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Slide 1: March 17th, 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. bit video frame buffer and 3072 stream processors. While the Sapphire 100310SR Radeon HD 6990 can accomplish the performance of two Radeon HD 6970's in CrossFireX, it can do so with less power and heat. The Sapphire 100310SR utilizes several new MSAA modes including Enhanced Quality AntiAliasing (EQAA), which Benchmark Reviews tests in some of the most popular DirectX-11 video games available... Xigmatek Asgard II computer case @ TweakPC.de (German) Description: (Machine translation) With Xigmatek the world is upside down. This at least allows the naming of the suspect case series. Here one does that is back to Norse mythology and identifies its case at the three levels of the World Tree. At the bottom is therefore Utgard, who represents the underworld, with Xigmatek but represents the upper class. And above shows the Asgard, the heavenly home of the gods, with Xigmatek but reflects the lower low-budget class. Midgard is only the golden mean and thus of its name. Market for combined CPUs and GPUs on the rise Description: Graphics-enabled microprocessors are expected to reach record highs this year with GEM penetration in notebook PCs set to reach 50 percent, and 45 percent for desktops. This represents an impressive 11 percent increase for notebooks in the use of chips which incorporate both the CPU and graphics processing in one place. ASUS GTX 550 Ti DirectCU TOP Review Description: The ASUS GTX 550 Ti DirectCU TOP has moved away from the NVIDIA reference design chosen by some manufacturers. The first change was the mini-HDMI connector, replaced by a full-sized HDMI, and the addition of a VGA connection, replacing the second DVI connector seen in reference design cards. As with the GTS 450 and GTX 460 it features bitstreaming support for both Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, handy for home theatre PC use. Asustek to Support Future AMD FX "Bulldozer" Chips on Current Mainboards. Description: Asustek Computer, the world's largest maker of mainboards, announced on Wednesday that select current mainboards with AM3 socket will also support nextgeneration AMD FX-series "Bulldozer" microprocessors after a BIOS upgrade. A similar move will likely be made by other motherboard suppliers, which will prove that current platforms can technically support Bulldozer chips. Eyes-on: AMD Shows 3D Capabilities With HD3D Description: While Nvidia's been playing in the 3D space for quite some time now with its proprietary 3D Vision technology, AMD's been holding off in what it feels is in the The Daily VR-Zone News Update - 17 Mar 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-update--17mar-2011/11630.html March 17th, 2011 In today's news roundup: ASUS has announced that selected models of its current socket AM3 motherboards will be capable of supporting AMD's upcoming FX-series CPUs after performing a certain BIOS update; AMD shows off 3D display capabilities with new HD3D technology which appears to support more 3D HDTVs than monitors; Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Player is reportedly the real threat to Apple's iPod Touch; The world's first LTE phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, is now officially available from Verizon; Analysts are predicting that the announcement of a HD Wii 2 may be all that is needed to turn Nintendo's fortunes around, and Our sister site SGCafe tries out the Mortal Kombat demo currently available for download on the PlayStation Network Hardware news: The Ultimate Graphics Cards Round-up: Spring 2011 @ InsideHW Description: If you were attentive during the past few months, you’re bound to have noticed just how many new graphics card models have been presented in the past few months. To say that the market situation is confusing would be an understatement, since not only have there been plenty of new models making their appearance on the market, but an entire graphics card generation has shifted. Besides, NVIDIA seems to have made a full recovery and got back into the game as an entirely respectable competitor… Sapphire 100310SR Radeon HD 6990 @ Benchmark Reviews Description: The Sapphire 100310SR Radeon HD 6990 is a dual-Cayman GPU product capable of powering five monitors at once, or produce the fastest video game frame rates possible of any graphics card to one monitor. Using a new VLIW4 shader core architecture and equipped with 4GB GDDR5 256- 1
Slide 2: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone best interest of the industry and ultimately the consumer. AMD's 3D technology for its Radeon HD products conform to industry standards – most notably right now is HDMI 1.4a. Sadly, this doesn't include a lot of desktop monitors on the market today, but it does include essentially every new 3D HDTV in existence today. Crucial does BoM control on DDR3 Description: Crucial is dropping a BoM on enterprise server memory customers with their new BoM-controlled RDIMM line. It may not seem like much if you don’t need it, but to those that do, it is worth more than gold. Consumer Electronics and Software news:: Why Samsung’s Galaxy Player Rivals Apple’s iPod Touch Description: Leveraging the success of its Galaxy S smartphone line, Samsung today introduced two models of Galaxy Player handhelds, expected to launch later this spring in the U.S. At first glance, the 4- and 5-inch devices appear to be Android-powered Samsung smartphones, complete with front and rear cameras, touch screens, and Adobe Flash support, but these don’t include a cellular radio. Instead, the new Galaxy Player line uses Wi-Fi for connectivity, just like Apple’s iPod touch. But why would Samsung ever attempt to take on Apple’s iPod, which holds an imposing majority share in the digital audio player market? ROCCAT Alumic Review @ Vortez Description: It was just 2 weeks ago that we got our first 'hands-on' look at ROCCAT's latest and greatest at CeBIT 2011. The first item that ROCCAT showed us at that event is the item under review today. A double sided gaming mouse pad with an anodized aluminium core providing ultimate stability and durability, whilst accommodating both low and highsensitivity gamers by way of 2 completely different surface textures. Corsair HS1A Gaming Headset Review @ Legit Reviews Description: Corsair has hit the PC audio market with a slew of new products in the last year. And all of them appear to be strong performers. The Corsair HS1A Headset is no different. It is made with the highest quality materials and adheres to Corsair's tight specifications to let your games immerse you into their fantasy world. Today we are looking at the HS1A'a in the Legit Reviews Labs, and what we found might just surprise you. Did we like them or not? Read on to find out. HTC Thunderbolt Now Available from Verizon Description: The world’s first LTE phone, HTC Thunderbolt, is now available from Verizon for $249.99 with a two-year contract or $599.99 if you want the contract-free, unlocked version. Samsung PN58C8000 58 Inch Plasma TV Review @ Tweaknews Description: The Samsung PN58C8000 is targeted towards the buyer that wants the best Samsung Plasma TV that money can buy and have every possible feature other than integrated Wifi. No corners have been cut for this model and everything from the upgraded remote control to the brushed