honeycomb. Also, word has it that Ice Cream Sandwich will be the first version of Android that is designed to work well with both smartphones and tablets with larger displays, but we shall wait for the final build to be released before making any judgements. That being said, we cannot help but feel the need to satisfy a certain craving for ice cream right now...

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 2 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--2may-2011/12016.html May 3rd, 2011

In today's news roundup: AMD has lanched a new embedded MCM video card, the AMD Radeon E6760, which is reportedly derived from the company's mobile 6700M series GPUs; GIGABYTE has introduced yet another factoryoverclocked version of the Radeon HD 6970 graphics card, the GV-R697OC2-2GD, otherwise known as the HD 6970 WindForce-3X OC2; Research In Motion (RIM) has officially unveiled its latest addition to the BlackBerry line of corporatecentric smartphones, the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930; Nokia has announced that its flagship Symbian smartphone, the Nokia N8, will soon be made available in a pink version and is said to come bundled with the 'Anna' upgrade for the operating system pre-installed; Sony is taking steps to resume its PlayStation Network services after it has been taken offline due to security compromises, and GameSpy talks about its experience with two classes in the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG - the Bounty Hunter and the Imperial Agent. Hardware news MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti HAWK Video Card Review Description: As much as I love the recently looked at Lightning cards from MSI, their high price tag continues to let us know that they're not for everybody. This is ultimately where the HAWK series comes in to the picture. Essentially the HAWK series is very similar to that of the Lightning when it comes to what MSI want to achieve, but instead of aiming for the fastest card overall like they do with the Lightning, they aim for the fastest at the easier to swallow mid-range price point. Intel Core i7 990 X Review @ ocaholic 14

May 3rd, 2011

Description: With the Core i7 990 X Intel has a new flagship in its portfolio. Therefore they decided to increase the multiplyer by one step which results in a clock speed of 3.46 GHz. Thanks to this CPUs six cores and twelve threads one can expect it to get the performance crown. DIY Guides: How To Install/Remove Intel Socket 1366 CPU @ PCSTATS Description: PCSTATS receives a good deal of questions from readers who don't know how to install an Intel Core i7 CPU into a fresh motherboard, or upgrade a socket 1366 processor to a faster model. We thought we'd run off a quick DIY Guide illustrating the procedure for installing a socket 1366 CPU for the benefit of our readers. Xigmatek Loki SD963 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com Description: On the test bench today is Xigmatek's midcompact Loki SD963 heatsink. The Xigmatek Loki SD963 stands 134mm tall, weighs 430 grams, comes equipped with a 92mm fan mounted on rubber vibration absorbing fan posts and will support a second 92mm fan if desired (not included). Over the next few pages Frostytech will tell you if the Xigmatek Loki SD963 heatsink is worth its weight in aluminum, or junk for the recycling bin. Let's begin. Enermax Hoplite Midi Tower PC Case Review @ Real World Labs Description: With an impressive range of features, high build quality and a very tempting price tag the latest Hoplite midi tower by Enermax is proof enough that they've got what it takes to also dominate the PC Case market. AMD Launches Radeon E6760: The Next Embedded Radeon Description: Lately we’ve been working on expanding our GPU coverage to include more GPUs that aren't directly sold to consumers discretely or as part of a package. Up until now we’ve mostly focused on 4 classes of GPUs: Desktop, Mobile/ IGP, High Performance Computing (HPC), and we’ve spent some time dabbling with System on a Chip (SoC) GPUs for smartphones/tablets/netbooks. This range of products mostly covers the different GPUs seen in consumer products and in commercial supercomputing, but there is still a large gap in there for non-consumer business uses. This is the embedded market, and today we’re expanding our GPU coverage to include those GPUs. Elpida drops some 30nm DDR3 info Description: Elpida just announced that their 30nm DRAM process is ramping up, and the release has a bunch of goodies buried in it. 30nm production has been in process for a while now, but the details have not been widely dispersed. Gigabyte Intros Faster HD 6970 OC2 WindForce3X Graphics Card Description: Gigabyte rolled out its second factoryoverclocked custom-design Radeon HD 6970 graphics card model, the GV-R697OC2-2GD, or the Gigabyte HD 6970 WindForce-3X OC2. The card makes use of the same exact Ultra Durable VGA+ PCB used on the GV-R697OC-2GD, as well as the WindForce-3X cooler, but comes with higher clock speeds of 920 MHz core and 1375 MHz (5.50 GHz GDDR5 effective) memory; compared to 900/1375 (5500) MHz on the GV-R697OC-2GD, and 880/1375 (5500). In all three cases, Gigabyte didn't tinker with memory clock speeds.

Published by: VR-Zone

Consumer Electronics and Software news Apple to Roll Out New iMacs? Description: At last, Apple will refresh its line of iMac allin-one computers, adding the latest Intel Core i5/i7 “Sandy Bridge” architecture and that new Thunderbolt port, according to reliable sources. Thermaltake Tt eSPORTS Shock Spin Gaming Headset Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: Thermaltake has a new addition to the gamer audio market with the Tt eSPORTS Shock Spin gaming headset. The Shock Spin puts a bit of style in the mundane headset market. Amongst the Shock Spin's looks are some good features as well. Driving the sound are two neodymium magnet speakers for enhanced performance. There is an optional in line volume controller. Instead of an attached mic on the Shock Spin, it is included separately. For comfort there is an auto adjusting rubber head strap and ergonomic shaped velvet ear cushions. The input is a 3.5mm connector which means it can be used with compatible devices as well as the computer. Thermaltake offers 3 colors; Shining White, Diamond Black, an Royal Red. Logitech G27 Racing Wheel Review @ Real World Labs Description: Higher quality materials, improved dual forcefeedback motors, 900-degree wheel rotation, improved response and RPM/Shift indicator LEDs are just some of the improvements found on the latest G27 Racing wheel by Logitech compared to its predecessor, the award winning G25. Beginners Guides: Understanding and Creating Batch Files Description: Batch files can save time by automating specific actions taken on the computer down to one simple click. They can also potentially hide damaging code, so a good understanding of what they are, how they work, and how to create your own, is crucial to today's IT force. Watch How the Police Raid a Cellphone Description: Everyone knows the cops have tools to get inside your phone. But what do they do? They suck your iPhone's entire soul in 15 minutes. With one single click. This is what it looks like. BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 officially unveiled Description: RIM has officially unveiled the latest addition to their lineup of BlackBerry Bold phones. Called the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, it will be RIM’s thinnest BlackBerry phone to date. The Bold 9900/9930 will finally make the transition to a touchscreen phone. For all you dedicated QWERTY keyboard lovers, don’t worry, RIM hasn’t gotten rid of them, the Bold 9900/9930 will still have one and this time RIM claims it’s their best keyboard to date. Nokia N8 to come in pink with Symbian Anna update Description: Nokia has announced a pink version of its flagship Symbian phone, the Nokia N8. It will come preloaded with the Symbian Anna update, at around the same time as the update will become available to all other N8 users. Gaming news Sony to Resume PlayStation Network Services, Says “No Evidence” Credit Card Info Stolen Description: Sony will resume some PlayStation Network services and beef up its security nearly two weeks after a hacker 15

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

attack forced Sony to shut it down. The company made the announcements during a press conference in Tokyo. Kaz Hirai, Sony’s executive deputy president and the likely successor to CEO Howard Stringer, started by offering “our deepest and sincerest apologies” for the outage of the PlayStation network, as well as apologizing to customers whose personal information has been compromised.

May 3rd, 2011

The Interrogation Room: Star Wars: The Old Republic Description: We got a chance to play the first 10 levels of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent classes -- and we got a peek at the upcoming MMO's space combat as well. Is it better than the prequel films? Hell, what isn't?

Worldwide OS Market Grew to $30.4 Billion in 2010, Gartner says. Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/worldwide-os-market-grew-to-30.4billion-in-2010-gartner-says./12024.html May 3rd, 2011

As we all already know, Microsoft is still the biggest company for PC operating systems, at least according to the amount of revenue it generates. A new study from Gartner Research reports that Microsoft had $23.848 billion in revenue from its OS business in 2010 which gave it a 78.6 percent share of the entire worldwide OS market for that year. Overall, Gartner said in its press release earlier this week that worldwide revenue for OS software came in at $30.4 billion, which... ...was an increase of 7.8 percent compared to 2009. While Microsoft still has a commanding lead in OS revenue, the report did say that Apple's Mac OS was the fastest growing in revenue in 2010 in terms of the client based OS business. The Mac OS grew by 15.8 percent that year and with revenues of $580 million. Even with that growth the Mac OS only has a 1.7 percent market share of the Client based OS systems. Overall the client OS section of the business grew by 9.3 percent in 2010 while server based OSs grew its revenue by 5.7 percent. IBM and HP were the number two and three companies in worldwide OS revenue, respectively, in 2010. IBM owns three OSs and showed the highest growth with its AIX OS with 9.2 percent growth. HP's HP-UX OS shows a 3.2 percent growth in 2010. Red Hat's version of Linux is the biggest in the overall Linux server market. Its revenues went up to $592 million in 2010, an 18.2 percent growth and a whopping 58.2 percent share of the entire Linux server OS market.

HighPoint announces SSD caching RAID card Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/highpoint-announces-ssd-caching-raidcard/12022.html

As always, everyone wants to cash in on the latest trends in the industry and in this case we're talking about SSD caching. If you're not thinking about upgrading to Intel's Z68 chipset but like the sound of SSD caching technology, then HighPoint might just have what you want in the shape of its RocketHybrid 122x series of HBAs (Host Bus Adapter). This is a family of two dainty PCI Express x1 cards which offers pretty much the same functionality as Intel's Z68 chipset, except you can fit it to any system with a PCI Express x1 slot in it. The two cards are the RocketHybrid 1220 and 1222 with the only difference being that the 1220 has two internal SATA ports and the 1222 has two external eSATA ports. Both cards sport Marvell's 9130 controller which does all the hard work. However, unlike Intel's Smart Response technology, the Marvell 9130 controller isn't limited to using small-ish size SSDs for the chaching. That said, looking at HighPoint's own numbers, it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference if you're using a large SATA 6Gbps SSD or a smaller size SATA 3Gbps SSD, as the end result appears to be close to the same.

The Marvell 9130 controller is of course SATA 6Gbps compliant and HighPoint claims that its controllers with an SSD and HDD in caching mode offers 80 percent of the performance you'd get from just using the SSD on its own. There are two different modes available, safe which caches on the SSD and then copies the data onto the HDD, or capacity which stores the data across the two drives in a sort of RAID 0 mode.

May 3rd, 2011

At US$59.99 we can't say that we think it offers great value for money, but we'd expect prices to come down fairly quickly, as something like this needs to be about $40 or less before it will gain any real popularity. At least it offers a way for owners of motherboards without SSD caching to get their hands of one of the two selling points of the Z68 chipset without having to buy a new system.

Buffalo Ships New Portable DVD Drive Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/buffalo-ships-new-portable-dvddrive/12021.html May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The portable DVD is effortless to set-up and comes complete with CyberLink Media Suite pre-loaded. Users are notified of the drives current status by LED lights, blue indicating that DVD drive is ready and red showing that the DVD power supply is low. The sleek, smart design combined with the ease-of-use and portability makes the new DVD drive the ideal optical storage device for any consumer says Paul Hudson, Sales Director for Northern Europe at Buffalo Technology. The portable DVD drive is the latest Buffalo product to transform into the new stylish design and we welcome it to the family.

The Portable DVD is available for purchase immediately at leading outlets such as Amazon.co.uk, Misco.co.uk, and dabs.com

Buffalo Technology has begun to ship its latest external DVD drive. The compact device features integrated USB cables, a LED Power Indicator (power supply stability), Bus Power LED (power supply sufficiency), and supports up to 8x speeds for DVD+/-R Read/ Write. It is backed by a two year warranty and comes bundled with CyberLink Software. BUFFALO PRESS RELEASE Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development, and manufacturing of storage and wireless networking solutions, is today announcing a stylish and convenient design for its optical storage range.

The compact and sleek portable DVD device will allow users to watch DVDs and burn data to CDs/ DVDs at their convenience, anytime anywhere. The drive is powered by integrated USB cables which snap to the chassis for easy mobility, contributing to the compact design. The lightweight and slim drive fits comfortably into any travel bag, making it an ideal product for laptop and netbook users on-the-go.

Key Features • USB Bus Powered - No additional power supply required • Integrated USB Cables - USB cables snap to the chassis for easy mobility • LED Power Indicator - LEDs indicate power supply stability • Includes CyberLink Software for writing data content to CD-Rs and DVDs • 8x DVD+/ -R Read/ Write • Bus Power LED lets you know when the power supply is short • Easy set-up • Warranty - 2 years

Plextor Launches PX-LB950UE External 12X Blu-Ray Writer Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/plextor-launches-px-lb950ueexternal-12x-blu-ray-writer/12020.html May 3rd, 2011

Plextor has announced the PX-LB950UE External 12X BluRay Writer, expanding its Blu-ray lineup. Dubbed the "fastest Blu-ray writer available in the market today", it features both USB 3.0 and eSATA connectors, a 8Mb buffer, Lightscribe technology support, and writes single-layer (SL) Blu-ray discs/ dual-layer (DL) BD-R media at speeds up to 12x/ 8x. The PX-LB950UE comes bundled with PlexUTILITIES and can be purchased from authorized distributors and retailers at a MSRP of US$239.99. PLEXTOR PRESS RELEASE 17

May 3rd, 2011

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of highperformance digital media equipment, announces the newest addition to its Blu-ray lineup with the new PX-LB950UE external 12X Blu-ray Writer – the fastest Blu-ray writer available in the market today. This drive features the latest superspeed USB3.0 and eSATA connections, providing bandwidth for high data transfer rate. Supplied with advanced Blu-ray and DVD playback software and recording applications, the PX-LB950UE offers a full Bluray HD experience. The drive is designed to provide smooth and quiet HD Blu-ray movie playback with excellent sound reproduction and a crystal clear picture quality. This drive also supports 3D playback and is able to convert 2D contents to simulate 3D effects.

Published by: VR-Zone May 3rd, 2011

NZXT has announced its FS-200 LED fans, targeting modders. Available in red, green, and blue LED lights, these 200mm fans boast rifled bearings, sleeved cables, a MTBF of 40,000 hours, eleven blades, and operate at speeds between 500 to 900 RPM. “We are excited to offer a transportable all-in-one bluray device to consumers,” said Christine Hsing, Marketing Manager at Plextor. “The PX-LB950UE lets you connect to any computer with USB or eSATA connection making access to Blu-ray technology a breeze.” In addition, the PX-LB950UE is developed with a low vibration system, eliminating most vibrations. It has a large 8MB buffer ensuring an enhanced writing accuracy at high speed. The PX-LB950UE also features a special chassis, which channels the airflow, cools the motors, improves performance and extends the lifetime of the drive. The PX-LB950UE comes with Plextor’s very own PlexUTILITIES, a comprehensive disc and drive analysis tool. This drive is also LightScribe enabled. The 12X External Blu-ray Writer, PX-LB950UE, is available now with the suggested MSRP of $239.99.

NZXT Unveils FS-200 LED Fans Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nzxt-unveils-fs-200-ledfans/12019.html

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

performance. The Patriot Torqx 2 series enables users to boost performance of existing desktops and notebooks to achieve maximum performance with SATA II 3.0 Gb/s interfaces. By combining a cutting-edge newSSD controller with highperformance 3x-nm NAND flash memory, the Patriot Torqx 2 SSDs achieve up to read speeds up to 270MB/s for a noticeable performance boost with daily computing tasks. Write speeds up to 230MB/s ensure the Patriot Torqx 2 series can write virtually as fast as it reads for lightning-fast software installations and large-file creation.

The FS-200 LED fans, bundled with 2-pin headers and Molex connectors, are available from major resellers and e-tailers at a MSRP of US$18 come end May.

Patriot Releases Torqx 2 SSD Series Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/patriot-releases-torqx-2-ssdseries/12018.html May 3rd, 2011

“We recognize there are a lot of users with desktops and notebooks that want the SSD performance experience but lack SATA III 6.0 Gb/s compatibility to fully take advantage of our higher-end drives,” says Meng Jay Choo, Patriot Memory’s Flash Memory Product Manager. “With the new Patriot Torqx 2 series, we are able to deliver a significant performance boost at attractive prices.” The Patriot Torqx 2 series incorporates TRIM technology to ensure the drive always maintains maximum performance with compatible operating systems.

Patriot Memory, manufacturer of high performance memory modules and flash products, has launched the Torqx 2 series of SSDs. The 2.5" drives, based on a new SSD processor (probably JMicron), feature 3x-nm NAND flash memory, a SATA II interface, TRIM technology support, 128Mb cache, a MTBF of 1,500,000 hours, and deliver data transfer speeds up to 270Mb/s (read) and 230Mb/s (write). Available in 32Gb, 64Gb, 128Gb and 256Gb capacities, the Torqx 2 is expected to start shipping in early May. PATRIOT PRESS RELEASE Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage and enthusiast computer products, today announces the new high-performance Torqx 2 – a new SSD that delivers the perfect balance of price and

The Patriot Torqx 2 ships this week in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities with a 2.5-inch form factor. General details •

New Patriot Torqx 2 series SSDs

•

32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities

•

SATA II 3.0 Gb/s interface

•

Supports TRIM technology

•

Up to 270MB/s read

•

Up to 230MB/s write

May 3rd, 2011

Gigabyte reveals its Z68 motherboard models Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-reveals-its-z68-motherboardmodels/12015.html May 3rd, 2011

Earlier today Gigabyte posted a download page for its Touch BIOS utility and to our surprise also supplied a list of all of its upcoming Z68 chipset based motherboards. It looks like the company is getting ready to unveil no less than 11 new models, although as we already know, some of them will be very similar to its P67 boards in terms of layout and looks. Oh, yes, we almost forgot, to use the Touch BIOS utility, at least for now, you need a Z68 chipset based motherboard. Earlier today Gigabyte posted a download page for its Touch BIOS utility and to our surprise also supplied a list of all of its upcoming Z68 chipset based motherboards. It looks like the company is getting ready to unveil no less than 11 new models, although as we already know, some of them will be very similar to its P67 boards in terms of layout and looks. Oh, yes, we almost forgot, to use the Touch BIOS utility, at least for now, you need a Z68 chipset based motherboard. The board we already knew about and which has already been on sale in some parts of the world is the Z68X-UD7. This is then followed by the Z68X-UD5, Z68X-UD4, Z68X-UD3P, Z68X-UD3R and Z68X-UD3. We have a feeling that all of these boards are very similar to Gigabyte's P67 counterparts, although for whatever reason it seems like Gigabyte has decided to colour most of the I/O ports on its new boards red and this would be one of the major changes in terms of the aesthetics.

Published by: VR-Zone

support via a Renesas chip and the early P67X boards used an Etron USB 3.0 host controller, but the Z68X-UD7 retained its Renesas chips, so we're going to have to wait for the official word from Gigabyte here. At least that wait is only about a week away, as Intel is expected to launch the Z68 chipset on the 8th which is a Sunday, so it's likely that we'll find out about the new boards either then or on the Monday.

Report: AMD Llano's IGP branded Radeon HD 6550 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-amd-llano-s-igp-brandedradeon-hd-6550/12013.html May 3rd, 2011

DonanimHaber has posted some details about the GPU component of AMD's upcoming APU - Llano, to be branded AMD A-Series. The top part, AMD A8-3550 features a quad core CPU and a Radeon HD 6550 GPU with a TDP of 100W. The GPU features 400 SP with a clock speed of 594 MHz. AMD will also market a Hybrid Crossfire like feature, where the Llano APU can be crossfired with a Turks GPU - HD 6570 or HD 6670 - to form a combined solution branded Radeon HD 6690. Llano offers a very different approach to Sandy Bridge. A sizeable portion of the Llano die is dedicated to the GPU. Its 400 SP will offer vastly superior GPU performance even compared to Intel's top HD 3000 12 EU graphics. However, Sandy Bridge is expected to lead in CPU benchmarks. For gaming, there's no doubt Llano is set to offer an excellent value proposition.

Microsoft releases tool to simplify development on Windows Phone 7 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-releases-tool-to-simplifydevelopment-on-windows-phone-7/12012.html May 3rd, 2011

Next up we have the Z68A-D3 (a non ultra durable 3 board judging by the model name), the Z68X-UD3H (with HDMI port?), the Z68A-D3H (again missing ultra durable 3, but most likely with HDMI) and finally the Z68MX-UD2H and Z68MXD2H, two mATX boards (the latter without ultra durable 3, both most likely with HDMI). We're not quite sure what the difference between the X and the A in the model name, as the A used to signify USB 3.0

Everyone knows that the size of its online app repository is one of the biggest factors that decides whether an operating system designed for use on a highly mobile, networked device such as a smartphone or slate PC will be able to hold its own against the likes of the competition currently available on the market. And with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 being widely considered as a late entry to the competition, it is only prudent that growing its app repository is one of Microsoft's priorities in order to ensure the attractiveness of its platform. So what is the Redmond giant's answer to that problem? Simple: to 20

May 3rd, 2011

release an API which supposedly makes it easier for Android and iOS developers to port their apps over to the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem.

Published by: VR-Zone

Makers To Demo Intel X79 Boards at COMPUTEX 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/makers-to-demo-intel-x79-boards-atcomputex-2011/12011.html May 3rd, 2011

There is no denying that Microsoft has been gathering quite a fair bit of positive reviews in the press for doing many things right in recent years, especially when one considers the fact that major software applications such as Windows 7, Office 2010, Windows Phone 7 and Internet Explorer 9 were all released to major fanfare. This is especially true for the case of Windows Phone 7 where, in spite of its lack of age as compared to the other two major smartphone operating systems on the market, has been praised by many for its well thought-out user interface, remarkable performance and more importantly, tightly integrated services with the Windows Live and Xbox Live ecosystems.

However, as impressive as Windows Phone 7 may be, it still comes with its own set of shortcomings, and its rather small app repository known as the Windows Marketplace is probably the biggest flaw, especially when it is common knowledge that the number of downloadable apps available can make or break an entire mobile platform. Clearly, Microsoft is aware of the problem, and has since moved to court Android and iOS developers with the release of a Windows Phone 7 Interoperability website, which contains a set of tools and APIs that are reportedly designed to make it easier for them to familiarize themselves with the Windows Phone 7 platform.

Since Intel Z68 Express chipset is coming out around the corner, motherboard makers has turned their attention to the X79 Express chipset and planned to showcase the boards during COMPUTEX Taipei 2011. If you are lucky enough, you can catch some running demos somewhere. Intel X79 chipset is codenamed Patsburg-HEDT PCH and its processor is codenamed Sandy Bridge-E and together they form the Waimea Bay platform, a two-chip solution. Intel X79 boards will be ready as early as August and Sandy Bridge-E processor about a month after. In addition to the downloadable tools and APIs needed to craft a working application on the Windows Phone 7 operating system, the Windows Phone 7 Interoperabiity website also contains other developer-centric resources. For example, white papers and information on various other subjects, such as the porting of apps from iOS to Windows Phone 7, Human Interface guidelines to adhere to during development, and code samples are available as well. If that has gotten the developer in you interested, the Windows Phone 7 Interoperability website can be reached at http:// windowsphone.interoperabilitybridges.com/

Let's take a closer look at what this high end desktop chipset and Sandy Bridge-E processor have to offer. Sandy Bridge-E CPU Feature Overview • Up to 6 cores and 12 threads • 32-KB instruction and 32-KB data L1 cache per core • 256-KB shared instruction/data L2 cache per core • Up to 15 MB L3 cache (up to 2.5 MB per core) shared among all cores • Up to 40 PCIe Gen 3 Lanes (2x16 & 1x8) • 4 lanes of DMI2/PCI Express 2.0 interface • 4 Channels DDR3-1600 (1 DIMM per Channel) 21

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

• Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 (thermal control is the only limiter) • 130W TDP • LGA2011 Socket Sandy Bridge-E comes in 3 SKUs : • Sandy Bridge Extreme Edition : 6 cores / 12 threads, 3.3GHz clock, 15MB L3 cache (2.5MB per core), Max. OC • Sandy Bridge E : 6 cores / 12 threads, 3.2GHz clock, 12MB L3 cache (2MB per core), Max. OC • Sandy Bridge E : 4 cores / 8 threads, 3.6GHz clock, 10MB L3 cache (2.5MB per core), Limited OC Intel X79 Express Chipset (Patsburg-HEDT) Overview • 10 SATA 6Gbps ports with SAS capability • 4 SATA 3Gps ports • PCIe 3.0 x4 uplink for dedicated storage bandwidth • 8 PCIe 2.0 lanes • 14 USB 2.0 ports • Integrated Gigabit Ethernet MAC (Lewisville PHY) • Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise 3.0 o

SAS RAID support (0/1/10)

SAS Expander support

SATA RAID support (0/1/10/5)

Write Journaling

Open Source Linux support

• 100MHz BCLK • Supports processor, memory and chipset overclocking • Supports Intel Extreme Tuning Utility 3.0 (XTU) • 8-layer PCB, 2oz copper recommended

Digital 'Lost and Found' , a Meaningful Way to use Facebook Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/digital-lost-and-found--a-meaningfulway-to-use-facebook/12010.html May 3rd, 2011

Patty Bullion, a mother-of-three lives in Lester, Alabama, near the border with Tennessee. Fortunately, her area was spared from the devastating effects of the tornado. Patty Bullion watched as the wind blew debris right into her backyard. family photos, a diploma, baby pictures, yearbook pages from a town miles away started accumulating in her backyard. It was then that she felt that these items were memories which ought to be reunited with their owners and hence she setup a page on Facebook. "Pictures and Documents found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes," has been "liked" by nearly 50,000 people in just hours after it was setup. Bullion said that at least 40 items have been returned to their owners so far.

COMPUTEX Dates : May 31 to June 4 2011 (Register Now!) Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/computex-dates--may-31-tojune-4-2011-register-now-/12007.html May 3rd, 2011

May 31st – June 3rd 2011 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM June 4th 2011 9:30 AM.– 4:00 PM COMPUTEX TAIPEI is going all out to stage an amazing ICT extravaganza with 1,800+ exhibitors to use 5,200+ booths that targets a recordbreaking 36,000+ international buyers. Registration for buyers and media is now officially opened! Upon completing the Pre-Registration form, all buyers will receive a BUYER’S BADGE and an Official Directory of all the firms taking part in COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011. And upon arrival in Taiwan, the organizer will send you a special illustrated Taiwan Tourist Map to your hotel room.

ASUS E35M1-M PRO Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-e35m1-m-pro-review/11549.html May 3rd, 2011

After tornados hit Alabama in the U.S., many homes have been destroyed. For the survivors, losing precious memories adds insult to their injuries. A lady has found an excellent use for Facebook, digital "lost and found". Read on. In this review, we will be looking at another AMD 'Brazos' platform motherboard from ASUS, the E35M1-M PRO. This board is pretty much the same as the E35M1-I DELUXE which 22

May 3rd, 2011

we reviewed not too long ago, less the WiFi feature and with an additional number of expansion slots. Does a larger form factor translate to better performance? How will it fair against its smaller counterpart? Let's find out! In this review, we will be looking at another AMD 'Brazos' platform motherboard from ASUS, the E35M1-M PRO. This board is pretty much the same as the E35M1-I DELUXE which we reviewed not too long ago, less the WiFi feature and with an additional number of expansion slots. The E35M1M PRO here today has a mATX form factor, compared to the DELUXE's Mini-ITX. Does a larger form factor translate to better performance? How will it fair against its smaller counterpart? Let's find out!

Simple packaging design for the ASUS E35M1-M PRO.

Published by: VR-Zone

SLI will be reintroduced in new AMD-based motherboards; Panasonic launches new LUMIX cameras for the consumer; The latest version of AMD's Catalyst driver, 11.4, gets stacked up against older drivers such as the 11.4 betas and last month's 11.3 driver; A new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars MMORPG game, The Old Republic, has been released, this time containing information about character progression for dark siders keen on taking up the mantle of the Sith Warriors, and Japan's most popular virtual idol, Hatsune Miku, has been confirmed to be getting a new DLC for her game title, Project Diva. Hardware news Intel SSD 510 Series 120GB Review Description: Having surpassed some of the best SSDs we've tested, we were left to wonder if the Vertex 3 would remain unattested in the short-term. With Crucial's M4 shaping up to be a mainstream drive, who else could rise to the challenge? We may have an answer to that question today as we test the closest thing the Vertex 3 has to competition: Intel's new flagship SSD 510 Series. Patriot LX Pro 32GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: This is not unlike the weight classes in boxing, where the categories below 200lbs are tightly defined but weight differences beyond the Heavyweight class can be widely disparate. A 210lb fighter for example will be in the same weight class as a 320lb boxer, but a 160lb fighter cannot fight a 154lb pugilist. In terms of SD speed rating, as long as a memory card can sustain a minimum write speed of 10MB/s, it is given a Class 10 rating. TRENDnet TPL-401E2K 500Mbps Powerline Adapter Kit Review @ Real World Labs Description: The TRENDnet TPL-401E2K is a 500Mbps, IEEE 1901 compliant Gigabit Ethernet Powerline adapter kit and although we were unable to achieve its advertised speed it still managed to outperform all similar Powerline kits we have used to date.

A long list of features here, including ASUS' Energy Processing Unit (EPU), USB 3.0 support, HDMI output and the use of only solid capacitors.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 29 April 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--29april-2011/12005.html May 3rd, 2011

In today's news roundup: ARM is reportedly trying its best to convinve AMD that dropping support for the x86 architecture and licensing ARM processor achitectures for use is in the latter's best interests; NVIDIA has announced that support for

ARM thinks it can get AMD to drop x86, good luck with that Description: British chip designer ARM is working on AMD to drop x86 from its line-up. ARM wants AMD to license ARM processors and use them instead of the x86 architecture. So far ARM has been quite good at persuading people to give it some ground. ASRock reveals more about AMD's new AM3+ socket Description: Motherboard maker ASRock has published a guide to AM3+ motherboards which lets slip a few trade secrets that AMD would not be too happy about. The guide warns that the forthcoming Socket AM3+ CPU fitted to a Socket AM3 motherboard 'may not be stable enough to provide reliable computing'. This would pour chilled water on those who would think that the AM3+ socket would be backwards compatable with any AM3 motherboard that has the necessary BIOS update. The Kingston SSDNow V+100 96GB SSD Upgrade Bundle @Hi Tech Legion Description: The Kingston SSDNow V+100 96GB Upgrade Bundle features everything you need to make the jump from your current spindle drive to SSD technology. At the heart of 23

May 3rd, 2011

the Kingston SSDNow V+100 96GB Upgrade bundle is the 2.5” SATA II SSD featuring MLC NAND flash memory components and a Toshiba controller for blazing throughput speeds. With Read and Write throughputs rated for 230 and 180 MB/s respectively, the SSDNow V+100 is capable of application performance up to 5x that of a 5400rpm spindle HDD. SLI Support Returning To AMD Motherboards Description: As gamers we know how important it is to find the best price-performance ratio when building a new rig. For several years, gamers have been clamouring for us to reintroduce SLI support for AMD motherboards, and as hard as it may be to believe, SLI was first seen on AMD motherboards in fact, but as the years went by AMD’s stature as the preferred platform for gamers fell by the wayside. However, due to the increasing abundance of affordable, high performance kit across all aspects of the industry, and continued calls for the reintroduction of SLI support for AMD motherboards, we figured that now is a great time to do it. After all, we want to make sure that gamers can benefit from the new competitive CPU landscape and to ensure that their existing SLI setups can be utilised in all systems, and that new buyers can make use of NVIDIA SLI, the highest performance, most stable multi-GPU solution. NZXT H2 Silent Classic Review @ XSReviews.co.uk Description: NZXT broke into the case industry with their Lexa Blackline chassis, a design that quickly became a classic. Today we’re reviewing something that’s uses that moniker in its name, the NZXT Classic H2 Silent. It comes with a fancy front panel, some great fan features and sound proofing in the side panels. Consumer Electronics and Software news Video Chat on Your Android Phone Description: Sometimes, the expressions on a person's face can mean much more than what they say. To help you stay in touch with your friends and family, we’re launching Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones. You can now video or voice chat with your friends, family and colleagues right from your Android phone, whether they’re on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer. You can make calls over a 3G or 4G data network (if your carrier supports it) or over Wi-Fi. Sony's Bloggie 3D camcorder now shipping for $249 Description: Sony's Bloggie 3D flip-style camcorder is now shipping for $249.99. The Bloggie 3D can record 1080p 3D videos via its two sensors/lenses. It also has a 2.4" glasses-free 3D LCD. Guinness World Records(tm) confirmes that LG Optimus 2X is world's First Mobile Phone to Use a Dual-core Processor Description: LG Electronics’ (LG) LG Optimus 2X smartphone has been confirmed by Guinness World Records™ as the world’s First Mobile Phone to Use a Dual-core Processor. This technological leap gives the LG Optimus 2X a faster, more powerful performance, and robust multimedia entertainment features.

Published by: VR-Zone

memories of all photo-worthy occasions. The LUMIX DMCTZ20 is the ultimate travel companion; the LUMIX DMC-FT3 allows more outdoor excitement for adventure-seekers; the LUMIX DMC-FX78 hybrid camera is the perfect answer to those who want to have it all; and the new-to-market LUMIX S-Series redefines simplicity as it adds style and smartness to the equation. AMD Catalyst 11.4 Windows 7 Driver Analysis Description: Unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that the release of the Catalyst 11.4s has been anticipated as one of the most significant ones from AMD in many months. We've actually been using the 11.4 driver for months in the form of the HD 6990 Beta and new models that launched after the HD 6990 carried with them slightly modified versions of the 11.4. Today, though, we've got a WHQL version and we'll of course be comparing it to the 11.3 driver which while we thought was better than the 11.2s, wasn't as much of a stand out as the 11.4 betas that we'd been using. Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Preview: Both Tablet and Netbook @ InsideHW Description: In the torrent of tablet devices appearing on the world market, it’s increasingly difficult to spot extraordinary products. After making friends with the development version of ASUS’ Transformer tablet, you may rest assured that you won’t miss it easily. Its excellent production quality and a seamless match of its two sections, as well as a stunning user interface (Android 3.0) and extraordinary concept, all make for something to capture your attention for an extended period of time… Chrome OS “ZGB” Netbook And Potential “Seaboard” Tablet Surface In Bug Reports Description: Recent bug reports within the Chromium testing community have turned up a couple new devices running Chrome OS. There’s the expected netbook from Acer, different from the ZGA we saw a while back, and a mystery device referred to as Seaboard that may or may not be a Chrome OS tablet. Gaming news Hatsune Miku Project Diva 2.5 Announced Description: This coming Fall, we will be seeing a new update to Hatsune Miku: Project Diva on the PSP, it is the same Project Diva 2nd that we know of but a major DLC update to version 2.5 (tentative name). The new update will consist of new songs and modules for the vocaloids. Pricing has yet to be confirmed. Feel the Power of the Dark Side in the Star Wars: The Old Republic Sith Progression Trailer Description: It's a safe bet hundreds of thousands of gamers will embrace the Dark side in EA's anticipated Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, and developer BioWare does nothing to dissuade would-be Darth Vaders today with a class progression overview for Sith Warriors.

Panasonic's latest LUMIX additions: power-packed cameras for all occasions Description: Panasonic has unveiled four new additions to its range of esteemed LUMIX digital cameras, making for more 24

May 3rd, 2011

MSI's GX780 gaming notebook has SteelSeries keyboard and more Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-s-gx780-gaming-notebook-hassteelseries-keyboard-and-more/12006.html May 3rd, 2011

These days there are quite a few so called gaming notebooks to choose from on the market, ranging from fairly affordable prices to really insane prices. MSI's new GX780 model is likely to end up in the expensive category, although not the insanely expensive category. That said, the GX780 looks set to be worth the asking price, at least if it's as good as MSI's older GT6x0series of notebooks. These days there are quite a few so called gaming notebooks to choose from on the market, ranging from fairly affordable prices to really insane prices. MSI's new GX780 model is likely to end up in the expensive category, although not the insanely expensive category. That said, the GX780 looks set to be worth the asking price, at least if it's as good as MSI's older GT6x0series of notebooks.

Published by: VR-Zone

i7-2630QM processor should make things a little bit more interesting alongside the fact that MSI has added four SODIMM slots, so the GX780 can pack up to 16GB of DDR3 memory. Add to that the option of fitting a pair of hard drives ranging from a pair of 320GB 5,400rpm drives to a couple of 750GB 7,200rpm drives, or why not a couple of user upgraded SSD drives?

Other more rudimentary features include an optical drive (Blu-ray optional), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, a memory card reader and a 720p webcam. Connectivity options include an HDMI 1.4 port, a Dsub port, three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port and three audio jacks. Overall, we're so far looking at a very decent notebook in terms of pure specifications, but this isn't even the selling points of the GX780, something which may come as a surprise.

The GX780 is a massive 17.3-inch notebook which weighs in at a not entirely inconsiderable 3.9kg which makes it more of a luggable computer than an easy to bring with you notebook. That said, this includes a 9-cell battery, but not the 120W power adapter that you'll also have to bring with if you're going to want to get any kind of game time out of it. Then again, it's still going to weigh far less than any comparable desktop system with a screen, so the tradeoff is pretty reasonable if this is the kind of system you'd want.

The large screen means that you can also get a decent resolution panel and MSI will offer the GX780 with either a 1600x900 or a 1920x1080 LED backlit panel. We're not sure if the GeForce GT 555M with 1GB of GDDR5 graphics memory is going to be enough to drive the full HD display as this 96 shader GPU doesn't appear to have the oomph needed for the latest games at high resolution. At least the quad core Core

For starters, MSI has teamed up with SteelSeries to design a unique gamer specific keyboard for the GX780, or at least that's the marketing spiel and as we have yet to see the notebook or try out the keyboard, we'll reserve our judgment as to how good the keyboard is as a gaming keyboard. However, it does have a couple of unique features, the first one being what MSI calls the keyboard LED manager, or KLM. This allows the user to set the colour of the keyboard backlight LEDs and there's no less than 29 different colours to choose from. If this still isn't good enough, then a combination of the colours can be set up for various segments of the keyboards, or they can be set to circulate in either a "breathing mode" or a "wave mode".

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

a GT780 and hopefully we'll see a bit more powerful graphics card in it, although there are no details as to when it will arrive.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer available in Singapore next week Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-eee-pad-transformer-available-insingapore-next-week/12003.html May 3rd, 2011

For whatever reason, MSI also went through the trouble to move the Windows key to the right hand side of the space bar to prevent it to be accidentally pressed during gameplay. Oddly enough the Fn key is left in its place and this can at least in theory cause just as much of a problem on a notebook if pressed in combination with the wrong key. The keyboard also supports 10 keys to be pressed simultaneously which should be more than enough for your average gamer, although it's not clear if this is across the entire keyboard or as is sometimes the case, limited to a selection of keys per area of the keyboard. MSI also claims that the GX780 keyboard offers better tactile feedback than your average notebook keyboard with a "solid rebound" to make for an overall better gaming experience.

Remember the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer preorder news last week whereby 100 units of the tablet was sold out within three hours? Well, this afternoon, ASUS Singapore held a media event to officially launch the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer. And you can get your hands on one from 3 May, next week.

Bernard Wen, business operation manager, ASUS, said that the company has hit their historical high in Singapore for the revenue and number of shipment for notebooks and netbooks in Q1 this year. Then there's the speakers. If you've heard the speakers in MSI's GT6x0 series notebooks, then you'll know what we're talking about, if you haven't, well then let's us explain. MSI teamed up with a Danish speaker specialist called DynAudio for the original GT660 notebook and the audio quality of the speakers are as far as we've experienced unprecedented for a notebook. In all fairness, a 15.6-inch notebook has a lot of space for speakers and a 17.3-inch notebook has even more space, but even compared to the Bang Olufsen speakers in Asus' monster N90JC notebook, the DynAudio speakers are in a league of their own. We don't want to go out on a limb here and say that the GX780 will be the greatest gaming notebook ever, as we don't have the faintest idea as to how it performs, but we have a feeling that it'll be a very compelling product for the price. If it's anything like the GT6x0 series then it should be one to add to your shortlist if you're looking for a gaming notebook of the slightly larger kind. Apparently MSI is also planning to release

"It was quite sudden that tablet PC has become popular among end users. We are coming with this new product, with the aim to give more choices for consumers when they are out to buy a tablet PC with more functionalities. We don't try to develop a tablet PC with one model to sell throughout the year. We shorten the product life cycle but provide more range for the consumers to choose from." The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer that will be selling next week is a Wi-Fi only model, but according to Wen, the company will bring in the 3G model in the coming months. The 16GB model will retail at S$699, while the 32GB model (coming in third week of May) will sell at S$799. The 16GB Eee Pad Transformer with docking station will be selling at S$799 during this promotional period (U.P. S$898).

May 3rd, 2011

Serene Chiew, country manager of ASUS Singapore, gave a demonstration on the various features of the Eee Pad Transformer.

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer comes with an optional docking station which offers the keyboard for convenience of typing messages and touchpad for moving the onscreen cursor. The docking station also charges the tablet when it is docked.

Published by: VR-Zone

The Eee Pad Transformer feels extremely solid, unlike some of the tablets on the market which gave a plasticky feel. It is powered by Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, features a 10.1-inch (1280x800) display, 5-megapixel rear and 1.2-megapixel front cameras, and runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

The power and volume control buttons are located at the top. The tablet also comes with mini HDMI, audio jack and docking connector port.

A certain smartphone review: LG Optimus 2X the power Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/a-certain-smartphone-review-lgoptimus-2x-the-power/11920.html May 3rd, 2011

On the right of the docking station holds the memory card reader and a USB port. The opposite side holds the power and USB connectors.

Most die-hard traditionalists who swear by their notebook and desktop PCs will disagree wholeheartedly, but the truth is the rapid advancement of processor technology has resulted in what was formerly nothing more than a simple, lowpowered telecommunications device evolving into the mobile computing tool of choice for many. And with smartphones now sporting hardware specifications that are seemingly capable of giving entry-level PCs like netbooks and nettops a run for their money, there is no better time like now to see just how capable they can be with the right hardware. Which is exactly what we

May 3rd, 2011

are going to do for this review with the world's first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X.

Published by: VR-Zone

HDMI support Wireless connectivity

Output only via mini-HDMI Bluetooth 2.1, SmartShare via DLNA, WiFi (802.11b/g/n)

JCE unveils high definition mobile social game "Rule the Sky" for Apple iPad Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/jce-unveils-high-definition-mobilesocial-game-rule-the-sky-for-apple-ipad/12002.html May 3rd, 2011

The next time you are out on the streets or commuting on public transport, spend a few minutes to study the people around you and one should come to the (very late) conclusion that the old 'dumbphone' of yesteryear is well on its way to extinction in today's digital world. Which would make perfect sense if one stops to think about it; after all, being constantly connected to the online world 24 hours a day and seven days a week is now a necessity, and any tool that can achieve that need is definitely going to be highly sought after by both the social networker and the busy professional. That being said, not all smartphones are capable of bringing the power of the Internet to the user without making some compromises in experience, and that is the reason OEMs find themselves caught in the race for superior performance in the form of up-to-date hardware and enhanced user interfaces. Needless to say, the LG Optimus 2X is no exception; after all, this was the world's first smartphone to feature a powerful NVIDIA Tegra system-on-a-chip (SoC) that supposedly promised users a whole dollop of awesomeness. But is having high-end hardware all that is needed to make the smartphone a better tool for satisfying one's needs? We shall see. Before that, here is a quick list of the LG Optimux 2X's technical specifications for your reference: LG Optimus 2X P990 Technical Specifications Bundled Operating System

Android 2.2 (Froyo), with upgrade path to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Processor and Chipset NVIDIA Tegra 2 with dualcore processor clocked at 1GHz Frequency Bands UTMS Tri-band, HSDPA 10.2 Display 4" TFT 16M (800 x 480) WVGA Cameras 8.0-megapixel Rear-Facing Auto-Focus Camera + 1.3megapixel (wide) FrontFacing Camera Memory and SD card support 8GB internal memory + support for microSD cards of up to 32GB

JCE has announced their first mobile social game, "Rule the Sky", in US two weeks ago. And the company has launched the high definition version of the game for the Apple iPad. "Rule the Sky" is available for download in the Apple Store. JCE has announced the launch of the high definition version of ‘Rule the Sky,’ the first mobile social game which was introduced on 14 April for iPad in the United States through Apple Store. ‘Rule the Sky’ is a mobile social network game which you can play with friends, moving around their islands with the primary concept of cultivating ‘Flotia,’ your own island floating in the sky. It has charming graphics that give the impression of an animation and the game is highly acclaimed by users across the world.

The new version of ‘Rule the Sky,’ which is optimized for the 9.7-inch wide display, can uniquely sharpen details of graphics as the screen is enlarged, maximizing its strength. And it adds to the fun of the game as users can enjoy high definition graphics in wider display.

Now that its versions for iPhone and iPad became available through Apple Store in the United States, the version of ‘Rule the Sky’ for Android phones will be launched globally soon. On its global launch, the company will add German, French and Spanish language versions to the existing Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese versions.

The version of ‘Rule the Sky’ for iPad can be downloaded by searching ‘Rule the Sky’ (either in Korean or English) after accessing to Apple Store in the United States and other countries (except Korea and Brazil). 28

May 3rd, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Consumer Electronics and Software news For the ‘Rule the Sky’ for iPad, visit (http://itunes.apple.com/ app/rule-the-sky-for-ipad/id432449974?mt=8)

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 28 April 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--28april-2011/11998.html May 3rd, 2011

In today's news roundup: AMD bringing Microsoft to their recently announced Fusion Developer Conference makes sense. ARM? The ASUS Rampage III Black Edition X58 motherboard is ripe with overclocking features and exclusive gaming technologies ; BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet review. Does RIM have what it takes to compete at this level of consumer tablet? Apple has allegedly purchased the icloud. Is the company prepping its own online music and media storage service ?. Duke Nukem Forever is coming to Singapore on 10 June 2011. Get teady to kill some aliens; and Valve plans to launch 'Portal 2' DLC this summer . Hardware news Description: AMD bringing Microsoft to their recently announced Fusion Developer Conference makes sense. ARM? Well, it gives a nice insight into where AMD's Fusion APU strategy could take them, powered by a heterogeneous compute platform: OpenCL. Description: When USB 3.0 was announced it seemed natural for USB flash drives to take advantage of the additional bandwidth. Mach Extreme Technologies is a new company that is looking to make a name and they are doing so with their MX-GX USB 3.0 thumb drives.

Description: The BlackBerry PlayBook is RIM's entry into the burgeoning tablet market that is currently dominated by Apple. It faces a stiff competition from the iPad and the various Android tablets that are just now coming to market. Does RIM have what it takes to compete at this level of consumer tablet? Description: The rumor mill is adding more fuel to the reports that Apple is prepping its own online music and media storage service with news that the company allegedly purchased the icloud. Description: The launch of Apple's iPhone 4 in a white casing generated a long line of Chinese customers outside one of the company's stores in Beijing on Thursday. Description: With their latest 5.1 USB Surround Headset featuring high build quality and near excellent audio reproduction Sandberg is going up against the best in the field but can their offering stand up to the challenge? Description: The factor that seperates out the Razer Chimaera from most other headsets is that it’s wireless. To enable this Razer have created a pretty fancy looking wireless transmitter that stands tall in an inverted T shape of glossy black plastic. Description: When Kate Middleton and Prince William kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Friday afternoon, all bloody hell could break loose online. Gaming news Description: It has been a 15-year wait but soon, the wait will be over. Duke Nukem Forever will be launching in Singapore on 10 June 2011 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. Description: If the stellar campaign and cooperative mode weren't enough, players will have another reason to revisit action title Portal 2 this summer. Description: It's the engine that's powered some of the best of gaming for 20 years - so let's take a look back at the history of iD Tech.

Description: The Rampage III Black Edition comes in muted red and mostly black colored layout but keeps the aggressive ROG styling. The Rampage III Black Edition is ripe with overclocking features and exclusive gaming technologies, including the ASUS Thunderbolt LAN/Audio card combo, Extreme Engine DIGI+, BCLK Enhance, QPI/PCIe Tuning, GPU DIMM Post, etc. Description: Crocus announced that they have successfully developed their 2nd generation MRAM products, using SVTC Technologies production ready tools. The company says that their MRAM technology can be scalable to 90nm, 65nm and smaller, and offers high speed, reliability, and reduced power consumption. Description: Equipped with 8 expansion slots, the PC-V1020 will support SLI and Crossfire allowing 305mm (12") graphics cards, the PC-V1020 also has a removable motherboard tray, support for lots of storage options and 3 preinstalled cooling fans - 120mm and 140mm. 29

May 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.

Sony Ericsson announces the Xperia mini and mini pro Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-announces-the-xperiamini-and-mini-pro/12077.html May 5th, 2011

Rumours about an Xperia X10 mini pro2 have been circulating for a while and today Sony Ericsson announced no less than two new mini handsets, the Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro, of which the latter ended up being rumoured handset in question. However, the rumours turned out to be not quite spot on this time around, which is a good thing as it happens as Sony Ericsson’s new handsets have more on offer than the rumours suggested. Rumours about an Xperia X10 mini pro2 have been circulating for a while and today Sony Ericsson announced no less than two new mini handsets, the Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro, of which the latter ended up being rumoured handset in question. However, the rumours turned out to be not quite spot on this time around, which is a good thing as it happens as Sony Ericsson’s new handsets have more on offer than the rumours suggested.

But where things really counts is in the internals and here Sony Ericsson has pulled out all the stops, at least as far as the CPU is concerned and we’re looking at a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU here, although we’re not sure which specific model, as Sony Ericsson doesn’t tend to mention this in its press releases. We’re also looking at 512MB of RAM this time, although you only get a paltry 320MB of storage memory. That said, Sony Ericsson throws in a 2GB micro SD card in the box which is better than nothing. Other features of note include the rear 5 Megapixel camera with 720p video recording, an f2.6 lens and of course auto focus, an LED flash/video light and a ton of software features like touch to focus. There’s also a front facing VGA camera for video calls for those that care about it. Then there’s of course Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, aGPS, FM radio, USB connectivity, DLNA support and a 3.5mm audio jack. Nothing really out of the ordinary there, but everything you’d expected to find on a modern smartphone is accounted for.

Let’s start with the main difference between the two handsets, the Xperia mini pro has a slide-out QWERTY keyboards, the Xperia mini doesn’t. With that bit over, we can carry on to the rest of the details. Both handsets have a 3in display with a resolution of 480x320 pixels with capacitive multi-touch and scratch-resistant mineral glass. This might seem a bit on the small side, but it’s an upgrade over the Xperia X10 mini/ pro, both of which only had a 2.55in screen with 320x240 resolution. Sony Ericsson has kitted out both handsets with Android 2.3, although it has a custom UI which will be familiar to users of

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Sony Ericssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous mini phones with four icons in the corners of the screen. Both models are fully HSDPA/HSUPA compatible, although once again no details as to which speeds are supported were provided. Sony Ericsson claims a talk time of up to 5h 40min on 2G and 5h 25min on 3G for the Xperia mini pro and 4h 30min on 2G and 3G for the Xperia mini, although oddly enough both models have the same 1200mAh battery which makes this seem odd. The Xperia mini pro measures 92x53x18mm (HxWxD) and weighs in at 136g while the Xperia mini measures 88x52x16mm (HxWxD) and weighs in at 94g. Both models will come with a wired headset, a 2GB micro SD card, a micro USB cable and a charger. The Xperia mini will be available in black, white, blue and pink, while the Xperia mini pro will come in black, white, pink and turquoise. Sony Ericsson is hoping to have both models out in retail sometime in Q3.

