VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Oct 2011 Issue

October 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.

AMD FX-6100 listed in e-tailer bundles Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-6100-listed-in-e-tailerbundles/13690.html October 5th, 2011

One of the top American e-tailers, TigerDirect, has revealed AMD's upcoming FX-6100 as part of several bundles - ranging from motherboard to full system bundles. The price for the FX-6100 is listed as $189. Not surprisingly, the FX-6100 is not listed individually.

Olympus Pen E-P3 Review: This Pen is mightier than your compact camera Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/olympus-pen-e-p3-review-this-pen-ismightier-than-your-compact-camera/13611.html October 5th, 2011

The Olympus Pen E-P3 is one of the three cameras that were announced in Singapore at an event at end June this year, and boasts the world's fastest autofocusing (AF) via Frequency Acceleration Sensor AF system and a lens incorporating the MSC (Movie and Still Compatible) mechanism. In this review, VR-Zone have a hands-on the new micro four-thirds camera and see if it shoots as well as it looks.

One of the top American e-tailers, TigerDirect, has revealed AMD's upcoming FX-6100 as part of several bundles - ranging from motherboard to full system bundles. The price for the FX-6100 is listed as $189. Not surprisingly, the FX-6100 is not listed individually.

Interestingly, some bundles, such as MSI 990FX + FX-6100, claim to be shipping as early as "within 24 hours". However, the Asus Sabertooth + FX-6100 bundle has a more realistic time frame of 7-21 days.

Since there is no individual listing, there are no detailed specifications mentioned for FX-6100. However, the heading itself reveals a 3.3 GHz base clock, 14MB total cache and a 95W TDP - all in accordance with reports thus far.

Of course, these bundle publications are likely to be in breach of NDAs and may be taken down from the website soon.

Till then, you can review a list of FX-6100 bundles here.

When Olympus launched their first Pen series E-P1 micro four-thirds digital camera in 2009, it garnered many favorable reviews. And based on the success of their new line of micro four-third products, the camera manufacturer has unveiled the Olympus Pen E-P3 which is one of the latest models in the Pen series announced this year. The E-P3 resembles its elder siblings, the E-P2 and E-P1, though it comes with few improvements overall. The camera claims to incorporate the world's fastest autofocusing, achieved with the FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor) AF system, and features 12.3-megapixel High Speed Live MOS Sensor with 1080i full high definition movie compatibility and high ISO 12,800 sensitivity.

Here's a look at the E-P3 specification, 1

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Lens mount Effective Pixels Image Stabilizer Monitor Dust reduction

Lens system Live MOS sensor Magnification ratio Filter array AF system Metering system Metering range Memory

Aspect ratio Recording format File format

Recording image size

Movie recording File Size Scene select AE

ISO sensitivity

Preset white balance

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Olympus E-P3 Micro Four Thirds Mount 12.3 million pixels Built in (Imager shift image stabilizer) 3-inch OLED Touchscreen Display Supersonic Wave Filter (dust reduction system for image sensor) Micro Four Thirds interchangeable High speed Live MOS Sensor x5, x7, x10 (Default), x14 Primary color filter (RGB) Image Contrast Detection AF System / AF Assist TTL Image Sensor metering system EV 0 - 20 SD memory card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible), Eye-Fi 1.33 (4:3) DCF, DPOF, compatible/Exif, PRINT Image Matching III RAW (12-bit lossless compressopm JPEG, RAWJPEG, MPO (3D still) [RAW] 4032x3024 pixels ; [JPEG] 4032x3024 pixels 640x480 pixels AVCHD / AVI Motion JPG AVCHD: Max 4GB / AVI Motion-JPEG: Max 2GB Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Macro, Sport, Night scene, Night + Portrait, Children, High key, Low key, 3D DIS mode, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Document, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Conv, Wide Conv, Macro Conv AUTO: ISO 200 - 12800 (customizable, default 200 1600) 6 settings (3000K - 7500K) Lamp (3000K), Fluorescent (4000K), Daylight (5300K), Flash (5500K), Cloudy (6000K), Shade (7500K)

Drive mode

Sequential shoot speed Built-in flash Input/Output

Battery Dimensions Weight

Single-frame shooting, Sequential shooting, Selftimer Approximately 3 frames / sec Available USB2.0, mini HDMI, video-out, dedicated multiconnector (Video: NTSC/PAL selectable, Optional remote cable RMUC1, USB) BLS-1/BLS-5 Lithium-ion battery (included) 122x69.1x34.3 (excluding protrusions) 369g (including battery and memory card)

From IDF: Retina Quality 2560x1600 HD Panels on Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/from-idf-retina-quality-2560x1600-hdpanels-on-ivy-bridge-ultrabooks/13689.html October 5th, 2011

With 2560x1400 'retina' displays expected on Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks next year, even the 2048x1536 iPad 3 may not have the portable hi-res lead for long. But, why not 16:10 2560x1600 then instead? Makes it easier to see the photographs and documents in real proportion...

During the past month's IDF, there were many interesting disclosures and even strategic directions unveiled, especially when it comes to Intel's mobile product expansion.

Ultrabooks, the new category of ultraslim, very light full function notebook PCs that offer real PC experience at neartablet size and weight, were the focus there - in particular, their displays.

What about the displays? All those beautiful slim Ultrabooks on the show floor had typically a 13-inch class, 1366x768 'HD ready' display - yes the same useless 16:9 moviescreen with less vertical real estate than any 5 year old notebook. How will that compare with, 10 inch class iPad 3 2048x1536 display, with not only 3x the pixel count but also much more useful 4:3 aspect ratio?

Enter 'retina quality' Ultrabooks. Early next year, when Ivy Bridge Ultrabook models arrive, expect to see 2560x1440 13.3 inch displays just some 3 mm thick, to satisfy the system thickness requirements. Take a look at the slides...

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AC Ryan introduces VEOLO digital home entertainment device Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ac-ryan-introduces-veolo-digital-homeentertainment-device/13688.html October 5th, 2011

AC Ryan has unveiled the VEOLO smart Android hub that claims to offer apps, Internet, and media streamer on your TV, at the comfort of your home. The VEOLO is equipped with ARM Cortex A9 1GHz processor, onboard 512MB DDR3 and is based on Google Android 2.2 Froyo mobile operating system.

AC Ryan has launched VEOLO digital home entertainment device that claims to offer apps, internet, and a media streamer, all on your TV.The VEOLO is based on the Google Android 2.2 Froyo mobile operating system and brings enhanced experience, including casual games and social media. The built-in web browser and Java support allow users to view Flash websites and stream videos on TV. You can also stream your library of movies, music and pictures in Full high definition (HD) with 1Gigabit wired LAN. In addition, the device is equipped with ARM Cortex A9 1GHz processor, onboard 512MB DDR3 memory and offers built-in wireless 802.11 b/g/n LAN.

Now, a 2560x1440 Ultrabook would have a lot of pixels, over 3 and a half million, to be precise, but the wide moviescreen factor would leave many of those unused, even if editing typical photos or documents or web pages. Having a 2560x1600 full 4 Mpixel screen at 16:10 would, here, enable not just better usability but also more beneficial tablet configuration, which some Ultrabooks will offer. A 16:9 tablet screen is just too elongated, except for Angry Birds playing or movie file watching. And, since these are PREMIUM Ultrabooks, the 5% or so that stingy panel vendors save by glass cutting is not worth the trouble on such top end machines.

You can access the functionality of a keyboard and mouse, wireless motion controller with the bundled 3-in-1 remote control. The AC Ryan VEOLO will retail in November 2011, and end October in Singapore at a suggested retail price of S $329.

Arctic Cooling released two new VGA coolers Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/arctic-cooling-released-two-new-vgacoolers/13687.html October 5th, 2011

Either way, except this stuff in about six months from now, too.

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Arctic Cooling, the well known manufacturer from Switzerland, today released two new VGA coolers aiming at different segments of the market. The first cooler, baptized "Accelero Twin Turbo 6990", is a very powerful dual fan cooler designed especially for the AMD Radeon HD 6990. The second product, the "Accelero S1 PLUS" is a universal, passive cooler.

Read on for details.

Arctic Cooling, the well known manufacturer from Switzerland, today released two new VGA coolers aiming at different segments of the market. The first cooler, baptized "Accelero Twin Turbo 6990", is a very powerful dual fan cooler designed especially for the AMD Radeon HD 6990. The second product, the "Accelero S1 PLUS" is a universal, passive cooler.

The company claims that their new Accelero Twin Turbo 6990 is the most powerful VGA cooler ever. With two 120mm PWM controlled quiet fans and a cooling capacity of 400W it certainly seems to be a very impressive product.

On the other hand, the Accelero S1 PLUS is an entirely passive VGA cooler designed for maximum compatibility and absolute silence. Of course the latter is obvious, since there are no fans or any moving parts at all, while Arctic Cooling claims that this cooler can be mounted on over 80 different models of midrange to high-end cards. The cooler appears to be a good value at 49.95$ USD.

Apple launches the iPhone 4S Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-launches-theiphone-4s/13686.html October 5th, 2011

This cooler has been designed as a unique solution for the newest AMD Radeon HD 6990 VGA card, obviously aiming towards both hardcore overclockers and users who found the stock cooling solution too loud. Finally, Arctic Cooling also designed the most expensive VGA cooler in history, with the Accelero Twin Turbo 6990 retailing for 149.95$ USD.

The iPhone 4S has finally landed and it seems like most of the changes has taken place on the inside and as expected, Apple updated it with the same Apple A5 processor as the iPad 2. Apple claims up to twice the performance and up to seven times faster graphics compared to the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S has finally landed and it seems like most of the changes has taken place on the inside and as expected, Apple updated it with the same Apple A5 processor as the iPad 2. Apple claims up to twice the performance and up to seven times faster graphics compared to the iPhone 4.

By now you've probably figured out that performance should be slightly faster than the iPad 2 thanks to the slightly lower resolution screen (960x640 vs 1024x768). Apple is touting the iPhone 4S as a great gaming device thanks to the PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics core from Imagination Technologies, 4

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although once again it should be similar to the iPad 2 in terms of graphics performance.

Apple claims up to 8h 3G talk time, or 14h 2G talk time, alternatively 6h of web browsing over 3G or 9h over Wi-Fi. It's also meant to do either 10h of video playback or 40h of music playback. That's a slight improvement over the iPhone 4 in terms of 3G talk time, but slightly worse for Wi-Fi web browsing. On the plus side, Apple has added support for 14.4Mbps HSDPA (the iPhone 4 supports 7.2Mbps) although the HSUPA speed remains the same at 5.8Mbps. For those in CDMA countries the really good news is that the iPhone 4S is what is generally referred to as a World Phone, as in it works on both CDMA and GSM/WCDMA networks.

The camera has been boosted from 5Megapixels of the iPhone 4 to 8Megapixles for the iPhone 5. The new CMOS sensor has backside illumination which Apple claims can capture 73 percent more light. Furthermore the new camera captures pictures 33 percent faster and it has a new hybrid IR filter that's said to offer better colour accuracy and better colour uniformity. Apple has also kitted out the camera with a new f/2.4 lens with five lens elements that the company claims is 30 percent sharper. Add to this a new image signal processor in the A5 SoC that adds face detection and 26 percent improved white balance and a 1.1 second time to first shot and 0.5 second shot to shot and you're looking at a pretty serious phone snapper.

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and voice command feature that allows you to give voice commands to your phone. As to how well this will work for non-native speakers or those with a strong accent or dialect is yet to be seen and we can imagine the amount of problems Siri will suffer from. Siri will work with UK, US and Australian English as well as French and German at launch, but Apple is promising to add more languages over time. There's no doubt Apple has spent a lot of resources on developing Siri, it's just that every single voice command or speech recognition system we've ever used over the year has proven to have some kind of issues.

Siri offers a lot of advanced features that we haven't seen from other voice command programs and it's clear that Apple is taking advantage of the CPU power on offer from the A5 SoC. Things like reminder can be set to a specific location and Siri remember who specific people are. We'd presume that there's something of a learning curve here where some things have to be set up manually before Siri can do some of the tasks on offer, but at least some of the functionality appears to be pretty handy.

That's about it for the iPhone 4S, it'll be available in black or white and it'll of course run iOS 5. The 16GB model is going for US$199, the 32GB for US$299 and a much hoped for 64GB version for US$399. At the same time the 8GB iPhone 3GS is now available for free while there's a new 8GB iPhone 4 available for US$99, all prices includes a two year contract tie-in of course. The iPhone 4S will be available for pre-order on October 7th with initial availability in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany and Japan on the 14th with another 22 countries - including Singapore- added on the 28th and another 70 countries before the end of the year. It seems like the iPhone 5 rumours weren't true after all‌ For more detailed coverage from the event, we suggest you hit up Engadget.

Fujitsu launches its own version of an Ultrabook Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/fujitsu-launches-its-own-version-of-anultrabook/13685.html October 5th, 2011

Apple has finally caught up with the competition, but not overtaken them by adding 1080p video recording support to the iPhone 4S, as well as video stabilization (electronic we guess) and something the company calls temporal noise reduction. Finally Apple added support for AirPlay mirroring which means that you can play games on the big screen, although we're not sure how popular this feature would be, as although the iPhone has some of the best handheld games out there, we doubt that they'll look good on a 1080p screen.

In as much as Intel's Ultrabooks have their merits, we can't help but wonder why anyone would get over something like say, the new Fujitsu Lifebook SH76/E, as here we have an ultra-light 13.3-inch notebook with a full fat CPU and a 6-cell battery. It's not the only one of its kind either, as Toshiba has been offering a similar machine for quite some time now in the shape of its Portege R830 and older R730.

The most talked about feature ahead of the launch was Apple's new voice assistant and it's called Siri. It's a speech recognition

In as much as Intel's Ultrabooks have their merits, we can't help but wonder why anyone would get over something like 5

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say, the new Fujitsu Lifebook SH76/E, as here we have an ultra-light 13.3-inch notebook with a full fat CPU and a 6-cell battery. It's not the only one of its kind either, as Toshiba has been offering a similar machine for quite some time now in the shape of its Portege R830 and older R730.

The Lifebook SH76/E weighs in at a mere 1.34kg, that's about the same weight as Acer's new Ultrabook. What we didn't mention is that this is with the optical drive fitted, slide it out and replace it with a weigh saver and the Lifebook SH76/E is a mere 1.22kg, that's lighter than many netbooks. Adding a bit of extra weight is a secondary 27W battery pack that can also be fitted in lieu of the optical drive and combined with the standard 72Wh 6-cell battery pack, Fujitsu claims 18.2h battery life, although the standard battery is said to be good for up to 13.7h of usage without the optical drive installed.

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Luxa2 announces its iPhone 5 cases ahead of Apple's launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/luxa2-announces-its-iphone-5-casesahead-of-apple-s-launch/13684.html October 5th, 2011

We're not sure this was the smartest move in history, but Luxa2, a division of Thermaltake has sent out its press release about its new iPhone 5 cases showing off a total of 13 different designs. Although the images doesn't give away too much in terms of details, there's one front shot of a dummy unit which suggests that Apple decided to keep the round button for at least one of its rumoured two new models that are expected to launch later today US time.

We're not sure this was the smartest move in history, but Luxa2, a division of Thermaltake has sent out its press release about its new iPhone 5 cases showing off a total of 13 different designs. Although the images doesn't give away too much in terms of details, there's one front shot of a dummy unit which suggests that Apple decided to keep the round button for at least one of its rumoured two new models that are expected to launch later today US time.

If nothing else it's a great way of getting some free publicity, as iPhone's cases are a dime a dozen these days and although

This pretty much blows away the Ultrabooks in terms of battery life and we haven't even gotten to the feautres. For starters, the Lifebook SH76/E comes with a Core i5-2520M CPU which is clocked at 2.5GHz but which will turbo all the way up to 3.2GHz. There's space for a pair of SO-DIMMs and up to 8GB of RAM can be fitted, although it ships with 4GB as standard. Storage comes in the same of a 128GB mSATA SSD and this is partly what helps to keep the weight down, but then again, many Ultrabooks are expected to ship with mSATA SSD's.

Luxa2 has come up with a couple of slightly unusual looking cases such as a wooden one and a braided one, the other are fairly generic in terms of look, although six models appear to the made of clear plastic with various patterns.

Connectivity isn't bad either, as Fujitsu has managed to fit a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 port, a D-sub connector, an HDMI port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card slot, a single audio jack and even an ExpressCard/34 slot. Add to that 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and optional WiMAX support and this is far more impressive than your average Ultrabook. We should also mention that the display has a typical notebook resolution of 1366x768.

So ok, the Lifebook SH76/E might not be quite as thin as the Ultrabooks at 16.6mm at its thinnest and 23.2mm at its thickest, but we're quite happy to live with that slightly thicker profile considering all the extra features. There's only one problem, the asking price, as the Lifebook SH76/E will hit retail in Japan later this month for 180,000 Yen (S$3,075/US $2,345) about twice the price of Acer's Ultrabook.

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LG launches Optimus LTE, first 4G HD smartphone in Korea Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-launches-optimus-lte-first-4g-hdsmartphone-in-korea/13683.html October 5th, 2011

If the dummy fitted to the cases turns out to be anything like the real deal, which we'd expect it to be this close to launch, then we're back to a metal back with a plastic Apple logo.

The logo is used to improve the antenna signals which would be blocked by the metal back otherwise. The camera doesn't appear to have changed in any significant way as far as the design is concerned, but that's about as much as we can tell from the pictures.

The volume buttons have changed into a slim line rocker design and it appears as if the lock switch has been moved right next to the camera on the opposite side of the volume rocker.

As far as the front of the phone is concerned, well, it doesn't look that different, but it's possible that Apple has supplied the case manufacturers with dummy units that don't give away the rumoured front re-design. Make what you want of this, but the wait is almost over.

LG Korea has announced the launch of their new Optimus LTE smartphone, which claims to be the first mobile device in the country to lead Long Term Evolution (LTE) with high definition IPS display technology. Unfortunately, no word as to when this phone will be available outside Korea though.

LG Korea has announced the launch of Optimus LTE, which claims to be the first mobile device in the country to offer 4G connectivity with the highest resolution IPS display available on a smartphone. The LG Optimus LTE features a brilliant 4.5-inch "True HD IPS� display which claims to provide higher resolution, brightness and clarity, showing natural colors. It is equipped with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread mobile operating system and comes with a high capacity 1,830 mAh battery. On top of that, the smartphone also offers seamless content sharing through 7

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HDMI and DLNA. Availability of the LG Optimus LTE in markets outside of Korea has not been confirmed.

GeForce 600 branding leaked in 285 BETA drivers Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/geforce-600-branding-leaked-in-285beta-drivers/13682.html October 5th, 2011

In the latest unreleased 285 BETA drivers, the expected GeForce 600 branding has surfaced. The marketing names leaked are NVIDIA GeForce 610M and NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M. The GeForce 610M is likely to be an entry level GPU while the GeForce GT 630M could very well be a GK107 SKU. In the latest unreleased 285 BETA drivers, the expected GeForce 600 branding has surfaced. The marketing names leaked are NVIDIA GeForce 610M and NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M. The GeForce 610M is likely to be an entry level GPU while the GeForce GT 630M could very well be a GK107 SKU. Between GK107 news and these leaks, it seems evident that NVIDIA is concentrating on small mobile GPUs to debut it's next-gen line of GPUs.

Nokia Ace and Sabre specs leak Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-ace-and-sabre-specsleak/13681.html October 5th, 2011

Details of Nokia's upcoming Windows Phone 7 handsets are starting to appear if we're to believe the rumours. As with every other Windows Phone handset maker, Nokia seems to be limited to the same Qualcomm SoC and in this case it's the MSM8x55 depending on CDMA/UMTS support, even though the rumours are only mentioning a 1.4GHz processor without specifying the model.

Details of Nokia's upcoming Windows Phone 7 handsets are starting to appear if we're to believe the rumours. As with every other Windows Phone handset maker, Nokia seems to be limited to the same Qualcomm SoC and in this case it's the MSM8x55 depending on CDMA/UMTS support, even though the rumours are only mentioning a 1.4GHz processor without specifying the model.

The Sabre appears to be similar to the already leaked SeaRay, as both handsets are said to feature a 3.7-inch display, although with Sabre being the lower-end handset it gets to make do with a standard LCD display over the AMOLED display fitted in the SeaRay. Sabre is also said to feature 8GB of internal storage, 25GB of free SkyDrive storage and a

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5Megapixel auto focus camera. The only novel feature here is interchangeable back covers, a typical Nokia feature.

The Ace on the other hand will be Nokia's flagship phone, but we have a hard time getting excited about a single core 1.4GHz Windows Phone 7 device, even though Nokia is said to be kitting it out with a 4.3-inch AMOLED display and an 8Megapixel Carl Zeiss branded camera with auto focus. It's also said to have 16GB of storage, a 1,800mAh battery and HSPA+ connectivity. Nokia will of course launch all of its upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices with the Mango release of the OS. We can't but feel a little bit sorry for Nokia, as its new handsets will be running last year's hardware by the they arrive in quantity in the market. It's less than three months left of this year and the handsets aren't expect to launch at the earliest towards the end of this month. Nokia World 2011 has been suggested as a potential launch platform and that takes places on the 26th and 27th of October in London. At this rate, Nokia is willingly giving away its market share to its competitors, as the company simply doesn't have competitive products, unless of course you only count other Windows Phone 7 handsets that is.

AMD and Intel's upcoming platforms get certified by the PCI-SIG Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-and-intel-s-upcoming-platformsget-certified-by-the-pci-sig/13680.html October 5th, 2011

We don't generally browse the PCI-SIG's website, but we happened upon some interesting information somewhat by accident as we were searching for something unrelated. It seems like the PCI-SIG has certified not only AMD's upcoming Trinity APU, but also Intel's upcoming 2012 desktop and mobile platforms, although it's not what you think.

We don't generally browse the PCI-SIG's website, but we happened upon some interesting information somewhat by accident as we were searching for something unrelated. It seems like the PCI-SIG has certified not only AMD's upcoming Trinity APU, but also Intel's upcoming 2012 desktop and mobile platforms, although it's not what you think.

The certification list covers PCI Express 2.0 compliant hardware and both AMD's Trinity APU with associated reference platform and Intel's Maho Bay and Chief River motherboard platforms have passed certification. Does this mean we won't see PCI Express 3.0 support from either company next year? Well, no, it just means that both platforms are compliant with the current standards and that they can operate at speeds of 5GT/s or GB/s if you prefer.

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We should also mention that Intel's Sandy Bridge-E and Ivy Bridge CPU's are as yet not on the list and in case of all four listed products, it's only the x16 slot that has been tested according to the slim information provided on the PCI-SIG website. However, looking at the list it doesn't look entirely complete, as there are several current products missing from the list.

In related news, Asus has finally announced its first PCI Express 3.0 enabled motherboards. VR-Zone has kept out of the bickering that's been going on between the various motherboard manufacturers with regards to Gen 3 support or not, but we would just like to highlight the fact here that Asus is making similar claims to Gigabyte with regards to compatibility and has a list of older P67, H67 and H61 motherboards alongside most of its Z68 boards. The only bad news is that owners of the Maximus IV Extreme-Z won't be getting Gen 3 support, although Asus claims that the board will work with Ivy Bridge CPUs. For the full list of supported motherboards, head over to the Asus website.

Acer ASPIRE S3 Ultrabook Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/acer-aspire-s3-ultrabookreview/13679.html October 5th, 2011

The Ultrabook was the most talk-about subject at the COMPUTEX 2011 computer expo in Taiwan this year. And a number ofmanufacturers also took the opportunity to launch their Ultrabook at the recent Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2011. Before we proceed, let's look at what is an Ultrabook.

At the COMPUTEX 2011, the chip giant proposed the idea of making the notebook PC more portable and user-friendly with improved endurance to meet the needs of users for at least a day. But most importantly, the price would have to be below US$1,000 .

The Acer ASPIRE S3 from Taiwan claims to be the first ultrabook on the market and it was officially launched on 28 September with announced availability details, specifications and pricing, listed below for your reference.

Specifications

Processor

The Ultrabook is a new category of thin and lightweight ultraportable laptop (defined by Intel) that are equipped with new Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge based Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage (CULV) Intel processors, integrated graphics and SSD storage. Taiwanese manufacturer Acer has recently launched their ASPIRE S3 Ultrabook in Taipei, and VR-Zone managed to get one in for review.

Chipset Display Memory Storage Battery Ports

Wireless Bluetooth Webcam Others

Aspire Aspire S3-951-2464G33iss01 S3-951-2464G23iss02 Intel Core Intel Core i5-2467M 1.6GHz i5-2467M 1.6GHz Turbo Boost Turbo Boost 2.3GHz 2.3GHz Intel UM67 Chipset Intel UM67 Chipset 13.3- inch 13.3-inch (1366x (1366x768) 16:9 768) DDR3 4GB x 1 DDR3 4GB x 1 320GB 7mm SATA 240GB SSD HDD + 20GB SSD 3 cell / 6 hours 3 cell / 7 hours USB / HDMI / USB / HDMI / memory card memory card reader reader 802.11 b / g / N 802.11 b / g / N Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 1.3-megapixel 1.3-megapixel 1.33kg / 4th gen 1.33kg / 4th gen Dolby Digital/ Dolby Digital/ 13mm 13mm

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Pricing

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Aspire Aspire S3-951-2464G33iss01 S3-951-2464G23iss02 NT$34,900 NT (approx. US$1,140) $44,900 (approx.

US$1,466)

Razer unveils Transformers 3 gaming peripherals with movie DVD/Blu-ray release Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/razer-unveils-transformers-3-gamingperipherals-with-movie-dvdblu-ray-release/13678.html October 5th, 2011

Besides the Transformers 3 DVD/Blu-ray movie release, you can now own a piece of limited edition Transformers 3 gaming peripheral from Razer. Razer, with license from Hasbro, has unveiled their new range of Transformers 3 gaming peripherals.

- 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time - 5 independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons - On-the-fly sensitivity adjustments - 60 – 120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration - Zero-acoustic Razer gaming grade Ultraslick mouse feet - Gold-plated USB connector - 7-ft lightweight, braided fiber cable - Approx. size in mm: 128(L) x 70(W) x 42.5(H)

Sandy Bridge-E should hit C2 stepping after launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sandy-bridge-e-should-hit-c2-steppingafter-launch/13677.html October 5th, 2011

We knew that Intel's Sandy Bridge-E chips were big and complicated to make, but what we didn't expect was that Intel was going to continuously keep running into problems. The current C1 stepping is apparently having problems with VTd, not a major issue for most consumers' maybe, but it's a huge problem when it comes to Xeon chips and as such Intel is working on the C2 stepping to fix this "errata".

Razer, under license from Hasbro, has unleashed a unique Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Collector’s Edition product line now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. The four uniquely designed Razer DeathAdder mice in the form of OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, MEGATRON and SHOCKWAVE, claim to offer unparalleled gaming performance. Also included in the product line is a dual-sided Razer Vespula mouse mat whereby one side represents the AUTOBOTS with a speedenhancing surface, and the other, the DECEPTICONS with a control-enhancing surface. You can showcase your favored allegiance as you annihilate opponents with your preferred style of swiping. An exclusive laptop case designed by Razer is also available in four iconic TRANSFORMERS brand colors, delivering a stylish and eye-catching storage solution.

Price: US$59.99 Availability: North America (Retail and Razerzone.com) – Available Now ; Rest of the World – Q4 2011 Product features: - Ergonomic right-handed design - 3500dpi Razer precision 3.5G infrared sensor

We knew that Intel's Sandy Bridge-E chips were big and complicated to make, but what we didn't expect was that Intel was going to continuously keep running into problems. The current C1 stepping is apparently having problems with VTd, not a major issue for most consumers' maybe, but it's a huge problem when it comes to Xeon chips and as such Intel is working on the C2 stepping to fix this "errata".

The only good news here for Intel, if you look at that way, is that its current Extreme Edition CPU's don't support VT-d, neither does the Sandy Bridge K-SKU CPU's, so as far as the consumer platform is concerned it looks like there won't be any further delays, but the initial batch should be C1 stepping rather than C2. The C1 stepping should be in production by now, or by the latest by next week, although we don't know when Intel will kick off production of the C2 stepping, but it's very possible it won't be until next year as qualification samples of the C2 stepping isn't expected until the very end of the year.

As we've mentioned before, Intel will only certify the Waimea Bay platform for PCI Express 2.0 at launch, due to the fact that there aren't enough third party cards to test with. Some PCI 10

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Express 3.0 devices are still likely to work, but Intel doesn't guarantee compatibility. This makes us wonder if the current 6-series motherboard with Gen 3 switches will actually work properly once cards and more importantly, Ivy Bridge CPU's arrive.

We also have some good news for those wanting to continue to use Windows XP, the Waimea Bay platform will be compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, although Intel won't be providing Rapid Storage drivers for the 32bit version of XP and as such the standard Windows drivers will be handling things. The platform will also be supporting Windows 8 once Microsoft launches it.

We can't but feel sorry for the motherboard manufacturers as well, as we're hearing that Intel has jacked the price of the X79 chipset up by 20 percent compared to the X58 chipset, which puts the X79 chipset somewhere in the US$70 region. This is of course the list price and with various discounts and what not, Intel might very well be selling it for far less. However, we're looking at a chipset that offers nothing new over the X58 chipset in terms of features and it's the size of any of the 6-series chipsets, i.e. it should be cheaper to manufacture than the X58 chipset which consists of the I/O Hub and the ICH10R. Now if there only was some competition‌

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come up with this backwards solution, but it really looks like just yet another artificial limitation that is likely to upset consumers.

We've also got full details with regards to the graphics resolutions that are supported as well as confirmation of the clock speeds. The N2800 (and D2700) has the GPU clocked at 640MHz while the N2600 (and D2500) gets to make do with a 400MHz GPU clock, although the render clock is running at a slower 200MHz for all models.

All four CPUs support eDP/DisplayPort, HDMI 1.3a, LDVS (single channel) and D-sub/analogue display connectivity.

However, when it comes to supported resolutions things get complicated. For the case of simplicity we've included the table provided by Intel, but it's very clear that the mobile versions are artificially held back when it comes to the display resolution of the netbook/notebook, although considering most notebook displays have a resolution of 1366x768 from 11.6 to 15.6-inches, this isn't a huge issue. What is strange though is the DisplayPort limitation for external displays for the N-series CPUs and you're better off using HDMI in this case. Note that only two displays can be used simultaneously.

Intel reveals Atom N2X00series details ahead of launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-reveals-atom-n2x00-seriesdetails-ahead-of-launch/13675.html October 5th, 2011

There isn't much left in terms of secrets when it comes to Intel's upcoming N2X00-series of mobile Atom processors, but what we didn't already know, Intel has now managed to unveil itself thanks to a datasheet that the company published ahead of the CPU launch. It's a simple mistake, as the same datasheet covers the Atom D2X00-series and although the two CPU families are very similar, there are some differences beyond the mobile and desktop aspects.

There isn't much left in terms of secrets when it comes to Intel's upcoming N2X00-series of mobile Atom processors, but what we didn't already know, Intel has now managed to unveil itself thanks to a datasheet that the company published ahead of the CPU launch. It's a simple mistake, as the same datasheet covers the Atom D2X00-series and although the two CPU families are very similar, there are some differences beyond the mobile and desktop aspects.

One of the most important aspects of the new Atom processors is hardware video decode support and Intel has implemented support for MPEG2, WMV, H.264 and VC-1 at either 720p60m 1080i60 or 1080p24 for videos encoded at up to 20Mbps.

Sadly there's no support for MPEG4 (or rather MPEG4 part 2 as H.264 is MPEG4 part 10), so DivX and similar formats are still lacking hardware decoding. In its wisdom, or rather lack thereof, Intel won't be offering hardware decode for Flash from version 11.0 and onwards. In other words, this is not a platform for the future.

In as much as the new Atom platform is a huge upgrade in many ways, we can't help but feel disappointed about how little Intel really has added. It's very clear that Intel is scared that its Atom platforms will eat away market share from its Celeron and Pentium branded processors. AMD's only battle in this market space is to gain consumer approval, as its entry level Fusion platform with the E and C-series APU's are easily outperforming Intel's Atom processors where it matters for most consumers. We doubt that Intel will have a hard sell, but we don't think its Atom processors will have the same market share as in the past, as the platform just isn't competitive any more.

For starters we'd missed he fact that the Atom N2600 only supports 2GB of RAM, whereas the N2800 happily accepts 4GB, just like its desktop counterparts. On top of that the N2600 only supports a single DIMM while the other three Atom models happily take two. We're not sure why Intel has 11

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Corsair H100 Water Cooler Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-h100-water-coolerreview/13674.html October 5th, 2011

Even though computer water cooling started off about fifteen years ago, it was not until a couple of years ago when companies first released closed loop, ready to run liquid based coolers for PC components. One of the first companies which released such a liquid based cooler a couple of years ago was Corsair. Today we are going to have a look at the latest and largest liquid based CPU cooler Corsair ever released, the Hydro Series H100. The H100 features a dual fan radiator and Corsair boasts that the cooler can deliver extreme performance; we will find out if that claim is true in this review.

Even though computer water cooling started off about fifteen years ago, it was not until a couple of years ago when companies first released closed loop, ready to run liquid based coolers for PC components. One of the first companies which released such a liquid based cooler a couple of years ago was Corsair. Today we are going to have a look at the latest and largest liquid based CPU cooler Corsair ever released, the Hydro Series H100. The H100 features a dual fan radiator and Corsair boasts that the cooler can deliver extreme performance; we will find out if that claim is true in this review.

ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-z68-extreme7-gen3review/13629.html October 5th, 2011

Today we venture into ASRock's lastest top-of-the-line Z68 board which is in a class of its own; a feature packed beauty with an affordable price tag. Follow us as we take a good deep look at what makes the board what it is, from its unique technologies to what makes it roar. Follow us to answer questions like, how do you get PCI-E 3.0 with an NF200?

How is the VRM on the Extreme7 Gen3 comparable to other boards? How is this board priced lower than other NF200 bearing boards?

Introduction

ASRock was established in 2002 to compete against Tier 2 motherboard makers like DFI, ABIT, and ECS. Traditionally many think of ASRock as ASUS's entry level board maker, as ASUS is thought of as catering to the high-end market segment. While things aren't so clear anymore as to who owns who, it is pretty much accepted that ASRock isn't owned

by ASUS any longer, but they still seem to buy in bulk and thus we see a lot of the same parts used, even parts that are exclusively made for ASUS. In fact after ASUS split with Pegatron, Pegatron used ASRock to compete against ASUS. To make things even stranger it seems like ASRock is still using some of ASUS’s R&D, foundries, as well as buying in bulk with them. While officially they are not the same company, they sure do have many common similarities. It seems that perhaps ASUS didn't know or maybe wanted ASRock to become what it has become today, a motherboard brand which has come a long way in very little time.

With the introduction of LGA1155 based chipsets ASRock shot through its lower tier status and is now competing head to head with GIGABYTE and ASUS. The way ASRock is able to do this is with lower prices, since ASUS and ASRock share a lot of the same parts, ASRock is able to obtain parts at a bulk price/contracts that they couldn't negotiate on their own.

Then their parent company Pegatron shares foundries with ASUS, so when ASUS outsources to Pegatron they can use the technology ASUS used to manufacturer that board. It is not as devious as that sounds, and its really a great thing for ASRock fans.

Yet this Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 has a 3 year warranty, 2oz copper PCB (something pretty much unique to only a few ASRock boards), Japanese Solid Caps (that are sprayed gold to indicate good quality?), as well as some technologies that make this reviewer wonder, are they trying to compete against the Z68XUD7 and the Maximus 4 Extreme-Z? To begin the review a block diagram of the Z68 platform:

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Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of two new Android smartphones - Xperia active (above left) designed for users with an active lifestyle, and Live with Walkman, an Android smartphone that delivers superior music experience.

Sony Ericsson Xperia active Compared to the earlier P67, the Z68 chipset adds Intel HD Graphics support, as well as Intel Smart Responce Technology (SSD Caching). Intel should have initially released the Z68 chipset, as its gains from P67 are very minimal. This motherboard also has Lucid Virtu technology which allows for switchable graphics, DVI, HDMI, D-SUB, and DisplayPort are all avaible. ASRock doesn't do everything like ASUS, first they don't use the Intel PHY, instead they use Broadcom controller, the first time i have seen one on a $280 board. They also use a PLX bridge chip to better the use of the 8 PCI-E 2.0 lanes that the PCH offers, this allows them to add another 16x (4x pghysical) slot to the board, while simultaneously running 3 x USB 3.0 and 2 SATA 6GB/s controllers.

Sony Ericsson introduces Xperia active and Live with Walkman Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-introduces-xperiaactive-and-live-with-walkman/13673.html October 5th, 2011

The Sony Ericsson Xperia active, designed for the active lifestyle users, was showcased in June with the Xperia Ray and Xperia Txt. Today, the company has officially launched the phone in Singapore, together with the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman that promises great audio enjoyment for music lovers.

Running on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Xperia active is a tough Android smartphone for an active sports and outdoor life. This phone is dust-proof and water resistant and incorporates wet finger tracking to ensure the phone works perfectly even if the the screen or a user’s fingers are wet.