exterior bezel and finish look as good as the TV performs. New Catalyst Application Profile for 6 titles, incl. Crysis 2 Exclusively @ Rage3D Description: AMD Catalyst Application Profile 11.2 #4 is here! This week's new Catalyst Application Profile, exclusively at Rage3D before anywhere else, includes updates for six titles. Sandberg USB 5.1 Surround headset Review XSReviews.co.uk Description: Our subject today is the Sandberg 5.1 USB Surround headset which is specifically designed for gamers and PC-multimedia enthusiasts. Sandberg is a well over 20years old Danish company that produces computer-related products such as audio periphials, keyboards, mice, cables and much more. Altough the brand doesn’t specifically pop up when we are talking audio periphials, I have good hopes for this gamer-oriented product. Gaming news: Can An HD Wii 2 Turn Around Nintendo’s Video Fortunes? Description: Nintendo could announce the next generation of its Wii gaming console soon, according to comments made by EA Games Label President Frank Gibeau. Analysts believe that the company will announce the Wii2 at this year’s E3 conference in June, which could mean that it goes on sale early next year. Quick Review: Mortal Kombat Demo Description: Forget those cheesy finishes in previous Mortal Kombat games or those petty looking finishes in MK vs DC universe because the upcoming Mortal Kombat is here to break some bone and gut. Simply titled Mortal Kombat, this new real deal is heading for retail on April 22 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the demo is available on PlayStation Network now (not sure for Xbox Live yet) Operation Flashpoint: Red River preview: With a little help from my friends Description: The first time we saw Operation Flashpoint: Red River in action, it was clear that the game was trying to expand the appeal of this traditionally "realistic" military shooter series. Played alone, as we did in December, the game still requires a fair amount of tactical squad micromanagement, but Codemasters encourages players to experience the tenstage campaign, along with the separate co-op mode called "Fireteam Engagements," with a group of three friends... Dell launches new Inspiron R notebooks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dell-launches-new-inspiron-rnotebooks/11631.html March 17th, 2011 It is spring time and Dell has announced what can only be described as its spring collection which is a refresh of its Inpiron R series of notebooks that now features removable display backs, something akin to Nokia's swappable phone covers of the past. Of course there's more to the new line than swappable bits of plastic, as Dell has added support for Intel's 2
Slide 3: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone second generation Core i processors across the range which brings with it some additional changes as well. It is spring time and Dell has announced what can only be described as its spring collection which is a refresh of its Inpiron R series of notebooks that now features removable display backs, something akin to Nokia's swappable phone covers of the past. Of course there's more to the new line than swappable bits of plastic, as Dell has added support for Intel's second generation Core i processors across the range which brings with it some additional changes as well. So what we're looking at here are three new models, the 14R (N4110), 15R (N5110) and 17R (N7110) and the model names give away the screen sizes. Dell is offering all three models with an option of a dual core Core i3-3210M or a Core i5-2410M processor, although the 15R and 17R will be available with the quad core Core i7-2630QM. The 14R and 15R come with standard 1366x768 resolution displays while the larger 17R gets fitted with a 1600x900 panel. The unusual feature of all three models is Dell's new Switch lid design and this is again an optional feature which will cost you extra, on top of the cost of the various lids you can get which start at US$39.99. The switchable lids also add a fair bit of weight to the tune of about 170-270g depending on the model. It's a neat feature for those that want a notebook that stands out and if you get bored by one design, you can always buy another one. The standard graphics option is Intel's HD graphics 3000, although dell offers an upgrade to an AMD Radeon HD 6470M for the 14R and 15R, while the 14R is also available with a Radeon HD 6640M. For whatever reason Dell decided to go with two Nvidia graphics options as well, as the 15R can be kitted out with a GeForce GT525M, which is also the only option for the 17R, although in this case the 15R only comes with 1GB of graphics memory, while the 17R gets 2GB. All three models will be offered with up to 8GB of RAM and will come with either a 5,400rpm hard drive up to 640GB or a 7,200rpm hard drive up to 500GB. Other features include an optical drive, various 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and 3G/WiMAX options, Bluetooth 3.0, WiDi support, eSATAp (powered eSATA/USB combo port), USB 3.0, HDMI, 10/100Mbit Ethernet, HD webcam and a memory card reader. Not all models will come with all features, as generally is the case with notebooks. All three models are available with a 6cell or a 9-cell battery pack. The 14R starts at US$579.99, the 15R is a little bit cheaper at US$529.99 and the 17R comes in at the same starting price as the 14R and all three models are supplied with a black Switch lid at this price point. Singapore pricing appears to start at S$949 for the 14R, but this doesn't include a Switch lid as standard and would set you back an additional S$42.80 for the plain black one. The 15R starts at S$999, although it comes with a free upgrade option for the Switch lids. The 17R doesn't appear to be available in Singapore as of now. Microsoft officially launches Internet Explorer 9 in Singapore: it's all about the need for speed Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-officially-launches-internetexplorer-9-in-singapore-it-s-all-about-the-need-for-speed/11629.html March 17th, 2011 Have you downloaded the finalized version of Microsoft's latest browser for use on your Windows-powered PC? Well, if your answer to that question happens to be a resounding 'no', perhaps Microsoft's latest demonstration might convince you 3