Samsung and RADIOactive introduced SONAR radio streaming Android App

"Radio is the oldest broadcast media, over hundred years, and it still connects in ways that other media don't. Samsung has been an incredible friend along this journey and this is just the beginning. This is version 1.0. RADIOactive provides proprietary stream the lowest possible quality bitrate with the highest possible quality sound. We also built in a lot of social features (including Facebook etc)." remarked Andrew Crother, founder and managing director of RADIOactive Pte Ltd.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-and-radioactive-introducedsonar-radio-streaming-android-app/12075.html May 5th, 2011

This evening, Samsung and RADIOactive Pte Ltd announced the new mobile radio streaming app, SONAR. SONAR will be preloaded on all new Samsung mobile devices and available on the Android market. The SONAR app is preloaded on the latest Samsung mobile devices and available on both Android and BADA platform. Aside from playing from the Internet radio, you can also share the songs on Facebook, Twitter and even via email.Listeners can also receive regular updates on lifestyle news on music, fashion and events, and even vote for their favorite songs.

"What is Samsung doing with SONAR? Samsung Mobile has always been known as a hardware company; we make great phones. But nowadays, the competition isn't about phones anymore. It's about the stuff that goes into phones, the applications, content and services that these phones can help you in your daily life. SONAR is an Internet radio station and ash a lot of cool things inside," said Winston Goh, product marketing at Samsung Asia .

On the Samsung Wave Bada phone, the SONAR has the same user interface as the Android version. SONAR is available for downlaod from facebook.sonar.sg for all Android and Bada mobile devices. 2

May 5th, 2011

Here are some more pics of the Samsung ladies:-

Published by: VR-Zone

connection to provide "a standardized way of connecting chips inside a smartphone or computer"; Rumour has it that RIM is working on a 10-inch variant of its PlayBook tablet; LG has reportedly declined an invitation to join an independent licensing and patent group for Blu Ray technology due to its intentions of pursuing litigation on the matter; Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii will indeed be given a price cut which will take effect later this month on May 15, and EA claims that the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG should be ready for an official launch any time between July and December this year. Hardware news The Best Budget & Mainstream Processors Description: Choosing a CPU platform is usually the first thing you do when building your own computer. If you've been following our reviews and always-fresh desktop PC buying guide you probably already have a good idea of the current landscape: Intel introduced their Sandy Bridge processors at the beginning of the year, bringing unparalleled performance and improved power consumption, while AMD has little to compete with above the $125 mark -- though that might change soon. OCZ Technology Vertex 3 120GB Retail Solid State Drive Review Description: We plan to see a huge number of SandForce 2000 Series SSDs this year. SandForce has added even more partners in 2011, Intel being one of them. Even though Big Blue will take a shot at fame with a SandForce 2000 Series product, the Vertex 3 will still be the benchmark in which all others are compared. OCZ has dominated the consumer SSD market for the last several years and transitioned from a company making several products into a company whose primary role is solid state drives.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 5 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--5may-2011/12076.html May 5th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Techspot draws up a list of what it has identified as the "best budget and mainstream processors" which casual enthusiasts should look out for when assembing their own DIY PC; USB 3.0 may soon be given a huge boost in market adoption, thanks to the introduction of a new standard which will see the interface being used as an internal

AMD Radeon HD 6770/6750 Rebranding @ Rage3D.com Description: April 28 saw the Retail launch of the AMD Radeon HD 6770 and 6750, using the Juniper GPU core from the HD 5770 and 5750. Yep, it is a 'technology update' using rebranded cards for that ever-so important Blu-ray 3D compatibility. We have some thoughts on the why's and wherefore's on such a move, and try to find a ray of light in this dark, foreboding move. Xigmatek Pantheon Mid Tower Chassis Review Description: The history of the continual burning and damage to the building play into this review in an odd way, so I will continue on the path that the Pantheon name might still be guarded by these Roman gods. The package I received from Xigmatek looks like it had the wrath of something inflicted on it during shipping; I can only hope at this point that the chassis inside is in fair enough condition to show you what the chassis offers... Crucial Ballistix Sport PC3-12800 8GB Kit Review Description: We've got a few kits we'll be looking at over the coming weeks, but the first one comes from Crucial today and is part of the much loved Ballistix series. This one's a little different, though. Within the Ballistix series we've seen other series start up like the Tracer one. Today we're looking at the new Ballistix Sport series and it will be interesting to see what exactly is on offer from the kit here today. 3

May 5th, 2011

USB 3.0 to Debut as Chip Interconnect Description: USB, which is the most popular standard for connecting peripherals to PCs is now also going inside the box. A brand new specification, still under development, will, by the end of the year, allow USB 3.0 to be used a a standardized way of connecting chips inside a smartphone or computer. ADATA Launches New BN Series Energy Efficient Power Supply Description: ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today announced the launch of its latest series of power supply for personal computers. The BN Series is targeted towards consumer and professional users who are looking for economical solutions in energy efficient power. Corsair Updates its Builder Series Power Supplies Description: Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced it has updated the Builder Series with new CX V2 models. Consumer Electronics and Software news RIM Working on a 10-Inch Version of PlayBook Tablet [RUMOR] Description: RIM plans to release a 10-inch version of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at the end of 2011, Boy Genius Report claims quoting multiple anonymous sources. No further details are known about the upcoming tablet, except for the increased screen size compared to the original PlayBook’s screen, which measures 7 inches. Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Sigma Gaming Headset Review Description: It was really only a matter of time before Creative, the creators of the legendary Sound Blaster line of soundcards, designed and manufactured a THX certified gaming headset capable of competing with units far surpassing its price tag. Ultimate Ears 100 In-Ear Headphones Review @ Tweak.dk Description: Ultimate Ears specializes exclusively in producing headphones. They have in their chosen everything from cheap headphones for 30 dollars, and almost luxurious versions in price ranges up to and even above 800 dollars. Today we look at one of their cheap versions and see how much sound you can get out of a set of in-ear headphones for under 60 dollars. In-ear does as its name says that you have the headphones inside the ear like earplugs. Series called Ultimate Ears 100, where Logitech has been involved in over and develop. It is also possible to buy Ultimate Ears 100 on Logitech's website, but much more on this later. Now let's jump into it and look at these little headphones. LG dodges Blu Ray patent group because it still wants to litigate Description: It seems LG is dodging joining an independent licensing company for patents essential to Blu-ray Disc products because it wants to keep litigating. Cyberlink announced that it had joined forces with Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and LG arch-rival Sony to form One-Blue, LLC. The idea of the consortium is to help companies in the industry with a patent licensing service. Under the "onestop shop" banner, potential licensees won't have to handle problems or approach respective patent owners individually.

Published by: VR-Zone

That is, unless they want to work with LG, which is noticeably absent from the gang. Plantronics Gamecom X95 Xbox Review - XSReviews Description: Plantronics are perhaps known for their more professional line of audio equipment, bluetooth headsets and other business orientated gadgets that make the suits feel like they’re anything but the uncool people that they are. However, recently Plantronics have decided to do away with this image and branch out into the gaming sector. We saw their first outing in our recent review of the x40 headset which did very well indeed. F-Browser brings Flash to iOS Description: Right now, if you want to watch Flash videos on your iOS device, you look for an alternative website that contains iOS-friendly video, you use an alternative browser such as Skyfire, or you jailbreak your iPhone and install apps that let it happen. Retina Software has just announced the launch of their new web browser – called F-Browser (we assume the F in its name is supposed to mean Flash). Acer 7-inch Iconia A100, A101 to arrive May 14 Description: Acer’s 7-inch Iconia A100 and A101 Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablets are set to arrive May 14. The devices, which are already up for pre-order in the UK, come with either a 3G + Wi-Fi (A101) or Wi-Fi-only (A100) configurations. Both devices run the Tegra 250 dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1GHz matched with 512MB of RAM and incorporate 8GB of memory expandable with microSDs. Gaming news Nintendo Will Slash Wii Price to $150 This Month Description: Nintendo will officially drop the price of its Wii game console from $199.99 to $149.99, effective May 15. Details of the price drop — including the effective date — leaked online last month and retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Toys R Us lowered the price on the console to $169.99 two weeks ago. Section 8: Prejudice review by PC Game Examiner Description: TimeGate Studios’ Section 8: Prejudice (released May 4th) is an outstanding follow up to the original game and well worth a spot on your roster of favorite multiplayer FPS (first person shooter) games. Best of all, it's only $15. Star Wars: The Old Republic should launch this year - EA Description: BioWare's sci-fi MMORPG should launch between July and December, says EA Games president; EA CFO says there's an "outside" chance for further delay.

Heisei To Show Android Powered Media Players at COMPUTEX Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/heisei-to-show-android-poweredmedia-players-at-computex/12074.html May 5th, 2011

At computex 2011, HEISEI will show entire solution series. All-in-one touch POS terminals with Intel® technology are 4

May 5th, 2011

designed for universal applications and long-term operation; Full-functioned IPC series equipped with different assembly for all kinds of usage; Self service photo KIOSK, FT-8000 is with the thoughtful accessories built in, particularly supported USB 3.0. The latest media player HMH-701SK with android systems, not only plays High-definition media files, but also supports multitudes of Android apps.

After experienced successful showcase at CES and Cebit 2011, HEISEI expected to further displayed at Computex to share brilliant concepts and innovative technology. Just feel free to join us. Complete Solutions Offered At computex 2011, HEISEI will show entire solution series. All-in-one touch POS terminals with Intel® technology are designed for universal applications and long-term operation; Full-functioned IPC series equipped with different assembly for all kinds of usage; Self service photo KIOSK, FT-8000 is with the thoughtful accessories built in, particularly supported USB 3.0. Furthermore, HEISEI could also offer the most satisfying and flexible ODM/OEM solutions. Our engineering and technical knowledge in-house enhance products from design through production. What you want is what we make, let HEISEI be your best partner!

Published by: VR-Zone

GIGABYTE To Unveil Notebooks, Booktops and Slate at COMPUTEX 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-to-unveil-notebooksbooktops-and-slate-at-computex-2011/12073.html May 5th, 2011

GIGABYTE is thrilled to introduce a fantastic lineup of innovative notebook computers at COMPUTEX 2011. Exciting products to be showcased include the P2532 3D and Full HD multimedia notebooks, the S1080 slate pc, the Booktop™ T1125P, the Booktop™ M2432, as well as several other outstanding models.

Plentiful Computer Peripheral with USB 3.0 technology HEISEI have made great progress in USB 3.0 field. We could offer all kinds of devices for your needs: Card Reader, HDD Enclosure, Host Add-on Card, Hub and Bridge. The most desirable products as HUU-304V3, 3 ports USB 3.0 internal hub to expand your ports and make you experience superspeed data transfer rate. External card reader HRU-306RT with charming checkout support five slots can accept up to 30 types of media. Moreover, HPU-343VL/ HPU-344VL 4 Ports USB 3.0 PCI Express Adapter with high-performance let users connect to computers well. At computex, we will show more flexible choices for you! Entertainment Innovation in Media Player A technology breakthrough in media player has been achieved. The latest media player HMH-701SK with android systems, not only plays High-definition media files, but also supports multitudes of Android apps. Likewise, you can make online entertainments for you requirements with best sound and image effects on browser. Just Androidlize your TV and enjoy it anytime, anywhere!

The P2532 is the first 15.6" multimedia notebook designed by GIGABYTE’s R&D team. Featuring a powerful quadcore 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0-2.9GHz processor with Intel® Turbo Boost, the P2532 delivers blazing fast performance. The notebook is equipped with numerous cutting-edge features to make it an extraordinary choice for multimedia enjoyment. The NVIDIA® GeForce® GT550M with 2GB VRAM provides an outstanding graphics experience and has Optimus™ technology that optimizes performance for longer lasting battery life. The P2532V features NVIDIA’s 3D Vision™, which provides an extraordinary visual experience that is perfect for consuming 3D media. The P2532N sports 5

May 5th, 2011

a Full HD 1920x1080 LED backlight screen that produces brilliant and vivid images. For audio enjoyment, there are four terrific dual-channel stereo speakers and a woofer speaker that combined with THX TruStudio Pro™ technology produce a magnificent acoustic experience. The notebook also has other high-end features, including a 7200rpm 500GB/750GB HDD, 4/8GB of RAM, an ultra-thin 9.5mm DVD burner, two USB 3.0 ports and HDMI. S1080

Published by: VR-Zone

docking station also includes useful features, including USB 3.0, HDMI, and a Super-multi DVD (with USB cable). The T1125P is powered by an Intel® Core™ i5/i3 ULV (ultra-low voltage) processor to provide powerful processing power in a lightweight design. For multimedia, the NVIDIA® Geforce® 410M GPU with 1GB VRAM gives users a superb viewing experience and comes with Optimus™ technology that helps extend battery life. For audio, there are two high-quality dual-channel stereo speakers and two woofer speakers that combined with THX TruStudio Pro™ technology create an exceptional audio performance. The notebook also comes with a 3.5G antenna built-in, USB 3.0 and HDMI. Booktop™ M2432 The Booktop™ M2432 is the successor to the innovative Booktop™ M1405. Featuring a thin and stylish design, the Booktop™ M2432 is powered by a powerful second generation Intel® Core™ i5/i3 processor. The M2432 is a fantastic choice for users who want to combine the mobility of a lightweight notebook with the power of a desktop. The M2432 accomplishes the combination of notebook and desktop by its powerful docking station, which features a built-in NVIDIA® GT 440 GPU that delivers desktop like graphics performance that is great for visual entertainment. Another exciting feature is that the optical disk drive can easily be exchanged for an optional extended battery, great for those times when extra battery life is needed. Q2432 and Q2532

The S1080 is an exciting 10.1” capacitive multi-touch slate PC that is designed for business and professional users who need a high-performing multi-tasking slate that offers the full productivity of Windows® 7. The slate is powered by an Intel® Atom™ N570 dual core processor and has an incredible 320GB of built-in storage. Weighing under 0.90kg and coming equipped with a 3.5G antenna built-in, the slate is great for traveling and the perfect mobile device to satisfy consumers’ demanding business needs. The S1080 also includes a mouselike navigation button that lets users conveniently move the cursor around the screen to easily edit documents and access programs. The slate also includes USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 1.3mp webcam. An attractive portfolio carrying case is included with the slate, which can also be conveniently used as a stand. There is also an optional docking station, which comes with an ODD, dual speakers, and a keyboard. An optional extended battery can also be used and is great for mobility. Booktop™ T1125P GIGABYTE proudly presents the world’s first 3-in-1 computer, the Booktop™ T1125P. The T1125P is a sleek and highperforming computer with an 11.6” capacitive multi-touch display that can instantly change from a laptop to a tablet to a desktop with GIGABYTE’s innovative docking station. The

The 14” Q2432 and the 15.6" Q2532 are the perfect choices to provide exceptional everyday mobile computing. The notebooks are equipped with a 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 series processor to provide outstanding performance. The Q2432A and Q2532N models have discrete graphics cards that deliver an excellent visual experience. Other exciting features include two USB 3.0 ports and HDMI. The notebooks are fashionably designed with an attractive rippling pattern to make them a stylish choice for mobile computing. T1005M Following the trend of the highly successful T1000P, the T1005M is a superb 10.1” convertible tablet computer that features a capacitive multi-touch screen with an excellent resolution of 1366x768. The computer is powered by an Intel® Atom™ N570 dual core processor. The T1005M comes with a 3.5G antenna built-in, USB 3.0, a 6-cell battery for long-lasting battery life, and many other exciting features to make it the perfect choice for tablet computing. Booktop™ M1005

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The ZiiSound Dx series revolutionises the home audio system. In this revolutionary new system, wireless speakers connect independently to stereo Bluetooth devices such as the iPhone, Blackberry, Android phone, iPad or Creative ZiiO tablet, and can also be configured so more speakers are connected wirelessly to form a multi-channel home audio system. The ZiiSound Dx series also features renowned apt-X audio technology for outstanding sound quality. Unlike with traditional speaker systems, users will no longer need to purchase a fixed speaker configuration for a specific use in the home. Creative’s one-piece pure wireless modular speakers let users upgrade from a single speaker to a larger configuration by simply adding more speakers wirelessly. Flexible Placement

The M1005 features an Intel® Atom™ N570 dual core processor and is a premier choice for netbook computing. The M1005 comes with GIGABYTE’s unique docking station, which allows the netbook to be placed vertically on a desk saving space and providing a useful desktop experience with three additional usb ports and a VGA port. The docking station also includes other excellent features, including a power button and a dedicated button that lets users check the battery status without undocking the computer.

The built-in flexibility to add or subtract speakers means the same system can have many uses. Users will now be able to create different speakers systems – ideal for music, movies and games – for different rooms throughout the home. Examples include a one-piece speaker for bedside music listening, a 2.1 speaker system for bedroom or study room for games or music listening, and a 3.1 speaker system for living room music, movies and game audio entertainment Key Features of the ZiiSound Dx Series of Pure Wireless Modular Speakers: ZiiSound D5x (Flagship modular wireless speaker system)

Creative introduces eight new products for the month of May Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/creative-introduces-eight-newproducts-for-the-month-of-may/12071.html May 5th, 2011

Four wireless Bluetooth speakers, an MP3 player sporting a ZEN-like design, and three sets of Bluetooth headsets. And just in case you are wondering; no, we have not lost our marbles and gone off rambling about random audio-related hardware for the consumers. Rather, these are new products which Creative will be introducing for the local market. Read on to find out more. Creative Redefines Home Audio with ZiiSound Dx Series of Pure Wireless Modular Bluetooth Speakers

• Works with all smart devices and mobile phones that are stereo Bluetooth compatible* • Easily upgradable for more compelling audio - allows wireless linking to additional ZiiSound D5x wireless speaker modules and ZiiSound DSx wireless subwoofers • High quality wireless audio with apt-X codec

Introduces a Paradigm Shift in the Home Audio Listening Experience

• Precision volume control when used with the included BT-D5 Bluetooth transmitter

SINGAPORE – 5 May 2011 – Creative Technology Ltd today announced the launch of a brand new category of wireless speakers, the ZiiSound Dx series of pure wireless modular speakers. The ZiiSound Dx series consists of the ZiiSound D5x wireless one-piece speaker, ZiiSound D3x wireless one-piece speaker and ZiiSound DSx wireless subwoofer.

• Efficient digital amplifiers and world class tuning deliver striking accuracy and detail like no other

Flexible Configuration

• Allows link to ZiiSound DSx wireless subwoofer for deep bass capability or more ZiiSound D5x speakers for stereo or surround applications • Charges the iPhone or iPod while playing** 7

May 5th, 2011

• One-piece construction to minimise vibrations for the purest audio experience • Integrated AUX-In for other audio devices *Bluetooth A2DP compliant devices **Via BT-D5 Bluetooth Transmitter ZiiSound D3x

Published by: VR-Zone

• Works with ZiiSound D5x or ZiiSound D3x for extended deep bass capability Incorporates Creative’s Symmetrically Loaded Acoustic Module (SLAM) for that signature deep, tight and fast bass • Robust wireless technology allows limitless flexibility in subwoofer placement Pricing and Availability The ZiiSound D5x and the ZiiSound DSx will be available at the online store at sg.store.creative.com from end June 2011 onwards, and at The CREATIVE Stores at International Business Park and Marina Square, and authorised dealers in Singapore from mid July 2011 onwards at the following suggested retail prices: Creative ZiiSound D5x wireless modular speaker: S$399.00 Creative ZiiSound DSx wireless modular subwoofer: S$199.00

• Affordable one-piece wireless modular speaker system made for smaller rooms • Works with all smart devices and mobile phones that are stereo Bluetooth compatible* • Easily upgradable for more compelling audio - allows wireless linking to additional ZiiSound D3x wireless speaker modules and ZiiSound DSx wireless subwoofers • High quality wireless audio with apt-X codec • Efficient digital amplifiers and world class tuning deliver striking accuracy and detail like no other • Allows link to ZiiSound DSx wireless subwoofer for deep bass capability or more ZiiSound D3x speakers for stereo or surround applications • One-piece construction to minimise vibrations for the purest audio experience • Integrated AUX-In for other audio devices *Bluetooth A2DP compliant devices ZiiSound DSx

The ZiiSound D3x will be available at the online store at sg.store.creative.com from August 2011 onwards, and at the CREATIVE Stores at International Business Park and Marina Square, and authorised dealers in Singapore from end August 2011 onwards at the following suggested retail price: Creative ZiiSound D3x wireless modular speaker: S$199.00

Gigabyte G1. Assassin wins COMPUTEX Taipei Design and Innovation Award Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-g1.-assassin-wins-computextaipei-design-and-innovation-award/12072.html May 5th, 2011

GIGABYTE today announced that the G1. Assassin motherboard has received the ‘Design and Innovation’ award from TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade and Development Council), the organizers of Computex 2011, in cooperation with iF International Forum Design. The GIGABYTE G1.Assassin motherboard is the first ever motherboard product to be awarded the coveted ‘Design and Innovation’ award, and was selected as the best example of unique component design, addressing the needs of elite gamers, a growing niche within the PC gaming market.

• Modular wireless subwoofer that works with the ZiiSound D5x and ZiiSound D3x 8

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Taipei, Taiwan, May 4th 2011 – GIGABYTE INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced that the G1. Assassin motherboard has received the ‘Design and Innovation’ award from TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade and Development Council), the organizers of Computex 2011, in cooperation with iF International Forum Design. The GIGABYTE G1.Assassin motherboard is the first ever motherboard product to be awarded the coveted ‘Design and Innovation’ award, and was selected as the best example of unique component design, addressing the needs of elite gamers, a growing niche within the PC gaming market. “At GIGABYTE we are both excited and proud to accept this award as recognition from our peers in the industry for the work we have done in developing the unique G1.Assassin motherboard,” commented Richard Chen, VP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at GIGABYTE. “This accolade underlines our commitment to offering elite gamers and system builders the absolute best PC gaming experience possible, delivering unique features you simply cannot find on any other motherboard product.”

Samsung introduces new SENS-240 navigational tablet in Korea Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-introduces-new-sens-240navigational-tablet-in-korea/12069.html May 5th, 2011

To date, we have got tablets on the market that are capable of performing all kinds of tasks, such as making calls, performing general computing tasks, playing games and even serving as software equalizers for audio-related purposes. But to release a tablet that is specially designed for navigational purposes? That is exactly what Samsung has done with its new SENS-240 navigational tablet that has just been launched in Korea. Everybody knows the drill: if you want the convenience of being able to perform general purpose computing tasks while on the move, you go for a device such as a smartphone or a tablet. On the other hand, if you only want a device to perform a very specific task, you get a specialized gadget that does its designated task properly. However, leave it to Samsung to do what no other OEM has done: to release a tablet device that, instead of being the general purpose device it is intended to be, is designed to serve only one purpose: navigation. Such is the nature of Samsung's new SENS-240 navigational tablet, which was reportedly launched in Korea today.

According to a report published by Akihabara News, the SENS-240 is more of a hybrid tablet than a full-fledged navigational device in that it is designed to be operated alongside Samsung's Android-powered smartphones and tablets. Apparently, when paired together via Bluetooth, the SENS-240 is reportedly capable of serving as an external display for the paired smartphone or tablet, in addition to it still fulfilling its primary role as a navigational tool. In addition, Akihabara News also claims that the SENS-240 is powered by a powerful 1.43GHz CPU (manufactured by Samsung, no less) that is capable of displaying 3D Maps as well as handling playback of media files. Furthermore, the device features a seven-inch display which sports a native resolution of 800×480, 256MB of RAM, a USB 2.0 Host and an SD Card slot. Last but definitely not least, Samsung claims that the SENS-240 can be remotely controlled by its Android-powered smartphones and tablets, although we really should point out that drivers would be better off keeping their hands on the steering wheel and not on their digital toys when driving on the roads.

Chrome Canary: now singing its way to Mac OS X Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/chrome-canary-now-singing-its-wayto-mac-os-x/12068.html May 5th, 2011

Remember Chrome Canary for Windows? You know, that highly experimental and unstable browser which Google was inviting Windows users to play around with, but only if they were ready to deal with the frequent issues that are bound to occur while using it? Well, it seems that Google is keen on attracting more guinea....I mean, more adventurous, ITsavvy users to help test out its unstable browser builds, and has even roped in OS X users to join the party. Yes, you are reading it correctly: Chrome Canary is now available for the Mac platform.

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone May 5th, 2011

Ever since Chrome Canary for Windows was released, adventurous Mac users had to look on in jealousy while their Windows-using counterparts were able to download and install pre-development builds of the Google Chrome browser. And their frustration is understandable; unlike the open-source development channel known as Chromium, users of Chrome Canary had the luxury of having various extras present in the stable Chrome releases baked into their Canary builds, such as the built-in Flash plugin. In addition, Canary also has the distinction of being the only bleeding edge version of Chrome that is officially recognized by Google, a status not granted to the open-source Chromium development builds. Fortunately, it seems that Mac users will no longer have to feel left out when it comes to enjoying the latest, most bleedingedge version of the Chrome browser Google has to offer, for Google has officially open up a Mac tree for its Canary browser builds. Indeed, a quick look at the documentation in Chrome's Early Access Release Channels indicate that OS X is now a supported platform.

That being said, the same restriction found in the Windows versions of Canary apply to the OS X ports: this means that Canary cannot be designated as a default browser, and for obvious reasons. After all, this build is designed to be used only by a very specific group of people that are keen on living on the bleeding edge of technology and do not mind having to deal with various major or minor issues that may crop up during the course of usage. Also, one should remember that Apple takes issues with software that could potentially cause Macs to crash; surely you will not want to see Chrome banned from future versions of the Mac OS X operating system, no?

The Macbook Air may be one of the better looking notebooks available on the market today, but consumers who crave an Apple-branded, ultrathin notebook that features a screen size which is neither 11 inches or 13 inches are essentially out of luck. However, it would seem that such consumers will have a little more choice if they head down to China: in addition to the 10-inch 'Macbook Air' that was unveiled last week, the country is also getting another unofficial addition to its 'Macbook Air' family with the release of a 14-inch version of the ultrathin notebook. You really got to love China, especially in times like this. Every so often, an established OEM will unveil new notebooks that are aimed at eliciting the "Ooos" and "Ahhs" from designconscious consumers, but the fever dies down the moment they realize that the beautiful notebooks sitting in front of them does not come with the right specifications needed for the job. Which, for the most part, seems to describe Apple's Macbook Air notebooks perfectly, considering that they are only available in screen sizes of 11 inches and 13 inches. And this is where China comes in to offer a solution for users who crave the design of a Macbook Air but desire a machine with a larger display; by introducing its own version of a 14-inch 'Macbook Air'.

Like most of the Chinese clones we have covered here on VR-Zone, the 14-inch Macbook Air knockoff utilizes an Intel Atom N455 processor clocked at 1.66GHz, so suffice to say performance is definitely not going to be the notebook's selling point. However, what you do get is a machine which bears a very close resemblance to the real Macbook Air (save for the colour scheme, of course), sports 1GB of DDR2 memory, a HDMI-out port, a built-in card reader, a 250GB mechanical hard disk and a 3000mAh battery pack. What, you thought the Chinese manufacturers would be nice enough to throw in an SSD for you? Sorry, but that is just not going to happen.

14-inch 'Macbook Air' shows up in China Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/14-inch-macbook-air-shows-up-inchina/12067.html

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The Clash of the Titans - Gigabyte G1.Assassin Reviewed Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-clash-of-the-titans--gigabyteg1.assassin-reviewed/11945.html May 5th, 2011

Targetted at gamers, the G1.Assassin Motherboard is an extremely popular product in the market. Today, the G1.Assassin Motherboard is put side by side with one of their competitors and we will find out just which of the two is better. Get ready for some cold-blooded action from the G1.Assassin as he shows us how it's done. Introduction The G1 Killer, as the name suggests, is Gigabyte's first series of motherboard aimed solely at professional gamers. The G1 Killer comes in 3 flavours, namely the Assassin, Sniper and Guerrilla. +1 to Gigabyte for renaming the motherboards into something much cooler and easier to remember since generic naming styles such as "GA-H67MA-UD2H-B3" are a pain to say out.

That being said, it seems that the 14-inch 'Macbook Air' does come with a little extra toy thrown in by the vendor, and it comes in the form of a small remote control that can be used for various media-related tasks, such as volume adjustment and shutting down the notebook. No information about pricing has been revealed but hey, this is China we are talking about; just how expensive can it get? Fighting through the late game, the G1.Assassin will be one tough guy to handle. With a large market tending towards the newer P67 platform, is there still space in the market for any new X58 motherboards? We all know that the X79 will be arriving in the 4th Quarter this year. Would you go for the newer and more efficient sandy bridge architecture or the current high end nahalem architecture? If you already have an affection towards the Sandy Bridge platform, the Assassin and other G1.Killer motherboards may change your mind.

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

motherboard itself. A total of 8 USB 3.0 ports are just overkill but you wont find anyone complaining. Bigfoot Killer E2100 Network Processing Unit sure explains to you why gamers have to get their hands on this state of the art equipment. To read up more about the features, view pages 4 and 5.

Screens that can be crumpled Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/screens-that-can-becrumpled/12066.html May 5th, 2011

The G1.Assassin is one huge motherboard in terms of size. It has a XL-ATX form factor which may not fit into most mid tower cases. So do make sure that your case fits the motherboard of size 345mm x 262mm before purchasing this product. Specifications CPU Support CPU Socket QPI/FSB Chipset Graphics Interface Memory Type

Memory DIMM

Expansion Slots ATA connector

SATA RAID USB 3.0 USB 2.0 Audio Front audio headphone amplifier Nichicon MUSE capacitor LAN HW OC botton Features & Software

Intel® Core™ i7 Processors LGA1366 4.8GT/s, 6.4GT/s X58+ICH10R 4*PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot (2x16, 2x8) 4*PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot (2x16, 2x8) 3 Channel DDR3 2200/1600/1333MHz 4*PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot (2x16, 2x8) 3 Channel DDR3 2200/1600/1333MHz 6*DDR3 (Max 24 GB) 2*PCI-Ex1+ 1*PCI 2* SATA 6Gb/s+6* SATA 3Gb/s+ 1*Power eSATA (front bezel) RAID 0,1,5,10, JBOD 8 (4 front, 4 rear) 8 (4 front, 4 rear) Creative HW audio 20K2

Bigfoot Killer™ 2100 Yes (front bezel) 16 power phase, Dual Power, 3 way SLI™, 4 way CrossFire™ X, Driver MOSFET, X-Fi, EAX, Dolby, DTS, 3TB+ HDD,On/Off charge, USB 3.0,USB 3x power, Smart6, UD3,DES2

After looking at its specifications, you'll understand why it's no ordinary motherboard. For the first time, a high end Audio chipset, the Creative 20K2 is used and built into the

E-ink technology is featured in Amazon's kindle and many other reading devices. Its claim to fame is that content displayed on such screens are highly readable in a wide array of lighting conditions, just like ordinary paper. The company has managed to bring their technology one step closer to becoming truly paper-like. Read On. Up till now, E-ink's technology is mainly found only in reading devices. But that is set to change, E-ink has come up with a product that can be crumpled like real paper. This new screen has the same display qualities as the original E-ink technology. Possible applications for this screen which can be crumpled includes re-usable envelopes, clothing and even banners. Its flexibility allows it to be used in much more applications than before. E-ink displays are said to use 60% less energy than traditional displays. Apart from saving energy, being almost identical to paper makes it more likely for consumers to consider eink as a viable alternative to paper products. Reducing our dependency on wood derived products reduces our impact on the environment.

Intel announces world's first 3D Tri-Gate transistors technology for processors Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-announces-world-s-first-3d-trigate-transistors-technology-for-processors/12064.html May 5th, 2011

When Intel said that they had a major, groundbreaking announcement to make on Wednesday, we were betting on the assumption that the chip giant had magically come up with new processor designs that will eventually translate to better performance for enthusiasts. As it turns out, we were not entirely wrong after all; Intel's 'groundbreaking announcement' did in fact center around silicon transistor technology. Apparently, the chip giant has managed to find a way to produce 3D transistors for its processors, and Ivy Bridge will be the first set of chips to make use of the new 3D Tri-Gate transistors.

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Not too long ago, Intel promised to deliver a "most significant technology announcement of the year" during a press event that was to be held on Wednesday (yesterday). Needless to say, this has gotten many speculating about what the "most significant technology announcement" would be, although many were betting on Intel releasing details about some unprecedented breakthrough in its development of Ivy Bridge. As it turns out, they were not exactly wrong either. Indeed, Intel's announcement was indeed directly related to Ivy Bridge, although it was on a much lower level than what most would have expected it to be. Apparently, Intel has successfully managed to perfect its 3D transistor technology known as TriGate for high-volume production, and this technology will be incorporated into Ivy Bridge, as well as future versions of the Atom processor.

According to Intel's press release, Tri-Gate "represent(s) a fundamental departure from the two-dimensional planar transistor structure" as most processors were fabricated with 2D transistors prior to Intel's perfection of Tri-Gate. By utilizing a 3D transistor design for its processors, Intel claims that the company is now in the position to extend Moore's Law for the forseeable future, as the laws of physics would have made any development on the 22nm die shrink of Sandy Bridge impossible without a complete redesign due to physical limitations. In addition to allowing Intel to proceed with its development on the 22nm process, the chip giant is also claiming that the 3D Tri-Gate transistors will allow its chips to achieve "unprecedented power savings and performance gains". This is reportedly due to the transistors' design allowing for operating at "lower voltage(s) with lower leakage". By Intel's own estimations, Tri-Gate transistors provide up to 37% more performance than the conventional transistor designs used in its 32nm process, but consume less than half the power.

ASUS expected to launch Tegra 3-powered tablets this year Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-expected-to-launch-tegra-3powered-tablets-this-year/12063.html May 5th, 2011

NVIDIA's Tegra system-on-a-chips (SoCs) may have only just started to see the light of the day in consumer devices such as smartphones and tablets, but it would appear that more OEMs are now turning to the graphics semiconductor giant for their chip supply due to Tegra's impressive performance. And apparently, ASUS is not about to stop at NVIDIA's Tegra 2 SoC for its tablets; word has it that the Taiwanese OEM will be one of the first few companies to make use of NVIDIA's upcoming Tegra 3 SoC for its future offerings. It is only recently that mobile communication devices such as smartphone and tablets have started adopting the use of NVIDIA's Tegra 2 SoC for their processing needs, but even then, it would appear that some OEMs may have already gotten a head start over their competitors where future versions of the Tegra SoC may be concerned. Apparently, word has it that ASUS is currently well on its way in developing at least three more tablet PCs this year. According to a report posted by DIGITIMES, the Taiwanese OEM has plans for a 10-inch Eee Pad Slider EP102 and seveninch Eee Pad MeMo EP71 in the next three months, but it is the third and unnamed tablet that has gotten our attention. This is because the report claims that the unnamed tablet will be making use of NVIDIA's Tegra 3 SoC, which has been touted as the world's first SoC to posses a quad-core CPU.

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

a smartphone catered exclusively for the fairer sex may be one of odder developments to take place in the smartphone market And yet, here we are today with news about a supposed ladies-centric smartphone, made by none other than HTC, and powered by Google's Android operating system. Wonderful; so when will the guys be able to get their hands on a real men's smartphone? With almost every single smartphone on the market today sporting various design elements that are clearly intended to score points with the female crowd, some might be under the impression that the smartphone market is starting to experience a shift in target audience. After all, most ladies' immediate priority when choosing a smartphone often has something to do with looking refined and sophisticated in front of their colleagues and peers. At least, that is until they start fiddling with their smartphones to find out how to perform the most basic of functions, since the instructional manual is always unceremoniously tossed out within the first six hours of the purchase.

As most people probably know by now, the Tegra 3 SoC, when released, will probably be the most powerful SoC to grace the insides of a tablet or smartphone. However, the SoC is slated only for a 'Fall 2011' release, whereas ASUS is gearing up for a May-July launch for its tablets. If we take into consideration that the Tegra 3-powered version will probably be released a couple of months later in order to give the EP102 and EP71 some shelf time on the market, an August or September launch for a Tegra 3 tablet puts it right in sync with NVIDIA's official release date, which suggests that ASUS may have secured launch partner rights for Tegra 3's release.

Still, it would seem odd that any OEM will attempt to put its revenues on the line by designing a smartphone that is meant to be used only the ladies, if only because the smartphone market is still fairly gender neutral at this point. However, HTC looks set to tip that status quo soon: rumour has it that the Taiwanese smartphone OEM is designing a special smartphone for Verizon that is almost designed entirely around a lady's needs and desires. And the name of this smartphone? The HTC Bliss.

No pricing about either tablet has been revealed, although DIGITIMES claims that the EP102 will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, while the EP71 will use a Qualcomm CPU.

Rumour: HTC working on Android-powered smartphone for the ladies? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-htc-working-on-androidpowered-smartphone-for-the-ladies-/12061.html May 5th, 2011

With almost every single smartphone out on the market today being designed in such a way that would appeal more to the ladies than the tough, macho-looking guys, talking about

According to a report published by a website known as This Is My Next..., ?HTC has been holding focus groups with women between the ages of 20 and 30 in order to find out more about what makes a smartphone tick for the ladies. As a result, it should be of no surprise that the HTC Bliss features various design elements that are designed solely for their comfort, among many other things. This Is My Next...? claims that the Bliss's design could essentially be described as the result "if the Desire S and the Desire Z were to mate"; with the Bliss being about half a centimeter thinner than the Desire Z, but without the dedicated keyboard. In addition, the back of the 14

May 5th, 2011

Bliss's body will have a rubber pad built into it to allow for easy gripping. On the software side, This Is My Next... ?is claiming that the Bliss will come preloaded with various software vital for a ladies physical and mental well-being. And by that, we mean that the Bliss will be preloaded with apps that reportedly compare shopping prices among different malls, along with the all-important calorie counter. Which is perfectly fine: we all know that the fine ladies are devout supporters of retail therapy and fine figures. Furthermore, HTC is reportedly bundling in a different set of 'calming' wallpapers into the Bliss, whatever that means. Lastly, word has it that the HTC Bliss will also have its own set of ladies-centric accessories up for grabs. First up the list is apparently an intelligent wireless charging dock with builtin speakers that automatically switches the Bliss into alarm mode when docked, with the second accessory being a "squareshaped" in-car speaker system that supports voice recognition. However, the last accessory is by far the most interesting one, and it comes in the form of a cube-shaped strap-on accessory that automatically glows when calls or messages are received by the Bliss. In many ways, this little 'companion cube' resembles some of the 'radiowave stickers' that start flashing in a variety of colours when it detects the presence of radio waves transmitted by cell phones.

Published by: VR-Zone May 5th, 2011

In today's news roundup: A budget gaming PC built to a cost of US$599 gets built and tested to see if it has the juice needed to perform as one; ASUS's mATX motherboard, the P8H67-M Evo, which is said to offer an attractive price-to-performance ratio, gets reviewed; A recently-discovered patent dating back to 2009 has ignited suspicions that Steve Jobs may be lying about Apple's policy with regards to collecting location data from iPhone users; Xobni for Outlook, an inbox plugin offering social intelligence and relationship management inside email messages, is opening an app store to users and developers; Steam is currently having an 'EA Week' promotion where selected EA titles will be put up for grabs at heavily discounted prices for each day of the week, and Rumour has it that the Wii's successor will be using yet another proprietary optical disc format capable of storing up to 25GB of data, utilize SD cards as its main media for data storage due to the console lacking a built-in HDD, and feature a resolution cap of up to 1080i. Hardware news $599 Gaming PC Built and Tested Description: When NVIDIA launched the GTX 550 Ti, it was interesting to see in their slides that they made mention of how it was the perfect model to build a $599 US gaming PC. As someone who has more power than I need in video and just about every other component of my system, I really found myself wondering, could we build a $599 US PC? Xigmatek Pantheon Case Review on Technic3D (German) Description: (Machine translation) The Xigmatek Pantheon is the next PC-Case in the Technic3D Editorship. The Pantheon Tower supports ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards and have place for eight Cooling-Fans and a Watercooling Kit. We will check this and many more in the following Review.

As we have mentioned before, news about the HTC Bliss's existance is still a rumour at this point of time, and it is very possible that this information about the Bliss could end up as nothing more than an elaborate hoax. But until the official confirmation (or denial) comes, one cannot help but wonder if the HTC Bliss will spawn with it a new wave of smartphones specially tailored for the sophisticated uptown lady. As for us...well...we will hang on to the hope that macho-looking smartphones for the guys will start appearing on the market soon.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 4 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--4may-2011/12055.html

Patriot 32GB Supersonic USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review @ Madshrimps Description: The latest high performance Supersonic USB 3.0 Flash Drive from Patriot Memory features Quad Channel Technology and has exceeded our expectations in terms of write speeds, managing to beat all other previously tested USB 3.0 similar products. ASUS P8H67-M Evo Review @ ocaholic Description: With the P8H67-M EVO ASUS has an mATX motherboard in its portfolio which tries to win customers hearts with an attractive price performance ratio. Wether this board is able to convince or not that's what we will show on the following pages. Xigmatek Elysium Super Tower Review @ Tweaknews Description: So, you're unsatisfied with your current fulltower case? Not enough room? Too plain? Well, Xigmatek may have the answer. Their new Elysium is one of the largest chassis' on the market and will even support the huge SR-2 (HPTX) platform. With room for two power supplies and a whopping ten expansion bays, the hardware choices are virtually limitless and the front drive bays will support eight 15

May 5th, 2011

hard drives and up to five ODDs at the same time without modification. Antec One Hundred Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews Description: The Antec One Hundred computer case is touted as "the gaming case that delivers high-end features at a price that won't break the bank." Many gamers (and non-gamers) will purchase cases with sexy exteriors, only to find that the functionality and performance of the case are significantly hindered. For experienced users, a gaming case brings certain expectations, such as the need for good cooling, ease of use for install and re-installation of components, proper placement of USB ports and audio jacks, as well as several other factors. Benchmark Reviews will take the Antec One Hundred for a spin and you can decide if it meets your criteria for a good economy gaming case. AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Processor Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: With the new Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition CPU, AMD has upped the speed for their existing AM2+/AM3 platform. The Phenom II X4 980BE clocks in with a stock speed of 3.7Ghz, making it the fastest out of the box clock speed AMD currently offers. With an unlocked multiplier, the Phenom II X4 980BE also invites you to explore overclocking and see just how much more speed you can get. The Phenom II 980BE also sports a full 2MB L2 cache and 6MB L3 cache. In the AM3 platform, the onboard memory controller is able to take full advantage of DDR3 memory up to PC3 10600. HIS Radeon 6870 IceQX Review - XSReviews Description: Just to keep things fresh and prevent you all from getting bored with all the headset reviews we’ve been putting out recently, here’s something a bit more internal,a GPU from HIS. This is the IceQX variant of their HD 6870 Graphics card from AMD. Consumer Electronics and Software news Apple patent application indicates Jobs may have lied Description: The ongoing kerfuffle over Apple devices allegedly tracking their users' locations has taken yet another turn. It all started on April 20th, when tech bloggers Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden reported their discovery that iPhones and 3G iPads running iOS4 were supposedly maintaining a stealth file of locations that the devices had traveled to – with their users. Apple responded on April 27th, stating that the devices were simply anonymously contributing to a database of local Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers, that helped to triangulate the phones' location faster than GPS alone. Now, however, a just-discovered patent application filed by Apple in 2009 has some people doubting that claim. Xobni Opens App Store for Outlook Description: Xobni for Outlook, an inbox plugin offering social intelligence and relationship management inside email messages, is opening an app store to users and developers Tuesday. The Xobni Gadget Store allows users to pick and choose from nearly 20 free and paid applications to add to their Outlook experience. At launch, the store includes gadgets from notable productivity, CRM, social media and collaborative-focused companies including Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Salesforce CRM, Chatter and Yammer.

Published by: VR-Zone

Logitech Ultimate Ears 100 Noise Isolating Earphones Review Description: Logitech are super veterans of the PC industry and have basically covered every type of audio product and PC peripheral known to man. And it's initially here that we must plead ignorance to the success Logitech have been having all over the world with their Ultimate Ears product range. Because put simply, we had never heard of Ultimate Ears until the '100' series were delivered to us. 16GB Zune HD drops to $169, edging closer to EOL? Description: With Windows Phone 7 offering full Zune functionality and then some, the new mobile OS has clearly created a surplus of lower-capacity Zune HD devices, causing Microsoft to respond with a rather significant price drop. Typically, a discount would indicate an imminent refresh, but we doubt that's the case here. The 16GB Zune HD has shaved off $30, to $169.99, and you can now grab the 32GB version for $199.99 -- the same price you would have paid for the 16 gig before the drop, and nearly $100 less than the $299 you'll spend on a 32GB iPod touch. The 64GB model is holding fast at $349.99, but with a $70 plunge on the mid-capacity model, you might have just enough cash left over for that tattoo you've always dreamed of. iPhone 5 will miss June and July, says AT&T representative Description: The next iPhone will indeed miss the standard June-July release schedule, an AT&T customer representative claims. The statement was made after one customer noticed that his eligibility for a subsidized upgrade had been delayed by over five months, and contacted AT&T for an explanation. "Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future," part of the representative's response reads. Gaming news Pilotwings Resort Nintendo 3DS Review Description: Pilotwings as a series is an interesting one. First launched on the Super Nintendo system, the game is either derided or loved by each gamer with a Nintendo console. The fact is that the older games were hard, incredibly hard in fact; so difficult that you could get stuck for hours on end with nothing to do just trying to beat one challenge. However, for many gamers that is what made the game so appealing and when we heard that it was coming to 3DS with 3D graphics we were excited. However, we also had a worry that given the casual market that Nintendo now targets, it would be toned down and unfortunately this is only the beginning of its problems. It is a EA Week On Steam Description: It is a EA week on Steam as a variety of selected games from the publisher will be going on crazy sale. Today is a Need for Speed sale, you can get Need for Speed: Undercover for just $2.50! If you want to lay out a bit more (but still not very much), Need for: Speed Shift and Hot Pursuit are available for $6.80 and $14.99, respectively. (prices are all in USD) Wii Successor Lacks a Hard Drive, Includes 8GB Internal Storage - Report Description: Nintendo will officially detail its successor to the Wii in just over a month's time at E3. In the meantime we have 16

May 5th, 2011

to continue parsing through rumors about every aspect of the system. The latest such report from Kotaku suggests Nintendo will again eschew hard drives with its new console and instead offer 8GB of internal, flash-based storage.

MSI's Z68MA-ED55 poked and prodded on Chinese site Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-s-z68ma-ed55-poked-andprodded-on-chinese-site/12060.html May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

and MSI has even managed to squeeze in a reset and a power button. Around the back we have a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, two USB 3.0 ports, 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out, a Gigabit Ethernet port and most importantly to some, as this is a Z68 board, a D-sub, DVI and HDMI port. For such a tiny board we're quite impressed by the fact that MSI has somehow managed to squeeze in what appears to be a 10-phase PWM design and this board is also using tantalum capacitors all around the CPU socket.

We almost missed this one, but it turns out that MSI's upcoming mATX Z68MA-ED55 has made a well-documented appearance on a Chinese website with no less than four pages worth of pictures of it. This is also one of the first mATX Z68 boards we've seen, in fact; it's the only other board apart from ASRock's Z68 Pro3-M. We almost missed this one, but it turns out that MSI's upcoming mATX Z68MA-ED55 has made a well-documented appearance on a Chinese website with no less than four pages worth of pictures of it. This is also one of the first mATX Z68 boards we've seen, in fact; it's the only other board apart from ASRock's Z68 Pro3-M. MSI's Z68MA-ED55 appears to be a higher-end mATX board compared to ASRock's Z68 Pro3-M, least not based on the fact the MSI's board has a pair of x16 slots. That said; you'd need a case with at least five expansion slots if you'd want to take advantage of both slots while using dual-slot graphics cards. The board also has two PCI Express x1 slots, but as this is a mATX this is where the expansion slots end.

We have a feeling that the Z68MA-ED55 is going to be an expensive mATX board, but it's packed to the brim with features, although we would've liked to have seen a pin header for a pair for front USB 3.0 ports as well, but beggars can't be choosers as they say. The board has already been listed on a European price comparison engine, but sadly no-one seems to be supplying any kind of pricing as of yet.

First picture of Asus' M5A99X EVO motherboard Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/first-picture-of-asus-m5a99x-evomotherboard/12059.html May 5th, 2011

As far as leaks goes, AMD has managed to keep things secret about its upcoming AM3+ platform pretty quiet, but we're finally starting to see a few leaks here and there from its partners ahead of Computex. The first picture of Asus' upcoming M5A99X EVO board has just made an appearance and it looks like we're in for a treat if this is what a mid-range AM3+ board looks like. The Z68MA-ED55 has been designed with overclockers in mind and MSI has added features like it's OC Genie and readout points for various board Voltages, a feature usually only seen on higher-end ATX boards from MSI. As things are a little bit cramped on a mATX board we have to make do with the standard four SATA 3Gbps and two SATA 6Gbps ports that the chipset provides. Other on-board features include four USB 2.0 headers for a total of eight ports, a FireWire header

May 5th, 2011

shame. Even so, we can make out a lot of the details of the board and form a good opinion about what's on offer. Due to the slightly odd placement of the 990X chipset the first expansion slot is missing which isn't exactly a fantastic start, but at least it only gets better from here. The slots consists of three x16 slots, with the primary and secondary slots sharing bandwidth in a dual x8 mode when both are in use due to chipset limitations and the third slot most likely being a x4 slot. There are also two x1 PCI Express slots and a single PCI slot. AMD's chipsets still support PCI, so there's no need for a bridge chip that takes up a PCI Express lane on AM3+ boards.

Published by: VR-Zone

there's a good possibility that this board will hit retail before the new AM3+ CPUs are available.

Asus kicks off Digiton Motherboard City competition Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-kicks-off-digiton-motherboardcity-competition/12058.html May 5th, 2011

Interestingly Asus has gone with the new, more compact CPU cooler retention mechanism ASRock was showing off back at CeBIT. As with all motherboards with AMD's SB950 we're looking at six native SATA 6Gbps ports, although Asus has added another two ports via a third party controller which looks like it's from ASMedia, but it could very well be a Marvell chip, as the angle of the picture doesn't reveal the text on the chip. Other on-board features include a front USB 3.0 header courtesy of an ASMedia host controller, three headers for an additional six USB 2.0 ports, a header for a FireWire port from a PCI based VIA FireWire controller and a serial port header. It's also clear that the board has an audio and Gigabit Ethernet controller from Realtek, although as to what exact models, we don't know.

If you think you have what it takes to figure out how to build your own virtual city based on Asus motherboard technology, then make sure you swing by Asus' Digiton Motherboard City game for a chance to win one of 20 Sandy Bridge motherboards over the next two months. If you think it's going to a breeze to enter this competition, than think again, as it's a lot more challenging than it sounds. Let's start with the prizes. From now until the second of June you have the chance to win one of two P8Z68-V Pro boards, one of three P8P67 Pro boards or one of five P8P67 LE boards. The from the third of June until the first of July you can win one of two P8Z68 Deluxe boards, one of three P8P67 Pro boards or one of five P8P67 LE boards. However, to be eligible to enter the prize draw you need to score an overall score of 36,000 points in the Digiton Motherboard City game.

As for the rear ports it's pretty safe to say that we're looking at 7.1-channel audio, at least a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a FireWire port, a selection of USB 2.0 ports, maybe a PS/2 port, an Ethernet port, a CMOS reset button, most likely some form of S/PDIF outputs and maybe an eSATA port as well. Of course, most of these are standard features today, but some of them are at least given judging by the chips on the board. The 8-phase PWM design seems to take up a fair bit of space on the board thanks to its straight layout and this also appears to be one of the reasons that the chipset is located so far down on the board. We're not sold on the heatsink designs either, but more specifically the MOSFET heatsink appears to be taking up a lot of space and might block larger CPU coolers. Otherwise the board has pretty much all of the standard Asus features you'd expect, such as EPU, TPU and MemOK. We'll have to wait a bit longer for pricing and the full details of the board, but

From first onset the game looks like a simple affair, there are eight different Asus motherboard technologies represented at the bottom of the screen and clicking them will make little stick figures appear that start doing various things, mostly involving constructing buildings. However, as simple as this may sound, you need to combine the various motherboard technologies the right way to hit the high score which is required to enter

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

the competition. The screen shot below shows what the final city should look like.

