Topics

1

General Mayhem / How It Feels [Through Glass]

« on: February 24, 2013, 10:33:21 PM »

If you've ever really wondered what Google Glass would be like to wear and use, this video pretty much sums it up.  Enjoy.

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2

General Hardware / Surface Pro Sells Out at Microsoft US

« on: February 12, 2013, 07:24:19 AM »

After just a few hours the Surface Pro was already sold out at Microsoft's website. The first Surface Pro that disappeared was the Hybrid tablet-PC in the 128 GB model for $999, followed by the 64 GB model for $899.

   “Customer response to the launch of Surface Pro has been amazing. The Microsoft Online Store is currently out of stock of the Surface Pro. Our priority is to ensure that every customer gets their new Surface Pro as soon as possible. We are replenishing our supplies as quickly as possible."   With recent questions about how much real storage space is available on the Surface Pro, the company now says on its Microsoft Store website that the 64GB version really means "approximately" 29GB are available for your stuff; the 128GB Surface Pro has "approximately" 89GB. (Microsoft shows an eve more detailed drilldown on Surface storage here.)   The Surface Pro goes on sale in these countries — Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland — on Feb. 14.Source: NBCNews

 

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3

Contests & Hot Deals / Logitech epic giveaway!

« on: February 02, 2013, 05:06:27 PM »

Mass Luminosity and Gaming Tribe have partned up with Logitech Gaming for an GLOBAL giveaway. Their will five lucky winners in this contest and each of them will get a package with a G700 wireless gaming mouse, a G710+ mechanical gaming keyboard and a G930 wireless gaming headset for an total value of $409!

All you have to do is click the link below and like some facebook pages and read the rules and if you lucky you might be the winner!

http://gamingtribe.com/giveaway/logitech/

4

General Hardware / Richland is Coming - How Rich? Not Very.

« on: January 30, 2013, 10:40:08 PM »

In anticipation of the new architecture "Steamroller" prepares AMD transitional solution "Richland". Yesterday did overall specs leaked out about the new CPU's.

 

   Their new flagship AMD A10-6800K have a clockspeed at 4.1 Ghz and with the turbo mode it can go up to 4.4 Ghz and with graphics it goes up to 844 MHz.  This is not that much different from the AMD A10-5800k “Trinity”.  Like some previous reports - the new chipset A88X and A78 is mentioned. Richland will be compatible with older motherboards for socket FM2.There is not a solid date when Richland is to be released to the market but according to the official product plan it looks like we are going to see them around spring time.

Source: VR-Zone China (Translated)

 

 

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5

General Hardware / Intel Will Stop Making Motherboards

« on: January 30, 2013, 10:36:06 PM »

Intel will stop making Motherboard's after Haswell is released.  Intel doesn't only make CPU's, they also have other products.  One of their product lines of course are motherboards made by Intel themselves, and this is going to change in the near future.

   “We disclosed internally today that Intel’s Desktop Motherboard Business will begin slowly ramping down over the course of the next three years. As Intel gradually ramps down its motherboard business we are ramping up critical areas of the desktop space including integration of innovative solutions for the PC ecosystem such as reference design development, NUC and other areas to be discussed later.” 

Intel just said that their last motherboard is for the upcoming 4th gen Core processor also called Haswell. That is expected to be released this June but that will also be the last motherboard that Intel made in-house.  Despite the exodus from the motherboard market, Intel plans not to stop investing in desktop computers. Motherboards transferred to partners like Asus, Gigabyte and MSI while Intel will focus on developing new products and form factors.

Source: Legit Reviews

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6

General Mayhem / Firefox Phone to go on sale in February, Mozilla says

« on: January 30, 2013, 12:47:32 PM »

In a post to Mozilla Hacks, company rep Stormy Peters said Firefox OS would be "built entirely using open web standards" – a kind of natural extension of the Firefox web browser, which is also open source. "Developers are critical to the web and to Mozilla’s mission to make the web accessible to everyone," Peters wrote.