Slide 4: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone to have a change of heart. The Redmond giant has organized a media event at the Singapore Flyer Megu Event Hall to showcase some of the features available in its new browser, and VR-Zone is proud to bring you the coverage. browser technology," he said, while adding that this has led Microsoft to change its focus from the browser to that of the user experience. "Web developers are doing a lot of amazing things today, but browser technology hasn't been catching up. So now, we start looking at things differently in IE 9. Realistically, it is all about the content. No one goes to a theatre and looks at the theare room: they go there to watch the play. And this is practically the same thing for all types of content we see out there today," he explained. User experience and standards support To prove his point, Hardman demonstrated how IE9 features the ability to pin IE9-optimized webpages onto the Windows Taskbar, which in turn allows users to access the site's links and pages from within its Taskbar icon. Citibank's website was used as an example for this demonstration. For a browser that comes bundled as part of the dominant operating system used by more than 80% of the world's PC owners, Internet Explorer seldom, if ever, gets any love, especially among the more technologically savvy crowd, and for good reason. After all, Internet Explorer has been known to come with various security holes large enough for the proverbial bus to drive through, while its lack of speed and poor support for existing web standards did little to no favors for its image. However, Microsoft is also keen to let consumers know that Internet Explorer has changed for the better, and that it has what it takes to be the best browser for consumers once again. And to do that, the Redmond giant has organized a media event held at the Singapore Flyer Megu Event Hall to showcase Internet Explorer 9's capabilities in bringing out what it calls the "full beauty of the web". Speaking at the event was Matthew Hardman of the Windows Client Business Group Lead (Business and Marketing) for Microsoft Singapore, who talked about the ever-evolving nature of the World Wide Web, and how Internet Explorer 9's new features can deliver the best of the Web to end-users. According to Hardman, this feature is unique to Internet Explorer 9 and requires webmasters to make some changes to the underlying code in order for users to enjoy the aforementioned convenience. However, Hardman also revealed that such a feature does not require a complete code rewrite; rather, webmasters only need to input five additional lines into their site's underlying code in order to take advantage of this exclusive feature. "Research has shown that people who actually implement this feature ever since it was introduced in the beta versions of Internet Explorer 9 are actually experiencing huge increases in terms of visits and time spent on the webpage. This is because it is now so much easier for consumers to get access to the actual website itself," he claimed. Support for HTML5 was also a huge priority for Microsoft, and Hardman showed off Internet Explorer 9's robust support for the new draft standard by loading an online game that was completely written in HTML5. For those interested, the game can be accessed by clicking on this link. "At the beginning of the Web, it was all about basic information, such as text and pictures. Then as we started seeing the evolution of technology, like video and YouTube being a key examples which projected the Web in a whole different direction as well as making content richer, noisier and more interactive. That really drove a lot of innovation in 4
Slide 5: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Nikon Singapore has announced the COOLPIX S9100 compact camera, a high performance model with 18x zoom lens and rearside illumination CMOS sensor that suppresses noise in pictures. It is available from today. Also featured in Hardman's demonstration was Foursquare's Playground page, in which Internet Explorer's support for HTML5 was key to ensuring that users could interact seamlessly with the virtual town without needing to install any unnecessary ActiveX plugins such as Adobe's Flash or Shockwave player. The latest Nikon COOLPIX S9100 features a 12.1-megapixel rating, 18x optical zoom with wide angle capability and a 3inch LCD display. Incorporating a backside illumination CMOS sensor, it can effectively minimize noise in pictures. The camera also offers ISO settings of up to 3200, various shooting modes including Easy Panorama Mode, Pet Portrait Mode, Night Landscape mode and Special Effects. The S9100 can also record videos in full high-definition with stereo and has a card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC. Rumour: AMD FX-series (Bulldozer) releasing June 11th Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-amd-fx-series-bulldozerreleasing-june-11th/11627.html March 17th, 2011 Nikon COOLPIX S9100, now on sale in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nikon-coolpix-s9100-now-on-sale-insingapore/11628.html March 17th, 2011 Five years in the making, AMD's Bulldozer has gone through a slew of changes in schedule. According to the last report, Bulldozer's shipping date was suggested as June 20th. Now, DonanimHaber is introducing a new date - June 11th. AMD's 9-series motherboards will release in May, presumably during Computex 2011 time. Around this time, AMD's FX series is expected to be officially announced and dated. Five years in the making, AMD's Bulldozer has gone through a slew of changes in schedule. According to the last report, Bulldozer's shipping date was suggested as June 20th. Now, DonanimHaber is introducing a new date - June 11th. AMD's 9-series motherboards will release in May, presumably during Computex 2011 time. Around this time, AMD's FX series is expected to be officially announced and dated. Considering June 11th is a Saturday, it does seem like an odd time to release a major CPU. The previous date of June 20th seems more realistic. Regardless, AMD's official timeline remains "Q2 2011" and unless there are any major changes, AMD's FX series is set to be unleashed some time in June 5
Slide 6: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone 2011. A preliminary line-up of FX series CPUs has already been leaked and can be viewed here. Rumour: ASUS plans sub US$250 netbook to avoid competing against tablet PCs? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-asus-plans-sub-us-250netbook-to-avoid-competing-against-tablet-pcs-/11623.html March 17th, 2011 price bracket, DIGITIMES claims that ASUS is hoping to avoid direct confrontation with tablet PCs, thus making its netbooks more attractive to those who are seeking a highly mobile PC to use, but without the price premium found on tablets. To achieve such prices, it is claimed that ASUS will also seek to avoid the 'Microsoft tax' altogether by dropping Windows as the default OS pre-loaded into the netbooks. Instead, ASUS will reportedly go for royalty-free, resource-light OSes such as Google's Android or Chrome OS. In a way, this makes perfect sense; after all, netbooks were never meant to be used as gaming heavy multimedia consumption machines. By using OSes not known to support heavy gaming, ASUS can not only save some money on the Microsoft tax, but also allow it to target consumers who seek to purchase a mobile PC for only basic tasks such as web surfing and word processing. However, we should probably point out that with the current component shortage faced by manufacturers of NAND flash and display panels, both of which are key components in netbook assembly, users might want to take this information about a low-cost netbook with a pinch of salt. With tablet PCs fast gaining acceptance among consumers as the mobile computer of choice for media consumption, what does one think netbook OEMs should do to restore the competitiveness of a product that appears to be fast approaching its 'use by' date? Well, ASUS apparently thinks that the answer is rather straightforward: make them cheaper. Adobe Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS with new Adobe Camera Pack announced Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/adobe-photoshop-express-2.0-for-ioswith-new-adobe-camera-pack-announced/11624.html March 17th, 2011 In spite of what people might think, it is going to be quite hard to prove that tablet PCs have not started cutting