256GB SSD, not a tiny 20GB like Intel's upcoming Larsen Creek SSD.

The different technologies also interacts with each other as you build them, so to be able to hit a score of 36,000 you need to make sure all of the upgrades are done in the right order, or you'll end up with some that aren't upgraded enough for the high score to be reached. It might not be a game of skill as such, but you'd be surprised by the un-logical logic behind the game and taking into consideration that we've tried pretty hard to beat the game already, but failed miserable, we can only wish you the best of luck.

Beyond SSD caching we might also be seeing support for switchable graphics, although so far Apple hasn't hinted at any kind of support for Intel's Quick Sync technology, but it's possible that this is also one of the reasons why Apple went with the Z68 chipset. From a cost perspective, the Z68 chipset isn't much more expensive than the H67 or P67, but unless Apple is considering taking advantage of the SSD caching functionality, the company could just as well have gone with the H67 chipset.

Apple's new iMac's uses Intel's Z68 chipset Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-s-new-imac-s-uses-intel-s-z68chipset/12057.html May 5th, 2011

You got to love iFixit, it's barely a day since Apple announced its Sandy Bridge based iMac's and we already have a full teardown of the 21.5-inch iMac. Although much of the bits inside didn't hold any real surprises, we almost choked on our dinner when we read “Intel BD82Z68 Platform Controller Hub”. Yes, the new iMac's sports Intel's yet to launch Z68 chipset, something we really didn't expect to find in an iMac. You got to love iFixit, it's barely a day since Apple announced its Sandy Bridge based iMac's and we already have a full teardown of the 21.5-inch iMac. Although much of the bits inside didn't hold any real surprises, we almost choked on our dinner when we read “Intel BD82Z68 Platform Controller Hub”. Yes, the new iMac's sports Intel's yet to launch Z68 chipset, something we really didn't expect to find in an iMac. Of course, specs like chipset and CPU models used is one of those things that Apple doesn't share with the general public, but unless iFixit messed up and wrote down the wrong chipset model, this is interesting in more than one way. For starters, Apple could add support for SSD caching via a future software update and there are iMac models on sale with both an SSD and a hard drive, although in this case we're talking a huge

Also seen in the pictures is Intel's Thunderbolt chip and this is a rather large chip, about the size of a CR2032 battery. We're curious though; does the 27-inch iMac feature two of these chips, or only one that's shared between the two ports? It's also surprising to see that Apple is using WD Caviar Blue hard drives in the iMac, as these are budget hard drives and we'd at least expect the Caviar Green considering the cost of an iMac. Oh and if you were thinking of doing some DIY upgrading of your iMac, forget about it unless you don't mind voiding your warranty, as you have to pop the display panel off to get to the bits inside.

Sandy Bridge-EP CPU hits Ebay, can be yours Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sandy-bridge-ep-cpu-hits-ebay-can-beyours/12056.html May 5th, 2011

We're still at least four to five months from Intel's launch of the Sandy Bridg-EP Xeon series of processors, but if you have enough cash to spare, you can own one today. The CPU was listed on Ebay earlier today and judging by the pictures and details posted by the seller; this is the real genuine deal. We're still at least four to five months from Intel's launch of the Sandy Bridge-EP Xeon series of processors, but if you have enough cash to spare, you can own one today. The CPU was listed on Ebay earlier today and judging by the pictures and details posted by the seller; this is the real genuine deal. 19

May 5th, 2011

The CPU is of course an Engineering Sample or ES CPU as they're also known as and it's not intended for general usage. That said, what we appear to be looking at here is a Xeon E5-4600 or E5-2600 series CPU. Why? Well, simply because it's an LGA-2011 part and these CPUs will end up in one or the other Xeon family depending on how many sockets the CPU supports (4600 series for quad socket, 2600 series for dual socket). The seller on the other hand seems to think he's got a Core i7 Extreme Edition CPU for the X79 chipset, but this isn't likely to be case here.

Published by: VR-Zone May 5th, 2011

DonanimHaber has leaked a series of information regarding AMD's upcoming FX (Bulldozer) and A (Llano) processors. AMD's next-gen line-up is almost identical to the leaks in March, both for FX-Series and A-Series. Performance benchmarks aren't a novelty either - with previous leaks pegging FX 8 Core CPUs as 50% faster than current gen Phenom II X6 1100T. The new benchmarks are PCMark Vantage and 3DMark Vantage. In PCMark Vantage, the FX 8-Core CPU matches improves by ~30% over the Phenom II X6 1100T and matches the Core i7 2600K. We have in the past seen the PCMark Vantage to be less multi-threaded oriented, with the i7 2600K regularly edging out Gulftown 6-core CPUs. The same affects the A-Series quad core APUs which simply can't keep up with Intel's dual core i3-2100 CPU.

The CPU is labelled Q19D ES 1.60GHz which is again speaking volumes for this being a Xeon CPU rather than a high-end consumer desktop part. The information provided by the seller claims that this is an 8 core 16 thread part and the same seller has offered a similar model, Q19J which is also a 1.6GHz part, but presumably with 6 cores and 12 threads. The Q19J part is said to have 15MB L3 cache which sounds about right, although we're not sure if these CPUs are for dual or quad socket systems. As expected, the Llano APUs are very strong in 3D Mark Vantage, offering performance several times that of Core i3 2100, and even the i7 2600K. The entry level A4 APU is able to double the performance of the HD 2000 graphics integrated in i3 2100. Unusually, AMD have decided to add HD 6670s to the Phenom II X6 and FX 8-core configs, but not the competing i7 2600K platform, so the 3D Mark Vantage benchmarks proves to be a little meaningless for Bulldozer. Of course, consumers will hope that this means the FX 8100 will be priced lower than Core i7 2600K. The 8 core CPU is listed for US$1,359.99 (S$1,675) while oddly enough the 6 core CPU was listed for US$1,699.99 (S$2,093), a steep price indeed for both of them. Either CPU will of course also need a motherboard based on the C600 series chipset (also known as Patsburg) to work properly, something that we're not likely to see until Computex at the end of this month.

AMD FX-Series / A-Series Vantage Benchmarks Leaked Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-series-a-series-vantagebenchmarks-leaked/12054.html

In regards to the previous leaks showing ~50% improvement over the 1100T, so why is the FX 8 core CPU not appearing as strong in these latest benchmarks? It is simply because PC Mark Vantage has never been known to be a heavily threaded benchmarks. We can expect the FX 8100 to offer incredible performance in multi-threaded applications, while it may lag behind the Core i7 2600 in less threaded applications. Unfortunately for AMD, a great many applications still don't fully utilize 8 threads. The same goes for the Fusion APUs GPGPU acceleration hasn't caught up as much as AMD would have hoped, for daily applications. FX-Series and A-Series are both set to release in the June-July timeframe, with official announcements in June.

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Microsoft rolls out "7392" update for Windows Phone 7 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-rolls-out-7392-update-forwindows-phone-7/12053.html May 5th, 2011

Microsoft may have been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons recently with regards to the rate software updates were being delivered for its Windows Phone 7 platform, but it would appear that the Redmond giant is doing its best to put all of that behind it as soon as possible. And what better way to do so than to release yet another software update that fixes a few security flaws, as well as delivering a little bonus at the same time? Interestingly, it would seem that Microsoft is also using the "7392" update as a means of delivering the previous "No Do" updates that were reportedly never delivered to many consumers over various "carrier testing" issues. Indeed, the "7392" update's description does mention that applying the patch will also result in the device gaining access to various other features that may have been missed in previous updates. This has also been backed up by Microsoft, which claims that all Windows Phone 7 updates are cumulative by nature, and that the update packages will usually come bundled with previous updates as well. Here is a tip from us: if you have a smartphone that utilizes Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system, today will be a good day to dive into the Settings menu in the OS and fire up a search for any downloadable updates that may be available for the device. Apparently, word has it that the Redmond giant has already started rolling out a new Windows Phone 7 update for consumers. However, unlike the previous "No Do" updates which were centred around adding new functionality to the OS's limited feature set, the new update, which is currently known as "7392", is aimed at patching a known security vulnerability with certain " fraudulent thirdparty digital certificates".

That being said, it would appear that not all Windows Phone 7-powered handsets will be getting some "7392" love from Microsoft, for MobileTechWorld is claiming that the update is only available for download on HTC, LG and Samsung Focus smartphones, at least for the time being. Well, you cannot expect Microsoft to please everyone, no?

Kinneir Dufort shows off concept smartphone with upgradeable hardware Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/kinneir-dufort-shows-off-conceptsmartphone-with-upgradeable-hardware/12050.html May 5th, 2011

The idea of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix/change it' may sound great for users who do not take very kindly to the idea of junking away working electronic devices just because they are obsolete by today's standards, especially when one takes into consideration the amount of electronic waste produced today. And with smartphones being discarded like trash as soon as a new model is released, it is only prudent that someone would eventually step in to do something about it. Which is exactly 21

May 5th, 2011

what a design company has done with its concept design for a smartphone that features...wait for it...user-upgradeable hardware. Yep, you read that right. We all love smartphones for their extensive capabilities and extremely mobile physical packages, but for most DIY enthusiasts, they can also be a source of endless frustration. After all, most users often find themselves trashing their working smartphones in favor of new models as soon as they are released. Needless to say this results in unnecessary wastage, especially when of some of the newer smartphones out there are usually nothing more than juiced up versions of their predecessors.

Published by: VR-Zone May 5th, 2011

NEC Asia Pacific has introduced two new additions to the M series of short throw projectors, namely M300XS and M300WS. Both projectors offer 3000 lumens brightness and claim to deliver crisp images to screens and whiteboards.

Fortunately, it seems that a design firm has taken notice of the current state of affairs and has moved to introduce its solution to the problem. Unlike most smartphones that are limited to only firmware updates, Kinneir Dufort looks set to buck that trend with its new concept smartphone, the Revive, which allows for easy upgrading of the smartphone's hardware. You know, just like what we always do on our PCs. Singapore, May 5, 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NEC Asia Pacific has announced its M series digital short throw projectors with the 3000lumen M300XS and M300WS. Accommodating standard and widescreen needs, the M series projectors deliver strong images to screens and whiteboards (includinginteractive) from less than 1.1 metres away.

And by hardware upgrades, we are not referring to the act of swapping out the smartphone's battery pack or microSD card and slotting in a new one. Instead, Kinneir Dufort has confirmed that almost every aspect of the Revive's hardware, such as the processor and even the internal memory, are fair game for upgrades, and the video below tells it all. Well, maybe except for the display; apparently, that is the one component which does not get the same treatment. Unprintable Content (Video, Flash, etc.) As stated, the Revive is still in the concept stage of development, so whether this device will ever see the light of day out of Kinneir Dufort's offices remains a mystery. That being said, if the Revive does ever become a reality, we can foresee lines of DIY enthusiasts queueing up for it. After all, nothing beats being able to have your own unique and futureproof smartphone customized right down to the hardware level, no?

NEC introduces new M series short throw projectors Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nec-introduces-new-m-series-shortthrow-projectors/12051.html

Ideal for standard-sized classrooms and corporate conference rooms with limited AV space, the M300XS and M300WS short throw models are portable projectors that offer unique features like a virtually maintenance-free filter and 0.47:1 throw ratio for easier installation on a wall above the screen or whiteboard. Replacing the NP610S and NP510WS projectors, the eco features in the M Short Throw Series include ECO mode technology for extended lamp life, quick start (3 to 4 seconds), autopower on via the RGB input connector and direct power-off with no coolingrequired after shutdown. The M300XS and M300WS include the following features: - Short throw distance of 0.55 to 1.1 metres - 3,000 lumens in XGA and WXGA native resolutions, respectively - Lamp life up to 5,000 hours - HDMI, dual computer, S video, video and USB inputs - USB Viewer allows users to present without the use of a computer by displaying images stored as .jpg from an optional USB memory - Virtual Remote Tools (DDC/CI) allows users to control the projector directly from a computer without the need for additional control cables - Variable audio-out to connect the projector to an external speaker and control the volume with the projectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remote control

May 5th, 2011

- Wireless transmission of an image to the projector without the need for external components is achieved using Image Express Lite - 10-watt speaker - Windows Vista and Windows 7 compatibility - ECO mode allows for multiple settings dependent upon the brightness required in the application and power savings desired by the user - Carbon savings meter calculates the positive effects of operating the projector in ECO Mode, which is encouraged by an optional message at startup Pricing M300XSProjector - S$1,999 M300WSProjector - S$1,999

RIM collaborates with Microsoft to bring Bing on BlackBerry devices Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rim-collaborates-with-microsoft-tobring-bing-on-blackberry-devices/12047.html May 5th, 2011

Don't be surprised if your newly purchased BlackBerry devices are loaded with Microsoft Bing as the default search engine. Well, that is only because Research in Motion and Microsoft have recently announced the collaboration to bring the search engine to the BlackBerry platform.

Research in Motion had a special guest speaker at the BlackBerry World, and it was Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Ballmer was there to announce the partnership with RIM and to have Bing as the default search engine on BlackBerry mobile devices. No doubt, this would surely benefit Microsoft, though it is not known what RIM is going to get out of this.

Published by: VR-Zone

engine), it looks like the software giant may gain a larger share of the mobile search pie in the near future.

Osama lives! Well...in the form of online malware... Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/osama-lives-well...in-the-form-ofonline-malware.../12048.html May 5th, 2011

Even in death, the name of one of the world's most infamous terrorist still continues to haunt the world. This time, it appears that Osama bin Laden is back to wreck havoc on the lives of millions of people worldwide...by attempting to trick less tech-savvy Internet users into visiting websites designed to exploit security flaws in various online technologies, or even downloading malware packages disguised as 'must-have' information about the terrorist. And just when you thought you have seen the last of Osama bin Laden, too... So you rejoiced upon hearing the breaking news broadcast that the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, had finally met his maker after a joint US-Pakistani strike force laid waste to the compound he was taking refuge at. However, it may seem that the celebrations may have taken place a little soon, for Osama's shadow has remained behind to haunt millions of users from all over the world...in the form of malware that is rapidly being disseminated through the depths of cyberspace. According to various security analysts, Osama's death has become a hot topic in online searches, a fact which has led many malware authors to take advantage of the resulting public curiosity in various ways. To date, at least three known methods of 'tricking' users into downloading malware disguised as media content of Osama's dead body have surfaced. The first method is by far the oldest but most popular method, and it involves sending malware packages through email for unsuspecting users to download and infect their PCs with. The second method is a little more social in nature, as it takes advantage of people's need to social network online by putting up links of malware-infested sites on the popular online social networking tool known as Facebook and 'inviting' readers to visit the links.

Microsoft has been aggressively promoting their Bing search engine on various platforms such as Yahoo!, games like Angry Birds and also bringing Bing Streetside to other parts of the world. It was speculated that Apple may use Bing as the default for iPhone, but that didn't happen. With BlackBerry devices being rolled out with Bing as default search engine, and Nokia coming up with their Windows Phone 7 smartphones (naturally with the Microsoft's search

May 5th, 2011

The third known method in the wild is a little more sophisticated but subtle; it involves compromising reputable media sources and putting links to various exploit kits to redirect unsuspecting users into getting themselves infected. This method is by far the most insidious of the three, as most people wil not be expecting a malware infection from visiting an established source of information online. And lest you start thinking along the lines of 'oh-i-don't-useWindows-so-I'm-safe', we should probably point out that wellknown anti-malware software vendor Kaspersky has revealed that some of the 'Osama malware' used to infect PCs have been specifically crafted for the OS X operating system. Of course, the quality of the scare tactics used by the Mac-centric malware leave a lot to be desired, but it does not change the fact that malware authors have started taking note of OS X as a viable platform to carry out attacks on. Either way, the golden rule regarding online content applies, regardless of a user's choice of operating system: if in doubt, junk it.

Published by: VR-Zone

JPR: Graphics shipments up, NVIDIA market share down in Q1 '11 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/jpr-graphics-shipments-up-nvidiamarket-share-down-in-q1-11/12049.html May 5th, 2011

Despite a 5% decline in overall PC shipments in Q1 2011, the GPU industry saw a healthy 10.3% boost in Q1 2011. Intel gained more ground, aided by Sandy Bridge, with a market share of 54.4%. AMD came in second at 24.8% while NVIDIA saw a sharp drop in market share to 20.0%. In addition, while AMD and Intel posted 14.2% and 13.3% growth over Q4 2010, NVIDIA saw a decline of 1.7%. Of course, AMD and Intel have started shipping Fusion / EPG products with integrated graphics while NVIDIA's main stronghold is still discrete graphics.

In terms of year-to-year, NVIDIA has experienced negative growth of 28.4%, while AMD has sharply gained 15.4%. This results in a market share drop of 28% to 20% since Q1 2010 while a gain of 21.5% to 24.8% for AMD, overtaking NVIDIA 24

May 5th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

during 2010. Intel has experienced a steady 9.7% growth as well, once again at the expense of NVIDIA. Interestingly, the average of GPUs per PC has grown from 115% in 2001 to 145% today - and many computers have two GPUs today, an integrated and a discrete. The GPU industry's results have been surprisingly positive, given the doom-and-gloom surrounding overall PC shipments. With Q2 and Q3 finally bringing mainstream Fusion APUs, AMD is likely to see further growth, building upon their impressive results in the last one year.

May 9th, 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.

ASRock jumps the gun, launches Z68 boards early Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-jumps-the-gun-launches-z68boards-early/12118.html May 9th, 2011

It looks like ASRock has had itchy fingers and has launched its Z68 boards a little bit on the early side, as all three of its Z68 boards are now listed on its website alongside a dedicated portal for the boards. We've already covered the boards in pretty good detail, but we missed a couple of things worth pointing out. It looks like ASRock has had itchy fingers and has launched its Z68 boards a little bit on the early side, as all three of its Z68 boards are now listed on its website alongside a dedicated portal for the boards. We've already covered the boards in pretty good detail, but we missed a couple of things worth pointing out. For starters, ASRock is making a big deal out of the PLX PEX8608 PCI Express switch on the Z68 Extreme4, although we're not quite sure what the fuss is about. As the Z68 Extreme4 has a third x16 slot (x4 electrically) the PLX switch has make do with a single PCI Express lane from the chipset which is then split between the two x1 PCI Express slots, the Gigabit Ethernet controller and the PCI bridge chip. ASRock claims that this is better than solutions where things are disabled when you add a card in the third x16 slot and that might very well be the case, but we're not sure we'd be willing to trade down the performance of everything else on the motherboard for it.

In all fairness this is more of a flaw from Intel's side, as the company simply hasn't created a platform that provides enough PCI Express bandwidth, a re-occurring problem when it comes to Intel's mass-market platforms. The other three PCI Express lanes from the chipset are in this case taken up by two USB 3.0 host controllers and one SATA 6Gbps controller. It's not an ideal situation for anyone intending to use any kind of PCI Express x1 or PCI expansion cards as well as all three PCI Express x16 slots, as 500MB/s isn't all that much bandwidth to go around once you start dividing it up between three different things, if not more. For some very odd reason, ASRock has decided to bundle a 3.5mm audio cable with the Z68 Extreme4 as well, although seemingly neither of the other two boards get one in the box. At least all three boards will be supplied with Lucid Logix's Virtu graphics switching software which should be a boon to some. Also supplied is a copy of CyberLink's MediaEspresso 6.5, but sadly this is only a trial version which is limited to 30-days or 50 conversions to H.264. For those of you interested in getting an idea of what these boards cost, we can help out with that as well. All three boards are already listed for sale in the UK with the Z68 Extreme4 listed for £145 (S$293), the Z68 Pro3 for £135 (S$273) and the Z68 Pro3-M for £125 (S$252). We're fairly certain that these aren't the final board prices, as the difference between the models; especially the Z68 Extreme4 is simply just too small.

Exclusive: Intel's Cedarview Atom to sport PowerVR graphics Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-intel-s-cedarview-atom-tosport-powervr-graphics/12117.html May 9th, 2011

Unlike the current desktop and netbook Atom CPUs, Intel's next generation of “full fat” Atom processors won't be using Intel graphics, instead the company has extended its licensing with PowerVR and we'll be seeing an SGX545 graphics core in these new Atom processors. This is actually quite a significant step for Intel as it indicates a move away from its own graphics IP for the entire Atom series of CPUs.

May 9th, 2011

Unlike the current desktop and netbook Atom CPUs, Intel's next generation of â&#x20AC;&#x153;full fatâ&#x20AC;? Atom processors won't be using Intel graphics, instead the company has extended its licensing with PowerVR and we'll be seeing an SGX545 graphics core in these new Atom processors. This is actually quite a significant step for Intel as it indicates a move away from its own graphics IP for the entire Atom series of CPUs. The good news is that this should at least in theory significantly boost the performance of the GPU in the upcoming Atom processors, although PowerVR's SGX545 isn't exactly a cutting edge GPU design these days. It is in fact similar to what Intel calls the GMA 500 or GMA 600, both of which are based on PowerVR's SGX535 graphics core. New features include DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0 support (the GPU is capable of OpenGL 3.2, but Intel seems to only go as far as 3.0) as well as hardware accelerated video decoding for MPEG-2, MPEG-4 part 2, VC1, WMV9 and the all-important H.264 codec. We're looking at different clock speeds depending on if it's a desktop or mobile CPU and the desktop CPUs will have the GPU clocked at 640MHz while the mobile CPUs will have it clocked at 400MHz. At worst this is about twice as fast as PowerVR's original 200MHz clock speed that it expected the SGX545 to be clocked at. At 200MHz PowerVR promised a fill rate of 40 million triangles/s and 1Gpixles/s using a 64-bit bus. So far we can only guess as to how it'll perform in one of Intel's new Atom processors.

Published by: VR-Zone

Quick hands on with the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/quick-hands-on-with-the-gigabyte-gaz68x-ud3h-b3/12116.html May 9th, 2011

There has been some "concern" from Gigabyte's competitors that the company wasn't going to offer any Z68 motherboards with display connectivity, in fact, some of its competitors have been so "concerned" that they've sent out material stating this to media in certain parts of the world. Well, it turns out that it couldn't be further from the truth and yesterday you saw the GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 and today we have a few hands on pictures of the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for your ogling pleasure. There has been some "concern" from Gigabyte's competitors that the company wasn't going to offer any Z68 motherboards with display connectivity, in fact, some of its competitors have been so "concerned" that they've sent out material stating this to media in certain parts of the world. Well, it turns out that it couldn't be further from the truth and yesterday you saw the GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 and today we have a few hands on pictures of the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for your ogling pleasure. In fact, we were told by Gigabyte that they're confident to grab something close to 80 percent of the Z68 motherboard market at launch, with or without having display connectivity on its boards. That's a pretty bold figure, although considering that Gigabyte has already unveiled it will have no less than 11 different boards to choose from once the Z68 chipset launches. On the other hand, Gigabyte isn't exactly going to be the only company launching boards this week, so it'll be interesting to hear if the company manages to reach its goal in the end or not.

Intel has also boosted the graphics support and not only supports single channel 24-bit LVDS for notebook/netbook displays with a resolution up to 1440x900, but also eDP 1.1 which means all current and future notebook/netbook displays are supported. On the external side of things we're finally getting a couple of digital options to supplement the good old D-Sub connector with HDMI 1.3a and DisplayPort 1.1 support. Memory support is still limited to single channel, but Intel has decided to boost the capacity to 4GB across the board and some CPUs will also support DDR3 1067MHz memory. Pretty much everything else remains the same as far as we're aware right now, but we're fairly certain things will continue to change before the launch sometime later this year and no, it won't be at Computex unless Intel manages to pull off something spectacular.

But enough talk about market share, let's take a look at the board. The Z68X-UD3H is Gigabyte's only full ATX board with display connectivity at launch as far as we're aware, with the more affordable Z68A-D3H set to follow somewhat later down the line. It's a fairly feature rich board and we can't see too many users complaining about what's on offer. The slot layout is pretty standard with two x16 PCI Express slots that operate 2

May 9th, 2011

in dual x8 mode when both are in use, three x1 PCI Express slots and two PCI slots.

Published by: VR-Zone

of their case accessories, the Baymaster S, which promises to make the 3.5” bay of your computer case useful again. Akasa is a company with a very wide products range, with most of them focus around computer cases, accessories, power and cooling products. Today we are going to have a look at one of their case accessories, the Baymaster S, which promises to make the 3.5” bay of your computer case useful again.

There are headers for two USB 3.0 ports (via an Etron controller), eight USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port and a serial port. Gigabyte has added a pair of extra SATA 6Gbps ports to the board, although you only get seven ports in total, as one of the Intel SATA 3Gbps ports have been used as an eSATA port. The VRM design is of a 6+1 type and we're not sold on the heatsink which is held in place by two push-pins, but that's really a minor issue. Around the back we have four USB 2.0 ports, a PS/2 port, two USB 3.0 ports, a FireWire port, the aforementioned eSATA port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 7.1-channel audio with optical S/ PDIF out and a full set of display connectors which includes D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort.

Akasa is an old and very well known company; their group launched back in 1997 and they have been releasing retail products since 2000. The Baymaster S, which we will review today, is an upgrade of the highly successful Baymaster which was not released more than a year ago. Their only difference is that the new Baymaster S features USB 3.0 support, which makes a world of difference in terms of performance. Manufacturer’s features and specifications

• 2.5” SATA HDD / SSD dock • Super speed USB 3.0 connection • 4-slots memory card reader • Choice of fascia color • Hot Swappable for quick HDD docking • All capacity HDD supported • SDXC supported

Application Memory card slots Memory card types On the downside this isn't going to be a super cheap board as we've found it listed online already for US$179 (S$221). The Z68A-D3H is a fair bit cheaper at around US$138 (S $170); although we still don't know what features Gigabyte has dropped apart from using a standard PCB (read less copper per layer). On a side note we also spotted pricing for the Z68MAD2H, Gigabyte's budget mATX Z68 board which was listed for US$131 (S$162).

Extreme Digital (X card, Type H, Type M) M2 (Memory Stick Micro M2)

Review : Akasa Baymaster S Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/review--akasa-baymaster-s/12114.html May 9th, 2011

Interface

Data transfer rate Akasa is a company with a very wide products range, with most of them focus around computer cases, accessories, power and cooling products. Today we are going to have a look at one

3.5" PC bay 4 Memory Stick (MS Pro, MS Pro Duo, Magic Gate, Extreme, Ultra) Secure Digital (SDXC, SDHC, SD, Ultra, Extreme, Elite Pro, High Speed, MMC, MMC Mobile)

microSD (microSDHC, High Capacity) HDD Docking: USB 3.0 ( 2.0/1.1/1.0 compatible ) Card reader: USB 2.0 (1.1/1.0 compatible) HDD docking: up to 5Gb/s (USB 3.0) and 480Mb/s (USB 2.0) Card reader: up to 480 Mb/s

May 9th, 2011

LED indication Power mode PC connection

Supported OS Plug & Play Product code

Published by: VR-Zone

Power On, Card In & Data Transfer USB powered Internal USB motherboard header, USB3.0 A male connector Windows 2000 / XP / VISTA / 7 Supported AK-ICR-10U3

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 9 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--9may-2011/12115.html May 9th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Acer's LED-backlit, twistednematic, 3D-capable monitor, the HN274H, gets reviewed; Antec's latest addition to its HCP line of power supply units or PSUs, the Antec HCP-1200, gets reviewed; A fundamental flaw in the design of most existing graphics APIs used to enable GPU-accelerated graphics processing on PCs have led to the discovery of several low-level security holes in the newly announced WebGL stack for browsers; Electrical engineers in Korea have reportedly found a way to charge a cellphone by utilizing sound energy found in ambient noise and standard phone conversations; Sony has officially confirmed that the company has no intention of restoring its online PlayStation Network services until it has fully tested and verified the integrity of the new security measures implemented to prevent such occurances from happening again, and Rumour has it that Microsoft may be attempting to steal some of Nintendo's thunder at the upcoming E3 by announcing its own successor to the Xbox 360 at the event as well. Hardware news Acer HN274H 27-inch 120Hz 3D Monitor Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The Acer HN274H 3D Monitor is a widescreen monitor with an LED backlit Twisted-Nematic panel. The Acer HN274H 3D Monitor has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz at the native resolution of 1920x1080. Users who have multiple devices can make use of the Acer HN274Hâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four HDMI 1.4 ports as well as the Dual-Link DVI port for 3D entertainment. At the back of the Acer HN274H, there is a VGA port as well as an Audio-in jack for use of the built-in speakers. The 3D Vision emitter is also built into the top front bezel of the Acer HN274H so it is ready to be used with the bundled 3D Vision glasses right out of the box after the user installs the latest NVIDIA 3D Vision drivers. In-Win BUC Review Description: In Win recently released their new BUC midtower case to their DESTINY-Lite series. I was lucky enough to

get my hands on one to review. How will it compare to it's big brother, the Dragon Rider? Would it make a good candidate for your next build? Well read on to find out more. G.Skill Sniper Series PC3-12800 8GB Kit Review Description: While out of the box the G.Skill Sniper Series kit we're looking at today comes with only a 1600MHz DDR clock, it does carry with it a 7-8-7-24-1T @ 1.6v setup. These are some tight timings which are made only better by the fact 1.6v is required and not the typical 1.65v. Being a new series also means we've got a new heatsink design. The Sniper Series carries with it a heatsink that resembles, well, a sniper rifle. It's not a bad looking heatsink and the crosshair like bits on each end add a nice touch. Sapphire Pure Black P67 Hydra Motherboard Review Description: While Sapphire did a good job with the X58 chipset, we indeed wondered how they'd go when it came to the newer P67 one. While most will argue that the X58 is the much better platform with Triple Channel memory and proper x16 / x16 lane setups, the P67 platform brings a breath of fresh air into the computer rooms of budding overclockers and general enthusiasts everywhere thanks to its great overclocking ability on the Intel i7 2600k processor. With some extremely strong options already available, the question is, should the Pure Black P67 Hydra from Sapphire be one we should look at? Well, there's only one way to find out, but before we look at the performance side of things let's first have a much closer look at what exactly the board has to offer. Sentey Black Box Series BX1-4284 Mid Tower Case Review @ Bigbruin.com Description: Sentey wants to be considered among the premium do-it-yourself brands, and with the Black Box Series BX1-4284 mid tower case they are well on their way. Version 2.1 of their black series case certainly didn't disappoint. We were immediately impressed with the fit-and-finish of the overall build and the implementation of the tool-less functionality. Cooler Master Elite 371 Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews Description: Not too long ago all custom computer builds where done using beige boxes. Unlike their mass-built cousins, these cases had very few externally defining features. In the last five years, this has changed with many cases having very useful features or being very showy. Sadly, this has come at price, and with each year the costs of computer enclosures have risen. Cooler Master has addressed these rising costs with the Elite series of cases and with its newest addition the Elite 371. Priced for only $49.99, Benchmark Reviews determines if the Elite 371 has everything that is needed in cases or if too many corners have been cut for the sake of cost. Antec HCP-1200 Watt Power Supply Review Description: Antec is arguably the most well-known name in the computer power supply industry and rightfully so. They've been around since 1986 and have provided quality power supplies, cases, cooling products and more that fit the need of just about any type of build for both businesses and consumers. Over the last few years we've seen a large refresh in many of Antec's product lines, especially their power supplies. Today we are taking a look at the Antec High Current Pro 1200W power supply, the highest output PSU offered in the new HCP series. 4

May 9th, 2011

G.Skill RipjawsX 2133 MHz review (German) Description: (Machine translation) The G.SKILL RipjawsX 4GB DDR3-2133 CL9 Memory-Kit arrived Technic3D. Technic3D will see as good they are on Windows 7 64 Bit, Ubuntu 10.10 and the Gigabyte X58-UD7 Mainboard. You can see 2.133MHz (1,65V) with 9-10-9-28 (2T) and more in the following Review. Consumer Electronics and Software News Security flaws in new WebGL technology put PCs and data at risk Description: Researchers at Context Information Security, an international security consultancy, have uncovered serious security flaws in the new WebGL technology that creates 3D graphics in a browser with the same speed and detail as hardware-accelerated PC games and applications. Context says that design level security issues give potentially malicious web pages low level access to graphics cards that could provide a ‘back door’ for hackers and compromise data stored on internet-connected machines. Essential Windows 7 Tweaks: Part 3 @ Computing on Demand Description: Every person has different tastes when it comes to their installation of Windows. Through the years that have been many things that I do right off the bat when getting my install "just right". In the XP days, the first thing I would do was to stretch the taskbar, enable Quick Launch, add an address bar, unlock it, then move those around a bit. If my taskbar wasn't set up this way, I HATED IT... in fact, I would move other people's around when I worked on their computers! Windows 7 is no different for me, however, the list isn't as exhaustive yet. We covered Part 1 and Part 2 of a multipart series, here is Part 3 Amazon Cloud Player Quietly Begins Working On iOS Devices! Description: Back in March, alongside the roll out of Amazon’s new cloud-based music upload/player service, we noted one glaring problem: it didn’t work on iOS devices. You might think this had to due with Flash or another technology that iOS wasn’t compatible with, but it wasn’t. It looked like something else was simply blocking it from working. Well, good news. That’s no longer the case. Korean technology could power phones by talking Description: Electrical engineers in Korea have created a method of recharging a cellphone by sound. This could include ambient noise, music or even speech so a user having a conversation would charge the battery, UK daily The Telegraph reported this weekend. The louder the noise, the more electricity flows into the battery as well. Windows Phone 7 Mango: more features leaked Description: Earlier today, we reported about what new features the Windows Phone 7 Mango update would bring, well it turns out that it wasn’t the last of what has been revealed. A Chinese website called Cnblogs.com has leaked new footage of what WP7 Mango will be bringing. Even though the images from the site have been removed, the folks over at LiveSide.net managed to save the images before they were taken down. Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 business slate up for US pre-orders, starting at $729

Published by: VR-Zone

Description: We're still not sure what's stylistic about Smart Card readers, fingerprint scanners and TPM modules, but you won't find them in many slates, so if you've been considering the Fujitsu Q550 -- which has one of each -- today's your lucky day. The Oak Trail-powered Windows 7 tablet with a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS screen is ready for US pre-orders today, with $729 bringing you the base model with a 30GB solid state drive and a two-cell rechargeable battery. $849 upgrades the slate to 62GB of storage and four cells worth of swappable Lithiumion joy, while both sport front and rear cameras, HDMI out, a bootable USB 2.0 port, a full-size SD slot and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi. Let's just hope the UI is a tad more optimized than last time. Gaming news Razer Onza Tournament Edition Review - XSReviews Description: Hardcore PC gamers will certainly be no strangers to Razer and their gaming peripherals. Founded in 1998 to create the Boomslang mouse, the company has exclusively worked on PC peripherals until 2009, when they announced the first of a new range of console accessories: the Razer Chimera 5.1 gaming headset and the Razer Onza, an XBox 360 controller. Read on to find out how the Onza stacks up against the official Microsoft variants. PSN Security Still Being Tested, Waiting Continues Description: As one would expect following a debacle like what's happened with the PlayStation Network, Sony has made security its top priority. As such, that means it won't just throw PSN back online without thoroughly testing the strength of PSN's infrastructure. In other words, the waiting continues after 16 days. Rumor: Microsoft Preparing to Announce Xbox 360 Successor at E3 in June Description: Nintendo plans to unveil its Wii successor at E3 in June, and according to one report, it might not be the only console maker revealing next gen hardware on gaming's biggest stage. UK publication Develop is reporting that Microsoft could be preparing to counter Nintendo's Project Cafe with its Xbox 360 successor at E3.

Xperia arc smartphone heads for Japan, gets a name change in the process Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xperia-arc-smartphone-heads-forjapan-gets-a-name-change-in-the-process/12112.html May 9th, 2011

The Xperia arc may have had its time in the headlines for a while already, but for reasons unknown, the Android-powered smartphone produced by Sony Ericsson has yet to see the light of day in Japan, in spite of the joint venture between Ericsson and Japan's electronics giant. That is all set to change though: apparently, Sony Ericsson has confirmed that the Xperia arc will get its day in the Japanese market...with a few Japanesecentric tweaks, of course. Read on to find out more. 5

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Silicon Power to showcase next gen. memory products at Computex 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/silicon-power-to-showcase-next-gen.memory-products-at-computex-2011/12110.html May 9th, 2011

The Xperia arc may be a popular smartphone in its own right, but chances are most people will be raising a few eyebrows upon learning of the fact that the smartphone has yet to be introduced to the Japanese market. After all, the general sentiment is that the Xperia arc is a Sony Ericsson product, which in turn is a joint venture between Ericsson and one of Japan's most powerful electronics company; as such, Japan should be entitled to first dibs on any new Sony Ericsson phone that leaves the factory. However, it would seem that Japanese keen on getting their own Xperia arc smartphone may not have to wait long, as Sony Ericsson has announced a similar smartphone will indeed be released for the Japanese market, along with a slightly different name. Say, would you happen to fancy an Xperia acro?

During COMPUTEX, SILICON POWER is going to display a full range of next generation products such as the latest "chameleon" Blaze series USB 3.0 flash drive, military-grade external hard drive Armor A15 series, Stream S20 PHD that is designed in semblance with Italian sports car with super fast speed, Diamond D10 features classic checkered design bringing stylish and elegant looks, CF600X memory cards with 64GB , USB3.0 card reader, overclocking memory modules with unique heat sink design as well as new SSDs using SandForce controllers. From May 31st to June 4th, 2011 SILICON POWER is going to participate in 2011 Taipei COMPUTEX and express vivid and bright spirit bringing visitors absolutely new feeling!

According to Sony Ericsson, the new Xperia acro will come bundled with key features such as a 4.2-inch Reality Display, a Mobile BRAVIA Engine, "Exmor R for mobile" technology that supposedly allows for low-noise images captured by the acro's 8.1-megapixel camera, and Android 2.3 preloaded into it. However, it does not change the fact that we are essentially describing the specifications of Xperia arc, of which the acro is essentially a carbon copy. Still, the Xperia acro does come with a couple of features that were not present in the Xperia arc's global release; for one, the acro sports mobile TV functionality which allows for viewing of live TV broadcasts, as well as an infrared port for data sharing between devices over short range distances. Last but not least, Sony Ericsson claims that the Xperia acro will feature a 'mobile wallet' that allows consumers to use their smartphone to "pay for a wide range of digital and hard goods", which suggests that users of the Xperia acro may get to play with NFC technology when the phone hits retail shelves in Japan from summer onwards.

With the mission of creating unique experience for users SILICON POWER will present a full range of memory products at the exhibition, including the various memory cards that have already won trust and recognition among consumers. Besides high speed performance and wide range of storage capacities SILICON POWER memory cards also have the space for users to mark the card with own labeling words to easily find the most beautiful shots. Moreover, SILICON POWER is going to demonstrate a wide variety of USB flash drives and portable hard drives featuring various styles, no matter what the consumers strive for - higher security and protection, fashionable looks or sporty style, they can easily express individual style with the full range of SILICON POWER storage devices. If you would like to witness all the vibrant and unique products, welcome to visit SILICON POWER booth at 2011 Taipei COMPUTEX. SILICON POWER Nangang Exhibition Hall (Booth number? J608, J616, J708, J716)

During COMPUTEX SILICON POWER with its new and vivid brand image is going to display a full range of next generation products. Driven by innovation new products are meant to change consumer technology life. You are welcomed to experience all that at SILICON POWER booth! Total upgrade to USB 3.0 for super-speed data transfer 6

May 9th, 2011

USB 3.0 interface moves towards popularization, its features bandwidth that is 10 times the bandwidth of traditional interface. SILICON POWER being a leading manufacture introduces new super-speed UFD, PHD and card readers. High resolution videos, photos, music and other files are transferred at extremely high speeds!

Published by: VR-Zone

use the latest controller Sandforce and demonstrate high speed performance! With the mission of creating unique consumer experience SILICON POWER will exhibit key products in new demonstration area. Please visit SILICON POWER booth and experience new vibrant products and the latest technology trends!

Jabra FREEWAY review: your hands or the freeway Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/jabra-freeway-review-your-hands-orthe-freeway/12087.html May 9th, 2011

The latest "chameleon" Blaze series USB flash drive has front design pattern using heat-sensitive ink; at the time when users experience super-fast data transfer color of the pattern will change and make file transfer more unique and more fun. This time SILICON POWER is going to announce new addition of award winning military-grade external hard drive series! Besides shock proof features of Armor A15 has LED indicators of capacity usage that let users to check available capacity at a glance! Meeting needs of personal style expression SILICON POWER introduces Stream S20 PHD that is designed in semblance with Italian sports car with super fast speed combining powerful performance and style! Diamond D10 features classic checkered design bringing stylish and elegant looks for users to enjoy high performance and experience new technology combined with fashion. Professional photographers and amateurs would be interested in new upgrade of CF600X memory cards with 64GB that enables photographers to exploit their potential to the maximum and enjoy exciting high-definition moments. In addition to high-speed memory cards SILICON POWER will display USB3.0 card reader that not only supports majority of memory cards but also reads SDXC UHS-I high-speed cards; moreover, it allows high-end memory cards to demonstrate their transfer speeds! Upgrade DRAM?SSD meeting gamer needs SILICON POWER overclocking memory modules with unique heat sink design have already received wide recognition among gamers and overclocking fans. This time at SILICON POWER is going to present new heat sink design that significantly improves thermal dissipation. In addition Solid State Drives (SSD) meant to enhance computer performance

Like it or not, most owners of mobile phones are now slaves to their devices, and it shows. Now that workiing schedules have become tighter and workers are expected to be able to answer work-related phone calls regardless of time, location and occasion, it would make sense that the need to be always connected has reached the point whereby even an activity such as driving now has to play host to the act of answering a phone call. So how can drivers safely deal with calls while ensuring that their hands remain on the wheel at all times? Simple; they use a wireless in-car, voice-controlled speaker system, like the FREEWAY which we have here from Jabra.

Everybody knows that the mobile phone is one of the most important gadgets for maintaining constant telecommunication in today's highly connected world. However, it is also an open secret that the easy accessibility that comes with a mobile phone can also be seen as the biggest curse to ever befall man. And this is especially true if one considers how phones are now being left on 24 hours a day for all 365 days in the year, simply because one can never know when an emergency phone call willcome in. Unfortunately, this has also resulted in people forming an addiction to their mobile phones up to the point where one would commonly find anxious mobile phone owners yapping or typing away on the mobile phones even while driving, in 7

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

spite of its obvious illegality. This is where Jabra's FREEWAY in-car speaker comes in; a nifty device which allows users to remotely control their mobile phones with nothing more than voice commands, thus eliminating the need for fiddling with their handsets while on the move (and keeping themselves on the right side of the law). So how does the FREEWAY fair? VRZone puts it to the test. Before that, a quick introduction of the Jabra FREEWAY's specifications is in order: Jabra FREEWAY Bluetooth in-car speaker specifications Bluetooth version v2.1 + EDR specification Supported Bluetooth profiles A2DP 1.2, AVRCP 1.0, HFP (Hands Free Profile v1.5), HFP (Headset profile), PBAP Supported modes EDR (2 and 3 Mb), SCO, eSCO, Sniff mode Operating range Up to 10m Maximum number of paired Up to 8 devices or 2 active at devices the same time Battery life Up to 14 hours talktime, up to 20 days standby Microphones SLR = 16 dB +/- 3 dB 2 x 4mm Omni-directional microphone Speakers 300 - 18.000 Hz RLR = 0 dB +/- 3 dB

the Data Storage Products Area (1F / NANGANG Exhibition hall). You will be able to sample the latest storage technology at MX booth. Static and live demos are planned showcasing the most recent SATA3 SSDs, high-end USB 3.0 pendrives, low-latency overclocking DDR3 memory. In addition you will be able to find out more about MX Industrial SSD solutions in a special designated area showcasing a wide variety of interfaces, form factors and capacities. COMPUTEX at A Glance: • Event:

COMPUTEX 2011 (Taipei, Taiwan)

• When:

May 31st – June 4th

• Where:

NANGANG Hall 1F

• Booth:

K0202 (Data Storage Products Area)

HP introduces new stylish laptops and convertible tablet in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-introduces-new-stylish-laptopsand-convertible-tablet-in-singapore/12106.html May 9th, 2011

1 x 4 Ohm / 2 x 6 Ohm

COMPUTEX :Mach Xtreme to demo SATA3 SSDs and Low Latency Memory Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/computex-mach-xtreme-to-demosata3-ssds-and-low-latency-memory/12109.html May 9th, 2011

HP has introduced their new laptops and convertible ProBook 5330m, the EliteBook 2560p and 2760p, and ENVY14 Beats edition notebook PC. The new mobile computers will be available from mid May to June.

You will be able to sample the latest storage technology at MX booth at Nangang Hall 1F, K0202. Static and live demos are planned showcasing the most recent SATA3 SSDs, high-end USB 3.0 pendrives, low-latency overclocking DDR3 memory. In addition you will be able to find out more about MX Industrial SSD solutions in a special designated area showcasing a wide variety of interfaces, form factors and capacities. Taipei, Taiwan—May 9, 2011— Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a leading provider of top performance, user-friendly designed PC components and solid state drives for industrial solutions, invites you to visit us at COMPUTEX 2011. The exhibition is one of the world’s largest gathering of IT manufacturers, distributors and system integrators of industrial PCs. MX will showcase its complete retail and industrial product line-up in

Today, HP unveiled their sleek and ultra-portable notebook PCs and a convertible tablet PC that aim to deliver enhanced mobile experience for users on the move. The new products include the HP ProBook m-series and EliteBook p-series models, and the refreshed HP ENVY14 Beats Edition Notebook PC. HP ProBook 5330m – thin, stylish and affordable 8

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Designed for business professionals who want style, performance and affordability, the HP ProBook 5330m measures less than 1-inch thick, and weighs approximately 1.8kg. Besides a 13.3-inch diagonal HD screen, it also has a backlit keyboard, making it easier to type in low-light environments. The new ProBook is powered by the latest secondgeneration Intel Core i5 and i3 dual-core standard voltage processors delivering solid performance, includes the Infineon Professional TPM Package for enhanced hardware-based data security. Optional Intel vPro technology is also available to improve security and remote manageability for on-the-go professionals. HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition Notebook PC The HP ENVY14 Beats edition notebook PC features HP CoolSense 2.0 technology and utilizes advanced hardware and intelligent software for a noticeably cooler notebook. The HP CoolSense 2.0 automatically adjusts and delivers optimum level of comfort according to the user’s personal preferences. It also comes with the second-generation Intel Core processors and an updated clickpad with integrated buttons. The premium machine boasts a precision-etched metal alloy case with a 14.5-inch diagonal, HD BrightView Infinity LED display for an eye-popping viewing experience and Beats Audio for richer, more detailed sound. HP EliteBook 2560p and 2760p – light, powerful and travelready In a stylish platinum finish, the HP EliteBook 2560p and EliteBook 2760p tablet PC are ideal for enterprises and users who need a rugged and highly mobile notebook. The HP EliteBook 2560p sports a thin, clamshell form factor, 12.5inch LED-backlit HD 16-inch x 9-inch display. Despite its small size, users can take advantage of the EliteBook’s optical drive for added on-the-go convenience. Offering the same functionality as a conventional business notebook along with the flexibility of a writing tablet, the HP EliteBook 2760p allows for pen use or finger touch. Both EliteBook models offer second-generation Intel Core i7 or i5 dual-core processors, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and vPro technology, allowing for enhanced performance and responsiveness. They also feature full-size 7200 RPM hard drives and Solid State Drives (SSDs). The new ProBook and EliteBook notebooks also offer HP’s full proprietary innovations, including HP QuickWeb 3.0, HP Power Assistant, HP Connection Manager, HP ProtectTools and HP Fingerprint Sensor. Docking solutions for a customized workspace The new HP 2560p Docking Station makes it easy for business professionals to maintain the connectivity and comfort of notebook usage while working from a fixed station. The docking station offers four USB ports, eSATA, DisplayPort and VGA ports for added connectivity to peripherals and compatibility with an array of video devices.

Pricing and availability - The HP ProBook 5330m starts at US$799 and is expected to be available in mid May. - The HP EliteBook 2560p starts at US$1,299 and is expected to be available in late May; the HP EliteBook 2760p starts at US$1,399 and is expected to be available in mid May. - Pricing and availability for the HP 2560p Docking Station in APJ will be announced at a later date. - The ENVY14 Beats Edition Notebook PC starts at US$1,799 and is expected to be available from 10 June.

Biostar to demo AMD 900 Series Gaming PCs at Computex 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/biostar-to-demo-amd-900-seriesgaming-pcs-at-computex-2011/12108.html May 9th, 2011

Biostar will be at Nangang Exhibition Hall - 4th Floor, L1317a and you’ll find the newest product launch from Intel, AMD and Nvidia, as well as BIOSTAR Cloud Operation product portfolios. Visitors will find a “iCafe Area” where they have teamed up with Thermaltake to show off BIOSTAR gaming PCs built by Intel Z68/P67/H67 and AMD 990FX/970X/A75 chipset motherboards. Biostar also plans to showcase a complete line-up of compact, all-in-one, cost 9

May 9th, 2011

effective motherboards that perfectly designed for “Home Entertainment PC”.

Taipei, Taiwan - May 9, 2011 - Biostar Microtech Int’l Corp. a processional manufacturer of Motherboard, Graphic Card and Embedded solutions, once again has its sights set on making a big splash at Computex 2011 between May 31st to June 4th in Taipei, Taiwan. In recent years, Biostar motherboard has successfully build up its reputation known as “the best performance and value motherboard provider”. This year at Computex, we’d like to invite you visit us at “Nangang Exhibition Hall - 4th Floor, L1317a”; you’ll find the newest product launch from Intel, AMD and Nvidia, as well as BIOSTAR Cloud Operation product portfolios. With the focus and success in specific PC applications, visitors will find a “iCafe Area” where we strategic alliance with Thermaltake to show off BIOSTAR gaming PCs built by Intel Z68/P67/H67 and AMD 990FX/970X/A75 chipset motherboards. Meanwhile, we also showcase a complete lineup of compact, all-in-one, cost effective motherboards that perfectly designed for “Home Entertainment PC”.

Powercolor Barts/6800 DualGPU Pictured

Published by: VR-Zone

in early Q3. The dual-Barts card is expected to be revealed at Computex, in three weeks' time.

Each GPU consists of 1GB GDDR5. The surprise is the power configuration - 2 x 8-pin. Considering the Radeon HD 6870's TDP of 150W, this suggests that the PowerColor board is either very overclocking friendly or features overclocked Barts GPUs. Either way, the dual-Barts board will be no slouch, outperforming the likes of HD 6970 and even the GTX 580 in most benchamrks. Of course, it will be no match for the GTX 590 or HD 6990. Considering a Radeon HD 6870 sells in the ~$200 range, this card has the potential to undercut the GTX 580 significantly, while offering better performance. Pricing it lower than $400 will likely cannibalize HD 6970 sales, however. Visually, the card is very long - possibly in the 11" range. The two GPUs are much closer to each other than on the HD 6990, suggesting PowerColor is not opting for the middle fan design. The card is unnamed and this leaves a branding dillemma. Initially, the rumour mill had previously decided to call dualBarts the HD 6890. However, in terms of performance, HD 6980 wil be more accurate. The dual-Barts cards will be followed by dual-GF114 in Q3. While the GF114 based solution might end up faster, it will use a lot more power and likely cost more.

AT&T set to launch Samsung Infuse 4G smartphone in US Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/at-t-set-to-launch-samsung-infuse-4gsmartphone-in-us/12105.html May 9th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/powercolor-barts6800-dual-gpupictured/12107.html May 9th, 2011

If you think smartphones with 4-inch displays are quite huge for the hand, wait till you see the new Samsung Infuse 4G. The Infuse 4G sports a giant 4.5-inch screen and AT&T will be retailing this smartphone in US soon. SemiAccurate have leaked a pictured of Powercolor Dual-GPU board based on Barts / 6800. Both dual-Barts and dual-GF114 are on the cards (no pun intended), with a release scheduled

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

even some decent overclocking. What really caught our eye though was the three x16 slots of which two are switchable in dual x8 mode and the third one being a x4 slot. In theory you could run three graphics cards in this board, but at least two of them would have to be single slot cards. There's also a single x1 PCI Express slot available.