The Xperia active also features Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 5-megapixel rear camera that can capture high definition videos, and a powerful 1GHz processor. Preloaded with sports apps that enable users to easily track their fitness levels, users can set their training route using the builtin GPS, Barometer and Compass. In addition, on-screen heart rate and pulse can be monitored in real-time (enabled by ANT + wireless networking technology), while the SportyPal Pro app can monitor real-time performance.

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman has a dedicated Walkman hardware button that provides instant access to the music player. The phone also runs the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread and users can like, share and discover content through Facebook integration while the infinite button allows consumers to connect to friends, photos, music and videos.

The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman has a stylish curved design, a glossy finish and a mineral glass display. It also features a 3.2-inch screen, 1GHz processor, front-facing camera for video calling and a 5-megapixel AF rear camera that can capture 720p HD video recording. The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman also comes with Sony’s xLOUD that enhances audio output.

Pricing and availability The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman is now available in Singapore in the colours Black and White at a recommended retail price of S$398 before telco subsidies. The Sony Ericsson Xperia active will be available in Singapore from 1 October 2011 tomorrow in Black with Orange band, at a recommended retail price of S$498 without contract.

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Norton Mobile Security Lite offers Android users from protection physical and online crime

Sony Ericsson announces Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light first to Android on Xperia PLAY

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/norton-mobile-security-lite-offersandroid-users-from-protection-physical-and-online-crime/13672.html October 5th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-announces-lara-croftand-the-guardian-of-light-first-to-android-on-xperia-play/13671.html October 5th, 2011

Android users can now secure their mobile devices from physical and online crime with the free Norton's Mobile Security Lite. The new security application offers selected antitheft features with powerful anti-malware to keep your data safe even if you lose your phone.

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY owners who are also fans of Lara Croft games would be pleased to know that Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be available on Android, and first on the Xperia PLAY smartphone. Read on for the details.

Norton by Symantec has unveiled the availability of Norton Mobile Security Lite, a free security application for Androidbased smartphones. The Norton Mobile Security Lite claims to seamlessly combine selected anti-theft features with powerful anti-malware that gives users security even if their phone is lost, stolen or compromised by malware.

Key features On Norton Mobile Security Lite: - Anti-theft – The average adult in Singapore loses his mobile phone 1.6 times in 5 years and 50 percent reported concerns over the loss of privacy and sensitive information.

Norton Mobile Security Lite allows users to lock lost or stolen phones, preventing strangers or thieves from accessing vital information or running up their mobile bill.

- Anti-malware – Scans all files and app updates downloaded to the mobile device and automatically detects and removes threats without slowing you down.

- Automatic LiveUpdate – Automatically downloads and installs security updates keeping you a step ahead of cybercriminals.

Pricing and Availability Norton Mobile Security Lite is now available for free in English on the Android Market. For users who want additional protection such as the ability to block unwanted calls or text messages; or block phishing websites used to steal personal information and money, there is the option to upgrade to the full featured Norton Mobile Security for an annual subscription of S$19.90.

Sony Ericsson is adding more titles to its Xperia PLAY phone and with a partnership with world renowned Square Enix.

The partnership will bring much loved titles such as “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light” exclusively to Android on the Xperia PLAY in November 2011. More established game titles from Square Enix will follow in the coming months. The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY has been made available to more consumers around the world. The smartphone has recently gone on sale in the US on the AT&T network and on the 14th September, the company announced that Xperia PLAY will be launched in Japan with NTT DOCOMO in October 2011.

LaCie launches the LaPlug, lets you access USB drives over the net Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lacie-launches-the-laplug-lets-youaccess-usb-drives-over-the-net/13670.html October 5th, 2011

If product design is more important to you than what you get for your money, then LaCie is most likely a familiar brand to you. However, the company does managed to come up with 14

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some quirky bits of hardware from time to time and its latest addition, the LaPlug is just one of those things that could be immensely useful, but somehow turns out to be fairly pointless at the same time.

If product design is more important to you than what you get for your money, then LaCie is most likely a familiar brand to you. However, the company does managed to come up with some quirky bits of hardware from time to time and its latest addition, the LaPlug is just one of those things that could be immensely useful, but somehow turns out to be fairly pointless at the same time.

In essence the LaPlug is a compact NAS box at 119x119x37mm, except that by now you've most likely realised that by being so small there's no space for an internal drive. Rather than doing a NAS, LaCie put together a box that has both Gigabit Ethernet and support for 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi where the quirky bit is that it has four USB 2.0 ports for external storage devices.

Three of the ports are around the back for more permanent connectivity and one is on the front. In addition to being able to accept storage devices the LaPlug also accepts printers for sharing over the network.

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them aren't likely to have Time Machine support built in, but they're likely to have more advanced features and you do get a router included as well. We can't but help to feel that LaCie priced itself out of the market a bit here, although then again, we're sure there will be plenty of less technically inclined users that would be more than happy to spend that kind of money for easy network access to their data stored on multiple USB drives.

Samsung unleashes multiple mobile building blocks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-unleashes-multiple-mobilebuilding-blocks/13669.html October 5th, 2011

It's actually quite amazing how many products Samsung makes and there's no wonder that the company is starting to have such a dominant place in the mobile market space.

The company announced no less than five new products related to mobile products, a new HD CMOS sensor, a 16Megapixel CMOS sensor, faster 64GB eMMC flash memory, 3Xnm LPDDR3 memory and a new 1.5GHz Exynos SoC manufactured using a 32nm High-K Metal Gate low-power process.

It's actually quite amazing how many products Samsung makes and there's no wonder that the company is starting to have such a dominant place in the mobile market space.

The company announced no less than five new products related to mobile products, a new HD CMOS sensor, a 16Megapixel CMOS sensor, faster 64GB eMMC flash memory, 3Xnm LPDDR3 memory and a new 1.5GHz Exynos SoC manufactured using a 32nm High-K Metal Gate low-power process.

The neat trick is that LaCie provides software with the LaPlug that allows you to access the attached devices even when you're not at home, well, at least as long as the LaPlug is connected to the internet somehow. It's also possible to get access to the LaPlug via a web browser, but this isn't always the most convenient option in our experience. The LaPlug also supports UPnP and DLNA and will stream media to any other DLNA device. Being an Apple friendly company LaCie has also thrown in support for Apple's Time Machine backup software.

The problem is that LaCie expects you to pay US$74.99 (S$97) for the LaPlug, for that kind of money you can wide range of wireless routers with a USB port or two built in. So ok, most of

The HD CMOS sensor is maybe not the most impressive of the announcements, but the S5K8AA as it's called is a tiny 1/8.2-inch CMOS sensor with a 1.2Megapixel resolution and the entire camera modules is a mere 2.8mm deep. The trick here is that it'll do 720p30 video or 480p60 and combined with backside illumination it should make for better video call quality in slim handsets and tablets.

On the other end of the spectrum is the 1/2.3-inch 16Megapixel CMOS sensor called the S5K2P1, that's the same size sensor as in the recently launched Pentax Q interchangeable lens compact and larger than that found in many budget digital cameras. Although this backside illuminated sensor was designed with high-end smartphones in mind, it can also be used with digital cameras and camcorders and it shows that phones are getting very close to entirely replacing entry level digital cameras, at least as long as you're not worried about having the ability to zoom. Samsung makes some impressive claims for the S5K2P1 as well, as it's meant to shoot 16Megapixle images at 30fps, or 8.3Megapixel pictures at 60fps, all without any shutter lag effect in 16:9 format.

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Moving on we get to a product you're going to want in the same phone as the 16Megapixel camera sensor, namely 64GB of eMMC NAND flash. Samsung's latest eMMC NAND flash uses a toggle DDR2 interface and is manufactured using Samsung's 2Xnm process. Samsung claims sequential read speeds of 80MB/s and write speeds of 40MB/s which the company claims is a threefold improvement over fast microSD cards.

No-one's going to complain about faster storage memory on their phones, right?

On the subject of memory, we swiftly move on to Samsung's 3Xnm LPDDR3 memory which is available in 4Gbit (512MB) chips, which might not seem like a lot, but it's the first DDR3 1,066MHz memory designed for use in smartphones and tablets. Not only is it faster than LPDDR2, but Samsung also claims that it uses 20 percent less power which equals to better device battery life. Sadly Samsung's LPDDR3 memory won't go into mass production until sometime next year, but it should hopefully be ready in time for the onslaught of new quad core ARM SoC's such as Nvidia's next gen Tegra model which will be able to take advantage of LPDDR3 memory.

Finally we have yet another first, Samsung's new Exynos 4212 ARM Cortex-A9 SoC which is built on Samsung's 32nm HighK Metal Gate low-power process, something the company has co-developed with Global Foundries. By moving from 45nm to 32nm, Samsung has managed to boost the clock speed from 1.2GHz to 1.5GHz with the added benefit of the Mali-400MP graphics core being boosted from 267MHz to 400MHz something Samsung claims will boost the graphics performance by up to 50 percent. Of course moving from 45nm to 32nm brings with it the added benefit of lower power usage and Samsung claims that the power usage is down by up to 30 percent. Samsung also threw in support for a few additional video codecs, 1080p video encoding and on-chip HDMI 1.4 support. The Exynos 4212 should be available from next quarter, although we have a feeling it might take a little bit longer until we see devices based on it, at least from anyone but Samsung.

If that's not an impressive range of announcements all at once, we don't know what is and we can see why Apple is so concerned about Samsung. It's become clear that Samsung is a major force in the market and the company is seemingly putting a lot of effort into becoming a leader in the mobile market space, not only in terms of producing high-end devices, but also when it comes to offering the best components that goes into the devices as well. By having its own components echo system, Samsung doesn't have to rely on partners either, something that can seriously hold a company back at times.

That said, it can be a dangerous gamble to be too over reliant on your own abilities too, but then again, Samsung doesn't seem to rely solely on its own components, as recently launched versions of the Galaxy S II in the US featured Qualcomm processors. Still, we can't wait to see what's next from Samsung.

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Canon Singapore launches 23 imaging products for consumer and enterprise markets Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/canon-singapore-launches-23-imagingproducts-for-consumer-and-enterprise-markets/13668.html October 5th, 2011

Canon Singapore had a massive product launch for the second half of 2011 today, with 23 imaging products ranging from printers to projectors and digital cameras. And no, the company did not reveal any Canon mirrorless camera, despite Nikon unveiling theirs last week.

The Canon PowerShot S100 (left) placed together with the PowerShot S95 The Canon PowerShot S100 compact digital camera was among the 23 products that were showcased at the event. The successor to the popular S95 comes in black or silver, and now comes with a grip for better handling. The Canon PowerShot S100 will be available in early November, with pricing details to be announced closer to availability date.

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Incorporating the enhanced HS system and new DIGIC 5 image processor, the PowerShot S100 features a highsensitively 12.1-Megapixel 1/1.7-type CMOS image sensor that can capture superb quality images even under low light situation. In addition, the camera also comes with integrated GPS unit that can record location into a picture’s EXIF data.

Canon also unveiled the latest range of PIXMA printers which include the MG2170, MG3170, MG4170, MG5370, MG6270, MG8270 and the single function iP4970 with the improved Full HD Movie Print feature and Fun Filters. Users can also leverage the improved wireless printing capabilities to print directly from their iPhones and iPads with Apple’s AirPrint technology, or directly from their web albums with the Pixma Cloud Link.

And some model pics at the event:-

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To begin with, this board seems to have six DDR3 DIMM slots. That's an odd number, considering the Sandy BridgeE processor embeds four DDR3 memory channels, and so motherboards should ideally either have four slots (one per channel), or eight (two per channel). As with all LGA2011 boards, the memory slots are arranged on either sides of the large 2011-pin socket.

The CPU seems to be powered by at least an 8-phase VRM. We're able to count just one row of chokes on the VRM area north of the socket, there could be more rows. Interestingly, the FETs of the memory VRM seem to be cooled by heatsinks, as well. The last time we saw heatsinks over memory VRM was with Foxconn QuantumForce X58 boards.

ASRock Teases with X79 Extreme7 Picture Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-teases-with-x79-extreme7picture/13667.html October 5th, 2011

ASRock is now a full-fledged motherboard manufacturer with boards targeting every market segment, from $50 office PC boards, to all-out enthusiast boards. Its upcoming socket LGA2011 lineup has one such board, one that woos budgetunconcious buyers, the X79 Extreme7.

ASRock is now a full-fledged motherboard manufacturer with boards targeting every market segment, from $50 office PC boards, to all-out enthusiast boards. Its upcoming socket LGA2011 lineup has one such board, one that woos budgetunconcious buyers, the X79 Extreme7.

The heatsink cooling the X79 PCH (platform controller hub) is cooled by an active fan-heatsink. Active cooling, we think, is redundant. X79, unlike X58, is a single chip platform controller hub, with the northbridge completely relocated to the CPU package. A PCH is not much more than a glorified southbridge. Overclockers will seldom need to play with PCH voltages. Besides, small fans can add to the case noise. One upside we see is that with a multi-disk RAID array, the PCH could heat up, and the active heatsink design could help keep the size of the heatsink down.

We see at least five PCI-Express x16 slots, one can expect at least four of them to be Gen 3.0, and wired to the processor.

We spy 9 internal SATA ports, and two front-panel USB 3.0 headers (four ports). Apart from the usual 24-pin ATX and 8pin EPS power inputs, the board can draw power from a 4-pin Molex connector. The extra power might come handy in some scenarios (such as a PhysX-dedicated graphics card that relies on the motherboard entirely, for power.

Oh yes, we're looking forward to more pictures.

"Sony Tablet" S arriving in Singapore in October 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/-sony-tablet-s-arriving-in-singaporein-october-2011/13666.html October 5th, 2011

This afternoon, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific announced the launch of their latest "Sony Tablet" S in Singapore. The "Sony Tablet" S sports a 9.4-inch touchscreen, is equipped with Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile processor and runs Google Android 3.2 Honeycomb platform.

After looking at the slurpy teaser picture we scored, we really wish we had a shot of this board's landscape. But from what little we can make out, the board seems to be fully loaded in a very unique way.

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unique connector that fits the optional specialized cradle (sold separately). The company also claims that the tablet is the first series to be PlayStation certified, which means you can play original Playstation games such as Crash Bandicoot and Pinball Heroes (preinstalled) on the "Sony Tablet" S.

Today, Sony has launched their highly-anticipated "Sony Tablet" S that claims to offer powerful features and deliver engaging entertainment experience to consumers. The "Sony Tablet" S features 9.4-inch LED-backlit IPS touchscreen, Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile processor and Google Android 3.2 Honeycomb. On usage, the tablet is fast when we navigate across the various screens and run the applications. The display also looks good when we played some movie trailers.

Sony has included various optional accessories for the "Sony Tablet" S such as the cradle, AC adapter, LCD screen protector, carrying case, USB adapter cable and Bluetooth keyboard. The "Sony Tablet" S will be available in 16GB (S$668) and 32GB (S$798) respectively in end October. The 3G versions of the "Sony Tablet" S will be available at a later date.

Taisuke Nakanishi, managing director of Sony South East Asia, was present to announce the company's new tablet device and said that Singapore is the first country in southeast Asia to launch the "Sony Tablet" S. "The Sony Tablet S is all our innovations packaged together in your hands. It is designed to enhance your entertainment experience by defining the way you touch, enjoy and share your content" Nakanishi said.

The "Sony Tablet" S has a unique asymmetric design; the screen is sloped when placed on a flat surface. On the sides of the tablet are the USB and SD memory card reader, reset pinhole, volume controls and power button. It also has a 19

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Published by: VR-Zone

- the average selling price is also down, resulting in a reduced gross margin of 44%-45%, from previous guidance of 47%.

With Bulldozer finally shipping, and FX Series finally releasing next month, things are going to get even more challenging for the problematic GloFo 32nm process. The Bulldozer die is 40% larger than Llano. On the other hand, Bulldozer is a traditional CPU with no extensive GPU part.

Intel planning three new Thunderbolt controllers, one set to lower device cost Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-planning-three-new-thunderboltcontrollers-one-set-to-lower-device-cost/13664.html October 5th, 2011

Minori Iida, project manager, business planning and strategy division, VAIO & mobile business group, consumer products and services group, Sony Corporation, gave the media an insight to the various features of the "Sony Tablet" S.

AMD revises down Q3 forecasts - yield issues blamed Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-revises-down-q3-forecasts--yieldissues-blamed/13665.html October 5th, 2011

Previously, AMD had expected a strong Q3 2011, driven by strong demand for Llano, with revenue growth of 10% over Q2.

However, AMD has now revised Q3 revenue growth to only 4%-6%. The main reason cited was manufacturing issues at GlobalFoundries.

Previously, AMD had expected a strong Q3 2011, driven by strong demand for Llano, with revenue growth of 10% over Q2.

However, AMD has now revised Q3 revenue growth to only 4%-6%. The main reason cited was manufacturing issues at GlobalFoundries.

The previous forecast suggested revenues of approximately $1.725 billion, while the revision pulls down the revenue guidance to the $1.65 billion range. It is no surprise that the GlobalFoundries 32nm process is suffering from yield issues, with supply shortages for Llano APUs. The top Llano SKU for desktops, A8-3850 is out of stock at many retailers around the world, and notebooks based on Llano are still hard to come by, if not completely non-existant in several popular markets, such as South Asia. It is clear that AMD is unable to satisfy the strong demand for Llano, leading to reduced shipments.

In additions to problems with the 32nm process, 45nm supply has been hit as well, "due to complexities related to the use of common tools across both technology nodes". Due to the top bin A8 APUs being worst affected - another sign of poor yields

At IDF earlier this month Intel revealed its upcoming Cactus Ridge Thunderbolt controllers, but it turns out the company is about to launch a third Thunderbolt controller and it should arrive ahead of Cactus Ridge. The yet unannounced chip is known as Port Ridge or L2210 and it's a low-cost device only controller which should hopefully make it more appealing for peripheral manufacturers to create Thunderbolt devices.

At IDF earlier this month Intel revealed its upcoming Cactus Ridge Thunderbolt controllers, but it turns out the company is about to launch a third Thunderbolt controller and it should arrive ahead of Cactus Ridge. The yet unannounced chip is known as Port Ridge or L2210 and it's a low-cost device only controller which should hopefully make it more appealing for peripheral manufacturers to create Thunderbolt devices.

Intel's current Thunderbolt chipsets, Light Ridge (82524EF/ EFL) and Eagle Ridge (L2510/L2310) will be around for a while longer, but Intel seemingly wants to progress towards smaller and presumably cheaper solutions come next year. The two Cactus Ridge controllers (L3510H/L and L3310) measure 12x12mm compared to 15x15mm for Light Ridge and the full size/speed implementation of Eagle Ride. Intel's small form factor implementation of Eagle Ridge (L2310) is still going to be smaller at 8x9mm and there's currently no replacement for this to our knowledge.

The L3510H/L version of Cactus Ridge (the H and L stands for a higher and lower power model) is set to replace Light Ridge and has the same overall spec. Likewise, the L3310 is set to replace the L2510 and again features the same spec. Both models are expected to go into production sometime in Q1 next year and for the Mac fanboys out there, this means that they should be ready in time for Apple's Ivy Bridge powered MacBooks. The only change we're aware of beyond the smaller chip size is that Intel is trying to push down the powered used by Cactus Ridge compared to the current Thunderbolt controllers and the company is also hoping to reach 0W idle power to help reduce the power drain in mobile devices.

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However, the controller that caught our attention is the tiny 5x6mm Port Ridge or L2210, it's a single channel controller that has been designed specifically for low-cost Thunderbolt devices. Due to its single channel design it only supports two lanes of PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth and it lacks support for pass-through connectivity. That said, there are plenty of PCI Express x1 devices that could easily be adapted for use in an external enclosure combine with Port Ridge and we can see this becoming a hugely popular Thunderbolt controller from Intel if it's priced accordingly to its functionality. Port Ridge should be in production before the end of the year, so hopefully we should see a raft of more affordable Thunderbolt devices early next year.

Earlier this week there was a report where Intel said that the current Thunderbolt ports support optical cables, but not much of an explanation as to how this would be implemented was mentioned. For one a much more complex (read expensive) cable will be needed as we're looking at active cables here where the power from the Thunderbolt port will most likely be used to power an electrical to optical converter inside them. This allows for longer cables and Intel is also claiming it'll allow for higher speeds, but the downside is that there's no way of getting power over the optical cable and there's at least currently no plans from Intel's side to add additional wiring in the optical cables that would allow for power. As such, any Thunderbolt device connected via an optical cable would be required to have a power connector.

Published by: VR-Zone

for now, only the mini DP connector is approved. On top of that, Intel doesn't allow for anything but DisplayPort and PCI Express signalling to be "tunnelled" through Thunderbolt, although we're not sure if Sony implemented other protocols in its peculiar implementation of Thunderbolt.

One fact that wasn't clear is that the Thunderbolt spec requires support for DP++ which means that cheap passive adapters from DisplayPort to HDMI or DVI can be used with all Thunderbolt equipped computers, although as per the DP+ + spec, these are limited to a single TMDS link which means that displays with resolutions above 2,048x1,152 can't be used.

It's also worth pointing out that Thunderbolt only supports DisplayPort 1.1a and this is why daisy chaining of displays isn't possible on devices with a Thunderbolt port. The workaround is a bit of a hack, as if you use the Light Ridge or the upcoming L3510H/L version of Cactus Ridge, then it's possible to do a pass-through workaround for the display signal so a second display can be connected, although this isn't the neatest way of doing things.

It will be interesting to see how things will develop around Thunderbolt. Intel is playing things very close to its chest at the moment and much of the information we posted here has cost many people their jobs, ok, so that's an exaggeration, but Intel doesn't seem overly happy to share details of its Thunderbolt technology, just swing by Intel's website and you'll see how little information there is to be had. The big question what we're most likely going to have to wait to get an answer to until Ivy Bridge launches is when the mainstream PC makers are going to start offering systems with Thunderbolt. Sony got things half right, as Thunderbolt is a good technology to use for notebook docking solutions, but sadly Sony missed the point of following standards once more. Will 2012 be the year of Thunderbolt? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.

Intel doesn't seem overly happy about Sony's peculiar implementation of Thunderbolt either, although in all fairness, Sony never called it Thunderbolt. The reason for this is because Intel has been very specific about the type of connector that can be used for Thunderbolt and at least 21

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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.

Taiwanese DRAM makers are feeling the pressure from Korean competition Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/taiwanese-dram-makers-are-feelingthe-pressure-from-korean-competition/13727.html October 12th, 2011

The only winner is consumers which are seeing cheap and cheaper memory, or alternatively you get more memory for the same kind of money. That said; Microsoft has made some pretty convincing claims about Windows 8 using less memory than Windows 7, so the question is if consumer PCs will need more memory in the future or not. Either which way, it looks like we'll be moving towards faster DRAM over the next six months or so with both AMD and Intel supporting faster and faster memory speeds. This would of course require more stringent manufacturing control at the DRAM makers to reach the kind of speeds that are currently generally fairly exclusive for overclocking modules.

Antec Solo II Case Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/antec-solo-ii-case-review/13726.html October 12th, 2011

We've reported on the move towards 3Xnm DRAM products

by Hynix and Samsung in the past and it now seems like the Taiwanese DRAM makers are really starting to feel the pressure as they can no longer compete in terms of cost. On top of that, the Taiwanese DRAM manufacturers don't get as many DRAM chipset per wafer as their Korean competitors which further worsens their cost competitiveness.

We've reported on the move towards 3Xnm DRAM products

by Hynix and Samsung in the past and it now seems like the Taiwanese DRAM makers are really starting to feel the pressure as they can no longer compete in terms of cost. On top of that, the Taiwanese DRAM manufacturers don't get as many DRAM chipset per wafer as their Korean competitors which further worsens their cost competitiveness.

Digitimes is reporting that the spot price for 2Gbit DDR3 memory (that's 256MB chips) is now below US$1 and the Taiwanese DRAM manufacturers are fearing that this will drop to as little as 65 cents per chip once 3Xnm manufacturing kicks off in volume early next year. Many of the Taiwanese DRM manufacturers have only finished their transition to 4Xnm this year and aren't expected to move to 3Xnm until later next year.

There's no doubt that the DRAM industry has become yet another commodity industry when it comes to computer components and to be able to stay competitive, a lot of investments in manufacturing processes are needed by the DRAM makers. This makes it a high cost/low return rate industry unless you're a market leader. As such we might see several smaller players pull out of the DRAM industry next year, or move to more profitable mobile DRAM products for tablets and smartphones.

Most computer enthusiasts would remember the Antec Solo case; a product released nearly 7 years ago which featured a very subtle, Spartan appearance combined with almost every noise suppression system available at the time. The first version of the Solo was not very fancy but it certainly was a very effective case, which is why it took Antec over 6 years to replace the design. Today we are going to have a look at the successor of the original Solo, the Solo II, which also emphasizes on quiet computing. Let us see if it is a worthy replacement of the much renowned case it supersedes.

Most computer enthusiasts would remember the Antec Solo case; a product released nearly 7 years ago which featured a very subtle, Spartan appearance combined with almost every noise suppression system available at the time. The first version of the Solo was not very fancy but it certainly was a very effective case, which is why it took Antec over 6 years to replace the design. Today we are going to have a look at the successor of the original Solo, the Solo II, which also emphasizes on quiet computing. Let us see if it is a worthy replacement of the much renowned case it supersedes.

• Dual-layer 1.0 mm SECC / polycarbonate top & side panels • Elegant aesthetics: o

Anodized aluminum front bezel

o

Piano black exterior finish

o

Stylish matte black interior

• Dual hard drive mounting system : 1

October 12th, 2011 o

3 x 3.5" / 2.5" using tray mounts with preinstalled silicone grommets OR

o

2 x 3.5" with suspension mount cables

• 2 x external 5.25" • 1 x internal 2.5" (dedicated) • Front-accessible flip-down drive cage • Removable PSU support beam • Top vent with fine mesh for optimal PSU air intake • Removable, washable front fan filters • Cooling system: o

1 rear 120 mm TrueQuiet™ fan with preinstalled silicone grommets and 2-speed switch

o

2 front 120 mm fan mounts (optional)

• Enlarged CPU cutout for easy installation of CPU coolers • Front Ports: o

2 x USB 3.0

o

2 x USB 2.0

o

Audio In/Out

• 7 expansion slots • Maximum graphics card size: 15,0" / 381 mm • Motherboards: Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX • No power supply included • Unit Dimensions: o

440 mm (H) x 205 mm (W) x 470 mm (D)

o

(17,3" (H) x 8,1" (W) x 18,5" (D))

• Package Dimensions: o

503 (H) mm x 275 mm (W) x 550 mm (D)

o

(19,8" (H) x 10,8" (W) x 21,7" (D))

• Net Weight: 9,1 kg (20,2 lbs) • Gross Weight: 10,7 kg (23,6 lbs)

CyberLink announces PowerDirector 10, adds support for 3D video Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cyberlink-announces-

Published by: VR-Zone

PowerDirector 10 which is the first version of its editing software that supports 3D video.

One of the major problems with the new-fangled 3D cameras, beyond the fact that you preferably need a 3D display to watch the content on, is the issue of editing the 3D video.

CyberLink is now coming to the rescue of consumers with PowerDirector 10 which is the first version of its editing software that supports 3D video.

Beyond support for 3D video editing CyberLink has also tweaked a lot of the features from PowerDirector 9 such as a further tweaked TrueVelocity engine (simply called TrueVelocity 2), GPU video rendering and further enhancements to its Smart Video Rendering Technology (SVRT). However, the two features that should appeal the most is an improved H.264 video encoder which CyberLink claims is over 38 percent faster than its previous encoder using a quad core CPU with eight threads, with the second new addition being OpenCL support. The OpenCL part is currently only used to accelerate various filters and effects; it's not part of the actual rendering which is still done using the various proprietary technologies from AMD, Intel and Nvidia.

The UI doesn't appear to have been given a major overhaul since version 9 and this could be a good or a bad thing depending on how much you liked the interface in version 9 in the first place. The Ultra version of PowerDirector 10 offers some additional features over the Deluxe version, just as with PowerDirector 9. The Ultra version will get you native 64bit support; the option to import video directly from AVCHD camcorders and it has the option for Full HD video preview.

You'll also have to splash out for the Ultra version if you want to be able to edit 3D video. CyberLink does at least support all standard 3D displays and HDMI 1.4 as well as various output formats depending on the device you want to play back the edited video on. There's even an option to upload 3D video directly to YouTube.

PowerDirector 10 is available for download from CyberLink now with the Deluxe version setting you back US$69.95 and the Ultra version US$99.95.

Asus set to revamp its router line-up Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-set-to-revamp-its-router-lineup/13724.html October 12th, 2011

powerdirector-10-adds-support-for-3d-video/13725.html October 12th, 2011

One of the major problems with the new-fangled 3D cameras, beyond the fact that you preferably need a 3D display to watch the content on, is the issue of editing the 3D video.

CyberLink is now coming to the rescue of consumers with

With the mostly disappointing AMD news today, we figured we'd post some more positive news, well, that is if you care at all about routers. Asus is getting ready to revamp its entire router product range and it seems like the company got really fond of its "Black Diamond" series design as we're looking at no less than five new models based on the same overall design.

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Published by: VR-Zone

The best news of it all is that Asus is finally ready to launch the RT-N66U dual band router, but the design has changed quite a bit since it was first shown way back at CES in January.

USB port (although some specs we've seen is suggesting it might have two) that supports storage devices and printers. It also sports a built in FTP server and supports UPnP AV. The RT-N15U will likely replace the current RT-N16 over time.

With the mostly disappointing AMD news today, we figured we'd post some more positive news, well, that is if you care at all about routers. Asus is getting ready to revamp its entire router product range and it seems like the company got really fond of its "Black Diamond" series design as we're looking at no less than five new models based on the same overall design.

The best news of it all is that Asus is finally ready to launch the RT-N66U dual band router, but the design has changed quite a bit since it was first shown way back at CES in January.

Finally the top of the line model is the highly anticipated RT-N66U which initially was thought to be an Asus R.O.G. branded router, but now that's expected to be the rumoured RT-N76U. The RT-N66U is a simultaneous dual band router with Gigabit speed for the WAN and LAN ports, three detachable antennas that are used for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and Wi-Fi speeds of up to 450Mbps on both bands. It also sports two USB 2.0 ports which can be used with storage devices and printers. The router sports a new UI which we sadly don't have a high enough resolution picture of to post, but the general layout and design is similar to that of Asus' UEFI. There's of course support for FTP server, UPnP AV and various other features. The RT-N66U should be based on a 600MHz SoC paired up with 32MB of Flash and 1GB of DDR2 memory if initial specs prove to be correct.

Asus' first router in the Black Diamond series was the RTN56U, although it has very recently been joined by the RTN53 which is Asus' second dual band router, although it's a much more basic model with only 2x2 MIMO, no simultaneous dual band and no USB connectivity, although it's about half the price of the RT-N56U and it keeps the Gigabit switch.

Starting at the bottom of the new models we have the RT-N10 LX which is a basic 802.11n single antenna 150Mbps router with a standard 10/100Mbps switch and a mere 4MB of flash and 16MB of RAM. Moving up a step we have the RT-N12 LX which gains 2x2 MIMO support which offers 300Mbps connectivity speeds, but is otherwise near identical in terms of functionality to the RT-N10 LX. Both of these models sit flat and have fixed external antennas unlike the other Black Diamond series routers.

In addition to the new routers, Asus is also launching the USBN53, a dual band USB dongle with 2x2 MIMO antennas for speeds of up to 300Mbps and it's been designed to go with the Black Diamond series of routers. Asus has started to make some pretty impressive network kit and our only reservation about Asus' Wi-Fi products is the comparatively high price of some of its products, such as the RT-N56U which is still one of the more expensive consumer routers out there. Sadly we don't know what the new models will cost, but we're expecting that the RT-N66U will be even pricier than the RT-N56U.

BlackBerry maker faces third day of technical woes Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/blackberry-maker-faces-third-day-oftechnical-woes/13723.html

Next up we have the RT-N15U and this model has a pair of PCB antennas and support for 300Mbps MIMO connectivity.

It also has a Gigabit switch, a Gigabit WAN port and a single 3

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Extensive delays and disruptions for BlackBerry users entered into the third consecutive day as reports filtered in of fresh problems surfacing in Asian markets. According to a Wall Street Journal report, affected countries include Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and India.

The first hint of problem arose on Monday, when disruptions to the BlackBerry service and delays of up to several hours were experienced across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

The disruptions were originally declared as fixed on Tuesday morning but hiccups resurfaced by lunchtime. The problems had also apparently spread to Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

Published by: VR-Zone October 12th, 2011

There is dual operating system setups available but you'll be hard pressed to find a setup that allows for the simultaneous operation and co-existing in a single platform. Parallel's Desktop 7 for Mac allows a co-existance of Apple's OS/X and Microsoft's Windows in the same box. So no longer do you need to worry about having the "right" operating system available. Why not just have both and better yet have them running at the same time. Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac empowers you to have the best of both worlds.

RIM has more than 70 million subscribers around the globe, which it serves via centralized servers hooked up to a proprietary network with mobile operators. The technical issues are related to the servers that it operates.

Earlier statements released RIM failed to shed much light on the problem. A new statement from the beleaguered company pinned the blame to a core switch failure within RIM's infrastructure. "Although the system is designed to failover to a back-up switch, the failover did not function as previously tested. As a result, a large backlog of data was generated and we are now working to clear that backlog and restore normal service as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and we will continue to keep you informed."

Ironically, the latest bout of bad news for Canadian phone maker RIM arose in the same week that the new Apple iPhone 4S is scheduled to debut in the U.S., Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.

Moreover, the new version of iOS 5 is also due to be released on Wednesday. Among other features, iOS 5 comes with the free iCloud cloud service that offers more capabilities than the non-business variant of the BlackBerry service. In addition, iOS 5 also comes with a brand new messaging service called iMessenger that competes directly with RIM's own BlackBerry Messenger chat platform.

Personally, I've not experienced any problems past two days with my BlackBerry smartphone in Singapore. Given that disruptions have a direct impact on BlackBerry smartphone's core competencies such as emails, messaging and browsing, it is easy to envisage the frustration that any prolonged disruption will trigger.

Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac Review: Run Windows on your Mac seamlessly Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/parallels-desktop-7-for-mac-reviewrun-windows-on-your-mac-seamlessly/13711.html

I have been a stout Microsoft Windows user for a long time.

That is not to say that I am clueless about the Apple Mac. I have used a Mac and did some good work on the Mac Plus back in the day doing pretty good desktop publishing work. It wasn’t until recently that I bought a MacBook Pro for my dayto-day work. The main reason for the change, I won’t call it a switch, because the Mac works well for my photography needs.

I especially like the Mac version of Canon’s DPP (Digital Photo Professional) software.

I still work on my Windows based Core i7 X980 desktop system and an older Core Duo notebook. The reason I maintain the two systems is simple; there are applications that I use with ease on Windows. It will take a lot of extra learning to eventually get to the same level of proficiency on the Mac and I’d also have to source and purchase additional software.

Software has come down in price but it still costs money. Why do I need to spend additional money for another version.

So, along comes a product, Parallels Desktop that promises to bring Windows to the Mac. It is supposed to do this well for the paltry sum of S$129. I was a little skeptical and truthfully I had not read the specifications or background of the program.

At first I thought it would be an ‘Emulator’ or through some fancy programming it would just dual boot the MacBook since the MacBooks are using Intel processors. Well, they have been for some time already. :) I didn't see any reason for it to be like BootCamp because BootCamp is included with the MacBook 4

October 12th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

and it does the Dual-Booting very well. Dual booting has a distinct advantage – it runs natively and uses drivers for the specific hardware. The disadvantage is if you need to access the Mac and Windows simultaneously.

- Norton Insight – Norton’s exclusive reputation-based security technology leverages the anonymous software adoption patterns of millions of contributing Symantec users to automatically identify and block never before seen malicious software.

Norton 360 version 6.0 public beta now available

- SONAR – SONAR technology monitors running applications for suspicious behavior to quickly detect and disable previously unknown threats.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/norton-360-version-6.0-public-betanow-available/13722.html October 12th, 2011

- Norton User Experience – From the streamlined main user interface, Norton 360 version 6.0 beta offers quick access to Norton Mobile Security Lite, Norton Cybercrime Index, Norton Online Family and website ratings service Norton Safe Web. The Norton 360 version 6.0 beta is available for free public download now at the Norton Beta Center.

Norton 360 all-in-one security suite claims to offer an all rounder protection for users and the company has announced the availability of the Norton 360 version 6.0 public beta. You can download the beta from the Norton website, try it out and comment and feedback to the security company.

AMD Bulldozer Blues: Performance, Power, Price... which way to fight into the market?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-bulldozer-blues-performancepower-price...-which-way-to-fight-into-the-market-/13721.html October 12th, 2011

Norton by Symantec has released the public beta of version 6.0 of its award-winning all-in-one security suite Norton 360.

The beta is available for free download from the Norton beta website, and includes the powerful core security technology found in Norton Internet Security 2012, in addition to enhanced PC tuneup and backup capabilities.

Some of the new protection and usability improvements include: - Norton Identity Safe in the Cloud – Protects personal and financial information from cybercriminals and keeps users safe from fraudulent websites. New streamlined interface, simplified login experience, and ability to store passwords in the cloud make accessibility easy from any computer.