   Judging by the website of Spanish manufacturer Geeksphone, there will be two Firefox phones: The 3.5-inch Keon and the higher-powered 4.3-inch Peak, which Geeksphone describes as a "powerful developer preview device introducing cutting edge features."oG3tLxEQEdg

Source: CSMonitor

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7

General Hardware / Micron Shows How SSDs Are Made

« on: January 22, 2013, 09:00:03 PM »

To built a chip and ship it to consumers is a lot more complicated process then most think. When it comes to SSD units there are very few manufacturers that can build a device from scratch.  Micron is one of the few that produces flash memory and even ships SSD's to end consumers.  The company has put together a movie to demonstrate how an SSD is built from scratch to a finished product.

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8

General Hardware / Western Digital Hits 5TB HDD

« on: December 10, 2012, 07:49:29 PM »

Traditional hard drives do not get as much attention as before. The development of new models is slow, and pressure is made to make the leap to SSD. It does not prevent Western Digital from planning for larger hard drives in 2013.  According to leaked images published by Always More Digital and TechPowerUp, Western Digital reaches the milestone of five terabytes in the fourth quarter of 2013. This would initially involve two models introduced with the record high capacity Green WD50EZRX designed for desktops and Red WD50EFRX with customizable network storage. Both are 3.5-inch with 64 MB cache, and connectivity to SATA 6.0 Gbps.

The images also shows that Western Digital plans to release two new hard drives with four terabytes of capacity ahead middle of next year. Just like the larger variants are included in the series Green and Red. While the specifications are seemingly identical between the models.

   Sources: AlwaysMoreDigital, TechPowerUp

 

In terms of other storage reviews, we have a few:

ioSafe Solo G3 Fireproof & Waterproof External HDD - TweakTown --=-- Intel DC S3700 Data Center SSD - TheSSDReview --=-- Mushkin Atlas 480GB mSATA SSD - TweakTown --=-- Silicon Power Armor A80 1TB USB 3.0 Portable HDD - NikKTech --=-- ADATA DashDrive Elite HE720 2.5" 500GB External HDD - eTeknix

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9

General Hardware / Google To Sell Self-Branded Chromebooks

« on: December 09, 2012, 10:00:08 PM »

In December 2010, Google introduced the concept Chromebook - scaled-down laptops especially designed for internet and web surfing. For the purpose of developing the Linux-based operating system, the Chrome OS with a close link to the Google web services like Gmail, Docs, Drive and Maps.

Since then, Samsung and Acer introduced a handful of computers with Chrome OS, however, not been any major sales successes. Now, reports the China Times that Google plans to take matters into their own hands and stand for the development of at least one new Chromebook-based computer model. This will then be sold under its own brand - not unlike surfing plates and mobile phones in the Nexus series.

According to the data Google is working with PC manufacturer Compal, which is expected to begin deliveries of the first samples during the current month. It suggests that Google's Chromebook could be launched before the end of the year, possibly in a few select markets during the peak season around Christmas and New Year.

The new laptop would also mean that Google confront Apple in another product category. Previously, Google has collaborated with include Asus, Samsung and LG and introduced mobile phones and tablets in the (partially) own brand.

Source: TechCrunch

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10

General Mayhem / Intel Slashes Power Consumption

« on: December 09, 2012, 09:38:05 PM »

Chip giant plans to make Ivy Bridge more power efficient than the versions that are currently used in the MacBook Air and Windows 8 ultrabooks.  This is a big deal and a very good move for the mobile market.  More information over at CNET.

   Generally, the lower the wattage, the longer the battery life and the thinner the product can become. For example, tablets today built around chips based on the ARM design can be as thin as 0.3 inches and weigh less than a pound. The power consumption on ARM chips is typically rated at below 2 watts and devices with these chips offer all-day, or better, battery life.

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11

General Mayhem / x86 Still Valid for Many Years: AMD

« on: December 05, 2012, 01:36:15 AM »

 

   AMD has tried desperately hard to keep up with processor giant Intel in the PC market. The two manufacturers of x86 processors have fought for decades for market share in the processor market, but in recent years, Intel has taken an increasingly strong grip on the particular performance segment where AMD more or less dominated for a few years. While the performance segment of Intel dominating AMD, they both have heavy competition in the financial and energy-efficient segment of the ARM architecture and circuit manufacturers who license the same.       Although AMD is feeling so threatened that they now themselves begin to develop processors on ARM architecture says company CEO Rory Read.  Still, x86 will be a very important part of the company's offerings for many years to come.       "There are No Doubt That x86 is going to be a huge portion of our business. I think That it is going to be an important segment of our business for 5-10 years. The x86 is going to be here long after I am retired." said Rory Read at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference last week.       Source: XbitLabs