AT&T has announced the Samsung Infuse 4G, which the telco operator claimed to be its fastest HSPA+ smartphone yet. The smartphone is AT&T's only HSPA+ phone certified at HSDPA CAT 14 (downlink, 14 Mbps) and HSUPA CAT 6 (uplink, 6 Mbps). Measuring 8.99mm thin, the Samsung Infuse 4G is powered by 1.2GHz processor and sports a huge 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen. It runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) and features 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel frontfacing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 2GB MicroSD card (expandable up to 32GB). The Samsung Infuse 4G will be available in AT&T stores and online on 15 May at US$199.99 with a two-year contract.

Moving on we have a header for two front USB 3.0 ports via an Etron host controller, no less than five headers for 10 USB 2.0 ports, seven SATA ports of which three are SATA 3Gbps and four are SATA 6Gbps and for some reason a serial port header. Around the back we have four USB 2.0 ports, another two USB 3.0 ports using another Etron controller, an eSATA port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a PS/2 port, 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out and a set of four display ports consisting of a D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort.

Exclusive: Gigabyte GAZ68MX-UD2H-B3 pictures Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-gigabyte-ga-z68mx-ud2h-b3pictures/12102.html May 9th, 2011

We're now merely days from the Z68 chipset launch which will officially take place on the 11th, but the leaks keep on coming and we can now as first publication show a couple of pictures of Gigabyte's upcoming mATX Z68 board, the GA-Z68MXUD2H-B3. The board is actually quite unusual for a mATX board and it's packed to the brim with features, in fact, we'd daresay that it's one of Gigabyte's best Z68 boards. We're now merely days from the Z68 chipset launch which will officially take place on the 11th, but the leaks keep on coming and we can now as first publication show a couple of pictures of Gigabyte's upcoming mATX Z68 board, the GA-Z68MXUD2H-B3. The board is actually quite unusual for a mATX board and it's packed to the brim with features, in fact, we'd daresay that it's one of Gigabyte's best Z68 boards. It might not have the most advanced VRM design with a 6+1 setup, but this should still be plenty for a mATX board and

Overall an impressive mATX board and it's so far only the third mATX Z68 board we've seen to date. It compares well in terms of features with both MSI and ASRock and we can see this being a popular choice for those that are looking for a compact gaming rig. The board is already listed with some online retailers in Italy for around â&#x201A;Ź140 (S$249) which seems a little bit on the pricey side, but you do get a lot of features for your money and it's on par with what ASRock's Z68 Pro3-M is listed for. Only a few more days to go nowâ&#x20AC;Ś

First Look: MSI Z68A-GD80 (Updated) Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/first-look-msi-z68a-gd80updated-/12035.html May 9th, 2011

Joining the Intel Z68 club is MSI's Z68A-GD80. We take a peek at the features with which MSI hopes to make its board 11

May 9th, 2011

stand out from the rest. (Updated with BIOS pictures & SSD caching preview!)

Published by: VR-Zone

will improve the overclocking capabilities of installed graphics cards.

Several of the MSI Z68A-GD80's features are prominently advertised on its box, including of course the assurance that you are getting the trouble-free stepping of the chipset.

Next, we'll be looking at the onboard features and expansion options offered by this motherboard. The Z68 PCH is passively cooled, which should come as no surprise given that the TDPs of Intel's recent chipsets have all come in under 10 watts. The CPU power delivery system, on the other hand, gets a more elaborate cooling solution.

The memory and chipset each get 2-phase power. There is also an additional PCIe 6-pin power connector, which MSI claims

EKL Releases New VGA Cooler Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ekl-releases-new-vgacooler/12100.html May 9th, 2011

German based EKL has launched the Alpenfohn Peter, expanding its portfolio of performance VGA coolers. Measuring 253.8 x 44 x 100mm and weighinh 590g, the nickel plated cooler boasts a copper base, twelve 6mm copper pipes, 84 aluminum fins, and supports up to four 140mm fans (with a PCI mounting bracket). The Alpenfรถhn Peter, bundled 30 small heatsinks (for components on the graphic card), is compatible with most graphic accelerators out in the market today and will be available come 18 May at a MSRP of 54.90 Euro at www.caseking.de. EKL PRESS RELEASE

The cooling specialist Alpenfรถhn presents the successor of the Heidi VGA Cooler. The new cooler called Alpenfรถhn Peter utilizes twelve heatpipes and offers a much larger cooling area than the Heidi. In addition, the fan rail allows for up to four fans to be installed, so that the Peter is capable of dissipating

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

up to 420 Watt of heat. For a clean look, the entire surface of the VGA cooler has been Nickle plated. Modern graphic cards are very complex pieces of engineering, always pushing the envelope in speed, power consumption and thermal design power (TDP). In addition to this, graphic cards have to be cooled while keeping the cooling unit within the constrains of one or two PCI slots, so that it does not block any additional expansion slots of the mainboard. To generate the required cooling performance in such tight quarters a noisy high speed fan tends to be the only option.

An aftermarket cooler like the Alpenföhn Peter in turn is capable of taking on up to 420 Watt, making it the perfect fit for many high-end graphic cards like the AMD RADEON HD6970 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580. To guarantee the best compatibility, the Alpenföhn Peter includes various mounting materials which are to be placed on the underside of the cooler. Such a system also makes the Peter future-proof as it can be installed on upcoming cards by simply acquiring the newest mounting brackets. Twelve Nickle plated, copper heatpipes with a diameter of 6 millimeters guarantee the most efficient transport of heat from the GPU to the cooling fins of the Peter. 84 such Aluminum fins take the heat and pass it on to the surrounding air. This effect is catalyzed with the optional fans. To keep the strain of such the cooler on the mainboard to a minimum, Alpenföhn has included a mounting rail to hold these fans in place. This rail is attached to the PCI slots and can take up to four 140 mm fans. In such a configuration, two of the cooling units will be placed right above the cooling fins, while the other two are attached facing the side of the heatsink. These are especially effective with cases which feature an opening in the side panel to allow for fresh air to be pulled into the case. You are also free to install smaller fans - if your chassis does not offer enough space for example. Due to this system of customization, the user is free to create a unique configuration to suit the requirements. This allows for users who prefer silence as well as overclockers to pick their desired fans to cool the Alpenföhn Peter within their system. At launch, Caseking will be offering eight different cooler & fan bundles for the various needs and application scenarios. Besides the Alpenföhn Peter, the user will also receive a set of 30 small heatsinks, which are intended to cool the various components on the graphic card. A mix of different shapes and sizes guarantees the utmost compatibility. The Alpenföhn Peter - Universal High-End VGA Cooler will be available in mid May, for a price of 54.90 Euro at www.caseking.de. Various bundles containing the Alpenföhn Peter and between two and four fans, for both silent and performance applications will also be available from Caseking at that time. An overview of the various bundles can be found at www.caseking.depeter. A detailed compatibility list can be

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

viewed in the product description of the Alpenfรถhn Peter on the Caseking website.

important parts of Intel's GPU. This means that transcoding/ encoding using the Intel GPU will be available on the P8Z67 Deluxe without the need of the display connectors.

Exclusive: Asus' P8Z68 Deluxe and P8Z68-V specs leaked

Want some more ROG series info? Well, ok then, we're going to be nice and share what little we know. The first board will be called the Maximus IV Extreme-Z and we have a feeling that this will just be a Maximus IV Extreme with the Z68 chipset instead of the P67 chipset. The other board is a new addition and it's a mATX board called the Maximus IV Gene-Z and it's most likely going to launch at Computex. We might end up with display connectors on this board as it's a brand new product, so fingers crossed for something different here. Once again it simply comes down to patience being a virtue, at least if you really want to get an ROG Z68 board.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-asus-p8z68-deluxe-andp8z68-v-specs-leaked/12099.html May 9th, 2011

There has already been a fair few previews of Asus' upcoming P8Z68-V Pro board, including our own preview of the board, however not much has been know about Asus other upcoming Z68 boards, at least not until now. Surprisingly it appears that Asus is only set to launch a total of three Z68 boards next week, although the company is planning a pair of ROG boards for a slightly later launch according to launch details we've seen. There has already been a fair few previews of Asus' upcoming P8Z68-V Pro board, including our own preview of the board, however not much has been know about Asus other upcoming Z68 boards, at least not until now. Surprisingly it appears that Asus is only set to launch a total of three Z68 boards next week, although the company is planning a pair of ROG boards for a slightly later launch according to launch details we've seen. Starting with the P8Z68-V, we have a "feature light" version of the P8Z68-V Pro in essence, so the board lacks FireWire and the two extra SATA 6Gbps ports. Asus has also removed the bundled USB 3.0 bracket, but kindly left the extra two ports in place. Otherwise the feature set is more or less the same, with three x16 slots that work in dual x8 more for the first two and the last one is either a x4 or a x1 slot. You still get HDMI, DVI and D-Sub connectivity, Intel Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 7.1channel audio, an eSATA port and of course two rear USB 3.0 ports.

The P8Z68 Deluxe on the other hand is a reworked P8P67 Deluxe so it lacks the display connectors. On the other hand it had dual Gigabit Ethernet and four SATA 6Gbps ports ports as well as a bundled drive bay adapter for two USB 3.0 ports. Interestingly, Asus has still managed to make this board work with Lucid Logix Virtu software, although only in what's known as d-mode, but it should allow for access to the

Intel SSD 311 Series Larson Creek Pictured and Priced Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-ssd-311-series-larson-creekpictured-and-priced/12097.html May 9th, 2011

Information about Intel new SSD 311 Larson Creek 20GB has creeped out last week and now we saw some photos of this SLC based SSD floating around the internet and even got benchmarked. As mentioned, Intel is going to pair this up with their Z68 Express chipset to be launched on May 11th and we have already gone through in detailed about Intel Smart Response Technology, a hard drive caching algorithm which is part of the Intel Rapid Storage Technology v10.5

May 9th, 2011

There are two form factors available for SSD 311 series; 2.5" SATA and 2.5" mSATA. The key features of these SSDs are as follow :

Published by: VR-Zone May 9th, 2011

• Intel® X25-M SSD 80GB performance with the convenience of a single drive letter (C:\) • SATA 3Gb/s (SATA Revision 2.0) • 20GB capacity, 2.5” 9.5mm and mSATA • Up to 60% performance improvement over a desktop 7200 rpm hard drive • Built with Intel 34nm SLC Compute NAND Flash Memory – higher performance, endurance • Compatible with Intel 6 Series Express Chipsets: Z68, HM67, QM67 Last but not least, the Intel SSD 311 Larson Creek 20GB is expected to cost you around USD119 and expect availability at launch.

When it rains, it pours and the leaks about AMD's upcoming 900-series of AM3+ chipsets are now appearing on a daily basis. A detailed spec sheet of Asus' six upcoming AMD 900series chipset motherboards have tipped up on a Swedish website and although we have no idea what any of the boards except the already leaked M5A99X EVO will look like, we do at least know what features they'll come with. So first up we have three AMD 970 boards, all three are full ATX boards and all three has a pair of x16 slots configured in x16 and x4 mode. The entry level model is the M5A97 which has a 4+2 VRM design and it has six SATA 6Gbps ports and three headers for six USB 2.0 ports as far as internal connectors are concerned. Around the back we're looking at two USB 3.0 ports, six USB 2.0 ports, 7.1-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet. This board doesn't feature Digi+VRM , but has all of the other common Asus features. Next up we have the M5A97 Pro and Evo, both featuring a 6+2 phase Digi+ VRM design, six intenral SATA 6Gbps ports, three headers for six internal USB 2.0 ports and the EVO model also has an internal pin header for two USB 3.0 ports and a FireWire port. Around the back we have two USB 3.0 ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1-channel audio with the EVO board also sporting a FireWire port. The M5A99X EVO we've already seen thanks to the leaked image on Thursday, although it seems like we got a couple of specs slightly wrong. It turns out that the board has two internal SATA 3Gbps ports, not two SATA 6Gbps ports as we thought. It also has a rear eSATA and an eSATAp (powered eSATA/USB combo port), but the rest was pretty much spot on except the VRM design which is 6+2 rather than 8 phases.

Asus' AMD 900-series motherboard specs unveiled Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-amd-900-series-motherboardspecs-unveiled/12098.html

May 9th, 2011

On the high-end side we have the TUF Sabertooth 990FX which as the name gives away is based on the 990FX chipset. Here we're looking at an 8+2 Digi+ VRM design, four x16 PCI Express slots in a dual x16 or x16 plus dual x8 and a x4 slot. Internally we again have six SATA 6Gbps ports, two SATA 3Gbps ports, headers for four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a FireWire port. Around the back the board has two USB 3.0 ports, 10 USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA, one eSATAp, Gigabit Ethernet, a FireWire port and 7.1-channel audio. Special features includes a return of Asus' CeraM!X heatsinks, the TUF Thermal Radar, the various TUF components and a range of other more or less important stuff. Finally we have the ROG Crosshair V Formula which as expected is the top of the range board, which is another 990FX board. We have the same slot configuration here as on the TUF board with four x16 slots in either dual x16 or x16 plus dual x8 and one x4 slot. On-board connectors consist of seven SATA 6Gbps ports and two front USB 3.0 ports. Around the back we have four USB 3.0 ports, 12 USB 2.0 ports, although one of them is dedicated to ROG connect, one eSATAp 6Gbps port, Intel powered Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1-channel audio with SupremeFX X-Fi 2. This board will also ship with Asus' ROG ThunderBolt and comes with all the usual ROG features you'd expect to find. Overall a pretty decent line-up of boards, we'll just have to wait and see what the final boards look like. It's anyone's guess what these boards will be priced at, but we're hearing rumours of some very and we mean VERY competitive pricing on AMD's upcoming AM3+ CPUs in as much as you'll get an eight core AMD CPU for about the same price you'd pick up a Core i7 2600K. That sounds like a pretty good bargain to us, especially as most of the other CPUs will be priced lower than that.

Exclusive: AMD's FM1 desktop test board pictured Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-amd-s-fm1-desktop-testboard-pictured/12096.html May 9th, 2011

We've seen pictures of the FM1 socket, the FM1 CPUs and even the mobile test board from AMD, but what we have for you today is the first picture of AMD's FM1 desktop test board. Please keep in mind that this is not an indication of what final production motherboards will look like, nor does it represent a final product by any means, but what it does give us is a glimpse into what AMD's Fusion motherboards for the FM1 socket will have to offer.

Published by: VR-Zone

glimpse into what AMD's Fusion motherboards for the FM1 socket will have to offer.

As you can see from the picture, AMD's test board doesn't exactly look like a retail board and it has a lot of test points for oscilloscopes and other types of test equipment. However, what we can see is that the board has native USB 3.0 support thanks to the internal USB 3.0 header so this is most like an FCH A75 based board. As it should be, it's a single chipset board, although it appears that the FCH A75 requires active cooling which is somewhat disappointing. That said, hopefully a larger passive cooler will be enough on retail boards, or at least that's what we're hoping for. The board clearly has an HDMI, DisplayPort and D-sub connector and it should also have a pair of rear USB 3.0 ports alongside what we'd guess are four USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, six audio jacks and what appears to be a vertical eSATA connector. The slots on the board appears to be a single x16 PCI Express slot, two open ended x4 PCI Express slots, a mini PCI Express slot and a PCI slot, as well as a x1 PCI Express slot located at the centre of the board. Surprisingly the board has a very small VRM design with what looks like a 3+2 phase design. Considering that the APUs will have a pretty powerful GPU inside them, we expected a more advanced VRM design. Apart from that there isn't much to say, the board has four DIMM slots, five internal SATA connectors and a lot of pin headers that we can't really make out what they're for. One final note would be the CPU retention, or the lack of one. There appears to be space for one that would be similar to the AM3+ split design we've seen from ASRock and Asus, but we're just going to have to wait and see what AMD comes up with.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 6 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--6may-2011/12094.html May 9th, 2011

May 9th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Two of AMD's entry level graphics cards, the Radeon HD 6670 and HD6650, which are targeted for the sub-US$100 market and designed to be used for OEM PCs and builders of HTPCs, get reviewed; Sillverstone's mATX chassis, the SST-FT03B gets reviewed; ESET has released beta versions for its two flagship products - ESET Smart Security 5 BETA and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 BETA; Apple has seemingly neglected to patch the untethered jailbreak exploit in redsn0w that was available in iOS 4.3.2 for the recently released iOS 4.3.3, thus essentially allowing the same exploit to be used in iOS 4.3.3 once again; Sony claims that it has evidence to back its claims that the attacks carried out on its PlayStation Network servers, as well as the theft of customers' personal data, were the work of Anonymous members, and Word has it that the beta keys distributed for the previous version of Lucent Heart will reportedly work with the upcoming closed beta of the game as well. Hardware news SilverStone SST-FT03B Micro ATX Chassis Review Description: When I think of the Fortress naming from SilverStone, I first think full tower and the design implementations that both previous FT0x versions had. The FT01 was ahead of its day and offered wire management, great air flow, tool-free features, and a very sexy to look at exterior. The second reincarnation of the Fortress was the FT02, which took the FT01 and the Raven and mixed them up to make a pretty awesome case with a ninety degree motherboard tray alignment, while keeping most of the original ideas. Externally the FT02 was far superior to the sleek lines of the FT01 with its redesigned all aluminum exterior... Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 and HD 5830 1GB Xtreme Video Cards Review Description: I'm not sure what word I would use to describe what came to mind when I heard that Sapphire was going to be re-releasing the HD 5850 and HD 5830 to the market. First I wondered, why? - But the answer to that would be nothing more than excess cores that need to go. Next, I was a bit surprised and shocked because I felt it was more of a step backwards than anything else. The thing is, though, if the price and performance is good, why not buy one? - Both models were very good over 12 months ago, but the HD 5830 never sold. People didn't like the 30 naming scheme and it was never really accepted... ASUS Sabertooth TUF Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews Description: The Sandy Bridge B3 revision motherboards are out and ready to go. ASUS has already re-released all of their previous motherboards under the new revision. You've seen our reviews of other ASUS P67 motherboards, and Benchmark Reviews is now bringing you a look at the ASUS Sabertooth P67 B3 Rev 3.0 motherboard with its TUF Thermal Armor and military grade components. We have a good idea where the benchmark scores will fall, and we don't expect any surprises there. But every motherboard is a little different. In this article, Benchmark Reviews is focusing on the ASUS Sabertooth P67, what it brings to the table, and how that compares with other P67-Express motherboards. GIGABYTE GTX 580 Super Overclock @ OCAU Description: Upon arrival we noticed that it was a completely redesigned beast from the cooling, PCB design, power circuitry

Published by: VR-Zone

and amped up clock speed, all while maintaining a dual slot design and familiar form factor. So how does this perform against NVIDIA's reference design, and what features does it bring to the table? Let's fire up our test bench and find out! Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl Review @ HardwareFactory (German) Description: (Machine translation) Fractal Design, a Canada based company in Sweden, the manufacture of elegant, functional and yet attractively priced dedicated computer hardware. In the field of computer case you can find simple and elegant models, but to convince the intelligent and thoughtful details. Fractal Design has become a large portfolio, which with various products such as Power supplies, accessories boasts diverse media and fans. The division computer case for some time also in range of the Swedish company. The company was able to settle with the Midi-Tower "Define R2" quite convincing. Now you have refills and with the "Define R3" introduced the successor to this body, which boasts a number of improvements over the Define R2. It is therefore simple, but it should convince the intrinsic values??. CM Storm Enforcer Mid Tower Chassis Review @ OCIA. Description: The CM Storm Enforcer is the latest case in the Cooler Master “Storm” series of products and the second one we will be reviewing (the first was the CM Storm Sniper back in early 2009). Our first glimpse of this case was in the Cooler Master suite at CES 2011. Unlike the "ultra mid tower" Storm Sniper, this is a mid-tower offering aimed at budget gamers and enthusiasts. AMD Radeon HD 6670 1GB and HD 6570 512MB GDDR5 DirectX11 Video Card Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6570 video cards are based on AMD’s 40nm “Turks” GPU. The Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6650 are entry level cards aimed at the sub-$100 price point. Both the Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6570 have 480 Stream processors, 24 texture units, 8 ROPs and come with a 128-bit memory interface. The Radeon HD 6670 clocks in at 800MHz and is equipped with 1GB of GDDR5 memory at 4000MHz while the Radeon HD 6650 has a 650MHz core clock with either 512MB of fast GDDR5 or 1GB of DDR3 which consumes less power. The new HD6670 and HD6570 series Turks-GPUs were designed to continue AMD’s lead in providing low-cost high-definition playback and DirectX11 support, perfect for OEM systems and HTPC builds. GIGABYTE G1.Assassin Motherboard @ OCAU Description: The GIGABYTE G1.Assassin includes a full array of connections including eight USB 2.0 ports, four being USB 3.0 ports with blue highlights, separate PS2 keyboard and mouse connectors, gigabit Ethernet connectivity via the Bigfoot Networks Killer E2100 network processor, as well as one coaxial and optical S/PDIF connector and a set of five analogue 3.5mm outputs driven by Creative's SoundBlaster XFi digital audio processor integrated onto the motherboard. Consumer Electronics and Software news Bluetooth Headset Comparison @ Real World Labs Description: Follow us as we put three of the markets current bestselling Bluetooth wireless headsets through various tests in an effort to check all their unique features to see which the overall best solution is. 17

May 9th, 2011

ESET Launches BETA Versions of ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 with Enhanced Technology and Features Description: ESET has announced the launch of BETA versions of its flagship products ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5. ESET, which has pioneered protection against malware since 1992, invites all PC users using the Windows operating system to join in the testing of these new products. ESET Smart Security 5 BETA and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 BETA are available for free download at ESET.com. Antec Sound Science rockus 3D Speaker System Review @ DragonSteelMods Description: Antec created the soundscience subsidiary to distinguish these products from their widely known business model of PC cases and power supplies. Their first audio product from the soundscience brand is the rockus 3D which is a 2.1 system designed to create a virtual 3D sound stage. Introduced at the $249 price point they seem to be going after the higher end 2.1 speaker systems especially designed for PC use. Arctic C1 Portable Universal Charger Review at Overclockers Online Description: The Arctic C1 portable universal charger comes with an integrated solar panel to keep your mobile devices charged up on the go. With the price of electricity on the rise, do your part and save the environment with this solar charger. How well does it work? Read on for details. Verbatim Wireless Mini Travel Mouse Review @ DragonSteelMods Description: Up for review today I’ve got a tiny little mouse from Verbatim aptly named the Mini Travel Mouse. The mouse is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The Travel Mouse is wireless and you can stow the receiver right inside of the mouse itself. If you’re in the need of a very small and portable mouse then this is what you want. This thing is probably the smallest mouse I’ve ever seen. redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 works with 4.3.3, still no iPad 2 support Description: Apple released iOS 4.3.3 on Wednesday, but as it did with 4.3.2, neglected to patch the untethered jailbreak exploit in redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 (since updated to rc15). Looks like that's a hat trick for the iPhone Dev Team. The hack works with most devices (even the Apple TV), but there's still no solution for iPad 2 owners -- we're sure that the underground powers that be are hard at work searching for holes that Apple overlooked.

Published by: VR-Zone

Description: The wait is almost as the next closed beta for Lucent Heart will set to launch on May 12 and ends on May 26. The good news is the previous beta keys that were given away will work in this beta as long you registered your beanfun account that time. Those with beta keys will get a cute Leo Pet upon joining. Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version's Barrett introduced in new media Description: New screens and brief videos of Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version outline the abilities of the new playable character, Barrett. Like his ability to star in a Mega Man game despite not being Mega Man.

Corsair Releases Builder Series CX V2 PSUs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-releases-builder-series-cx-v2psus/12095.html May 9th, 2011

Corsair has updated its Builder Series of PSUs with the introduction of the CX V2 models, targeting mainstream users. Available in 430W, 500W and 600W capacities, these 80 plus certified PSUs are non-modular, have PFC, sleeved cables, a single 12V rail, a MTBF of 100,000 hours, and various voltage/ power/ circuit protections. The Builder Series CX V2 are covered by a three year warranty and available from major retailers and e-tailers at MSRPs of US$49 (CX430 V2), US$64 (CX500 V2), and US$74 (CX600 V2). CORSAIR PRESS RELEASE Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of highperformance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced it has updated the Builder Series with new CX V2 models. The Builder Series CX V2 is the successor to the current CX family of PSUs, offering 80 PLUS certification and European Commission Energy-Related Product (ErP) directive compliance for guaranteed efficiency and low standby power consumption. The warranty on the CX V2 PSUs has been increased to three year s, one year longer than the original Builder Series models.

Gaming news Sony claims Anonymous hacked it Description: Sony is blaming the loose hacking outfit Anonymous for bringing down its networks and stealing personal information. Hauled before a Congressional subcommittee's inquiry into the massive data breach of its PlayStation Network, Sony claims to have evidence that those responsible are part of the infamous international hacktivist collective that brands itself "Anonymous."

Builder Series CX V2 power supplies are designed for entrylevel to midrange home system builds and desktop PC upgrades, providing a great value along with low noise and dependable, continuous power delivery.

Previous Lucent Heart Beta Keys Will Work With Upcoming Beta 18

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Gigabyte Readies Pure Classic Series Portable Hard Drives Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-readies-pure-classic-seriesportable-hard-drives/12093.html May 9th, 2011

Gigabyte is preparing to release its Pure Classic series of portable hard drives. Measuring 120 x 81 x 14mm and weighing 150g, the 2.5" hard drives are available in USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 models.

"The Builder Series CX PSUs have been an integral part of Corsair's PSU business, offering home system builders and hobbyists Corsair quality and reliability at attractive prices," said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager for Components at Corsair. "Low cost of operation and troublefree performance are highly desired features at every price point and today we are proud to offer even better efficiency and a longer warranty with the new Builder Series CX V2 PSUs." Availability and Pricing Corsair Builder Series CX V2 power supplies will be available in May from Corsair-authorized retailers worldwide. The CX600 V2 will be available for a US suggested retail price of $74 USD. The CX500 V2 will be available for $64 USD, and the CX430 V2 will be available for $49 USD.

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Much like the CM Storm SF-19 Strike Force, its gaming oriented cousin; the Notepal Infinite EVO redefines its genre. It provides an exciting new outlook on laptop cooling design and performance. A unique implementation of a beautiful sand-blast finish across its aluminum cooling pad and bold curves lend to this new avant-garde design aesthetic. This form is obtained while still providing a comfortable and ergonomic workspace.

These stylish drives feature a matt finish and are bundled with a leather pouch. Available in 320Gb, 500Gb, 640Gb, and 750Gb capacities, the Pure Classic portable hard drives are covered by a three year warranty. News via [Techpowerup]

Cooler Master Unveils NotePal Infinite Evo Laptop Cooler Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cooler-master-unveils-notepal-infiniteevo-laptop-cooler/12092.html May 9th, 2011

Cooler Master has expanded its notebook cooling solutions with the addition of the NotePal Infinite EVO. Measuring 410 x 310 x 61mm and weighing 1.2kg, the stylish cooler supports laptops up to 17" in size and features an aluminum frame, two 80mm fans running at speeds up to 1,400 RPM, a fan speed controller, and three USB 2.0 ports. The NotePal Infinite EVO is available from authorised resellers and e-tailers at a MSRP of US$49.99. COOLER MASTER PRESS RELEASE

Cooler Master introduces an exciting new mobile work of art. It will send reverberations throughout the industry with its striking tech-chic design, comfort and performance. This new masterpiece is the Cooler Master Notepal Infinite EVO Laptop Cooler. 20

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone May 9th, 2011

PQI, one of the world's largest storage and memory device manufacturers, has launched the Intelligent Drive U819V. Measuring 31.5 x 14.8 x 7.3mm and weighing 3.6g, the tiny flash drive features a USB 3.0 interface and is touted to be the "world's smallest USB 3.0 traveling disk". Available in 4Gb, 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb capacities, they are covered by a lifetime warranty and comes in "ivory white" and "midnight black". PQI PRESS RELEASE

Two powerful 80mm blower fans aggressively pull cool air through rear intakes and redistribute it the various "hot zones" found beneath a laptop. These powerful blower fans are entirely adjustable based on a userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preference via a fan speed controller dial. Its innovative cool air delivery system allows the Notepal Infinite EVO to reliably cool laptops up to 17". It is not enough to simply cool a laptop; this laptop cooler expands upon the functionality of a connected laptop. It achieves this by utilizing an integrated three port high speed USB 2.0 hub. Users now have the choice of connecting many different external devices all at once. These connected devices often can cause an eyesore in the form of cable clutter, but the Notepal Infinite EVO accounts for this by providing USB cable management to rein in and secure the mess of cables.

PQI leads the industry with its exclusive release of the world's smallest USB 3.0 traveling disk. The Intelligent Drive U819V is the solution to bulky traveling disks and thick USB 3.0 transfer interfaces. PQI applied COB encasement technology to USB 3.0 interface and overcame the transmission overheating problem after continuous research and improvements. At the same time, PQI solved the data reading problem caused by high-frequency noise while creating the lightest, thinnest, shortest, and smallest USB 3.0 traveling disk. The 3 centimeter disk delivers high performance and allows users to experience high speed transmission like never before. PQI's Intelligent Drive U819V traveling disk has a sleek and simple look featuring clean lines and smoothly curving trim, creating a seamless, unitary exterior. The disk's glossy exterior coating in ivory white and midnight black gives off a beautiful, glittering silvery radiance. Additionally, there is a special LED display at the tip that flickers when data is being read. Furthermore, with user experience in mind, PQI has come up with a cap retention design. The complimentary, square shaped, transparent soft rubber not only serves as a cell phone ornament but also attaches to the end of the disk. When the cap is removed from the Intelligent Drive U819V, it can be inserted into the transparent rubber. This exclusive cap retention design is unusual, funny, and charming.

A notebook cooler of this quality and ability would often be expected to carry an increased price, but it seemingly defies reason to carry a mere $49.99 MSRP. Expect to see the beautifully designed Notepal Infinite EVO Laptop Cooler at your favorite retail and e-tail stores soon.

PQI Announces World's Tiniest USB 3.0 Flash Drive Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/pqi-announces-world-s-tiniest-usb-3.0flash-drive/12091.html

As user demand for high quality multimedia increases, the rise of the USB 3.0 transmission interface offers the greatest transmission speed of up to 5 Gbps/sec, which is 10 times 21

May 9th, 2011

faster than USB2.0 (480 Mbps/sec). USB 3.0 significantly reduces the time required for data transmission, reduces power consumption, and is downward compatible with USB 2.0. Also, the stable current of USB 3.0 prevents data loss caused by current instability. Being energy-saving and environmentally friendly makes USB 3.0 the best choice in an age that demands ever increasing storage capacity. For the latest information about PQI, please visit PQI's global website at http://www.pqigroup.com. To choose from PQI's entire line of products, please visit PQI's shopping site. Product Specifications • Capacity: 4GB - 32GB • Dimensions: 31.5 x 14.8 x 7.3 mm • Weight: 3.6g ± 1g

Published by: VR-Zone

industrial types. More than 100 models of Tablet PCs expected to exhibit during COMPUTEX. For consumer level tablets, we can expect different type of designs from manufacturers like Lian He, Acer, Asustek, Nvidia, MiTAC, ECS, Compal, VIA Technologies and vTion. There are also high end tablets aiming at commercial clients where its functions of software and hardware are specifically designed and focused on the recreation entertainment sector. Manufacturers such as Intel, AMD, Microsoft, Acer, Asustek, Lian He, FIC and other companies are said to exhibit high-end Tablet PCs. As for business type of tablets, manfuactuers will include office prgrams such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint and also an external keyboard.

• Interface: USB 3.0 / 2.0 compatible • Warranty: Lifetime warranty

More than 100 models of Tablet PCs at COMPUTEX Taipei Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/more-than-100-models-of-tablet-pcsat-computex-taipei/12090.html May 9th, 2011

Industrial Tablet PCs is an new entrant to the market and sports specialized features such as anti-shock, dustproof, water resistant and other tough features depending on the specific environmental demand. We can expect designs from IEI, Arbor, Winmate, DT Research, Sambest, Aplex, Samwell, Spacewizard and others.

GeIL to launch new EpicGear Gaming Series at COMPUTEX Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/geil-to-launch-new-epicgear-gamingseries-at-computex/12089.html May 9th, 2011

According to a report from Computex.biz, there will be a wide variety of tablet pcs to be displayed at COMPUTEX Taipei 2011 from ultra-thin type, ultra-light type, consumers, business and industrial types. More than 100 models of Tablet PCs expected to exhibit during COMPUTEX. For consumer level tablets, we can expect different type of designs from manufacturers like Lian He, Acer, Asustek, Nvidia, MiTAC, ECS, Compal, VIA Technologies and vTion.

GeIL plans to launch a new gaming line-up known as EpicGear at Computex Taipei 2011. One of the products from the gaming series known as Meduza will be live on display and is likely to be a gaming mouse. Also, GeIL plans to showcase new Thortech 92% efficiency Platinum Plus PSU with iPower Meter as well as new generation of memory cooling fan, the EVO Cyclone II. There will be live demonstration for the highly clocked GeIL DDR3 EVO CORSA series on Intel Z68 based board as well.

According to a report from Computex.biz, there will be a wide variety of tablet pcs to be displayed at COMPUTEX Taipei 2011 from ultra-thin type, ultra-light type, consumers, business and 22

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The company has announced its latest family of chipsets the QHS7xx family which offers 802.11n speeds of up to 600Mbit/ s on the 5GHz band. All of its products are dual band, but the idea is that you use the 5GHz band for video streaming and the much more common 2.4GHz band for computers and various handheld devices and what not. Quantenna's chipsets also use a technology known as beamforming which further helps the signal to reach where it might otherwise not reach. This is extra helpful when living in a large home, or in one with multiple floors.

Shuttle to display new XPCs and Slim PCs at COMPUTEX

The only slight snag in this is that there aren't a lot of 5GHz Wi-Fi video receivers out there and so far you've had to buy a two kit set with a transmitter and a receiver to make use of Quantenna's technology, making it all a bit expensive for the average consumer. Sadly this isn't likely to change any time soon, but Quantenna is working with a wide range of WiFi device makers to try and get its technology into them. As the Quantenna chipsets work just fine inside a regular router, the company's new, more affordable QHS710 will hopefully find its way into some standard dual-band routers, whereas the more expensive QHS715 will still be reserved for more advanced video streaming solutions. We should hopefully be seeing some Quantenna based products come Computex as we know the company is working with several Taiwanese manufacturers to put its technology into their products.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/shuttle-to-display-new-xpcs-and-slimpcs-at-computex/12088.html May 9th, 2011

At the Computex, Shuttle will be introducing its highly-anticipated new product lineup includes Sandy Bridge XPCs, 1-liter and 3-liter Slim PCs, as well as all new All-in-One PCs. Vertical Market solutions includes point-of-sale, digital signage, kiosk, and more exciting applications. For OEM business, Shuttle will showcase new products based on itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Ecosystem including the complete product line of consumer, commercial and education market. The latest technology and software integration for tablet PCs and notebooks will be unveiled at the show.

Quantenna announces new 4x4 MIMO Wi-Fi chipset

Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic & GTX 560 Ti Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/palit-geforce-gtx-560-ti-sonic-gtx-560-ti-review/12052.html May 9th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/quantenna-announces-new-4x4-mimowi-fi-chipset/12082.html May 9th, 2011

These days most people with a broadband internet connection at home have some kind of Wi-Fi router, however not all of these are equal as it goes and there are many things that make them work differently well. Quantenna is an interesting company that so far haven't had a real breakthrough, but the company is making 4x4 MIMO Wi-Fi chipsets which allows for streaming of HD video, in fact, multiple streams of HD video over a standard Wi-Fi network.

A wide array of GTX 560 Ti card designs have popped up from Nvidia's partners. In this feature, we will be looking at Palit's GeForce GTX 560 Ti and GTX 560 Ti Sonic. Sometime back we reviewed Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560 Ti, successor to the GTX 460. The GTX 560 Ti is positioned below the GTX 570, and competes with AMD's HD6870. Palit has sent us both its vanilla GTX 560 Ti as well as a factory overclocked 'Sonic' edition.

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The Sonic card gets a ~10% core/shader overclock, and a ~5% memory overclock - hardly the most adventurous speeds we've seen. Hopefully our own overclocking efforts will yield better results. Both cards come with a two year warranty. AMD AMD NVIDIA NVIDIA Palit NVIDIA Radeon Radeon GeForce GeForce GeForce GeForce HD HD GTX GTX GTX GTX 6950 6870 570 560 Ti 560 Ti 460 Sonic Stream 1408 1120 480 384 336 Processors Texture 88 56 60 64 56 Units ROPs 32 32 40 32 32 Core 800MHz900MHz732MHz822MHz900MHz675MHz Clock Shader 800MHz900MHz1464MHz1644MHz1800Mhz1350MHz Clock Memory1250MHz1050MHz950MHz1002MHz1050Mhz900MHz Clock Memory2048MB 1024MB 1536MB 1024MB 1024MB Configuration GDDR5, GDDR5, GDDR5, GDDR5, GDDR5, 256-bit 256-bit 320-bit 256-bit 256-bit Transistor 2.64 1.7 billion3 billion 1.95 1.95 Count billion billion billion Manufacturing TSMC TSMC TSMC TSMC TSMC Process 40nm 40nm 40nm 40nm 40nm TDP 200W 151W 220W 170W 160W

Gaming on the 7-inch HaiPad Android tablet Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gaming-on-the-7-inch-haipad-androidtablet/12085.html May 9th, 2011

The Android tablet is designed to provide web browsing, social media, ebooks, gaming and multimedia playback for the users. But it looks like some chinese manufacturers are position the tablet as a portable gaming device/home console. Read on.

Yes, you heard right. This is the HaiPad (sounds similar to the Apple tablet device). The 7-inch tablet runs the Google Android 2.2 mobile operating system, weighs 400g, is powered by 1GHz Samsung CPU and features 512MB RAM and 4GB internal memory. If that's not sufficient, it also has a microSD card slot too. You can play your favorite games on the 800x400 capacitive touch screen, or via a Playstation-style joypad that you can plug to the micro USB port. With a PlayStation emulator app for Android, you can have hours of enjoyment with old school games including Street Fighter, Super Mario or Resident Evil, although you have to make do with the 7-inch screen. On top of that, you can use the HaiPad for video chat, ebook reading, web browsing and messaging on the tablet device. The HaiPad is available from 850 Yuan (US$130.85) to 1150 Yuan (US$177) depending on the shop.

Apple iPad 3 to feature 3D display? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-ipad-3-to-feature-3ddisplay-/12084.html May 9th, 2011

With the Apple iPad 2 (above pic) recently made its way here to Singapore, rumours have already started on the upcoming iPad 3 tablet. According to sources, it looks like the iPad 3 may be incorporating a 3D display for viewing 3D content.

May 9th, 2011

Rumors have it that the upcoming Apple iPad 3 tablet will feature a 3D display, though it has not been confirmed if that would require the 3D glasses or the display itself is the glassless 3D type. According to RCR Wireless blog, the rumor was tipped off by a Hollwood insider close to the big movie studios. It isn't at all surprising that the iPad 3 will have such feature since 3D content are getting popular ever since the movie Avatar and companies coming up with 3D content, 3D TVs and even smartphones with glassless 3D capabilities. It is still too early to tell how different the 3D feature of the iPad 3 will be. Currently on the market, the LG Optimus Pad claims to be able to record videos in 3D, and output via HDMI port to a 3D TV. The BlackBerry PlayBook can output stereoscopic 3D visuals to a larger display. But with the iPad 2 just launched recently in Asia, we probably won't see the iPad 3 anytime soon.

Intel updates WiDi drivers, adds 1080p support, HDCP protection Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-updates-widi-driversadds-1080p-support-hdcp-protection/12081.html May 9th, 2011

If you've got a recent Intel powered notebook with an Intel network card in it, there's a big chance that you have WiDi support in your notebook without even knowing about it. That said, you'd need a little box that hooks up to your TV to take advantage of video streaming over Wi-Fi, but so far HDCP protected content hasn't been possible to stream. Well, that was until today when Intel launched new drivers which solved that problem. If you've got a recent Intel powered notebook with an Intel network card in it, there's a big chance that you have WiDi support in your notebook without even knowing about it. That said, you'd need a little box that hooks up to your TV to take advantage of video streaming over Wi-Fi, but so far HDCP protected content hasn't been possible to stream. Well, that was until today when Intel launched new drivers which solved that problem.

Published by: VR-Zone

able to stream certain content which Intel simply refers to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;premium contentâ&#x20AC;? which we presume is anything with HDCP encryption. For the full details of what hardware and software you need to make all this work, hit the link below.

Cooler Master's new Silencio 550 chassis on sale ahead of launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cooler-master-s-new-silencio-550chassis-on-sale-ahead-of-launch/12080.html May 9th, 2011

Cooler Master will unveil a wide range of new products at Computex in a few weeks' time and one up its upcoming cases has not only gone on sale, but it's already been leaked to a degree by Cooler Master Europe who's running a competition where you can win one of three Silencio 550 chassis. This is an entirely new product in Cooler Master's line-up of products and as far as we're aware the first low-noise case from the company. Cooler Master will unveil a wide range of new products at Computex in a few weeks' time and one up its upcoming cases has not only gone on sale, but it's already been leaked to a degree by Cooler Master Europe who's running a competition where you can win one of three Silencio 550 chassis. This is an entirely new product in Cooler Master's line-up of products and as far as we're aware the first low-noise case from the company. We've managed to cobble together bits and pieces about the new case and it looks like Cooler Master has a good mid-range case here. The Silencio 550 is as mentioned Cooler Master's first attempt at a low-noise chassis and as such it's fitted with noise dampening foam. The case as a door covering the front drive bays and this, alongside both of the side plates are covered in the foam.

As a technology, WiDi is pretty cool as it uses standard Wi-Fi technology to stream video up to 1080p resolution; depending on the box on the receiving end as first generation WiDi boxes are limited to 720p. The new drivers do not only add support for HDCP 2.0 content from DVD and Blu-ray discs, but also from copy protected online content. Guess what? That ties in nicely with Intel's Intel Insider video streaming service which allows you to download and stream HD video over the internet, well, at least as long as you live in the right country. The new drivers also add better support for Intel's new HD graphics 3000 series and H.264 hardware encoding. It's worth noting that you need a CPU with Intel HD graphics 3000 to be

The overall chassis design looks a fair bit like the good old Antec P183, although the similarities are only skin deep. The 25

May 9th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Silencio 550 sports three 5.25in drive bays, seven 3.5in drive bays and one 2.5in drive bay. Judging by the internal picture, four of the 3.5in drive bays can be removed to make space for extra-long graphics cards. At the rear we're looking at a standard seven expansion slots.

To allow for some airflow the door has cut-outs in the sides which allows for air to be pulled in while the foam still helps to keep the noise level down. Cooler Master has fitted a pair of 120mm 800rpm low noise fans and there's space for a third fan. The PSU is bottom mounted and there's a large cut-out on the motherboard tray for easy access to the rear of the CPU cooler. There doesn't seem to be too many options for putting cables behind the motherboard tray, at least not judging by the pictures we've managed to dig up.

The front ports consist of a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a pair of audio jacks and surprisingly an SD card reader. One of the external drive bays have been taken up by an X-dock hard drive hot-swap caddy which is yet another nice addition as far as features are concerned. Overall this looks like a pretty sweet case and we found it for sale in the UK for ÂŁ72.98 (S $148) which seems like a pretty decent price as well. Oh and if you live in Europe and want a chance to win one, hit the link below.

May 11th, 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.

Google announces partner Chromebooks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-announces-partnerchromebooks/12169.html May 11th, 2011

Not entirely unexpected, Google's first Chromebook partners will be Acer and Samsung and both companies have a model that will go on sale in the US on the 15th of June. Surprisingly the two models are quite different in terms of not only in terms of features, but also cost. In fact, the only similarity is the fact that they're both black and running Google's Chrome OS. Not entirely unexpected, Google's first Chromebook partners will be Acer and Samsung and both companies have a model that will go on sale in the US on the 15th of June. Surprisingly the two models are quite different in terms of not only in terms of features, but also cost. In fact, the only similarity is the fact that they're both black and running Google's Chrome OS. Acer's Chromebook is an 11.6-inch netbook as far as the specifications goes, as at its core is an unspecified dual core Atom processor. For whatever reason there's no mention of system memory or storage space, although we wouldn't expect either to be particularly huge, especially as the Cr-48 only came with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The screen should have a resolution of 1366x768 pixels as far as we can tell, but there's no explicit mention of the resolution apart from it being "HD".

Other parts of the specifications include dual band Wi-Fi, optional 3G (most likely cost option), an HD webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, a memory card reader a pair of audio jacks and surprisingly an HDMI port. There's also a "full size Chrome keyboard" and the Acer Chromebook is using an Acer "floating island" type keyboard and it also has an "oversize fullyclickable trackpad". The battery is said to be good for up to 6h of continuous usage, not a huge surprise considering this is pretty much a netbook and the whole thing weighs in at a very portable 1.34kg. Samsung's Chromebook on the other hand is slightly larger at 12.1-inches it's surprisingly using a 16:10 display with 1280x800 resolution. Maybe this is a good way of getting rid of old stock? We're looking at another unspecified dual core Atom CPU here and once again no mention of memory or storage capacity. As with the Acer, the Samsung sports dualband Wi-Fi, optional 3G, an HD webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, a memory card reader, but seemingly only a single audio jack and a "mini-VGA port" which is kind of frustrating.

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Samsung has gone for a chiclet keyboard design and once again an "oversize fully-clickable trackpad". The battery life in this case has been upped to 8.5h which is pretty decent, although the weigh has also gone up a little bit to 1.48kg. Design wise the Samsung looks nicer that the Acer on the pictures, but we're somewhat sold on the HDMI port and the smaller size and lighter weight of the Acer. Where the Acer really wins though is on price, as it should retail for US$349 (S$432), although this is without 3G, whereas the Wi-Fi only Samsung model is US$429 (S$531) with the 3G model going for $499 (S$618). It's worth keeping in mind that at least in the US, owners of a Chromebook get 100MB of 3G data free every month for two years from Verizon, although an unlimited day pass is a steep US$9.99 (S $12) and 1GB of DATA is $20 (S$25) a month, with 3GB for US$35 (S$43) and 5GB for a massive US$50 (S$62) a month.

Intel Z68 gets official, own brand motherboard too Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-z68-gets-official-own-brandmotherboard-too/12168.html May 11th, 2011

In case you haven't been paying attention to what's going on in the motherboard market for the past week or so, today is the official launch of Intel's Z68 chipset (note. This entirely depends on what time zone you live in). We've already covered many of the motherboards announced today, but Intel does of course still have a line of its own motherboards and alongside the new chipset announcement, the company also launched the DZ68DB motherboard. In case you haven't been paying attention to what's going on in the motherboard market for the past week or so, today is the official launch of Intel's Z68 chipset (note. This entirely depends on what time zone you live in). We've already covered many of the motherboards announced today, but Intel does of course still have a line of its own motherboards and alongside the new chipset announcement, the company also launched the DZ68DB motherboard. The Z68 chipset doesn't really hold any secrets by now and Intel didn't really seem to make much of a fuss about the whole launch. The interesting thing will be to see how many people will consider spending US$100 (S$124) for the Intel 311 series SSD designed for Intel's Smart Response technology. You could of course use any SSD, but the faster the better really. It's somewhat surprising that Intel only launched on motherboard today though and it's not even their high-end models.

The DZ68DB is part of Intel's media series of motherboards rather than the extreme series. Intel should be launching the DZ68BC at a later stage though and this is part of the extreme series and should end up taking the top LGA-1155 board position ahead of the DP67BG. We're somewhat mystified by the DZ68DB as we can't really see this board having much appeal unless you fall in the category of users that needs the power of a graphics card once in a while. However, in this case it would be wiser to spend your money on an H67 board. So what we have here is a board that has a pretty good rear I/O layout with six USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports (via a Renesas host controller), a FireWire port, Intel Gigabit Ethernet (of course), an eSATA port (from the chipset), 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PIDF out and last, but not least, a DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI port. Intel has obviously decided to drop all types of legacy connectors here with no PS/2 or D-sub connectors in sight.

However, the board itself doesn't impress much and as a matter of fact, this might as well have been a mATX board as the lower half of the PCB is almost void of components. It's also interesting that on what should be a high-end board for a company that has removed PCI support from its chipset; we have a board with no less than three PCI slots. The board also has a single x16 PCI Express slot and two x1 PCI Express slots. There are three SATA 3Gbps and two SATA 6Gbps ports on the board and not very much else apart from a set of four headers for an additional eight USB 2.0 ports spread around the board. The VRM design is also very basic and by the looks of it we're looking at a 4+1 phase design. Price wise the board is listed with one retailer in the US for about US$135 (S$167) which is pretty decent, but considering the uninspiring board layout, we'd pick something else to be honest. That said, as with so many other Z68 boards, Intel does 2

May 11th, 2011

supply a copy of Lucid Logix Virtu software with the board which is at least something. In related news, Digitimes reports that top tier Taiwanese motherboard makers are expecting to ship 350,000-400,000 Z68 motherboards before the end of May. Gigabyte is expected to be shipping the bears share of this and it might turn out that the company's claim of an 80 percent market share will come true, as Asus in only expecting to ship 30,000 boards and MSI and ASRock will only managed 15,000 together, if we're to believe Digitimes numbers.

Published by: VR-Zone

Intel will exhibit a range of mobility products and technologies at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Nangang Exhibition Hall from May 31-June 4. DATES: Opening Ceremony: Tue.-Fri., May 31-June 3 (9:30 a.m-6 p.m.) Sat., June 4 (9:30 a.m-4 p.m.) WHERE:

Intel to Showcase Latest Technology on Mobile Computing at COMPUTEX 2011

Intel Exhibition Showcase at Computex Booth M0410 TWTC Nangang, 4F (Address: No. 1, Jingmao 2nd Rd., Nangang District, Taipei City, Taiwan)

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-to-showcase-latest-technologyon-mobile-computing-at-computex-2011/12167.html May 11th, 2011

PRESS ACTIVITIES: Computex Opening Keynote Tuesday, May 31, 2-3 p.m. (Reception: 1:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2 p.m.) Intel is hosting a series of events over at COMPUTEX Taipei 2011 to unveil and showcase its latest hardware and software technology innovations spanning a spectrum of mobile personal computing devices. Intel will exhibit a range of mobility products and technologies at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Nangang Exhibition Hall from May 31June 4.

Speaker: Sean M. Maloney, executive vice president and general manager of Intel Architecture Group TICC, 3F Plenary Hall (Address: No. 1, Xin-yi Rd., Sec. 5, Hsin-yi District, Taipei City, Taiwan) PC Client Event Grand Hyatt Hotel, 3F, Ballroom A (Address: No. 2, Song Shou Rd., Hsin-yi District, Taipei City, Taiwan) PC Client Event Post-Keynote Press Q&A Session Grand Hyatt Hotel, Crane Room, 3/F Intel Speaker:

Intel Corporation is hosting a series of events to unveil and showcase its latest hardware and software technology innovations spanning a spectrum of mobile personal computing devices. Intelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence at Computex 2011 will kick off with the opening keynote address by Sean Maloney, executive vice president and general manager, Intel Architecture Group, at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC), 3F Plenary Hall, on May 31.

Shmuel (Mooly) Eden, vice president and general manager of PC Client Group Netbooks and Tablets Event: Companion Computing Gets Personal Wednesday, June 1, 3-5 p.m. (Reception time: 3-3:30 p.m.) Grand Hyatt Hotel, 3F, Ballroom A Netbooks and Tablets Event Post-Keynote Press Q&A Session Grand Hyatt Hotel, Crane Room, 3/F Intel Speakers: 3

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Douglas L. Davis, vice president and general manager of Netbook and Tablet Group

CPUs have a 65W TDP and 2MB L3 cache. The graphics clock on these models start at 850MHz with a turbo clock of 1GHz.