into netbook sales, and for good reason. After all, tablets are definitely much more suited for consumers who prize mobility over functionality, and the fact that their price premium over the netbook is starting to narrow does not bode well for the humble, performance-limited netbook. With this is mind, what measures are netbook OEMs taking to ensure that demand for their products remain stable? Well, sources close to "upstream component makers" are claiming that the Taiwanese OEM has got a rather simple answer to the netbook problem, and that is to simply make cheaper netbooks. According to a report posted on DIGITIMES, ASUS is in the midst of co-operating with Intel on producing a new netbook that, when completed, will be released for retail at around US$200-US$250. In contrast, the current batch of netbooks available on the market can retail at prices ranging from approximately US$280 for a low-end configuration, or upwards of US$400 for more powerful variants, thus putting themselves in direct competition with tablet PCs retailing at near-identical price range. By avoiding the US$280-US$500 Adobe has announced Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS devices. It is now available free on the Apple iTunes Store, and there is also a new Adobe Camera Pack for in-app purchase. Read on for more details. Adobe Photoshop Express offers easy, on-the-go support for capturing, organizing, editing and sharing photos on popular social networks like Facebook and has gained huge popularity on iOS and Android devices. It is a must-have app for users working with digital photos on new smartphones and tablets. Today, the company announced the availability of Adobe Photoshop Express 2.0 software for iOS devices. You can download the app free from Apple iTunes Store, and the 6
Slide 7: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Photoshop Express 2.0 also includes a new Adobe Camera Pack for in-app purchase. This Camera Pack includes: - Reduce Noise: Even the best phone cameras can introduce small amounts of grain and speckling—called noise—into images. The Reduce Noise feature quickly smooths out those flaws to improve photos. - Self Timer: Set a camera timer to three or 10-second intervals to control when the photo is snapped and capture just the desired moment. - Auto Review: Ensure a good shot and delete it quickly if not. Auto Review provides a quick look at pictures before the action passes by. The Adobe Camera Pack enhances the new camera workflow that debuted in Photoshop Express 1.5 for iOS and enabled customers to continuously and rapidly shoot photos directly in the app. Pricing and Availability Photoshop Express 2.0 for iOS is available worldwide in English for free download from the iTunes store. The Adobe Camera Pack is available for in-app purchase for US$3.99. Instructions for purchase are provided in the app. Photoshop Express 2.0 requires iOS 4.2 or later. To use the Adobe Camera Pack, customers must have an iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, iPod Touch (3rd or 4th generation), or an iPad or iPad 2 (note that Photoshop Express does not include support for the iPad 2 camera at this time). ARM has had been snapping away at Intel's heels ever since its chips had been selected over the latter's x86 offerings in the mobile segment, and the recent news of ARM's designs starting to make their way into the lucrative server market is definitely something which Intel would want to prevent at all costs. After all, there is no denying that there is big money to be made in the server segment, and ARM's offerings will definitely appeal to companies seeking low-power servers. However, Intel has also got a few tricks up its sleeves when it comes to competing with ARM, and in this case, it seems that the chip giant is finally going to do what many had already speculated about some time back. That's right: Intel will be releasing server-grade versions of its low-power processor specially designed to work with microservers. According to a report posted by Intel, the server-grade Atoms will be targeted for a 2012 launch, and as many as four such processors will be made available for the microserver market. The CPUs will feature relatively low power consumptions spanning from 45 watt high performance to sub-10 watt, all with server features. The report also goes on to claim that various features that come standard in its existing CPUs such as 64-bit support, Intel Virtualization Technology and Error-Correcting Code (ECC) will also be implemented in its new line of server-grade Atom processors. Unfortunately, no other details such as core count and clock speeds about the chips were released, so do check back for updates on this. Intel to sell server-capable versions of Atom in 2012 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-to-sell-server-capable-versionsof-atom-in-2012/11622.html March 17th, 2011 Do Atom-branded processors have what it takes to run server-side applications and tasks? Well, Intel seems to think so. Apparently, the world's number one producer of x86 processors is feeling the heat about ARM's plans to compete in the lucrative server market, and plans to defend its turf by introducing server-grade Atom processors for use in microservers. Hardware components in short supply after Japanese earthquake Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hardware-components-in-shortsupply-after-japanese-earthquake/11621.html March 17th, 2011 Any you planning to indulge in any high-cost, IT-related purchases such as television sets, smartphones and PCs any 7
Slide 8: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone March 17th, 2011 time soon? If so, be prepared to fork out more cash for that product which you have had your eye on for the longest time: the components needed for the assembly of such devices are reportedly in short supply, no thanks to the recent quake which ravaged Japan and its factories. Aside from the 10-inch Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, it looks like pictures of three HTC smartphones have also been leaked online. The three phones are the HTC Ignite, HTC Prime and HTC Pyramid Z710e . Have you been eyeing that shiny, new LCD television set, notebook PC, tablet PC or smartphone that has been sitting on the display shelves of your favourite hardware or computer shop for the longest time already? Well, we got some advice for you: you can either break the piggy bank and get that device while it is still available, or give it a miss altogether and put that money into the bank instead. Why? Well, the truth hurts, but it seems that the recent earthquake that trashed Japan around has had a much greater impact on the country than just destroying towns and taking out its nuclear reactors. Apparently, an article posted by IDG claims that major electronics manufacturers such as Samsung and LG Electronics are reporting shortages in the components needed to manufacture the display panels used in the aforementioned devices "due to blackouts and transport issues". As display panels are one of the most important components that make up such devices, it is highly possible that such shortages will result in consumers having to pay higher prices for such products. In addition, it appears that display panels are not the only components affected by the natural disaster. Toshiba has reportedly claimed that the earthquake and the rolling