The desktop Bulldozer is finally out, and you saw the first review by us. What's the impact of the performance, power and pricing of the initial launch parts on the overall AMD product positioning? What to do with the current Bulldozer core?

Yes, we saw the launch, and the long awaited Bulldozer is finally out. The performance of the part hovers around the Intel Core i7 2500K mainstream 4-core Sandy Bridge, and so does the price. The power requirement is a bit over the top, not at least due to the leakages especially seen when overclocking, but anyway that's something that future steppings can also take care of.

- Norton Management – New web-based functionality lets users manage their Norton products from anywhere in the world. Users can remotely add Norton products, manage security settings and update subscriptions.

- Download Insight Stability Ratings – Checks every downloaded file for safety before installation and now provides users with additional data about the predicted stability of the application in their environment.

- Bandwidth Management – Limits non-critical Norton updates when connected to metered networks to avoid using up monthly data allotments or causing overage fees.

Now, whatever the case, it seems to me that, when looking at the general desktop or even workstation market, the gamble that AMD took by pairing two integer cores with one shared FP core, didn't take off very well in the typical desktop or workstation usage scenarios, where either there can be many threads in benchmark wanting the use of FP units, or the 5

October 12th, 2011

existing OS schedulers don't yet handle well the asymmetrical scheduling of threads on cores with FP and without FP at the time.

Also, it seems that the inherent core execution parallelism on the Bulldozer, in terms of instructions per cycle, isn't really much ahead of its previous generation Phenom cores either, and that's where the other problem of matching Intel performance, core for core, is arising.

OK, enough complaints on this - what can AMD do with the Bulldozer core as it is now? First, the core seems to be doing very well, including power consumption wise, on lower clocks.

So, the mobile versions of Bulldozer, like the one combined with GPU in the 'Trinity' successor to Llano, could do just fine. Second, the same benefits apply to enterprise servers, especially those in virtualised or cloud environments, or even 'throughput' HPC use, where many small threads run at the same time, a lot of them without any FP use.

Published by: VR-Zone

Shure SE535 Special Edition earphones to retail on 28 October in Japan Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/shure-se535-special-editionearphones-to-retail-on-28-october-in-japan/13720.html October 12th, 2011

The Shure SE535 earphones were launched last year and feature great audio quality as well as detachable cables which are easily replaceable in case they break. And based on the popularity of the SE535, the company decided to come up with a special edition, and in a stylish red finish.

That's why AMD launches 'Interlagos', a dual-die, 16 core total, chip, to be the first in its Bulldozer server line up. Yes, the core speeds will be lesser, below 3 GHz, but the power usage will be lower, the core density per chip the highest in X86 world, and with enough shared memory bandwidth, all of 4 DDR3-1600 channels per socket, to feed the cores well.

So, you can have four of those chips, 64 cores total, on a single mainboard, with half a terabyte of RAM, and run a large database look up or even massive web site serving. Since most of the time is spent handling memory and I/O, and switching between threads, core speed matters less - still does matter, of course, but not to the same extent as usual. And, again, not too many threads are FP bound, so less issues are there for the FP unit sharing, as long as the OS thread schedulers handle things fine. Therefore, AMD could still have a run at this market, depending on the price they set.

Either way, a rework of the architecture has to happen. Three key things come to my mind right now: first, more parallelism inside each core, for higher instructions per cycle. Second, return back to the usual standard core design with one FP unit per core. Third, more memory channels per die, obviously four DDR3 / DDR4 channels instead of two DDR3 channels will do a much better job feeding an 8-core chip. Let's see what AMD can do about this, as soon as they can.

Shure Japan has announced that their new earphones, SE535 "Special Edition" (SE535LTD-J) will be launched on 28 October. The estimated retail price would be similar to the SE535, which is selling at around 49,800 yen (US$650). The Shure SE535 has already been released since last year, and the "Special Edition" is slightly different as it comes with a shorter cable length of 116cm (to the normal 160cm), stylish red finish, and support wider frequency band for better audio quality. The cable, which is made of durable Kevlar material, is removable with a snap-on locking mechanism, and other specifications is similar to the SE535 sibling. The earphones will also come bundled with stereo mini-plug input, silicon earpiece available in three sizes (small, medium and large), yellow foam sleeves, carrying case, airplane adapter, as well as level controller. The Shure SE535 "Special Edition" will be in limited quantity though, and available in Asia.

AMD FX-8150 CPU Overclocking Review: A Bulldozer for Gamers?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-8150-cpu-overclocking-reviewa-bulldozer-for-gamers-/13694.html

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October 12th, 2011

Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa (the one with the beautiful Victoria Falls), and also the codename for the new FX series of "Bulldozer" desktop enthusiast CPUs from AMD. After months of speculation and spin about the launch date and performance numbers, the new processors have finally hit the shops and we bring you our review of the top of the line FX-8150. Also, stand a chance to win a ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula 990FX Motherboard (details inside).

Overview of the AMD FX Platform

Suggested retail pricing is US$245 for the FX-8150, US$205 for the FX-8120, US$165 for the FX-6100 and US$115 for the FX-4100. At this point of time it is not known or tested if the 4/6-core models have disabled core unlock capabilities.

The new AMD FX models are on AM3+ (942 pins) socket, which retains mechanical compatibility with older AM3 motherboards, provided they can supply enough peak current and receive a BIOS update from the respective vendors to support the new processors. Officially, AMD recommends the use of the 990FX/990x/970 + SB950 chipsets, but we've seen motherboard vendors tout that the new processors will work from mature models like 760G to the more modern 890FX. Platform Specifications/Die Shot:

First, to set your expectations right from the start, this is a chart/bombshell from the reviewer's guide itself:

As we can see, despite the hype from previously leaked marketing slides and forum trolls claiming otherwise, today's AMD FX series of processors are NOT designed to go head to head with Intel's higher end SKUs like the i7 2600k or the 6core i7 "Gulftown" 990X. This is evident in the performance tests in the later pages of our review.

These are the products launching today:

Much have been said about the new Bulldozer architecture on VR-Zone and other websites already so we will write more in detail about it in a later article this week. For now, we move on to what our readers will be most interested in: overclocking and benchmarks...

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October 12th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

AMD FX-8150 Memory Scaling Investigation - Feeding the Bulldozer Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-8150-memory-scalinginvestigation--feeding-the-bulldozer/13704.html October 12th, 2011

It is often debated that using more expensive "enthusiastgrade" memory will help application and gaming performance.

We use the latest AMD FX-8150 8-core processor and ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula 990FX to find out if that holds true for the Bulldozers...

Test Setup • CPU: AMD FX-8150 8-core/8 thread processor @ 4.7Ghz (all power saving options disabled) • Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula (BETA 9905 bios made by Shamino - with latest BD AGESA, unlocks higher memory multipliers up to 2400) • Graphics: AMD Radeon 6990 (Crossfire) with Catalyst 11.10 Preview 2 (8.901.2.0) • HSF: Thermalright Silver Arrow with 2 Fans • SSD: Corsair X128 SSD • PSU: CM Silent Pro M 1000W • OS: Windows 7 x64 with SP1

Contenders: • SGD$30 Value Ram - 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 1T • SGD$50 Value Ram - 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1T • SGD$100 High End Kit - 1600MHz 7-8-7-24 1T • SGD$180 Extreme Level Kit - 2133Mhz 7-10-7-27 1T

AIDA64 Memory Bandwidth/Latency Test: wPrime:

x264 HD Benchmark 4.0 (video encoding)

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October 12th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Companies are generally plagued with delays when it comes to launching products, but AMD's CPU business has had a terrible year when it comes to delays. The new FX-series of CPUs have finally launched and the anticipation of what AMD will bring to the table to give Intel a run for its money is high. Although this is only a quick look at things from AMD's perspective, we'll have reviews up of the new CPUs as well where you can make a much more educated decision if the FXseries is for you.

Crysis 2 1.9 Ultra (DirectX 11)

AMD briefed us about the FX-series of CPUs at its TFE event last week and it was a fairly quick rundown of its new processors. Let's cut to the chase and have a look at the new models to start with. As you can see from the diagram below, we're looking at a total of seven new models, although only three of them will be available as of today. At the top we have the FX-8150 which is followed by the FX-8120 and FX-8100.

The FX-8100 won't be available at launch; instead the six core FX-6100 will be one of the three launch models.

Left 4 Dead 2 (DirectX 9)

Conclusion We'll let our readers make the conclusions in the comments section below :)

AMD finally launches its FX processors Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-finally-launches-its-fxprocessors/13718.html October 12th, 2011

Companies are generally plagued with delays when it comes to launching products, but AMD's CPU business has had a terrible year when it comes to delays. The new FX-series of CPUs have finally launched and the anticipation of what AMD will bring to the table to give Intel a run for its money is high. Although this is only a quick look at things from AMD's perspective, we'll have reviews up of the new CPUs as well where you can make a much more educated decision if the FXseries is for you.

The three quad cores are somewhat peculiar, as in the FX-4170 for starters only has a single turbo frequency as you can see from the table above. This is due to the already high clock speed of the chip and it peaks out at 4.3GHz. The FX-B4150 is part of AMD's Business series of CPUs and as such it's unlikely that it'll be available to consumers. Finally the FX-4100 is the most basic model for now.

It's worth noting that there are some differences between the models, with the FX-8100, FX-6100 and FX-4100 having a 200MHz slower chipset interconnect. The 95W version of the FX-8120 won't be available in retail box for the time being at least, as AMD is targeting system integrators with this part as they don't like 125W TDP CPUs. With regard to CPU Turbo Core and CPU Max Turbo in the table, the first option is with all cores enabled whereas the Max Turbo is with half of the cores in sleep mode. All models have 8MB of L3 cache and 1MB of L2 cache per core. All of the FX CPUs are of course multiplier unlocked, although that 125W TDP might hold back the overclocking potential a little bit when it comes to air coolers.

That said, the Bulldozer architecture is quite different from AMD's traditional multi-core CPUs and as such we're looking at pairs of cores in "Bulldozer modules" where each pair is connected to 2MB of shared L2 cache and a shared FPU. We'll have to wait and see how well this works out in real world applications, but AMD seems to think this is the way forward for its CPUs and APUs.

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AMD is making some interesting comparisons when it comes to performance, as it's only pitching its high-end FX-8150 as a Core-i5 2500K beater, whereas they figure it plays pretty evenly with Intel's Core i7-2600K with some benchmark wins and some benchmark losses. Of course this will depend quite a lot on the benchmark in question and according to AMD's own internal tests the FX-8150 doesn't really stand out in most of the tests and it's quite badly beaten in others.

Research in Motion unveils BlackBerry Tag Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/research-in-motion-unveils-blackberrytag/13719.html October 12th, 2011

Blackberry maker, Research in Motion, has unveiled the BlackBerry Tag that lets you exchange multimedia content and contact info with your friends by simply tapping their BlackBerry devices together, via near field communication (NFC) technology.

Published by: VR-Zone

Research in Motion has announced the BlackBerry Tag, which allow users to share contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content easily by simply tapping their BlackBerry smartphones together. This is done via Near Field Communications (NFC) technology included in the recently launched BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 smartphones, and will also enable friends to instantly add one another as contacts on BBM (BlackBerry Messenger). The BlackBerry Tag will be incorporated in the next BlackBerry 7 OS update. The company has also announced plans to expose BlackBerry Tag through APIs on the BlackBerry platform, allowing software developers to take advantage of "tap to share" functionality from within their own applications.

Asus launches the Zenbook UX21 and UX31 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-launches-the-zenbook-ux21-andux31/13717.html October 12th, 2011

It's been over four months since Asus first showed off its Ultrabook back at Computex, but the company has finally launched the UX21 and UX31 under the slightly odd Zenbook name. Presumably it has something to do with the low noise levels of Ultrabooks, but we're not sure it's the most memorable name Asus could've gone for.

It's been over four months since Asus first showed off its Ultrabook back at Computex, but the company has finally launched the UX21 and UX31 under the slightly odd Zenbook name. Presumably it has something to do with the low noise levels of Ultrabooks, but we're not sure it's the most memorable name Asus could've gone for.

There's little doubt that Asus is pinning a lot on its Ultrabooks as the company had a launch event in New York with its chairman Jonney Shih on location. It's rare of Asus to have 10

October 12th, 2011

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major product launches outside of Taiwan and although we know there's a launch event in Taiwan later today, it's seemingly a fairly small event compared to the New York launch. Anyhow, Asus will offer five different SKUs in total, two for the UX21 and three for the UX31.

In the US pricing start at US$999 for the base UX21 model with the base UX31 coming it at US$1,099. The higher-end UX21 comes in at US$1,199, with the UX31 with a 256GB SSD will set you back US$1,349 and finally the top of the range UX31 will cost US$1,499. It's pretty clear that Asus has priced its Zenbooks to be competitively priced against Apple's MacBook Air products with the 13.3-inch models coming it at slightly less and the 11.6-inch models coming in at the same price points.

ViewSonic announces the ViewPad 10e Starting with the UX21 common features include an 11.6inch display with 1366x768 resolution, 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory (non-upgradable), a 128GB SATA 6Gbps SSD, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a 0.3Megapixel webcam, one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, a micro HDMI port, a custom "mini" VGA port, a single audio jack for a headset and a 35Whr battery that's said to be good for just over 5h of usage or seven days standby. The Only difference we spotted for the UX21 series is the CPU which comes in a choice of a Core i5-2467M which is clocked at 1.6GHz and can turbo to 2.3GHz, or a Core i7-2677M with a stock clock of 1.8GHz or a turbo clock or 2.9GHz. Although not mentioned in the press release, Asus is also listing a Core i3-2367M model on its website and this is a 1.4GHz CPU without turbo.

The UX31 is slightly different and although the basic features are the same as the UX21, here we're of course looking at a larger 13.3-inch screen which we're glad to see offers a resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The only additional feature here is an SD card reader, although the UX31 also has a larger 50Whr battery which according to Asus should last for over 7h or give you 10 days of standby power. Two models are kitted out with a Core i5-2557M CPU which starts at 1.7GHz but which will turbo to 2.7GHz, so slightly beefier CPU performance here compared to the UX21. The more basic model with have the same 128GB SSD while the middle model gets boosted to 256GB. Finally the top of the range model has the same Core i7-2677M as the UX21, but combined with the 256GB SSD option.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/viewsonic-announces-theviewpad-10e/13716.html October 12th, 2011

It's not easy to stay competitive in the world of tablets and we're a little bit perplexed about ViewSonic's latest model, the ViewPad 10e. Unlike its previous 10-inch models, the 10e has a 9.7-inch IPS panel with 1024x768 resolution, yes, that's the same as the iPad. The overall specification puts the ViewPad 10e in the affordable section which is at least something.

It's not easy to stay competitive in the world of tablets and we're a little bit perplexed about ViewSonic's latest model, the ViewPad 10e. Unlike its previous 10-inch models, the 10e has a 9.7-inch IPS panel with 1024x768 resolution, yes, that's the same as the iPad. The overall specification puts the ViewPad 10e in the affordable section which is at least something.

As you might already have guessed, the ViewPad 10e runs Android and in this case version 2.3/Gingerbread. It has a fairly old 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 based SoC at its core, so it's not going to be a performance monster. To this ViewSonic has added 512MB of DDR3 memory and 4GB of internal flash storage. There's of course also a microSD memory card slot for further storage expansion.

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October 12th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

silent graphics processor cooling solution to ride the "silent" bandwagon. The use of cooler and quieter DDR3 memory could also have a role in keeping the card light.

HIS unveiled its latest mid-range graphics card, the Radeon HD 6670 iSilence 4. The card employs a Zalman-made silent graphics processor cooling solution to ride the "silent" bandwagon. The use of cooler and quieter DDR3 memory could also have a role in keeping the card light.

Connectivity options consists of 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, a micro USB port, a mini HDMI port and a 3.5mm headset jack. The HDMI port is limited to 720p output due to the older SoC which lacks the graphics capabilities of more modern ARM based solutions. There's also a front mounted 1.3Megapixel camera and the tablet has a G-sensor as well as a pair of stereo speakers and a microphone built in. The tablet weighs in at 620g and meastures 242x189x9mm. ViewSonic states that it sports a 5,400mAh battery but there was no mention of battery life in the press release beyond standby time which ViewSonic rates at 200h.

To begin with, HIS opted for a Zalman VNF100 GPU cooler.

It consists of a GPU base from which heat is conveyed to the main heatsink over three heatpipes. The heatsink hovers over the reverse (solder) side of the PCB instead of obverse (component), it's a given that in most setups, the reverse side faces the top, and so placing the heatsink here would help with convectional cooling.

We should mention the fact that it doesn't appear to support the Android Market and instead ViewSonic has added support for the 1Mobile Market. It also comes pre-loaded with the Amazon Kindle app and ViewSonic's 3D UI. The ViewPad 10e should launch next month in the UK with other regions set to follow. No word on pricing as yet, but we're expecting it to be one of the most affordable devices in its size that's from a brand name manufacturer.

HIS Rolls Out New Silent HD 6670 Graphics Card Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/his-rolls-out-new-silent-hd-6670graphics-card/13715.html October 12th, 2011

HIS unveiled its latest mid-range graphics card, the Radeon HD 6670 iSilence 4. The card employs a Zalman-made

The heatsink cools only the GPU, the AMD-branded DDR3 memory chips draw very little power (compared to GDDR5), and can make to with no additional cooling, so is the simple VRM that uses conventional up-down MOSFET configuration.

The Radeon HD 6670 is based on the 40 nanometer "Turks" silicon by AMD, it is DirectX 11 compliant, and packs 480 stream processors, and a 128-bit wide memory interface. The HIS HD 6670 iSilence 4 relies entirely on the motherboard for 12

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power, it lacks additional CrossFire bridge interfaces. Display outputs include one each of DVI, HDMI 1.4a (with 7.1 channel HD audio), and D-Sub (VGA).

Pricing and availability are still unknown.

Pioneer set to thrill movie fans with new 3D Blu-ray players

Published by: VR-Zone

Logitech announces Ultimate Ears 350 and 350vi in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/logitech-announces-ultimate-ears-350and-350vi-in-singapore/13713.html October 12th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/pioneer-set-to-thrill-movie-fans-withnew-3d-blu-ray-players/13714.html October 12th, 2011

Movie fans would love the new line-up of Pioneer Blu-ray players - BDP-140, BDP-440 and BDP-LX55 - which claim to support additional popular video and music playback formats, optimized HDMI connectivity and advanced networking features. On top of that, all three models are capable of 3D playback and boast cinema-quality experience.

Pioneer has unveiled three new Blu-ray disc players in Singapore - the BDP-140, BDP-440 and BDP-LX55 - that claim to deliver exceptional visual and audio cinematic performance in the comfort of your home. The players support a wide range of video and music playback formats including FLAC (BDP-LX55 only), MKV, DivX, PlusHD, WMV, WMA and MP3 playback as well as photo slideshows with its JPEG viewer; HDMI output to displays in high definition; and these new models are capable of full 3D movie playback with remarkably clear, crisp images and superior sound.

Enabled with connectivity to local networks and the Internet, the Pioneer players can connect to a wireless home network via an optional wireless network adapter AS-WL200. On top of that, these players are equipped with Picasa Viewing capabilities so that you can enjoy your favorite photo albums besides watching YouTube videos. The new players are also DLNA certified, which allows you to playback audio, video and photo content stored on a compatible network PC or media server.

The Pioneer BDP-140 is now available at authorized Pioneer retail outlets at a suggested retail price of S$299 while the BDP-LX55 and BDP-440 will be available from end October onwards. Pricing details not released at press time.

With the new Logitech Ultimate Ears 350 and 350vi, you can enjoy noise-free, superior quality audio of your favorite songs. The Ultimate Ears 350vi is slightly different from the Ultimate Ears 350 as it comes with a remote control and builtin microphone. Both earphones are available now.

The new Logitech Ultimate Ears 350 and 350vi are designed by the same engineers who create stage monitors for your favorite musicians. Both noise-isolating earphones claim to ensure superior acoustics and extra bass regardless of the genre of songs you are listening to. Incorporating sweatresistant and durable design, the earphones are ideal for use even during outdoor activities. The Ultimate Ears 350vi has the additional remote control with built-in microphone, and both earphones come with five pairs of ear cushions to fit different ear sizes, and a pocket-ready hard case to protect the earphones when you are on the go.

ESET launches NOD32 Antivirus 5 and Smart Security 5 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/eset-launches-nod32-antivirus-5-andsmart-security-5/13712.html

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Published by: VR-Zone

October 12th, 2011

This morning, IT security company ESET has announced the launch of their latest Smart Security 5 and NOD32 Antivirus 5 in Asia Pacific, including Singapore. Both products offer new and improved features including ESET Live Grid, a cloudbased reputation and protection technology' removable Media Control with granualar control of external devices; as well as Gamer Mode.

Eva Markova, chief operating officer of ESET Asia Pacific, was at the event to give an introduction of the company, from the history to the company's growth and product recognition in the market.

ESET has launched their new Smart Security 5 and NOD32 Antivirus 5 which claim to offer advanced detection technology and multi-layered security features for the home users. The ESET Smart Security 5 offers various new features including Live Grid (Cloud-powered Reputation) that can deliver optimized real-time protection against internet threats and social media exploits; Parental Control that can protect children from potentially offensive web content by blocking various website categories; and Advanced HIPS Functionality for users who want to customize the behavior of the system in detail like specifying rules for the system registry, active processes and programs. The ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 also comes with features like its Smart Security 5 sibling, as well as Gamer Mode that lets user focus on their online sessions or important work tasks; Enhanced Media Control that can automatically scan all USB flash drives, memory cards and CDs/DVDs; and Smart Detection that can detect malware using advanced heuristic detection technology to protect against unknown threats.

Retail Price ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5: S$29 – 1-year license; S$45 – 2year license

Pavel Luka, chief technology officer of ESET, talked about the company's real-time adaptive scanning technology, malware trends, and the upcoming products next year.

Cisco refreshes Linksys ESeries wireless routers, launches new X-Series Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cisco-refreshes-linksys-e-serieswireless-routers-launches-new-x-series/13710.html October 12th, 2011

ESET Smart Security 5: S$39 – 1-year license; S$59– 2-year license Consumers looking to upgrade their home wireless network may want to take a look at the refreshed Linksys E-series wireless routers as well as the new range of Linksys X-series modem routers. According to Cisco, the new products are characterized by high performance and sets new benchmarks 14

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for speed, wireless range and ease-of-use. Not to mention the sleek industrial designs that combines aesthetics and advanced functionality.

In a prepared statement, Ulrike Tegtmeier, Vice President, International, Cisco Home Networking Business Unit, said, "The home network is now a complex mix of various devices connecting to one platform, and consumers are demanding reliability and speed to meet their digital lifestyle needs.

Beyond the smart phone and personal computer, devices that are connected to the home network include TVs, Blu-Ray players, game consoles and set-top boxes. The increasingly sophisticated requirements of consumers today underscore the importance of wireless connectivity for a next-generation home entertainment experience."

Linksys E-series wireless routers The improved Linksys E-series wireless routers provide speeds of up to 450Mbps on the highest-end model. Selected models also incorporate SpeedBoost external power amplifiers to maintain signal strength over a greater distance. In addition, virtual USB technology makes it possible to connect USB printers, storage and other USB-based devices to the network.

The refreshed E-series family is shown in the table below.

Linksys X-series modem routers The Linksys X-series family of model routers are designed to work with both DSL and cable broadband connections. The flexibility means that users are free to switch between cable and DSL broadband when moving to a new home or to enjoy better deals from another service provider. The Linksys X2000 Wireless-N ADSL2+ Modem Router is currently available at S$139 and supports up to 300Mbps wireless with Ethernet ports. The Linksys X3000 Advanced Wireless-N ADSL2+ Modem Router, which costs S$179 and comes with Gigabit Ethernet ports, will be available end-November.

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ADATA Starts Shipping XM-13 mSATA SSD Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/adata-starts-shipping-xm-13-msatassd/13709.html October 12th, 2011

ADATA started shipping its XM13 family of Sandforce-driven solid state drives (SSDs) in the mSATA form-factor. The XM13 was spotted at this year's Computex tradeshow, held in June, in Taiwan. ADATA is promising capacities and speeds comparable to SSDs in the 2.5-inch form-factor, and endurance that makes it fit for SSD caching on motherboards with mSATA slots and SSD-caching technologies such as Intel Smart Response.

ADATA started shipping its XM13 family of Sandforce-driven solid state drives (SSDs) in the mSATA form-factor. The XM13 was spotted at this year's Computex tradeshow, held in June, in Taiwan. ADATA is promising speeds comparable to larger SSDs in the 2.5-inch form-factor, and endurance that makes it fit for SSD caching on motherboards with mSATA slots and technologies such as Intel Smart Response.

ADATA XM13 is available in capacities of 30 GB and 60 GB. At the heart of ADATA XM13 is Sandforce SF-1200 controller, wired to four Intel-made MLC NAND flash chips.

The controller supports SATA 3 Gbps interface. ADATA is advertising sequential transfer rates of up to 280 MB/s reads and 260 MB/s writes. Random read/write throughput figure given out is 12,500 IOPS. With a MTBF is 1.2 million hours, and shock resistence of 1500G/0.5ms the XM13 is touted to be extremely durable.

All products will be sold at Challenger Superstore, Harvey Norman, Best Denki, Courts, South Asia Computer, Inforcom Technologies, Fuwell, A Genuine Technology, Cybermind Computer House, Cyberactive Technology, Bizgram, Videopro, Gain City and Hai Xin Rui.

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710 "Lyndonville", SSD 720 "Ramsdale", and "Hawley Creek" mSATA SSDs. Several of these will launch within the fourth quarter of 2011. Intel will then allow these products to lead the portfolio for the remainder of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 (i.e. till the end of March 2012).

In the second quarter of 2012, Intel will launch "Ramsdale MLC". Simply put, this is a variant of "Ramsdale" Intel SSD 720 series PCI Express SSDs, which uses 25 nm MLC-HET NAND flash memory instead of SLC NAND flash found on the standard "Ramsdale". MLC-HET allows Intel to double capacities, while offering comparable endurance to SLC, and much higher price per gigabyte. It does, however, come at the cost of slightly lower throughput. Hence, Ramsdale MLC isn't really a replacement, but more of an expansion of the 700 Series PCI Express family.

ADATA XM13 30 GB is priced in the US $70 to $80 range, and the 60 GB variant in the $125 to $135 range.

Intel Charts Out SSD Roadmap for 2012 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-charts-out-ssd-roadmapfor-2012/13708.html October 12th, 2011

Intel has plans for the solid state drive (SSD) market that look deep into 2012. It is becoming increasingly clear that the company wants to give its SSD portfolio the breakneck product cycle its processor lineup enjoys, that of generation leaps every year or so. Looking into 2012, we see new models targeting pretty much every major market segment.

Intel has plans for the solid state drive (SSD) market that look deep into 2012. It is becoming increasingly clear that the company wants to give its SSD portfolio the breakneck product cycle its processor lineup enjoys, that of generation leaps every year or so. Looking into 2012, we see new models targeting pretty much every market segment.

Around the same time, Intel will launch "King Crest", a successor of SSD 520 "Cherryville" family. This is most definitely a successor, since it uses 25 nm MLC-HET NAND flash instead of regular 25 nm NAND flash found on SSD 520. We don't expect any leaps in terms of capacities, but endurance, sequential data-rates, and throughput can be expected to go up. Like the SSD 520, "King Crest" comes in the 2.5-inch form-factor with SATA 6 Gbps interface.

Some really big changes are reserved for the third quarter of 2012. Here, we find a new product taking shape, codenamed "Taylorsville". This one is slated to succeed SSD 710 "Lyndonville", with significant increases in capacities.

"Taylorsville" will be available in capacities of 800 GB, 400 GB, and 200 GB. Like SSD 710, it will make use of MLCHET NAND flash, the 2.5-inch form-factor, and SATA 6 Gbps interface.

Finally, there is "Lincoln Crest", a successor of SSD 320 series.

These drives will mark the transition of Intel's mainstreamthru-value SSDs to the SATA 6 Gbps interface. It will make use of MLC-HET NAND flash, and hence will be a lot more durable, and speedy compared to SSD 320 series.

ASRock X79 Extreme7 Full Board-Shots Surface Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-x79-extreme7-full-board-shotssurface/13707.html October 12th, 2011

Here are some of the first press shots of ASRock's elusive X79 Extreme7, which we broke to the world last month with a teaser picture. The pictures reveal a beast that more or less meets our expectations from a high-end socket LGA2011 motherboard, and confirms much of the feature-set we guesstimated with the help of that teaser pic.

To begin with, Intel will enter 2012 calendar year with many of the products it introduced very recently, some it hasn't even done yet. These include the SSD 520 "Cherryville", SSD

Here are some of the first press shots of ASRock's elusive X79 Extreme7, which we broke to the world last month with a teaser picture. The pictures reveal a beast that more or less meets our expectations from a high-end socket LGA2011 16

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motherboard, and confirms much of the feature-set we guesstimated with the help of that teaser pic.

Published by: VR-Zone

s. 8+2 channel HD audio is care of a Realtek ALC889 codec, there are six USB 3.0 ports in all (two on the rear panel, four via internal headers), FireWire, two gigabit Ethernet connections, and a number of USB 2.0 ports.

The board uses UEFI firmware. We expect the setup program to be rich in overclocking options that take advantage of the awesome (on paper) VRM deployed on this board.

The ASRock X79 Extreme7 is expected to be a part of the company's first wave of socket LGA2011 motherboards, due for November 2011.

Sony Singapore introduces new HD-EG5 and HD-EG5U external hard drives Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-singapore-introduces-new-hdeg5-and-hd-eg5u-external-hard-drives/13706.html October 12th, 2011

You've got to hand it to ASRock, they've managed to give this board the right amount of high-end "polish" to woo enthusiasts with even the deepest pockets. The X79 Extreme7 has a bustling landscape. Power is delivered to the CPU using a 16-phase VRM that uses high-grade chokes and Poscap capacitors. The memory looks to be powered by a 4-phase VRM arranged in sets of two on either sides of the socket.

An oddity here is ASRock's choice of six DDR3 DIMM slots for a platform with four memory channels. Among channels A, B, C, and D, channels B and D have two DIMM slots. So users with four memory modules to spare should populate the six slots as "1-0-1---1-0-1", in which the middle slot in each of the two sets of DIMM slots is left blank. Assuming this board supports 16 GB module densities, a total of 96 GB of memory is supported.

Expansion slots include five PCI-Express x16, among which two are electrical Gen. 3.0 x16 capable, four are Gen 3.0 x8 capable, and one is Gen 2.0 x4 capable, depending on how the slots are populated with add-on cards. ASRock didn't leave out legacy PCI, in case you don't want to let go of your awesome PCI sound card such as the X-meridean or X-Fi Elite Pro.

In terms of storage connectivity, there are four SATA 6 Gb/ s ports, a total of seven SATA 3 Gb/s, and one eSATA 3 Gb/

Sony is well-known for most electronics products, but this is probably the first time we have heard the company announced new external hard disks. Available in stylish black, pink and silver flavors, the Sony external hard disks feature advanced technologies and smart A/V features that lets you access data safely and conveniently.

Sony has unveiled their latest external hard drives which offer users great ease of use and safer data storage and backup.

The new Sony HD-EG5 and HD-EG5U are the company's first ever external hard drives, available in a slim and stylish black, silver and pink case, and weighs just 220g that makes them ideal for carrying wherever they go. The new drives are USB 3.0 compatible and use pre-loaded Data Transfer Accelerator software to accelerate transfer speeds up to three times faster compared to data transfer without this software, thus making them one of the fastest 2.5-inch hard drives on the market. The software also claims to boost transfer speeds when connected to a USB 2.0 port, up to two times faster than without using the software.

With the Password Protection Manager software, you can lock all or part of the drive using advanced AES 256-bit encryption, so only password-holders will have access to protected data. The Backup Manager also lets users set up automatic backups on any PC, and saves time by intelligently recognising and backing up only data that has been added or modified.

The FAT32 formatter software is also included for users to convert their drives for use with FAT32 compatible hardware.

Owners of Sony Handycam camcorders and PlayStation 3 game console will appreciate the AV Link features of the HD-EG5U, which makes playback of AVCHD video on a PlayStation 3 quick and painless. Users just need to connect the drive to the Handycam with a USB adapter cable, copy the 17

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video, then hook up the drive to the PlayStation 3 to view the videos using Sony’s Filmy software, without a PC. The Sony external hard drives are currently available in 500GB capacity, which is sufficient to store your documents, videos, holiday photographs etc. The Sony HDEG5 and HD-EG5U hard drives will be available in Asia Pacific from November 2011.

Dell announces Inspiron One 2320 all-in-one desktop PC for home users Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dell-announces-inspiron-one-2320-allin-one-desktop-pc-for-home-users/13705.html October 12th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

accessing content. It measures just 68mm thin and comes with built-in Wi-Fi and HD webcam for users who want to do video conferencing with friends or family.

The Inspiron One 2320 is available beginning today on www.dell.com/sg/p/inspiron-one-2320/pd starting at S $1,099 with an Intel Pentium processor. The Inspiron One 2320 will also be available in selected retail locations across Singapore.

Technical Information - Processors: Intel Pentium Dual Core, Intel Core i3, 2nd generation Intel Core i5 and i7 - Display: 23-inch WLED with 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution standard (Touch Optional) - Memory: 4GB DDR3 Memory (standard) up to 8GB DDR3 Memory - HD Webcam

Dell Singapore has announced their new Inspiron One 2320 all-in-one desktop, designed for home users. The sleek and stylish full-featured PC comes with a 23-inch full high definition display and Intel second generation Core i processor options for superb computing performance.

- Optional remote - Hard Drive options: 500GB SATA 3.5-inch (standard), up to 2TB SATA 3.5-inch - Graphics: On-processor graphics (standard) up to nVidia GeForce GT 525M discrete graphics - 8:1 Media Card Reader - Optical Drive Options: DVD+/-RW (standard) up to BluRay Combo - Wireless keyboard and mouse - Audio: Integrated HD Audio w/SRS and JBL-branded speakers - Dimensions: Width 567mm, Height 397mm, Depth 68mm Touch and 66.5mm non-touchscreen

Today, Dell introduced their new Inspiron One 2320, which claims to be the ultimate all-in-one desktop that can deliver superb entertainment experience for the entire family. In its sleek and stylish exterior, the Inspiron One 2320 features a space-saving design that fits neatly in tight spaces such as the kitchen, or on a desk in the home office.

It is available with various Intel Pentium dual core, Core i3, i5 or i7 processor options, and optional discrete graphics for great computing and multimedia performance. The desktop also comes with 23-inch full high-definition (1080p) display that lets you enjoy your favorite movies, or hook to your game console via HDMI, and you can also choose to watch TV with the optional built-in TV tuner. Users who like to touch and type, the Inspiron One 2320 is also available with a multitouch display option, offering a simple, intuitive experience for

Romania wins MSI Master Overclocking Arena 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/romania-wins-msi-masteroverclocking-arena-2011/13703.html October 12th, 2011

Professional level overclocking has become a very competitive sport, mind you, it's only really competitive within the community itself but that hasn't stopped the motherboard manufacturers to host competitions for the world's best overclockers. Friday saw the fourth annual MSI Master 18

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Published by: VR-Zone

Overclocking Arena final in Taipei with competitors from all over the planet compete to become the world champion, or at least the world champion using MSI motherboards to overclock with.

Professional level overclocking has become a very competitive sport, mind you, it's only really competitive within the community itself but that hasn't stopped the motherboard manufacturers to host competitions for the world's best overclockers. Friday saw the fourth annual MSI Master Overclocking Arena final in Taipei with competitors from all over the planet compete to become the world champion, or at least the world champion using MSI motherboards to overclock with.

Sixteen teams from all over the world were competing against each other, although this year Singapore didn't have anyone representing them at the finals. It's always a lot of speculation as to who will win these competitions, but it's difficult to predict as a lot of it comes down to the kit. It's not rare that motherboards or graphics cards fail due to the extreme temperatures and as far as the 3D benchmarks are concerned there tend to be issues with the memory not clocking equally high on the various graphics cards. However, the one thing that can easily prevent a team from winning is the CPU and although the CPU's have been pre-tested, they usually don't all overclock to the same speed. The components are given based on a lottery where each team gets to pick a number with corresponds to either a CPU or an entire setup.

Beyond the competition itself, MSI was also hosting various little shows to go with the event as well as a PC building competition for students together with the local PC DIY magazine. The sponsors – Intel, Kingston, Thermaltake and Western Digital – were also attending the event and were showing off some of their products and giving away from freebies. We shot a short video at the event that gives you an idea of what was going on and you can check out some additional pictures from the event on the next page.

For more detailed information, check out the MSI MOA website

Sony Ericsson announces Xperia arc S and Xperia neo V in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-announces-xperia-arc-sand-xperia-neo-v-in-singapore/13702.html October 12th, 2011

Sony Ericsson has announced the availability of the Xperia arc S and Xperia neo V in Singapore. The Xperia arc S is the improved version of its popular Xperia arc sibling, features an upgraded 1.4Ghz processor and boasts 25% faster camera start up and 20% faster web page rendering. The Xperia neo V sports a 3.7-inch display and comes with all the features like Google Talk with Video Chat and enhanced Facebook.