Douglas W. Fisher, vice president and general manager of Systems Software Division

No word on a launch date or pricing as yet, but it's possible that they'll arrive alongside the Pentium G CPUs which are

Intel Booth Guided Tour for Media

expected to launch on the 22nd of May. The Celeron's should be priced below US$64 (S$79) as that's the expected price of the Pentium G620.

Thursday, June 2, 10-11 a.m. Booth M0410 TWTC Nangang, 4F Computex Taipei Executive Speech 2011 Speaker: Boyd A. Davis, vice president of Intel Architecture Group and general manager of Data Center Group

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 11 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--11may-2011/12165.html May 11th, 2011

Marketing TICC, 3F, Banquet Hall Source : http://newsroom.intel.com/community/ intel_newsroom/blog/2011/05/10/media-alert--intel-atcomputex-taipei-2011

Intel's Celeron G440, G530 and G540 specs are out Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-s-celeron-g440-g530-and-g540specs-are-out/12166.html May 11th, 2011

In the midst of Intel's Z68 chipset launch, details have emerged of three upcoming budget CPUs from Intel, its first Gseries Celeron CPUs. What we're looking at here are one single core CPU and two dual core CPUs which will be Intel's new entry level Sandy Bridge processors and a step down from the soon to launch Pentium G-series of CPUs. In the midst of Intel's Z68 chipset launch, details have emerged of three upcoming budget CPUs from Intel, its first Gseries Celeron CPUs. What we're looking at here are one single core CPU and two dual core CPUs which will be Intel's new entry level Sandy Bridge processors and a step down from the soon to launch Pentium G-series of CPUs. The most basic model will be known as the Celeron G440 and this is a 35W TDP single core 1.6GHz CPU with 2MB L3 cache. This almost seems too basic by today's standards and we have a hard time seeing anyone being interested in buying this CPU. It has a claimed graphics clock of 650/1000MHz in standard/ turbo mode. Next up we have the dual core Celeron G530 and G540 where the only difference is clock speed, as the G530 is clocked at 2.4GHz whereas the G540 is a smidgen faster at 2.5GHz. Both

In today's news roundup: AMD has admitted that it is willing to reconsider its 'x86 everywhere' strategy if market conditions change drastically, in spite of it having no intention to license ARM technologies for use in producing ARM processors at this point of time; ASUS has announced the launch of two new selfdesigned graphics cards, the Radeon HD 6770 DirectCU and HD 6750 Formula; Motion Computing's enterprise-centric CL900 tablet is finally available for ordering in the US at the starting price of US$899; Microsoft has reportedly sent at least two employees packing from its offices over the alleged leak of the beta builds of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, making it one of the more high-profile sacking cases to occur over at Redmond; Square Enix has announced a Dragon Quest Wii collection which will consist of the original Famicom versions of Dragon Quest I, Dragon Quest II, and Dragon Quest III, and their respective Super Famicom (SNES) versions, specifically Dragon Quest I & II and Dragon Quest III, and Fans of Portal 2 can now start modding the game and creating their own test puzzles now that Valve has released the official game authoring tools for download Hardware news Cooler Master Storm Enforcer Mid Tower Chassis Review Description: A couple months back I took a look at the Cooler Master Test Bench V1.0, but it seems like it has been a while since I had a look at a case from CM. The last couple of cases I looked at were the HAF-X, CM690II and the Storm Sniper. The Sniper had some very cool features and a style all its own, keeping most of what made those cases a success while adding a fair bit of individualism to this new concept. Aesthetically this case looks like no other I have seen and almost looks like the case is in motion with the rounded design and stamped in designs in the steel. Kingston X58 Triple Channel kit 2250Mhz Cas 9 Review @ Madshrimps Description: At the latest MSI MOA Benelux qualifier we were allowed to play with MSI's Xpower board, some 980X ES CPUs and some pretty high specced Kingston rams. The 2250Mhz CL9 triple channel kit seemed very interesting for a spin in the 4

May 11th, 2011

Madshrimps Lab. Could these blue beauties come close to the almighty Corsair Hyper IC based GTX2s ? What's the use for such a high MHz kit for a daily user ? Is this kit Bloomfield friendly ? A lot of questions warped through my brain. Time to open the box and find some answers EK Water Blocks EK-FC580 GTX Nickel @ Hardwareoverclock.com Description: The summer is not so far away, also the high temperatures of the hardware components, specially the video card. A great alternative will be a water cooler, for example the EK Water Blocks EK-FC580 GTX Nickel. This cooler has an extreme high flow path design and unique increased cooling surface over GPU keeps all your graphic cards components cool even at highest graphical loads and over clock. We have tested this sample on a GTX 570 in a comparison between other alternative VGA coolers. GIGABYTE Z68X UD4 Review @ Vortez Description: So what do we get from GIGABYTE if the video outputs aren’t present? Well with the Z68 chipset we have the new Touch BIOS, SSD caching and we have been told – better overclocking. So today we will be putting the Z68-UD4 on our test bench and putting it through its paces within synthetic and gaming benchmarks in order to reveal to our readers whether there is any great advantage of moving to this new chipset over P67. Ethernet Aims for Terabit Description: IEEE 802.3 – among friends know as Ethernet – has formed a working group to look beyond 100 Gbps speed. Currently the group is soliciting input at expects to report some time next year. There is, however already a divide between power users and silicon suppliers. End customers like Facebook and Google cannot wait to get a higher speed version of Ethernet and is lobbying for 1 Tb/s as soon as 2013. They are countered by silicon suppliers who would like to move to 400 Gbps in the first instance. OCZ IBIS 240GB Review @ ocaholic Description: If you take a look at the SSD market, searching for a really powerful product, then you'll definitely take the OCZ IBIS into account. With a throughput of 740 MB/s read and 720 MB/s write this drive shows serious throughput rates and also the claimed 120'000 IOPS are massive. AMD May Reconsider Its Opinion About ARM Processors . Description: Advanced Micro Devices does not close the doors to ARM and may reconsider its x86 everywhere strategy if the market requirements change drastically. Even though the company is not working on a deal to license ARM technologies, AMD admits that its vision is generally similar to ARM's when it comes to heterogeneous multi-core computing. ASUS announces self-designed Radeon HD 6770 DirectCu and HD 6750 Formula graphics cards Description: ASUS announced the launch of the new selfdesigned HD 6770 DirectCU and HD 6750 Formula graphics cards. Both are equipped with the ASUS-exclusive Super Alloy Power technology that delivers a 15% performance boost along with a lifespan that is 2.5 times longer than conventional graphics cards. Consumer Electronics and Software news

Published by: VR-Zone

Google Finally Delivers On Promise Of Admin-Free Chrome Frame Installs For IE Description: Today at Google I/O in San Francisco, Google developers Amit Joshi and Alex Russell took the stage at a breakout session to announce an important milestone: a version of Chrome Frame that doesn’t require admin rights to install. While this might not jump out at you as a huge thing, it’s big news for millions of users stuck working at offices or schools with older machines where admins won’t allow them to upgrade to newer, modern browsers. And some 30 percent of these users were not even able to install plug-ins for IE. Now there’s a way around that with the new dev build of Chrome Frame. You can install this within IE without needing admin access. Adobe Takes Wowza to Court Over Flash Patents Description: Adobe is taking Wowza Media to court, suing it for patent infringement related to its Flash Media Server. Adobe filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California last week, alleging patent infringement, false advertising and unfair competition. Google To Lease Chrome Laptops for $20/Month Description: Google will begin leasing Chrome laptops for $20 per month in a “student package” that includes both hardware and access to online services, a senior Google executive has reportedly told Forbes. The report aligns with earlier rumors that Google would begin offering Chrome OS-based notebooks for between $10 and $20 per month this summer. The official announcement is expected to hit the wire sometime Wednesday. Motion Computing's CL900 tablet now available for order, starting at $899 Description: It's been a while since we first laid eyes upon this rugged little guy, but Motion Computing's CL900 tablet is finally available for orders, starting at $899. Designed with enterprise markets in mind, the 2.1-pound Windows 7 slate runs on a 1.5GHz Intel Oak Trail Atom Z670 processor and rocks a 10.1-inch, 1366x768 multi-touch display that's shielded in Corning Gorilla Glass. Seated atop that display is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, with a 3.0-megapixel sensor keeping watch over the backside. Boasting a thickness of 15.5mm, the device also offers up to 2GB of RAM (along with a 30GB or 62GB SSD), promises a battery life of up to eight hours and houses a USB port, SD card slot and Bluetooth 3.0 module. Lenovo spoils own ThinkPad X1's May 17 launch with video Description: Lenovo effectively pre-announced the ThinkPad X1 on Wednesday with a video (below). The minute-long ad was short on details but confirmed the backlit, spillresistant keyboard and Gorilla Glass screen. The PC builder also pledged a May 17 release date. Microsoft Employees Fired Over Windows 8 Leaks Description: The recent leaks of Windows 8 suggests that there are sources within Microsoft that are letting out copies of the work-in-progress operating system. According to a well known leak tracker, as characterized by WinRumors, Microsoft has fired two employees that the company believed to be leaking the beta builds. Gaming news 5

May 11th, 2011

Square Enix announces Dragon Quest Wii collection Description: With the Dragon Quest franchise being insanely popular in Japan, it was only a matter of time before publishers Square Enix formally announced that a collection of the series' earlier games is in the works. According to the official site, said collection will be released on the Wii and will contain all five past titles on one disk. The games on the collection are the original Famicom versions of Dragon Quest I, Dragon Quest II, and Dragon Quest III, and their respective Super Famicom (SNES) versions, specifically Dragon Quest I & II and Dragon Quest III. SoulCalibur V Announced Description: At a press conference in Dubai just now, Namco officially announced SoulCalibur V. While no details were revealed just yet, the game is slated for a 2012 release. We do know that more info and a teaser trailer will be coming soon, so stay tuned for those. Alright Modders, Let's Get Modding: Valve Releases Portal 2 Authoring Tools Description: Admit it: while playing through Portal 2, you couldn't help but devise your own devious test lab puzzle. Well, now is your chance to make that turret-bot filled vision a reality. Valve has released the Portal 2 Authoring Tools on Steam.

Can't afford Microsoft's Surface? Try Pioneer's WWSDT101 alternative instead Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/can-t-afford-microsoft-s-surface-trypioneer-s-wws-dt101-alternative-instead/12164.html May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Unlike Microsoft's Surface and Surface 2 tabletop PCs which were available in 30-inch and 40-inch touchscreen displays, Pioneer's WWS-DT101 boasts a gigantic 52-inch display that is capable of full HD resolutions, thus making it the largest known tabletop PC known to exist today. However, in Pioneer's case, bigger does not necessarily translate to better; while Microsoft's 40-inch Surface 2 multitouch display supported up to a maximum of 50 simultaneous contact points', the WWS-DT101 is only capable of recognizing up to 10 contact points at any time. That being said, do you remember the little demonstration made by Microsoft which showed off how users can place data storage devices on Surface and its contents would 'spill' onto the display for easy collaboration? Well, it would seem that Pioneer has been hard at work in replicating this function in the WWS-DT101. Which, in hindsight, makes perfect sense when one takes into account that the WWD-DT101 is meant to be used as a digital conference system, and the ability to share files by simply sliding them around a tabletop PC's display is definitely a huge time saver, no matter how one looks at it. However, Pioneer has once again managed to one-up Microsoft's Surface by adding tablets such as iPads to the list of supported devices in its collaboration process, as shown in the image below:

A long, long time ago in a news posting made way, way back in January, we spoke a little about Microsoft's new Surface 2 tabletop PC and how it could potentially change the way businesses handle their digital collaborating needs. As it turns out, there is a new contender in the tabletop PC game today which is supposedly capable of performing the same tasks as Microsoft's Surface, and it comes in the form of Pioneer's new WWS-DT101 'discussion table' PC that was launched today in Japan. Microsoft's Surface tabletop PC is definitely one of the more interesting PCs out there to exist in the market today, and we are sure that Apple and Google will be hard pressed to come up with a suitable product to compete against it if Microsoft was willing to release the product for sale to endusers instead of limiting its purchase to enterprise customers. However, it would seem that Microsoft is about to face some competition in its own market segment very soon, thanks to the introduction of Pioneer's own tabletop PC, the WWSDT101, which is supposedly capable of performing the same functions as Surface.

What is more amazing though, is the fact that Pioneer, like Microsoft before it, was able to pull off such features using nothing more than the standard PC software and hardware to power the tabletop PC. Yes, you read that correctly; hidden under that pretty and flashy-looking user interface is the same Windows 7 operating system that we all know and love today, while the giant touchscreen is powered by none other than a standard Intel Core i7 processor paired with 6GB of system RAM. 6

May 11th, 2011

As is the case with most enterprise products, Pioneer has chosen not to set a fixed price on the WWS-DT101. Instead, the company has seemingly adopted an 'open pricing' model for the tabletop PC, which suggests that the WWS-DT101's pricing may vary based on the results of negotiations between Pioneer and its prospective clients. The PC is expected to start shipping in late July, so there should be plenty of time for customers to start making their way to the negotiation tablet with Pioneer.

NEC unveils Atom-powered tablet running Windows 7 for business users Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nec-unveils-atom-powered-tabletrunning-windows-7-for-business-users/12159.html May 11th, 2011

Mention the words 'tablet PC' to most consumers and chances are the mental image they will conjure about such a device is one that runs on ARM processors and comes preloaded with an operating system that is anything but Microsoft's Windows. While that may be true in the consumer space, it would appear that things are notably different in the enterprise space; apparently, there is enough demand for tablets running on Windows 7 for NEC to justify rolling out its own Windowspowered tablet for business users. Japan, meet NEC's VesaPro Type VT slate PC. Let's not deny it; Windows 7 is an astounding operating system that works wonders on almost any PC available on the market today. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the relatively high hardware requirements and touch-unfriendly user interface of its OS means that Windows 7 is essentially a no-go as far as consumer tablets are concerned, especially when touchscreen computing is starting to become mainstream for highly mobile devices. However, things are usually different in the enterprise space, and based on the looks of it, tablets loaded with Windows 7 are apparently doing well enough in various areas for OEMs to justify their continued production. More importantly, it seems that NEC is keen to carve out a slice of the business tablet market for itself as well, having just launched its own Windows 7-powered tablet, the VersaPro Type VT, today in Japan.

Published by: VR-Zone

that is not x86 or x86-64 based. Therefore, it should be of no surprise that the VersaPro Touch VT will be powered by Intel's Atom processor. To be more specific, it will be Intel's recently-launched Z670 Oak Trail processor that will be providing the computational horsepower needed to run Windows 7 smoothly on the NEC VersaPro Type VT. Clocked at 1.5GHz, Intel claims that the Z670 processor has been specially designed for use on tablets and is supposed to be capable of supporting 1080p video playback with some help from the onboard Intel GMA 600 graphics core; as such it should be powerful enough to support a desktopgrade operating system like Windows 7 without any major performance hiccups. In addition, NEC has also announced that the VersaPro Type VT sports a 10.1-inch touchscreen display that has a native resolution of 1280 x 800, is pre-loaded with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, and will feature a user-removable battery pack. Last but definitely not least, the company also claims that the tablet utilizes a 64GB SSD for data storage purposes and can be used with a docking station to provide a desktop-esque experience for the user, as shown in the image below:

The NEC VersaPro Type VT is expected to be available for purchase by business users in summer, with the pricing to be confirmed at a later date.

Icy Dock Debuts USB 3.0 EZDOCK Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/icy-dock-debuts-usb-3.0-ezdock/12163.html May 11th, 2011

Icy Dock has released the MB881U3-1SA, a USB 3.0 docking station supporting one 2.5" and 3.5" SATA/ IDE HDDs and SSDs. It features a USB 3.0 interface, removable aluminum stand for mobility, and works with both PC & Mac systems. The easy to use MB881U3-1SA is bundled with a low profile power adapter for 3.5 drives and is expected to hit store shelves soon. ICY DOCK PRESS RELEASE

As most of us will undoubtedly know by now, Windows is incapable of running on any other processor architecture 7

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Shuttle Announces SX58H7 Pro LGA1366 Mini PC barebone Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/shuttle-announces-sx58h7-prolga1366-mini-pc-barebone/12162.html May 11th, 2011

Introducing Icy Dock's new MB881U3-1SA USB 3.0 2.5 & 3.5 SATA and IDE hard drive adapter with docking station functionality. Icy Dock has taken another one of its tried and true products and taught it some new tricks. It features the new USB 3.0 interface for up to a 5 Gbsec transfer rate. The MB881U3-1SA is perfect for any DIY user or IT Professional in need of a quality hard drive adapter. The hard drive adapter will work with both 3.5 & 2.5 SATA drives and IDE drives and use them on a USB 3.0 interface. The 2.5 SATAIDE drives can be powered with the USB cable alone. A small power adapter is included for faster or bigger 2.5 hard drives or 3.5 hard drives. Using the USB 3.0 interface will maximize not only the SATA drives but also the IDE drives readwrite speeds not found on other USB 2.0 products. The MB881U3-1SA will accept almost any size of 2.5 3.5 IDE and SATA hard drives.

Shuttle has unleashed the XPC Barebone SX58H7 Pro, targeting gamers on the lookout for high-performance SFF desktops. Measuring 326 x 208 x 189mm, the stylish barebone comes in a black aluminum enclosure and boasts an X58 motherboard, four DDR3 memory slots (up to 16Gb), dual PCI-Express x16 slots (for SLI/ CrossFireX), four SATA ports, three drive bays, two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, I.C.E. (Integrated Cooling Engine) heatpipe technology, a 80-PLUS certified 500W PSU, audio connectors, two USB 3.0 and eight USB 2.0 connectors. The XPC Barebone SX58H7 Pro is available from major retailers and e-tailers now at a MSRP of EUR 444.00 (excl. VAT). SHUTTLE PRESS RELEASE

Product Features •

Perfect hard drive adapter with docking station functionality in USB 3.0 speeds.

•

USB bus power for 2.5 drives.

•

Low profile power adapter for 3.5 drives.

•

Detachable docking platform to use while on the go.

•

Compatible with both 2.5 & 3.5 SATA hard drives and supports hot swap.

•

Compatible with both 2.5 & 3.5 IDE hard drives.

•

Supports USB 3.0 connection for maximum performance.

•

Plug & Play USB 3.0 with backwards capabilities to USB 2.0 for quick connection

•

for any computer system.

•

User friendly screw-less and tool-less design just plug in the hard drive and play.

•

Exposed working HDD stands in the air vertically for fast heat radiation.

•

Aluminum alloy stand is detachable for portable use.

•

Designed for PC & Mac systems.

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, the European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini-PC Barebones, today launches its 2011 model with Intel X58 Express chipset and support for all Intel Core i7 processors (LGA1366). The Shuttle XPC Barebone SX58H7 Pro cuts an elegant figure with a black aluminium chassis, case and front panel. It also boasts two heatpipe cooling systems – ideal for ensuring optimal heat dissipation and high stability. Owners of this powerpack have a choice to fit either two singleslot graphics cards or one dual-slot graphics card. Two PCIex16-2.0 slots offer an enormous bandwidth and a separate Mini-PCIe-x1 slot allows the installation e.g. of a WLAN module.

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

for DVD-R+R DL and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 48x for CDR, and 24x for CD-RW".

A further important innovation is the provision of external and internal ports to the latest standards. Shuttle's SX58H7 Pro has 2x USB 3.0 (up to 5 Gbits) and 2x SATA 6 Gbits. External storage media and internal drives (hard disks or SSDs) can now run at maximum speed. In addition, at the front and rear are 8x USB 2.0, 2x eSATA and 1x eSATAUSB 2.0 ports as well as eSATA power supply. Two 1000 Mbit network cards on the mainboard of the SX58H7 Pro offer maximum reliability or maximum data transmission speed. The teaming function enables the activation of failover or load balancing. With the 80-PLUS-certified 500 W power supply unit, a maximum configuration with 6-core processor, 16 GB DDR3 RAM, one or two modern graphics cards and three drives is possible at any time. A comparable configuration was presented live at CeBIT 2011 and silenced the skeptics. The technical possibilities offered here within a space measuring just 32.6 x 20.8 x 18.9 cm are simply astounding, states Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. Although we'd be hard pushed to win an energy-saving competition with the SX58H7 Pro, in the performance per cm³ category this PC is streets ahead of its rivals. The XPC Barebone SX58H7 Pro is available now. Shuttle's recommended retail price is EUR 444.00 (ex VAT).

Lite-on Unveils USB 3.0 Bluray Writer Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lite-on-unveils-usb-3.0-blu-raywriter/12161.html May 11th, 2011

Lite-on, manufacturer of numerous OEM PC parts, has introduced the eHBU212 external Blu-ray writer in Europe. The writer boasts a USB 3.0 interface, 8Mb of cache memory, LightScribe support, Smart-Burn and Smart-X technologies, and support write speeds up to "12x for BD-R, 8x for BD-R DL, 2x for BD-RE (DL), 16x for DVD-R+R, 12x for DVD-RAM, 8x for DVD-R+R DL and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 48x for CD-R, and 24x for CD-RW". The eHBU212, bundled with CyberLink's Blu-ray Suite, can be pre-ordered from selected resellers and distributors at a MSRP of €165. News via [Techconnect]

ADATA Announces New PSU Series Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/adata-announces-new-psuseries/12160.html May 11th, 2011

Taipei based ADATA Technology, the world’s 2nd largest vendor of DRAM Modules, has unveiled the BN series of PSUs. These 80 Plus Bronze certified units feature active PFC and comply with the European Energy Using Products Directive (EuP) and The American Energy Star 5.0 standard. Available in 400W, 450W, 500W and 550W capacities, they can be purchased from authorized retailers and e-tailers now. ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today announced the launch of its latest series of power supply for personal computers. The BN Series is targeted towards consumer and professional users who are looking for economical solutions in energy efficient power. With 80 Plus Bronze certification, the BN series offer up to 85% efficiency, while the 95% Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) minimizes power loss. The series comes in four wattage models to meet a wide range of individual user needs, and all models meet both the European Energy Using Products Directive (EuP) and The American Energy Star 5.0 standard. 9

May 11th, 2011

The units run quietly and emit extremely low levels of interference. An interesting aesthetic touch on what is often a bland system component is the patented design pattern on the laminated steel shell. The innovative surface coating process yields an attractive textured appearance. Availability ADATA BN Series power supply units are now distributed through selected distributors and resellers.

Sharp introduces 3D AQUOS Phone SH-12C for Japan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sharp-introduces-3d-aquos-phonesh-12c-for-japan/12158.html May 11th, 2011

Granted, mobile phones with 3D-capable displays are not the norm yet, but it is only a matter of time before more OEMs start hopping onto the bandwagon and rolling out devices that will see 3D-enabled smartphones eventually becoming the new mainstream. However, those who prefer to live their digital life on the bleeding edge of technology would probably take delight in the fact that there is a new player in the market for 3D-capable smartphones, and it comes in the form of Sharp's new AQUOS Phone SH-12C. Smartphones sporting 3D-capable displays are more of a novelty than a mobile communication tool today due to the fact that consumer, carrier and software support for such devices is still at its infancy. However, it is also widely understood that the world is slowly but surely moving towards 3D, and that it is only a matter of time before such smartphones eventually take their place as the new 'standard' mobile communication tool. And it will seem that Sharp is looking to accelerate the adoption rate of 3D-enabled smartphones with the announcement of its own 3D smartphone, the AQUOS Phone SH-12C.

Not much about the SH-12C has been revealed by Sharp; indeed, the only thing we know about the SH-12C is that it has both rear and front-facing cameras, is (obviously) preloaded with Google's Android operating system, while the 4.2-inch

Published by: VR-Zone

capacitive touchscreen display is 3D-capable and boasts a native qHD resolution of 960 x 540. However, the company neglected to mention the exact version of Android that the phone will be shipping with, although the image above seems to suggest that the SH-12C may be getting some (heavilycustomized) Gingerbread love right out of the box instead of the older Froyo. That being said, it would seem that the dual 3D cameras situated at the SH-12C's rear might just happen to be the smartphone's real draw. Capable of capturing images at a remarkably high resolution of eight megapixels, the dual cameras can also be used to capture 3D HD videos at the maximum resolution of 720p. Last but not least, Sharp did not provide any information about the smartphone's price in its press release, but suffice to say a smartphone that boasts both a 3D camera and a 3Dcapable display is definitely not going to be the most affordable mobile communications device on the market. However, the company did mention that the SH-12C will be released for retail in Japan on May 20 via NTT DoCoMo. As for the rest of the world...well, let's just say that watching pigs grow wings and fly would be a good way to pass the time while waiting for the SH-12C to show up on the shelves.

StarHub and M1 announce iPad 2 offering; SingTel unveils iPad 2 price and availability Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/starhub-and-m1-announce-ipad-2offering-singtel-unveils-ipad-2-price-and-availability/12156.html May 11th, 2011

Earlier this week, StarHub and M1 have announced that they would be offering the Apple iPad 2, though there have been no word on the pricing and availability. Today, SingTel unveiled their iPad 2 offering, the price and its availability.

SingTel has announced it will offer iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G in Singapore on May 14, this Saturday. The telco operator will offer iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G models with select tariff plans on a two-year contract, as well as a range of attractive data plans for iPad 2 without a contract. Here are the data plans:-

May 11th, 2011

Panasonic announces its latest addition to the Toughbook family - the CF-53 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/panasonic-announces-its-latestaddition-to-the-toughbook-family--the-cf-53/12157.html May 11th, 2011

Panasonic's Toughbooks make for popular notebook PCs among military and business users for obvious reasons, but most consumers who desire a notebook with bleeding-edge hardware usually tend to shy away from them because of their last-gen specifications. However, this is all set to change with Panasonic's newest addition to the Toughbook family, the semi-rugged CF-53, which is powered by...yep, Intel's Sandy Bridge platform. Looks like good things really do come to those who have the patience to wait, after all. Most of us are slaves to our notebooks when it comes to being productive while on the move, but more often that not, the cheap notebooks which most of us use as our primary mobile workhorse are seldom, if ever designed to handle the abuses of the outside world. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that an 'accidental' mishap that involves physical trauma is more than sufficient to see screen, body and battery part company from the device that was previously called a 'notebook'. In fact, such mishaps are the main reason rugged notebooks like the Panasonic Toughbook are in such high demand among careless professionals, and leave it to Panasonic to delight Toughbook fans with its latest addition to the lineup - the semi-rugged CF-53.

Published by: VR-Zone

Acording to the press release issued by Panasonic, the 14-inch Toughbook CF-53 is packs a multitouch-capable touchpad that is 25% larger than the ones found on previous versions of the Toughbook and an "adjustable backlit keyboard" that is meant to assist users who often use their notebooks under poor lighting conditions. Additional features present on the CF-53 include the use of a spill-resistant keyboard, a "high-definition LED display" and the ability to survive 30-inch drops on six faces unscathed, due to it passing nine MIL-STD-810G tests. Finally, the CF-53 will come standard with USB 3.0, VGA and HDMI ports and an SDXC card reader, along with an integrated 3G modem from Qualcomm. However, the CF-53's real draw stems from the fact that it is powered by Intel's Sandy Bridge platform, and Panasonic has confirmed that the CF-53 will be available in three different configurations. The US$1,599 model is due for shipment in August and will feature an Intel Core i3-2310M processor clocked at 2.1GHz, a 320GB mechanical hard disk with a platter speed of 5400rpm along with 2GB of memory. The i5 model, on the other hand, costs US$1,899 and is expected to start shipping in June. It will pack an Intel Core i5-2520M vPro processor clocked at 2.5Ghz (3.2Ghz on TurboBoost), a high-performance mechanical hard disk with a platter speed of 7200rpm and 320GB of storage and 4GB of memory. In addition, a touchscreen-capable version of the i5 model is available, although it will only start shipping in July and will set consumers back by US$2,449.

A sneak peek at Asus' Maximus IV Gene-Z Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/a-sneak-peek-at-asus-maximus-ivgene-z/12153.html May 11th, 2011

Asus unveiled a tiny picture of its Maximus IV Gene-Z in its Z68 motherboard announcement, but it didn't really give away a lot of details. However, VR-Zone can now offer some more detailed pictures of the board, albeit we have as yet not managed to get hold of a decent picture of the entire board. On the other hand, the pictures we have do give a good idea of 11

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

what the board has to offer in terms of hardware features and they're a lot more detailed than the first picture. Asus unveiled a tiny picture of its Maximus IV Gene-Z in its Z68 motherboard announcement, but it didn't really give away a lot of details. However, VR-Zone can now offer some more detailed pictures of the board, albeit we have as yet not managed to get hold of a decent picture of the entire board. On the other hand, the pictures we have do give a good idea of what the board has to offer in terms of hardware features and they're a lot more detailed than the first picture. The board also has a set of Voltage readout points for overclockers and of course X-Fi 2 SupremeFX audio. We can't really tell how many power phases the board has, but we'd hazard a guess at something like a 12-phase design judging by the size of the heatsinks. Overall a pretty decent little board with plenty of features, although what remains is the one question we all would like to know, how much is it?

First up we've got a larger picture of the one supplied with the press release which still isn't all that detailed, but a lot better than the tiny one we've seen so far. It's clear from this picture alone that the board has a single HDMI port, but let's have a closer look shall we?

In related news, Asus has also confirmed via it's Asus ROG forums that we'll be seeing the Maximus IV Extreme-Z at a later stage, alongside the P8Z68 Deluxe and the P8Z68.

Lian Li releases new casing Cowry PC-U6 Although the close-up we have of the rear ports doesn't reveal everything, it's clear that we have one special USB 2.0 port here, most likely for Asus' ROG Connect. There's also a CMOS reset button around the back and beyond that it looks like we were pretty much spot on, even based on the tiny picture provided alongside the announcement. The Ethernet controller is from Intel, and it has two ASMedia USB 3.0 host controllers.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lian-li-releases-new-casing-cowry-pcu6/12148.html May 11th, 2011

Very often, we see computer cases in the shape of the dull looking cuboid, but Lian Li's latest Cowry PC-U6 casing is set to dispel the conventional looks. Read on.

Around the front we were also spot on, although it's now clear that the board also has a pair of pin headers for four USB 2.0 ports. There's also a POST80 debug LED and a power and reset button at the bottom of the board. Interestingly the PCI Express x4 slot is open ended, so on theory a full-length card could be fitted to it. 12

May 11th, 2011

From a designer's point of view, the Cowry PC-U6 certainly scored a few points. Its design is sleek and really stands out from other regular cases. Although it is a mid tower chasis, the specifications show that it can only mount Micro-ATX / MiniITX motherboards. This is probably why they only included 2 x 140mm intake fans by the side of the case.

Published by: VR-Zone

At the Google I/O conference, the company has announced the new Android mobile operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich), and revealed that the next Nexus smartphone will be launched in Q4 this year. Andy Rubin, senior vice president of Mobile at Google, said that the next Nexus smartphone can easily run Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" platform. This means that the Nexus phone will only be ready closer to the end of this year. From the current development of smartphones, it would be no surprise if the Nexus phone incorporate dual-core processor. It is anyone's guess whether Sony Ericsson would be the manufacturer tasked to make the new Nexus smartphone, seeing HTC and Samsung had already made one for Google.

Lian Li have included dust filters within the casing for easy cleaning and a tool-less system for easy mounting. There is also a little knob for the fan control found at the back of the case. Its SRP is estimated to be US$349 (S$430). See the full specifications and introductory video of the Cowry PC-U6 Case at the Lian Li website.

New Nexus phone will incorporate Android "Ice Cream Sandwich" platform Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/new-nexus-phone-will-incorporateandroid-ice-cream-sandwich-platform/12150.html May 11th, 2011

At the recent Google I/O conference in San Francisco, the search engine giant has revealed that the next Nexus Android smartphone is scheduled to launch in Q4 this year and will run the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The question is, will Sony Ericsson be the next manufacturer to build the phone (after HTC and Samsung)?

The biggest feature of the next version of Android mobile operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, is that it will support both tablet and smartphone devices. Google wants to fulfil "One OS Everywhere", be it on the smaller screen smartphones or the tablets with larger displays.

Updated:Gigabyte reveals Z68 board with mSATA connector Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/updated-gigabyte-reveals-z68-boardwith-msata-connector/12151.html May 11th, 2011

Here's a surprise, Gigabyte is going to have more Z68 motherboards and we'll be seeing boards with an mSATA connector on them which will accept mSATA SSDs. Talk about spoiling it on the day of the launch of the much anticipated Z68 motherboards. Well, ok, it's not that big of a deal, but it's a neat feature and we can see other board makers follow suite. Here's a surprise, Gigabyte is going to have more Z68 motherboards and we'll be seeing boards with an mSATA connector on them which will accept mSATA SSDs. Talk about spoiling it on the day of the launch of the much anticipated

May 11th, 2011

Z68 motherboards. Well, ok, it's not that big of a deal, but it's a neat feature and we can see other board makers follow suite. The mSATA connector was developed for tablets and thin and light notebooks, but it works just as well on a desktop motherboard. It's pretty much a mini PCI Express connector, although rather than having PCI Express and USB interfaces, it does as the name suggests have a SATA interface. This allows for extremely small, but standardised SSDs to be installed in small devices, yet more flexibility compared to soldering the chips onto the PCB or using a non-standard connector or SSD.

Gigabyte has so far only provided a single picture via its Facebook page of the new board and it doesn't reveal much at all about the board itself. The SSD in question is the mSATA version of Intel's Larsen Creek SLC SSD, also known as the 311 series. What details we can see from the board is that it has at least one x16 PCI Express slot and the mSATA connector is located between it and the CPU socket which is a somewhat unusual place to fit anything beyond a x1 PCI Express slot. Of course the model name has been handily cropped out of the picture as well, so all we know for a fact is that it's a Z68 board. Interestingly though, the blue PCB is suggesting that this is an entry-level motherboard, as Gigabyte's higher-end boards have black PCBs these days. That said, it could just be that this is a prototype on the blue PCB and final boards will have a black PCB. Update: Gigabyte has now announced the model names of the board with the mSATA connector and there will be four models, all launching sometime in June. The models are the Z68XP-UD3, Z68XP-D3, Z68AP-D3 and Z68P-DS3 suggesting that all four models are fairly far down in Gigabyte's range as well as lacking display connectivity. On top of that the model names give away that all three boards are full size ATX boards of which only one is part of the Ultra Durable 3 series, i.e. the other three models don't have 2oz copper layers in the PCBs. The P in the model names are obviously an indicator for the mSATA connector. We'd expect to see the boards on display at Computex.

Google unveils Android 3.1 at Google I/O 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-unveils-android-3.1-at-googleio-2011/12147.html

Published by: VR-Zone May 11th, 2011

It is old news that the next version of the Android operating system will be known as Ice Cream Sandwich (hmm, yummy) and that it will supposedly be released to OEMs sometime in Q4 this year. But in spite of that, Google has somehow managed to push out an update for its tablet-centric build of Android known as Honeycomb in its Google I/O 2011 keynote address before it gets merged with Gingerbread to form Ice Cream Sandwich. So what can consumers look forward to the first major update to Honeycomb?

Honeycomb-totting tablets are still few and far between on the market, but it is clear that Google is trying its best to fix the major bugs and issues that have been reportedly found on its tablet-centric build of the Android operating system. However, it seems that Google may have outdone even itself this time, now that it has finally taken the wraps off what is essentially a major update for tablets running on Honeycomb in its Google I/O 2011 developer conference held at San Francisco.

According to various reports, one of the major refinements made to Honeycomb in version 3.1 is centred around the operating system's user interface. Google claims that the updated user interface in Android 3.1 is now more intuitive and efficient for consumers to use, due to the implementation of various features such as improved transitions between the system and installed apps, while the Launcher's animations have been tweaked to allow for "a smoother and faster transition to and from the Apps list". In addition, the user interface in Android 3.1 now features consistent audio feedback, while the ability to resize widgets has also been added to the mix. 14

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Another new feature which Google was quick to boast of in Android 3.1 is its newfound compatibility with a wide range of USB accessories. Examples of such accessories include digital cameras, keyboards, computer mice and even that controller from your favourite video game console. However, Google was quick to add that its support for USB accessories is greatly dependant on the components used in the corresponding devices, and that Android support for these devices is purely up to the manufacturers' discretion. Last but not least, the other new features present in Android 3.1 includes a faster web browser with an improved user interface, an updated Gallery app which supports the importing of images directly from digital cameras via PTP , the introduction of new features for WiFi connectivity, such as WiFi Lock and Preferred Network Offload and a new Movies app which allows users to rent movies directly from the Android Market.

Specifications CPU Chipset Graphics Memory

Expansion Slots

The Motorola XOOM will be the first tablet to receive the Android 3.1 update, which will be rolled out to owners of the device by as early as today. Also, word has it that the GoogleTV is slated to receive the update some time in summer, although there is no word on when non-XOOM tablets will be able to obtain the update. And with Ice Cream Sandwich due for release in the fourth quarter of 2011, it seems that Android 3.1 will be the first and last major update for Honeycomb before both the tablet-optimized and smartphone-optimized versions of Android are unified back into a single common release.

ECS HDC-I Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ecs-hdc-i-review/12031.html May 11th, 2011

We take a look at the latest AMD Brazos motherboard from ECS. Featuring USB 3.0, WiFi and Bluetooth, how well does the ECS HDC-I compare with the other E-350 motherboards reviewed so far? To date, we've looked at MSI's and Asus' AMD E-350 motherboards. Today we'll be adding another board to the club, ECS' HDC-I. ECS may be better known for no-frills solutions targeted at consumers on a budget, but the ECS HDC-I doesn't seem to fit this mold. Instead, its list of features looks to be on par with the others we've seen so far.

1 x Mini PCI Express x1 slot Storage 1 x eSATA 6Gbps Audio Network

AMD Dual-Core Processor E-350 AMD Hudson M1 FCH (A50) Integrated AMD Radeon HD 6310 2 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM, Max. 8 GB, DDR3 1066/800 SDRAM 1 x PCIe x16 slot (x4 bandwidth) 4 x SATA 6Gbps VIA VT1708B 8-channel High Definition audio CODEC Atheros AR8151 PCIe Gigabit LAN

Realtek RTL8188CE 802.11b/ g/n (single antenna with rear bracket included) Rear Panel I/O 1 x RJ45 LAN connector 1 x Audio port (Line-in,4x Line-out, SPDIF out) 1 x D-sub(VGA) 1 x DVI Port 6 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0 1 x Bluetooth 3.0 adapter 1 x HDMI Port 1 x eSATA 6Gbps 1 x S/PDIF Out (optical) 5 x Audio jacks Internal I/O Connectors and 1 x CPU Fan connector Headers 1 x Chassis Fan connector 4 x USB 2.0 header 1 x Front panel audio header 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector Form Factor Mini-ITX (170x170mm)

May 11th, 2011

Dell to release UltraSharp U2412M / U2412HM, U2312HM and U2212HM soon

Published by: VR-Zone

No mirrors glossy coatings for these panels (matte anti-glare is here to stay), and the monitors will accept DVI-D and DisplayPort connections. All three models will be pushed out of the door by the end of the year, with the U2412M (or U2412HM) expected to appear first in Q3.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dell-to-release-ultrasharp-u2412mu2412hm-u2312hm-and-u2212hm-soon/12134.html May 11th, 2011

Dell regularly refreshes its high-end LCD products approximately every one year and a half. Recent product listings and driver releases on Dell's support site reveal that the replacement for the UltraSharp U2410, the U2412M (or U2412HM), is on track for a Q3 2011 release, along with two other smaller-sized models, the U2312HM and U2212HM.

Hotels.com introduces two new apps for iPhone and Android phones Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hotels.com-introduces-two-new-appsfor-iphone-and-android-phones/12146.html May 11th, 2011

Hotels.com has recently introduced two new smartphone apps for the iPhone and Android phones. The apps lets users log in to their account, search for their accomodation options and do their booking.

Last week, the folks over at HKEPC unearthed a monitor driver meant for Dell's upcoming high-end 24-inch UltraSharp LCD, which will be called the U2412M, according to the filename. This week however, FlatpanelsHD and TFT Central have both suggested that the U2412M will be called the U2412HM, and Dell will be replacing the current U2311H and U2211H with the U2312HM and U2212HM respectively too around the same time frame as the 24-incher. TFT Central went on to explain that the 'H' in the model name signifies a 16:9 screen aspect ratio, and the 'M' an e-IPS panel classification. It is suggested that the new U2412HM 24incher will use an e-IPS panel, move away from the 16:10 format and adopt a 'more common' 16:9 ratio and native resolution of 1920 x 1080. Also, the use of White-LED (WLED) backlighting in the new monitor would mean reverting to a standard NTSC gamut. Next, the smaller-sized 23-inch and 21.5-inch models will be replaced with the U2312HM and U2212HM. These two e-IPS panels will be W-LED backlit, have a 16:9 aspect ratio and a native display resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Hotels.com, a hotel booking website, has launched two new smart phone applications for the Apple iPhone and Android phones. The two new applications, which are available in over 30 languages, allow users to search and book from over 135,000 hotels around the world, with 20,000 accommodation deals. The apps act as an extension of the Hotels.com website, allowing travellers to log in as either a guest, or create a Hotels.com account from inside the app. User can search for accommodation options, browse two million user reviews, access hotel deals and book and manage their choices. The ‘sign in once’ feature, which applies to both apps, automatically remembers previous users’ log in details to avoid hassle of the need to log in every time. Even without a data connection, all past and future bookings can be accessed

May 11th, 2011

displaying a hotel address, phone number and map with just one touch.

Club 3D introduces 1200W Power Supply Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/club-3d-introduces-1200w-powersupply/12137.html May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Other accessories include a carrying bag and velcro strips for cable management. The CSP-X1200CB has 80-Plus® Silver certification and highly durable & reliable 105°C and 85°C capacitors. See the full specifications at the Club 3D website.

Nikon announces discontinuation of COOLPIX S4100 and S6100 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nikon-announces-discontinuation-ofcoolpix-s4100-and-s6100/12145.html May 11th, 2011

Club3D's has introduced the CSP-X1200CB 1200W power supply. Aimed at enthusiasts, it supports multiple graphics cards and has a semi modular design. It also features a 135mm fan to ensure ample cooling.

Club 3D has announced its latest power supply, the CSPX1200CB. This 1200W behemoth is aimed at hardware and overclocking enthusiasts intending to run multiple graphics cards and high-end processors.

Today, Nikon has issued a statement that they will be discontinuing their COOLPIX S4100 and S6100 compact digital cameras. The reason is due to issues with production and supplies. Read on for the official world wide announcement.

Nikon has decided not to embark on sales of the COOLPIX S6100 and COOLPIX S4100, which were announced on February 9, 2011. Though these two models were announced in February, it has been determined that steady production and supply of these models will be difficult. For this reason, sales of the two cameras have been discontinued in Asia. We sincerely apologize to all those affected by this decision, and especially to those who had intended to purchase the camera, as well as our retailers and others whose business will be affected by the inconvenience this decision may cause.

ZiiLABS announces new ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 media processors for Android The CSP-X1200CB has four dedicated +12V rails capable of dishing out a total of 40A/1020W. There are sufficient PCIe power connectors for multiple graphics cards. A semi modular design reduces cable clutter, and a 135mm fan keeps the power supply cool even under load.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ziilabs-announces-new-zms-20-andzms-40-media-processors-for-android/12143.html May 11th, 2011

When Creative launched its ZiiO tablet last year, many techies were understandably more interested in the unique ZiiLabs 17

May 11th, 2011

stemcell processor that was being used to supply the ZiiO's processing power, as opposed to being interested in the tablet as most average consumers would be. As it turns out, ZiiLABS is not content with having only one processor to compete in the highly competitive ARM space, for the company has just announced two new additions to its processor lineup today. Creative's ZiiO tablet may not have the sleek finish and smooth curves that form an integral part of most mainstream tablets' design elements today, but Creative sure did manage to get some heads turning when the ZiiO was first launched. After all, providing the ZiiO's processing power was a unique ZiiLABS ZMS-08 media processor which utilized a StemCell media processor, as opposed to the other typical ARM-based chips supplied by many other companies which utilized Mali or NVIDIA GPUs. However, it is clear that ZiiLABS has not been standing still with StemCell while other companies such as Qualcomm, Samsung and NVIDIA were basking in the limelight with their newer, more powerful SoCs. In fact, the company seems set to compete head-on in the high-performance segment of the market with its new ZMS-20 and ZMS-40, which it touts as the most powerful additions to the Zii line of energy-efficient media processors.

Published by: VR-Zone

the chips is expected to be carried out sometime in the third quarter of 2011. Unfortunately, the company made no mention about details on expected sampling and shipment dates for the ZMS-40, only claiming that the detailed specifications for the chip will be made available at a later date. The full specifications for the ZMS-20 StemCell media processor are as follow: ZMS-20 Key Features • Dual 1.5GHz ARM Cortex A9 cores with Neon • ZiiLABS flexible Stemcell media processing capabilities o

Low-energy SIMD architecture performance media acceleration

48 x 32-bit floating point media processing cores for 26GFlops of compute

High Profile H.264 video playback at 1080p@30fps

Wide range of accelerated video codecs including H.264, VC1 and VP8

High Definition, low latency video conferencing

Optimised OpenGL ES 2.0 for robust 3D graphics acceleration and application compatibility

Accelerated OpenCL 1.1 (desktop integrated into Android NDK

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Image Processing

High-quality Recognition

150 MPixel/sec image processing

Adobe Flash 10 acceleration

Integrated HDM1 1.4 with 3D stereo support

Text-to-Speech

for

high

profile)

and

Voice

• 1GB addressable memory According to the official press release. the ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 media processors have been specially engineered for the high-resolution tablet computing markets, and it clearly shows. ZiiLABS claims that the ZMS-20 media processor sports a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 MPcore pocessor clocked at 1.5GHz, but it is the graphics-related portion of the ZMS-20 that takes the cake. Indeed, the ZMS-20 boasts 48 StemCell processing cores that are designed to deliver "stunning 1080p high profile video playback, immersive OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics, HD video calling and a rich desktop browsing experience including Adobe Flash Player", and is expected to perform up to eight times faster than the existing ZMS-08 system-on-a-chip used in Creative's ZiiO tablets. On the other hand, ZiiLABS did not release any specifications for its quad-core ZMS-40 SoC. However, the company claims that the ZMS-40 will be clocked at the same speed of the ZMS-20 at 1.5GHz, and will feature 96 StemCell cores for handling graphical and media-related tasks, thus bringing the total number of processing cores available in the ZMS-40 to an unheard-of number of 100.

DDR2/3 at 533 MHz for low-cost

LPDDR2 for maximum memory bandwidth and low-power

64-bit wide memory bus

• Quad independent video controllers supporting 24-bit displays and cameras • 3V3 and 1V8 I/O’s reduce peripheral power consumption • Dual USB 2.0 HS OTG (Host/Peripheral) controllers with PHY for low system cost • Three independent SDIO/MMC controllers • Extended battery life with robust Dynamic Power Management and Instantaneous On • Xtreme Fidelity X-Fi audio effects • Enhanced Security: 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and TrustZone

Last but not least, ZiiLABS has confirmed that the ZMS-20 SoC is now available for sampling, and volume shipment of 18

May 11th, 2011

Over 23,000 BitTorrent users may face legal actions from illegal downloads Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/over-23-000-bittorrent-users-mayface-legal-actions-from-illegal-downloads/12141.html May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Biostar has just announced the Biostar TZ68A+ motherboard using the Intel Z68 chipset. Features include Biostar's exclusive BIO-Remote2 and Charger Booster utilities, a 5phase power supply design with 100% solid capacitors, and Lucid Virtu GPU Virtualization. Biostar has just announced its Z68 motherboard. The Biostar TZ68A+ features Biostar's exclusive BIO-Remote2 and Charger Booster utilities. Biostar has also engineered a 5phase power supply design with 100% X.D.C solid capacitors.

Yes, you read right. Another lawsuit has been filed against illegal Bit Torrent downloaders, and approximately 23,000 of them in the US. This could well be the biggest downloading case in US to date.

The TZ68A+ has onboard HDMI, DVI and VGA outputs. It supports Lucid Virtu GPU Virtualization, allowing the user to take dynamically switch between Intel HD Graphics and a discrete GPU for different tasks.

According to online reports, over 23,000 users in the US may face lawsuits for illegal Bit Torrent movie downloads. Apparently, a federal judge has allowed the U.S. Copyright Group, a plaintiffs' organization formed by indy film producers, to force ISPs to unveil the IP addresses of every user who illegally downloaded the film. To top it all, these file sharers were found to have downloaded the 2010 movie "The Expendables" starring popular action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundren and Jason Statham. This could be the largest illegal-downloading case in U.S. history. The 23,000 BitTorrent users may have to decide whether to pay the Copyright Group several thousand dollars to settle or face possible damages of up to $150,000 per infringement.

The Biostar TZ68A+ also features USB 3.0 support and sixchannel HD Audio. Six SATA ports (including two SATA 6Gbps ports) are available for use with Intel's SSD caching feature.

Biostar Reveals Z68 Motherboard Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/biostar-reveals-z68motherboard/12144.html May 11th, 2011

See the full press release below: BIOSTAR announces new Z68 motherboard - â&#x20AC;&#x153;TZ68A +â&#x20AC;? Taipei, Taiwan, May 11, 2011 - BIOSTAR MICROTECH INT'L CORP., A professional manufacturer of motherboards, introduces Intel Z68 chipset based motherboard that supports Intel 19

May 11th, 2011

2nd generation Sandy Bridge processor family, it is special designed for advanced gamers and overclocking fans. BIOSTAR “TZ68A+”, the only solution supports both built-in graphics and external overclocking among Intel Sandy Bridge processors; it is also equipped with Lucid Virtu GPU Virtualization – a dynamic switching between built-in processor graphics and high-end 3D performance discrete graphics cards. Moreover, it also fully supports Intel Smart Response Technology – enabling SSD like performance with HDD capacity. BIOSTAR “TZ68A+”, is ATX form factor with black color PCB design; it adopts Intel’s latest Z68 B3 stepping chipset and BIOSTAR exclusive BIORemote2 & Charger Booster utilities. For the on board power supply, “TZ68A+” uses a 5-phase power supply design with 100% X.D.C solid capacitor. For the memory, “TZ68A+” provides 4 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3 2133 (OC) and features a one-phase power supply independently. For storage, it provides 4 x SATA2 and 2 x SATA3 disk interfaces. For the extended slots, “TZ68A+” provides 2 x PCI-E x16 2.0 display card slots, supporting dualcard mode. Furthermore, various IO interfaces are available including 2 x USB2.0, 2 x USB3.0, PS/2, HDMI+DVI+HDCP, RJ45, and 6 channel HD audio outputs.

Published by: VR-Zone

markets respectively. These lower cost alternatives will also use the SandForce SF-2200 controller found in OCZ's top-end Vertex 3.

The Agility 3 is available in 60GB, 120GB and 240GB sizes, while the Solid 3 is available only in 60GB and 120GB sizes. The 60GB option is targeted for use as a boot drive. For best performance, OCZ recommends that the drive be used with a SATA 6Gbps controller. Both drives come with a 3-year warranty. We have quoted below OCZ's specifications for 120GB drives across its three SSD product lines: Solid 3 120GB Max Performance • Max Read: up to 500MB/s • Max Write: up to 450MB/s • Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 20,000 IOPS Agility 3 120GB Max Performance • Max Read: up to 525MB/s

About BIOSTAR Group BIOSTAR was established in 1986, ranked Top 20 most valuable international Taiwanese brand in 2008 with an estimate brand value of US$ 46 million. BIOSTAR has enriched its competence in the design and manufacture of motherboards, and will continue serving its customers with the best quality and services.