blackouts imposed on the power grid has left its silicon wafer fabrication factory out of commision, and this is expected to have an adverse effect on NAND flash memory chips heavily used in smartphones and tablet PCs. Simply put, the earthquake in Japan has thrown the country's entire supply chain in to disarray, and there is a very high likelihood for global consumers to start feeling the aftereffects of the natural disaster in the form of increased prices for existing consumer electronic products. Of course, whether this will actually happen will depend on how quickly Japan can restore shipment of supplies needed for the manufacturing and assembly of such devices, but until then, we might all want to start preparing to pay more for our digital needs. HTC is stealing the limelight in the early part of 2011. With the recent news of their upcoming 10-inch Android 3.0 tablet, the company will also be launching their "heavyweight" products in the form of HTC Ignite?HTC Prime?HTC Pyramind Z710e (above picture from left to right). The HTC Ignite and HTC Prime are Windows Phone 7, though the difference is that the HTC Ignite is a full-touchscreen phone while the HTC Prime has a slideout QWERTY keyboard. The HTC Pyramid Z710e (which has no resemblence to the shape of the ancient structure) is said to run Android 3.0, although it is weird that the version is designed for tablet devices and not smartphones. Or perhaps the news source mean Android 2.3. Regardless, the three smartphones are scheduled to launch in June this year. Samsung details its Series 9 notebooks Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-details-its-series-9notebooks/11618.html March 17th, 2011 Pictures of HTC Ignite, HTC Prime and HTC Pyramid leaked Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/pictures-of-htc-ignite-htc-prime-andhtc-pyramid-leaked/11620.html Samsung's sleek and sexy Series 9 notebooks are finally arriving, at least in the US of A, although the company didn't just unveil the pricing of its 13.3-inch model today, but also details on its new 11.1-inch model. The 13.3-inch model goes on sale in the US today, although it's not clear as to when it'll be available elsewhere, whereas to the 11.1-inch model no firm launch date was given. 8
Slide 9: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone March 17th, 2011 Samsung's sleek and sexy Series 9 notebooks are finally arriving, at least in the US of A, although the company didn't just unveil the pricing of its 13.3-inch model today, but also details on its new 11.1-inch model. The 13.3-inch model goes on sale in the US today, although it's not clear as to when it'll be available elsewhere, whereas to the 11.1-inch model no firm launch date was given. The 13.3-inch Series 9 model will only be offered with a Core i5-2537M which is a ULV model clocked at 1.4GHz with a turbo speed of 2GHz for both cores and 2.3GHz for a single core. The Intel graphics has a base clock speed of a mere 350MHz, but will turbo to 900MHz. This is the most basic ULV processor in Intel's new line-up and as such it only has 3MB of L3 cache, but it supports all the extra features like AVX, AES, TXT and VT. In today's news roundup: AMD's Asif Rehman talks about the company's new PowerXpress technology and how it will stack up against the likes of NVIDIA's Optimus and Lucid's Virtu; EVGA's GeForce GTX 550Ti FPB Edition DirectX 11 graphics card gets reviewed; Twitter introduces a new feature which allows users to permanently access its services via HTTPS; Eurocom adds Intel 510 series SSDs to its line of highperformance mobile workstations; More new updates and surprises awaits fans of the popular smartphone game known as Angry Birds thanks to a certain tie-up with Microsoft's Bing, and Battlefield 3 gets a new gameplay trailer. Hardware News: Enermax Hoplite Mid Tower Case Review @ Legit Reviews Description: Today we are looking at the newest mid-tower case offering from Enermax called Hoplite. On paper the Hoplite has loads of features like hot swap bays, hard drive dock, and even ability to have a 2x120 radiator installed internally. So join us as we give the Hoplite a good looking over and see just what it does have to offer. Other features include up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 128GB SSD, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with WiDi support and optional WiMAX, Bluetooth 3.0, an HDMI port, three USB 2.0 ports of which one can charge other devices even when the notebook is off, a microSD card slot, an Ethernet port, a pair of audio jacks and an HD webcam. The clickpad (track pad) supports no less than 21 different types of gestures and you do of course get a chicklet type keyboard as well. The Lithium Polymer battery is said to be good for up to 7h of usage and the machine weighs in at a feather light 1.31kg. The 11.1-inch model gets to make do with a ULV Core i3-380UM processor which is clocked at 1.33GHz and as this is an older CPU you don't get support for Intel's latest and greatest graphics. It also comes with a mere 2GB of RAM as standard and a tiny 64GB SSD. Still, it should offer the same 7h worth of battery life and at a weight of just a smidgen over 1kg it's hard to complain too much. The 13.3-inch Series 9 notebook will start at US$1,649 (S $2,120) with Windows 7 Home Premium while it'll cost US $50 more with Windows 7 Professional, although that SKU won't be available until sometime in mid-April. So now the question you're going to have to ask yourself, would you go with Samsung's new Duralumin clad Series 9 notebook or Apple's aluminium clad MacBook Air? Zalman Z9 Plus Mid-Tower Case Review @ Bigbruin.com Description: Over the years, Zalman cases have won many awards, but for many users their cases were just too expensive to justify. Zalman recognized this and set out to offer cases that everybody could afford, without sacrificing their typical quality. The Zalman Z9 Plus is one of these lower cost cases that manages to offer features usually found only on more expensive cases. Titan Hati CPU Cooler Review on Technic3D (German) Description: (Machine translation) The Titan Hati Heatsink arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review the Titan Hati with one or two 120mm Fans and three 8mm Heatpipes compared with many other Cooler on a Intel Core i7 CPU. Better than the Fenrir Evo? Sharkoon QuickPort XT USB 3.0 PLUS dock @ XtremeComputing Description: Today I will be reviewing the Sharkoon QuickPort XT USB 3.0 PLUS hdd dock. Sharkoon have been around for quite a while, and have built up a good reputation of reliable useful products. Today I will see how this USB 3.0 dock compares to a USB 2.0 dock. I am hopeful this dock will beat the older standard, and am somewhat excited to be dealing with this product – as it will be my first encounter with USB 3.0! AMD PowerXpress 4.0 & Interview with AMD's Asif Rehman @ Rage3D.com Description: AMD's new PowerXpress technology has appeared from the depths China's Baidu, and indicates how AMD will combat NVIDIA's Optimus technology and newcomer Lucid's Virtu technology. Read more about AMD PowerXpress and the basics of hybrid and switchable graphics in our Interview with AMD's Asif Rehman 9 The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 16 Mar 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--16mar-2011/11614.html