The benchmarks this time around was Super PI 32M, 3DMark 11 and good old 3DMark 2001SE. Even before the competition had started, last year's winner of Gigabyte's GO OC competition, matose from Romania was tipped off to be the winner with his team mate Monstru. That said, both the Greek team with Stelars and Aristidis (which came second) and the Swedish team consisting of Elmor and ME4ME (which came third) were tipped to be among the top teams and although this is sort of spoiling things, it's how things played out at the end of the day, much of thanks to the luck of the draw. That said, there were other teams that took the lead from time to time and it was only in the last minutes of the competition that it was clear that Romania would win MOA. 19

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Published by: VR-Zone

The Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S is now available in Singapore in Pure White, Midnight Blue and Sakura Pink, at a recommended retail price of S$788 without contract; the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V comes in White and Blue Gradient at a recommended retail price of S$468 without contract.

Play your 2D game in 3D on Optimus 3D with LG's 3D game converter Today, Sony Ericsson has introduced two new phones in Singapore, the Xperia arc S and Xperia neo V, which claim to deliver superb entertainment experiences to consumers.

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S Winner of the EISA award “European Camera Phone 2011-2012”, the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S incorporates various Sony technologies including 3D sweep panorama; 4.2-inch Reality display with mobile BRAVIA Engine; 8.1megapixel camera with high definition video capability; and Sony’s Exmor R mobile image sensor that can enhance still images and videos even under low light conditions. It is also faster than the Xperia arc sibling, with its fast 1.4GHz processor, including 25% faster camera start up, and 20% faster web page rendering.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/play-your-2d-game-in-3d-onoptimus-3d-with-lg-s-3d-game-converter/13701.html October 12th, 2011

At IFA 2011 trade fair in Berlin, LG unveiled their proprietary 3D Game Converter that allows smartphone users to transform OpenGL-based 2D games into 3D and vice versa. Well, the company has announced that the 3D Game Converter feature is now available for download.

Key features of Xperia arc S: - upgraded 1.4Ghz processor - 4.2-inch Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine - 25% faster camera start up and 20% faster web page rendering compared to Xperia arc - 8.1mp camera with HD video capability and Sony’s award winning Exmor R - Latest Android platform Gingerbread 2.3 Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V The Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V is one of the first Xperia smartphones to launch with the new 2.3.4 Gingerbread upgrade and includes all the features like Google Talk with Video Chat and enhanced Facebook inside Xperia functionality. The smartphone also features the world’s first 3D sweep panorama functionality powered by Sony where images can be captured and then viewed in 3D on the 3D TV via HDMI output.

Key features of Xperia neo V: - 3.7” Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine - Gesture input making texting a breeze - Updated Facebook inside Xperia functionality for enhanced like, share of media and apps

LG Korea has announced that its exclusive 3D Game Converter is now available for download for LG Optimus 3D smartphones. Included in the first Maintenance Release (MR), the software will be available in Europe beginning this month and rolled-out to other regions over the next several weeks. The 3D Game Converter is the first software engine that allows smartphone users to transform OpenGL-based 2D games into 3D and vice versa anytime.

After installation, users simply need to activate the 3D Game Converter application. The only requirement is that the 2D game is based on OpenGL and runs in landscape mode. Users can also manually adjust 3D depth and vision settings for

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the optimum experience. Changing between 3D and 2D is as simple as flicking the 3D Hot Key switch at any time.

LG plans to offer another software upgrade to enhance the Optimus 3D with new features including, but not limited to:

- 3D Video Editor for creating and editing 3D movies right on the device; - 2D viewing of 3D videos in a single-screen mode; - Dolby Mobile for best-in-class sound quality; - Automatic 2D video stabilization The 3D Game Converter can be automatically installed via WiFi by checking for software updates directly on the phone’s settings menu. The update is also available by connecting the device to a PC and running the LG Mobile Support Tool Software. Users are advised to check their carriers’ websites for dates of availability.

Corsair announces new liquid coolers, gaming cases and SSD drives.

The first product which Corsair announced is the H40 liquid CPU cooler, a simple and effective cooling solution for highpowered CPUs. The kit includes a 2000RPM fan and retails for 59.99$ USD.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-announces-new-liquid-coolersgaming-cases-and-ssd-drives./13700.html October 12th, 2011

Corsair's media department is on fire today, announcing the release of no less than 6 brand new products. The company announced two new liquid CPU coolers, a new gaming case in two colors and several new SSD drives, vastly enriching their total products line-up.

While almost identical to the older H70 cooler, the new H70 CORE cooler utilizes a 38mm thick radiator and, unlike all other liquid cooling products which Corsair currently produces, it does not come with any cooling fan, allowing the users to choose any 120mm fan(s) they want. The H70 CORE retails for 89.99$ USD.

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Last but not least, Corsair has released the new Carbide 500R gaming case in silver and black. The 500R Carbide combines good cooling options with a generous amount of internal volume and a competitive price tag, with the case retailing from 139.99$ USD.

Is this the Samsung Nexus Prime specs?

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/is-this-the-samsung-nexus-primespecs-/13699.html October 12th, 2011

Corsair had a good line-up of high speed SSDs but nevertheless the company decided to add some more. The Force GT series has been expanded with the addition of a massive 480GB drive, able to deliver read speeds of up to 555MB/s and write speeds of up to 525MB/s. An interesting product no doubt, although the 999.99$ USD price tag means that the drive costs its weight in Platinum - literaly. A slightly cheaper 480GB version of the Force 3 SSD series, retailing at 799$ USD, has also been released.

Google and Samsung are together expected to announce what is currently codenamed the Nexus Prime on the 12th of October and now detailed specification of what is purportedly the new handset. The new handset will feature a curved screen and Samsung has already released a teaser video that shows little else but the curve.

Google and Samsung are together expected to announce what is currently codenamed the Nexus Prime on the 12th of October and now detailed specification of what is purportedly the new handset. The new handset will feature a curved screen and Samsung has already released a teaser video that shows little else but the curve.

If you recall the Nexus S, Google's most recent own brand handset was made in co-operation with Samsung and it's nearly a year since that was announced and with Google gearing up for yet another major revision of Android, it's time for a new device to go with it. The screen is said to measure 4.65-inches and it's a Super AMOLED HD display with a resolution of 1280x720. We're not quite sure it fits on the phone category any more with a screen this size, but it seems to be the only innovative feature to do these days with regards to the external appearance of the handsets.

We're a little bit perplexed about the choice of processor, as the rumour suggests that the Nexus Prime will sport a 1.2GHz dual core TI OMAP 4460 SoC. Now this wouldn't be the first time Samsung would use an OMAP chip in one of its devices, but the Nexus S is using a Samsung Hummingbird SoC and we would've expected Google to continue that trend, but alas it seems like that isn't the case. We're also curious about the clock speed, as the OMAP 4460 is meant to run at 1.5GHz, but it's possible that Samsung had to clock it down due to the thin 9mm profile of the handset.

The OMAP 4460 sports PowerVR SGX540 graphics that should be clocked around 384MHz and the SoC supports dual channel LPDDR2 memory of which Samsung has apparently fitted 1GB. It's also said to feature 32GB of storage, much like some of its Galaxy S II models. Other features include a fairly unimpressive 5Megapixel camera that can shoot 1080p HD video, a front mounted 1.3Megapixel camera for video calls, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz) and NFC support. In 22

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terms of network connectivity it's said to be offered either with HSDPA or LTE depending on the network, so this one could be a bit tricky. The battery is meant to be a powerful 1,750mAh unit.

Beyond the fact that this sounds like one impressive handset, it will of course be running Ice Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0 as it's expected to be known as. It'll be running a bog standard version of the OS without any Samsung tweaks. The source is also suggesting that a new feature in Ice Cream Sandwich is the option to measure the data usage (i.e. downloaded and sent data) for each and every app. Well, it's not long now, so hopefully the real deal will be somewhat similar to the rumoured specs, although we'd really expect a more impressive camera on a device which is otherwise on the cutting edge.

Update: According to GSM Arena the specs are quite different and we should instead be looking at a 1.5GHz dual core Samsung Exynos, although for some unknown reason GSM Arena talks about PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics which doesn't match the spec of the Exynos SoC and you can't easily chop and change the graphics in an integrated chip. The camera should be 8Megapixels or in other words in line with the Galaxy S II. The battery is also said to be 2,050mAh instead of 1,750mAh. Judging by the video, there's also a "connector" for a charging dock, much as per the HTC Rhyme, something we didn't pay attention to at first.

BitFenix Announces Singapore Availability Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/bitfenix-announces-singaporeavailability/13698.html October 12th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

"It's been a long time coming, but BitFenix products are now available for sale in Singapore," says David Jarlestedt, BitFenix Product Manager. "Our partnership with distribution partner Tech Dynamic will ensure that gamers living in Singapore will finally be able to get a hold of BitFenix products and see what the buzz is all about."

"Tech Dynamic aims to provide the best quality and value to its customers," says Elizabeth Hong, Tech Dynamic Business Development Manager. "We're proud to introduce BitFenix's well designed products to the local community."

BitFenix products in Singapore will initially be available from these quality retailers: 1) Tradepac Pte Ltd 1 Rochor Canal Road #05-18 Sim Lim Square Singapore 188504 Tel: 63373376 Fax: 63373374 sales@tradepac.com.sg www.tradepac.com.sg 2) Bell Systems 1 Rochor Canal Road #05-68 Sim Lim Square Singapore 188504 Tel: 63393925 Fax: 63363987 sales@bellsystems.com.sg

BitFenix is pleased to announce a partnership with Tech Dynamic to bring BitFenix products into the hands of gamers in Singapore. BitFenix products in Singapore will initially be available from these quality retailers: Tradepac, Bell Systems, PC THEMES, Castronic, Best Bargain.

www.bellsystems.com.sg 3) Pc Themes Technology Pte Ltd 1 Rochor Canal Road #04-19 Sim Lim Square Singapore 188504 Tel: 63398339 Fax: 63399540 pcthemes@yahoo.com.sg

(BitFenix Design Lab, October 5, 2011) – Singapore – one of the world's most bustling economies and home to some of the most avid gamers around. Today, BitFenix is pleased to announce a partnership with Tech Dynamic to bring BitFenix products into the hands of gamers in Singapore.

Through this partnership, gamers in Singapore will be able to finally purchase and enjoy BitFenix products which have been making waves in the hardware community since their introduction.

4) Cashtronic 1 Rochor Canal Road #06-73 Sim Lim Square Singapore 188504 Tel: 63339578 5) Best Bargain Computers 23

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1 Rochor Canal Road #05-02 Sim Lim Square Singapore 188504 Tel: 63349143 info@best-bargain-computers.com https://www.best-bargain-computers.com/ For more information on Tech Dynamic, visit their website: http://tech-dynamic.com.

For more information www.bitfenix.com.

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AMD TFE 2011 report Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-tfe-2011-report/13697.html October 12th, 2011

Yesterday we attended AMD's Technical Forum and Exhibition, or TFE as it's simply called and this was the 7th time AMD held the event in Taipei. Although AMD didn't' talk too much about its future products, there were a couple of glimpses of new technology and there was also an NDA press briefing for the upcoming FX-processors from AMD, but sadly we can't tell you about it, yet.

Yesterday we attended AMD's Technical Forum and Exhibition, or TFE as it's simply called and this was the 7th time AMD held the event in Taipei. Although AMD didn't' talk too much about its future products, there were a couple of glimpses of new technology and there was also an NDA press briefing for the upcoming FX-processors from AMD, but sadly we can't tell you about it, yet.

At last year's TFE AMD had invited media from all over the world for a press briefing on its then upcoming 6000-series of GPUs, but this year it was a fairly low key event for the media with only select media from a few Asian countries being on location. That said, the event isn't intended for the media, but rather for AMD's partners and we saw representatives for both notebook, motherboard and graphics card manufacturers at the show. The afternoon consisted of various presentations from both AMD and some of its components partners relating to how to make better components or systems based on AMD technology.

What the company did talk about was a little bit about the future of its CPUs, although as you can see, the roadmaps are hardly what you'd call detailed. AMD mentioned its Piledriver core which should arrive next year, first in Trinity which replaces Llano and later on in its next generation desktop CPU. We should point out that AMD is not planning any future mobile CPUs, only APUs, although this is hardly surprising.

AMD is expecting about 10 percent performance boost overall from the Piledriver core, although this is seemingly just an estimation as this point in time.

AMD was also keen to point out that its working hard to promote open standards, specifically OpenCL in this case as the company believes it offers the best cross-platform compatibility, scalability and of course the ability to take advantage of the GPU for computational tasks. To that extent AMD has launched a couple of OpenCL programing handbooks on top of going around and promoting OpenCL to its partners. AMD was mentioning a few products in its presentation such as Adobe Flash Player 11, Microsoft Silverlight 5, various DVD/Blu-ray playback applications and some video editing applications of which the most well-known one is Sony Vegas Pro.

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AMD also talked about graphics and showed off one of its 28nm mobile Radeon HD 7000 chips and they also had a live demo of it playing Dragon Age 2, although there was no mention of which specific model it was, or the specifications of the test system but the game played and looked as you'd expect it to. Apologies for the lack of a close-up of the chip, but it wasn't shown for very long. AMD did also show a block diagram of the compute unit of the 7000-series GPUs, which we did snap a shot of. AMD recons it'll be first with 28nm GPU's, but as Nividia has as yet to announce anything with regards to its 28nm, we'll just have to wait and see who'll be first.

AMD was also keen to point out that its PowerTune technology allows its graphics card to automagically overclock while staying within the power and thermal envelope the cards have been designed for, although if an application or benchmark is run on the GPU that draws a lot of power and as such creates additional head, the GPU will throttle back to prevent its cards from failing.

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Last but not least we also have a couple of videos from the event, the first one shows AMD's new five screen wide Eyefinity setup which is apparently able to display 10 million pixels if you have the right resolution displays. The second video shows MSI's AMD powered tablet running the Windows 8 preview code and AMD is of course talking about the benefits of Fusion here and how the GPU can help make for a smoother experience.

That's all for now, but we will have some more details about the upcoming FX-processors next week, so check back with us then for some thoughts from AMD about its new platform.

HTC launches Sensation XE with Beats Audio, Rhyme and Radar Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/htc-launches-sensation-xe-with-beatsaudio-rhyme-and-radar/13693.html October 12th, 2011

HTC had a regional event this afternoon to launch their HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio, HTC Rhyme and HTC Radar, which was showcased at last week's Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) event. On top of that, the company also showcased the HTC Explorer, though the phone would only be available in selected countries in Asia.

HTC Sensation XE

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HTC acquired a majority stake in Beats Audio by Dr. Dre, and today, the company unveiled their new smartphone with the Beats Audio technology that claims to deliver studio quality sound. The HTC Sensation XE is equipped with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 4GB internal memory and 1730mAh lithium-ion battery, and 4.3-inch touch screen with 540 x 960 qHD resolution. You can also plug in your custom made Beats headset to enjoy superb audio experience.

At the rear is an 8-megapixel colour camera with auto focus and dual LED flash. It can also capture video in full high definition 1080p. The HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio will be available at all mobile operators and authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of S$868 by end Q4 2011.

HTC Rhyme

Published by: VR-Zone

The HTC Rhyme has an elegant exterior design, claims to offer a refreshed HTC Sense experience and comes with a range of integrated accessories such as the docking station, light? emitting cube, sports arm band, headphones, headset and car speaker. When docked, the docking station recharges the phone battery while turning the phone into an alarm clock and music center.

The HTC Rhyme docks seamlessly via the three round connectors below the 5-megapixel rear camera. The phone features a 3.7-inch WVGA super LCD display, 1GHz processor, and weighs just 130g. The HTC Rhyme will come bundled with the docking station, tangle-free headphones and HTC Rhyme Charm, and will be available at all mobile operators and authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of S$699 by end Q4 2011 in clearwater colour.

HTC Explorer

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You must have read about the death of Steve Jobs, aged 56 by now, which we reported on earlier today. A statement from his family said that Jobs passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. You can also read Apple CEO Tim Cook's email to Apply employees on the news of Steve Jobs' demise here. As expected, reactions around the world have been swift, topped with a palpable sense of loss from friends and competitors alike. Public figures and luminaries such as Obama, Gates, Zuckerberg have reacted to Jobs' passing away, as with those in the creative industry in the form of Disney and Pixar execs.

The HTC Explorer has a slower 600MHz processor compared to the HTC Rhyme and HTC Sensation XE, though it didn't really feel too slow when we browsed the home pages and navigate the menu. It is also smaller, with a 3.2-inch touchscreen (320x480 HVGA), and comes with Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and internal GPS antenna.

You must have read about the death of Steve Jobs, aged 56 by now, which we reported on earlier today. A statement from his family said that Jobs passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. You can also read Apple CEO Tim Cook's email to Apply employees on the news of Steve Jobs' demise here.

As expected, reactions around the world have been swift, topped with a palpable sense of loss from friends and competitors alike. Public figures and luminaries such as Obama, Gates, Zuckerberg have reacted to Jobs' passing away, as with those in the creative industry in the form of Disney and Pixar execs.

At the rear is the 3-megapixel camera with fixed focusing.

There isn't LED flash which means you would probably not want to take pictures in dim-lit environment. The HTC Explorer is available in selected countries in Asia, and apparently, not available in Singapore though.

What the world has to say about Steve Jobs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/what-the-world-has-to-say-aboutsteve-jobs/13692.html October 12th, 2011

Much remains unknown about the events leading to his death, given Jobs' strong penchant for privacy for himself and his family. However, reports filtering in indicated that the likely cause of death as pancreatic cancer, which is hardly surprising given Jobs' long battle with pancreatic cancer, subsequent surgery and eventual liver transplant. On that front, at least one report has questioned whether Job's unorthodox treatment for his pancreatic cancer actually shortened his life - though that is surely a moot issue at this stage.

And in the finest tradition of the riveting real-time coverage popularized by Apple's legendary product launches, at least one publication has put together a live blog of the media coverage surrounding Jobs' death. For sure, the man will be dearly missed by family, friends, colleagues - and millions of fans around the globe.

For now, I've scourged the Net for some of the top stories about the man and his achievements.

• An in-depth article by BusinessWeek about Jobs and his life work in building the most valuable technology company [Link] • An analysis by the LA Times of how Steve Jobs' genius paid off massively for Apple stockholders [Link] • An inspiring and thought-provoking list of Steve Jobs' Best Quotes, compiled by the Wall Street Journal [Link] 27

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• More quotes from Steve Jobs, as well as circumstances behind them by Engadget [Link] • A timeline of some key dates from the man's life and work [Link] • A touching, personal account by Mossberg on the Steve Jobs he knew [Link] • Google CEO Larry Page on Steve Jobs [Link] • A list of Steve Jobs' greatest tech contributions [Link]

Published by: VR-Zone

1997 to oversee the creation of one innovative digital device after another — the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad - and led the cultural transformation of how music, movies and mobile communications should be experienced in this time and age. In 2007, Jobs was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune Magazine, and later named the CEO of the decade by Fortune Magazine in 2009. In September 2011, Jobs was ranked No.17 on Forbes: The World's Most Powerful People.

Rest in peace Steve, you'll be dearly missed.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away, aged 56 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-co-founder-steve-jobs-passedaway-aged-56/13691.html October 12th, 2011

The technology world woke up to sad news that Apple cofounder, ex-CEO, Steve Jobs has passed away. He was aged 56.

Jobs has had a long battle with pancreatic cancer, and stepped down as CEO in August this year. And it was only yesterday, the company launched their new iPhone 4S.

It is a sad day for the technology world as Apple's visionary and co-founder Steve Jobs has died on Wednesday, aged 56. The death was announced by the company which Jobs and his high school friend Stephen Wozniak started in 1976.

Jobs has had a long battle with pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery in 2004. He also received a liver transplant in 2009 and had taken three medical leaves of absence as Apple's chief executive officer. Jobs stepped down in August this year, though he took over as elected chairman position in the board of directors, and still involved in the company's affairs.

Eight years after founding Apple, Jobs has led the team that designed the Macintosh computer, a breakthrough in making personal computers easier to use. After a 12-year separation from the company, prompted by a bitter fallingout with his chief executive, John Sculley, he returned in 28

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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.

Arctic Cooling announces the Accelero Mono PLUS, a new VGA cooler Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/arctic-cooling-announces-the-acceleromono-plus-a-new-vga-cooler/13756.html October 17th, 2011

A few weeks ago Arctic Cooling, the well known manufacturer from Switzerland, released two new VGA coolers; the powerful Accelero Twin Turbo 6990 and the passive Accelero S1 PLUS. Today the company announced yet another VGA cooler, the Accelero Mono Plus.

and VR modules, while the company claims that this cooler is virtually silent.

Lenovo becomes second largest PC maker, Asus enters fifth place Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lenovo-becomes-second-largest-pcmaker-asus-enters-fifth-place/13755.html October 17th, 2011

Despite all the concerns about the PC industry and the general downturn once more in the economy, it looks like the PC industry is going strong, well, at least mostly so. According to the latest data from Gartner and IDC, the PC industry grew by between 3.2 and 3.6 percent in the third quarter this year and although this isn't much, we really need to take a closer look at the numbers to see what's going on.

Despite all the concerns about the PC industry and the general downturn once more in the economy, it looks like the PC industry is going strong, well, at least mostly so. According to the latest data from Gartner and IDC, the PC industry grew by between 3.2 and 3.6 percent in the third quarter this year and although this isn't much, we really need to take a closer look at the numbers to see what's going on.

The big changes in the industry involves Lenovo taking over Dell's number two spot and Asus moving up into the top five PC makers, ousting Toshiba. As such HP remains at the top spot, with Dell in third followed by Acer in fourth. But the important thing here is to look at the grown between the third quarter of this year and last year.

Arctic cooling designed the Accelero Mono Plus with a unique mounting plate design, meaning that the cooler is designed for maximum compatibility over a wide range of graphic cards. The 120mm PWM controlled fan combined with the 5 heatpipes give an ample cooling capacity of up to 200W. The design of the cooler also improves the cooling of the RAM

Here we see HP with a 5.3 percent growth, slightly better than the average, whereas Lenovo has a massive growth of 36.1 percent with Asus closely behind with a 30.2 percent growth.

However, Dell declined by 1.6 percent and in the case of Acer, we see a massive drop of 20.6 percent. This is bad news for Dell, but judging by all of Acers problem this year, it wasn't unexpected that the company would be losing market share, but over 20 percent drop is disastrous.

In terms of actual market share, HP holds 18.1 percent of the market, up from 17.8 percent, Lenovo 13.7 percent, up from 10.4 percent, Dell 12 percent, down from 12.6 percent, Acer 10 percent, down from 13.1 percent and Asus 6.5 percent, up 1

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Published by: VR-Zone

from 5.2 percent. As such there's still a big gap between Acer and Asus and we expect that Toshiba isn't too far behind Asus, although only top five numbers were provided.

In the case of Asus, most of its sales would've been notebook related, as although Asus sell ready built PC's in some regions, the company is a tiny player in the desktop PC market. This also tells us that Asus' notebooks are now more popular than those from Toshiba which must be a big blow for the Japanese company which used to be one of the top notebook manufacturers in the world. Lenovo has most likely gained a lot of market share thanks to its more affordable Ideapad line of notebooks and lower-cost devices in the Chinese market, although its Thinkpad series is still plenty popular with corporate users. HP has had its fair share of troubles this year too, but still managed to do better than Dell which hasn't launched the most inspiring products this year, even though the company has made a lot of noise about its new products that ended up disappointing in the end.

Ivy Bridge to have 77W max TDP, backwards and forwards compatibility explained Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ivy-bridge-to-have-77w-max-tdpbackwards-and-forwards-compatibility-explained/13754.html October 17th, 2011

A fair few new details of Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge CPUs and accompanying platforms have appeared over on a Chinese forum and although we'd take this with a pinch of salt, the roadmaps do look like the real deal. If proven to be correct, then we're looking at a peak TDP of 77W for the high-end models, down from the current 95W for Sandy Bridge.

Moving down a step we find quad core 65W S SKU's and 45W T SKU's just like what's available for Sandy Bridge, as well as a 35W dual core SKU. As such, the low power parts haven't become that much more power efficient, at last not until you move down to the Core i3's which are now all 55W or 35W in the case of the T SKU. Interestingly, when we move further down the food chain so to speak, there's only a single standard Wattage Pentium Ivy Bridge SKU and one “power optimized� SKU to start with and it gains DDR3 1600MHz memory support, along with the rest of the Ivy Bridge chips.

The remainder of Intel's Pentium and all of its Celeron chips will apparently remain as Sandy Bridge based CPUs until sometime in 2013, at least according to the slide.

As for actual CPU SKU's, well, it seems like most things will stay much the same as they are today, although with the first digit in the model names being a 3 instead of a 2, except for the Pentiums and Celerons that are expected to get a fourth digit in front which will be a 2. As such we'll have the Core i7 37xx, Core i5 35xx, 34xx and 33xx, Core i3 31xx and finally Pentium G2xxx for now.

A fair few new details of Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge CPUs and accompanying platforms have appeared over on a Chinese forum and although we'd take this with a pinch of salt, the roadmaps do look like the real deal. If proven to be correct, then we're looking at a peak TDP of 77W for the high-end models, down from the current 95W for Sandy Bridge.

If you have a look at the picture below, you'll see a rather complex diagram of what we can expect late Q1/early Q2 next year. On the far left and top you'll find Intel's internal market segmentations and as always the interesting stuff is happening towards the top. There will be unlocked K SKU's just like there are with Sandy Bridge and this in itself isn't a big surprise, but Intel's shrink to 22nm alongside with its new "3D transistors" is obviously helping the company push down its TDP's quite significantly, as all the high-end Ivy Bridge CPUs top out at 77W TDP.

As for backwards and forwards compatibility, well, things are a little bit complicated. All Sandy Bridge CPU's are according to Intel, guaranteed to work on all the new 7-series chipsets, so if you want a new motherboard for your old CPU, then you don't need to worry. However, if you want to use a current 2

October 17th, 2011

motherboard with an Ivy Bridge CPU, then things get a little trickier. For starters, the Q67, Q65 and B65 chipsets will not support Ivy Bridge and if we're correct, this has to do with lack of firmware space. This might once again only be limited to Intel's motherboards though, as the company didn't put large enough flash chips on its motherboards.

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The move is part of a continuing effort by Google CEO Larry Page to streamline the company's business by killing underperforming products. Page had separately revealed that Google+ has passed the 40 million user mark the day before as part of the company's release of its third quarter financial results. Taken together, it is clear that Google is intent on maintaining the momentum behind Google+.

Users will no longer be able to create new posts once Buzz shuts down, though they can view their existing posts from their Google Profiles in future, says Horowitz. They can also be downloaded to a local computer using Google Takeout.

On his Google+ account, Horowitz elaborated more on the decision to retire Buzz in a post a day later. He wrote: "We think the time has come for us to focus our energy on projects that will have the most impact to the most users. With the majority of Buzz users now here on Google+, it became obvious that all of our attention should be focused on this community."

As for the Z68, P67, H67 and H61 chipsets, they're all compatible, in theory. As we mentioned before, this requires a UEFI update and in this case there must be enough space available to flash Intel's ME8L (L for Legacy) UEFI code to the motherboards. As we've pointed out in the past, this might not be a straight flash due to various reasons so far only known to Intel and its partners. Only time will tell what will be possible and what won't be, but this is clearly a hurdle that the motherboard manufacturers are going to have to deal with before they can guarantee Ivy Bridge support for their Sandy 6-series motherboards, especially as Intel won't have its ME8 UEFI code ready until early next year. According to roadmaps we've seen, Intel itself won't have its ME8 UEFI updates ready for the 6-series motherboards until sometime after the launch of Ivy Bridge.

Google shutting down Buzz to focus on Google+ Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-shutting-down-buzz-to-focuson-google-/13753.html October 17th, 2011

Google plans to shut down its Google Buzz service and the Buzz API within the span of "a few weeks." The announcement was made by Bradley Horowitz, VP of Product at Google in a blog post on the official Google blog. Titled "A fall sweep," Horowitz also announced the impending closure of various Google products such as Jaiku, Code Search and Google Labs, as well as the social networking features on its iGoogle site.

Dismissing the notion that Buzz was a waste of time, Horowitz credited the service with teaching Google the importance of privacy, the realization of which led the team to design privacy in "from the very beginning." In a candid reference to the furor over privacy when Google Buzz was first launched in February 2010, he wrote: "We learned privacy is not a feature... it is foundational to the product."

As a result, the decision was made to start slowly with Google + in order to obtain real-world feedback that was used to tweak Google+. Horowitz says the feedback helped create what Google+ is today.

However, one aspect of the Buzz closure not addressed by Horowitz appears to be the age restriction (18+) that is currently imposed by Google+. As voiced by some concerned readers, existing Google Buzz users aged below 18 may well be forced to cross out Google from their list of social networking options if this is not changed.

CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid (Cherry MX Red) Mechanical Keyboard Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cm-storm-quick-fire-rapid-cherry-mxred-mechanical-keyboard-review/13752.html October 17th, 2011

Built with Cherry MX Red switches, the CM Storm Quick Fire Rapid is Cooler Master's first foray into gaming keyboards.

Featuring a "tenkeyless" design, we see if it is a worthy mobile companion to bring along for competitive LAN sessions and for general use.

The Package Front of Box 3

October 17th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

Back of Box Extra Keycaps, Keycap puller and PS/2 to USB Convertor

The Keyboard User Guide

Removable Braided (offers some protection breakages) Gold Plated USB to Micro-USB Cable

against

Research in Motion offers premium apps for free following service disruptions Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/research-in-motion-offers-premiumapps-for-free-following-service-disruptions/13750.html October 17th, 2011

Research in Motion has announced that it is offering premium apps worth more than US$100 for free, for BlackBerry owners, following the recent service disruptions. The BlacKBerry apps

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will be made available to customers over the coming weeks on BlackBerry App World, until 31 December 2011.

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Majority of malware attacks preventable, says Microsoft Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/majority-of-malware-attackspreventable-says-microsoft/13749.html October 17th, 2011

Today, Research in Motion has announced that it is offering a selection of premium apps worth more than US$100 will be offered free of charge to subscribers as a gesture of appreciation for their patience during the recent service disruptions. The apps will be made available to customers over the coming weeks on BlackBerry App World until 31 December 2011.

The complete selection of premium apps will become available to download at BlackBerry App World from Wednesday, 19 October, over a period of four weeks. The selections over this period will include the following (with more to come): - SIMS 3 - Electronic Arts - Bejeweled - Electronic Arts - N.O.V.A. - Gameloft - Texas Hold’em Poker 2 - Gameloft - Bubble Bash 2 - Gameloft - Photo Editor Ultimate - Ice Cold Apps - DriveSafe.ly Pro - iSpeech.org - iSpeech Translator Pro - iSpeech.org - Drive Safe.ly Enterprise - iSpeech.org

A new report from Microsoft has concluded that the majority of hacking attacks relies on exploiting known security flaws and is hence preventable. The six-month-long research was conducted by the Trustworthy Computing group at Microsoft, culminating in Volume 11 of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report that was presented at the RSA Conference Europe 2011.

Given how malware infections that exploit zero-day vulnerabilities tend to get top billing in news headlines, it is inevitable that the average user would consider them as the top problem in IT security. Zero-day vulnerabilities are undiscovered flaws in computer software that are exploited by hackers and authors of malware to break into or gain control of computer systems. They are difficult to defend against due to their novel nature, which may result in novice users to experiencing a sense of helplessness.

With less than 1 percent of exploits discovered in the first six months of 2011 being attributed to zero-day vulnerabilities, the report passes the onus back to end-users to keep their personal PCs protected. And while the report mentions Microsoft's own Microsoft Security Essentials antimalware tool, the implicit warning is that antimalware defenses alone are an insufficient substitute for keeping one's PC up-to-date on security patches and software updates.

To get a feel of how to prioritize in terms of the software patches to install, below is a short list that summarizes some of the most prevalent malware vectors highlighted by the Microsoft report: • Operating system vulnerabilities • Java runtime environments

- Nobex Radio Premium - Nobex

• Adobe Flash

- Shazam Encore - Shazam

• Document parser (PDF, Microsoft Office file formats)

- Vlingo Plus: Virtual Assistant - Vlingo RIM’s enterprise customers will also be offered one month of free Technical Support. Current customers will be offered a complimentary one month extension of their existing Technical Support contract, and customers who do not currently have a Technical Support contract will be offered a one month trial of RIM’s BlackBerry Technical Support Services - Enhanced Support, free of charge. Additional details about the program and information about how to register will be available at www.blackberry.com/enterpriseoffer.

• HTML/JavaScript (Browser) A quick glance through the list makes it clear that users may want to stop ignoring the prompt to update their Java runtime or disable Windows Update. Moreover, it may also be wise to periodically check that the auto-update mechanism in your favorite Web browser to validate that updates are working properly.

Finally, it may be worth noting that social engineering techniques also plays a big part into tricking users into doing something dangerous, which is probably where security software plays a part to mitigate some of the risk.

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Source: Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, Volume 11(pdf)

ASUS ZENBOOK UX31 Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-zenbook-ux31-review/13738.html October 17th, 2011

The success of the thin, ultraportable Apple MacBook Air has indirectly prompted Intel to envision how notebook computer of the future should be like. And that notebook computer is the new Ultrabook which was recently launched by various manufacturers.

Published by: VR-Zone

4. Apple introduced their first-generation MacBook Air which uses ULV processor, and it completely overtook the CULV notebooks in the market.

From the first to second generation Apple MacBook Air, the various notebook manufacturers did not feel any pressure.

But with the third generation, something has to be done or else nothing could change how Apple define the trend of consumers' spending habit. ASUS U Series, from U1 and U2, has stunned and impressed everyone with their design, but not the latter models. However, the new ZENBOOK has reliven the U-series, more than the U1 and U2 era.

There are four ASUS Ultrabook models in Taiwan, which are listed below. Our review unit is the UX31E-061A2557M which incorporates Intel Core i5-2557M processor, 4GB DDR3 memory, and SandForce SATA 6Gbps SSD that uses SF-2281 controller.

UX21E-021A2467M UX21E-061A2677M UX31E-061A2557M UX31E-081A2677M CORE CORE i7 CORE CORE i7 i5-2467M – 2677M i5-2557M – 2677M (1.6GHz) (1.8GHz) (1.7GHz) (1.8GHz) Memory 4 GB DDR3 4 GB DDR3 4 GB DDR3 4 GB DDR3 1333 (4 1333 (4 1333 (4 1333 (4 GB) GB) GB) GB) Storage 128GB 256 SATA 128GB 256GB SATA III III SSD SATA III SATA III SSD SSD SSD Display 11.6-inch 11.6-inch 13.1-inch 13.1-inch WXGA WXGA WXGA WXGA LED backlit LED backlit LED backlit LED (1366 × (1366 × (1600 × backlit?

768) 768) 900) 1600 × 900) Chipset Intel GMA Intel GMA Intel GMA Intel GMA 3000 HD 3000 HD 3000 HD 3000 HD Audio Bang&Olufsen Bang&Olufsen Bang&Olufsen Bang&Olufsen ICEpower ICEpower ICEpower ICEpower Network Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Wi-Fi b/g/n, b/g/n, b/g/n, b/g/n, Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, 3.0 + HS, 3.0 + HS, 3.0 + HS, Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit Gigabit I/O micro micro micro micro HDMI, HDMI, HDMI, HDMI, mini-VGA, mini-VGA, mini-VGA, mini-VGA, audio, USB audio, USB audio, USB audio, USB 2.0, USB 2.0, USB 2.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 3.0 3.0, SD 3.0, SD card reader card reader OS Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Battery 6 cell, 7hr 6 cell, 7hr 6 cell, 7hr 6 cell, 7hr Dimension front front front front 3mm, 3mm, rear 3mm, rear 3mm, rear rear - 9mm, - 9mm, - 9mm, 9mm,1.1kg 1.1kg 1.3kg 1.3kg

CPU

The term "Ultrabook" first came about at COMPUTEX 2011, and ASUS was there to showcase their UX21 and UX31 machines - which use the power-efficient second-generation Intel Core processors, have long-lasting life, and are easy to carry. Intel had also held a press conference in Taiwan, and announced that it will invest up to US$300 million in research and development for the Ultrabook product line. From this, one can tell that even the chip giant felt a sense of threat from Apple.

Looking back, Intel was pushing for the energy-efficient Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage (CULV) processor. But why did it fail?

1. Intel forced manufacturers to take in their chips or else it would "affect" the future supply of chipsets. will affect the subsequent supply chipsets and processors.

2. The notebook PCs from various manufacturers that incorporate the CULV processor, the weight and thickness simply can't match that of the Ultrabook.

3. The performance is unable to fulfil the requirement of most consumers.

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Others

SRP RRP

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UX21E-021A2467M UX21E-061A2677M UX31E-061A2557M UX31E-081A2677Mhigher clocks at the same TDP, or maybe enabling all the cores too at a similar speed. Intel's tradition for both Nehalem chicletchicletchicletchicletand Westmere was that, a quarter or two after the initial style style style style stepping, the next one would bring substantial improvements keyboard, keyboard, keyboard, keyboard, in frequency, or power, or both - usually one or two speed multitouch multitouch multitouch multitouch bumps within the same envelope. That was enough then, touchpad touchpad touchpad touchpad there's no reason to doubt it will be the same this time.