OCZ Announces New Value SSDs: Agility 3 & Solid 3 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ocz-announces-new-value-ssdsagility-3--solid-3/12142.html May 11th, 2011

• Max Write: up to 500MB/s • Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 50,000 IOPS Vertex 120GB Max Performance • Max Read: up to 550MB/s • Max Write: up to 500MB/s • Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 60,000 IOPS

See the full press release below:

OCZ Technology Announces the Agility 3 and Solid 3 SATA II

New SSDs Deliver SATA 6Gbps Speeds with Outstanding Balanc

SAN JOSE, CA?May 10, 2011?OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasd

OCZ has updated its range of solid state drives (SSD) with the Agility 3 and Solid 3. These are targeted at the mainstream and budget markets, and will also use the SandForce SF-2200 controller found in OCZ's top-end Vertex 3. OCZ has updated its range of solid state drives (SSD) with the Agility 3 and Solid 3, targeted at the mainstream and budget

?With increased availability of SATA III platforms, the de

Agility 3 and Solid 3 SSDs feature the leading-edge SandFo

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

you answer, the greater the opportunity to win. One lucky fan will be drawn from each theme category. The six lucky winners will and be able to options, collect their prizes 3atand the Solid MSI Booth Available in a new boot-drive size 60GB capacity as well as 120GB 240GB Agility 3 SSDs fea (#L607) during Computex 2011. These prizes include the MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) mainboard, MSI 560GTX-Ti Hawk graphics card, Kingston 2133/4GX (Genesis XMP Special Grey Series) http://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-agility-3-sata-iii-2-5-ssd.htmlhttp://www.ocztechnology.com/ocz-solid-3-sata-iii-2 Memory and Tt eSPORTS Gaming Acessories. Don’t forget to invite your friends to join!

Great prizes for MSI Fans at Computex 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/great-prizes-for-msi-fans-atcomputex-2011/12140.html May 11th, 2011

MSI hosts the “Star Fans Come To Meet” event on the MSI Fan Club Facebook Fanpage from May 11 - May 26 in order to connect with fans. Join MSI Fan Club and answer the questions on the event page, and you will have the opportunity to win the great prizes from MSI at Computex 2011. These prizes include the MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) mainboard, MSI 560GTX-Ti Hawk graphics card, Kingston 2133/4GX (Genesis XMP Special Grey Series) Memory and Tt eSPORTS Gaming Acessories.

Leading mainboard and graphics card manufacturer MSI hosts the “Star Fans Come To Meet” event on the MSI Fan Club Facebook Fanpage from May 11 - May 26 in order to connect with fans. Join MSI Fan Club and answer the questions on the event page, and you will have the opportunity to win the great prizes from MSI at Computex 2011. A major IT event in Taiwan, Computex 2011 will take place in Taipei from May 31 - June 4. As a leading IT manufacturer in the world, MSI will undoubtedly take part in this great IT occasion. At Computex 2011, MSI will display its mainboards and graphics cards in six different themes for consumers to learn about the new technology and product features of 2011. MSI Fan Club provides consumers with the latest product information on Facebook, and now it has organized the “Star Fans Come To Meet” event during Computex 2011 for fans to get the latest information on MSI products and even win great prizes from the MSI booth. Be sure to visit the MSI Fan Club site, and answer the questions related to the six thematic sites to win great prizes from MSI Fan Club and other leading component manufacturers at Computex 2011. The more the questions

Adobe launches Photoshop Touch apps for the Apple iPad Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/adobe-launches-photoshop-touchapps-for-the-apple-ipad/12138.html May 11th, 2011

Adobe has launched their new Photoshop Touch apps, designed for the Apple iPad tablet device - Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav. The apps are available for purchase on the Apple App Store.

Adobe has announced the availability of their new Adobe Photoshop Touch apps – Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav – for the Apple iPad. The apps were developed using the Photoshop Touch Software Development Kit (SDK) to demonstrate the potential for new interaction between Photoshop and tablet devices. Adobe Color Lava for Photoshop, Adobe Eazel for Photoshop and Adobe Nav for Photoshop offer fun and interactive experience of touch devices with the power and precision of Photoshop by enabling users to create custom color swatches, paint directly onscreen and drive popular Photoshop tools from tablet devices. Photoshop is a part of the recently announced Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 product family, enabling designers and developers to create for popular and emerging smartphone and tablet platforms. Current Photoshop CS5 owners can download a free update to enable new interaction between Photoshop and tablet devices.

May 11th, 2011

- Adobe Color Lava allows creatives to use their fingertips to mix colors on the iPad, creating custom color swatches and themes to transfer back into Photoshop. - Adobe Eazel takes advantage of cutting-edge painting technology by letting digital artists create rich realistic paintings with their fingertips, and introduces a new kind of interaction between “wet” and “dry” paints. These paintings can then be sent directly to Photoshop CS5 for compositing or for taking the artwork further. - Adobe Nav increases workflow efficiency by letting users select and control Photoshop tools using the iPad as the input surface, customize the toolbar, browse and zoom in on up to 200 open Photoshop files, or easily create new files. - Adobe Photoshop Touch Software Development Kit (SDK) enables developers to build tablet applications that interact with Photoshop from Android, BlackBerry PlayBook and iOS devices.

COMPUTEX : be quiet! to unveil new line of PSUs, SilentWings Fans and CPU Coolers Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/computex--be-quiet-to-unveil-newline-of-psus-silentwings-fans-and-cpu-coolers/12135.html May 11th, 2011

be quiet! will attend this year's Computex in Taipei and present ten new exclusive products. Updates and extensions of existing models can as well be expected as some brand new products. The highlights are the new Straight Power and Dark Power Pro models, the extension of the SilentWings fan family and new CPU coolers with 135mm fans.

be quiet!, Germany's marketleader for computer power supplies, will attend this year's Computex in Taipei. The company uses this event as a stage to present ten new exclusive products. Updates and extensions of existing models can as well be expected as some brand new products. The highlights are the new Straight Power and Dark Power Pro models, the extension of the SilentWings fan family and new CPU coolers with 135mm fans. Dark Power Pro P10 and Straight Power E9

Published by: VR-Zone

in its tenth revision and engineers again gave their best for this new edition. It comes with a 80-Plus-Platinum certification, which guarantees the highest possible efficiency and is still very rare within the market. Revised Dark Rock coolers und new SilentWings fans Even in cooling, there's a lot to come from be quiet!. Though the German brand just launched into the CPU cooler market, they already present new models in Taipei. There will be revised Dark Rock coolers with new 135mm fans as well as two new coolers. The very popular SilentWings fans will have an update to and will surprise the public with their new abilities and look.

Third Attack Attempt On Sony PlayStation Network Thwarted Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/third-attack-attempt-on-sonyplaystation-network-thwarted/12133.html May 11th, 2011

Another bad day for Sony? CNET is actually claiming that Sony managed to thwart the would-be hackers and stopped a third attack, but it’s all thanks to them! "CNET has learned that our publication of the group’s plan may have caused Sony to secure the remaining servers this group claims it had access to, shutting off any avenues for another attack.", the company said. And continues: "On Thursday we reported that a group of hackers believed to be involved in the intrusion on PlayStation Network was planning yet another attack on Sony, this time on an unspecified company Web site, with the goal of posting any information they could find somewhere online. The hackers said at the time that they were planning another wave of cyberattacks against Sony in retaliation for its handling of the PlayStation Network breach. An observer of the Internet Relay Chat channel used by the hackers told CNET about the hackers' plans." "Apparently Sony saw that article because the last server that I could access is offline now…its probably (sic) being patched like the other servers. There goes our window." Sony has shut down PSN, Qriocity, and Sony Online while it does a total rebuild of the security systems. Overall, the personal information of more than 100 million Sony customers has been exposed in the breach. Sony has promised to compensate customers with free ID theft monitoring, as well as free content and 30 days of free access to the premium version of PSN.

Looking at power supplies, visitors can get a look at the new versions of the Dark Power Pro and Straight Power series, which will set new efficiency and performance records, when they are releases. The top model, called Dark Power Pro P10 is 22

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Review : Akasa Helix Notebook Cooler Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/review--akasa-helix-notebookcooler/12132.html May 11th, 2011

Akasa first started off in 1997, making them one of the first high performance computer cooling solutions manufacturers. Today Akasa has diversified into other market areas but the company still offers a great range of cooling related products. Today we are going to review a simple but interesting product, the Helix aluminium notebook cooler. What makes the Helix special is...

Although a little bit on the early side, Asus has announced its Intel Z68 chipset based motherboards without giving away too much information. Currently the only board listed on the manufacturer's website is the P8Z68-V Pro, although the announcement did at least give us an early glance at the Maximus IV Gene-Z, Asus' ROG mATX board. The picture of the board is tiny and it's hard to make out a lot of details, but from what we can see it's clear that the Maximus IV Gene-Z has a pair of PCI Express x16 slots as well as a single x4 slot. The space between the x16 slots is taken up by what mostly appears to be capacitors. There are no additional SATA ports on this board, so the 4+2 SATA 3Gbps/6Gbps standard Intel chipset ports is all you get. The board appears to have a front header for a pair of USB 3.0 ports as well which is a nice addition.

...not the aluminium body but that it features a massive 20cm fan which is still powered from a single USB port. Application Material Outline dimension Fan dimension Fan speed Fan air flow Fan air pressure Voltage rating USB cable Weight Available colours Product code

17" - 15.6" Notebooks / MacBooks Aluminium facia panel 380 x 296.5 x 54mm 200 x 200 x 20mm High speed 800 RPM, low speed 500 RPM 63.7 CFM 0.44mm H2O 5V DC 600mm 910g Anodized black or brushed aluminium AK-NBC-31BK , AKNBC-31AL

Asus announces its Z68 boards Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-announces-its-z68boards/12131.html May 11th, 2011

Around the back we can see a PS/2 port, what appears to be eight USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a pair of eSATA ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI port and 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out. The board will come with Lucid Logix Virtu graphics switching software in the box, but apart from that we don't know much else about the board. Hopefully it won't be too long until we have more details on this board and Asus other upcoming Z68 products.

ViewSonic launches the ViewPad 4 and V350 in Taiwan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/viewsonic-launches-the-viewpad-4and-v350-in-taiwan/12130.html May 11th, 2011

On Tuesday, ViewSonic launched two new smartphones, although the company prefers to call one of them a tablet for some reason. Apparently ViewSonic has an arbitrary limit that devices with screens 4-inches and below are smartphones, whereas devices with screens 4.1-inches and above are tablets. 23

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

As such we have the ViewPad 4, 4.1-inch "tablet" and the V350 3.5-inch smartphone. Earlier today ViewSonic launched two new smartphones, although the company prefers to call one of them a tablet for some reason. Apparently ViewSonic has an arbitrary limit that devices with screens 4-inches and below are smartphones, whereas devices with screens 4.1-inches and above are tablets. As such we have the ViewPad 4, 4.1-inch "tablet" and the V350 3.5-inch smartphone.

Overall the ViewPad 4 ticks most of the boxes it should tick to be a competitive Android smartphone, although for whatever reason ViewSonic decided to launch it with Android 2.2, but promises that itäll work with 2.3 without mentioning an actual date when the upgrade would become available. At least ViewSonic refrained from messing around too much with Android and itäs pretty much a stock build with a few extra apps thrown in, which is a good thing in our opinion.

The ViewPad 4 is actually a pretty decent handset, even compared to most competitors as it sports a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 SoC which has been paired up with 512MB of RAM and 2GB of storage memory. Add to this an 800x480 4.1inch capacitive touch screen, a 5 Megapixel camera with LED flash that shoots 720p video, a VGA resolution front camera, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, aGPS, every sensor you could ever need, a micro SD card slot and even a micro HDMI port and you got a pretty decent handset.

The design of the handset itself is somewhat unusual with the silver part at the bottom with the ViewSonic logo on it. The tiny, side mounted power button is another strange design quirk and we can see this becoming a potential long term problem, as the one button you donät want to stop working on you is the power button. All said and done, it comes down to the price and ViewSonic has priced the ViewPad 4 at in Taiwan a very competitive NT$14,900 (S$641) which is all things considered more affordable than its competitors.

Microsoft agrees to buy Skype for $8.5B However, it doesnät stop there though, as ViewSonic has kitted out the ViewPad 4 with a tri-band WDCMA radio which supports the 900, 1900 and 2100MHz frequencies and offers HSDPA speeds of up to 14.4Mbit/s. Thereäs of course support for quad band GSM as well, just in case. The battery is rated at 1,400mAh which is said to last up to 400h in standby. The handset measures 122x66x10mm (HxWxD) and weighs in at 143g.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-agrees-to-buy-skypefor-8.5b/12129.html May 11th, 2011

Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy the popular Internet telephone service Skype SA for $8.5 billion in the biggest deal in the software maker's 36-year history. Buying Skype gives Microsoft access to a user base of about 170 million people who log in to Skype every month, using 24

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

the Internet and Skype usernames as a complement to the traditional phone network and its phone numbers. Microsoft said it will marry Skype's functions to its Xbox game console, Outlook email program and Windows smartphones. All of these platforms already have other options for Internet calling, but the addition of Skype users would expand their reach, making them more useful. Microsoft said it will continue to support Skype on other software platforms.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 10 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--10may-2011/12128.html May 11th, 2011

The sellers include eBay Inc. and private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz. Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year. Most of that usage is free calling from computer to computer, which has made it difficult for the service to make money since entrepreneurs Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis started the company in 2003. An average of about 8.8 million customers per month, or just over 5 percent of the user base, pay to use Skype to call out to the regular phone network. The vast majority of paying Skype users is in Europe, where high country-to-country rates for traditional phone calls make Skype more popular than in the U.S., where state-to-state calling is cheap. Skype is the largest provider of international calling services in the world, surpassing any single phone company, according to research firm TeleGeography. Skype lost $7 million on revenue of $860 million last year, according to papers that the company has filed since announcing its intentions last summer to launch an initial public offering of stock. The IPO was later put on hold. Skype's long-term debt, net of cash, was $544 million at the end of 2010. The Skype takeover tops Microsoft's biggest previous acquisition — a $6 billion purchase of the online ad service aQuantive in 2007. Microsoft said Skype will become a new business division headed by Skype CEO Tony Bates, who will report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Although it makes billions from its computer software, Microsoft has been accustomed to losing money on the Internet in a mostly futile attempt to catch up to Google Inc. in the lucrative online search market. Microsoft got so desperate that it made a $47.5 billion bid to buy Yahoo Inc. three years ago, but withdrew the offer after Yahoo balked. Yahoo is now worth about half of what Microsoft offered. Microsoft can well afford to buy Skype: On March 31, it had a cash hoard of $50.2 billion. Microsoft would be Skype's second large-company owner. EBay bought Skype for $2.6 billion in 2005, but its attempt to unite the phone service with its online shopping bazaar never worked out. It wound up selling a 70 percent stake in Skype to a group of investors led by private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz for $2 billion 18 months ago. Besides eBay, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, Skype's other major shareholders are Joltid and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

In today's news roundup: Preview of the new GIGABYTE Z68UD4 motherboard with subtle undertones of matt grey on the heatsink ; ASUS P8Z68-VPro is the manufacturer's flagship model regarding Intel's upcoming Z68 chipset, and it gets reviewed; Adobe's three Photoshop CS5 companion applications for iPad -- Adobe Ezel, Nav and Color Lava -- are now available for purchase on the App Store; Next week, you'll be able to use your Paypal account to purchase content on your Xbox 360 system; Sony has delayed the relaunch of its online PlayStation video game network, and If you enjoyed the Thor movie and plans to get the game, read on for the God of Thunder review . Hardware news Description: While the original Tempest was a very well received case, NZXT did not rest on their laurels and made some improvements creating the Tempest EVO. This case is designed with the PC enthusiast and/or gamer in mind. Description: Deepcool has added an addition to the array of thermal compounds out there, and it isn’t one to be overlooked. While not being the absolute best out there, the Z5 still has lots to offer, especially for anyone looking to replace their stock thermal compound with something that can offer much better performance, at a very reasonable price. It’s estimated to be roughly $10 for the 3 gram tube. Description: GIGABYTE redesigned their motherboards this year with the introduction of Sandy Bridge and now endorse a stealthy black paintjob on all major ports, sockets and lanes with subtle undertones of matt grey on the heatsink. Description: The Black Element looks to be a strong contender in the world of gaming. It has a ton of features that any gamer would love to have. The main features push it towards a good MMO or RTS gamer mouse. Description: Today we are looking at a chassis that may be a mid tower, but takes traits from a couple of the later cases I just looked at; the Dragon Rider, and Dragon Slayer chassis exteriors. You will soon see the similarity in the exterior, along with a cool little lockable door on the side to give access to your hard drives.. Description: The P8Z68-VPro will be ASUS' flagship model regarding Intels upcoming Z68 chipset. Therefore it's able to score with a long featurelist. But first of all we will check out if it is able to convince from a layout and design perspective. Description: The V.REX L-1200 is yet another tempting product by 3R System and although it doesn’t bring anything 25

May 11th, 2011

new and not already seen with their cases still it does feature way more room for cable management, USB 3.0 ports, 5 preinstalled fans, top 3-way fan controller and the latest version of their HDD noise killer 2.

Published by: VR-Zone

HP Singapore had unveiled the new TouchSmart 610 all-inone PC in March, and we at VR-Zone managed to get one in for review. So is this all-in-one PC as good as other full desktop systems? Read on.

Consumer Electronics and Software news Description: Adobe's three Photoshop CS5 companion applications for iPad -- Adobe Ezel, Nav and Color Lava -- are now available for purchase on the App Store. Description: Sources say Sony Music and Universal proved to be bottlenecks for the cloud-based service, which allows users to upload music to a personal online storage locker, from where they can stream and download files to Internet connected devices. Description: Firefox 4's share shot up 11% the first day after Mozilla started offering users the upgrade last week, and climbed 30% in four days. Description: Next week, you'll be able to use your Paypal account to purchase content on your Xbox 360 system. Microsoft reportedly plans to begin rolling out a new update to the Xbox 360 on May 19, and one of the biggest changes will be the addition of Paypal. Description: Epson has created a well-rounded projector with the EX7200. It has versatile connection options that make it ideal for both corporate and home environments. The ability to use the remote control as a wireless mouse comes in handy, while support for USB drives to view JPG images allows quick viewing of photos. Description: Although physically sizeable, Samsung Sens R540 isn’t too heavy, which means that it’ll sit in anyone’s lap or on a desk just as easily. The production quality is marvellous, there are no screeches or “breathing room”, everything fits nicely and gives an impression of firmness and reliability. Gaming news Description: Sony has delayed the relaunch of its online PlayStation video game network. It had previously said the network would resume normal operations by the weekend. Description: The first part of Mileena and Kitana's story focused on the mythology of the series. This second part delivers more centralized action and character.

The desktop PC has evolved over the years from the rectangular tower to trendy chassis designs, and now we have the all-in-one systems whereby the hardware components are usually incorporated to the back of the display. No more fuss about those medium tower chassis and not to mention, an all-in-one PC helps to save space in your home or office too. Introduced in 2007, the HP TouchSmart series comprised of tablet PC laptops and touchscreen all-in-one desktop computers and the TouchSmart 610 is the latest addition to the family and boasts a 23-inch HD wide LCD touchscreen display. Yes, it has a touchscreen that lets you draw and write onwith your finger. Before we move on, here's a quick look at the HP's specifications:CPU Memory Hard disk Screen Graphics Display resolution Connectivity

Description: Thor: God of Thunder hammers out an experience that is absolutely awful in every way.

HP TouchSmart 610 Review: A stylish and smart all-in-one PC Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-touchsmart-610-review-a-stylishand-smart-all-in-one-pc/12062.html May 11th, 2011

HP TouchSmart 610 Intel Core i3-560 @ 3.33GHz 4GB DDR3 RAM (Up to 8192MB) 1TB SATA (Up to 2TB) 23-inch HD wide LCD AMD Radeon 5570 1920x1080 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100/1000BaseT LAN, 6x USB 2.0, headphone, microphone, 6-in-1 card reader Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit

Nufront shows off new highperformance, ARM Cortex A9based SoC Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nufront-shows-off-new-highperformance-arm-cortex-a9-based-soc/12127.html

May 11th, 2011 May 11th, 2011

Nufront has been touting an overclocked, ARM Coretx A9based SoC that runs at the blazing speed of 2GHz for quite some time already, but it is only now that the company has started to show off the aforementioned SoC's capabilities when used to power a tablet. So what does Nufront's overpowered SoC has to offer for tablet devices, besides its unheard-of speeds? Read on to find out more.

Published by: VR-Zone

acceleration for full HD videos as well as integrated controllers for SATA2, USB2, Ethernet and other standard I/O ports. On top of that, Nufront has reportedly tested the NuSmart 2816 SoC by using it to power a tablet of its own making which features an 8-inch display and runs off Android 3.0. According to reports, the tablet was easily outperforming even NVIDIA's Tegra 2 SoC, which is recognized as one of the fastest SoCs available today.

A long time ago, way back in September last year, a company known as Nufront showed off what was essentially a superpowered version of a System-on-a-chip (SoC) based off the ARM Cortex A9 microarchitecture. Known back then as the NuSmart 2815, the SoC boasted various unique features such as its use of a dual-core processor and an unheard-of speed of 2GHz, all at a puny power consumption of 2w. Fast forward to the present, and it appears that Nufront has been hard at work in further refining the NuSmart 2815 it showed off back then, and its results come in the form of what appears to be the direct successor of the NuSmart 2815 - the NuSmart 2816 SoC. Which, once again, has been based off the ARM Cortex A9 microarchitecture.

No information about the NuSmart 2816's power consumption has been revealed, although it is very possible that the chip is not expected to be significantly power-hungrier than the NuSmart 2815, which had a rating of a mere 2w, due to both the 2816 and 2815 having many features in common. More importantly, Nufront has been keeping quiet about when its first batch of NuSmart 2816 chips will be ready for sampling (if at all), so suffice to say there is a distinct possibility that the NuSmart 2816 may never see the light of day outside of China. But if it means anything, it would seem that the NuSmart 2816 will be built off a 40nm process.

Microsoft announces Windows Azure Toolkit for iOS Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-announces-windows-azuretoolkit-for-ios/12125.html May 11th, 2011

*image is for illustration only While very little detail was known about the NuSmart 2815 when it first saw the light of day, Nufront has apparently released significantly more information about its NuSmart 2816 SoC and its various capabilities. Like its predecessor, the NuSmart 2816 is capable of breaking the maximum clock speed limit of 1.5GHz specified by ARM due to Nufront having signed a licence agreement with ARM which gives the company the right to make its own modifications to the processor. As such, the NuSmart 2816 is capable of attaining clock speeds ranging from 1.6GHz to 2.0GHz, thus making it the fastest A9-based SoC to exist. In addition to its high clock speeds, the NuSmart 2816 also comes with various other features built into it. These features include an integrated multi-core 2D/3D graphics processor, 64bit DDR2/3-1066 memory controller, hardware

If Steve Ballmer's little dance and "developers, developers, developers" chant made onstage years ago was anything to go by, it should be no surprise that Microsoft clearly ranks developers high on their list of people they need to spare no expense in pleasing. And from the looks of it, it seems that Microsoft's love for developers have not faded in the slightest bit even after so many years; apparently, in an effort to win more developers for its Windows Azure cloud platform, the software giant is willing to show some love to its competitors by porting its Windows Azure Toolkit to both iOS and Android. It is an open secret that Microsoft loves developers a lot. Or at least, Steve Ballmer does, especially if one remembers that it was Ballmer himself who broke into a little dance and started chanting "developers, developers, developers" in one of his presentations many years back. Fast forward to the present, and it would seem that the software giant's love for developers has not diminished in the slightest bit over the 27

May 11th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

years. In fact, the company is still actively trying to court even more developers for its Windows ecosystem, and its latest act involved attempting to sway mobile developers into creating apps for its Windows Azure cloud platform by releasing its Windows Azure toolkit for Apple's iOS operating system.

According to the blog posting made on the Windows Azure blogs in MSDN, the Windows Azure toolkit is aimed at "enabling developers to build native experiences on multiple platforms using Windows Azure", and the release of the iOS version of the toolkit is "the next step in the process". The iOS toolkit will contain various resources such as a compiled Objective C library needed to work with services running in Windows Azure, as well as the full source code for the aforementioned library (along with an Xcode project file), sample iOS applications and the all-important documentation. If the developer in you is interested in getting this toolkit for your iOS-powered device and giving it a go, do take note that Microsoft is not making the toolkit available for download in the form of a tarball. Instead, developers will have to head over to Github to pull the required libraries needed for use at the following links: Furthermore, Microsoft has revealed that it is working hard to extend the same love to Android developers as well. And to prove it, the software giant showed off a screenshot of prerelease version of the Windows Azure toolkit running on the Android emulator provided by Google's Android SDK, with the final release build slated for a June release

May 16th, 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.

Facebook rumoured to locate new data center in Sweden Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/facebook-rumoured-to-locate-newdata-center-in-sweden/12245.html May 16th, 2011

to have a floor space measuring 300 by 100 meters. On top of the three server halls, two power stations are also going to be built nearby. It shouldn't be too long until we find out if this is going to be where Facebook will locate its first European data center or not.

Exclusive: MSI's GTX 560 cards pictured Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-msi-s-gtx-560-cardspictured/12244.html May 16th, 2011

According to Swedish newspaper NSD, Facebook is in the final stages of making an agreement with the local city council in Lule책, the largest city in the northernmost parts of Sweden. The city of Lule책 is located just south of the polar circle and has a population of about 45,500, yet this could be where Facebook is planning to build its next data center which is said to consist of three massive server halls. According to Swedish newspaper NSD, Facebook is in the final stages of making an agreement with the local city council in Lule책, the largest city in the northernmost parts of Sweden. The city of Lule책 is located just south of the polar circle and has a population of about 45,500, yet this could be where Facebook is planning to build its next data center which is said to consist of three massive server halls. So far it's mostly speculation, but all the details are said to be pointing towards Facebook. The local city council is said want to expedite the applications for the new server halls and is hoping to have everything approved by the end of this month. That said, this is a big hush hush project and as such only trickles of information has leaked out so far. Even if the server halls aren't for Facebook, there are only so many companies that would need three server halls pulling a massive 473 million kWh of electricity, that's said to be a year's worth of power for 16,000 houses. On top of that, the facility is said to have no less than 30 backup diesel generators, just in case there's a power failure.

We're only hours from the official launch of Nvidia's upcoming GTX 560 GPU, the one without Ti on the end which is set to, well, compete with something or the other at a price point of $10-20 less than something else. Anyhow, we've gotten our hands on a couple of pictures of MSI's upcoming N560GTX Twin Frozr II cards, both of which look very similar to MSI's N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II, but not identical. We're only hours from the official launch of Nvidia's upcoming GTX 560 GPU, the one without Ti on the end which is set to, well, compete with something or the other at a price point of $10-20 less than something else. Anyhow, we've gotten our hands on a couple of pictures of MSI's upcoming N560GTX Twin Frozr II cards, both of which look very similar to MSI's N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II, but not identical. We're not quite sure why, but MSI seems to have added a small clamp on the rear part of the PCB that helps stabilize the GPU cooler. Oddly enough, the Ti versions don't have this little addition and we're not quite sure why MSI has added, but there must be a reason for it. This is the only difference we managed to spot between the cards, but the real difference is of course inside the GPU itself.

There is still said to be a few issues that need to be looked at before the building permit is given, as the location chose is close to a nature reserve among many things. The facility is said to need somewhere between 70 to 90 employees that will handle the 24/7 operations and each of the server halls are said

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Corsair has just announced its latest line of solid state drives, the Force Series 3. Using the latest SandForce SF-2281 controller, the Force Series 3 claims up to 550MB/s read and 520MB/s write speeds. The drives support SATA 3 (6Gbps) and are backward compatible with SATA 2. According to Corsair, Force Series 3 drives will be priced close to previous generation drives. Corsair's suggested retail prices for the drives are as follows: • 60GB - US$139 • 120GB - US$219 • 240GB - US$499 The stock clocked card should have a core clock of 820MHz with the 336 shaders clocked at 1640MHz and the 1GB of GDDR5 memory at an effective speed of an even 4GHz. The GTX 560 GPU is said to have 32 ROPs and it retains the 256-bit memory interface. The N560GTX Twin Frozer II/ OC is a little bit faster with a core clock of 870MHz which brings the shaders up to 1740MHz while the memory has been overclocked to 4080MHz.

Hopefully prices will decrease further as more manufacturers bring new generation Sandforce drives onto the market. Prices of previous generation SSDs have dropped in tandem, which might be of interest to bargain hunters.

See the full press release below: Corsair announces Force Series 3 Solid State Drives New family offers SATA 3 performance for near SATA 2 pricing

Both cards have a pair of DVI ports and a mini HDMI port and MSI supplies a mini HDMI to HDMI adapter as well as a DVI to D-sub adapter with the cards. We found the N560GTX Twin Frozer II/OC listed on a European online retailer for €214.12 (S$380) which is only €9.16 (S$16) cheaper than the Ti version and with such a small price difference, it's hard to see why anyone would go for the GTX 560 over the GTX 560 Ti.

Corsair Unveils Force Series 3 Solid State Drives Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-unveils-force-series-3-solidstate-drives/12242.html May 16th, 2011

More Sandforce SF-2000 drives are appearing: Corsair has announced the Force Series 3 line of solid state drives. Equipped with the SandForce SF-2281 controller, these SATA 3 (6Gbps) compatible drives are specified for up to 550MB/s read and 520MB/s write speeds.

FREMONT, California — May 16th, 2011 — Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of highperformance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Force Series™ 3 family of solid-state drives. The newly announced Force Series 3 models take advantage of the new SATA 6.0 Gb/s (SATA 3) interface to deliver impressive speed at an attractive price. The Force Series 3 features the highest performance version of the latest-generation SandForce SF-2281 SSD Processor with out-of-box read and write speeds of up to 550 MB/s and 520 MB/s respectively, and an impressive 85000K IOPS for measurably faster system response, boot times and application load times than SATA 2 solid-state drives. All Force Series 3 models are also backward compatible with SATA 2, and include an easy-touse 3.5” adapter to allow owners of both desktop and notebook PCs to enjoy the cool, quiet operation and enhanced system performance made possible by replacing their traditional mechanical hard drive with an SSD. “With the rapid market adoption of SATA 3, there’s strong demand for affordably priced SSDs that can take advantage of the enhanced performance it provides,” said Thi La, Vice President of Memory Products at Corsair. “Our new Force Series 3 SSDs provide the performance that enthusiasts demand, at 2

May 16th, 2011

price points approaching the current generation of SATA 2 SSDs.” “We are pleased to have our SandForce SF-2281 driving the leading-edge performance of the Force Series 3 family,” said Jeremy Werner, Director of Marketing at SandForce. “ Corsair, and its newest Force Series 3 drives, is poised to ride the wave of SATA 3 adoption by offering compelling pricing and enthusiast-level performance.” Force Series 3 solid state drives will be available worldwide this month from Corsair’s network of authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of $139 USD for the 60GB model, $219 USD for the 120GB model and $499 USD for the 240GB model. Note that stated capacities are unformatted and actual capacities will vary depending on the formatting and operating system used. For more information on Force Series 3 solid state drives, please visit the Corsair web site. About Corsair Founded in 1994, Corsair supplies high performance products purchased primarily by PC gaming enthusiasts who build their own PCs or buy pre-assembled customized systems. The company's award-winning products include DRAM memory modules, USB flash drives, power supply units, solidstate drives, PC headsets and speaker systems, cooling systems and computer cases.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 16 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--16may-2011/12243.html May 16th, 2011

In today's news roundup: G.Skill's Ripjaws-X Series PC3-17000 16GB memory kit, which consists of four 4GB sticks, each clocked at 2133MHz, gets reviewed; TSMC claims that it will stick to planar transistor designs for its upcoming 20nm process "for the forseeable future" in the name of compatibility due to beliefs that the ecosystem, which consists of design tools, IP and design kits, are not ready for Intel's 3D Tri-Gate transistor design yet; Panasonic has released a new app for iOS devices which allow for remote control of its VIERA television sets via the aforementioned iOSpowered devices; Microsoft has given its stamp of approval to a tool created by developer Chris Walsh that reportedly allows for existing Windows Phone 7 smartphones that have received 'grey update images' from Walsh to be flashed back to their official firmware images needed in order to remain on the official software update path; Capcom has released instructions on what gamers should do in order to sucessfully install the Arcade Edition patch for Super Street Figher IV on their consoles, and Word has it that retail sources have leaked

Published by: VR-Zone

the official release date for Modern Warfare 3, with November 8 being the magic date where the game will be released for sale globally. Hardware news G.Skill Ripjaws-X Series PC3-17000 16GB Kit Review Description: The G.Skill Ripjaws-X PC3-17000 kit comes with four 4GB sticks carrying a default clock speed of 2133MHz DDR. I'm not all that big on overclocking my main machine, but the ease of P67 RAM overclocking means that changing the XMP Profile to 1 gives me the speeds I need without even touching my CPU speed. Carrying such large modules at such a large speed, it comes as little surprise that the timings are more relaxed than the black Ripjaws-X we looked at earlier in the year. The kit we've got today comes in at 9-11-9-28-2T @ 1.65v. Normally I would just ignore the 2T and jump straight to 1T, but I actually had trouble with the machine booting. ECS HDC-I Mini-ITX Fusion Board Review @ Madshrimps Description: The HDC-I Fusion Board from ECS has a lot of connectivity options right from the factory: Bluetooth, WiFi, one eSATA 6GB/s along with 4 SATA III ports; two USB 3.0 ports are also offered. The "Turbo" option can be enabled in the BIOS and gives the system quite a noticeable boost. ASRock Z68 Pro3 (Intel Z68) Motherboard Review Description: Priced at $199.99, the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 is a very well-priced product for something that let us achieve over 5GHz from our 2600k. Compared to the competition, it's an aggressive price point, but there's no doubt that some people don't even need all the features that are on offer on the Z68 Extreme4. For a whole $70 less you can pick up the ASRock Z68 Pro3 we're looking at today. At $129.99 it's one of the most aggressively priced Z68 boards on the market. Are you still getting a Z68 board that you will want, though? OCZ ZX 850W Power Supply Review at Overclockers Online Description: There is very little one could reasonable fault the ZX 850W power supply on. Actually there’s quite a bit of things that I do like. OCZ has put quite a bit of thought, effort and detail into this power supply. The packaging, the paint job, wires, the clean construction inside, everything speaks highly of OCZ’s efforts here and their efforts are not without results. The ZX 850W isn’t only for show. Antec Sonata IV Mid-Tower Case Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The Sonata IV from Antec is a mid-tower case with elegant styling that promises whisper quiet operation. The Antec Sonata IV is aimed squarely at the HTPC and high end business/SOHO market where aesthetic appeal and silence are the most important characteristics. With a gloss piano black finish and discretely styled front panel, the Sonata IV can look at home in almost any environment. Included with the Sonata IV is a 620 watt Antec Neo PSU, more than enough wattage to power for any mainstream system. The Sonata IV is versatile, with motherboard compatibility for micro-ATX, ATX, and even mini-ITX boards which are now common in HTPC builds. Inside the Sonata IV there is room for four 3.5” drives as well as one 2.5” drive. Outside is space for three 5.25” optical drives. The front I/O puts your most commonly used connections in an easily accessed area, including audio, 2 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0. Swiftech Polaris 120 CPU Cooler Review @ OCIA.net 3

May 16th, 2011

Description: It has been quite a while since Swiftech last offered a new air-cooled heatsink. Looking back through old reviews it appears the last one may have been the MCX6400V, circa 2004. Certainly at that time Swiftech's coolers were well regarded, and they were the only ones to utilize anything like their patented Helicoid cooling pin design for base to fin heat transfer. However in more recent years Swiftech has concentrated exclusively on liquid cooling products. You can imagine my surprise then when I received the notice that I would be reviewing a new air-cooled heatsink from Swiftech, the Polaris 120. Arctic Accelero XTREME Plus GPU Cooler Review @ Real World Labs Description: With a cooling efficiency second to none, very low noise levels and the ability to choose between PWM and Manual controlled fan speeds the Accelero XTREME Plus by Arctic is the ideal choice for people who seek the best cooling solution for their graphics card especially in time for the summer period. TSMC Does Not See Triple-Gate Transistors as Economically Viable Solution. Description: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company said that while Intel Corp's 22nm manufacturing technology with tri-gate transistors has a number of advantages, it has no plans to implement something similar in the generations to come. Consumer Electronics and Software News Lenovo T420: The Ultimate Business Machine @ InsideHW Description: Whether it’s their ultraportable PCs, business models or workstations, Lenovo solutions are always touted to be uncompromising solutions, with excellent quality and flawless product support. The ThinkPad series became wellknown for the aforementioned features all the way back when IBM still held this company segment. Split into several series, the ThinkPad family comprises several important subcategories: the ultraportable X-series, the workstation Wseries, the accessible SL-series, the stylised Edge series, the “green” L-series, and finally, the most popular of all, the balanced T-series. The newest representative of the T-series, T420, is the one that we’ve received for testing, and its intention was to convince us that it’s worthy of replacing one of the company’s best-selling models, T410… Two New Clues: Is This The Next iPhone? [RUMORS] Description: Clues about the next iPhone are piling up this weekend. First an analyst gave tantalizing details of the upcoming iPhone, saying it’ll be called the iPhone 4S, and then we saw this case design in the graphic above from Asian site Alibaba. Is it real or just another guess at what Apple might do, based on rumors and mockups? Panasonic Turns Your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch Into A VIERA TV Remote Control With New VIERA Remote App Description: Panasonic is proud to announce its new VIERA Remote App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. Panasonic has made watching and browsing your VIERA TV even easier with the new VIERA Remote App. The app allows you to quickly and intuitively navigate all the tools and features on your VIERA TV including 3D settings, SD

Published by: VR-Zone

card access and VIERA Connect over WiFi by simply activating the function within your Viera TV's menu. Speedlink Strike FX Wireless Gamepad Review - XSReviews Description: Speedlink are a German company who are well known for making budget peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, cables, speakers, controllers and headsets for PCs, laptops and consoles. With the Strike FX, they have created a Playstation-like wireless controller which is compatible with both Windows PCs and the PS3 itself. Read on to find out how the Strike FX shapes up. Razer Starcraft 2 Mouse, Keyboard and Headset Review on Technic3D (German) Description: (Machine translation) The Razer Starcraft 2 Spectre Mouse, Marauder Keyboard and Banshee Headset arrived Technic3D. We will check all the Features and more in the following Review. Sapphire Edge HD: A Compact Ionisation @ InsideHW Description: PCs in miniature enclosures are nothing new. However, when this enclosure is merely two centimetres thick, and the graphics card in the PC NVIDIA’s ION 2, what is your first thought? This might just be the new ideal candidate for the living room media centre? We thought the same… Microsoft-blessed tool fixes WP7 updating for gray installs Description: Developer Chris Walsh has put out a tool to help keep Windows Phone 7 updates going for those with unofficial versions of the Walshed tool mends NoDo installs loaded using the ChevronWP7 hack so that they can keep receiving official updates from Microsoft. Unlike most unofficial firmware tricks, the new tool is officially sanctioned by Microsoft as a way of getting the phones back on the official path. Gaming news Capcom Explains Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Update For Consoles Description: Capcom will be releasing the critical update on June 7 for Super Street Fighter IV console players to upgrade it to the Arcade Edition (AE). The update consist of three patches. Capcom’s blog quoted the following... Millions of Password Reset Requests Slow PSN Restoration, Japan Halts Restart Description: Sony flipped the switch on PSN Saturday, but a significant chunk of the PlayStation 3 gaming population is still offline. The problem? A bottleneck in the tubes as millions of PlayStation Network users attempted to reset their passwords at roughly the same time. In Japan, however, Sony's home base, there is a completely different issue: the government is unsatisfied with Sony's new security measures. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Release Date Revealed Description: Whoops. The good ship Modern Warfare has sprung another leak. In this instance, our anonymous retail sources have provided IGN with a confirmed street date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Rumours have been circulating around the web for a little while, but IGN can now confirm a release date of November 8. This will almost certainly be a global date.

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Report: AMD A-Series mobile tops at 1.9 GHz

HP announces 'limited edition' ultra-thin LED-backlit monitor

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-amd-a-series-mobile-topsat-1.9-ghz/12241.html May 16th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-announces-limited-edition-ultrathin-led-backlit-monitor/12240.html May 16th, 2011

DonanimHaber has unearthed some details about AMD's top mobile A-Series part, to be branded A8-3530MX. It will be clocked at a standard 1.9 GHz, with Turbo Core up to 2.6 GHz. It features 4MB of L2 cache, as expected, with no L3 cache, much like the Propus CPUs. The USP of Llano is, of course, the powerful GPU part - to be branded HD 6620G. It features 400 SP, clocked at 444 MHz.

Looks like it is not just our television sets that are getting thinner today; apparently, consumerism has dictated that OEMs start shifting their efforts from producing the typical robust monitors for PCs into stylish devices with dimensions and looks which will make any non-tech savvy consumer swoon over. And the latest entry to this is of premium monitors is HP's new x2301 monitor, which is reportedly a mere centimeter thick.

The APU has a TDP of 45W, which is comparable with AMD's current top end CPU, but below Intel's flagship 55W Core i7 Extreme. Considering the Phenom II X940 BE, AMD's current flagship, is clocked at 2.4 GHz, one may wonder how optimizations and a 32nm shrink resulted in a sharp 500 MHz downclock. If at all, the opposite would make more sense. The catch is that the A8 APU integrates a full fledged GPU, and 45W is actually a very power efficient result for a quad core CPU and a 400SP GPU at full load. Of course, AMD will introduce Turbo Core 2 with Llano, and we may see the CPU part boosting to as high as 2.6 GHz if the GPU is idling. One of the major bottlenecks identified for the Fusion GPU has always been the memory. A derivative of the HD 5500 series, the A8-3530MX is powered by 1600 MHz DDR3 which is higher than Intel's 1333 MHz support. Still, this is a fraction of the 3600 MHz GDDR5 memory in the HD 5570. The sharp difference in performance between the HD 5570 GDDR3 edition and the GDDR5 edition suggests why upping the memory clocks is important for the Llano APU. As part of the Sabine platform, the A8 APU will occupy the FS1 socket, paired up with the A70M chipset. Interestingly, even for notebooks, dual-GPU will be enabled, for a kind of hybrid crossfire. So, adding a HD 6600M graphics card, for example, will see the APU's IGP and the additional GPU working in crossfire for maximum performance. Llano will bring forth a new class of computer processors - power efficent notebook processors with an even balance between GPU and CPU. While Intel's mobile parts will run away with CPU performance, we can expect the A-Series APUs to offer far superior GPU performance and an overall superior power efficency. If you are in the market for pure CPU performance, the A-series APUs are bound to disappoint. Hopefully, AMD will cater to CPU performance needs for the mobile market with mobile Bulldozer CPUs.

For most enthusiasts, the desktop PC and its accompanying peripherals that make up a complete computing system is almost always required to be as large and clunky as possible, if only for the sake of amassing some 'geek cred' from the likes of one's non tech-savvy friends. After all, nothing can be more impressive than showing off a huge, full-tower self-built PC complete with matching hardware such as a huge monitor that occupies nearly half of one's existing desk space. However, there will always be people who prefer to have hardware that appears a little more elegant and sophisticated as opposed to their their enthusiast-grade counterparts that are currently being sold on the market. And if you happen to belong to that group, HP's new ultra-thin LED-backlit monitor might just catch your fancy.

Notebooks with A-series APUs are expected to hit retail midto-end June.

May 16th, 2011

According to a report published by ZDNet, the HP x2301 is a limited edition monitor which sports an unbelievably thin frame that is only a mere 9.8mm thick. However, HP clearly did not want to make any compromises with the x2301, and it shows in its specifications. Apparently, the LED-backlit 23inch monitor is capable of a native full HD resolution (1920 x 1080), offers up to 72% of the color gamut and a dynamic contrast ratio of 8000,000 : 1 (no mention of its static contrast ratio). In addition, the x2301 is also reportedly capable of a low response time of 3ms and is furnished with HP's own BrightView technology, which is simply a marketing term used to describe high-gloss, anti-reflective LCD panels which allow for greater and more punchy colour saturation.

Published by: VR-Zone

ZDNet clams that the x2301 will be available for sale on June 10 onwards, although it did not make any mention as to whether the sale of this monitor will be restricted to the US market or not. However, in the event that HP decides to release the x2301 for global purchase, the ultra-thin monitor can be had for the not-so-thin price tag of US$279.99.

Fujitsu Japan shows off Windows 7-powered tablet with built-in hardware keyboard Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/fujitsu-japan-shows-off-windows-7powered-tablet-with-built-in-hardware-keyboard/12238.html May 16th, 2011

Tablets may be the future of computing, but suffice to say the onscreen keyboard offered by all OS developers for use on such devices leave a lot to be desired where tactile feedback and ergonomics are concerned. So what is an OEM to do to address such issues among consumers, especially among the heavy keyboard users found in business environments? Simple; you build a tablet that comes with its own built-in hardware keyboard. You know, like the one Fujitsu has here; the Fujitsu FMV LifeBook TH40/D. Of course, to make the display this thin, it should be no surprise that HP had little choice but to move all x2301's ports down to the monitor's base, which contains options for video input via DVI or VGA.

The tablet may be a neat little device to use for mobile computing, but like all mobile devices, it comes with its own set of compromises, of which the most notable one is centered around its lack of a hardware keyboard. As such, this makes it ill-suited as a drop-in replacement device for typists who are always on the move. Until now, that is, for Fujitsu seems to have rectified the problem for good in the form of its new tablet 6

May 16th, 2011

PC, the FMV LifeBook TH 40/D, which features a...yep, you got it, a built-in hardware keyboard.

Published by: VR-Zone

The 2048MB POV GTX 560 Ti comes in two variants - Charged and Ultracharged - featuring different overclocked frequencies for the core and the shader.

Core Frequency Shader Frequency Memory Frequency

As with many unreleased devices, the devil lies in the details, but what we do know from various reports is that the tablet will be preloaded withMicrosoft's Windows 7 operating system, and will be powered by Intel's Z670 Atom processor which is clocked at 1.5GHz. In addition, Fujitsu claims that the tablet will feature a 10-1-inch LED-backlit display, ostensibly to further reduce the power drain on the tablet in order to allow for longer uptimes on a single charge. Last but definitely not least, the LifeBook TH40/D is also said to feature 1GB of system memory and a 120GB hard disk, and sports a maximum height of 17.4mm. The Fujitsu FMV LifeBook TH40/D tablet PC will reportedly be made available for retail in late June at the retail price of80,000 yen or approximately US$989.

Point of View launches GTX 560 Ti 2GB version

Reference GTX 560 Ti 822 MHz

POV GTX 560 Ti Charged 860 MHz

POV GTX 560 Ti Ultracharged 911 MHz

1645MHz

1721 MHz

1822 MHz

4008 MHz

The only downside for these two cards is most likely to be the dull, ugly green printed circuit board (PCB). Although the green PCB nicely compliments the POV brand, it may not entice most buyers. Read the full article from Techpowerup. See the full specifications of the card at POV's website.

Epic Games and Microsoft releases developer video documentary for upcoming Gears of War 3 game Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/epic-games-and-microsoftreleases-developer-video-documentary-for-upcoming-gears-of-war-3game/12234.html May 16th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/point-of-view-launches-gtx-560-ti-2gbversion/12236.html May 16th, 2011

Point of View has launched the 2GB version of the GTX 560 Ti, days before the official launch of the Nvidia GTX 560 scheduled this Tuesday. Read on.

Gears of War 3 is still a full four months away from its global launch on September 20 this year, but that does not mean that gamers have to sit by idly and start crossing off the dates on their calendar until that day arrives. If you happen to not mind getting 'poisoned' by sneak previews and hints about what one can expect from the game, Microsoft has got something for you: a new developer video documentary which “divulges the exclusive contents of the “Gears of War 3” Epic and Limited Editions”. Gamers, let the “poisoning” begin.

As most gamers will undoubtedly know, waiting by the sidelines for a highly anticipated title to launch can be quite 7

May 16th, 2011

the nerve-wrecking event, especially when one has not been able to secure early access to the game's beta channels before they are scheduled to go permanently offline today. However, if you are the kind of gamer who thrives on getting as much information about the game before it eventually launches globally, Microsoft may have just the thing for you, and it comes in the form of a just-released video documentary for the upcoming Gears of War 3 game for the Xbox 360. Titled “Making Gears 3: Inside the Wicked Workshop”, Microsoft claims in a press release issued today that the video documentary will focus on Chris Perna, who is currently working for Epic Games as an Art Director. According to Microsoft, Chris will be talking about how he conceived the characters and settings for one of the bestselling games for Microsoft's video game console, but the real draw will have to be the revelation of two special editions of the game, the Limited Edition and Epic Edition, with each version boasting its own various unique and exclusive freebies that come bundled with the game. Touted as the 'must-have' for fans who want to “celebrate the culmination” of the Gears of War trilogy, the Limited Edition will include the following: • An Octus Award Box and Octus Service Medal – Replicas of the honors bestowed on Adam Fenix, Marcus’s father, for his work on the Hammer of Dawn. • Exclusive Unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character – Each Octus Service Medal replica is engraved with a unique Xbox LIVE code that is the only way to unlock Adam Fenix in multiplayer. • A fabric COG Flag – Proud colors that once flew above the House of Sovereigns.

Published by: VR-Zone

Ironically, a quick look at Microsoft's Gears of War home page reveals that the aforementioned video documentary has not been made available for public viewing on the site yet, but we are fairly certain that it will only be a matter of time before the video is eventually published.

Erm...excuse me Microsoft? We seem to be missing a video... Last but not least, if any of the above special edition packs of Gears of War strikes for your fancy, our advice would be to start saving now, for these special edition packs are going to be quite costly. Just so you know, the Limited Edition will be retailing for US$79.99, while the Epic Edition will boast an equally epic price tag of US$149.99.

GIGABYTE's Radeon HD 6770 using Passive Cooling Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-s-radeon-hd-6770-usingpassive-cooling/12233.html May 16th, 2011

• The personal effects of Adam Fenix, including his “Last Will and Testament,” the initial Hammer of Dawn schematic, and other Fenix family mementos. For the hardcore fans...well, the job of satisfying them falls to the aptly-named Epic Bundle. And from the looks of it, the Epic Bundle is definitely the most epic of the two special editions; in addition to getting all of the goodies available in the Limited Edition, gamers will also get to enjoy the following: • A Limited Edition Marcus Fenix Statue – Designed by Epic Games Art Director Chris Perna and expertly crafted by the artisans at Triforce, this fine PVC statue collectible makes the ultimate living room centerpiece for any true “Gears” fan.

GIGABYTE's Radeon HD 6770 has just retailed in Japan and the company's GV-R677SL-1GD, the Silent Series is aimed at users who prefer a quiet system as the 6770 is mounted with a large heat sink (and there is no heatsink fan). Read on.

• The Art and Design of Gears of War by Tom Bissell Through unprecedented access to the Epic Games team, acclaimed author Tom Bissell (Extra Lives) gives readers an incisive behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the most celebrated sagas in video game history with 96 pages of interviews, photos, concept artwork and more. • Infected Omen Weapon Pack -- Custom multiplayer skins for the game’s five starting weapons; Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Sawed-off Shotgun, and Gnasher Shotgun.

The Radeon 6770 is an improved version of the 5770. Although both uses the same core, The Radeon 6770 has an improved video playback engine, Bluray 3D support and HDMI 1.4a. 8

May 16th, 2011

As you can see, the Gigabyte's GV-R677SL-1GD has an extra component (heatsink) on the side of the card. Users will need to take note of this to ensure that it can fit into the case before buying. If one has enough space in the motherboard region, a bit of customisation can be done to mount two fans on the Radeon 6770 which will definitely improve the cooling. Overclockers will love to take advantage of this.

HP launches new Pavilion consumer desktop PCs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-launches-new-pavilion-consumerdesktop-pcs/12232.html May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

support for multichannel surround sound offers a powerful audio experience. HP Pavilion Slimline s5 series PCs: The HP Pavilion Slimline s5 performance series PCs are conveniently sized to fit seamlessly into any home environment. It can also be configured with a versatile range of performance features, from storage to processers, to support the most demanding tasks. HP Pavilion HPE h8 series PCs: The HP Pavilion HPE h8 series PCs are the most powerful Pavilion PCs to date. Select models are available with up to three internal hard drives, AMD Phenom or Intel Core i7 processors, and high-end NVIDIA or ATI graphics cards. The PCs also support multiple displays so users can be more productive with up to three monitors. Pricing and availability - The HP Pavilion HPE h8 series PCs are expected to be available on May 18 in APJ at a starting price of US$599.99.