Slide 10: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone EVGA GeForce GTX 550Ti FPB Edition DirectX 11 Video Card Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The EVGA GTX 550 Ti FPB video card is a major improvement over the GTS 450. The EVGA GTX 550 Ti is factory overclocked at 951 MHz (Core) from the default 900 MHz. The memory clocks are also bumped up on the EVGA GTX 550 Ti FPB to 4356 MHz from the standard 3600 MHz. Like all EVGA video cards, the GTX 550 Ti FPB video card comes bundled with EVGA’s Precision and OC Scanner software. EVGA offers a 3 year warranty on the GTX 550 Ti, which covers parts and labor and can be extended when the video card is registered on EVGA’s website within 30 days of purchase. Kingwin USI-2535U3 USB 3.0 to SATA HDD Adapter Review @ Tweaknews Description: Kingwin has been effective in creating a product that allows access to data in a quick, easy, and inexpensive way. The USI-2535U3 USB 3.0 to SATA adapter is versatile enough to use with any SATA drive and small enough to carry anywhere. The USB 3.0 interface ensures fast file transfers, and backward compatibility with USB 2.0 make this a truly adaptable tool for computer users of all skill levels. Antec Twelve Hundred v3 Review - XSReviews.co.uk Description: While we may have reviewed many Antec cases before, do you think I'm going to turn down the chance to review some revamped versions of their entire performance one line? Exactly. Today I spent my 9-5 taking pictures and testing the Antec 1200, the big boy of the bunch. This is the v3 that comes with a USB 3.0 connector and an SSD drive slot. Let's see how it does in the contemporary arena. Consumer Electronics and Software News: Logitech HD Webcam C510 @ TestFreaks Description: Up on the review block today I’ve got another HD webcam from Logitech, the C510. A little bit ago I looked at the C910, which is pretty much the top end camera, this C510 is more middle range offering 720P resolution. The resolution is lower but the features are the same like pan, tilt and zoom and numerous special effects. The C510 even includes a nice little carrying case so you can take it with you and keep it protected. Twitter Adds Permanent HTTPS Setting to Improve Security Description: Twitter has taken a big step towards improving account security with a new setting that permanently enables HTTPS. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) allows encrypted communication between networks and users. It creates a secure tunnel through the inherently chaotic web, decreasing the chance that somebody will access a user’s account information on an open Wi-Fi network, for example. Computing on Demand: To The Cloud: Windows Live & Remote Access Description: Most of you have probably seen the commercials from Microsoft touting the cloud experience behind Windows 7 and Windows Live. The thing is... many of us that have Windows 7 don't really know how to do some of the things they show in those commercials. In this multi-part series, we will attempt to demystify the "cloud" and show you how to make it happen. Xtrememac Tango TRX Bluetooth iPhone/iPod Dock @ TestFreaks Description: Xtrememac is a well known Apple mobile device peripheral maker who in the past has provided Tesfreaks with cases and chargers for review. Today we will look at their Bluetooth enabled iPod/iPhone speaker dock – the Tango TRX. Besides charging and playing music from a docked iPod or iPhone, it can also wirelessly stream music from any Bluetooth stereo capable devices including Android and Blackberry models. SteelSeries Scope Pro Gaming Glasses Review @ Vortez Description: SteelSeries are well known within the gaming community for their high-quality gaming peripherals. They stand out as a brand that are concerned with delivering products that serve a purpose. Knowing their products well and speaking with them recently I know that they are keen to design products that are purposeful rather than gimmicky. Today's product under review may on initial impressions appear to be the latter but read over the pages and you will be assured otherwise. Eurocom adds Intel 510 series Solid State Drives SATA 6 GB/ s to Mobile Workstations Description: Eurocom Corporation (www.eurocom.com) announces support for Intel's new high performance 510 Series of Solid-State Drives inside their Mobile Workstations. Google To Test Mobile Payments In NY And SF Description: While Apple has reportedly decided to forgo NFC-related hardware/software in iPhone 5 because of a lack of standards, Google is to begin testing NFC-based mobile payments at selected stores in New York and San Francisco according to an article in Bloomberg. Gaming News: Angry Birds Gets Many Updates, Mini Series On Youtube Description: It is getting pretty exciting for Angry Birds fans as Rovio, the company who makes the game is releasing several updates this month. Firstly, there is a sneak peek at Rio’s gameplay. Take Out That Sniper in Episode Two of the Battlefield 3 Gameplay Trailer Series Description: Part two of DICE's ongoing Battlefield 3 gameplay trailer series has arrived, and in this episode of Fault Line, Good Effect on Target, the squad is pinned down on a rooftop by a sniper. Get ready to see Frostbite 2's version of destructible environments in action. Pilotwings Resort Soars on the 3DS Description: We're firing up our Nintendo 3DS and playing its games. First up, Nintendo's own Pilotwings Resort. Roxio launches Game Capture and PC Game Capture Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/roxio-launches-game-capture-and-pcgame-capture/11615.html March 17th, 2011 10
Slide 11: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Capturing quality video from a game console has so far either been a fairly expensive thing to do, but Roxio has announced a solution that should make it a lot more affordable, at least as long as you have a PC nearby. The company has also launched a piece of software that is set to compete with Fraps when it comes to create in-game videos on your PC. Capturing quality video from a game console has so far either been a fairly expensive thing to do, but Roxio has announced a solution that should make it a lot more affordable, at least as long as you have a PC nearby. The company has also launched a piece of software that is set to compete with Fraps when it comes to create in-game videos on your PC. The Roxio Game Capture is a simple USB 2.0 capture device that allows you to hook up your console to your PC with the added benefit of also being simultaneously connected to your flat screen TV. Roxio supplies software that allows you to record your in-game videos, edit them, add voice-overs, effects, text and what not and finally upload it to various video sharing sites. So far so good, but there Game Capture has two downsides that there aren't really a simple way around. from the 24th of March while the PC Game Capture will retail for US$49.99 and is set to arrive sometime in Q2. Gigabyte Unveils M7800E Laser Mouse Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-unveils-m7800e-lasermouse/11613.html March 17th, 2011 Gigabyte has annouced the M7800E wireless mouse, expanding its diversified product portfolio from motherboards to laser mice. The stylish mouse sports a “matt black” coating and boasts a 1600 DPI laser sensor, on-the-fly DPI switch, a battery life of up to six months, and an ultra-compact receiver. Pricing and availability has not been announced yet so stay