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ 39,900 NT$ 34,500 ~ 35,000

49,900 NT$ 44,500 ~ 45,000

41,900 NT$ 37,500 ~ 38,000

51,900 NT$ 46,500 ~ 47,000

Why the initial desktop Sandy Bridge-E chips has only six (of eight) cores enabled?

Else, we'd have to wait for the Ivy Bridge-E generation, still a year away...

Nokia N9, now available in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-n9-now-available-insingapore/13745.html October 17th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/why-the-initial-desktop-sandy-bridgee-chips-has-only-six-of-eight-cores-enabled-/13748.html October 17th, 2011

We all know the Sandy Bridge E die has a total of 8 cores and 20 MB L3 cache, in addition to dual QPI links and quad DDR3 memory channels. Since the Xeon E5 workstation and server parts will have all of them, why are the desktop ones left with only six cores and 15 MB L3 cache? Look at the TDP (thermal design power) for an answer...

The MeeGo platform was jointly announced by Nokia and Intel last year, but the first MeeGo device only came to market recently. The Nokia N9 sports a sleek design, ease of use and unique swipe technology that lets you navigate between apps conveniently.

There was disappointment in some of the enthusiasts' circles that the initial round of desktop Socket 2011 Sandy Bridge E processors have one quarter of their cores and cache disabled.

So, instead of 8 cores with 20 MB L3 cache, you get just 6 cores with 15 MB L3 enabled. The reasons mentioned, better to say speculated, along the way, were anything from the yields on this large die, or Intel's preference to sell full 8 core versions to the more lucrative workstation and server Xeon market, or even the fact that desktop apps or environments can still barely use even those 6 cores, not to mention a full set of eight.

There's another reason, that may top them all though - TDP. Yes, these are really big dies, with many cores and lots of cache - not as many as the Xeon E7 - Westmere-EX - series in the same 32 nm process, but E7's 10 cores and 30 MB cache top out at 2.4 GHz only. Here, we have an expectation that the full 8 core chip should still work at just above 3 GHz right at the announcement - at least in the '3-D workstations only' 150 W version. See the number? Now, well, desktops don't really go with more than 130 W TDP per socket these days, yet the per core clock has to be higher, to justify the migration from older Core i7, and to keep the difference with the LGA1155 4-core SB chips, as well as AMD Bulldozer.

The Nokia N9 has a stunning design, curved glass display and scratch resistant screen, and latest smartphone technology that make it looks good and easy to use. Manufactured from a single piece of polycarbonate, the Nokia N9 comes in black, cyan and magenta with storage options of 16GB and 64GB. It can pair with accessories such as the Nokia Play 360° speakers using NFC technology, and claims to be the world’s first smartphone with Dolby Digital Plus decoding and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology for superb surround sound experience.

So, to get 3.3 GHz or higher core speed, and fit it all into 130W TDP, a 6 core limit sounds about right for the current C series steppings at least. A future D stepping could enable 7

October 17th, 2011

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Nvidia launches 3D Vision 2 stereoscopic glasses Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-launches-3d-vision-2stereoscopic-glasses/13744.html October 17th, 2011

If you don't succeed at first, try again seems to be Nvidia's motto behind its 3D Vision glasses, as the company has announced its second generation of 3D Vision glasses simply called 3D Vision 2. Then again, this is far from the second generation, as over the years we've seen several attempts from Nvidia where the company has tried to convince gamers that they need 3D glasses to get the most out of their games and the company has also launched something of a flash back product in the shape of the 3D Vision wired glasses.

If you don't succeed at first, try again seems to be Nvidia's motto behind its 3D Vision glasses, as the company has announced its second generation of 3D Vision glasses simply called 3D Vision 2. Then again, this is far from the second generation, as over the years we've seen several attempts from Nvidia where the company has tried to convince gamers that they need 3D glasses to get the most out of their games and the company has also launched something of a flash back product in the shape of the 3D Vision wired glasses.

The company claims that part of the re-design is to help stop light coming in from the sides and that the glasses will fit better when wearing gaming headsets. Nvidia also took the opportunity to add some extra company branding to the new glasses, with a big silver logo on a green background. One issue that doesn't appear to have been widely addressed once again is the issue of those that wear glasses, as the new 3D Vision glasses don't seem to be any more comfortable to wear on top of a pair of glasses, although Nvidia claims that the adjustable nose pieces will make them more comfortable to wear alongside a pair of regular glasses.

Nvidia is saying that the new 3D Vision 2 glasses offer 20 percent larger lenses and the company has added a new feature called LightBoost with turns up the screen brightness on LED 3D displays to help combat the darkening effect of the active shutters in the glasses. The most visible change though is of course the new design, but it's still very much a love or hate thing. Nvidia has at least managed to shrink the bulk of the battery pack compared to the original 3D Vision glasses, but has at the same time ended up with thicker frames around the eyes and an overall bulkier design.

Nvidia also offer a pair of wired 3D Vision glasses, although these were announced back in May, but we hadn't had a chance to see them in the "flesh" until now. They have a length of cable attached to the left arm and this has a small USB dongle with a single LED installed in it which will let you know if they're working correctly or not.

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Published by: VR-Zone

general production for 28nm GPUs will only ramp up in 2012.

However, AMD may yet be able to sneak in a GPU by the end of the year in limited quantities.

Japan gets 450Mbps Wi-Fi dongle courtesy of Logitec Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/japan-gets-450mbps-wi-fi-donglecourtesy-of-logitec/13742.html October 17th, 2011

As for pricing, the 3D Vision 2 wireless glasses with a USB IR transmitter will retail for US$149, the same price that the current 3D Vision glasses are retailing for and you can get the glasses on their own for US$99. The wired 3D Vision glasses are currently selling for US$99.

We've added a few more pictures of the new glasses from various angles on the next page.

Rumour: AMD 28nm GPUs in December Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-amd-28nm-gpus-indecember/13743.html October 17th, 2011

As Wi-Fi is evolving we've now hit speeds of 450Mbps, but to date you've been pretty much limited to using notebooks with a select choice of mini PCI Express cards to be able to reach those kinds of speeds. Now it seems like the first 450Mbps USB dongles are starting to appear and although we've seen a product from Trendnet already, it's not as small and portable as the latest model from Japanese Logitec.

As Wi-Fi is evolving we've now hit speeds of 450Mbps, but to date you've been pretty much limited to using notebooks with a select choice of mini PCI Express cards to be able to reach those kinds of speeds. Now it seems like the first 450Mbps USB dongles are starting to appear and although we've seen a product from Trendnet already, it's not as small and portable as the latest model from Japanese Logitec.

Do note that Logitec shouldn't be confused with Logitech which is called Logicool in Japan. The relatively small dongle, called the LAN-W450AN/U2 supports both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands and it has a small flip-up style antenna. It also comes with a USB extension for desktop systems where it might be hard to plug in otherwise.

According to Heise Online, AMD is preparing to release its first next-gen 28nm GPUs om December, with the dates of 6th December to 9th December being rumoured. Little else is known about this GPU - whether it is VLIW-4 or GCN, whether it is desktop or mobile, etc.

According to Heise Online, AMD is preparing to release its first next-gen 28nm GPUs om December, with the dates of 6th December to 9th December being rumoured. Little else is known about this GPU - whether it is VLIW-4 or GCN, whether it is desktop or mobile, etc.

Initially announced by AMD for late-2011, reports point to problems at TSMC's 28nm process leading to delays. Even if AMD does manage to release its first 28nm GPUs in December, low supplies are expected. AMD has demonstrated 28nm GPUs running in notebooks several times now. At the recent Fusion 11 conference in Taipei, AMD showed off a midsized performance/mainstream die.

NVIDIA's first 28nm chip - GK107 - is set to release in Q1 2012 for notebooks, if all goes well, with desktop and performance GPUs following later in the year. At this time, it does look like 9

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Published by: VR-Zone

to test its new IFC-PCIE4U3S host controller card with and the company claims sequential read speeds of 371MB/s compared to 305MB/s for the NEC host and sequential write speeds of 322MB/s compared to 226MB/s.

There really isn't much else to say about it, but we're expecting other manufacturers to be close behind Logitec with their own 450Mbps dongles, especially once the router install base grows. Currently there are only a handful of 450Mbps routers in the market, but we should be seeing several new models before the end of the year. The LAN-W450AN/U2 retails for a not insignificant 4,980 Yen (S$82) in Japan which is quite a lot of money considering you'd most likely have to splash out on a suitable router to go with it as well.

Buffalo launches 4-port Renesas based USB 3.0 card Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/buffalo-launches-4-port-renesasbased-usb-3.0-card/13741.html October 17th, 2011

We're not quite sure how Buffalo managed to hit these kinds of speeds, but we haven't had the opportunity to test a quad-drive DriveStation and as such we don't know what the internals are either. The only place we managed to find a price for the IFCPCIE4U3S was in Japan where it's listed for 4,200 Yen (S$69) which is extremely expensive for a USB 3.0 host controller; although we'd expect it to be cheaper in other parts of the world once it becomes available.

AMD's first chipset for socket FM2 revealed by the USB-IF If you read our USB 3.0 host controller roundup you might've noticed the Renesas µD720201 as one of the contestants. Back then we had to rely on a reference card, but now Buffalo has launched a retail card based on Renesas latest generation of USB 3.0 host controllers.

If you read our USB 3.0 host controller roundup you might've noticed the Renesas µD720201 as one of the contestants. Back then we had to rely on a reference card, but now Buffalo has launched a retail card based on Renesas latest generation of USB 3.0 host controllers.

Buffalo is making some bold performance claims and they've compared the Renesas µD720201 to the good old NEC µD720200 which quickly became the standard USB 3.0 host controller, as it was the only option up until early this year.

Buffalo used one of its 12TB quad-drive USB 3.0 DriveStation's

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-s-first-chipset-for-socket-fm2revealed-by-the-usb-if/13740.html October 17th, 2011

It's surprising what you can find browsing compliance databases and we just happened upon a big one today. AMD's next generation chipset for its Trinity Fusion APU's have made an appearance in the USB-IF's certified product list and the USB-IF kindly revealed the chipset name, rather than putting up some kind of code name.

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It's surprising what you can find browsing compliance databases and we just happened upon a big one today. AMD's next generation chipset for its Trinity Fusion APU's have made an appearance in the USB-IF's certified product list and the USB-IF kindly revealed the chipset name, rather than putting up some kind of code name.

In all fairness, we have very little to go at here, but as you can see from the screenshot below, the first chipset model will be called the A85X. We'd presume that this is the replacement for the x90X series of chipsets for AMD's AM2/3 sockets and this suggests that we might end up seeing a higher-end and a lower-end version as well.

So far the only feature we know that we'll see as part of this new chipset is of course USB 3.0, although we don't expect AMD to go with more than the current four ports as seen in the A75 chipset. Trinity is expected to arrive fairly early next year and judging by the fact that the reference platform has already paced through the PCI-SIG as we reported earlier, it seems like AMD might actually be on track with its follow up to Llano.

Singaporean researchers boost hard drive capacity six fold with a sprinkle of salt Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/singaporean-researchers-boost-harddrive-capacity-six-fold-with-a-sprinkle-of-salt/13739.html October 17th, 2011

Judging by the latest news, the good old hard drive is far from dead as it seems that we can expect a six fold increase in storage capacity in the near future, at least if researched by Singaporean scientists end up catching on with the hard drive manufacturers. What's surprising is that simple table salt, also known as ammonium chloride is what made it all possible.

Judging by the latest news, the good old hard drive is far from dead as it seems that we can expect a six fold increase in storage capacity in the near future, at least if researched by Singaporean scientists end up catching on with the hard drive manufacturers. What's surprising is that simple table salt, also known as sodium chloride is what made it all possible.

The development is actually two fold, as the scientists from Singapore's Institute of Material Research and Engineering (IMRE) as well as ones from Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) with some help from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Data Storage Institute (DSI) used bit-patterned media which is cutting edge

Published by: VR-Zone

hard drive technology and then applied a sprinkling of salt to really spice things up.

Ok, that's not quite true, as the salt was added as a step in the e-beam lithography process as this helped to produce a much more defined nanostructure on the disk surface.

The end result is a structured surface on the disk, whereas traditional hard drives have randomly distributed nanscopic magnetic "grains" (measuring around 7-8nm each) where multiples of tens are used to store a single bit, the researched managed to create a disk where the disk surface consist of tiny "islands" (measuring around 10nm each) instead and each island can store a bit.

The method used still requires a lot of refinement, as on average the researches managed to boost the storage density from 0.5 Terrabit per square inch to 1.9 Terabit per square inch, they also managed to reach data densities as high as 3.3 Terabit per square inch. As you can see from the electron microscopy image above, the data is packed extremely dense by using this new technology. However, this is just a step towards the researcher's goal to hit 10 Terabit per square inch, although this isn't likely to happen overnight.

Currently there are two competing standards in the future of hard drive technology, one is the bit-patterned technology used by the Singaporean researches and this is also the technology that Hitachi GST (which might soon be part of Western Digital) and something called heat-assisted magnetic recording or HAMR which is a technology Seagate is pushing for. The long of the short is that the current perpendicular drive technology is about to run out of steam once storage densities of 1 to 1.5 Terabits per square inch is reached as the bits stored will be too small and become unstable due to the fairly unstructured surface of the disks. HAMR is expected to happen sooner than bit-patterning, although it's possible that this new break-through process will change all that.

We'll definitely be keeping an eye on things, as in as much as SSD's are getting cheaper and the density is going up, they just can't compete with hard drives in terms of cost per GB. On top of that we're storing more data than ever, so larger hard drives is a must, but with 4TB drives starting to trickle out from the manufacturers, it seems like we have little to worry about for the time being at least.

Xbox Singapore unveils new Kinect holiday titles Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xbox-singapore-unveils-new-kinectholiday-titles/13737.html

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Today, Xbox Singapore had a media event to showcase their upcoming holiday titles including Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Sports: Season Two, Dance Central 2 and Forza Motorsport 4 which would be available this month and November. On top of that, the company also showed the Xbox classic Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

Published by: VR-Zone

Dance Central 2: Following up to the best-selling dance game for Kinect, Harmonix expands the full-body dance game universe with Dance Central 2, which provides new multiplayer experiences and all-new routines set to an unstoppable soundtrack, featuring Usher, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Montell Jordan and more. Meet the crews and dance collaboratively with friends in Perform It! or challenge them to a simultaneous head-to-head Dance Battle.

Pricing: SRP S$59.90 Availability: 21 October, 2011 Forza Motorsport 4: With genre-defining controller-based racing, game-changing Kinect experiences, such as head tracking, and new social features that connect players in ways no other racing game can, Forza Motorsport 4 is transforming the racing category.

Availability: 11 October, 2011 Pricing: Standard Edition: SRP S$59.90; Limited Collector’s Edition: SRP S$84.90

Kinect for Xbox 360 was launched a year ago and according to Jimmy Khoo, director for Retail Sales and Marketing, Microsoft Singapore, it set the new Guinness world record as the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in 60 days.

Today, the company unveiled the new Kinect holiday titles which some were showcased at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June this year. Titles include the Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Sports: Season Two, Dance Central 2 and Forza Motorsport 4.

Kinect: Disneyland Adventures: This is the first title coming out of a licensing agreement between Microsoft Studios and Disney Interactive Studios, and children, parents and Disney fans can explore Disneyland park - from Main Street U.S.A. to Critter Country - joining Peter Pan to battle Captain Hook, high-five Mickey Mouse or hug Snow White using their full bodies and voices. No controller required.

Pricing: SRP S$59.90 Availability: 15 November, 2011 Kinect Sports: Season Two: The sequel to last year’s nunberone hit for Kinect is back with more full-body action, featuring six new sports: American football, golf, baseball, winter skiing, darts and tennis. Whether you want to go for a hole-in-one in golf, throw a Hail Mary touchdown pass in American football or compete against a friend during a few sets of tennis, Kinect Sports: Season Two has something to appeal to everyone.

And for those who enjoyed Xbox classic, high-definition remake of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary: Created in celebration of the tenth anniversary of one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a spectacularly re-mastered version of the original Halo campaign, bundled with some of the most beloved multiplayer maps in Halo history reimagined for Xbox LIVE. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will include a bounty of new features, including cooperative play over Xbox LIVE, new challenges and new fiction to uncover.

Price: SRP S$42.90 Availability: 15 November, 2011

Price: SRP S$59.90 Availability: 25 October, 2011 Xbox and the Health Promotion Board is also collaborating to promote a fun and healthy lifestyle to Singapore families. The public can get their first hands-on with Kinect Sports: Season 2 at the upcoming National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign (NHLC) launch at Sengkang Community Club on Saturday 22 Oct 2011, a week before the game’s retail launch.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Sony unveils world's first digital binoculars with HD video recording, zoom, autofocus and SteadyShot

turning on digital zoom at magnification settings over 10x, both boost total magnification range from 0.9x up to 20x.

Electronic autofocus allows both binoculars to focus cleanly on subjects as close as 1cm away when recording in 2D (min.

80cm when recording in 3D).

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-unveils-world-s-firstdigital-binoculars-with-hd-video-recording-zoom-autofocus-andsteadyshot/13736.html October 17th, 2011

Separate images for left and right eyes are captured by a matched pair of precision G Lens optics by Sony with Exmor R CMOS sensors and powerful BIONZ processors.

Independent electronic viewfinders provide clear, detailed images for left and right eyes, offering a 3D viewing experience that’s comfortable, natural and highly immersive.

Sony has unveiled the world's first digital binoculars - DEV-5 and DEV-5K - which claim to offer high definition video recording, as well as 3D recording for military, security and private investigation use. Both binoculars are going to be available from November.

The binoculars are comfortable to hold for extended periods, thanks to the ergonomic grip area that’s coated with an elastomer material for comfortable handling and stable operation. Top-mounted controls allow easy operation with gloved fingers, while dual buttons are provided to start recording instantly with either hand. As an additional refinement, both models include an on-board GPS receiver that automatically geotags video clips as you are on the move.

The DEV-5 comes supplied with a rechargeable battery pack (NP-FV70) that allows up to approximately 3 hours of 2D recording on a single charge, while the DEV-5K is supplied with a high capacity rechargeable battery pack (NP-FV100) that allows up to approximately 6 hours of 2D recording. In addition, both models come with lens cover, finder cap, large eye cups, a carrying case and neck strap supplied.

The new DEV-5 and DEV-5K digital recordable binoculars from Sony will be available in Singapore from November 2011 and are priced at S$2,599 and S$3,080 respectively.

Quick hands on video

The DEV-5 and DEV-5K from Sony claim to be the world’s first digital binoculars that can record Full high definition video with stereo sound. Available in two versions, the DEV-5 is the consumer version of the digital binoculars, while the professional DEV-5K comes with the same technical specifications as the DEV-5 but also includes the AC-VQV10 high-speed AC adaptor/charger, plus a high-capacity NPFV100 battery.

The DEV-5 lets you capture precious moments that you can enjoy later on your HD television. There is also a 3D record mode that captures the scene as thrilling stereoscopic video footage to enjoy on your 3D BRAVIA TV, with a maximum magnification of 5.4 times in 3D mode. Similar to the DEV-5, the DEV-5K professional model lets you observe and capture incontrovertible evidence simultaneously without having to take your eyes off the subject. It also offers 3D recording as realistic stereoscopic video footage, which is suitable for military, security and private investigation use.

Variable zoom on both models lets you scan a wide area at low magnification before zooming in seamlessly to pinpoint your subject, like a distant golf ball or birds in the field. By

Colourful and affordable Nokia 603 to be available in Singapore in Q4 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/colourful-and-affordable-nokia-603-tobe-available-in-singapore-in-q4/13735.html October 17th, 2011

The new Nokia 603 is equipped with the latest Symbian Belle operating system and with the Nokia Luna Bluetooth headset, both aim to bring Near Field Communication (NFC) to mass market. The Nokia 603 smartphone and Luna Bluetooth headset are scheduled to be available in Q4 this year.

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Published by: VR-Zone

subscription plan. Singapore is one of the first markets where the MediaPad is commercially available.

Nokia has announced their new colourful and affordable Nokia 603 which is preloaded with the latest apps and featuring single-tap pairing, sharing and tag reading with Near Field Communication (NFC). The company also unveiled the Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset to use with the Nokia 603 that lets user pair easily via NFC technology. Designed to appeal to first time smartphone users and those upgrading from older products, the Nokia 603 offers the latest technologies and features in a package that is extensive, affordable and unique to the company.

The Nokia 603 has a seamless, compact design and has a durable 3.5-inch ClearBlack, scratch-resistant display that is optimized for use even under bright sunlight. Priced at EUR200 (before taxes and subsidies), the Nokia 603 comes preloaded with Maps, latest social networking games and apps, and the ability to capture, edit and share photographs.

It also features the latest Symbian Belle software with up to six customizable homescreens and dynamic live widgets for improved personalization and prioritization of your favourite content.

The Nokia 603 is available in black and white with a choice of back covers in six different colors: black, white, fuchsia, green, yellow and blue. The Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset is available in black, white, fuchsia, green and cyan. Both products are expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Huawei MediaPad on sale tomorrow for S$598 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/huawei-mediapad-on-sale-tomorrowfor-s-598/13734.html October 17th, 2011

The wait is finally over for Huawei MediaPad fans in Singapore! From 15 October 2011, the 7-inch Android Honeycomb 3.2 MediaPad will be retailing at operators as well as selected retail stores for S$598 (including GST) without

Singapore, 13 October 2011 - The wait is finally over for Huawei MediaPad fans in Singapore! From 15 October 2011, the 7-inch Android Honeycomb 3.2 MediaPad will be retailing at operators as well as selected retail stores for S$598 (including GST) without subscription plan. Singapore is one of the first markets where the MediaPad is commercially available.

The Huawei MediaPad is a complete entertainment powerhouse driven by Qualcomm’s dual-core 1.2GHz processor. Featuring a 7-inch 217 PPI capacitive touch screen, the MediaPad is Huawei’s smartest, slimmest and lightest tablet yet, measuring just 10.5mm (0.4 inches) deep and weighing approximately 390g (0.86 pounds).

It supports 1080P full HD video playback and features a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and 5 megapixel auto focus rear-facing camera with HD video recording capabilities.

With HSPA 14.4Mbps and high-speed WiFi 802.11n Internet connectivity and preloaded with 3 popular games, the MediaPad doesn’t just entertain – it keeps you connected.

Intel CPUs Overclocked: Sandy Easy, Ivy Easier, Haswell Easiest!

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-cpus-overclocked-sandy-easy-ivyeasier-haswell-easiest-/13733.html October 17th, 2011

Contrary to the image some harbour due to the temporary Sandy Bridge overclock lock on the generic non-K parts, Intel processors are expected to be very overclock friendly in the future generations. My sources at IDF confirmed that directly, and now it might be the time to cover it in more detail...

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Even with AMD's initial Bulldozer parts around now, Intel seems to still hold a firm lead when it comes to easy "production" overclocking where, with just a small tune up, you can get an extra 20% to 30% processor performance without major - or any at all, if using a good board and decent cooling - impact on your systems' long term reliability. For instance, a typical six-core Core i7 990X runs very nicely at 4.27 GHz speed everyday at just 1.28 volts, without a hitch.

And, the K-series Sandy Bridge overclocking capabilities, even on standard air cooling, are well known, with the new i7 2700K parts running stable at 5 GHz with decent air cooling alone.

Published by: VR-Zone

All that's missing in this story is some competition to this... where, oh where?

Asus launches USB 3.0 speed booster, UASP support for ASMedia Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-launches-usb-3.0-speed-boosteruasp-support-for-asmedia/13732.html October 17th, 2011

So far we've only seen performance boosting software for USB 3.0 data transfer from ASRock, but now Asus has launched its own take, alongside a set of new drivers for ASMedia's USB 3.0 host controllers which adds UASP support. We did a quick and dirty speed test with the new drivers to see if there was any improvement, although we didn't have a compatible Asus motherboard at hand to test the speed boosting software.

Now, the good seems be just getting better, as we move forward. According to the stuff seen at the IDF, Ivy Bridge CPUs decouple the main clock finally, following what the coming Sandy Bridge - E Socket 2011 is also implementing.

Now, you can overclock the cores and memory without worrying about affecting the I/O and PCIe clocks. But then comes the more interesting piece news.

A year later, in early 2013, the pinnacle of Intel's 22 nm process show off, the initial Haswell processor, is expected to go another step further, where CPU core, GPU, memory, PCI and DMI ratios are all set independently here, on top of fine grain BCLK base clock available within the Lynx Point chipset. Also, due to its fully integrated voltage regulator circuitry for simplified platform design, more stable power delivery and therefore more predictable overclocking could be achieved. Add to it the expected major improvements in memory DIMM layout topology, enabling great performance even with 2 DIMMs per channel without the usual penalties compared to just 1 DIMM per channel.

Now, this would be as far as one can go in overclock friendliness on a mainstream platform, and, knowing that the sources were confirming the likelihood of combined multiple CPU and multiple GPU cores on Haswell (i.e. you could have, say, 4 CPU cores and 2 GPU cores, or 2 CPU cores and 3 GPU cores chip), would create possibly the most flexible desktop and mobile - platform Intel, or anyone else, ever had in one socket.

So far we've only seen performance boosting software for USB 3.0 data transfer from ASRock, but now Asus has launched its own take, alongside a set of new drivers for ASMedia's USB 3.0 host controllers which adds UASP support. We did a quick and dirty speed test with the new drivers to see if there was any improvement, although we didn't have a compatible Asus motherboard at hand to test the speed boosting software.

UASP or USB Attached SCSI Protocol not only brings with it a performance boost as long as you're using a storage device with UASP support, but it also offers support for command queuing and removes several software overheads. But most significantly for most consumers, UASP adds support for outof-order completion of file copies. What does this mean in practical terms? Well, you can now copy files simultaneously by drag and drop and they'll finish based on the file size rather than on the order you copied them as in generally the case with the Bulk Only Transfer protocol. Sadly UASP won't be a standard until Windows 8 comes out and it's quite tricky to know which devices are supported and which aren't.

Renesas was the first to support UASP for its host controllers and has so far been the only USB 3.0 host controller manufacturer to support the standard. That said, ASMedia has support UASP on the device side for quite some time and its ASM1051E, ASM1051U and ASM1054 SATA to USB 3.0 bridges all support UASP. According to Asus, the LucidPort USB300 SATA to USB 3.0 bridge also offers UASP support and this is also what the manufacturers website is stating. Beyond SATA bridges several USB 3.0 flash drives also support UASP and Asus is providing a list of devices that the company has tested on its website (see link at the end of the article).

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Published by: VR-Zone

maximum write speed peaked at 293.3MB/s a few times, with the average write speed hitting 242.6MB/s. Pretty impressive stuff, especially as it's a free upgrade.

Seagate launches the GoFlex Cinema multimedia drive Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/seagate-launches-the-goflex-cinemamultimedia-drive/13731.html October 17th, 2011

Even if you don't have an Asus motherboard, but an ASMedia host controller we suggest you head over to Asus and hit the download button, as included in its USB 3.0 Boost package are new ASMedia drivers as well as a new firmware and both are needed for UASP support and will work on all ASMedia USB 3.0 host controllers. We did a really quick Crystal DiskMark test using the same ASM1051E bridge and Patriot Wildfire SSD and although we used a different system for the test than the one we used during our exhaustive USB 3.0 host controller roundup, we saw improved read speeds of about 12MB/s although the read speed was only up by about 1MB/s.

That's still a decent improvement considering that all we did was flash the host controller firmware and install a new driver.

Asus is making some wild claims of a 170 percent performance increase in UASP mode which might be possible in some scenarios and considering that their test setup was slightly different and consisted of actual file copying, we can't say it's wrong. What's more surprising is that its Turbo software only offers a 127 percent improvement in the same scenario, although that was in BOT (Bulk Only Transfer) mode, as apparently Asus' USB 3.0 Boost software isn't compatible with UASP. Still, if you have a device that doesn't support UASP, it's still a decent way of getting some additional performance out of your USB 3.0 devices. For some reason there's also a "normal" mode in the USB 3.0 Boost software in case you have a device that doesn't like UASP or the boost mode.

Media players are hardly what we'd call special these days and you can get some really cheap, if albeit basic models these days that will play pretty much any file format you throw at them.

Seagate has been trying to get in to the media player for quite some time and so far the company has come up with some fairly uninspiring solutions, but its new GoFlex Cinema is a rather intriguing piece of hardware.

Media players are hardly what we'd call special these days and you can get some really cheap, if albeit basic models these days that will play pretty much any file format you throw at them.

Seagate has been trying to get in to the media player for quite some time and so far the company has come up with some fairly uninspiring solutions, but its new GoFlex Cinema is a rather intriguing piece of hardware.

The GoFlex Cinema is one of the smallest media players in the market, well; it is as long as you don't take into account the size of the GoFlex hard drive which it's attached to. The entire setup measures 223x120x44mm and that gives you a sizeable external hard drive available in 1TB, 2TB and 3TB sizes. Unlike Seagate's previous attempts at media players the GoFlex Cinema relies on 3.5-inch hard drives rather than 2.5inch drives. Beyond its media player features it can also be used for copying files directly from a digital camera without the need of a PC. A small remote control that doesn't look overly impressive is also supplied.

So the takeaway here is that even if you don't have an Asus motherboard on the list, as long as you have an ASMedia USB 3.0 host controller it's well worth upgrading the firmware and drivers. Asus is currently listing 17 motherboard models that it says are compatible with the USB 3.0 Boost software and the new UASP drivers. We tested with a standard ASM1042 based PCI Express cards and didn't run into any issues with the new UASP drivers and several devices that we tested it with. All we're hoping for now is that all the other USB 3.0 host controller makers will follow suit and launch UASP drivers for their host controllers.

Update: We ran another quick test in HD Tune Pro 4.61 and got an average read speed of 261.6MB/s, that's nearly 37MB/ s faster than without UASP. In terms of write performance we saw a huge increase in performance here too with an increase in the average sequential write speed of 33MB/s, although the 16

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The actual media player is a small attachment that goes on what would normally have been the bottom end of a GoFlex hard drive and it sports a mini USB port for file transfers to/ from a PC, a standard USB port to which cameras or other USB storage devices can be connected, an HDMI port, an optical S/PDIF out, a pair of RCA audio jacks and a composite video connector as well as a power connector. There's both an upside and a downside to this. The upside is that the drive that comes with the GoFlex Cinema works with other GoFlex adapters from Seagate, so you can get a USB 3.0 dock to boost the speed when you're copying files from your PC. The downside is that the GoFlex Cinema isn't sold without a hard drive, so if you already own a GoFlex drive, you'll have to get another one to get the GoFlex Cinema.

Published by: VR-Zone October 17th, 2011

This afternoon, Western Digital announced the launch of the WD TV Live, My Passport Studio and My Passport for Mac in Singapore. The WD TV Live streaming media player can connect to the Internet easily via Ethernet or wireless, and supports high definition video applications. The WD MyPassport portable hard drives come in compact form factor with high storage capacity options and are designed for use with Mac and Apple Time Machine.

In terms of file support the GoFlex Cinema appears to have just about every format in all standard resolutions supported. It'll play back AVI (Xvid, MPEG 1/2/4, AVC, H.264), MPG/MPEG, VOB, ISO (DVD and Blu-ray), M2TS, MP4, MOV (AVC , H.264), MKV (MPEG 2/4, AVC, H.264), FLV and ASF (VC-1, WMV9) video files as well as MP3, WAV, AAC, MKA, FLAC, WMA, APE and OGG audio files, alternatively audio combined with the video. There's also support for LPCM, WMA Pro, Dolby Digital and DTS audio, although only pass through for the multi-channel formats. Finally it'll display JPEG (up to 20Megapixles), GIF, TIFF, BMP and PNG images and SRT, SSA, ASS and SAMI subtitles.

We can't say much about the UI as Seagate has only posted a single screenshot on its website and even that isn't very clear.

There's multi-language support, but as to which languages are supported seems to vary between the regions the unit is sold in and currently it seems to only be available in EMEA and the details on Seagate's website is as such limited to that region. The 1TB model retails for €99 (S$175), with the 2TB model only being slightly more expensive at €129 (S$229) and finally the 3TB model at €179 (S$315). No word on when or if Seagate is planning on launching the GoFlex Cinema outside of Europe, but we'd expect it to be available globally.

Western Digital launches WD TV Live, My Passport Studio and My Passport for Mac in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/western-digital-launches-wd-tv-livemy-passport-studio-and-my-passport-for-mac-in-singapore/13730.html

Western Digital has launched their latest WD TV Live wireless streaming media player, WD My Passport Studio and My Passport for Mac portable hard drives in Singapore. The WD TV Live streaming media player is Wi-Fi enabled and can connect to the Internet via wireless or Ethernet connection.

It features a new intuitive user interface and offers Internet content from services including Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Dailymotion, Spotify (available only in USA), AccuWeather and even Shoutcast Radio. The media player also includes Fun Spot Games gaming service that has games such as Sudoku, Black Jack and Poker. Other features include DLNAcompatible, supports a wide variety of media formats and support any USB connected drives, digital camera, video camcorder and network drives.

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The WD TV Live streaming media player is available at selected retailers at S$189.

Chevrolet works on nextgeneration EN-V concept vehicle Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/chevrolet-works-on-next-generationen-v-concept-vehicle/13729.html October 17th, 2011

Car manufacturer Chevrolet has announced plans to work on the next-generation EN-V vehicle that claims to be safe, is zero-emission and powered by Lithium-ion batteries. The company intends to use the EN-V vehicle for pilot programs in selected megacities around the world.

The ultra-copmact WD My Passport for Mac sports an elegant Mac-inspired finish and features high capacity storage options of up to 2TB. The WD My Passport for Mac is powered through USB2.0 and does not require additional cables or power source. The WD My Passport Studio, on the other hand, has an all-metal design and offers multiple connectivity options - two FireWire 800 and USB 2.0. It also allows users to daisy chain additional drives or other peripherals such as high definition camcorders, and features encryption and password protection software.

The WD My Passport for Mac and My Passport Studio are available at selected retailers at the following price tags:WD My Passport Studio 500GB - S$169 750GB - S$189 1TB - S$219

WD My Passport for Mac 500GB - S$119 750GB - S$129 1TB - S$159

Work on the a next-generation Chevrolet EN-V concept vehicle was announced today, and it represents General Motors’ vision to meet the growing demand for safe, connected, zero-emissions personal transportation. The next-generation Chevrolet EN-V could participate in pilot demonstration programs in megacities around the world to determine realworld practicality.

Future EN-V concepts will carry the Chevrolet brand, Chris Perry, vice president, global Chevrolet marketing and strategy, told international and domestic media visiting Detroit in advance of Chevrolet’s Nov. 3 Centennial celebration.

Craig Davis, director, Sales and Marketing, Branded Product Group, Western Digital Asia Pacific Region, was at the event to talk about the new offerings from the company.

The award-winning EN-V, short for Electric NetworkedVehicle, is a two-seat, electric urban mobility concept that maintains the basic principle of personal mobility, while responding to congestion and environmental concerns in growing global megacities. The next-generation Chevrolet ENV concept will add new features that customers need, such as climate control, personal storage space and all-weather and road condition operation. It will also retain its battery electric propulsion, connectivity and autonomous driving capabilities.

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The EN-V is a zero-emissions vehicle powered by lithium-ion batteries. Recharging from a conventional wall outlet using standard household power enables EN-V to travel at least 40 kilometers on a single charge, acceptable for most urban trips.

Published by: VR-Zone

— in more ways than one. Peep closely and you can see the notches of the capacitive sensors embedded on top of the device. Our review unit came in a standard retail box with bundled accessories including a USB nano receiver, two AAsize batteries, base cover, USB cable and the product and setup guides.

By combining GPS with vehicle-to-vehicle communications and distance-sensing technologies, the EN-V can be driven manually or autonomously. In autonomous mode, EN-V offers mobility to people who may not otherwise operate a vehicle.

By leveraging wireless communications it allows drivers and occupants to communicate hands-free with friends or business associates while on the go.

The ability to communicate with other vehicles and with the infrastructure could help EN-V significantly reduce the number of vehicle crashes and make it easier to find available parking spaces. It could also reduce traffic congestion by automatically selecting the fastest route based on real-time traffic information.

Microsoft Touch Mouse Review: Mouse with a clever Touch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-touch-mouse-review-mousewith-a-clever-touch/13728.html October 17th, 2011

The Microsoft Touch Mouse was introduced in Singapore, in August this year. The stylish, elegant mouse claims to work with Windows 7 operating system and is capable to handle scrolling, minimizing/maximizing, and docking with finger gestures. VR-Zone managed to get one for this review and see how well the Microsoft Touch Mouse works.

This Microsoft mouse should come with a warning: Swiping is addictive. This is a wireless Mouse with a different Touch 19

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Published by: VR-Zone

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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.

Playstation Vita Launches February 22, 2012

such as the dual analog sticks, dual cameras, and front and rear touch pad are all designed to deliver the unique, powerful gameplay experiences consumers have been asking for and enable new ways for users to connect with the world around them."