HP has announced their new lineup of Pavilion consumer desktop PCs which include the p7 series, Slimline s5 series and HPE h8 series. The new desktop PCs are scheduled to be available this month and June.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The HP Pavilion p7 series PCs are expected to be available on May 18 in APJ at a starting price of US$299.99. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The HP Pavilion Slimline s5 series PCs are expected to be available on June 15 in APJ at a starting price of US$329.99.

Audio-Technica introduces new ATH-WS55 headphones and ATH-CKM77 earphones Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/audio-technica-introduces-new-athws55-headphones-and-ath-ckm77-earphones/12231.html May 16th, 2011

HP today announced a new lineup of HP Pavilion consumer desktop PCs that claim to deliver the latest technologies in sophisticated designs. The redesigned HP Pavilion desktops look to fit anywhere from dorm-room desks to media cabinets. Versatile design, powerful features The new HP Pavilion consumer desktop PCs are equipped with powerful processors and graphics for superior computing experience. Additionally, innovative technologies like Beats Audio and HP LinkUp are now available on select models to offer consumers the best in sound and functionality.

The ATH-WS55 headphones and ATH-CKM77 earphones are the latest additions to Audio-Technica's line of audio products, offering superb audio quality and both are available in stores now.

Music lovers can enjoy their favorite music the way the artiste intended it with Beats Audio, a high-performance audio technology developed by HP and Beats by Dr. Dre. With HP LinkUp, users can easily view and interact with content and programs from their notebook PC on an HP Pavilion desktop PC wirelessly via a home network. The HP Pavilion consumer desktop family includes: HP Pavilion p7 series PCs: The HP Pavilion p7 series PCs offer generous hard drive space for photos, music and videos. Integrated graphics enhance picture quality, and built-in

Designed for bass lovers, the new ATH-WS55 is wrapped in a sleek aluminum casing with a huge 40mm driver that is capable to transport you to your music dreamscape. With a 9

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

frequency response of 10-24,000Hz, you can feel all the beats of your favorite dance music in this wonder kid. The ATHWS55 also feautres a new â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bass Innovationâ&#x20AC;? in the form of a dual air chamber that allows better airflow for a powerful bass sound. The sizzling red aluminum cap version also comes with equally eye catching red cables. The ATH-WS55 is designed with a well-padded top headband and soft ear pads that not only ensure comfort; but it also provides high sound isolation. The Audio-Technica ATH-WS55 is retailing at an attractive S$148.

NAVTEQ is supplying NAVTEQ map and location data for the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 compact digital camera, currently available in Singapore at a recommended retail price of S$598 (inclusive of 8GB SD card). The ATH-CKM77 is the latest addition of in-ear monitor earphones to the hugely successful line of Audio-Technica earphones famed for crystal clarity. Specially designed in a hybrid metal casing of aluminum and stainless steel, the ATHCKM77 reduces unwanted vibration, making it sound better and with less distortion. The ATH-CKM77 gives a pure and well-balanced sound, light on the treble, yet managing a powerful, warm bass. The 13mm driver earphones are great for general listening to a wide spectrum of music, from jazz to hip-hop to classical. Weighing at only 8g, the earphones comes together with a hard leather case, 4 sets of ear buds, and a cleaning cloth. The ATHCKM77 is available only in aluminum/stainless steel version and will be available at S$178 at selected authorized retailers.

NAVTEQ supplies digital map data to Olympus TOUGH TG-810 compact digital camera Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/navteq-supplies-digital-map-data-toolympus-tough-tg-810-compact-digital-camera/12230.html May 16th, 2011

The TG-810 features GPS functions and an electronic compass to record the location data of the shot. By simply activating the GPS functionality, the camera can display landmarks on the monitor and identify the country/region of the shot being taken. Integrated within the TG-810 are NAVTEQ maps and points of interest (POI) ranging from tourist destinations to ferry terminals. So users now have the ability to geographically organize their photos effortlessly, allowing them to easily determine the precise location of where the photo was taken and link it with the exact POI on the NAVTEQ map. This added capability allows NAVTEQ and Olympus to deliver an enhanced imaging experience to consumers.

A look at Intel Z68 Platform with ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/a-look-at-intel-z68-platform-withasus-p8z68-v-pro/12104.html May 16th, 2011

When the overclocking capabilities of a P67 chipset put together with the graphics awesomeness of the H61/H67 chipset, the Z68 platform is borned. Today, we test out the new Z68 platform from Intel specifically on the ASUS P8Z68-V Pro motherboard to see if it has got what it takes to be called the best of both worlds.

NAVTEQ has announced that it is supplying the map and location data for the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 compact digital camera. This offers location-enabled imaging experiences for photographer enthusiasts. Read on.

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Graphic

* Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default. Integrated Graphics Processor Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI/RGB ports - Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

Intel Z68 chipset was launched on the 11th May 2011 and it boasts many new features that kept hardware enthusiasts excited before the launch period. Equipped with this chipset, the ASUS P8Z68-V Pro motherboard, brings out the best in Intel Technology and exemplifies technology in the modern era. Never seen before technology such as Intel Smart Response Technology and LucidLogix Virtu are the latest additions to the world of PCs and we are definitely going to take a look at that in the later part of this review. The P8Z68-V Pro is ASUS's latest offering for the Z68 Intel chipset. Equipped with various state of the art technology such as the use of a Digital VRM and not forgetting Turbo-V Evo processor on the motherboard, it puts overclocking to a hardware level in the state of running the software in an OS. What you get is a reliable and sturdy motherboard enough to work fo you to the next century. CPU

- Supports RGB with max. resolution 2048 x 1536 @ 75 Hz

Multi-GPU Support

Expansion Slots

Intel® Socket 1155 The 2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 Processors Supports Intel® 32 nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0

Chipset Memory

- Supports DVI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

black) *1 2 x PCIe x1

Storage

* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list Intel® Z68 4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 Hz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Dual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs. * Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).

Maximum shared memory of 1748 MB Supports NVIDIA® QuadGPU SLI™ Technology Supports AMD® Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode,

2 x PCI Intel® Z68 chipset : 2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray 4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), blue Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Support Intel® Smart Response Technology Marvell® PCIe SATA 6Gb/s controller : *2 2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), navy blue JMicron® JMB362

LAN Bluetooth

controller : *2 1 x eSATA 3G port(s), red Intel® 82579, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller Bluetooth V2.1+EDR ASUS BT GO! Utility

May 16th, 2011

Audio

Published by: VR-Zone

Music Player, Personal Manager

Realtek速 ALC 892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC - Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking

ASUS BT Turbo Remote - Exclusive Smartphone Interface supporting iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian systems

Audio Feature : - Absolute Pitch 192kHz/ 24bit True BD Lossless Sound

ASUS Exclusive Features - ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface

- Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection

- MemOK!

- DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC

IEEE 1394

USB Ports

Overclocking Features

Special Features

- AI Suite II

- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel VIA速 6308P controller 2 x IEEE 1394a port(s)

- AI Charger+ - Anti Surge

(2 at mid-board) ASMedia速 USB 3.0 controller : 4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)

- Disk Unlocker

Intel速 Z68 chipset : 12 x USB 2.0 port(s) (6 at back panel, black+red, 6 at mid-board) Overclocking Protection : - ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall) ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM: ASUS Digital Power Design

- ASUS Fan Xpert

- Industry leading Digital 16 Phase Power Design

ASUS Q-Design - ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)

ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution - ASUS Fanless Design: Heatsink solution

ASUS EZ DIY - ASUS Q-Shield - ASUS Q-Connector - ASUS O.C. Tuner - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 - ASUS EZ Flash 2

(12-phase for CPU, 4-phase for iGPU)

- ASUS Q-Slot

- ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility ASUS EPU - EPU, EPU switch ASUS TPU - Auto Tuning, TurboV, GPU Boost, TPU switch ASUS BT GO! (Bluetooth) - Folder Sync, BT Transfer, Shot & Send, BT to Net,

Back I/O Ports

- ASUS Q-DIMM 1 x Bluetooth module(s) 1 x DVI 1 x D-Sub 1 x HDMI 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 2 x USB 3.0 12

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

6 x USB 2.0 1 x Optical S/PDIF out

Internal I/O Ports

6 x Audio Jack(s) 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin, moss green) 3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s)

BIOS

Manageability Support Disc

1 x ASUS USB 3.0 Bracket(s) 64 Mb Flash ROM, EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, F12 PrintScreen Function WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE Drivers ASUS Utilities

4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)

ASUS Update

4 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s)

Anti-virus software (OEM version) ATX Form Factor 12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm ) *1: The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, USB3_34 and eSATA. The PCIe x16_3 default setting is in x1 mode. *2: These SATA ports are for data hard drivers only. ATAPI devices are not supported.

2 x IEEE 1394a connector(s) 2 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 pin) 2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin, 1 x 3 -pin) 2 x Power Fan connector(s) (3 -pin) 1 x S/PDIF out Header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x System panel(s) (QConnector)

Form Factor

Note

Lazare Kaplan International unveils "The Lazare Diamond 4c" app for Apple iPhone and iPad Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lazare-kaplan-international-unveilsthe-lazare-diamond-4c-app-for-apple-iphone-and-ipad/12229.html May 16th, 2011

1 x MemOK! button(s) 1 x TPU switch(es)

Accessories

1 x EPU switch(es) User's manual ASUS Q-Shield 2 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s cable(s)

Lazare Kaplan International (LKI) has unveiled their new "The Lazare Diamond 4c" app for the iPhone and iPad. The app offers an educational insight on purchasing of diamonds and it is free to download from the Apple iTunes Store.

2 x Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s cable(s) 1 x SLI bridge(s) 1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1)

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Lazare Kaplan International Inc. (LKI) has recently launched “The Lazare Diamond 4C’s” app designed specifically as an interactive and educational guide to purchasing diamonds, now available for the iPhone and iPad. Free to download in iTunes, the app is a user-friendly tool for retailers, suppliers and consumers alike to better understand the most important characteristics of diamonds: Cut, Color, Clarity, and CaratWeight. The app also includes a geographic locator that lets users identify the closest Lazare Diamond retailer.

This foldable prototype display allow users to maximise the screen size while minimising the device size. It did not show a crease even after performing 100,000 folding and unfolding cycles although the brightness at the junction does shows a 6% decrease in brightness. Commercialisation of this device will take about one to two years and we can expect mobile devices and even photoframes with curved form factors incorporating this new display.

LKI was the first to cut diamonds to ideal proportions, the first to laser inscribe, the first to brand a diamond, and is now the first diamond sightholder to create a 4C’s app for the iPhone and iPad. “The Lazare Diamond 4C’s” is a handson tutorial that uses interactive screens, videos and side-byside comparison to demonstrate the 4C’s and help demystify diamonds.

Samsung promises Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade for GALAXY S and GALAXY Tab

Lazare Diamonds are exclusively sold at Larry Jewelry, located at Paragon (#01-21) and ION Orchard (#03-04).

Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology unveils foldable display prototype Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-advanced-institute-oftechnology-unveils-foldable-display-prototype/12226.html May 16th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-promises-android-2.3gingerbread-upgrade-for-galaxy-s-and-galaxy-tab/12228.html May 16th, 2011

Good news to GALAXY S and GALAXY Tab owners. Samsung has announced that the Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgrade will be made available for both the GALAXY S smartphone and GALAXY Tab tablet device.

Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea have designed and built a prototype of a seamless foldable display that folds in half without a visible crease in the middle. Read on.

Today, Samsung has announced the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) upgrade to the Samsung GALAXY S, GALAXY Tab, as well as the GALAXY Ace/Gio/Fit/mini, giving users enhanced performance and an improved user interface.

May 16th, 2011

The GALAXY S and GALAXY Tab are Samsung’s intelligently designed smart devices with 1 GHz application processors, giving users an intuitive, immersive and integrated mobile experience. The upgrade from Froyo 2.2 to Gingerbread 2.3 offers an even greater user experience, with features including:

Faster Performance – Multimedia content now has a lower CPU consumption rate, while support for more powerful 3D Graphics enables an enhanced mobile gaming experience. Upgraded Usability – The user interface has been improved, enabling faster access and control and a more intuitive user experience. Users will also benefit from improved copy-andpaste functionality. The Android 2.3 upgrade will start with GALAXY S in the UK and Nordic countries from mid-May, and gradually rolled out to other European markets, North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East Asia, Africa and rest of the world according to the regional plan.

The upgrade will be available via Kies, Samsung’s device management software. Kies can be downloaded from Samsung’s corporate website (http://www.samsung.com).

HTC launches Wildfire S in Singapore

Published by: VR-Zone

packs a powerful smartphone experience. It lets you maintain and build connections and friendships through popular sites like Facebook, as well as through voice and text messaging. You can instantly tag your friends in photos before posting them on Facebook, or share your latest discoveries from the Android Market at the touch of a button. HTC Wildfire S is one of HTC’s smallest phones ever – measuring just 10.13cm long and 5.94cm wide – and boasts a distinctive 3.2-inch, HVGA display. Create your very own smartphone experience Celebrate your individuality by choosing from a wide variety of colors including pink, white and gray. The HTC Wildfire S’ home screen is fully customizable with your favorite apps, widgets and content, while a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus, expandable microSD memory and support for a variety of audio and video formats make for a great all-around multimedia device that slips easily into any pocket. Availability The HTC Wildfire S will be available in ‘Bloom Pink’, ‘Silver White’ and ‘Dark Gray’ at all mobile operators and authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of S$388 from May 2011.

PSN is (finally) coming back online Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/psn-is-finally-coming-backonline/12224.html May 16th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/htc-launches-wildfire-s-insingapore/12227.html May 16th, 2011

HTC Singapore has announced the launch of the new Wildfire S, based on the popular Wildfire that was launched last year. The new Wildfire S is equipped with 600MHz processor and preloaded with Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

After almost a full month of waiting, PSN users will soon have their network back online - at least that is what Sony claims via their blog and facebook pages. To access the network, users are required to both upgrade their firmware and change their password. Stay tuned for one of the most legendary network boots in history, the success of which hopefully will not be compared to that of Skynet in "Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines". "Please note that these services will take a bit of time to be turned on and rolled out to the whole region. The process has begun and some countries are being turned on now, so please be patient as we reach you.", Sony says but the company does not share which regions will be served first and how much time the complete restoration of the PSN network requires.

Intel SSD 710 Series Lyndonville Slated for July Release HTC today unveiled the new HTC Wildfire S in Singapore. Building on the popularity of the HTC Wildfire smartphone, the HTC Wildfire S smartphone is affordable, compact and

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-ssd-710-series-lyndonville-slatedfor-july-release/12223.html

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

May 16th, 2011

The recent leaked Intel SSD roadmap has already provided us a glimpse of what's coming up in the next few months and VRZone learned that 710 series codenamed Lyndonville which uses the 25nm MLC-HET NAND flash is slated for July launch. It will come in capacities of 100GB, 200GB and 300GB not 400GB as rumored earlier. Performance and pricing is not available at this moment. The 1.8" 320 series in capacities of 80GB, 160GB, 300GB is slated for July release too.

Revised GeForce GTX 590 Cards In June Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/revised-geforce-gtx-590-cards-injune/12222.html May 16th, 2011

Remember the horror of GeForce GTX 590 going up in smoke while benching? Well, apparently NVIDIA has found a way to solve this issue completely without doing a quick fix through the drivers. The solution : a much needed hardware fix where the new inductors are added to the card. However, the new inductors are larger in size therefore a change to the baseplate is needed. What does it mean to the 3rd party cooling solutions especially the GTX 590 waterblocks? Probably back to the drawing board so as to conform to the revised keep outs. The revised GeForce GTX 590 cards denoted with a new -502 marking on the PCB are expected to hit the market in June.

Team Group Announces SR1 and SR3 Flash Drives Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/team-group-announces-sr1-and-sr3flash-drives/12221.html May 16th, 2011

Taipei-based Team Group Inc. has expanded its line-up of portable flash storage solutions with the addition of the SR1 and SR3 flash drives, Measuring 67 x 22 x 13mm, the stylish drives are shaped like sports cars and feature a USB 3.0 (SR1) or USB 2.0 (SR3) connector. The SR1 series, available in capacities of 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb, offers data transfer rates up to 54Mb/s (read) and 30Mb/s (write). The SR3 comes in 4Gb, 8Gb, 16Gb and 32 Gb variants, delivering read/ write speeds up to 30Mb/s and 15Mb/s. Both SR1 and SR3 flash drives, covered by a limited lifetime warranty, support power saving modes. They are expected to ship soon. TEAM GROUP PRESS RELEASE

May 16th, 2011

Team Group Introduces the New SR1, SR3 Flash Drives Since Team Group Inc. released the TP1023 portable hard drive, which adopts a streamline sports car design, it has created a new trend. Following up this success, Team Group schedules to display the first sports car-designed flash drive disks at Computex 2011. The Team SR1 SR3 carrying with exclusive “Team EZ Go” application software and come in both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces, respectively, are made of the same material and streamline sports car design as the TP1023. In addition to data storage, it is perfect for showcasing personal zest for sports and making a statement of masculine vitality and energy. Excellent Performance USB 3.0-SR1 Just like pursuing a sense of speed on the race track, the all new SR1 followed Team Group’s exclusive sports car design, blending the sports car concept into a small flash drive disk by using a unique streamline design and curves. The high speed USB3.0 interface breaks the USB2.0’s transfer speed limit, with a read and writes performance of over 50MBs that help shorten the time of transferring large multimedia files and create better portability of Full HD videos.

Published by: VR-Zone

Deepcool Preps Assassin CPU Cooler Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/deepcool-preps-assassin-cpucooler/12220.html May 16th, 2011

Deepcool, manufacturer and provider of various thermal products for desktops, laptops and servers, is preparing to unleash the high performance Assassin CPU cooler - an Alpenfohn K2 lookalike.

High cost-performance ratio USB 2.0-SR3 The USB 2.0 SR3, from the same series as the SR1, has the same sports car design, and a multiple capacity selection ranging from 4~32GB. The diverse choices and prices makes it more affordable for consumers, providing a perfect high cost-performance solution for general users or IT gadgets enthusiasts, fulfilling everyone’s dream of owning a sports car. The USB 2.0 SR3, from the same series as the SR1, has the same sports car design, and a multiple capacity selection ranging from 4~32GB. The diverse choices and prices makes it more affordable for consumers, providing a perfect high cost-performance solution for general users or IT gadgets enthusiasts, fulfilling everyone’s dream of owning a sports car. As a leading provider of memory storage products to the consumer market, Team Group is committed to providing the best storage, multimedia and data sharing solutions.

Deepcool, manufacturer and provider of various thermal products for desktops, laptops and servers, is preparing to unleash the high performance Assassin CPU cooler - an Alpenfohn K2 lookalike.

The nickel plated boasts a twin tower design, eight 6mm copper heat-pipes, a copper base, uniquely shaped aluminum fins, and comes with two fans. The Assassin is compatible with

May 16th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

all Intel LGA 775/ 1155/ 1156/ 1366 and AMD AM2/ AM2+/ AM3 processors. News via [Softpedia]

Genius Ships Ring Mouse Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/genius-ships-ring-mouse/12219.html May 16th, 2011

Genius has begun shipping its Ring Mouse in North America. The unique finger-attached mouse connects to the PC via a 2.4 Ghz radio, has two buttons, an integrated rechargeable lithium ion battery, and allows users to control its movement through a 1000 DPI touch sensor.

The Ring Mouse, bundled with a carrying case, portable USB charger and ioMedia software, is availalbe from authorized resellers and e-tailers at a MSRP of US$70. News via [Electronista]

Tt eSports Readies New Meka G Unit Mechanical Keyboard Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/tt-esports-readies-new-meka-g-unitmechanical-keyboard/12218.html May 16th, 2011

Thermaltake is preparing to update its Meka series of gaming keyboards with the introduction of the Meka G Unit - the first mechanical keyboard to feature on-board memory and individually backlit keys. It boasts a 1.8m sleeved cable with gold-plated USB 2.0 connector, the ISS (Instant Shift System) advanced macro key shifting function (gamers can access all 60 macro keys in one profile), Cherry Black switches (with a MTBF of 50,000,000 clicks), seven multimedia keys, and a hub with two USB 2.0 ports and audio connectors. The Meka G Unit is expected to debut at Computex 2011 (May 31st - June 4th). News via [Techpowerup]

May 19th, 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 - 19 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--19may-2011/12285.html May 19th, 2011

In today's news roundup: VIA Technologies has claimed that it has no imeediate intentions to enter the lucrative smartphone and tablet market, in spite of having had years of experience in developing low-power x86 chips for various devices; HIS has released the new HIS 6790 Fan 1GB GDDR5 graphics card which is said to be feature core clock speeds of 850MHz and memory clock speeds of 4200MHz; Microsoft has released a strongly worded statement criticising Intel's comments about the ARM ports currently in development for Windows 8, calling them "inaccurate" and "misleading"; Overclockers have achieved yet another world's first with Motorola's XOOM tablet by successfully pushing the tablet's built-in processor to a respectable speed of 1.6GHz, or 100MHz faster than the previous world record of 1.5GHz; Anarchy Reign's release date has been delayed from the intended Q3 2011 time frame to January 2012 instead, and Rockstar Games is apparently blaming Sony's 3.61 firmware update as the cause for PlayStation3 consoles shutting down upon gameplay for its recently-launched title, L.A Noire, although it appears to have backed off from such claims. Hardware news ASUS Radeon HD 6870 Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews Description: There is nothing better than a video card that stays fast while it runs cool. There is nothing worse than video lag because your graphics card is too hot. ASUS has come up with an innovative way to try and keep our cards running the way they should. The ASUS Radeon HD 6870 Direct CU Video Card was made with these concerns in mind. Does it live up to our expectations? You are going to have to take a look inside to see.

Description: The latest Toshiba Enterprise class MBF2450RC 2.5 inch SAS hard disk drive is not only power friendly but it also delivers impressive read/write speeds thanks to a rotational speed of 10k thus offering the same performance levels as the best 3.5 inch 7200RPM drives currently available in the market. ASUS GeForce GTX 560 1GB DirectCU II TOP Video Card Review Description: I've become quite a fan of the new GTX 560 thanks to the aggressive price tag NVIDIA have chosen to go with. At $199 US it's a fantastic valued card and combined with the fact NVIDIA have let its partners go a little crazy straight away with the model helps make the launch more interesting than others. Today we'll be looking at the ASUS version of the card which carries the DirectCU II label, which we know means we're going to be looking at an awesome cooler while the TOP label that's also present lets us know we're going to have quite the overclock out of the box." Mobile Monitor Field Monitor Pro 15.4-Inch Portable LCD Monitor Review Description: With the introduction of the laptop, the mobile office was created. You could take your show on the road and get some serious work done. Of course, you still had some limitations. Even today you have limitations; unless you want to carry around a laptop that weighs 10-15 pounds you are stuck with a small screen size. Fortunately, you do not have to buy a gigantic laptop or one with an extended screen that will cost you an arm and a leg. Mobile Monitor Technologies has something that can help to overcome this limitation; the Field Monitor Pro. MSI N560GTX Ti Hawk Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews Description: NVIDIA have completely blown away their previous generation GPU's with the introduction of the GTX 5xx line up and while they are 'good enough' at stock speeds, it's normal for AIB partners to push these GPU's to their limits. MSI have tweaked the GeForce GTX 560Ti to 950MHz GPU / 1050MHz Memory, given it the 'Hawk' moniker, slapped on a Twin Frozr III cooler and sent it out into the wild to show the world what it is made of. Price wise the MSI N560GTXTi Hawk will obviously set you back more than a reference GTX 560Ti but in return it delivers stellar performance and excellent cooling capability. Benchmark Reviews aims to provide you with an unbiased review of the MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk and report back our findings, keeping you informed on the latest technologies available on the market today.

Toshiba MBF2450RC 450GB SAS HDD Review @ Real World Labs

May 19th, 2011

Via Remains Serious About Low-Power PCs, Uncertain About Ultra Mobile Description: Via Technologies, once the world's largest supplier of core-logic sets, said that it expected its partners to introduce solutions based on its dual-core and quad-core already in May, 2011. In spite of the fact that the company has been on the market of low-power applications, it does not have immediate intentions to enter the market of smartphones. HIS 6790 Fan 1GB GDDR5 released Description: HIS released the HIS 6790 Fan 1GB GDDR5 graphics card, delivering an array of advanced technologies to demanding gamers. Running core clock speeds of 840MHz and memory clock speeds of 4,200MHz, the new model provides dramatic visual and gaming experience at an affordable price. The new model is equipped with AMD’s Eyefinity technology, AMD’s EyeSpeed technology and is second-generation DirectX® 11-ready. The overall configuration delivers spectacular visual and gaming experience, making it the ultimate solution for performance gamers. Consumer Electronics and Software news Unfazed by Facebook, Google Rolls Out Social Search Globally Description: Google will roll out its somewhat controversial Social Search feature to 19 more languages next week, the company has announced on its official blog. Launched back in October 2009, Social Search is a feature that combines regular search results with publicly available data created by your friends’ social media activities. Patriot Memory 32GB LX Pro Class 10 SDHC Card Review @ Bigbruin. Description: As more and more professional devices are moving to SDHC, having a high end card like the Patriot Memory LX Pro provides the ability for fast speed and response time when taking photos or recording HD video. The comfort of knowing that your card can react as quickly as you can on the moments that count the most is unprecedented. Eurocom launches line of the most powerful Optimus Notebooks Ever Description: The Eurocom Optimus line are performanceoriented business and gaming-friendly notebooks based on Intel's Sandy Bridge technology with discrete NVIDIA GT 555M graphics and longer battery life thanks to NVIDIA Optimus™ Technology. NVIDIA Optimus technology intelligently optimizes your notebook PC, providing the outstanding graphics performance you need, when you need it, all the while extending battery life for longer enjoyment. They are built around the Intel Huron River HM 65 platform and support Intel’s mobile line of Sandy Bridge Core i7, i5 and i3 processors. Microsoft tells Intel to wind neck in on Windows 8 Description: Just after Intel decided to spill the beans on how different versions of Windows 8 will clash with ARM chip architecture, Microsoft has called the comments “inaccurate” and “misleading”. 99% of Android Phones Vulnerable to Data Leak; Google Working on Quick Fix Description: Researchers in Germany have uncovered a security flaw in Android. Frighteningly, 99 percent of Android

Published by: VR-Zone

users are presently affected, as the flaw hits users who are presently on any version of the OS lower than the most recent 2.3.4 – So basically anyone who doesn't have an updated Nexus One or Nexus S. Motorola XOOM overclocked, breaks previous record with 1.6GHz speed Description: The Motorola XOOM had experienced an overclocking experience which we covered at the end of February this year, touching 1.5GHz while taking on the mantle of a new record. Well, some months have passed, and while the Motorola XOOM did not burn up the sales charts, it has gone under the scrutiny of at least one person who thinks that the tablet could be pushed beyond 1.5GHz in terms of speed, touching a respectable 1.6GHz this time around. Microsoft took its own turn at driving computer sales with a new promo. Anyone buying a Windows 7-based PC worth $699 or higher will get an Xbox 360 Arcade 4GB system for free without needing a rebate. Online shops for Microsoft and other PC builders will give the Xbox to anyone buying using a .edu e-mail address, but Best Buy and Microsoft Stores will take student IDs. Description: Microsoft took its own turn at driving computer sales with a new promo. Anyone buying a Windows 7-based PC worth $699 or higher will get an Xbox 360 Arcade 4GB system for free without needing a rebate. Online shops for Microsoft and other PC builders will give the Xbox to anyone buying using a .edu e-mail address, but Best Buy and Microsoft Stores will take student IDs. Gaming news There Will Be Blood in Alice: Madness Returns Description: Alice's mind is in ruins in American McGee's upcoming Wonderland re-imagining, transforming her fantastical sanctuary into a nightmare. Gamers can get a good idea of just how dark things will get in the intro cinematic for Madness Returns Anarchy Reigns delayed until 2012 Description: Gamers wishing to bust some heads with either MadWorld's Jack Cayman or the Black Baron in Platinum Games' latest will need to wait a little longer. According to an update on Anarchy Reign's Japanese website, the game is now slated for a January 2012 release date instead of its original Q3 2011 time frame. Rockstar Blames PS3 Firmware For Overheating Before Backtracking Description: An item on Rockstar Games' support site about PlayStation 3 systems shutting down while playing L.A. Noire pegged the 3.61 firmware update as the cause of the problems. That support page has since been pulled, raising the question of whether that really is the source of such issues.

Cooler Master set to unveil a wide range of new products at Computex 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cooler-master-set-to-unveil-a-widerange-of-new-products-at-computex-2011/12287.html

May 19th, 2011 May 19th, 2011

Ah, the first Computex press releases are starting to come in and one of the first companies to gives us a glimpse at what will be on display during the show is Cooler Master. This year things will be a little bit different though, as the center stage of Cooler Master's booth will be taken up by entries to its 2011 case mod competition, as Cooler Master has flow in a few selected system to display during Computex. But fear not, the company has plenty of products to show off as well and we're fairly certain that far from everything has been revealed in the press release. Ah, the first Computex press releases are starting to come in and one of the first companies to gives us a glimpse at what will be on display during the show is Cooler Master. This year things will be a little bit different though, as the center stage of Cooler Master's booth will be taken up by entries to its 2011 case mod competition, as Cooler Master has flow in a few selected system to display during Computex. But fear not, the company has plenty of products to show off as well and we're fairly certain that far from everything has been revealed in the press release. So what can we look forward to? Well, for starters Cooler Master's CM Storm brand will be showcasing a special edition version of the Enforcer carrying a custom AMD design, customized lights and a see through side panel. Then there's the Sirius 5.1-channel gaming headset which really looks like it's going to be something special compared to what's out there today, as it packs multiple speakers that are promised to deliver a real surround-sound experience and there's also a control unit that lets you control the individual speakers.

Next up we have a new series of PSUs called the Silent Pro Hybrid which will come with a front panel control unit which allows for manual control not only over the 135mm fan in the PSU, but also for up three standard 12V case fans. The PSU has a single +12V rail and can deliver up to 98A of Power (depending on the model) and it's 80Plus Gold certified. We're also looking a few other new products, for example Choiix will be displaying a few new Power Fort products

Published by: VR-Zone

designed to works with Apple's various tablets and phones. We'll bring you more details from the show, both from Cooler Masters booth and from the product launch that Cooler Master will be having on the Wednesday, so make sure you check back with us for all the coverage from Computex.

MSI's Big Bang Conqueror renamed 990FXA-GD80 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-s-big-bang-conquerorrenamed-990fxa-gd80/12286.html May 19th, 2011

If the increase of leaks of upcoming motherboards is an indicator of something, then it would be that we’re very close to Computex and with just over a week to go, MSI’s upcoming 990FXA-GD80 has made an appearance alongside a pretty comprehensive spec sheet. MSI showed off a board called the Big Bang Conqueror 990FX board back at CES, but it appears that this is actually the 990FXA-GD80 now, which makes us wonder if MSI has something even more extreme in its lineup, or if the company has killed off the Big Bang brand. If the increase of leaks of upcoming motherboards is an indicator of something, then it would be that we’re very close to Computex and with just over a week to go, MSI’s upcoming 990FXA-GD80 has made an appearance alongside a pretty comprehensive spec sheet. MSI showed off a board called the Big Bang Conqueror 990FX board back at CES, but it appears that this is actually the 990FXA-GD80 now, which makes us wonder if MSI has something even more extreme in its lineup, or if the company has killed off the Big Bang brand.

It’s surprising how little has changed in the six months since CES, although it’s a little bit hard to see if MSI has made any real changes to the PCB from the pictures that leaked alongside the specifications. This is of course and AMD 990FX board with the SB950 and the board has a 8+2 PWM design good for 140W CPUs. MSI claims support for DDR3 memory up to 2133MHz, although not officially of course.

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone May 19th, 2011

Z68 has been stealing all the limelight lately. But for those who want a piece of the Sandy Bridge action for cheap, there exists a lesser known chipset by the name of H61. We pair up the ECS H61H2-M with a Core-i3 2100 to find out if this is a viable budget alternative to H67/P67. The slot layout consists of four x16 PCI Express slots, of which the second and fourth slots are only used in four x8 mode, although due to the board layout it’s not possible to use more than three dual slot cards at once. There are also two x1 PCI Express slots and a single PCI slot. MSI hasn’t added any additional SATA ports, so the standard six SATA 6Gbps ports is what you have to make to with. The board also has a nifty angled front mounted USB 3.0 pin header as well as at least two pin headers for an additional four USB 2.0 ports and one pin header for a FireWire port.

Today, we'll be looking at the ECS H61H2-M, a micro-ATX motherboard from ECS using the Intel H61 PCH. In case you were wondering, H61 is the cheapest Sandy Bridge compatible PCH currently available.This chipset doesn't really have a direct predecessor from the LGA 1156 era - though it brings to mind G41 from LGA 775 days. Chipset Feature Comparison CPU PCIe Lanes USB 2.0 SATA 3Gbps SATA 6Gbps RAID

P67 1 x16 PCIe 2.0 or 2 x8 PCIe 2.0 14 4 2 Yes

H67 H61 1 x16 PCIe 2.0 1 x16 PCIe 2.0

14 4 2 Yes

10 4 0 No

Compared to H67, H61 loses two SATA 6Gbps ports, four USB 2.0 ports as well as RAID support. When you look at it, things aren't actually that bad. 10 USB ports should be sufficient (there's always USB hubs), and users on a budget probably don't need SATA 6Gbps. Needless to say, CPU overclocking isn't possible with H61. Around the back we have a pair of PS/2 ports (really MSI?), four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two eSATAp ports (combo USB/eSATA), a FireWire port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 7.1-channel audio with optical and coaxial S/PDIF out and a clear CMOS button. Overall this is a decent enough board, but for a flagship product it feels like MSI hasn’t quite gone all the way, especially not compared to what we’ve already seen that Asus has coming.

Most H61 motherboards are in the micro-ATX form factor for reasons of cost, and the simple fact that budget motherboards don't usually squeeze in a whole lot of features. Let's take a closer look at the H61H2-M from ECS.

ECS H61H2-M Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ecs-h61h2-m-review/12103.html

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Canon Expo 2011 kicks off in Shanghai Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/canon-expo-2011-kicks-off-inshanghai/12276.html May 19th, 2011

The Canon Expo 2011 is officially opened today, and marked the last stop of the Canon Expo global tour following the events which took place in New York, Paris and Tokyo during September-November last year. VR-Zone brings you the coverage.

Asia's superstar Jackie Chan was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Fujio Mitarai, chairman and CEO of Canon Group; Jing Dunquan, vice chariman of The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, vice chairman of Sino-Japan Friendship Association; Tsuneji Uchida, president and COO, Canon Group; Jane Le, president and chairman of Le Bao Minh, Vietnam; Irwan Kamdani, president director, PT DataScript, Indonesia; and Hideki (Howard) Ozawa, managing director of Canon Inc., president and CEO, Canon (China), to officiate the opening of the Canon Expo 2011 at Shanghai International Convention Center. Chan was appointed the publicity ambassador of the Canon Expo 2011.

Hideki Ozawa, managing director of Canon Inc., president and CEO, Canon (China), gave an opening speech and said that it was a prompt time for the company to have this type of big, comprehensive global expo for the Asian region. "Asia is becoming the world's new economic centre and its growth have become the power engine of the global economy. It is for sure Asian market have become bigger and it is the reason why it is important to the contribution to Canon's growth. By taking the opportunity of this expo, we would like to let you know of what Canon is all about and also to give our agreement to strengthen our business in Asia," Ozawa said.

The Canon Expo 2011 in Shanghai is presented to visitors in the shape of a luxury cruise ship. The “Canon Imaging Voyage”, and various exhibition areas are designed to be reminiscent of a cruise ship, including the “Main Deck” and “Captain’s office”.

Sony Introduces Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-introduces-memory-stick-pro-hgduo-hx/12284.html May 19th, 2011

May 19th, 2011

Available in 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb, the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX memory cards from Sony have a maximum transfer rate of up to 50 Mb/s - the fastest in the world.

Published by: VR-Zone May 19th, 2011

Kingston Digital, independent world leader in memory products, takes mobility a step further with the launch of its DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 flash drives.

Available in 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb, the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX memory cards from Sony have a maximum transfer rate of up to 50 Mb/s - the fastest in the world. It is based on the HX Engine controller, operates at 2.7V - 3.6V, and works with "Handycam camcorders, as well as with the Sonybranded digital cameras like the NEX-5". The Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX, covered by a 10 year warranty, is expected to start shipping soon.

Kingston Digital, independent world leader in memory products, takes mobility a step further with the launch of its DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 flash drives.

News via [Techconnect]

In Win Announces Commander II Series PSUs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/in-win-announces-commander-iiseries-psus/12283.html May 19th, 2011

Measuring 73.70 x 22.20 x 16.10mm, the stylish device delivers data transfer rates up to 100 Mb/s (read) and 70 Mb/s (write) on USB 3.0 devices. The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2, covered by a five year warranty, can be purchased from major retailers and e-tailers at MSRPs of US$77 (16Gb), US $116 (32Gb) and US$213 (64Gb). News via [Techconnect]

Cooler Master Unveils Notepal LapAir Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cooler-master-unveils-notepallapair/12281.html May 19th, 2011

Available in 750W, 850W and 1200W variants, the second generation Commander PSUs are ATX 12V 2.31 and EPS 12V 2.91 compliant, have an efficiency of up to 88%, modular cables, four 12V rails, and are cooled by a 135mm fan. Prices and availability has not been announced yet so stay tuned for more updates. News via [Techpowerup]

Kingston Unleashes DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 Flash Drive

Cooler Master has announced the Notepal LapAir cooler, adding on to its line-up of cooling solutions for notebooks and netbooks. Measuring 430 x 316 x 56mm and weighing 1.2kg, it features a topside anti-slip rubber mat, a sponge base, niches for storing cables, and is cooled by a 80mm fan that runs at speeds of up to 1,650 RPM.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/kingston-unleashes-datatravelerultimate-3.0-g2-flash-drive/12282.html

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

1) Price - In a perfect world, price would scale with clockspeed. But this isn't always the case across brands. 2) Memory Size - A few manufacturers are offering 2GB versions of the GTX 560. The performance difference, however, will not be evident except at very high resolutions (think 2560 x 1600) or with anti-aliasing turned up. 3) Cooler - Having a good heatsink fan allows higher overclocks. Some manufacturers reuse the same heatsink across differently clocked models - If you get the cheaper model and overclock it yourself, chances are that you can match or even surpass the more expensive model. Cooler Master has announced the Notepal LapAir cooler, adding on to its line-up of cooling solutions for notebooks and netbooks. Measuring 430 x 316 x 56mm and weighing 1.2kg, it features a topside anti-slip rubber mat, a sponge base, niches for storing cables, and is cooled by a 80mm fan that runs at speeds of up to 1,650 RPM.

4) Clockspeed - For Nvidia GTX 560, having a higher clockspeed in core frequency, shader frequency and memory frequency will get you better performance in games. However, one need not be so concerened in getting the highest overclocked edition GTX 560 as you can do it easily with the help of Nvidia System Tools or other overclocking utilities provided by the manufacturers. 5) Warranty - The longer, the better. Note that the prices listed are estimates based on a search of online stores. After rebates and other discounts, your mileage may vary. Variants which we could not find in stores have no price listed. ASUS Brand

Type

ASUS GTX 560 The Notepal LapAir supports all laptops/ netbooks up to 17" (in size) and is available from selected distributors and resellers at a MSRP of US$29.99. News via [Softpedia]

Which GTX 560 to choose? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/which-gtx-560-to-choose-/12260.html May 19th, 2011

GTX 560

Core Shader Memory Memory Link (MHz) (MHz) (MHz) Size 810 1620 4008 1GB

DirectCu 850 1700

DirectCu II OC GTX 925 560

1850

4200

1GB

4200

1GB

DirectCu II TOP GTX 560 DirectCu GTX 560 DirectCu GTX 560 DirectCu II OC II TOP

The recently released Nvidia GTX 560 comes in various forms. Different brands offer different clockspeed, coolers and also memory size. How do you decide which one to get? Nvidia is banking heavily on overclocked versions of the GTX 560 to combat AMD. Most of their partners have at least one special edition, with some even forgoing the reference GTX 560. The card with the highest overclock out of those listed here is Zotac's GTX 560 AMP! edition, which pushes the core clock to a whopping 950MHz and the memory to 4400MHz. The key factors to look out for are:

ASUS has three variants of the GTX 560, all of which has a memory size of 1GB. ASUS GTX 560 DirectCu is the basic model which follows the clockspeed of the reference Nvidia GTX 560. The DirectCu II models are overclocked versions and have a different heatsink fan compared to the DirectCu models. EVGA Brand

Type

Core Shader Memory Memory Link (MHz) (MHz) (MHz) Size 810 1620 4008 1GB

EVGA GTX 560 GTX 850 1700 560 Superclocked

4104

1GB 7

May 19th, 2011

GTX 850 560 2048MB Superclocked GTX 560

Published by: VR-Zone

1700

4008

equalizers for decent audio. So what can the average Joe expect from Creative's new products? Read on to find out...

2GB

GTX 560 Superclocked

GTX 560 2048MB Superclocked

EVGA has three different types of GTX 560. One is the basic GTX 560 which follows the reference Nvidia GTX 560 clockspeed. The other two are the overclocked versions of the GTX 560 1GB and 2GB models. GAINWARD Brand

Type

GAINWARD GTX 560 Golden Sample GTX 822 560 Phantom GTX 810 560 2048MB GTX 560 Golden Sample

Core Shader Memory Memory Link (MHz) (MHz) (MHz) Size 822 1644 4040 1GB

1644

4040

1GB

1620

4008

2GB

Remember the story we published some time back in 2010 where Creative claimed that the preferred mode of entertainment for most consumers is centred around the need to "go wireless", and that this trend will gain enough momentum to be the only form of digital entertainment in time? Well, it turns out that Creative had a lot more in mind than just simple tablet devices and wireless speakers. In fact, the company believes so strongly in the potential of wireless digital entertainment that it has refreshed its entire lineup of wireless entertainment tools with new features to "redefine home audio experience for consumers" while ensuring that they do not have to end up smashing the piggy bank to do so. Speaking at a media event held at the Intercontinental Singapore to announce the company's new wireless entertainment devices was Eugene Chong, Creative Technology's manager for marketing, who talked about its new ZiiSound Dx series of Pure Wireless Modularity Bluetooth speakers for consumers.

GTX 560 Phantom GTX 560 2048MB

GAINWARD has three models as well. It has the 2GB version which runs at the default frequency. The other two 1GB versions have the same clockspeed, a slight overclock from 810MHz (core) to 822MHz. However, they have a different set of cooler. The Phantom have 2 smaller fans concealed within the heatsink.

Creative announces launch of new wireless speaker systems

Claiming how most 'wireless speaker systems' still require users to fiddle with the connecting wires used for each speaker, Ching explained how Creative was able to completely do away with such cables by implementing "robust wireless technology" in its new ZiiSound Dx series of modular Bluetooth speakers.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/creative-announces-launch-of-newwireless-speaker-systems/12277.html May 19th, 2011

Cables are the nemesis of neat freaks who cannot stand the idea of having any form of foreign material cluttering their otherwise spotless desks, right? Well, the good news is that Creative has been hard at work in eliminating all traces of those pesky cables in its speaker lineup, and its latest line of wireless speakers introduced today in a media event held at the Intercontinental Singapore is probably the best proof of how one does not need to rely on copper wires and cumbersome

"What we have done in the ZiiSound Dx series of wireless speakers is to give each speaker the ability to link up to each other without the need for connecting wireless. This gives users the new-found flexibility of adding on speakers, piece by piece, all without the need to deal with cables or invest in a new home speaker system," he claimed, while likening the speakers 8

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

to audio 'LEGO' building blocks that can be linked wirelessly to form up to a 3.1 configuration. In addition, Chong also announced the introduction of various new wireless products such as the new one-piece D80 Bluetooth speakers, the ZEN Style M300 portable media player and its new WP-series headphones which feature an "invisible mic" for use in most communication devices.

Creative's WP-250 wireless Bluetooth headphones...

Creative's new D80 wireless Bluetooth speakers. And just so we make it clear, that coloured speaker grille you see is NOT user replaceable.

...along with the WP-350...

The Creative ZEN Style M300 portable media player. Notice its size in comparison to a typical smartphone as shown below: ...and finally, the WP-450. Last but not least, Creative's resident acoustic engineer Tan Lip Hwee was also at the event to demonstrate the ease at which typical consumers can link up the various components of the ZiiSound Dx modular Bluetooth speakers wirelessly, as well as its remarkable audio quality its drivers and subwoofers were capable of churning out in tandem.

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The arrival of Z68 means that enthusiasts can finally make full use of their K-series processor's capabilities. Of course, the Z68 also gets x8/x8 CrossFire/SLi like the P67, which is better than the x16/x4 setup of H67. USB and SATA support remains idential to the P67/H67, which means we'll see manufacturers breaking out the USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps controllers once again. In our preview of MSI's Z68 motherboard, we touched briefly on the limitations posed by the eight PCIe lanes that Z68 supplies. This is a problem mainly on the more expensive models where the peripheral devices have to fight for lanes with a PCIe x4 slot. That being said, we really should point out that the products that were announced in today's press release are identical to the ones which we had put in in a previous news posting exactly two weeks ago. As such, if you want to know more about Creative's new range of wireless entertainment products , do feel free to hit up the link here for details about their pricing and release dates.

Intel Z68: The Best of Both Worlds Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-z68-the-best-of-bothworlds/12101.html May 19th, 2011

Some manufacturers have opted to simply disable certain devices if this third slot is occupied, while others are using a bridge chip to share one lane among several devices. The latter option is certainly the preferable one, though using a bridge chip raises costs. Regardless, this is something you should take note of when choosing a motherboard. The last (and most extravagant) option, which you will only see on the most pricey of Z68 motherboards, is to use a NF200 bridge chip to split the 16 lanes coming from the CPU into 32 lanes, freeing up all the PCH lanes for peripheral use. If it's any comfort, the upcoming X79 should not have this problem as the CPU alone provides enough lanes that manufacturers will not have to dangle the third PCIe slot off the PCH.

The Z68 combines the best of both worlds, letting you overclock your processor and still make use of Intel Quick Sync. Throw in a few extra goodies, and is this the platform to get your hands on? Or should hardcore enthusiasts just wait till X79? When H67 and P67 were launched, you couldn't always have your cake and eat it. It was a choice between being able to overclock and making use of HD Graphics (and Quick Sync). This awkward situation was best exemplified by the K-series chips, which could only either unlocked multipliers or HD Graphics 3000.

The other noteworthy feature of Z68 is Smart Response Technology (a.k.a. SSD caching). This brings to mind Silverstone's HDDBoost from 2010. SRT is different, however, in that it uses the SSD to cache both reads and writes. We'll examine SRT in detail soon, but first let's take a look at some Z68 motherboards.

Challenger Launches Windows Experience Zone in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/challenger-launches-windowsexperience-zone-in-singapore/12278.html May 19th, 2011

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Enter Singapore's first Windows Experience Zone (WEZ) right at Challenger Funan, a unique retail zone that brings the complete PC buying experience to every consumer in this 24hour operations store. What is in store in this unique zone ? More after the jump

Coming soon, a 100-inch multi-touch screen will also become operational in the coming months to let customers interact and discover more about Windows PCs and software.

The launch of the Singapore's Windows Experience Zone (WEZ) happened today, graced by Loo Theong Thye, CEO Challenger Technologies Limited; Mitchell L .Koch, corporate vice president of worldwide retail sales and marketing group, entertainment and devices division, Microsoft Corp and Jessica Tan , managing director, Microsoft Singapore. The launch celebration is joined by participating vendors Acer, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba who will be offering great deals of their PC models to Challenger members while stocks last.

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2010 Roundups Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/computex-taipei-2010roundups/12275.html May 19th, 2011

VR-Zone will be compiling roundups for Computex Taipei 2011 in the following categories: 1. Motherboards and Graphics Cars 2. Casings and Power Supplies and Coolers 3. Memory and Storage and SSDs 4. Mobile Devices and Laptops/Netbooks and Tablets 5. PC Peripherals 6. Displays 7. Networking Stay Tuned!

The WEZ, located at Challenger Funan will showcase a selection of PCs, laptops and in the future, mobile devices. The zone will showcase devices in different categories such as Work, Play and Learn and will also host training workshops and hands-on sessions.. Tech advisors in the WEZ also known as Microsoft Captains will be there to provide advice to consumers. An appointment can also be made with the Microsoft Captain for a session to walk you the purchase process and how to maximize the use of your PC with Windows 7, Windows Live Essentials, Office 2010 and other popular software.

Sharp successfully develops world's first 85-inch LCD panel compatible with Super HiVision Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sharp-successfully-develops-world-sfirst-85-inch-lcd-panel-compatible-with-super-hi-vision/12274.html May 19th, 2011

The current full HD resolutions of 1920 x 1080 may be the end-all resolution for most home, commercial and industrial uses, but leave it to Japan to raise the glass ceiling once again in digital display technology. Apparently, Sharp has 11

May 19th, 2011

managed to successfully develop a gigantic 85-inch LCD panel that is compatible with Japan's domestic Super Hi-Vision video format technology, which allows for video output at the extremely high resolution of 33 megapixels. With display resolutions like this, who needs yesteryear's full HD display technology? If what people say about obstacles being stepping stones to one's eventual success is true, it would seem that Sharp has been a firm believer of this saying, and that today is the day the Japanese company has finally overcome the odds to produce yet another world's first. Apparently, Sharp has managed to successfully develop the world's first LCD display that is compatible with the country's proposed Super Hi-Vision nextgeneration television broadcast format, a feat that it has touted to world's first for direct display LCD panels.

Published by: VR-Zone

Google opens website for Japanese to remember towns lost in the recent earthquake Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-opens-website-for-japanese-toremember-towns-lost-in-the-recent-earthquake/12273.html May 19th, 2011

Google's informal corporate motto of "Don't be evil" may have been mocked by many in the industry, but there can be no denying that the search giant has been known to do the right things for its consumer base most of the time, barring a few isolated exceptions. That being said, it seems that Google has taken its "Don't be evil" motto to the next level...by launching a new website that is aimed at helping the Japanese to remember the towns that they have lost as a result of the recent earthquake that levelled much of northern Japan.

For those who are not in the know, Japan's Super Hi-Vision broadcast format is capable of delivering media content at an extremely high resolution of 7680 x 4320 or approximately 33 megapixels, which in turn is almost 16 times greater than that of full HD. However, in order to cram that many pixels into a single LCD display, Sharp apparently had to settle for a display that measures no lesser than 85-inches, a dimension which effectively limits its usefulness to commercial and industrial settings.

It is always said that memories are as timeless as the universe itself, but there will always be times that people will wish that they had some physical memento to hold on to as proof that they had indeed gone through certain experiences in life. After all, memories can only be timeless if they are actually remembered, and suffice to say humans today are probably one of the most forgetful species on Earth, having have to rely on both physical and digital tools to assist in the recollection of various life experiences.

That being said, Sharp definitely appears to have high hopes for its new Super Hi-Vision compatible panel, claiming that the use of its UV2A*2 LCD technology coupled with the performance levels of the Super Hi-Vision video display format will allow for the playback of "ultra-detailed, superhigh-quality images capable of "immersing the viewer in a virtual-reality-like experience". Nice.

Apparently, Google is all too aware of the situation, and has since moved to ensure that the towns that were deemed lost in the recent earthquake that leveled much of northern Japan does not fade into folklore and obscurity any time soon. To that end, the search giant has launched a new website known as "Mirai-e-no-kioku", which aims to preserve the memories most Japanese have of the aforementioned towns before they were lost to Mother Nature's wrath. Quite fittingly, "Mirai-e-no-kioku", when translated, describes the cherishing of memories for the future.