tuned for more updates. GIGABYTE PRESS RELEASE For starters you're limited to recording video over a component video connection, so the signal passed through to the TV will be 1080i at best. The other is that thanks to its USB 2.0 connection, you're limited to capturing 480p video which might not be high enough resolution for some. A USB 3.0 version might solve this problem, but thanks to HDCP copy protection being part of the HDMI standard, it's not going to be possible to ever capture 1080p in game videos unless the console makers issue an update that allows the consoles to output an HDCP free signal while playing games. The PC Game Capture software suite is pretty much the same as the software that comes with the Game Capture, but instead of capturing from an external source, it'll do a screencast type recording of whatever is game is running. Oddly enough, DirectX 11 games and older DirectX 7 and below titles aren't supported. We're not sure this is going to be a big seller, especially considering it's US$12.99 more than Fraps which is pretty much the standard when it comes to recording in-game videos on a PC. That said, the PC Game Capture software does have editing feature, something Fraps doesn't offer. Both solutions support accelerated video encoding using Nvidia Cuda, AMD Stream and Intel Quick Sync Video. The Game Capture will retail for US$99.99 and will be available GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, welcomes a new member to its line of wireless mice, M7800E Wireless Laser Mouse. Designed for men of urban chic style, M7800E is coated with a “matte black” layer. 11
Slide 12: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Product Features • “Matt black” coating • Ultra nano receiver • Battery life up to 6 months • 800 ~ 1600 DPI switch Harman Announces AKG GHS-1 Gaming Headset Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/harman-announces-akg-ghs-1-gamingheadset/11612.html March 17th, 2011 Harman, designer and manufacturer of numerous audio products and electronics for audio professionals, has unleashed its AKG GHS-1 gaming headset. Harman, designer and manufacturer of numerous audio products and electronics for audio professionals, has unleashed itsAKG GHS-1 gaming headset. The ultra sized receiver is 40% smaller than regular receivers, and it highly increases the portability of the mouse. With 800 1600 dpi switch, high-precision laser sensor, battery life of 6 months, and software for customizable buttons, the refined M7800E is your best partner at work. 12
Slide 13: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone With a wide multi-touch touch pad, you can easily enlarge image, turn the page or scrolling with simple hand gestures. The Samsung QX412 is currently retailing at 1.39 million Korean won (or approximately US$1,230). Coming soon: HTC 10-inch Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/coming-soon-htc-10-inch-android-3.0honeycomb-tablet/11609.html March 17th, 2011 Available in black and orange, white and lime, or camouflage color combinations, the light-weight portable gaming headset features a frequency range of 18Hz ~ 24kHz, 32 ohms of input impedance, a Cardioid (directional ) boom microphone, inline volume control, a microphone on/ off switch, and passive noise reduction. It is available through authorised resellers at a MSRP of US$80. News via [AKG] HTC had unveiled the HTC Flyer, their first 7-inch Android tablet, at Mobile World Congress last month. And it looks like the company may also be launching a 10-inch Android tablet. Samsung launches QX412 compact and lightweight notebook PC Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-launches-qx412-compactand-lightweight-notebook-pc/11611.html March 17th, 2011 Samsung Korea has announced the QX412, a compact and portable notebook PC with 1-inch bezel and features a 14-inch display. It is also using the second generation 2.30 GHz Intel i5 Quad Core 2410M processor, 3GB DDR3 memory, and 320GB hard disk. HTC's current tablet offering isn't all exciting compared to the ones on the market. However, it appears that a recent leak of an inventory list from US supply chain store, Staples, which shows a HTC 10-inch tablet device. According to the above pic, the HTC 10-inch tablet is preinstalled with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, unlike the HTC Flyer that runs Android 2.3. There's no details on when it will be launched; the status is "coming soon". Besides the HTC 10-inch tablet, it looks like there is also going to be an 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab and a 10-inch Toshiba tablet. The Samsung QX412 is a compact and portable notebook PC for the busy mobile professionals. It boasts a 1-inch bezel, up to 10 hours of battery life and weighs a portable 2.05kg. The QX412 sports a 14-inch 16:9 wide LED display (1366x768) and is equipped with the second generation 2.3GHz Intel i5 Quad Core processor, Nvidia GeForce GT520 graphics (with 1GB VRAM), 3GB DDR3 memory and 320GB hard disk. The QX312 also comes with Super multi dual layer drive, 1.3megapixel HD web camera, Bluetooth v3.0 and is preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. Report: AMD A-Series Lineup Detailed Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-amd-a-series-lineupdetailed/11610.html March 17th, 2011 Not long after their revelation of AMD's FX-Series lineup, Xbitlabs has now published the preliminary A-Series list. The first A-Series APUs will be released in Q3 2011, rumoured to 13
Slide 14: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone March 17th, 2011 be July 2011, in total 6 APUs. There will be a minor refresh in Q4 2011, adding 5 more APUs - presumably a minor speed bump and on maybe a newer stepping. The A-Series consists of three lines - A8, A6 and A4. A8 is the fully unlocked Llano APU with 4 Husky x86 cores with 400 SP Beavercreak graphics branded Radeon HD 6550, with a core clock of 594 MHz. Each core contains 1MB L2 cache, for a total of 4MB L2 cache. Like Propus, Llano completely eliminates L3 cache. On the CPU front, the A6 is rather similar - quad core with 4MB cache, though perhaps featuring lower clocks. A6 has a different graphics implementation - HD 6530 - which features 320SP @ 443 MHz. Finally, A4 features dual core (2MB L2 cache) with 160 SP, branded HD 6410. The A-Series top part at launch will be the A8-3550P, with a TDP of 100W. A8-3550 (without the P) will feature a 65W TDP, and is presumably a lower-clocked / lower-votlage version of the A8-3550P. The A6 series follows a similar pattern - the A6-3450P with 100W TDP followed by the A6-3450 with 65W TDP. Finally, we have the A4-3350 dualcore with 65W TDP. These five parts will be released in Q3 2011. In Q4 2011, AMD will refresh the line-up across the board with what is most probably minor speed bumps. All A-Series APUs will be fabbed at 32nm Globalfoundries SOI, fitting the FM1 socket and supporting DDR3-1866. The 11th product is not really A-Series, but rather, Llano in ESeries form. The E2-3250 will be a crippled dual-core Llano with a lower clock speed to both CPU and GPU. It will feature only 1MB L2 cache, supporting upto 1600 MHz DDR3. While the preliminary TDP is listed as 65W, we can expect this to be the low-power version of Llano. AMD has been talking about Fusion for several years now - integrating a GPU and CPU on the same die. Ironically, Intel was the first to