The portable market is changing, and on February 22 we'll all get a chance to see if the Vita has a fighting chance.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/playstation-vita-launchesfebruary-22-2012/13781.html October 20th, 2011

Lytro finally shows off and launches its light field camera Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lytro-finally-shows-off-and-launchesits-light-field-camera/13782.html October 20th, 2011

Sony has announced that the Playstation Vita will hit the streets on February 22, 2012 in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. The Wi-Fi model will sell for the surprisingly reasonable price of $249.99 followed by $299.99 for the 3G/Wi-Fi model. The portable market is changing, and on February 22 we'll all get a chance to see if the Vita has a fighting chance.

Sony has announced that the Playstation Vita will hit the streets on February 22, 2012 in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. The Wi-Fi model will sell for the surprisingly reasonable price of $249.99 followed by $299.99 for the 3G/Wi-Fi model.

Though my initial excitement for the device was tepid, that changed after spending some time with the Vita at this years E3. It feels good in the hand, has a gorgeous 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544 OLED screen, finally has dual analog sticks, and I'm interested in the potential of the rear touch pad.

President and chief executive officer of SCEA Jack Trenton says "PlayStation Vita will redefine traditional boundaries of gaming and blur the lines between entertainment and reality.

Its launch will serve as a pivotal point in the history of portable gaming and create a new fan base of PlayStation gamers for generations to come. With its technological prowess and social connectivity, PlayStation Vita offers an experience beyond anything available on the market. Features

The first pictures taken using Lytro's light field technology appeared on the web a few months back and stirred up quite a lot of interest in what kind of camera the company could be working on, as it all seemed a little bit too good to be true and there weren't a whole lot of details to go on. Now the company has finally launched its first product which is simply called the Lytro light field camera and it doesn't look like any camera we've ever seen before.

The first pictures taken using Lytro's light field technology appeared on the web a few months back and stirred up quite a lot of interest in what kind of camera the company could be working on, as it all seemed a little bit too good to be true and there weren't a whole lot of details to go on. Now the company has finally launched its first product which is simply called the Lytro light field camera and it doesn't look like any camera we've ever seen before.

If anything, the Lytro light field camera looks a bit like a CCTV camera in terms of design, albeit like a smaller designer version. The rectangular body houses a lens at the front and a comparatively tiny 1.46-inch glass covered LCD touch screen at the back. It only has two buttons, power and shutter, as well as a small touch sensitive surface on the top which is used for zooming with the lens. There's also a micro USB 2.0 port hidden under a flap at the bottom. There's a built-in rechargeable battery, but there's no mention as to how many pictures it's good for. One very questionable design decision from Lytro is the fact that the company decided to go with built in memory and as such you get to make do with either 8 or 16GB of storage space.

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The lens sports 8x optical zoom and appears to have 10 or 11 lens elements. The f/2 aperture is constant across the entire zoom range which is photographically an impressive feature, but it also helps explain why the camera is 112mm long, although it only measures 41mm square. Behind the lens is the light field sensor which sports �11Megarays� as the company calls it, although they don't seem to be too keen to say what this compares to in traditional Megapixles. It's pretty clear that the Lytro camera doesn't shoot super high resolution pictures, as in various videos from the launch event company representatives are talking HD video resolution and images with sides of 1080 pixels. It's possible that this is a limitation of the technology at the moment and it's also worth noting that the camera takes square pictures.

Despite the peculiar camera design and somewhat disappointing specifications, the technology behind the pictures you take is mind blowing. Not only can you re-focus and zoom your pictures after taking them, but you can even adjust the parallax of the images, something that has never been possible to do before. On top of that all the pictures you take with the Lytro camera are 3D compatible and the company even claims that the pictures will be compatible with future display technology such as holographic displays if they're ever made. As such quite a lot of data is saved per image, the company recons each image is about 16MB in size, similar to RAW images out of high-end digital cameras or DSLRs. What isn't so great, at least in its current state, is that you can't seem to get the entire image in focus the way you can by stopping down a traditional camera lens, but hopefully this is something that will be added in the future.

Published by: VR-Zone

The bad news is that currently the Lytro camera only comes with software for Mac, although the company has promised to deliver Windows software sometime next year. On top of that all images are saved in a proprietary lfp file format and it doesn't appear to be possible to export the images to standard formats if you'd want to. This makes it impossible to edit the images and it also makes them fairly useless for any kind of professional use. That said, Lytro seems to be targeting the consumer market with its first camera as the company is offering a free, unlimited image hosting service that will allow the pictures to be shared to various other services such as Facebook or Twitter. It should also be pointed out that the company is only talking about online sharing of the pictures and there really seems to be little else you can do with them. This is again disappointing considering the otherwise impressive technology.

Unprintable Content (Video, Flash, etc.)

With so many pros and cons you'll have to be a true gadget lover or an experimental photographer to invest in one of Lytro's cameras, as they don't come cheap. The 8GB models will be available in electric blue and graphite for US$399 (S $509) whit the 16GB red hot model will be going for US$499 (S$639). We don't want to be overly pessimistic here, as we haven't actually played with one of the cameras, but it feels like Lytro has created a camera with very limited appeal despite its obvious technological advantages over a traditional digital camera.

Source: Lytro, for some more examples of Lytro's images, please check out their image gallery

HP Launches new e-All-in-One Printers Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hp-launches-new-e-all-in-oneprinters/13780.html

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Hewlett Packard (HP) has launched a new series of lifestyle connected printers that the company promises will enhance and redefine users' home printing experience. They are the stylish HP Envy 110 e-All-in-One printer and the HP Photosmart family of e-All-in-One printers for consumers.

All e-All-in-One printers incorporate ePrint technology that allows them to be customized with an email address. Printing can be initiated by simply sending a photo or document to the printer via email and picking up the printed pages later. In addition, the printers come with AirPrint and HP ePrint Home & Biz support for app based printing from Android, iOS and Symbian.

HP Envy 110 e-All-in-One

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HP says the Photosmart range of printers allows home users to print lab quality photos at home. According to product sheets provided by HP, the HP Photosmart 7510 has 5 individual inks system that allows for the changing specific inks for greater savings. The Photosmart 7510 comes with an automatic document feeder that can hold up to 25 loose sheets, while duplex printing capabilities helps reduce paper wastage. WiFi is also built in, with a large 4.33-inch TouchSmart screen for running HP print Apps and printing of web content without the need for a PC. Other printers in the Photosmart family include the HP Photosmart 6510 e-All-in-One and the HP Photosmart 5510 eAll-in-One. The HP Envy 110 will be available at the recommended retail price of $440 from October onwards. The HP Photosmart 7510 will be available from November at a recommended retail price of $387, while the Photosmart 6510 and the Photosmart 5510 will be available for $307 and $261 respectively.

Buyer's Guide: MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition 3GB - The Fastest Single GPU for BF3?

The HP Envy 110 e-All-in-One printer features a sleek and slim design in a classy white and cream color. Elegantly designed to blend in, HP says that the printer will easily complement any room in the house. Whisper-quiet printing also ensures that no conversations or TV programs are ever interrupted around the house. The Envy 110 comes with copy, scan and duplex printing capabilities, USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity, as well as the ability to read memory cards such as the Memory Stick Duo and Secure Digital/MultimediaCard.

Finally, a 3.45 inch touchscreen makes it possible to access a wide array of HP print Apps that include Facebook Photos to printer photos directly from your Facebook Photo album, to My Recipes, which is filled with recipes from various magazines.

HP Photosmart e-All-in-One printers

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/buyer-s-guide-msi-n580gtx-lightningxtreme-edition-3gb--the-fastest-single-gpu-for-bf3-/13772.html October 20th, 2011

There are plenty of reasons why anyone would only want a single graphics card in their system - limited space in SFF motherboards/enclosures, power consumption considerations, and input lag or framerate stuttering with some multi-GPU setups. Before Battlefield 3 launches officially next Tuesday (25th October 2011), we take a quick look on whether the MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition is best single GPU weapon for your online battlefield domination.

Introduction Earlier this month, the highly anticipated Battlefield 3 multiplayer open beta introduced revolutionary new levels of DirectX 11 graphics quality and detail in the game environments, obsoleting many older hardware in the process and triggering a mad rush to upgrade to higher grades of graphics cards and CPUs in order to get comfortable and consistent framerates.

As covered by our BF3 system builder guide, we mentioned that the game demands at least a 3GHz Quad Core processor such as Intel's Core i5/i7 and AMD's Phenom II/FX Bulldozer 3

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Published by: VR-Zone

class of CPUs to not be bottlenecked by it. Scaling the number of CPU cores/threads/modules, or overclocking the working frequency did not show much noticable improvement beyond that.

Things were more exciting on the GPU end though as we saw almost linear FPS scaling when we varied the number of cards, shaders, clock speeds and memory bandwidth. GPU usage was walling at 99% - something we haven't seen in games except the original Crysis and stress test burners. For example, we tested that a dual SLi setup (ultra image quality) get almost 90% more FPS (~95fps) than a single card (~50fps), a tri-SLi setup get 170% more (~135fps), and a quad SLi 250% more (~175fps). We'll be testing this again when the final retail game is released, with the latest drivers.

Inset of Box (with a transparent window to see the card)

There are plenty of reasons why some end users and competitive gamers would want only a single GPU graphics card: • Lack of space and cooling capacity in cramped small form factor cases/motherboards • Power Consumption of Multiple Cards • "Good Enough" for lower resolutions / image quality presets • Mouse Input Lag, framerate jitter and micro stuttering caused by certain bridge chips implementations and the concept of AFR (alternate frame rendering) itself which is used in both SLi and Crossfire.

Today, we'll be doing a quick look on the MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition 3GB that we will be using in some of our upcoming BF3 articles. Simply put, the card in hand belongs to the pinnacle of off the shelf air-cooled gaming graphics cards, bar multi-GPU behemoths like the Nvidia GTX590 and the AMD Radeon 6990. As the final Battlefield 3 game is not released yet, we will be doing some max air overclocking and running a few demanding benchmarks in preparation for the main event next week..

Back of Box

The Packaging Front of Box

Accessories (PCIe 6 to 8 pin convertors, Analog to DVI dongle, SLi Bridges, Installation CD and a User Guide)

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Asia, World Sport Group, Warner Music Group, Refinery Media, and Oak3. The partners are establishing a strong presence on YouTube to easily distribute their content and grow their audience. YouTube has also secured a masthead advertisement on the Singapore home page for opening day from local telecommunication operator, SingTel. At the launch, SingTel has expressed plans to launch a new YouTube channel and seeks to find a suitable host who could well be the next social media star on youtube.com.sg.

The video sharing site has also signed a licensing agreement with Composers & Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) that allow music artists to earn revenue on YouTube.

Revenue is generated when advertisements are displayed against YouTube partner’s videos. This means that under the agreement, Singaporean authors can receive payments from their associations when rights holders distribute them.

YouTube launches localized service in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/youtube-launches-localized-service-insingapore/13779.html October 20th, 2011

For Xbox 360 owners, the company has also announced that YouTube service will be available on the gaming console in November next month. While no details are out, it should come in the form of an online update. No word as to when the YouTube service will be available on other game consoles like Sony PS3 though.

Today, YouTube announced a localized service in Singapore, www.youtube.com.sg, which features a local interface that allows users to search relevant videos quickly and easily; has expanded content from local and global partners; and offers Singaporean users opportunities to increase their exposure.

According to Adam Smith, director of Product Management for YouTube Asia-Pacific, with today's launch, YouTube will be globalized to 35 countries around the world.

The world’s most popular online video sharing site, YouTube, has made its official debut in Singapore. Singaporeans can now find their favourite local content easily, and share them across the globe. All you need to do is go to URL youtube.com.sg or select the location "Singapore" at the bottom of the YouTube website.

"Every day, the 35 countries generate close to 3 billion video views on the YouTube platform, and that figure is a 50% increase of the 2 billion last year. What we see is that every single minute, there are 48 hours of videos uploaded. One of the trends we are watching very closely is how YouTube is expanding from being primarily a desktop service to one that is available wherever people are, with mobile playing an incredible part; we have over 400 million views a day on the mobile platform. And that is important over here, in Asia" said Smith.

In conjunction with this launch, YouTube has formed partnership agreements with top Singaporean media companies such as Interactive SG, Valleyarm / Music Services 5

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Published by: VR-Zone October 20th, 2011

Admittedly we're late on reporting this, but it seems like the camp of four port USB 3.0 host controller makers is growing quickly and about a month ago Fresco Logic quietly joined Renesas, TI and VLI with its own four port host controller. Its latest product is the FL1100 and it gets a couple of additional features over the FL1009

Nikon 1 cameras, J1 and V1, arrive in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nikon-1-cameras-j1-and-v1-arrive-insingapore/13778.html October 20th, 2011

Nikon surprised the world when the company announced their new Nikon 1 advanced mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lens last month - the J1 and V1. Well, apparently, the Nikon 1 cameras have just hit the shelves in Singapore and are retailing from today.

Please note that Nikon will only carrying the Black, Pink and White version of the Nikon 1 J1 at this point in time.

Fresco Logic does four ports of USB 3.0 goodness Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/fresco-logic-does-four-ports-ofusb-3.0-goodness/13777.html

Admittedly we're late on reporting this, but it seems like the camp of four port USB 3.0 host controller makers is growing quickly and about a month ago Fresco Logic quietly joined Renesas, TI and VLI with its own four port host controller. Its latest product is the FL1100 and it gets a couple of additional features over the FL1009.

Fresco Logic is making a big deal about the FL1100 featuring new "hardware-based multi-stream, multi-threaded parallel processing engines" which are meant to help deliver full USB 3.0 bandwidth to each of the four ports. The chip itself is fairly big compared to the competition at 9x9mm, Renesas recently launched ÂľPD720201 measures 8x8mm and has nearly half the pin count at 68 vs 119 pints for the FL1100.

As with the older FL1009, the FL1100 supports xHCI 1.0 and UASP. It also features Fresco Logic's GoXtream technology which the company claims minimizes latency and helps protect real-time data streams when other devices are being used simultaneously. What's new is support for hardware based link power management which is still a fairly new addition to USB 3.0 and it's not a feature all device supports.

However, USB 3.0 devices that support LPM can go into sleep states if there are long periods of inactivity.

The final new addition is support for USB battery charging and the FL1100 supports revision 1.2 of the standard. Apparently there's also a special USB charging standard for China that isn't quite the same as the one pushed by the USB-IF, but 6

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Published by: VR-Zone

the FL1100 can apparently auto detect which standard is supported by the device being charged and automatically switch between the two standards. The reason this is needed is because USB devices that supports the USB charging standard will send a handshake that informs the host controller how much power it wants and if this isn't initialized correctly, then the USB device will only get 500mA. We'll have to wait and see if any of the motherboard manufacturers picks up the FL1100, but at the moment it looks as if Gigabyte is slowly moving from Etron to Fresco Logic, at least on its high-end motherboards.

Intel talks Intelligent Systems at IEDS Taipei Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-talks-intelligent-systems-at-iedstaipei/13776.html October 20th, 2011

We should also take the opportunity here to clear up a misunderstanding here with regards to Intel's Digital Home Group. Although the DHG has been merged with the tablet group, Intel didn't communicate what was going on in a clear manner. Intel has indeed pulled its Atom CE 4000-series of SoC's out of the retail product market and as such products like Google TV and the Boxeebox won't be getting any competitors on the retail shelf. However, Intel is actively pursuing the IPTV and Cable TV market space with its CE 4000-series of Atom SoC's.

Mention embedded computing and most people either leaves the room or start yawning and this is something Intel apparently have picked up on, as the company as re-named its embedded computing division to Intel Intelligent Systems.

We spent a day at the Intel Embedded Developer Summit in Taipei and found out that the company is busy trying to make embedded computing sexy.

Mention embedded computing and most people either leaves the room or start yawning and this is something Intel apparently have picked up on, as the company as re-named its embedded computing division to Intel Intelligent Systems.

We spent a day at the Intel Embedded Developer Summit in Taipei and found out that the company is busy trying to make embedded computing sexy.

When most of us think about embedded computing, we think about industrial PC's and antiquated motherboards and possibly expensive, yet out dated hardware. However, this is quickly changing as the embedded market is evolving and moving towards more advanced solutions and we're now seeing cutting edge hardware in many embedded systems.

Intel is of course pushing its Atom processors heavily into this market space, as they're low power and can often be equipped with passive cooling. That said, the company is also busy pushing its Sandy Bridge processors into this market space and there were a few demos as the show that explained why.

In fact, Intel is making a big push into the IPTV and Cable TV market and is working closely with several service providers not only on the hardware side to create devices that consumers won't be ashamed to have in their homes, but also on the software side to allow the set top box makers to build software platforms that are future proof, upgradable and expandable.

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Swedish telecom company Ericsson was on location at IEDS as well and they're one of the bigger players out there when it comes to delivering the connectivity between the service providers and the end users. Ericsson was keen to point out that consumer's wants easy to use hardware where they don't have to sit down and read manuals to work out how to get the most out of their set top box, but they also want a lot of functionally and are in fact willing to pay for it. They didn't specifically promote Intel's solution, but hinted at the fact that offering hardware that can be easily upgraded instead of using custom made solutions for each generation of set top boxes would overall offer a better customer experience.

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Other products on display included a rather nifty patient hospital all-in-one PC which doubled up as a TV, a streaming video player, meal ordering system, phone and maybe most importantly, a means for the doctor to easily access the patients records. Some other rather peculiar products on display included a set top box from Tatung with Intel WiDi, i.e. video streaming over Wi-Fi to the TV. We're not sure how much sense this makes, unless it's possible to stream to another room. There was also a company showing off an Atom powered car "stereo" which will of course handle video playback, navigation and a wide range of other things such as optional internet access and what not.

Not only set top boxes were on display of course, Intel also had several other partner demos and some of its own. One that caught our eye was an augmented reality demo that was done together with Lego. Although Intel and Lego has shown off similar demos before, the ones we've seen on YouTube in the past have been of simpler Lego toys, while the demo at IEDS consisted of a couple of Lego Technics products where you could actually interact with the demo and one of the Lego kits could show at least two different trucks you could build out of the kit.

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Finally a rather unusual product was on display by a Malaysian company called Pradotec, an Atom Z510 powered portable ePassport terminal. The HPT600 as it's known as is a one of a kind product so far that has been designed for border controls around the world and it allows passports to be easily scanned without the need of a larger PC. It also sports a wide range of wireless and wired connectivity options, a 5-inch LCD screen, a GPS unit, USB 2.0 ports, a keyboard and even an optional fingerprint scanner.

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A wide range of other more traditional embedded computing products were also on display, but we wanted to show off a few that were more in line with Intel's new Intelligent Systems name. In fact, Intel is expecting there to be around 15 billion “intelligent connected devices� out there by 2015, which is computers that can somehow interact with each other without any need for user input. These 15 billion devices are expected to create 35 trillion gigabytes of data by 2020 and this doesn't even take us humans into account. Embedded computing is changing and although it still has a long way to go before it becomes what we'd call sexy technology that people care about, more and more of us are likely to end up with some embedded technology in our homes sooner or later, if we don't already have some.

MSI X79A-GD65 8D Motherboard Pictured Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-x79a-gd65-8d-motherboardpictured/13775.html October 20th, 2011

Here are some of the first pictures of MSI X79A-GD65 8D, the company's second-to-best socket LGA2011 offering, which will feature in the first wave of Sandy Bridge-E compatible motherboards. The marker "8D" brings back some old memories. It literally stands for "eight DIMMs", and was first used on the P45-8D "Memory Lover", a board that featured four each of DDR3 and DDR2 slots. On the X79AGD65 8D, however, it refers to two DDR3 DIMMs per channel, to take advantage of the quad-channel IMC of Sandy BridgeE. Let's put this one under the looking glass.

Here are some of the first pictures of MSI X79A-GD65 8D, the company's second-to-best socket LGA2011 offering, 9

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which will feature in the first wave of Sandy Bridge-E compatible motherboards. The marker "8D" brings back some old memories. It literally stands for "eight DIMMs", and was first used on the P45-8D "Memory Lover", a board that featured four each of DDR3 and DDR2 slots. On the X79AGD65 8D, however, it refers to two DDR3 DIMMs per channel, to take advantage of the quad-channel IMC of Sandy BridgeE. Let's put this one under the looking glass.

Published by: VR-Zone

options includes four each of SATA 6 Gb/s and SATA 3 Gb/s.

There are no eSATA ports.

Connectivity options are fairly standard. There's 8+2 channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, one gigabit Ethernet connection, FireWire, and four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by internal header), a few USB 2.0 ports, and the PS/2 combo connector.

The board supports 4-way SLI and CrossFireX, and quite a few overclocking options packed into the UEFI configuration utility. There are MSI exclusives such as OC Genie II. The MSI X79A-GD65 8D is a socket LGA2011 HEDT (highend desktop) platform offering by MSI, based on the Intel X79 chipset. The landscape photograph shows just how the board is bursting with features. The LOTES-made LGA2011 socket is powered by what appears to be a 5+2 phase VRM configuration, which makes use of solid-state choles and POSCAP capacitors. DIMM slots are arranged in two sets of four slots, on either sides of the socket. Each of the two sets has wiring for two of the four DDR3 memory channels of the Sandy Bridge-E processor. The memory is powered by a 4phase VRM.

Samsung and Google unveils GALAXY Nexus, first Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-and-google-unveils-galaxynexus-first-android-ice-cream-sandwich-smartphone/13774.html October 20th, 2011

The wait for the Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich platform is finally over. Today, Samsung and Google have jointly announced the GALAXY Nexus, which claims to be the first smartphone running the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system.

Expansion slots include five PCI-Express x16, of which two are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, four are PCI-Express 3.0 x8 capable (depends on the way they're populated), and one is PCI-Express 2.0 x4 capable (wired to the X79 PCH). A PCIExpress 2.0 x1 makes itself comfortable in the middle. Storage 10

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Published by: VR-Zone

Processor Display OS Camera

Video

Audio Samsung and Google today announced GALAXY Nexus, the world’s first smartphone running Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich; the latest release of the Android platform. The GALAXY Nexus sports a 4.65-inch high definition Super AMOLED display that supports 720p resolution and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brings an entirely new look and feel, with a redesigned user interface. It also offers improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and full web browsing experience. The Samsung GALAXY Nexus features software navigation buttons, which is a first for Android smartphones. The lock screen, home screen, phone app, and everything inbetween has been rethought and redesigned to make Android simple, beautiful, and useful.

Ice Cream Sandwich also features a new People app, which lets you, browse friends, family, and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution, and check their latest status updates from Google+ and other social networks. GALAXY Nexus features a camera which can shoot panorama pictures, do 1080p HD video capture, has zero-shutter lag, and offers various picture effects like silly faces and background replacement. On top of that, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich also offers Face Unlock which uses facial recognition to unlock your phone, and NFC technology that lets you share web pages, apps, and YouTube videos with your friends by simply tapping your phones together. The Samsung GALAXY Nexus also supports LTE and HSPA+ connectivity for high-speed web browsing wherever you are.

The Samsung GALAXY Nexus will be available in the U.S., Europe, and Asia beginning in November and gradually rolled out to other global markets.

Network

HSPA+ 21Mbps/ HSUPA 5.76Mbps, 850/900/1900/1700/2100 EDGE/GPRS;

Google Mobile Services

Connectivity

Sensor

Memory Size Battery

850/900/1800/1900, *LTE version will be available depending on the region.

1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor 4.65-inch 1280X720 HD Super AMOLED Android Ice Cream Sandwich Main(Rear) : 5 MP AF with LED Flash with zero shutter lag and fast shot2shot; Sub (Front) : 1.3MP for Video Call Codec : MPEG4/H.263/ H.264, Playback : 1080p@30fps Recording : 1080p Full HD Video@30fps Codec : MP3/AAC/AAC+/ eAAC+, 3.5mm Ear Jack Android Market, Gmail, Google Earth, YouTube, Movie Studio Google Maps 5.0 with 3D maps and turnby-turn navigation Syncing with Google Calendar, Google + app Bluetooth technology v 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/ n (2.4GHz/ 5GHz), NFC Accelerometer, Compass, Gyro, Light, Proximity, Barometer 1GB(RAM) + 16GB/ 32GB Internal memory 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94mm, 135g Standard battery, Li-on 1,750 mAh

Gigabyte teases near final G1.Assasin 2 X79 motherboard Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-teases-near-final-g1.assasin-2x79-motherboard/13773.html October 20th, 2011

We already got a sneak peek at the Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2 X79 motherboard along with Gigabyte's other X79 boards from IDF, but now the company is showing off teaser pictures of what should be near a final product on its Facebook page.

Nothing much appears to have changed in terms of the board layout, although several SATA ports are missing thanks to Intel's X79 chipset snafu.

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We already got a sneak peek at the Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2 X79 motherboard along with Gigabyte's other X79 boards from IDF, but now the company is showing off teaser pictures of what should be near a final product on its Facebook page.

Nothing much appears to have changed in terms of the board layout, although several SATA ports are missing thanks to Intel's X79 chipset snafu.

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by the time the board launches, which should be in less than a months' time, although we'll hopefully be able to get a preview of the board before then.

Polycom goes mobile with release of RealPresence Mobile for Tablets Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/polycom-goes-mobile-with-release-ofrealpresence-mobile-for-tablets/13771.html October 20th, 2011

The big news is that Gigabyte has overhauled the chipset heatsinks to something more akin to its previous G1 boards, although we're looking at an entirely new heatsink design. The VRM cooler appears to have a machinegun barrel type design, whereas the X79 chipset itself is covered by a handgun with a beret carrying gold skull with a knife in its mouth. Maybe not to everyone's taste, but at least the heatsinks are unique in their own right.

Unified communications provider Polycom has announced the general availability of Polycom RealPresence Mobile, a high-definition video software solution for tablets.

Designed to work with the company's RealPresence Platform, RealPresence Mobile promises to bring collaboration technology beyond the confines of office and conference room.

Essentially, businesses that deploy the Polycom RealPresence Platform will now be able to use a tablet such as the Apple iPad2 to collaborate face-to-face with their colleagues. These colleagues could be joining via other tablets devices, desktops, laptops, or even immersive video room systems.

Other than the iPad2, support for Android 3.0 devices such as the Motorola XOOM and Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 are also mentioned. The RealPresence Mobile software application can be downloaded for free as of last week from the Apple App Store and Android Market.

It looks as if the board will get a total of eight SATA ports, with a Marvell controller adding two SATA 6Gbps ports to the two SATA 6Gbps port and four SATA 3Gbps ports provided by the chipset. As we mentioned back at our IDF preview, it appears that the G1.Assasin 2 is sporting USB 3.0 host controllers from Fresco Logic, although the new pictures don't add any more clarity to this. We'll see if any other changes have been made

The company says delivering Polycom video to mobile platforms is a key component of its recently announced software strategy to bring secure high definition (HD) video collaboration to the broadest range of business, video, mobile, and social networking applications.

"RealPresence Mobile is a significant step toward achieving our vision to make it possible for millions of people to use video 12

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collaboration as their preferred method of communicating easily, reliably, and securely - no matter what network, carrier, protocol, application, or device they use," said Andy Miller, president and CEO of Polycom.

According to Polycom, RealPresence Mobile supports firewall traversal and virtual private network clients, both of which are important capabilities for the travelling executive.

RealPresence Mobile delivers support for up to 75,000 devices and 25,000 concurrent sessions, and also offers universal bridging to support both on-premises and cloudbased delivery.

The Polycom RealPresence Platform is available through Polycom's certified channel partners. More information about RealPresence Mobile or the RealPresence Platform can be obtained at www.polycom.asia.

Asus teases the Eee Pad Transformer 2 tablet Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-teases-the-eee-padtransformer-2-tablet/13770.html October 20th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

camera with a single LED flash which can also be seen in the video. We'll simply have to wait for more details on the new Eee Pad Transformer 2 before we can say with a certainty what it will come with or not, but we'd expect that Asus will continue to throw teasers at us ahead of the launch which is expected to take place sometime between now and the end of November.

Nokia introduces NFC services for businesses and consumers in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-introduces-nfc-services-forbusinesses-and-consumers-in-singapore/13767.html October 20th, 2011

Today, Nokia Singapore showcased their new smartphones, Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 603, based on the Symbian Belle platform. In addition, the company also introduced Near Field Communication (NFC) services for businesses and consumers.

In a short 22 second video posted on YouTube, Asus has revealed the first glimpse of its upcoming Eee Pad Transformer 2 tablet which is rumoured to be powered by Nvidia's upcoming quad core Tegra 3 SoC. The video doesn't really give away much in terms of details and as a teaser it sure has our interested piqued.

In a short 22 second video posted on YouTube, Asus has revealed the first glimpse of its upcoming Eee Pad Transformer 2 tablet which is rumoured to be powered by Nvidia's upcoming quad core Tegra 3 SoC. The video doesn't really give away much in terms of details and as a teaser it sure has our interested piqued.

What you can tell from the few short glimpses of the tablet itself is that Asus has been hard at work to create something a lot more professional looking that its first Transformer tablet, as the Transformer 2 has a brushed metal finish which in the video appears to be a pinkish purple, although we have a feeling that this isn't the actual colour of the tablet. The new finish isn't the only change though as it appears that we're looking at a much thinner tablet this time around with styling similar to that of Asus' recently launched Zenbooks.

The keyboard dock is of course making a return and it too appears to have been given a few tweaks to go better with the redesigned tablet part. The only connectivity option we know for sure is present is a single USB 2.0 port which is seen in the video. The tablet itself appears to have been given a new

Today, Nokia Singapore held a event to announce their Symbian Belle smartphones - Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 603. The Nokia 700 and 701 are available now, while the Nokia 603 will be available next month. All three phones also feature Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that allows users to pair with NFC-enabled mobile accessories such as speakers, Bluetooth headphones and headsets; share content between devices, simply by tapping them.

The company also announced the launch of the new NFC Hub in Singapore, which allow businesses to adopt NFC technology in offering innovative services including ordering of NFC tags and posters to create custom NFC campaigns - social media engagement on Facebook, Twitter etc; sending business cards, opening a pre-defined web-page, launch application, sending text message etc. According to Nokia, it costs only S$5 for

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Published by: VR-Zone

each NFC tag which include the programming and design of the collaterals.

financials were driven largely by strong growth in notebook and Data Center (and cloud computing) segments.

Nokia has partnered ComfortDelGro to offer NFC-enabled option for the FastCall automated taxi booking services, which is available at over 400 locations in Singapore. The NFCenabled service allows user to tap his or her phone and sms for a cab at the location. The service simply initiates the taxi booking via SMS to FastCall, and a SMS confirmation will be sent to the phone. Note that in order for any NFC service to work, user need to unlock their phone and choose to allow the NFC-service initiation. SMRT and National Heritage Board have also participated in the rolling out of NFC services. If you are at Bras Basah MRT station, look out for the iMobSMRT posters with the "Tap here, NFC" logos; you may also find these NFC-enabled posters around Bras Basah and Bugis area.

Intel has reported yet another record quarter for Q3, with revenues of $14.3 billion and net income of $3.5 billion, up 29% and 24% versus Q3 2010, respectively. The record financials were driven largely by strong growth in notebook and Data Center (and cloud computing) segments.

Compared to the previous record, Q2 2011, revenues were boosted 9% and net income 15% for Q3. The only blemish was the Atom division, down 32% versus Q3 2010, due to strong competitiom from AMD's superior C-Series and ESeries APUs. Looking to Q4 2011, Intel expects the juggernaut to roll on with another record quarter. Revenue of $14.7 billion plus or minus $0.5 billion is forecasted, and could see Intel achieving quarterly revenue of $15 billion for the first time.

AMD Radeon HD 7000 GPUs listed in leaked driver Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-radeon-hd-7000-gpus-listed-inleaked-driver/13766.html October 20th, 2011

AMD Catalyst driver 8.91, presumably preview for 11.11, has leaked on the internet, containing references to AMD's nextgen Radeon HD 7000 family. In addition to previously leaked codenames, the 8.91 driver also lists final branding, ranging from Radeon HD 7300 to Radeon HD 7600 series.

AMD Catalyst driver 8.91, presumably preview for 11.11, has leaked on the internet, containing references to AMD's nextgen Radeon HD 7000 family. In addition to previously leaked codenames, the 8.91 driver also lists final branding, ranging from Radeon HD 7300 to Radeon HD 7600 series.

The relevant names are listed as follows:

Intel reports record financials for Q3 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-reports-record-financials-forq3-2011/13768.html October 20th, 2011

AMD6778.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7000 series" AMD68FA.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7300 Series" AMD6850.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7400 Series" AMD6858.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7400 Series" AMD6859.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7400 Series" AMD677B.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7400 Series" AMD6772.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7400A Series" AMD675D.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7500 Series" AMD6742.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7500/7600 Series" AMD6841.7 = "AMD Radeon HD 7500M/7600M Series"

Intel has reported yet another record quarter for Q3, with revenues of $14.3 billion and net income of $3.5 billion, up 29% and 24% versus Q3 2010, respectively. The record

AMD675B.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7600 Series" AMD6751.1 = "AMD Radeon HD 7600A Series" AMD6840.7 = "AMD Radeon HD 7600M Series" 14

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AMD683B.1 = "CAPE VERDE PRO" AMD683F.1 = "CAPE VERDE PRO" AMD6839.1 = "CAPE VERDE XT" AMD683D.1 = "CAPE VERDE XT" AMD6838.1 = "CAPE VERDE XTX"

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quad-core parts are codenames Devastator, in both mobile and desktop variants. Devastator will be part of A8 while Devastator Lite will be integrated in A6 APUs, with some units disabled, like the Llano A6 APUs. The dual-core Trinity will most likely feature a scaled down GPU, codenamed Scrapper.

Devastator and Scrapper fit in well with the Piledriver CPU cores in Trinity, at least linguistically.

AMD682F.1 = "CHELSEA PRO" AMD6824.1 = "CHELSEA XT" AMD682D.1 = "CHELSEA XT" AMD6831.1 = "GREAT WALL" AMD6821.1 = "HEATHROW PRO" AMD6827.1 = "HEATHROW PRO" AMD6820.1 = "HEATHROW XT" AMD6825.1 = "HEATHROW XT"

Judging by the concrete brandings, which only go up to HD 7600, it appears AMD is following a similar strategy to NVIDIA - releasing mainstream parts before performance/ enthusiast GPUs. Moreover, AMD's demonstrations have all been mainstream notebook GPUs. The die AMD recently showed off is also believed to be a mid-sized mainstream GPU. This strategy makes sense for both AMD and NVIDIA as it allows to learn the unfamiliar 28nm process before delving into complicated large die performance GPUs.

AMD6819.1 = "PITCAIRN PRO" AMD6818.1 = "PITCAIRN XT" AMD6799.1 = "SI NEW ZEALAND" AMD679A.1 = "SI TAHITI PRO" AMD6798.1 = "SI TAHITI XT"

The first AMD Radeon HD 7000 GPUs are expected to release in December, while NVIDIA is aiming for Q1 2012.

The 8.91 driver is available on various tech forums round the internet.

AMD6830.1 = "SUMMER PALACE XT" AMD9901.1 = "TRINITY DEVASTATOR DESKTOP" AMD9904.1 = "TRINITY DEVASTATOR LITE DESKTOP" AMD9903.2 = "TRINITY DEVASTATOR LITE MOBILE" AMD9900.2 = "TRINITY DEVASTATOR MOBILE" AMD9991.1 = "TRINITY SCRAPPER DESKTOP"

Research In Motion Unveils BlackBerry BBX Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/research-in-motion-unveils-blackberrybbx/13765.html October 20th, 2011

AMD9990.2 = "TRINITY SCRAPPER MOBILE" AMD6800.1 = "WIMBLEDON XT" Right off the bat, there are a string of Radeon HD 7000, containing Radeon HD 7300, 7400, 7500, and 7600 Series.

For notebooks, HD 7500M and HD 7600M are listed. Also mentioned are HD 7400A and HD 7600A Series for All-in-one PCs.

At the BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011, Research in Motion announced the next generation mobile platform, the BBX. On top of that, the company also announced a series of developer tool updates, including WebWorks for BlackBerry smartphones and tablets.

In addition, several codenames have been revealed. Most codenames, such as Heathrow, Chelsea, Thames, New Zealand, and Wimbledon (mobile GPUs) and Tahiti, New Zealand and Cape Verde (desktop GPUs) have been revealed before. We have two new codenames leaked with this driver - Summer Palace and Great Wall. Unlike the mobile GPU codenames which are locales in London and desktop GPUs which refer islands; these two codenames refer to monuments in China. New Zealand and Tahiti now contain the prefix "SI" or Southern Islands.

Finally, a host of integrated graphics codenames for Trinity APUs are also confirmed. We know that Trinity will be available in two forms - quad and dual core, over three segments, presumably A8, A6 and A4. Likewise, the GPU in

At the BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011, Research In Motion (RIM) announced the BlackBerry BBX, the next generation mobile platform that takes the best of the BlackBerry platform and the QNX platform to connect people, devices, content and services. The company also announced a series of 15

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developer tool updates, including WebWorks for BlackBerry smartphones and tablets, the Native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook and a developer beta of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 with support for running Android applications.