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12

General Mayhem / Next Xbox for 2013 Holiday Season

« on: December 05, 2012, 01:20:40 AM »

 

   There are all sorts of rumors as to when Microsoft will release their next Xbox and the company hopes to launch the device next year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  While Nintendo is already here with their Wii U, we are still waiting the successors to Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3. According to previous information, the test platform for a future Playstation be based on an AMD A10 processor with integrated graphics, but this may change in the future. It seems in any case be clear that the next Xbox may be an x86-based processor and graphics from AMD.      Sources told Bloomberg that the next generation Xbox is set to launch towards the end of next year to take advantage of Thanksgiving and the critical holiday shopping season. The company deliberates whether to announce the official console at the E3 games show in June or whether to keep a dedicated event for their upcoming game console.  The Xbox 360 is still selling extremely well and during Thanksgiving, sales exceeded even the Wii U - which on the other hand may have been due to a lack of capacity from Nintendo's side. Still, sales have started to go downhill for gaming-related hardware and software in general, which is a sign that it may be time to release something new to bring more consumers.

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13

News / December 2012 System Builder Guide

« on: December 04, 2012, 07:27:51 PM »

December 2012 System Builder Guide

We have just posted up our December 2012 system builders guide.  In this article we take a look at some components that can help you build a great Intel or AMD system on a modest budget.  We also have a bit more fun and find out what we can get for about $1600.  If you are looking to build a new PC over the holidays, take a look at our list for a few ideas.

High-performance gaming machines are great, but sometimes every penny counts.  The goal budget computer system for gaming is to push the FPS (frames-per-second) to the extreme with a machine for about $600.  We will show you our recommendations and help you build a system without taking some shortcuts and without closing the door to future upgrades.

Please post your thoughts, comments and questions right here.

14

General Mayhem / Europe Pushes 5G

« on: December 02, 2012, 10:01:56 PM »

 

   The EU intiative, Metis began their work with next-generation mobile data networks - also called 5G. The network is to be put into operation in 2020 and will be developed by a consortium of 29 different companies. 5G networks will be able to handle 1000 times more data traffic than today's networks.       With the ever-growing mobile traffic worldwide, demand for wireless data networks will increase. To meet future demands and put Europe in a leading position, the EU has launched a European development project called Metis.  Mobile and wireless communications Enablers for the Twenty-twenty (2020) Information Society, is a consortium of 29 different companies and organizations, including Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, Chalmers and KTH behind the controls. The companies will jointly develop the next generation mobile network that will provide completely different capacity than today's networks.              Metis-financed by the European Commission as an Integrated Project under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7). Europe will account for $16 million of the project's total budget of 27 million dollars.       5G network will be operational in 2020 and will be capable of delivering 1,000 times the volume of traffic and 50 billion connected devices. Another key component of the new 5G network is versatility which networks will be ready for a variety of different types of connected devices.       Metis has - at the time of writing, not released any technical details or specifications of the new 5G network, but when it launches in 2020, we expect much higher transfer rates than the currently impressive 4G networks dish out.       More information on the METIS project here.

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15

Operating Systems & Software / New Firefox Reads Code 26% Faster

« on: December 02, 2012, 09:45:27 PM »

The next version of Firefox will have a new engine that reads code 26% faster than before. A trial version is now available to download.

 

   Mozilla on Monday released the first beta version of its upcoming web browser, FireFox 18th The new version will include include a new JavaScript engine and support for some Apple devices.              One of the big news is a new JavaScript engine that goes by the name Ionmonkey. Ionmonkey uses a new technology to read web pages according to Mozilla to make the browser up to 26% faster.  Firefox 18 will also receive support for Apple's new retinascreens used in some models of the Macbook Pro. In addition, the browser will offer a built-in PDF reader.       The final version of Firefox 18 is scheduled for release on January 7. Daring users can download the current beta version of Firefox 18 from the Mozilla website. Just be aware that there is a trial version that may not work properly on your computer.

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