Now, all that remains is to wait for Sharp to successfully develop smaller versions of its Super Hi-Vision displays for use in consumer-grade television sets so that we can all enjoy some UHDTV goodness from the comfort of the living room sofa. Brief specifications Screen size: 85 inches (approx. 1.9 x 1.05 m) Pixel count: 7,680 (H) x 4,320 (V) pixels Brightness: 300 cd/m2 Gradation: 10 bits for each RGB color

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

from the truth; apparently, word has it that Japan is now facing what appears to be the first confirmed case of a trojan gaining access to stored data on a smartphone, and that this problem is only set to become worse as the popularity of such devices continues to grow.

In order to do so, Google is actively seeking the contributions of both photographs and video footage shot in the various quake-devastated areas from the public. The files collected by Google will then be made available for public viewing. In addition, Google will reportedly archive the contributions in its data centre to ensure that the the memories of those areas will never be forgotten for a long time to come. Lastly, Asahi.com claims that Google has also received requests for the long-term archival of data of the area that was collected by Google's Street View vehicles and satellites before the quake struck, and that an official for Google has reportedly claimed that the company is indeed considering the storage of aforementioned information in its servers "for as long as possible".

First confirmed case of smartphone trojan infection shows up in Japan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/first-confirmed-case-of-smartphonetrojan-infection-shows-up-in-japan/12272.html May 19th, 2011

Smartphones are supposed to be inherently safer than PCs when it comes to having to deal with nasty stuff such as malware, right? After all, most consumers would rationalize that since virtually no smartphone on the market today runs on Windows, they should theoretically be safe from the likes of virus and trojans that plague the entire Windows ecosystem. Unfortunately for consumers, it seems that their idea of a completely malware-free ecosystem for smartphones and their accompanying operating systems is about to come to an abrupt end. Apparently, industrial sources have confirmed that Japan is the latest entry in a long list of countries to have officially confirmed the existence of malware-infected smartphones, and are warning that such malware could potentially become widespread within the country. According to a report published by The Yomiuri Shimbun, the malware that was discovered in Japan is believed to have originated from a popular app known as Isshoni Training: Training with Hinako, which features an anime character giving "demonstrations on proper muscle training techniques". Apparently, the pirated copy of the app contains a trojan which, when installed, allows an outsider to gain access to a user's private information such as location data, phone book contacts and email messages, as well as making remote phone calls.

Thought that the sleek and flashy little smartphone you currently hold in your hands in the answer to getting away from the nasty world of malware that has been plaguing PCs in all shapes and sizes? Well, you could not have been further 13

May 19th, 2011

The Yomiuri Shimbun also quoted security research firm Symantec as claiming that the number of smartphone malware infections in Japan is set to increase, simply because the common platform offered by the operating systems used to power the handsets makes it easy for programmers to design malware that can target a wide range of devices, both domestically and globally. However, conventional mobile phones are not affected, simply because they make use domestically-developed technology which is incompatible with mobile systems found in other parts of the world.

Published by: VR-Zone

In fact, the southbridge heatsink is identical to the one used on the Sabertooth i55 and X58 and the CeraM!X heatsinks are also back. The board has an 8+2 power regulation design as revealed in the specifications and once again we're seeing the new split CPU retention mechanism. Due to the extended length of the PWM circuitry the top slot has been sacrificed as the northbridge is also located here, just below the CPU socket.

That being said, if it is of any consolation, there are no known reports of hackers actually making use of the aforementioned trojan-infected app to actively steal and exploit sensitive data from consumers for their own personal gain. Still, if anything, this report will probably serve as a very good wakeup call to consumers who are still under the impression that their smartphones are happily living in the La-la Land of cyberspace.

Asus' TUF Sabertooth 990FX gets pictured Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-tuf-sabertooth-990fx-getspictured/12271.html May 19th, 2011

As such, the board has four x16 PCI Express slots and a single x1 PCI Express slot and one PCI slot. The x16 slots are configured in dual x16 or one x16 and two x8 with the grey/ black slot being a x4 slot. Beyond the native six SATA 6Gbps ports, Asus has also added a pair of SATA 3Gbps ports, good enough for an optical drive or an older hard drive.

About two weeks ago the specifications of Asus' upcoming 900-series AM3+ boards leaked and today the first pictures of the new TUF Sabertooth 990FX appeared on the web courtesy of a Chinese website. The board design is a bit of a flash back to Asus' first TUF board, the TUF Sabertooth i55 and the board has very little in common with the more recent TUF Sabertooth P67 which is kind of surprising. About two weeks ago the specifications of Asus' upcoming 900-series AM3+ boards leaked and today the first pictures of the new TUF Sabertooth 990FX appeared on the web courtesy of a Chinese website. The board design is a bit of a flash back to Asus' first TUF board, the TUF Sabertooth i55 and the board has very little in common with the more recent TUF Sabertooth P67 which is kind of surprising.

Asus has gone for a pair of ASMedia ASM1042 USB 3.0 host controllers, one of the two rear ports and one for a front pinheader. One thing that the leaked spec sheet didn't give away is that all of the fan headers bar one (that's a total of five) are 4-pin fan headers which mean that PWM controller fans will work properly. Beyond that there's little to say about the board, 14

May 19th, 2011

as we've already seen the full specifications, although if you're interested in some more pictures, hit the source link.

Jetway's un-named 990X motherboard leaks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/jetway-s-un-named-990xmotherboard-leaks/12269.html May 19th, 2011

Jetway isn't exactly a huge player in the consumer motherboard market these days, although the company seems to be doing reasonably well in mainland China and now a picture of its upcoming AMD 990X motherboard has leaked on a Chinese website. It's not clear if this is a model limited to the Chinese market, or if we'll be seeing broader availability, but it's an interesting board in at least a couple of ways. Jetway isn't exactly a huge player in the consumer motherboard market these days, although the company seems to be doing reasonably well in mainland China and now a picture of its upcoming AMD 990X motherboard has leaked on a Chinese website. It's not clear if this is a model limited to the Chinese market, or if we'll be seeing broader availability, but it's an interesting board in at least a couple of ways. The leaked picture isn't very high resolution, so it's difficult to see some of the details. However, a couple of interesting things that stand out straight away is the location of the power regulation circuitry and the chipset. The PWM is located at the top of the board, rather than between the CPU socket and the rear I/O ports and in part this is possible because Jetway has gone for what looks like a simple 4+1 design. However, in doing so, Jetway also had to rotate the CPU retention mechanism by 90 degrees. The effect of this is that certain CPU coolers, specifically some models with heatpipes might not work as well as intended, as the heatpipes might end up the wrong way around.

Published by: VR-Zone

The other peculiar thing about this board is the location of the chipset, as traditional two-chip designs meant that the northbridge was close to the CPU socket, with the southbridge being located towards the lower front half of the board. In this case, Jetway has put the two right next to each other and fitted a rather large heatsink on the two. The only real advantage of doing this is that there's no obstruction in front of the expansion slots, but in general this has never been an issue on most motherboards. The expansion slots consist of two x16 PCI Express slots, although as this board uses the AMD 990X chipset, we're looking at a dual x8 configuration when both slots are in use. The board also has two x1 PCI Express slots, a PCI slot and unusually a mini PCI Express slot as well. Due to the unusual board layout, Jetway has lost two expansion slots which is somewhat disappointing, but not something that most people are going to find to be a great concern. The board also has six SATA 6Gbps ports, although they're located unusually far up the board. There's also a single IDE port or possibly a floppy connector, it's a bit hard to tell from the picture. We'd also dare to guess that the board has pin-headers for at least another six USB 2.0 ports. Around the back the board has a pair of PS/2 ports, six USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 7.1-channel audio with coaxial S/PDIF out and what appears to be a clear CMOS button. Overall we're not blown away by this board, but then again, if the price is right we're sure it'll find a home somewhere.

CUPP Computing to demo PunkThis Hybrid PC module at Computex Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cupp-computing-to-demo-punkthishybrid-pc-module-at-computex/12268.html May 19th, 2011

If you've never heard of CUPP Computing, don't despair, as the company has as yet not launched a single product. However, CUPP Computing will be showing off its new PunkThis Hybrid PC module at Computex in less than two weeks' time and it really could change the way that we use our notebooks. If you've never heard of CUPP Computing, don't despair, as the company has as yet not launched a single product. However, CUPP Computing will be showing off its new PunkThis Hybrid PC module at Computex in less than two weeks' time and it really could change the way that we use our notebooks. CUPP Computing has already shown off some early prototypes of its Hybrid PC solution and those prototypes were based on a TI OMAP 3430 ARM Cortex-A8 SoC clocked at a mere 720MHz, paired up with 512MB of RAM. The PunkThis 15

May 19th, 2011

module is based on a 1GHz TI OMAP DM3730 SoC, although it still only has 512MB of RAM, but the big difference this time around is that the ARM processor module is in a standard 2.5-inch drive form factor and it even has a SATA port. The PunkThis board also has what should turn out to me an mSATA port to which an SSD can be connected.

By now you're most likely wondering what the big deal is. Well, the PunkThis board plugs into a standard notebook and then allows the user to switch between the high-performance notebook hardware and the low-power ARM based hardware on the fly. What this means is that if you just need to do some simple tasks, such as edit a document, access the web and so on, you can do this using the low-power ARM hardware on the PunkThis board which would double, triple or maybe even quadruple your battery life. The PunkThis board will run Android, Ubuntu and several other flavours of Linux. The cool thing is that CUPP Computing has figured out a way to hook into the main systems of your notebook, so you still have access to the hard drive (or SSD as it may be), display, keyboard and touch pad, USB ports, display ports, audio jacks and speakers. By being able to switch instantly between the two platforms, you're not going to have to sit around and wait for the main operating system to boot up if you need to access some more power demanding applications. We're going to meet up with CUPP Computing at Computex and we'll bring you more details of what's to come then.

MacBook Air refresh rumoured for June or July

Published by: VR-Zone

Reports by multiple sources are suggesting that Apple is getting ready to refresh its MacBook Air lines of notebooks come June or July and as expected we'll be seeing some Sandy Bridge hardware inside the new models. The other big addition is said to be Thunderbolt support, something that could prove to be useful on a system that is otherwise void if high-speed interfaces. Moving from Intel's aging Core 2 Duo CPUs to Sandy Bridge should be a huge boost to the performance for the MacBook Airs, although the biggest question that so far remains unanswered is what Apple is going to do in the graphics department. Apple hasn't shipped a single product using Intel graphics since the good old GMA950 which was used in early models of the Apple TV and Apple in general seems to loathe Intel graphics. That said, we're seeing switchable graphics on Apple's MacBook Pro models, so there's already OS support for Intel's HD 3000 series of graphics, which might just be good enough for Apple. Apple is expected to use the new low Voltage and ultra-low Voltage Sandy Bridge based mobile CPUs from Intel with a TDP of 25W and 17W respectively. Clock speeds range from 1.4 to 1.6GHz for the ultra-low Voltage CPUs whereas the low Voltage models are clocked at 2.1 to 2.3GHz. If Apple goes down the same route as today, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air should be fitted with the ultra-low Voltage CPUs while the 13.3-inch model would use the low Voltage CPUs. Thunderbolt support could make for some interesting external device options for Apple's ultra-thin notebooks that have so far suffered a fair bit in terms of high-speed peripheral ports. This way the MacBook Air family could also become much more productive work tools, especially for those that need a very portable notebook to travel with for example. The new models are expected to enter production this month for an announcement sometime in June or July.

The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 18 May 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--18may-2011/12266.html May 19th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/macbook-air-refresh-rumoured-forjune-or-july/12267.html May 19th, 2011

In today's news roundup: Technical specifications of MSI's unreleased N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition graphics card, which is expected to debut only at Computex later this month, has been published onto the Internet courtesy of an Italian website; Intel's CEO has claimed that he sees no advantages in licensing ARM's processor architecture for use in the embedded space, and that the money spent in having to pay royalties to ARM could be better spent in researching for ways to further optimize the x86 architecture for use in chips which boast extremely low power consumption; 10 tablet PC devices powered by INtel hardware will reporetedly be making their debut in the upcoming Computex trade exhibition held at Taipei in June; Toshiba has confirmed that its latest fourinch LCD display which is capable of 367ppi will be making 16

May 19th, 2011

its way to a smartphone sometime this year, and that it will not be Apple's upcoming iPhone that will get first dibs on the new display; Microsoft is offering to replace affected Xbox 360 consoles for free after a firmware update designed to enable support for a new optical disc format has ended up casuing a small number of consoles to stop working completely, and Sony's woes with the PlayStation Network is set to continue after it was discovered that hackers who have gained access to compromised personal information could use the acquired information to change a legitimate subscriber's password, thus potentially barring subscribers from accessing their online accounts. Hardware news Zalman CPPS11X Tower CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews Description: Zalman has for years had coolers that were a very nice balance of unique style and performance. The CNPS11X is no different; it has unique looks with solid performance, and does it quietly. The overall looks of the CNPS11X are nice. The Black Pearl nickel plating and blue LED fan gives the cooler some flare while not being overbearing. The new V or triangle design is definitely different for a tower cooler, which something that sets it apart from the crowd. Like the old barrel style coolers this can be spotted from across the room and you can know who made it... Exclusive: MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition specs (Italian) Description: (Machine translation) Just this morning we showed you the first photo on the card MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition . Now we have also the technical specifications of the card that the manufacturer will debut at Computex in Taipei next expected later this month. OCZ Technology Vertex 3 SSD Form Factor: Bigger isn't Always Better Description: When Vertex 2 and Agility 2 hit the market things changed again; Vertex 2 shipped with a higher IOPS programming and Agility 2 was shipped with the lower programming. For the most part this was an acceptable situation, but the BOM was never nailed down for Vertex 2. Eventually OCZ started playing loose and fast with the second series of these SSD products and somewhere along the line in December 2010 Vertex 2 drives started shipping with 25nm flash. In Win BUC Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews Description: Ever dream of a mid tower case that had four hot swap internal SATA drive bays that you could access easily? Of course the case would have to have plenty of fans for cooling, and a pass thru ventilation design for the PSU to reduce heating the internal components. And of course, you would want your mechanical drives to be noise isolated. It might also help if the case had a cool look with a back lit LED fan to kind of show it all off. Hey let's throw in water cooling holes just in case, and what would be nice is if the price was affordable. Perhaps less than a hundred bucks? Seagate Constellation ES.2 3TB SATA 3 HDD Review @ Real World Labs Description: Thanks to its enterprise grade build quality, blazing fast speeds and 3TB of space the latest Constellation

Published by: VR-Zone

ES.2 3TB SATA 3 hard disk drive by Seagate has simply managed to pull ahead from the competition. Corsair Obsidian 650D Review @ Vortez Description: Having two full tower cases within the range has certainly satisfied the high-end market but what about midrange? Well today we will be looking at the new 650D. This is a mid-tower case, offering all the features of the 800D but in a smaller shell. Not everyone favours a full tower case, many have been waiting for this 650D – the smaller brother to the 800D. NVIDIA Introduces New GeForce GTX 560 GPU and Faster GeForce R275 Drivers Description: NVIDIA has introduced the GeForce GTX 560 GPU, the latest addition to the company's Fermi architecturebased product family, which brings amazing performance and enhanced features such as NVIDIA PhysX, 3D Vision, SLI and Surround technologies to this summer's hottest PC games. Intel: There Are No Advantages in Going to ARM. Description: Intel Corp's chief executive officer has ruled out any possibility of adopting the ARM architecture for its chips aimed at ultra-mobile devices. The company believes that instead of paying royalties to ARM, it may achieve better financial results and performance by tuning-up its x86 microarchitecture for low power consumption. Consumer Electronics: Acer’s A500 Is a Hefty Honeycomb Tablet on a Budget Description: At $449, Acer’s Iconia Tab A500 is among the least expensive Honeycomb tablets available today. Acer was able to keep costs down by limiting the internal flash memory storage and eliminating the mobile broadband radio: The A500 is available in a Wi-Fi only model. While that limits where you can use the tablet, it also skips the monthly data plan requirement that often comes with a 3G or 4G tablet. So how does the A500 compare to more expensive models with mobile broadband, such as the Motorola Xoom and T-Mobile G-Slate? I spent the last two weeks with Acer’s newest Google Android tablet to find out. Ten New Intel-Based Tablets to Be Unveiled at Computex Description: Intel plans to introduce more than 10 new tablets at the Computex trade show, which is held from May 31 to June 4 in Taipei, the Wall Street Journal reports. Furthermore, Intel’s general manager for Asia-Pacific, Navin Shenoy, said we can expect to see more than 35 tablets based on Intel chips in 2011. The company doesn’t expect any impact from the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, Shenoy said. MAINGEAR Launches the Most Powerful 3D enabled 17-inch notebook Overclocked up to 4.8GHz Description: MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, workstations and media centers, adds the most powerful 17-inch 3D notebook solution to their notebook offering. PC gamers will be able to harness desktop-like power wherever they go and enjoy 3D gaming wherever they go. Toshiba declares victory in pixel density war: 367ppi coming to a phone this year

May 19th, 2011

Description: We got the lowdown on Toshiba's latest four-inch LCD a couple of days ago, and today at SID 2011 we got up close and personal with the pixel-packed display. It's one thing to read about a 367ppi screen that shows native 720p video, and it's quite another to experience it in person. We can report that it is, in fact, as awesome as it sounds -- onscreen images were clear, crisp, and chromatically brilliant. Pixel density enthusiasts will also be happy to hear that Toshiba confirmed the display will make it to market this year. Of course, the rep wouldn't tell us which phone will take the iPhone 4's crown as the ppi champ, though we imagine it'll be something powered by little green bots. The Samsung Cube Camera, Too Bizarre to Exist Description: A recent interview with Samsung's camera division yielded some interesting bits about their lenses—but the real star was this photo of lost prototypes. The model with the three vintage-y dials is gorgeous. But the cube? Uhh. Uhhh. Official Pictures Samsung “Hawk” – Exhibit 4G Description: T-Mobile, starting this June 8th, will start offering its new Gingerbread Android phone, Samsung Exhibit 4G. This is going to be a mid range Android phone capable of running under T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ network, up to 21Mbps. The Samsung Exhibit 4G will pack a 1Ghz processor, with a 3MP camera (back) and a VGA front camera. So you can use video calls without any problems. Also will come with Android 2.3 OS, 3G, 4G capable. It will be pre-loaded with sames like Bejeweled 2, Scrabble and Doodle Jump. Retail price for US$ 325.00. With contract? no words yet.. Android vulnerability reflects need for more timely updates Description: Researchers say that 99.7 percent of Android users are at risk from a ClientLogin vulnerability that impacts Google's calendar and contact synchronization services. The bug has already been fixed in Android 2.3.4, but it's not clear how long it will take for the fix to reach users. It's a compelling demonstration of the need for faster Android updates, a problem that Google is working to solve.

Published by: VR-Zone

function, using just two pieces of information – a PSN account email address and a date of birth.

PSU Review - Club 3D CSPX1000CB 1000W Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/psu-review--club-3d-cspx1000cb-1000w/12265.html May 19th, 2011

Today we are going to review a new high performance product from Club 3D, the renowned graphics card manufacturer; however it is not a graphics card. The company recently made a very surprising diversification move towards the PSU market, releasing six new power supplies. The 6 new power supplies cover most user categories, with the line-up ranging from a mainstream 400W up to a monstrous 1200W. In this review we will examine the CSP-X1000CB 1000W unit. Manufacturer features and specifications Model Product Name: CSP-X1000CB Product Series: High Quality Switching Power Supply Item Code: CSP-X1000CB

Gaming news

EAN Code: 8717249408727

2K Sports, Nexon Target Korea With Online Baseball Sim Description: 2K Sports announced an agreement with Nexon Corporation to develop and publish a new online baseball simulation for the South Korean market. The partnership builds upon 2K Sports’ strategy to leverage its proven intellectual property and expertise, by using Nexon’s deep gaming roots in Korea to enhance its online game offerings for Asia.

Technical Informations

Microsoft replacing older 360s damaged by new firmware update Description: It seems that the latest Xbox 360 firmware update isn't compatible with all versions of the console, as a small number users reportedly cannot play games on their systems after updating. To make up for this, Microsoft has confirmed that it will be replacing consoles for those affected. PlayStation Network Password Reset Exploited, User Accounts Not Safe Description: Another day of gloom for PlayStation Network (PSN) users as reports are coming in that the password reset feature of PSN has been compromised. The exploit allows hackers to change user passwords via the PSN password reset

Type: ATX Form Factor 12V V2.3 / SSI standard EPS 12V V2.92 PFC: Active PFC (0.99) Input Voltage: 100-240V (Auto Range) Input Frequency Range: 50 ~ 60Hz Fan: Ultra-silent 135mm temperature controlled fan Power Good Signal: 100 ~ 500ms Hold Up Time: > 17ms Efficiency (Load): 85% Dimensions (W / D / H): Standard ATX 150 x 165 x 86 (mm) Operation Temperature: 0-40°C (nominal Input Voltage)

May 19th, 2011

Safety: CE 80-PLUS Certification: 80PLUS Bronze Protection: OCP (Over Current Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OVP (Over Voltage Protection), SCP

Published by: VR-Zone

M1 and Starhub to sell iPad 2 on May 20 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/m1-and-starhub-to-sell-ipad-2-onmay-20/12263.html May 19th, 2011

(Short Circuit Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection) Input Characteristics Voltage: 115V - 230V Frequency: 50 - 60Hz Input Current: 15A Output Characteristics +3.3V: 24A / 170W +5V: 30A / 170W

Fancy getting your hands on an iPad 2? If your answer to that question is a resounding 'yes', let's just say that the time has come to start smashing the piggy banks and rushing down to the nearest M1 or Starhub outlets, as both local telcos have confirmed that they will be bringing in the WiFi + 3G version of Apple's recently launched tablet for sale come May 20.

+12V1: 38A / 864W +12V2: 38A / 864W +12V3: 38A / 864W -12V2: 0.5A / 6W -5VSB: 3.0A / 15W Total Max. Output 1000W Total Combined Wattage +3.3V: 170W +5V: 170W +12V1: 979W +12V2: 979W +12V3: 979W

M1 and Starhub have both announced today that they will begin selling Apple's recently-launched tablet, the iPad 2, at their respective authorized stores. Like SingTel, the version of the iPad 2 that will be made available for consumer purchase will the the WiFi + 3G model, and that both carriers will offer the device at subsidised rates based on "select tariff plans on a two-year contract". In addition, both carriers have also claimed that they will be "offering a range of attractive data plans" who wish to purchase the iPad 2 without being tied down to a contract. Here are the data plans currently being offered by both M1 and Starhub: M1:

-12V2: 21W -5VSB: 21W Cable Ioom (mm) 20+4P Main: 550 ATX/EPS 4+4P: 550 PCI-E 6+2P: 550+ 150 SATA: 550- 150 PATA+FLOPPY: 550- 150 Modular Cable Management Yes

Postpaid Plans Monthly Subscription Free Data Bundle Download Speed Upload Speed

Data Lite $21.40 3GB Up to 7.2 Mbps ~ Up to 2 Mbps ~

Maximum Data $51.36 Charges Capped^ Prepaid Plan Card Value Free Data Bundle Download Speed Upload Speed

Data Unlimited $36.38* (U.P. $43.87) Unlimited

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Prepaid Data Card $20 1GB # Up to 7.2 Mbps ~ Up to 2 Mbps ~ 19

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Starhub: iPad MaxMobile Prepaid (No Contract) Subscription $0

iPad MaxMobile Ultimate

MultiSIM

$40.02/ month

$10.70 $5.35 (Valid till 30 June 2011) As per your selected mobile plan

Bundled Data 2.5GB worth Unlimited $32 (Valid for 60 Days) Download Up to 7.2Mbps Speed Upload Up to 1.9Mbps Speed One-time N.A. $37.45 Charges 16GB WiFi + $848 $399 3G 32GB WiFi + $978 $499 3G 64GB WiFi + $1108 $599 3G

$32.10

Samsung Notebook Series 9 is a premium notebook that offers superior design, performance and durability. It is ultra lightweight at only 1.31kg and measuring 0.64-inches in thickness.

$818 $948 $1078

Samsung notebook Series 9 now available Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-notebook-series-9-nowavailable/12262.html May 19th, 2011

Crafted from Duralumin, an ultra lightweight material that is twice as strong as aluminum, the Series 9 is equipped with the second generation Intel Core i5-2537M processor, 13-inch screen and sports a backlit keyboard.

The notebook PCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SuperBright Plus display with 400nit brightness is two times brighter than conventional displays, as well as its vibrant Color reproduction (16 million colors) and Super Contrast ratio (1,300:1). It also claims to be one of the most superior ergonomic, aesthetic design and eco-friendly notebooks on the market.

The Samsung Series 9 is now available at S$2,488.

Samsung Asia has announced their notebook series 9 that features an eco-friendly, sleek design and superb performance. The Samsung series 9 notebook PC is available now in Singapore.

Apple lowers iPhone 4 shipment volume for 2nd Quarter Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-lowers-iphone-4-shipmentvolume-for-2nd-quarter/12258.html May 19th, 2011

Apple has lowered its expected shipment volume of iPhone 4 for the second quarter of 2011 from 20 million units, to 17.5-18 million units. Read on.

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

if you are, you are in luck: Dell has officially announced the existence of a brand-new 15-inch notebook up its sleeves which it touts as one of the thinnest such notebooks to exist, and has even released a few teaser images to show off just how thin and well-designed the notebook is.

Reasons for the lowered shipment volume are cited to be due to an inventory volume of about 2 million units of iPhone 4 and the upcoming launch of iPhone 4S which is scheduled in September 2011. Sources indicated the production of iPhone 4S to begin in August. iPhone 4S will be using Qualcomm 3G and CDMA chips.The rear camera is expected to be a 8-megapixel resolution model which OmniVision Technologies and Taiwan-based Largan Precision will supply.

Dell teases unnamed 15-inch ultrathin notebook PC Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dell-teases-unnamed-15-inch-ultrathinnotebook-pc/12259.html May 19th, 2011

Of course, Dell had taken measures to ensure that it did not reveal any more information than it needed to in order to capture the audience's attention, and the press release we were issued with seems to confirm that fact. However, Dell did mention that the ultrathin 15-inch tablet will be powered by either an Intel Core i5 or an i7 processor, and that the casing used to house the notebook's hardware is less than an inch thin. More importantly, the images released by Dell seems to suggest that the unnamed notebook's casing will be built out of metal instead of the tough plastic favoured by most OEMs today.

Notebooks are meant to be portable, but there will always be times where portability has to take a back seat, especially where performance, onscreen real estate and user comfort is concerned. As luck will have it, Dell has apparently received enough requests for a 15-inch ultrathin notebook for it to actually start producing its own idea of how such a notebook should resemble. And based on the teaser images, we'd have to admit that Dell has got quite the looker on their hands.

Are you the kind of user to believes that notebooks should come with large displays in order to make it easy for the mobile professional to read through walls of text without having to squint like how it is done on smaller-sized notebooks? Well,

As expected, the press release contains no information about the notebook's release date and pricing, though Dell did mention that it will be keeping us in the loop for any further

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

updates about the unnamed notebook, so do check back for updates.

Official launch date of LG Revolution smartphone for Verizon confirmed Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/official-launch-date-of-lg-revolutionsmartphone-for-verizon-confirmed/12256.html May 19th, 2011

\Most people will probably be aware of LG's plans to launch a new smartphone known as the Revolution, and that it will be a 4G phone which packs some impressive hardware. But the key detail about the smartphone's availability date has always been a mystery...until now, that is. Apparently, word has it that the Revolution is slated for a May 26 launch, and has gone through some minor cosmetic tweaks since it was first unveiled at CES this year. LG may have unveiled its 4G-capable Revolution smartphone way back at this year's CES held in January, but as with most announcements made during that period, the Korean OEM had conveniently neglected to make any mention of the smartphone's release date. However, those who have been lusting over the Revolution when it was first announced can thank their lucky stars that the wait is finally over, for word has it that LG will officially launch the Revolution for Verizon on 26 May this year. Which, coincidentally, also happens to be the day Motorola and Sony Ericsson are launching their DROIDX2 and Xperia Play smartphones respectively.

According to a couple of reports published by a community blog known as Droid Life, the LG Revolution will not sport the 'with Google' branding, as the smartphone will reportedly make use of Microsoft's Bing search engine instead of the default Google Search functionality that comes standard in most Android-powered smartphones available on the market. However, it appears that the lack of a 'with Google' branding is the smartphone's only drawback, for hidden under the Revolution's body lies some rather decent hardware. For starters, the Revolution has been confirmed to be powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon system-on-a-chip (SoC), which should provide sufficient processing power for a wide variety of media-related tasks such as light gaming and HD movie playback. In addition, the Revolution also sports a large 4.3inch capacitive touchscreen capable of a native 800 x 480 resolution, front and rear-facing cameras with resolutions of five and 1.5 megapixels respectively, along with builtin support for wireless charging, HDMI-out, DLNA and Bluetooth 3.0, along with other networking feature which currently come standard in most smartphone. Oh, and it will come bundled with version 2.2 of the Android operating system, along with NetFlix as well. Unfortunately, there is no information as to whether the Revolution will be eligible for an upgrade path to Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich.

That being said, no mention of the LG Revolution's price was made in Droid Life's reports, in spite it being a mere eight days before the Revolution's official launch. However, considering that Verizon is bound to offer some form of subsidy on the phone, we'd say that the lack of any official word on the device's pricing is simply due to Verizon still hard at work in finalizing the amount of subsidies they are willing to offer to customers. 22

May 19th, 2011

Last but not least, the specifications seem to indicate that the Revolution has totally no support for GSM networks, so chances are this phone is never going to see the light of day outside of the US unless LG decides to add in the hardware needed to do so.

ASUS to showcase GTX 595 Ares at Computex Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-to-showcase-gtx-595-ares-atcomputex/12254.html May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone May 19th, 2011

NVIDIA has released a new beta GeForce driver. Version 275.27 adds support for the newly released GeForce GTX 560, improved display scaling and Nvidia Update.

Word has it that Asus will showcase its GTX 595 Ares at Computex 2011. The dual-GF110 card is rumoured to have clockspeeds even higher than those of the single-GPU GTX 580. Beta driver 275.27 adds supports for the newly released GeForce GTX 560. Nvidia cites performance increases in several games compared to the current 270.61 drivers. Examples include: GeForce GTX 580: • Up to 4% in Crysis 2 • Up to 5% in Civilization V with SLI • Up to 9% in Portal 2 • Up to 13% in Bulletstorm with Antialiasing enabled • Up to 15% in Batman: Arkham Asylum with PhysX High GeForce GTX 560: • Up to 6% in Crysis 2 • Up to 8% in Portal 2 • Up to 14% in Batman: Arkham Asylum with PhysX High Whereas the GTX 590 was clocked slower than the GTX 580 in order to accomodate two GPUs, it is rumoured that the GTX 595 will be even faster. Reports say that Asus' GTX 595 Ares will be clocked at a whopping 875MHz (shader clock 1750MHz), with a memory clock of 4800MHz. Memory size is most likely 3GB (1.5GB x 2). If this is true we can expect another Very Large Card from Asus.

Nvidia Releases GeForce Driver 275.27 Beta

• Up to 15% in Bulletstorm with Antialiasing enabled Nvidia also says that gaming performance may increase by up to 12% for dual-core CPUs in CPU-limited cases. Display Scaling Display scaling options have been improved and now show a preview. It is now also possible to set scaling options for all display types including analog displays.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-releases-geforce-driver-275.27beta/12255.html

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone May 19th, 2011

An override option has also been added for Windows 7 that forces games to respect scaling options. For games that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support custom resolutions, desktop resizing now creates a custom, resized resolution with 1:1 pixel mapping and resizes standard resolutions. Nvidia Update This optional component will automatically check for driver updates as well as the latest game profiles.

It's been a rumour since Intel's announcement of its Thunderbolt interface that Sony, as well as potentially HP and Dell were going to come on-board. Now it seems like the first details of what Sony has been up to are starting to emerge, but it all seems a little bit strange. Sony is said to be adding Thunderbolt support to its "Ultimate Mobile PC" which the company teased a little while back, but not via the mini DisplayPort connector that Apple has gone for. It's been a rumour since Intel's announcement of its Thunderbolt interface that Sony, as well as potentially HP and Dell were going to come on-board. Now it seems like the first details of what Sony has been up to are starting to emerge, but it all seems a little bit strange. Sony is said to be adding Thunderbolt support to its "Ultimate Mobile PC" which the company teased a little while back, but not via the mini DisplayPort connector that Apple has gone for. Instead, Sony is said to be using a modified USB port, something we're fairly certain that both the USB-IF and Intel aren't going to be too happy about. We wouldn't put it past Sony to do something like this, as the company has a long history of coming up with its own standards, some that prevailed and others that we'd rather forget about.

Release Notes & Download Links Read the full release notes here. Download the GeForce 275.27 Beta Drivers (64-bit Windows 7/Vista) now. Download the GeForce 275.27 Beta Drivers (32-bit Windows 7/Vista) now.

Sony to offer Thunderbolt in notebooks, use its own connector? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-to-offer-thunderbolt-innotebooks-use-its-own-connector-/12253.html

The Thunderbolt port on the "Ultimate Mobile PC" is said to be used for connecting the notebook to a docking solution which will hold a discrete AMD GPU 6700M series GPU, a USB 3.0 port, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port and even a Blu-ray burner. We'll have to wait and see how this develops, but let's hope Sony has enough sense to stick to the standard that has already been decided upon, even if it's an Apple/Intel standard, but even so, a standard is better than everyone doing their own thing.

ASMedia's USB 3.0 host controller gains USB-IF certification Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asmedia-s-usb-3.0-host-controllergains-usb-if-certification/12252.html

May 19th, 2011 May 19th, 2011

It seems like hell froze over and pigs flew today, at least at the USB-IF as ASMedia has as the first Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller manufacturer gained certification. So what's all the fuss about? Well, for one, ASMedia is the first Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller maker to pass the certification process, which is a pretty big deal, but it's slightly more important than that. It seems like hell froze over and pigs flew today, at least at the USB-IF as ASMedia has as the first Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller manufacturer gained certification. So what's all the fuss about? Well, for one, ASMedia is the first Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller maker to pass the certification process, which is a pretty big deal, but it's slightly more important than that. ASMedia is a daughter company to Asus, but several motherboard makers have already started to use ASMedia's USB 3.0 host controller – known as the ASM1042 – on their motherboards. Not being certified by the USB-IF means that there might be some compatibility issues, but it also means that you can't use the Super Speed USB 3.0 logo on your products.

Published by: VR-Zone

AMD FM1 motherboard to appear and we can't say that we're entirely sold on ECS' design choices. Although ECS didn't provide a picture with its announcement earlier today pertaining to its AMD socket FM1 boards, a picture of the A75F-A motherboard has now turned out via a German website. This is the first picture of a production AMD FM1 motherboard to appear and we can't say that we're entirely sold on ECS' design choices. It's amazing how much more information you have at your fingertips once a picture is posted of a new motherboard and now we can do a much more detailed breakdown on what's coming. The most obvious part is the CPU socket with the 950-pin FM1 socket and this is also what seems to be the main reason for AMD's change to its CPU cooler retention mechanism. We saw the split design being demonstrated by ASRock at CeBIT earlier this year and it now makes a lot more sense, as the FM1 socket and the AMD3+ will be sharing the same CPU coolers. The PWM design is really basic, to the extent that we're almost surprised had we not seen AMD's in-house testing board already. We're looking at what appears to be a 4+1 phase design. The board has a simple 4-pin +12V connector rather than the now almost standard 8-pin one which together with the PWM design is suggesting that we're looking at a fairly power frugal set of CPUs.

Oddly enough, all three of the Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller makers – ASMedia, Etron and VLI – have all got WHQL certified drivers, yet, until now, none of them had passed the USB-IF certification. Ok, so getting Microsoft's WHQL certification isn't quite the same, but it still suggests that the hardware is working as intended. We'll have to wait and see now as to when Etron and VLI gains their certification and it's worth keeping in mind that it's just ASMedia's two port ASM1042 host controller that has gained certification, not its single port ASM1041 host controller which is found in some notebooks and on some cheaper motherboards.

ECS' A75F-A motherboard gets pictured Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ecs-a75f-a-motherboard-getspictured/12251.html May 19th, 2011

Although ECS didn't provide a picture with its announcement earlier today pertaining to its AMD socket FM1 boards, a picture of the A75F-A motherboard has now turned out via a German website. This is the first picture of a production

The board has a single x16 PCI Express slot, a single x4 PCI Express slot, two x1 PCI Express slots and three PCI Slots. We're not quite sure why ECS has placed them as it has, as if you want to use a dual-width slot in the x4 slot at the same time as using a dual-slot graphics card, then you're out of PCI Express expansion slots. The board has as we mentioned in our previous news story, five SATA 6Gbps ports and there are also pin headers for what appears to be two USB 3.0 ports, six USB 2.0 ports and a serial and parallel port. Around the back we're looking at a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out and of course an HDMI, DVI and D-sub connector. There's also a clear CMOS button located here. Despite being part of ECS' Black Deluxe series the A75F-A only has solid capacitors located near power regulation circuitry and elsewhere on the board we're looking at traditional electrolyte capacitors, somewhat disappointing on a higher25

May 19th, 2011

end board these days. Apparently there' support for DDR3 memory up to 1866MHz, at least judging by the silk screening on the PCB. Overall we have mixed feelings about this very first AMD FM1 board, but we'd expect better things to come.

Darkspore PC Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/darkspore-pc-review/12086.html May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

the universe from a certain doom. However, the story does not get anything interesting more than that. There is no interaction with the AI or heroes in the game and your missions in the story is as straight as a ruler with the narrative briefing you on the story. While the game hints a possible turn-off for those who are looking forward to an exciting story, there is something in this game which keeps you going and brings the game back into positive light.

Remember Spore? The game where players get to create and experiment through five stages of evolution. Put that into scifi dungeon crawler where you battle worlds of hostile alien creatures to avoid destruction and you get Darkspore.

Darkspore is an action role playing game developed by Maxis, renowned for its simulation titles such as The Sims. It is a brave attempt by the company who tries hard to make a breakthrough in this genre. And even though the game might carry the word "spore" in its title, there is little resemblance to the original Spore.

The mindless hack-and-slash title does offers some metagaming choices such as the variety of different items to a pool of 100 pre-created heroes from five genetic traits. In fact, these little customizations to your arsenal of weaponary will determine your overall stats of your hero in the game. You will get to decide how armour is worn and a gamble to hold your loot for greater rewards if you survive the next level. Putting these nifty choices and modifications together, you will set out to kill Darkspore minions for experience points and level up to unlock more heroes. In the game, the player is put in control of three heroes, switchable with the press of a hotkey. You will navigate and explore areas from lush greenery to space stations killing Darkspores. Rinse and repeat till the final mission. You will gain different items for your heroes and also "DNA" which are necessary to unlock certain abilities and gameplay modes such as PvP.

Darkspore tells a tale of crogenitors, a race of scientists who learnt the technology to create genetic heroes until an outbreak of unstable research mutates creatures aroud the galaxy. This is where your own genetic heroes come into play, that is to save 26

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Online gameplay puts you in either cooperative or Player versus Player (PvP). In cooperative mode, you will pair up with three other players to complete the levels. Looting of items is determined by a dice roll which decides the item your team mates and you will get. No doubt the game levels were designed more for teamplay as it gets a steep inclinement in difficulty at later levels. Again, interaction is non-existant even with your partners, your mission is a plain obvious: kill all hostiles around you and return to base.

We have with us today the Phantom edition, which uses an unusual heatsink arrangement. The two 80mm fans are underneath the aluminium fins. While we don't have any hard numbers on whether this arrangement helps to reduce noise, the card runs quite silently even under load.

PvP is burnt out and lacks competitiveness. Ladder gameplay is not present in Darkspore PvP and there is nothing more than killing someone who is much weaker than you or get killed by a overpowered opponent. Maxis will probably need to do more than adding a patch to give PvP some value in the game.

Gainward GeForce GTX 560 Phantom Preview Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gainward-geforce-gtx-560-phantompreview/12250.html May 19th, 2011

The positioning of the fans may slightly improve cooling of the power circuitry and memory chips, which are not otherwise in contact with the heatsink.

The GTX 560 is aimed at filling in the gap between the GTX 560 Ti and GTX 550 Ti, which is presently still occupied by the older GTX 460 1GB. Gainward has been kind enough to supply us with a GTX 560 for this preview.

Gainward has opted for a VGA+DVI+HDMI output configuration. We would prefer to see double DVI+HDMI though.

Gainward will have three version of the GeForce GTX 560 at launch. In addition to the plain vanilla edition, there will be two overclocked models, as detailed in the table: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560

Gainward Gainward GeForce GTX GeForce GTX 560 Golden 560 Phantom Sample Core Clock 810MHz 822MHz 822MHz Shader Clock 1620MHz 1645MHz 1645MHz Memory Clock 2004MHz 2020MHz 2020MHz Read Gainward's full press release here. The factory overclock on the Phantom is understandably modest as Gainward is aiming for lower temperatures and noise instead. Curiously enough, clockspeeds are no higher on the Golden Sample even though this has always been Gainward's overclocking focused series. A Closer Look

Overclocking We were able to achieve a pretty decent memory overclock, unfortunately the core topped out at 955MHz. It would have been nice to see the GTX 560 hit 1GHz, which we've seen some GTX 560 Tis do before. Overclocking Results Gainward GeForce GTX 560 Phantom Reference Core Clock

810MHz

Factory Overclock 822MHz

Maximum Overclock 955MHz 27

May 19th, 2011

Shader Clock 1620MHz 1645MHz 1910MHz Memory Clock 2004MHz 2020MHz 2201MHz Gainward bundles an overclocking utility with its graphics cards, known as Expertool.

Published by: VR-Zone

performance and can capture up to 12 simultaneous HD video streams.

Performance Overclocked, the GTX 560 can beat its more expensive brother. Here are some numbers:

This is Western Digital's second 3TB drive, the first coming from the Caviar Green series. The new drives are available immediately, with recommended prices as follows: • WD AV-GP 2.5TB - US$159.99 • WD AV-GP 3TB - US$179.99

Look out for our full review of the GTX 560!

Western Digital Launches 3TB AV-GP Hard Drives Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/western-digital-launches-3tb-av-gphard-drives/12248.html May 19th, 2011

Western Digital has just added 2.5TB and 3TB versions to its AV-GP hard drive line. These drives are targeted at the audiovideo market and can capture up to 12 simultaneous HD video streams. They also boast a 1.0 million hour MTBF rating and feature WD GreenPower technology. Western Digital has just added 2.5TB and 3TB versions to its AV-GP hard drive line, which is targeted at the audiovideo market. The drives have a 1.0 million hour MTBF rating and feature WD GreenPower technology to reduce power consumption. According to WD, the AV-GP is no slouch in

See the original press release below: WD® Launches Industry's Largest Capacity 3 TB SATA Hard Drives for AV Platforms New WD AV-GP 2.5 TB, 3 TB Hard Drives Offer CoolRunning, Unrivalled Storage Capacity for Reliable 24/7 Video Streaming in IPTV, DVR, Media Center PC and Surveillance Systems IRVINE, Calif., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), a leader in the desktop, mobile, high-capacity enterprise and consumer markets for hard drives, today announced the addition of 2.5 TB and 3 TB versions to its family of WD AV-GP SATA hard drives, serving the audiovideo (AV) market. Shipping immediately, the 2.5 TB and 3 TB capacity, 3.5-inch, WD AV-GP hard drives offer 24X7 reliability, low power consumption and unrivalled storage capacity for storage-intensive AV applications such as digital video recorders, video surveillance, single-drive media servers and external multimedia storage.

May 19th, 2011

"Designed to go the distance in high-temperature, always-on streaming digital AV environments, WD AV-GP drives store more hi-def audio and video than ever before with our new 2.5 TB and 3 TB versions," said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager, of WD's branded products and CE business units. "Combine unsurpassed capacity, power-saving WD GreenPower Technology™, and performance capabilities to capture up to 12 simultaneous HD video streams with SilkStream™ technology and the drive choice is made clear in optimizing AV applications like PVR/DVR, IPTV and video surveillance." The WD AV-GP family of drives delivers 24X7 reliability along with power-saving WD GreenPower Technology. The WD AV-GP drives are field tested to have a 1.0 million hour MTBF rating. Drives with capacities in excess of 2.19 TB currently present barriers for certain PC hardware, firmware and software. For example, drives larger than 2.19 TB are not supported by systems running Windows XP; and systems with 32-bit versions of Windows Vista or Windows 7 relegate drives larger than 2.19 TB to be used as secondary drives. Thus, it is important to review existing PC specifications prior to installation of either the 2.5 TB or 3 TB WD AV-GP drives. More information on navigating the 2.19 TB drive barrier is available from a new WD whitepaper, at: http:// avlargecapacitydrives.com/.

Published by: VR-Zone

Western Digital, WD and the WD logo are registered trademarks ; WD GreenPower Technology and SilkStream are trademarks of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. One gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. One terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

ASUS AT5IONT-I Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-at5iont-i-review/11811.html May 19th, 2011

If for some reason you don't quite like AMD and its Fusion APU, how about this dual-core hyper-threaded Intel Atom solution with NVIDIA ION graphics onboard? We pit the ASUS AT5IONT-I against the E35M1-I DELUXE for some Mini-ITX action!

Price and Availability The WD AV-GP 2.5 TB (model number WD25EURS) and 3 TB (model number WD30EURS) hard drives are available now in the U.S. at select resellers and distributors. MSRP for the WD AV-GP 2.5 TB hard drive is $159.99 USD and the 3 TB hard drive is $179.99 USD. WD AV-GP hard drives are covered by a three-year limited warranty. More information about the WD AV-GP 2.5 TB and 3 TB hard drives may be found on the company's website at: http://wdc.com/ en/products/internal/av/. About WD WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and home entertainment products.

With AMD's APU solutions readily available, Intel Atom-based desktop solutions are now easily forgotten. We take a look at this dual-core Intel Atom D525, coupled with separate NVIDIA ION 2 graphics from ASUS, and find out if this solution is a good alternative to the sea of AMD APUs out there.

WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's website (http:// www.westerndigital.com/) to access a variety of financial and investor information. 29

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Taking a quick look at the ASUS AT5IONT-I's packaging, it is compact (just slightly bigger than the board itself) and is dressed in the company's trademark blue color.

Next up we have the A75F-M which is the higher-end mATX model which sports four DIMMs, a x16 PCI Express slot, four USB 3.0 ports, six SATA 6Gbps ports, 7.1-channel audio with S/PDIF out and HDMI, DVI and D-sub display connectivity. Finally there's the A75F-M2 which only has two DIMM slots, a x16 PCI Express slot, four USB 3.0 ports, six SATA 6Gbps ports, 5.1-channel audio and HDMI and D-sub connectivity, whereas DVI is apparently somehow optional.

There are two prominent features printed on the back of the packaging - fanless design and support for full high-definition content for use as a home theatre PC.

ECS reveals its AMD FM1 board specs ahead of launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ecs-reveals-its-amd-fm1-board-specsahead-of-launch/12249.html May 19th, 2011

Although no pictures of a retail ready AMD socket FM1 has leaked as yet, we now have the first specifications of no less than three boards from ECS. The company will be displaying at least one ATX and two mATX at Computex which kicks off in two weeks' time and we have a feeling that ECS won't be the only company having boards on display. Although no pictures of a retail ready AMD socket FM1 has leaked as yet, we now have the first specifications of no less than three boards from ECS. The company will be displaying at least one ATX and two mATX at Computex which kicks off in two weeks' time and we have a feeling that ECS won't be the only company having boards on display. First up we have the A75F-A which is the ATX board and it's part of ECS' Black Deluxe series of boards. From what few details ECS has revealed the board should have one x16 PCI Express slot, one x4 PCI Express slot and at least a PCI slot or two. Other features include four DIMM slots, four native USB 3.0 ports thanks to the AMD A75 chipset, five SATA 6Gbps ports, one eSATA 6Gbps port, 7.1-channel audio with S/PDIF out and HDMI, DVI and D-sub connectivity.

The A75 chipset does at least mean that the minimum feature set now includes USB 3.0 which is a nice addition to any motherboard, even though the uptake has been a little bit on the slow side so far. Based on features alone, Intel's platforms are looking less and less attractive and we're still some six months off until we get the first Intel motherboards with native USB 3.0 support. Make sure you check back with us next week for some Computex previews and of course from the 30th for coverage from Computex.

Exclusive: First official picture of MSI's N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-first-official-picture-of-msi-sn580gtx-lightning-xtreme-edition/12247.html May 19th, 2011

MSI is getting ready to launch its insane version, sorry, Xtreme Edition version of the N580GTX Lightning and VR-Zone has scored the first official picture of the new graphics card. MSI has pulled out all the stops this time around and this should be one of the most powerful single GPU graphics cards out there. MSI is getting ready to launch its insane version, sorry, Xtreme Edition version of the N580GTX Lightning and VR-Zone has scored the first official picture of the new graphics card. MSI has pulled out all the stops this time around and this should be one of the most powerful single GPU graphics cards out there. MSI hasn't changed too much with regards to the physical appearance of the card, although the fan shroud is now black instead of gunmetal grey and the fans are blue. The box as announcing dust removal tech although the fan blades are actually the same as on the N580GTX Lighting, so we're not quite sure what have changed. Apparently MSI has also added some new kind of smart thermal sensor which is meant to prevent the card from overheating when overclocked. 30

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

We'll take these numbers with a large helping of salt, but some VIA produced benchmark figures of its new QuadCore processor have appeared on a Japanese website. We're not sure why these numbers didn't show up until now, as we haven't seen them posted elsewhere. VIA put it's 1.2GHz+ CPU up against AMD's 1.6GHz E-350 and we'll let you guess who came out on top.

However, none of this makes it an Xtreme Edition card and the real selling point of the new card is that it comes with a massive 3GB of GDDR5 memory. Sadly we don't know the clock speeds of the new card, but we'd expect them to be close to that of the non Xtreme Edition version. The card should launch sometime between now and Computex.

In related news we've also scored a picture of MSI's standard GTX 560 card, the N560GTX which has a slightly more basic cooler than the Twin Frozr II versions, as it only has two heatpipes rather than four. The card is still cooled by a pair of fans and should prove to be a bit more affordable than the Twin Frozr II editions.

VIA QuadCore benchmarked against AMD's E-350

Both systems were kitted out with 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory, although not much else seems to have been revealed about the system configuration apart from the OS of choice being Windows 7 and that the screen resolution was 1280x1024. Both systems also used integrated graphics, in VIA's case it was the Chrome9HD and for AMD the Radeon HD 6310 IGP.

The VIA QuadCore does have one unfair advantage here, it has two additional CPU cores, albeit at a lower speed. As such the QuadCore scored 4426 points over 2215 points in CineBench R10 making VIA claim a 100 percent performance victory. Moving on to SYSMark 2007 that lead is a mere five percent as the QuadCore scored 60 points compared to 57 for the E-350. In 3DMark 06 VIA managed an overall score of 2120 with AMD again falling behind, albeit once again only five percent with a score of 2023. The QuadCore manages a much higher CPU score here though of 1615 points compared to 1031 for the E-350, but as these are selective benchmarks, the 3D score isn't provided.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/via-quadcore-benchmarked-againstamd-s-e-350/12246.html May 19th, 2011

Some other selective and somewhat odd benchmark results were also provided, but we suggest you hit the source link for them. Maybe the most bizarre one being VIA's 1871 percent lead in AES encryption which isn't so strange considering that

May 19th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

VIA have hardware AES acceleration, something AMD doesn't offer. We wouldn't take any of this numbers as definite results, but they do at least show that VIA's new QuadCore has some potential. What's more, Impress PC Watch is also reporting that we should be seeing a 1GHz+ part that will be able to automatically overclock up to 1.2GHz with sufficient cooling. We might even get to see a 6W 533MHz QuadCore Eden in the future; although we're not sure if there would be a demand for such a low power/performance quad core CPU.