BlackBerry BBX The BBX platform include BBX-OS, and will support BlackBerry cloud services and development environments for both HTML5 and native developers. BBX will also support applications developed using any of the tools available today for the BlackBerry PlayBook – including Native SDK, Adobe AIR/Flash and WebWorks/HTML5, as well as the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps – on future BBX-based tablets and smartphones. It will also include the new BlackBerry Cascades UI Framework for advanced graphics, and bring "Super App" capabilities to enable many advanced capabilities including deep integration between apps, always-on Push services, the BBM Social Platform, and more.

BlackBerry WebWorks Developers who want to support existing smartphones running BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 OS, and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets can monetize apps on both platforms with BlackBerry WebWorks. BlackBerry WebWorks supports apps built on HTML5, CSS and JavaScript and the latest release, BlackBerry WebWorks SDK 2.2 which support both smartphones and tablets, is now available and includes updates for the new PlayBook OS SDK, PlayBook Simulator and more.

The BlackBerry WebWorks APIs are supported by the Ripple Emulator, a standalone, high-fidelity browser-like emulation tool that allows developers to test and debug their applications on multiple platforms and devices without having to compile or launch simulators. Starting today the Ripple Emulator is available in beta and can also be downloaded from RIM’s WebWorks Developer site at: http:// developer.blackberry.com/html5 Adobe AIR 3.0 Support Adobe Flash allows developers to produce stunning, high functional applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook that can integrate with the underlying OS and that are supported on future BBX-based tablets and smartphones.

PlayBook OS 2.0 – Developer Beta RIM has also unveiled the Developer Beta version of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 which includes the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and the BlackBerry Plug-In for Android Development Tools (ADT). The BlackBerry Plug-In for ADT (an Eclipse plug-in) extends a developer's existing Eclipse Android development environment to support the PlayBook, and includes the BlackBerry PlayBook Simulator for developers to test and debug their apps before submitting them to BlackBerry App World.

Android developers can also repackage Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook online by using the BlackBerry Packager for Android Apps. The web tool guides developers through a step-by-step process, allowing them to test their apps for

Published by: VR-Zone

compatibility with the PlayBook, and repackage and sign their apps for submission to BlackBerry App World, all without downloading any tools. BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and the associated tools allow Android developers to easily expand their market to include BlackBerry PlayBook users, and hence increase their apps’ market potential.

The BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 - Developer Beta also supports Adobe Air 3.0 and Adobe Flash 11, as well as WebGL, a new web technology that brings hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to the browser without installing additional software.

Developers will be able to generate rich, interactive 3D graphics within their BlackBerry WebWorks application.

For more information about the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 - Developer Beta and BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and associated tools, visit For more information about the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 - Developer Beta and BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and associated tools, visit: https:// bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/bpaa/

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus leaks ahead of launch Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-samsung-galaxy-nexus-leaksahead-of-launch/13764.html October 20th, 2011

By now, Samsung and Google can't be too happy with Japanese NTT DoCoMo, as the company has leaked the very soon to launch Galaxy Nexus flagship phone that will be the first Ice Cream Sandwich/Android 4.0 handset. The specs should be correct this time around, although we'll wait for the announcement at around 10-ish today local Singaporean time to see what is what.

By now, Samsung and Google can't be too happy with Japanese NTT DoCoMo, as the company has leaked the very soon to launch Galaxy Nexus flagship phone that will be the first Ice Cream Sandwich/Android 4.0 handset. The specs should be correct this time around, although we'll wait for the announcement at around 10-ish today local Singaporean time to see what is what.

The leaked details are lining up quite well with some of the earlier leaks and we're apparently looking forward to a handset with a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels and of course that curved glass surface. The processor will apparently in the end be the TI OMAP 4460 dual core Cortex-A9 based SoC which will be clocked at 1.2GHz. This also means that we'll see PowerVR SGX540 graphics, which is a bit of a shame, but at least the graphics core is clocked higher than for the OMAP4430 which is fitted to the just announced Motorola RAZR. 16

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Published by: VR-Zone October 20th, 2011

Xebec Tech is a relatively new computer component manufacturer and designer, with offices in the UK, China and Taiwan. The company, for the time being, focuses their products line-up on computer peripherals only and especially input devices. Today we are going to have a look at one of their most innovative keyboards, the itouchpad diamond wireless keyboard.

Xebec Tech is a relatively new computer component manufacturer and designer, with offices in the UK, China and Taiwan. The company, for the time being, focuses their products line-up on computer peripherals only and especially input devices. Today we are going to have a look at one of their most innovative keyboards, the itouchpad diamond wireless keyboard.

• Key count: 89 • Construction: Soft-Touch-Membrane technology • Battery type: 2× AAA 1.5 V (included) • Plug n play • Re-chargeable • Full functionality of a full-size layout keyboard due to built in numeric keypad and 12 function keys Other features include 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage memory, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS, a G sensor, a digital compass, various other sensors, NFC and a still unknown camera that can capture 1080p HD video.

The Galaxy Nexus weighs in at 135g and should measure 126x68x8.8mm (11.5mm at its thickest part). It's said to come with a 1,750mAh battery and it will support at least 14.4Mbps HSDPA and 5.7Mbps HSUPA, but faster speeds might be available on other networks than NTT DoCoMo. Some tentative benchmarks have also appeared over at GLBenchmark suggesting that the PowerVR SGX540 GPU can render 40.6fps in the off screen rendering test at 720p. This compares quite badly with the Galaxy S II which manages 67.1fps in the same test, although it's on pair with other SGX540 implementations and Nvidia's Tegra 2. Looking at the other 720p off screen test which is called Egypt the Galaxy Nexus will apparently hit 29.3fps, again a poor show against the Galaxy S II which manages 42.5fps in the same test, but at least this time around it's about 4fps faster than other SGX540 based SoC's and some 8-9fps than Nvidia's Tegra 2.

• Tilt feet for adjustment of the tilt angle for an absolute skid-proof and ergonomic operation • Blue LED indicating pairing, transmitting and low battery • Power On/Off switch to save battery • Optimal for Digital Living Rooms (HTPC) as well as for training, conference & presentation rooms etc.

• Dimensions: 307.2mm x 24.8mm x 203.1 mm • Weight: 570g • Life expectancy: approx. 5 million strokes per key • Switch travel / Pressure point: 3.0 ±0.5 mm (total run) / 55 ±15 g • Radio transmission: 2.4 – 2.4835 GHz, GFSK, • Power supply: Keyboard: +2.2 VDC to +3.2 VDC Receiver: +5 VDC ±5 % • Power consumption maximal: Keyboard: 17 mA Receiver: 100 mA • Keyboard Standby: 14 mA

Xebec Tech itouchpad diamond keyboard review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xebec-tech-itouchpad-diamondkeyboard-review/13763.html

• Keyboard Sleep-Mode: 30 μA (after 30 min.)

• Temperature: Operating: -5 °C up to +40 °C • Storage: -20 °C up to +65 °C • Humidity: Operating and storage: 10 % up to 85 % RH • Interface: USB (nano dongle receiver) 17

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• Certificates: CE, FCC, WEEE/RoHS • Compatibility: Win 98SE / ME / 2000 / XP / Vista/ Win 7

Be Quiet upgrades their Straight Power E9 line Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/be-quiet-upgrades-their-straightpower-e9-line/13762.html October 20th, 2011

Be Quiet, the PC components manufacturer from Germany, upgraded their most popular power supplies series. The latest Straight Power E9 series boast a 80Plus Gold certification, a new 135mm Silent wings fan and a 5 year long warranty.

The new Straight Power E9 series is basically an entirely new design, based on a different topology compared to the unit it replaced. The company boasts an efficiency of up to 93%, which should be about right because the new series comes with a 80Plus Gold certification. Be Quiet replaced all 8 Straight Power E9 models. Now the Straight Power series consists of 5 units with fixed cables which range from 400W up to 700W and three modular units able to deliver from 480W up to 680W.

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The smartphone market is definitely starting to heat up in the run up to the holiday season and Motorola has just relaunched its RAZR, although this time we're looking at quite a difference device than we did the first time around. The only commonalty between the two devices is the slim profile and it's actually quite amazing that Motorola has managed to create a smartphone with a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED Advanced display that measures a mere 7.1mm thick, albeit at its thinnest point.

The smartphone market is definitely starting to heat up in the run up to the holiday season and Motorola has just relaunched its RAZR, although this time we're looking at quite a difference device than we did the first time around. The only commonalty between the two devices is the slim profile and it's actually quite amazing that Motorola has managed to create a smartphone with a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED Advanced display that measures a mere 7.1mm thick, albeit at its thinnest point.

The new Android powered RAZR doesn't quite sport the same iconic design as the original RAZR, but it has the potential of becoming an equally big success. Beyond the already mentioned screen, the new RAZR sports Gorilla glass, a Kevlar and aluminium housing with a stainless steel "core" and something known as Motorola Splash Guard which is meant to be some kind of nanotechnology coating that helps prevent accidental liquid splash damage. Some pretty neat features and we haven't even gotten to the hardware part yet.

At the heart of the RAZR is a dual core TI OMAP 4430 SoC clocked at 1.2GHz with PowerVR SGX540 graphics. The processor has been paired up with 1GB of what should be dualchannel LPDDR2 memory. The US version called the Droid RAZR comes with 16GB of integrated storage memory, but the built in storage for the international version wasn't mentioned in the press release, so we'll just have to wait and see what Motorola will offer the rest of the world.

Motorola launches the RAZR (again) Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/motorola-launches-the-razragain-/13761.html October 20th, 2011

Other features include Wi-Fi (no specifics were mentioned, but we'd except 2.4GHz 802.11n at least), Bluetooth 4.0 low 18

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energy, GPS, an 8Megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording and image stabilization (most likely digital), a front facing camera for video calls, a micro HDMI and a micro USB port, a microSD card slot and a battery good for 12.5 talk time and 8.9h video playback, at least on the US LTE equipped Droid RAZR.

Motorola has also kitted out the RAZR with Android 2.3.5 and an app called MOTOCAST which creates your own "personal cloud" on a PC of your choice which allows you to share files easily from that computer. Motorola has also added a range of business features to the RAZR to give business users secure access to their corporate email, calendar and addresses for example.

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dedicated webcam, as well as Ethernet, USB, audio and D-sub connectors, the 10.1-inch Lapdock 100, a Webtop dock, a car dock, Bluetooth keyboards, chargers, power packs, Bluetooth headsets and a peculiar accessory called the smart controller.

The smart controller isn't quite as fancy as it sounds, as it's pretty much a custom made Bluetooth touch pad for the RAZR that allows you to control it when connected to an HDTV in pretty much the same way you'd control it via the touch screen.

The touchpad even has the standard menu, home, back and search Android buttons on it.

Last, but not least Motorola also announced the MOTOACTV, a compact MP3 player cum exercise companion with a tiny 1.6inch screen coated with Gorilla glass. It's available in either 8GB or 16GB, has a built in FM radio, Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT + support as well as a GPS. It weighs in at a mere 35g and is said to have a battery life good for five hours of outdoors usage (with the GPS enabled) and 10h of indoors usage. In the US the 8GB model will retail for US$249, with the 16GB model going for US$299. There was no word on pricing for the RAZR itself, but it'll start shipping in the US next month.

For Singapore, the Motorola RAZR is coming to all three main local telecommunications operators’ customers from early November.

Update: Apparently we're looking at a TI OMAP 4460 and not a 4430, early specs were slightly off here.

Exclusive Preview of Asus RTN66U Dark Knight Dual-Band Router Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-preview-of-asus-rt-n66udark-knight-dual-band-router/13760.html

Motorola also announced a range of accessories for the RAZR, such as the new 14-inch Lapdock 500 Pro with its own 19

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Published by: VR-Zone

October 20th, 2011

VR-Zone was among the few that was granted with an exclusive preview of the upcoming high performance Broadcom powered dual-band 450Mbps wireless router from Asus. The Asus RT-N66U was first seen a while back in January during the last CES. Look inside for a quick tour.

Asus sent us theRT-N66U Dark Knight Dual-Band Router after we reported on its next router line-up last week. The RTN66U follows the 'Black Diamond' series design. On the back of the router there are three RP-SMA removable dual-band antenna, DC input jack, power switch, two USB ports, reset button, WPS button, 1x gigabit WAN port and 4x gigabit LAN ports.

Asus decided to use red PCB on the router. There are two large ceramic heatsinks along with a small fan to help dissipate heat from the chipsets. Unfortunately, we won't know the actual specifications of the router until it is released. Though, we're speculating that it will be using Ralink chipsets for its SoC and RF tranciever, Realtek gigabit controller, 32MB flash and 256MB RAM. A birdie told us that it will be using Broadcom radio, with 32MB for flash and 128MB of memory and an extra MicroSD socket for expansion.

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to cool down those hot chipsets. The graph shows the temperature of the router and at which threshold should the fan be turned on. Also, do keep in mind that the router's firmware is still in beta stages.

Asus has included IPv6 support into the router. Broadband subscribers with IPv6 address can finally utilize it. Also, it is able to do 6-to-4 and 6-in-4 tunnelling.

In addition to the RT-N66U wireless router, Asus also sent us the USB-N53, a dual band USB dongle with 2x2 MIMO antennas for speeds of up to 300Mbps and it's been designed to go with the Black Diamond series of routers. The USB-N53 are using Ralink based chipsets for its MAC, baseband and RF.

Currently there is no word on when the release date of the RT-N66U will be. Nor how much will it cost but with the additional features and specifications, it would be most likely to be slightly expansive than the RT-N56U wireless router.

Stay tuned for our full review of the RT-N66U wireless router.

Another feature of this router is the VPS server. This allows users to remotely access the router’s storage media from virtually anywhere.

Loewe unveils Individual Compose 3D TVs in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/loewe-unveils-individual-compose-3dtvs-in-singapore/13759.html October 20th, 2011

This morning, Loewe and Atlas Sound & Vision announced the new Loewe 3D Individual Compose TVs, which claims to offer high performance 3D viewing experience,and are available in three sizes - 55-inch, 46-inch and 32-inch. On top of that, Loewe has introduced the new Connect 40 smart TV which is also a 3D TV.

Users could also set each of the radio’s transmission power level individually. The fan speed can also be manually adjusted 21

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Published by: VR-Zone October 20th, 2011

Loewe and Atlas Sound & Vision, who is the sole distributor, have unveiled new Loewe 3D Individual Compose which is the first of its 3D TV series in Singapore. The sophisticated Loewe 3D TVs are capable of converting 2D programmes into 3D, and can integrate into a Loewe 3D home entertainment system in various set-up solutions and audio options, bringing superior image quality and cinematic experience into your home.

Canon has announced the new professional digital SLR camera, the Canon EOS-1D X, which claims to be the integration between the EOS 1D and 1Ds product lines.

Powered by the new Dual DIGIC5+ image processor, the EOS-1D X features continuous shooting speed of 12 framesper-second, 61-point AF system, carbon fibre shutter blades and dust-proof and drip-proof magnesium alloy body.

Edwin Teoh, assistant director, Consumer Imaging Products Marketing division, Canon Singapore, was at the event to unveil the new Canon EOS-1D X professional digital SLR camera.

Loewe 3D Individual Compose The Loewe range of 3D TVs includes the Loewe Individual Compose 55 3D (55-inch), Individual Compose 46 3D (46inch), and the Individual 32 Compose Sound 3D (32-inch).

The Individual 3D flat-screen TVs come with integrated 500GB hard drive, and the interchangeable insets can also be freely designed to suit individual colour preferences. The units also boast DR+ streaming and hard disk recording capabilities.

Loewe Connect The Loewe Connect TV offers innovative Loewe Media Net function that allows one to easily access and enjoy content on their TV including videos, music, news and radio from the Internet. Loewe Connect also features a built-in LAN interface for access to content from the home network, as well as a USB port. With a high-quality front panel made of non-reflective quartz glass, the Loewe Connect 40 3D boasts improved colour reproduction, refined detail resolution and moving image, and optimised response time.

Pricing and Availability The new Loewe Individual Compose 3D TVs are now available at S$14,358, S$9,558 and S$6,058 for the 55-inch, 46-inch and 32-inch respectively. The new Loewe Connect 40 is also available at S$7,158 (40-inch). The Loewe Active 3D glasses are sold separately at S$359 each. The new range of 3D TVs can be purchased at the Loewe Gallery located at 390 Orchard Road #01-01A Palais Renaissance Singapore.

Canon Singapore launches EOS-1D X professional digital SLR camera Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/canon-singapore-launches-eos-1d-xprofessional-digital-slr-camera/13757.html

The new Canon EOS-1D X claims to be the ultimate professional digital SLR (DSLR) camera designed to support any photographic application and shooting demands. It is the integration of the EOS 1D and 1Ds product lines and sports a full-frame 35mm 18.1-megapixel CMOS sensor. The EOS-1D X boasts a shooting speed of up to 12 frames per second (fps) with its new carbon fibre shutter and revised mirror mechanism, and 14 fps with mirror up (and lock focus).

It is powered by the brand new Dual DIGIC 5+ image processor, offers ISO settings of up to ISO 204800 (H2); 61 point high-density reticular AF (41 cross-typepoints), full high definition 1080p video recording with choice of ALL-Iand IPB compression methods and video file sizes that exceed 4GB (FATspecifications) are automatically split. The digital SLR camera also features an electronic curtain shutter for quiet operation during live view shooting.

Accompanying the EOS-1D X are two new accessories - the WFT-E6 wireless file transmitter and GP-E1 GPS receiver.

Pricing and availability of the EOS-1D X aren't available at press time, but Canon Singapore said that the digital SLR will be available by the first half of 2012.

Here's a few more pictures of the professional EOS-1D X digital SLR camera:22

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Published by: VR-Zone

Specifications Feature Pixels Imaging processor One-touch image quality setting Image creation functions Chromatic aberration correction Post-processing

EOS-1D X 18.1M Dual DIGIC 5+ Yes Picture Style Auto

Yes

Yes

RAW image processing Resize Yes Image recording Recording media External recording — media Viewfinder Transparent LCD New focusing Yes screen Autofocus AF point EOS iTR AF Yes AF Configuration Yes Tool Exposure control Metering sensor

Yes

CF (Type I, II) x 2

Yes

61 points

Approx.100,000pixel RGB sensor

Metering sensor 252 zones Subject recognition Yes ISO speed range (L:50) 100 - 51200

Custom shooting modes Exposure setting range [stops] Flash sync speed Flash:Radio wireless control

(H1:102400, H2:204800) Yes Âą5 1/250 Yes

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Multiple exposures Yes Drive Continuous shooting speed (Max. fps) Super high speed 14 continuous shooting Electronic level Yes (LCD monitor and viewfinder) Shutter durability 400,000 cycles Movie shooting Compression format

Time code No 4GB limit Image playback Quick Control Image transfer Wired LAN image transfer Custom Controls LCD monitor

12

Yes

ALL-I (intra frame) / IPB(inter frame) Yes Yes Rating Yes Yes Direct image Yes transfer Yes

Yes 3.2 in., 1.04 million dots Feature guide Yes World time Yes Time sync between Yes cameras Camera system Yes information Dimensions (Width 158 x 163.6 x 82.7 x Height x Depth / 6.2 x 6.4 x 3.2 approx. mm/in.) based on CIPA criteria

G.SKILL PIS Series 2200MHz CL7 (2 x 2GB) Kit Review Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/g.skill-pis-series-2200mhz-cl7-2x-2gb-kit-review/13746.html October 20th, 2011

CAS Latency of only 7. Let's see how this famous P55 era kit runs on the Z68 platform.

So today we have our hands on a really well speced kit, the PIS 2200 4GB kit with timings of 7,10,10,28 CR2 at 1.65v.

These timings and speed can be loaded through XMP profiles on most P55 and X58 boards, and also with profiles on AMD 990FX platform with a Bulldozer processor. Yet we run into an issue with the LGA1155 platform, in that we are limited to a 21.33 memory divider and only slight BLCK adjustment, so we brought in the Maximus 4 Gene-Z because of ASUS's good reputation with LGA1155 memory clocking. This kit isn't a new one to hit the market; in fact it was released back in the P55 days, and optimized for that platform. Many overclockers have taken it for a spin, and it seems to perform very well even at its rated speed, but what would this review be without some tweaking?

The re-emergence of this kit shouldn't come as a surprise, since most manufactures think that overclockers are fine with lower voltage and higher CAS latency, but that is just not the case. Overclockers wouldn't mind pushing some extra juice into their memory, as long as the ICs can take it and it helps clocking. When we look at G.Skills competition, we find many high priced kits with worse specs. In fact on Newegg we can't even find DDR3 2200mhz kits with anything lower than CAS 9, what makes it worse is that a year ago the line would be full with low latency high speed kits. Whether this is due to a lack of good memory ICs, or by the emergence of higher density kits, we do not know. What we do know is that this kit is most likely based upon PSC modules, and not BBSE, but G.Skills policy is to not reveal the ICs used. What we were told is that if G.Skill has ICs that fit the bill and can work at these specs , then they will be sold as such. The only way we know that these as PSC is by other user’s experiences with them, as well as the fact that they don’t scale much past 1.72v and that the tRCD is very hard to lower past 2100mhz, both characters of PSC based memory.

G.Skill is a prominent maker of DDR3 SDRAM, known for their reasonable prices and high clocking kits, their PI series is no exception. Today we will take a look at one of their legendary kits, the F3-17600CL7D-4GBPIS which boasts some pretty nice specs. It is rated to run at DDR3 2200 with a low 24

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Published by: VR-Zone

Here are the specs straight from G.Skill.: Type Designed For Capacity Speed Latency Voltage Registered / Unbuffered Error checking Warranty

DDR3 SDRAM Intel P55 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 2200MHz 7-10-10-28 2N 1.65v Unbuffered Non-ECC Lifetime

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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.

Nokia finally announces its Windows Phone 7 handsets Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-finally-announces-its-windowsphone-7-handsets/13815.html October 26th, 2011

resolution display, although the Lumia 800 has an AMOLED display (no specifics are mentioned beyond this) whereas the Lumia 710 gets to make do with a standard LCD display.

Both handsets also sport a 1.4GHz single core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 processor and 512MB of RAM. Other shared features include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, a micro USB port and a 3.5mm jack. Finally the two handsets support HSDPA speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and HSUPA speeds of up to 5.76MBps and of course Windows Mobile 7.5 Mango.

As per the leak hours before the launch event, Nokia's two new Windows Phone 7 handsets did indeed end up being the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 and technically speaking, there's very little difference between the two handsets. Also announced at Nokia World 2011 was the Asha 303, Asha 300, Asha 201 and Asha 200 Symbian S40 6th Edition handsets and a partnership with Monster which will see Nokia ship co-branded headsets, but we'll cover those in separate news posts.

As per the leak hours before the launch event, Nokia's two new Windows Phone 7 handsets did indeed end up being the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 and technically speaking, there's very little difference between the two handsets. Also announced at Nokia World 2011 was the Asha 303, Asha 300, Asha 201 and Asha 200 Symbian S40 6th Edition handsets and a partnership with Monster which will see Nokia ship co-branded headsets, but we'll cover those in separate news posts.

The Lumia 800 features 16GB of internal storage memory, an 8Megapixel Carl Zeiss branded auto-focus camera with an f2.2 aperture, LED flash and 720p video recording. It also has an accelerometer, proximity sensor and magnetometer. Its nonremovable battery is rated at 1,450mAh and Nokia claims 13h 2G talk time and 9.5h 3G talk time with standby figures of 265h and 335h respectively. As mentioned in the leak ahead of the launch event, the Lumia 800 measures 116.5x61.2x12.1mm and weighs in at 142g. The Lumia 800 will hit retail in Europe early next month for around â‚Ź420 (S$745) off contract and will be available in black, cyan and magenta. It'll come with a USB charger, a data cable, a stereo headset and a soft cover in the box.

The Lumia 800 and 710 are near enough identical in terms of spec, as both handsets sport a 3.7-inch WVGA (800x480) 1

October 26th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

The Lumia 710 which is the more affordable of the two does as you might already have guess, come with slightly less features.

It has a 5Megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, 8GB of storage and apparently without any of the sensors of the Lumia 800 if Nokia's spec sheet is correct. It has a smaller, removable 1,300mAh battery and the handset is also slightly smaller at 119x52.4x12.5mm and somewhat lighter at 125.5g. The battery is said to be good for up to 6.9h of 2G talk time and 7.6h of 3G talk time and up to 400h standby time. The Lumia 710 is expected to hit retail in Europe for â‚Ź270 (S$480) without a contract in a wide range of colour option for the back of the phone, including black, white, cyan, fuchsia and yellow, although the front will only be available in black or white. In the box you'll get a USB charger, a data cable and a headset.

StarHub to retail iPhone 4S from 10am on 28 October 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/starhub-to-retail-iphone-4sfrom-10am-on-28-october-2011/13813.html October 26th, 2011

StarHub has announced that it will start the retail of the iPhone 4S at 35 selected outlets across Singapore from 10am on 28 October 2011. This comes a day after SingTel took the wraps off its own plans on Tuesday, which itself came days after M1 became the first Telco to unveil its Apple iPhone 4S price plans last weekend.

"We are pleased to offer iPhone 4S in Singapore. We believe that our customers will be thrilled by the exciting new features delivered by this iPhone model," said Mr Ng Long Shyang, Head of Sales and Marketing at StarHub. "Powered 2

October 26th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

by StarHub's nationwide advanced mobile broadband network and with the generous 12GB bundled data on our 3G SmartSurf packages, iPhone 4S offers an outstanding mobile experience that our customers will enjoy."

StarHub has previously announced that it will not be accepting any pre-orders for the latest smartphone offering from Apple, though it is understood that a random selection of customers were selected as part of an invitation-only pre-order scheme. iPhone Plans

3G SmartSurf 100 Monthly $38 Subscription Local calls 100 Local SMS 500 Local Data 12GB (Up to 14.4Mbps) iPhone 4S $498 16GB iPhone 4S $678 32GB iPhone 4S $818 64GB iPhone 4 $400 8GB

3G SmartSurf 300 $58

3G SmartSurf 700 $98

3G SmartSurf Unlimited $205

300 500 12GB

700 500 12GB

2000 2000 Unlimited

$248

$0

$0

$378

$108

$0

$558

$228

$128

$130

$0

$0

Back of Board

The company says a midnight launch will be held on 28 October 2011 at its Plaza Singapura store for invited customers.

First Looks: ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 - Stay Cool, Be TUF Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/first-looks-asus-tuf-sabertooth-x79-stay-cool-be-tuf/13812.html October 26th, 2011

Yesterday, we previewed the resplendent ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme, which is targeted at the hardcore overclocking enthusiast segment. In the second of a three part ASUS X79 motherboard series, we turn our voyuering periscope to a mainstream offering - the desert camouflage themed TUF Sabertooth X79!

I/O Panel - 4 USB 3.0 ports (ASMedia), 6 USB 2.0 ports, Intel Gigabit, 1 Power eSATA 6Gbps and 1 regular eSATA 6Gbps serviced by an ASMedia 1061 controller.

For faster heat dissipation near the CPU Socket area, ASUS uses stacked fins and heatpipes and has included an mounting area for the installation of a optional (included) 40mm fan

Front View - The ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 was built with longevity and "military-standard" durability in mind, thus a huge emphasis on heat monitoring and dissipation through the use of large heatsinks and active coolers.

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Published by: VR-Zone

CPU Socket Area - the TUF has a 8+2+2+2 Digital Phase Power Design Audio is serviced by Realtek ALC892, Firewire by VIA VT6315N and Gigabit Ethernet by Intel 82579V.

A view of the chokes and capacitors in the socket area

Not much going on here - The PCIe lanes are wired directly to the CPU without the use of any major switches.

DIGI+ EPU as seen in all recent ASUS motherboards, allowing for precise power control and stability

A Marvell 9128 provides 2 additional 6Gbps ports (grey). It also supports pairing a mechanical harddrive with a solid state drive for SSD caching which is useful as the X79 chipset does not have Intel SRT as seen on Z68 motherboards.

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Accessories and Certificate of Reliability. The TUF is also backed by an extensive 5-year warranty

Published by: VR-Zone

Google had announced the latest update for the Android mobile operating system, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which claims to bring exciting new features and capabilities to devices. In a statement issued by ASUS, the company has confirmed that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade will be available on the Eee Pad family.

We are delighted to confirm that we will be supporting Ice Cream Sandwich on our ASUS Eee Pad Family – our aim is to bring the latest Android updates to the Eee Pad Series. At this time, we are unable to confirm a date for this update.

Please stay tuned for more news on our Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans

Nokiaâs new handsets revealed ahead of announcement by VRZone.com Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-s-new-handsets-revealed-aheadof-announcement/13810.html October 26th, 2011

ASUS confirms Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade on Eee Pad family Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-confirms-android-4.0-ice-creamsandwich-upgrade-on-eee-pad-family/13811.html October 26th, 2011

With the announcement of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Taiwanese company ASUS has also confirmed that the new mobile operating system would be available on their line of Eee Pad family. However, no exact dates have been released yet.

With only hours to go until Nokia's big reveal, but sadly for Nokia, the last details of its upcoming handsets have leaked ahead of the launch. We already had a good idea with regards to the specifications, especially as we're looking at a pair of Windows Phone 7 handsets here (as well as one Symbian device), so Microsoft's standard hardware limitations apply, but what we didn't know was the model names and which devices were going to launch.

With only hours to go until Nokia's big reveal, but sadly for Nokia, the last details of its upcoming handsets have leaked ahead of the launch. We already had a good idea with regards to the specifications, especially as we're looking at a pair of Windows Phone 7 handsets here (as well as one Symbian device), so Microsoft's standard hardware limitations apply, but what we didn't know was the model names and which devices were going to launch.

The high-end model, previously known as Sea Ray, the Nokia N9 lookalike will be known as the Nokia Lumia 800 and although the leak doesn't confirm all the specifications, we've 5

October 26th, 2011

got a handset that measures 116.5x61.2x12.1mm and weighs in at 142g, not exactly a skinny, lightweight handset. It'll have 512MB of RAM and apparently no micro SD card slot.

The processor should be a 1.4GHz single core model from Qualcomm, but as for the rest of the specs, we'll just have to wait and see.

Published by: VR-Zone

We'll have to wait until 16.00 this afternoon local Singapore time (09.00 UK time), as that is when the Nokia World keynote is being held.

Thermaltake releases (yet another) Frio series cooler.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/thermaltake-releases-yet-another-frioseries-cooler./13809.html October 26th, 2011

The more affordable model, codenamed Sabre should be known as the Lumia 710 and it measures 110x62.4x12.5mm, again fairly chubby and it also looks like it has quite a thick screen bezel. The picture is a bit too blurry and low resolution to make out the rest of the specs, but we're not expecting anything really exciting here.

Today Thermaltake enriched their high end coolers line-up with the Thermaltake Frio Advanced, an improved version of the original and much loved Frio. The new version of the cooler promises better thermal performance and a wider fan operational range.

Today Thermaltake enriched their high end coolers line-up with the Thermaltake Frio Advanced, an improved version of the original and much loved Frio. The new version of the cooler promises better thermal performance and a wider fan operational range.

Nokia is also rumoured to be launching a QWERTY keypad equipped Symbian handset during Nokia World and it's been suggested it might end up being called the Nokia 303. It's tipped to be a Symbian S40 6th Edition handset and it should feature 3G and built in Wi-Fi, so good enough for anyone that doesn't need a more advanced smartphone.

The new Frio advanced can run its fans down to 800RPM each, which means that it has the potential to be much quieter than its very powerful but considerably loud predecessor. At the same time however it can "only" speed the fans up to 2000RPM, giving it a handicap compared to the older version.

Perhaps the design changes will ensure that no performance will be lost.

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First Looks: ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme (Intel X79) - Hardcore is back!

Published by: VR-Zone

I/O Panel (Intel Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth V2.1+EDR, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 ESATA 6gbps ports and 2 buttons to activate ROG Connect and reset CMOS)

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/first-looks-asus-rog-rampage-ivextreme-intel-x79--hardcore-is-back-/13795.html October 26th, 2011

In the first of a three part Asus X79 Motherboard series, we introduce to our readers the flagship ASUS Republic of Gamers Rampage IV Extreme. Built and tuned by a worldclass team of perfectionist engineers and megahertz thirsty overclockers from the ROG team, this new Rampage could turn out to be one of the all-time greats in the history of enthusiast tech.

2 SATA 6Gbps ports (red) and 4 SATA 3Gbps ports (grey) from the Intel X79 chipset, and 2 more SATA 6Gbps ports (red) provided by an ASMedia controller. You can also plug a Ktype thermocouple to the "Subzero Sense" (black block on the right) to get the readings from the motherboard's temperature diodes during extreme LN2 sessions

Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC898 CODEC and NCT6776F for LPC I/O. The board is also filled with high quality Japanese-made 10K Black metallic capacitors and mature customized digital VRMs.

Back view with Socket 2011 backplate 7

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Published by: VR-Zone

Four Asmedia ASM1042 controllers takes care of USB 3.0 Some of the power circuitry - chokes rated up to 50A

Socket 2011 in the flesh

PCI-e 3.0 compliant Asmedia ASW1480 switches

Diagnostic LEDs carried over from the previous ROG boards these are very useful for troubleshooting Socket 2011 Area

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Published by: VR-Zone

"GO" Button to trigger MEMOK! before POST or O/C Profiles after POST, a DIP switch to enable/disable PCIe slots, Power/Reset Buttons, a PORT 80 display, LN2 "slow boot" switch and LEDs next to each voltage measurement point for easy troubleshooting of OC failures due to incorrect adjustment of key voltages.

Codenamed Brazos 2.0, the platform will feature updated Zacate APUs. (Ontario/C-Series refresh is not mentioned) The E-450 will be replaced by E2-1800. Fundamentally the same chip, E2-1800 features a slight boost to 1.7 GHz, while the GPU is rebranded as HD 7340 and is clocked higher at 523 MHz and 680 MHz with Turbo. Computerbase also mentions in the possibility of a CPU turbo which will help E2-1800 differentiate itself from E-450. CPU turbo is already available on C-60 which is based on the same chip.

E-300 will be replaced by E1-1200, clocked at 1.4 GHz, up 0.1 GHz from E-300. The HD 6310 GPU will give way to HD 7310 which features an insignificant 12 MHz overclock.

Report: AMD Brazos 2.0 in Q1 2012 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-amd-brazos-2.0-inq1-2012/13808.html October 26th, 2011

According to a report from Computerbase.de, AMD is planning to refresh its Brazos line-up with Brazos 2.0 in Q1 2012. Released first in Q1 2011, Brazos was refeshed in Q3 2011. Two more quarters on, Brazos will get another refresh, this time with new branding for both CPU and GPU parts.

Brazos 2.0 also includes a new mobile chipset - A68M. A68M, codenamed Hudson M3L, cuts down on SATA ports, down to 2 from 6 on A50M - thus saving on power. More than 2 ports are simply unnecessary for sub-notebooks Brazos 2.0 will power.

On the other hand, A68M enables RAID 0 and RAID 1. A68M also features native DP support. USB 2.0 ports are cut from 14 to 8 - once again saving power - while the 2 USB 1.1 give way for 2 USB 3.0 ports. Other new features for A68M include APU fan control and SD controller.

According to a report from Computerbase.de, AMD is planning to refresh its Brazos line-up with Brazos 2.0 in Q1 2012. Released first in Q1 2011, Brazos was refeshed in Q3 2011. Two more quarters on, Brazos will get another refresh, this time with new branding for both CPU and GPU parts.

Also releasing in Q1 2012 will be the Brazos-T platform designed for tablets. Thanks to a much cut down A55T chipset and a power optimized Hondo APU, the Brazos T platform will feature much lower power consumption than the current Z-01 APU platforms.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Later in 2012, the Brazos 2.0 platform is expected to be replaced by 28nm Wichita and Krishna APUs.

The FM2 architecture will support DDR3 RAM upto 2133 MHz. AMD Eyefinity and DisplayPort 1.2 will also be available to the APUs.

Report: AMD Trinity details revealed

Trinity production is expected to be prepared by November, with volume production beginning in January. If all goes well, Trinity should arrive before Intel's Ivy Bridge. Overall, the Virgo platform and Trinity are expected to be fairly major upgrades over Llano. The competitive landscape is likely to remain unchanged, with quad-core Trinity competing with dual-core Ivy Bridge, while significantly outperforming in the graphics department - much like Llano vs Sandy Bridge.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-amd-trinity-detailsrevealed/13807.html October 26th, 2011

DonanimHaber has published more information on AMD's second-generation A-Series APU - Trinity. As a recap, Trinity will replace the aging CPU on Llano with Piledriver cores featuring Turbo Core 3. The VLIW-5 GPU on Llano will also give way for a VLIW-4 GPU. Trinity will be interface with the same A75 chipset as Llano but will fit into the FM2 socket.

DonanimHaber has published more information on AMD's second-generation A-Series APU - Trinity. As a recap, Trinity will replace the aging CPU on Llano with Piledriver cores featuring Turbo Core 3. The VLIW-5 GPU on Llano will also give way for a VLIW-4 GPU. Trinity will be interface with the same A75 chipset as Llano but will fit into the FM2 socket.

Gigabyte to add 3-way digital PWM's on its X79 motherboards Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-to-add-3-way-digital-pwm-son-its-x79-motherboards/13806.html October 26th, 2011

We've gotten our hands on some leaked documents detailing a few new additions to Gigabyte's X79, more specifically the documents are pointing to the fact that Gigabyte has moved to new digital PWM controllers. At the same time, Gigabyte has posted the first official pictures of its X79 motherboards on its Facebook page, which gives us some further details as to what to expect from its upcoming X79 boards.

We've gotten our hands on some leaked documents detailing a few new additions to Gigabyte's X79, more specifically the documents are pointing to the fact that Gigabyte has moved to new digital PWM controllers. At the same time, Gigabyte has posted the first official pictures of its X79 motherboards on its Facebook page, which gives us some further details as to what to expect from its upcoming X79 boards.

The CPU gets an upgrade to the latest Piledriver cores, featuring 3rd gen Turbo Core. The performance is expected to be up by 20% compared to Llano. Trinity will feature upto 2 Piledriver modules, which AMD will market as quad-core. The 2 module APU will feature a total of 4MB L2. Not surprisingly, it is hinted that the L3 will be dropped, as the L3 cache was included in Bulldozer for server applications. Like Llano, multiple GPU and asymmetric crossfire will be supported.

The GPU will also get a significant boost, moving to the VLIW-4 architecture. Estimated GPU improvement over Llano is expected to be 30%. The new UVD3 features Video Compression Engine (VCE) which is surely a response to Intel's QuickSync.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Let's start with the new digital PWM controllers. What we're looking at is one controller, or "digital engine" as Gigabyte seems to want to call it, for the CPU and two for the memory, i.e. one for each pair or quad of DIMM's depending on the motherboard layout. The controllers are made by International Rectifier, which recently acquired CHiL which is a well-known brand of a wide range of power related ICs. Because of the split memory banks, adding a separate power regulation circuitry to each side of the motherboard allows for an overall simpler board design in terms of power delivery.

All of Gigabyte's X79 boards are also compatible with both the Intel VR12 and VR12.5 specs which suggest that we might be seeing support for Ivy Bridge-E on the X79 platform.

As for the motherboards themselves, well, we've already seen several previews of them, least not the G1 Assassin 2 which you can now ogle in its full glory below. It's pretty clear that Gigabyte designed this board with four additional SATA ports in mind, but thanks to Intel, there's now a blank space on the board where the ports should've been. There's really very little else to add about this board that we haven't already covered.

Moving on, we have the GA-X79-UD7 which sports the X58OC colours and a small Gigabyte OC logo. Although the board carries a lot of pedigree from the X58-OC board, we're not looking at a feature stripped board this time around; instead this is a fully loaded model. Not too much appears to have changed since IDF, although once again, there are four missing SATA ports. The chokes appear to have changed as well from some rather industrial looking grey ones to some shiny black ones, but this also means that the total count has gone down from 22 to 18, suggesting fewer power phases. That said, we doubt it'll make much difference to anyone except potentially the most extreme overclockers.

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Next up we have the GA-X79-UD5, the only board in Gigabyte's X79 range to feature eight DIMMs. Again only minor changes, such as the missing SATA ports, but otherwise nothing significant that we can notice. Once again, we think this will be the most popular X79 model from Gigabyte.

Published by: VR-Zone

Finally we have the GA-X79-UD3 and as with the other three boards, we see the same blank space where the additional Intel SATA ports should've been. It'll be interesting to see if Intel decides to do a new revision of the X79 chipset in the future that adds these missing ports or not. This board was not posted on Gigabyte's Facebook page and as such we sadly only have a smaller picture from Gigabyte's unofficial/official blog.

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Published by: VR-Zone

Core). Despite the branding, the GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) has much more in common with GTX 570 than the vanilla GTX 560 Ti.

As we wait for next-gen 28nm GPUs, NVIDIA is preparing an upgrade for the popular GeForce GTX 560 Ti. Much like the GeForce GTX 260 was upgraded to GTX 260 (216 Core) in 2008, the GTX 560 Ti is set to be revised as GTX 560 Ti (448 Core). Despite the branding, the GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) has much more in common with GTX 570 than the vanilla GTX 560 Ti. Unlike the GTX 560 Ti, which is based on a fully enabled GF114 die, the GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) will be based on the GF110 die. In essence, it is GTX 570 with 1 SM disabled, and likely underclocked. It features 14 active SMs, which indlude 448 SP / CUDA Cores and 56 TMUs; 320-bit memory and 40 ROPs - a very similar configuration to the old GTX 470. Along with increased performance, power consumption is expected to rise over the 384 SP GTX 560 Ti. A benefit to using GF110 means the revised 560 Ti will feature 2 x SLI connectors, enabling 3-way SLI. In terms of display outputs, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort are included. Visually, the reference GTX 560 Ti (448) is expected to look identical to the reference GTX 570.

Update: We've added a couple of better shots of the X79-UD3 which got posted separately on Gigabyte's Facebook page.

The revised GTX 560 Ti is expected to compete with overclocked SKUs of the HD 6950 2GB, and fill in the gap between HD 6950 2GB (~$280) and GTX 570/HD 6970 (~ $340). Priced right, the GTX 560 Ti (448) could be an enticing option until the next-gen GPUs hit. NVIDIA is preparing to release it's first Kepler part, GK107, in Q1 2012. However, performance GPUs to succeed the likes of GTX 560/570/580 are only expected later in 2012.

NVIDIA preparing revised GTX 560 Ti

With the GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) there will be no less than 4 different versions if GTX 560 on the market - GTX 560, GTX 560 Ti, GTX 560 Ti (OEM) and now, GTX 560 Ti (448 Core) a new height for GPU nomenclature chaos.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-preparing-revised-gtx-560ti/13805.html October 26th, 2011

Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 lands in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/logitech-gaming-mouse-g300-lands-insingapore/13804.html

As we wait for next-gen 28nm GPUs, NVIDIA is preparing an upgrade for the popular GeForce GTX 560 Ti. Much like the GeForce GTX 260 was upgraded to GTX 260 (216 Core) in 2008, the GTX 560 Ti is set to be revised as GTX 560 Ti (448 13

October 26th, 2011 October 26th, 2011

The G300 is the latest in Logitech's line of G-series gaming products, and this gaming mouse is targeted at PC gamers who want an edge over their competitors. It suits ambidextrous users, and features nine programmable controls, which let you access keyboard commands to buttons that are in easy reach.

Published by: VR-Zone

Samsung launches Series 7 GAMER and CHRONOS notebook PCs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-launches-series-7-gamer-andchronos-notebook-pcs/13803.html October 26th, 2011

Samsung has announced the launch of their latest Series 7 GAMER and CHRONOS notebook PCs. The Series 7 GAMER notebook (700G) is designed to deliver smart and rich gaming experience, while the Series 7 CHRONOS notebook (700Z) is made for maximum performance and productivity.

Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS

The Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 is designed to give PC gamers an advantage over the competition, and features nine programmable controls, letting you move keyboard commands to buttons that are in easily accessible. The G300 can store up to three game or player profiles in the mouse’s onboard memory, so you can run the mouse without software or even move it between computers without having to reconfigure each time. User-configurable lighting assigns one of seven colors to each profile, so you can easily see which profile you’re using. The mouse also offers sculpted, ambidextrous shape that is comfortable to use in either hand.

The Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 features a gaming-grade 2500-DPI optical sensor that tracks slow or fast movements on a wide variety of surfaces. On top of that, optional dragand-drop software makes it easy to set the Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 up exactly the way you want. The software also works with G-Series keyboards and headsets, so you can create macros once and share them between your G-Series family of devices.

Pricing and Availability The Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 is expected to be available in Singapore in end October, at a suggested retail price of S $49.

Samsung has launched its premium Series 7 CHRONOS notebook PC which is encased in a thin and compact aluminum chassis. Powered by the second generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, it incorporates ExpressCache technology, providing an extra 8GB of flash memory on the motherboard. This results in a faster start-up as well as increases overall performance. The Series 7 CHRONOS also delivers maximum performance with its high quality display. With Samsung’s "MAX Screen" technology, the Series 7 CHRONOS allows users to experience up to an extra inch of immerse viewing. The Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS 13.3inch (700Z3A) is available at S$1,688, while the 15.6-inch (700Z5A) will retail at S$1,988 in mid November.

Samsung Series 7 GAMING

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Published by: VR-Zone

anounced that it will retail the phone on 28 October with prices starting at S$0 for 16GB and 32GB models, S$108 for the 64GB model from SingTel retail stores and online at www.singtelshop.com/iphone. iPhone Plans

iFlexi Lite iFlexi Value

Monthly S$39.90 Subscription Local calls 100 Local SMS 550 Data (Up to 12GB 14.4Mbps)

The Samsung Series 7 GAMER notebook PC is designed to deliver a smart and rich gaming experience. It is powered by a Intel Core i7 quad-core processor; combined with a high-end gaming AMD Radeon HD graphics card and an 8GB ExpressCache system. The Samsung Series 7 GAMER notebook PC claims to deliver superb gaming speeds as well as a rich visual experience through its 3D 17.3-inch LED display, with full high definition 1920x1080 resolution. On top of that, the notebook PC is also equipped with the latest 3D surround sound. The Samsung Series 7 GAMER is available now at S $2,899.

SingTel to retail iPhone 4S in Singapore on 28 October 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/singtel-to-retail-iphone-4s-insingapore-on-28-october-2011/13802.html October 26th, 2011

iFlexi Plus iFlexi Premium

S$59.90

S$99.90

S$205

200 650 12GB

500 700 12GB

2,000 2,000 30GB

iPhone 4S S$498 S$248 S$0 S$0 16GB iPhone 4S S$668 S$368 S$98 S$0 32GB iPhone 4S S$798 S$538 S$208 S$108 64GB iPhone 4 S$400 S$120 S$0 S$0 8GB SingTel will also be organizing a special launch event for iPhone 4S this Friday, 28 October at Suntec Convention Hall 402 from 12:01am to 10:00pm. Beginning 26 October, customers may book an appointment online to pick up their iPhone 4S on 28 October. SingTel customers will also be able to pre-order iPhone 4S online and enjoy free delivery beginning 28 October.

NEC introduces new PX series professional projector, PX750U Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nec-introduces-new-px-seriesprofessional-projector-px750u/13801.html October 26th, 2011

The Apple iPhone 4S will be available in Singapore on 28 October, and local mobile operator SingTel has revealed the price plans for the highly anticipated smartphone. The iPhone 4S will be available starting at S$0 for the 16GB and 32GB models, and S$108 for the 64GB model.

NEC Asia Pacific has announced their new PX series professional projector, with the PX750U as the first model.

Designed for large venues including education, corporate and retail environments, the PX750U offers 7500 lumens brightness, stacking capabilities, edge blending, option slot and integrated networking functions.

The wait is over, for SingTel mobile users. If you are thinking of getting the Apple iPhone 4S, the mobile operator has 15

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Published by: VR-Zone

• Lamp life up to 2500 hours with ECO Mode • Open Pluggable Specification option slot including an HD/ SD SDI input card and SBC • Connectivity includes HDMI, DisplayPort, three computer inputs, composite and S-Video • Center lens design for ease in retro fitting existing installations • Electronic lens shutter • Stacking capability (up to four projectors) NEC Asia Pacific has announced its new PX Series professional projector line with the introduction of the PX750U. This model is designed for large venues requiring exceptional brightness, such as education, corporate and retail environments where there is a need for a larger screen size.

The PX750U WUXGA (1900x1200) 7500-lumen projector is the first model in NEC’s projector line to offer Open Pluggable Specification (OPS), which is the first industry wide standardization in option slots to simplify installation, use and maintenance while offering input flexibility. It supports multiple input cards, including an HD/SD-SDI and single board computer (SBC). The PX750U’s advanced input panel, along with its powered lens controls, provides the flexibility required for most installations, while its Crestron Roomview technology allows users to directly connect their projector to the managed network for monitoring and control.

It also features stacking correction capability that allows up to four projectors to be stacked vertically or horizontally to boost the image brightness to 30,000 lumens. With Integrated Device Technology HQV, a high performance video processing and scaling system, users can present with superior image quality using the technology’s pixel-based, motion-adaptive de-interlacing to remove undesirable motion artifacts.

The PX Series offers abundance of integrated networking functions, such as RJ45 for LAN and optional high-speed wireless (LAN IEEE 802.11b/g). Windows Network Projector, Windows Remote Desktop, Windows Network Drive Function and Windows Media Connection Function are just a few of the networking tools that allow users to connect to the shared network, control a networked computer through the projector’s USB input and display multimedia files.

The NEC PX750U Projector with lens is retailing now at S $26,688 and comes with a two-year limited warranty Overview of the PX750U features:• 7500-lumen brightness (achieved using a 6-segment color wheel) • 1-Chip DLP - 1920 x 1200 WUXGA native resolution • 2100:1 contrast ratio (with Dynamic Contrast) • Dual lamps

• Complete line of six bayonet-style lenses with powered zoom, focus and lens shift (projector/lens bundles available) • Lens memory controls the lens attributes (zoom, focus, lens shift) based on input resolution and input selection • Windows Network Projector Function directly connects to networked projectors without the need for additional proprietary software • Windows Remote Desktop Function allows the control of the projector with a keyboard and mouse through the USB input • Windows Network Drive and Media Connection functions display multimedia files (.jpeg, .bmp, .png, .mpeg2 or .wmv9) • USB Viewer allows users to present without the use of a computer by displaying images stored as .jpgs from an optional USB memory • Cornerstone correction helps display the image properly when the projector is set up at an angle to the screen • Geometric correction allows the projector to display squarelooking images on cylindrical, spherical or cornered screens • Edge blending technology creates panoramic images with multiple projectors • DICOM simulation • PIP/side-by-side allows two sources to be displayed on the screen at one time • Automated features such as auto power-on via RGB (15-pin) input, quick start (3 to 4 seconds) and direct power-off • Carbon savings meter calculates the positive effects of operating the projector in ECO Mode, which is encouraged by an optional message at startup • Cabinet control lock • Logo lock • Password protection 16

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• Email notifications to inform the system administrator when the projector’s lamp is approaching the end of its useful life

Dell announces the XPS 14z Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dell-announces-thexps-14z/13800.html October 26th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

announced a month or two ago. The big deal here is meant to be the near borderless display, but if you look closely at the picture below, you'll notice that a lot of the screen bezel is actually hidden behind the glass that has been put in front of the actual display. If we're not mistaken, this is what Lenovo calls an infinity display.

At 1.98kg the XPS 14z is lighter than most 14-inch notebooks, by a massive 100g, or less. That said, this includes an 8-cell battery which Dell rates at well over 6.5h of usage, although we wouldn't expect more than around 5h if you want to do any work on it and that roughly equates to the same as many other 6-cell battery packs.

We don't want to be rude, but it looks like Dell has borrowed ideas from most of its competitors in the notebook market when it comes to the design and features of its new XPS 14z, a notebook which the company claims is the thinnest "fully featured" 14-inch laptop with a built in optical drive. We don't know about you, but optical drives feel a bit last decade when it comes to notebooks, especially when we're talking thin and light models.

We don't want to be rude, but it looks like Dell has borrowed ideas from most of its competitors in the notebook market when it comes to the design and features of its new XPS 14z, a notebook which the company claims is the thinnest "fully featured" 14-inch laptop with a built in optical drive. We don't know about you, but optical drives feel a bit last decade when it comes to notebooks, especially when we're talking thin and light models.

The press release from Dell speaks about the thinness of the XPS 14z, yet at 23mm thick, it's hardly what we'd call a really thin notebook. So ok, the optical drive does take up some space and in all fairness, Dell has opted for a slot loading drive, but there are equally slim notebooks out there with an optical drive, least not Apple's MacBook Pro which is has to be said would be a competitor here, if by for no other reason the designs have something in common.

Dell is also banging on about how the XPS 14z has a 14inch screen in a 13-inch form factor, something Samsung

Maybe we're being a little bit unjust here, but overall the XPS 14z doesn't impress. We're all for the anodized aluminium alloy chassis, but it somehow looks a bit cheap and tacky, especially with the peculiar looking hinge. Sadly Dell only offers one type of display resolution for the XPS 14z, namely a bog standard 1366x768 screen. The choice of CPUs, at least in the US, starts with a Core i5-2430M and tops out with a Core i7-2640M, so no quad core action here. The graphics options are either Intel's integrated HD 3000 graphics or the not much faster GeForce 520M, but at least it comes with 1GB of dedicated graphics memory.

Depending on the market and configuration options, Dell will also supply anything from 4 to 8GB of RAM, a 500 or 750GB 7,200rpm hard drive or alternatively a 256GB SSD, Gigabit Ethernet, Intel 802.11a/b/g/n W-Fi with Wi-Di support, Bluetooth 3.0, one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, 17

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one HDMI 1.4 port, one mini DisplayPort, a pair of audio jacks, a memory card reader and a 1.3Megapixel webcam. The specifications aren't bad, but considering that this is Dell's new high-end consumer notebook, we're not blown away. We do like the backlit, spill resistant chiclet keyboard and the side mounted battery status indicator though and with a starting price point of US$999 (S$1,265) we're sure Dell will sell them by the bucket load to users who can't afford a MacBook Pro, but still yearns for that silvery metal look. The XPS 14z should

Published by: VR-Zone

TSMC's 28nm in volume production Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/tsmc-s-28nm-in-volumeproduction/13798.html October 26th, 2011

be available in the US from the 1st of November, with the rest of the world following on the 15th.

For a full rundown, we suggest you check out Anandtech's review of the XPS 14z.

Apple refreshes MacBook Pro lineup with small spec bump Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-refreshes-macbook-pro-lineupwith-small-spec-bump/13799.html October 26th, 2011

If you are a Windows user thinking of making the switch to the Mac platform, now may be a good time to make the switch. The anticipated move sees Apple selectively upgrading its MacBook Pro lineup with new processors, storage and graphics chips. As has been the case previously, prices for the various models have stayed the same.

Apple's low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro now comes with a 2.4GHz dual-core Core i5 processor with a 500GB hard disk drive (HDD) at SG$1,648; the higher-end model gets a 2.8GHz dual-core i7 and 750GB storage at SG$2,048. In the meantime, the SG$2,488 15-inch MacBook Pro lineup gets a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor with a 500GB HDD, while the SG$2,988 model gets a quad-core Core i7 at 2.4GHz with 750GB of storage.

Finally, the 17-inch MacBook Pro comes with 2.4GHz quadcore Core i7 with a 750GB HDD. Priced at SG$3,398 for a base unit, it now comes with the option to upgrade to a 2.5GHz quad-core Core i7 CPU and 512GB solid state drive - bringing the price to a whooping SG$5,259 for those with sufficiently deep pockets.

All models come with 4GB of memory, Intel HD Graphics 3000 and Mac OS X Lion preloaded. The low-end 15-inch model also incorporate an AMD Radeon HD 6750M via automatic graphics switching, while the high-end 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros comes with AMD Radeon HD 6770M. With Intel's Ivy Bridge expected to arrive in late Q1 or early Q2 next year, Apple is probably waiting for the arrival of the new processors before performing a more substantial refresh of its MacBook Pro family. With the new 22nm process contributing towards a lower TDP in the new CPUs, new designs that may just not be possible with current-gen Sandy Bridge CPUs may well be in the works.

TSMC has announced that its much awaited 28nm process is in volume production and the first production wafers has already been shipped to customers. TSMC currently offers 28nm tech in three forms - 28nm High Performance (28HP), 28nm High Performance Low Power (28HPL) and 28nm Low Power (28LP). 28nm High Performance Mobile Computer (28HPM) is due to be ready for production by the end of the year.

TSMC has announced that its much awaited 28nm process is in volume production and the first production wafers has already been shipped to customers. TSMC currently offers 28nm tech in three forms - 28nm High Performance (28HP), 28nm High Performance Low Power (28HPL) and 28nm Low Power (28LP). 28nm High Performance Mobile Computer (28HPM) is due to be ready for production by the end of the year.

NVIDIA and AMD are both preparing next-gen GPUs on TSMC's 28nm, presumably 28HP and 28HPL. Due to cancelation of 32nm and delays for 28nm, 40nm has lived as the flagship process for GPUs an unprecedented over two and a half years. For NVIDIA, AMD and consumers alike, the volume production of 28nm will be a long built up sigh of relief.

AMD is rumoured to ship its first 28nm GPUs in December, with NVIDIA following in Q1 2012. However, the first 28nm GPUs are likely to be "pipe-cleaners", relatively small/ mainstream GPUs to test the new process, with larger performance/enthusiast GPUs releasing later in 2012. AMD is also planning to source certain GPUs on its HD 7000 line from Globalfoundries' 28nm bulk process later in 2012.

Intel launches the Core i7-2700K, reduces pricing on some CPUs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-launches-the-core-i7-2700kreduces-pricing-on-some-cpus/13797.html October 26th, 2011

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Not entirely unexpected, Intel has launched its Core i7-2700K CPU today with little fanfare as is typical for when the company puts out an incremental upgrade. Three of Intel's other desktop CPU's have been given a price cut by between 13 and 15 percent which is a pretty generous discount, although none of these models are likely to get anyone excited.

Not entirely unexpected, Intel has launched its Core i7-2700K CPU today with little fanfare as is typical for when the company puts out an incremental upgrade. Three of Intel's other desktop CPU's have been given a price cut by between 13 and 15 percent which is a pretty generous discount, although none of these models are likely to get anyone excited.

Let's start with the Core i7-2700K, the official list price is US $332 (S$422), slightly less than our anticipated price point, although $1 more than the rumoured price point. That said, this is as always when it comes to Intel, in quantities of 1,000 units and according to Impress Akiba PC Hotline the CPU is on sale in Japan for 27,800 Yen, or US$365 (S$464) which is actually higher than our price estimation. There really isn't much to see here in terms of new features, as the Core i7-2700K is simply clocked 100MHz than the Core i7-2600K for a clock speed of 3.5GHz and a Turbo clock of 3.9GHz. There shouldn't be any other differences.

Published by: VR-Zone

Image source: Impress Akiba PC Hotline

Sony Ericsson handsets this year will get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-handsets-this-year-willget-android-4.0-ice-cream-sandwich-upgrade/13796.html October 26th, 2011

Sure, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich may be out, and the Samsung GALAXY Nexus would be the first smartphone to get it. But Sony Ericsson has also revealed on their Facebook Page that their Xperia smartphones launched this year, will also get the Android 4.0 update.

Good news for Sony Ericsson phone owners. For those of you who have purchased the smartphones this year, the company has announced that the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade will be available in the near future. According to a Facebook post on Sony Ericsson Netherlands, the phone maker will be upgrading all of its 2011 Android devices to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in 2012. Though no specific dates have been mentioned.

As for the discounted models, we'll, the fastest one is the Core i3-2120 which was reduced by 15 percent from US$138 to US$117 (S$149) which at least makes it a 200MHz faster alternative to the Core i3-2100 which comes in at the same price point. Next we have the Pentium G850 which was reduced by 13 percent from US$86 to US$75 (S$95), the same price point as the G840. Finally we have the Pentium G630 which was reduced by 15 percent from US$75 to US$64 (S $81), also ending up at the same price point as its slightly slower sibling, the G620. No other changes were made to Intel's price list and we're not expecting anything major to happen before the Sandy Bridge-E launch in November.

The translated dutch post reads, "We are planning for the 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio after Gingerbread 2.3.4. to be upgraded to the next Android platform. The official Sony Ericsson statement on the software upgrades will be published by my international colleagues, on our blog: http:// blogs.sonyericsson.com". The Sony Ericsson smartphones that would most likely get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update include the Xpreia Play, neo and neo V, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Arc, Xperia Arc S and Xperia Ray. 19

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M1 Singapore unveils Apple iPhone 4S price plans Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/m1-singapore-unveils-apple-iphone-4sprice-plans/13792.html October 26th, 2011

Telecommunication operator M1 has announced that the highly anticipated Apple iPhone 4S will retail in Singapore on 28 October, with various price plans and monthly subscriptions starting from as low as S$36. More details inside.

Google rolls out encrypted Web search as default option Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-rolls-out-encrypted-websearch-as-default-option/13791.html October 26th, 2011

Google earlier this week announced that it will be encrypting Web searches by default. Writing on the company's official blog, product manager Evelyn Kao described the move as one taken to encourage the industry to adopt stronger security standards. In a nutshell, the move means that users who initiate a search from www.google.com and who are signed into their Google Account will be automatically and transparently redirected to the encrypted version of the search engine.

Google first rolled out an encrypted search service last year at https://www.google.com as a beta to better protect securityconscious users. The threat of data snooping is not a farfetched problem either, given the increasing number of users logging in from Wi-Fi hotspots. The majority of such wireless access points do not have wireless encrypted enabled, which means that someone with the right tools will be able to snoop on any traffic that is not explicitly protected by encryption methods such as VPN tunnels or SSL. The benefit for users is obvious here - connecting to the encrypted version of Google will help ensure that search terms stay private. It is important to note however, that the move does not extend to country-specific domains, such as www.google.com.sg and www.google.com.my. It will also not work if you do not have a Google Account, or are currently logged out. Of course, manually typing in "https://" will also bring you to the encrypted version of Google Search.

Kao noted that websites that receive visitors from its encrypted searches will not be able to obtain information about individual queries. Instead, these sites will receive an aggregated list of the top 1,000 search queries that drove traffic to their site for each of the past 30 days through

Published by: VR-Zone

Google Webmaster Tools. Clicking on an ad appearing in a Google search results page however, will "continue to send the relevant query over the network to enable advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and to improve the ads and offers they present to you."

Webmasters and professionals involved in the field of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) have quickly expressed their concerns that encrypted web search effectively obfuscates incoming keywords. Moreover, the fact that Google's own customers will continue to enjoy unfretted access to the data has further raised the ire of many. If SEO is a topic that is right up your alley, you may want to read Danny Sullivan very detailed post about its full repercussions here.

Epson launches world's smallest all-in-one printer Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/epson-launches-world-s-smallest-allin-one-printer/13790.html October 26th, 2011

Epson this week launched the world's smallest all-in-one inkjet printer that offers outstanding business value through higher performance and lower running costs. The company says that the ME Office 535 (Nicknamed the "small-in-one") has been specifically designed to help conserve valuable space with its ultra-compact and attractive chassis, a feature that should be welcomed by most SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) users.

"We live in a society where space constraints are a constant challenge and we wanted to address this by designing and developing a printer that was economical in size, and yet did not compromise on quality and performance," says Tan May Lin, General Manager, Epson Singapore. "We are confident that the new ME Office 535 fits that bill."

In terms of performance, the ME Office 535 delivers optimum quality prints using ME 141 inks at a low running cost of only $0.05 cents per page for monochrome printing. When compared with its predecessor - the Epson Stylus TX22, Epson says the ME Office 535 uses 19% fewer components, is 39% smaller in overall size and 24% smaller in footprint.

All new printers from Epson consume up to 70% less power than conventional laser printers and are Energy Star certified. This means that consumers not only save money on consumables, but can also do their part for the environment by choosing a product that result in a lower carbon footprint.

The key specifications of the Office 535 are summed up in the table below:

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upgrades to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system.

Unprintable Content (Video, Flash, etc.)

The Epson ME Office 535 Inkjet is available at all authorised retailers in Singapore for a recommended retail price of $148 from October 2011.

EVGA SR3 (Super Record 3) Cometh

Update: Dimensions of the ME Office 535 (WxDxH): 390mm (15.4") x 300mm (11.8") x 145mm (5.7")

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/evga-sr3-super-record-3cometh/13788.html October 26th, 2011

ASUS showcases Eee Pad Transformer Prime at AsiaD Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-showcases-eee-pad-transformerprime-at-asiad/13789.html October 26th, 2011

At the AsiaD: All Things Digital event in Hong Kong, ASUS chairman Johnny Shih talked about the Ultrabook and also showcased the new Eee Pad Transformer Prime Android tablet. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime claims to be the world’s first tablet to incorporate Project Kal-El, NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra mobile processor.

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime was recently showcased at the AsiaD event in Hong Kong, and the Android tablet claims to be the world’s first tablet featuring Project Kal-El, NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra mobile processor which can deliver superb performance with low power consumption. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime sports a slim form factor that is thinner than its predecessor, and has a metallic spun finish with comfortable grip. It will also come with a convenient dock with keyboard, touchpad, other expandability options and additional battery life.

There is no word as to when the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime will be officially launch, though according to ASUS chairman Jonney Shih, there will be a global announcement about the Android tablet on 9 November. From what we gathered, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime would probably come with Android 3.x Honeycomb, and future

It's been on the backdrops at this year's Computex event, where close to every motherboard maker showed off its LGA2011 wares. It had been written off after rumors spread of attrition among some of its "key" designers. Today EVGA has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Its latest disclosure, of the EVGA Super Record 3 (SR3) is more of a statement than anything, that EVGA is still very much the king of ultra-high end motherboards.

It's been on the backdrops at this year's Computex event, where close to every motherboard maker showed off its LGA2011 wares. It had been written off after rumors spread of attrition among some of its "key" designers. Today EVGA has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Its latest disclosure, of the EVGA Super Record 3 (SR3) is more of a statement than anything, that EVGA is still very much the king of ultra-high end motherboards.

The SR3, going with tradition, is a 2P high-end desktop/ workstation motherboard in the E-ATX form-factor. It features two LGA2011 sockets, which can hold 2P-capable Xeon processors in the LGA2011 package, though we have to wait and see if at least the top-end Core i7 "Sandy BridgeE" chips turn out to be 2P-capable. Socket 0 is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots (two per channel), while socket 1 has 21

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Published by: VR-Zone

four (one per channel). This shows that the two sockets can be asymmetrically populated with DIMMs, like 2P LGA1366 systems.

There are two BGA chips, at least one of them is a platform controller hub (PCH). There are seven PCI-Express x16 slots, out of which, four are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, every slot is PCI-Express 3.0 x8 capable. Of course, 4-way NVIDIA SLI is supported. In terms of storage connectivity, there are, according to EVGA, 14 SATA ports. Other connectivity includes 8+2 channel HD audio, two GbE connections, USB 3.0, eSATA, Bluetooth, and EVBot connections.

Moving on to things that actually make this an enthusiast product, umm...where do we start? Each CPU socket is powered by a 6+1 phase digital PWM power supply driven

by CPL inductors, and Volterra PWM circuitry. The memory in turn is powered by 8-phase digital PWM circuitry. Apart from the 24-pin ATX connector, power is drawn in by two 8pin EPS, and three 6-pin PCIe connectors, so you can imagine power delivery to be robust. There is every EVGA-exclusive feature you can imagine, starting from DIP switches that let you toggle PCI-Express slots and SATA ports, consolidated voltage measurement points, EVBot support (the module could even come bundled), full POSCAP design, and a UEFI firmware with every option a record-seeking overclocker could possibly tinker with.

The9 establishes Red 5 Singapore to operate game operations in Asia, including Firefall

Scheduled to launch in December 2011, Firefall is a free-toplay cooperative shooter set in a science fiction world, and claims to be the only co-op gameplay that supports hundreds of players at a time. The game offers various quests, missions, battlegrounds and even allows you to customize your gears and abilities. You can also choose to purchase optional aesthetic enhancements.

The newly established Red 5 Singapore will be responsible for the operation of Firefall in other countries aside from North America and Europe, and the focus will be on the Asian markets first. Red 5 Singapore will also develop localized versions of Firefall according to the progress of the game in each country in Asia region, and The9 and Red 5 Studios will support Red 5 Singapore with talent recruitment, capital investment, technology and other resources.

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the9-establishes-red-5-singapore-tooperate-game-operations-in-asia-including-firefall/13787.html October 26th, 2011

This morning, China's online game developer and operator The9 has announced the establishment of Red 5 Singapore for conducting online game operations and research and development activities in Asia and other regions. Firefall, Red 5 Studio's first team-based action shooter game will be developed in localized versions for other countries aside North America and Europe.

At the opening of the event, Jun Zhu, chief executive officer of The9, shared the story of a missed opportunity in 2001 with Mark Kern of Blizzard Entertainment on the purchase of Blizzard Entertainment's shares. And in 2008, Zhu met up with Kern who showed him the slides, game concepts and future development plans for Firefall. And this time, Zhu decided not to miss the second opportunity and both signed the agreements in Singapore.

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Singapore Police Force launches Police@Sg iPhone and PoliceLife@SG iPad apps Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/singapore-police-force-launchespolice-sg-iphone-and-policelife-sg-ipad-apps/13786.html October 26th, 2011

Published by: VR-Zone

- Sharing of content on Facebook and Twitter - Viewing videos from SPF - Viewing crime statistics around your neighbourhood The Police@SG iPhone App is free and will be available for download from the iTunes Store next week.

With the PoliceLife@SG iPad App, you can now access the electronic version of PLM magazine. You can view the videos related to the articles you are reading, and also conveniently access Police’s social media channels on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Razor TV .

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has launched its mobile applications, Police@SG for the Apple iPhone and PoliceLife@SG for the iPad. The Police@SG iPhone app is designed to provide public quick access to information and services on the go including crime news, viewing videos and sharing content on Facebook and Twitter. Both apps are free to download from the Apple iTunes store.

The PoliceLife@SG iPad App is free to download and is available now on the Apple iTunes Store. Simply search for “PoliceLife@SG” in the iTunes Store’s search bar.

OCZ launches Indilinx based Octane SSDs Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ocz-launches-indilinx-based-octanessds/13785.html October 26th, 2011

Today, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has announced the launch of its mobile applications, Police@SG on iPhone and PoliceLife@SG for the iPad. The Police@SG iPhone app is one of two applications the Police have developed this year to provide members of the public convenient access to useful information and services on the go. The PoliceLife@SG on iPad App allows users to read Police’s in-house magazine – Police Life Monthly (PLM) – using the iPad. Both applications are showcased as part of the exhibitions of the “Enjoying a Digital Lifestyle 2011” event at HDB Toa Payoh Hub. The developments represent a breakthrough in Police’s ongoing efforts to leverage on social media and mobile technology to reach out to the tech savvy public. The Singapore Police Force hopes to galvanise the online community into action and participating in Police’s initiatives and programmes to fight crime. The law enforcement agency believes that everyone can play a part to keep the neighbourhoods safe and secure.

The Police@SG iPhone App provides up-to-date crime alerts and crime prevention advisories even when you're on the move. Key features include: - Latest crime news, Police appeals for information and missing persons - Locating the nearest Police station from your current location

Besides OCZ's mSATA SSDs, we haven't seen anything based on Indilinx controllers since OCZ bought Indilinx back in March, well, that was until today when OCZ announced its new Octane series of SSDs based on the new Indilinx Everest controller. The new SSD controller not only offers SATA 6Gbps support and of course added performance, but it's also Indilinx first SSD controller that supports 2Xnm flash memory.

Besides OCZ's mSATA SSDs, we haven't seen anything based on Indilinx controllers since OCZ bought Indilinx back in March, well, that was until today when OCZ announced its new Octane series of SSDs based on the new Indilinx Everest controller. The new SSD controller not only offers SATA 6Gbps support and of course added performance, but it's also Indilinx first SSD controller that supports 2Xnm flash memory.

So what can we expect from OCZ's new Octane line of SSDs? Well, it's a bit of a strange one, as OCZ has launched two different SKUs, one that supports SATA 6Gbps and one that supports SATA 3Gbps and as such we're getting vastly different performance numbers. As such OCZ is targeting the Octane line-up for both mainstream and performance applications and the performance numbers quoted by OCZ are quite impressive, but more on that in a second. Let's start with a closer look at the Everest controller.

There Everest controller is based on an unspecified dual core ARM processor that supports up to 8 channels of ONFI 2.0 or Toggle 1.0 flash memory at speeds of up to 200MT/s and 23

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Published by: VR-Zone

16-way interleaving. The controller has been optimized for 4K and 16K compressed files and high sequential speeds. Indilinx is still relying on external caching for its SSD controllers and the Everest is paired up with 512MB of 400MHz DDR3 DRAM. Other features include Indilinx proprietary nDurance technology which claims to increase the NAND flash life by up to twice that of competing solutions, fast boot technology which as the name suggests reduces boot time, TRIM support and background garbage collection, NCQ support up to 32 queue depth and of course SMART support.

What all this adds up to are some pretty speedy SSDs with the SATA 6Gbps Octane SKU hitting sequential read speeds of up to 560MB/s making it one of the fastest SSD's out there in terms of read performance. On the write side things slow down a bit with speeds of up to 400MB/s, not quite SandForce territory, but we'll have to wait for some real world benchmarks before we can tell how well it really performs.

Moving on to 4K random reads we're looking at 45k IOPS, on par with Crucial's m4 SSD with the Marvell controller, but still slower than SandForce.

As for the SATA 3Gbps SKU we're looking at fast, but far from mind blowing performance with a sequential read performance of 275MB/s and write performance of 265MB/s, enough to beat off Intel's 320-series with ease. The 4K random write performance should reach up to 30k IOPS, again better than Intel, but not something that'll set anyone's world on fire.

OCZ will be offering both SKUs in sizes from 128GB to 1TB, but the maximum performance should already have been reached with the 128GB models due to the way the Everest controller works. OCZ hasn't gone out with official pricing as yet, but estimations of between US$1.10 and US$1.30 per GB is expected for the Octane series.

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