release such a product with Sandy Bridge. However, Sandy Bridge is essentially a performance CPU with a minimalist IGP. AMD has reworked this concept significantly, giving Llano's GPU part a significant die budget and serious horsepower. The trade-off, compared to Sandy Bridge, will be inferior CPU performance but vastly superior GPU performance. The key to AMD's Fusion concept will be the acceptance of GPGPU technologies in general applications, and how this enables effective multi-tasking. For casual gamers, the A-Series may readily offer an excellent value proposition. Great cooling capabilities, or just for show? We bring the Sabertooth P67 from Asus to various benchmark tests and a temperature test to let you find out if it’s worth the buck. Introduction Specifications Socket LGA 1155 for Intel® 2nd generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/ Core™ i3 processors -Intel® P67 Express chipset -4 x DIMM, max 32GB, DDR3 1866MHz -2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots with support for NVIDIA® SLI™/ AMD® CrossFireX™ -4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, 1 x Power eSATA, 1 x eSATA -2 x USB 3.0 front panel, 2 x USB 3.0 back panel, 14 x USB 2.0 -Intel® Gigabit LAN -8-channel audio Asus Sabertooth P67 TUF Review - Does its thermal armor really work? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-sabertooth-p67-tuf-review--doesits-thermal-armor-really-work-/11447.html When the first pictures of the Sabertooth P67 motherboard surfaced on the internet, almost everyone was flabbergasted by the revolutionized design of the motherboard. However, many 14
Slide 15: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone appeared to be skeptical with the tactical vest named Thermal Armor built onto the motherboard. Based on the P67 chipset from Intel, the Sabertooth P67 is one of its kinds, targeted for the people who want a sturdy and reliable computer system. Asus brands the Sabertooth motherboards under The Ultimate Force(TUF) category, aside from their ROG and mainstream P8P67/H67 branding. TUF products are aimed to provide the best out of the best reliability, mostly by using military class components alongside other innovative features that gives users their peace of mind. Today, VR-Zone is going to take to a look at how far the Thermal Armor is effective in cooling the motherboard PCB, as well as the performance of the motherboard compared its counter parts. guitar's You Rock Mode – only the frets that work with chord progressions will sound. It is a portable song writing tool too: The You Rock guitar runs on USB or batteries, comes with a removable neck, and onboard MIDI recorder captures your song anywhere, anytime. Other features include:- It comes with a whammy bar for up and down pitch-bending - Full-scale neck that enables notes without latency. - 99 preset guitar and synth sounds so players get 50 alternate and drop tuning presets along with 14 digital capos. - Plugs directly into the USB port on Macs and PCs for use with music making programmes such as GarageBand, Reason, Logic, and Cubase. - You Rock Mode - learn on a guitar that doesn’t hurt your fingers and that is always in tune Game Mode: Rock Band and Guitar Hero video controller The You Rock Guitar is compatible with Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Its steel strings and full-size neck mean gamers finally get the performance and feeling of a real guitar. Two sets of colour-coded frets on the neck replicate the buttons on a standard gaming guitar, and the GameFlex cartridges work seamlessly with the leading gaming platforms (PS3, Wii and coming soon to Xbox 360). Pricing and Availability You Rock Guitar is distributed exclusively by Ebenex and available both online (www.ebenex.com) and at Ebenex located at Bras Basah #04-49 from April 2011 onwards. The recommended retail price is S$295 (including GST). You Rock Guitar lands in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/you-rock-guitar-lands-insingapore/11608.html March 17th, 2011 The You Rock Guitar claims to be the most versatile rock guitar on the planet designed for beginners, casual players and even recording musicians. Good news is, it is now available in Singapore. Hands on with Gigabyte's new P2532 notebook Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hands-on-with-gigabyte-s-new-p2532notebook/11606.html March 17th, 2011 You Rock Guitar finally makes its way to Singapore. Conceived and manufactured by U.S-based Inspired Instruments, You Rock Guitar claims to be the world’s first all digital guitar and a great learning tool for beginners, casual players looking to improve, or recording musicians.It also offers: - Bridge the gap between gaming and learning - Provide a seamless digital playing experience being designed as a MIDI/USB guitar - Double up as a game controller for the world's biggest selling music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero Guitar Mode: Precision Musical Instrument Players can play solo, or plug-in an iPod or other MP3 player, and jam to their favourite songs and start playing real rock music, solos, and chords. Mistakes are impossible with the Gigabyte might not be the strongest notebook brand around, but the company has come up with quite a few innovative solutions over the past couple of years that has shown that the company is trying to do things differently than its competitors. Today we're taking a look at a new model from Gigabyte called the P2532 which should hit retail sometime towards the end of April or beginning of May. Gigabyte might not be the strongest notebook brand around, but the company has come up with quite a few innovative solutions over the past couple of years that has shown that the company is trying to do things differently than its competitors. Today we're taking a look at a new model from Gigabyte called the P2532 which should hit retail sometime towards the end of April or beginning of May. 15
Slide 16: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone also point out that Gigabyte offers two different SKUs here, one with a 1920x1080 screen and one with a 3D Vision enabled 1366x768 screen and a built in IR transmitter. The P2532 is a standard 15.6-inch desktop replacement notebook, although standard isn't exactly the correct term to use here. For what it's worth, Gigabyte has managed to create a relatively slim (35mm at its thickest point) 15.6-inch notebook which weighs in at a respectable 2.6kg with a 6-cell battery. However, the design is rather unusual, but more on that a little bit later. Graphics is catered by either by Intel's integrated graphics or a discrete GeForce GT550M which is a 96 shader GPU with a shader clock of 1480MHz. Gigabyte has paired it up with 2GB of memory which should be 128-bit DDR3 clocked somewhere around 900MHz. It's good to see that even on a notebook of this size; Gigabyte has implemented Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching technology which should help save on the battery life if you want to use the notebook away from a wall socket. Nvidia drops the price of 3D Vision glasses Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-drops-the-price-of-3d-visionglasses/11605.html March 17th, 2011 Gigabyte will offer the P2532 in four different colours, black, orange, red and yellow as per the pre-production unit we got to have a look at. We're not quite sure why Gigabyte picked these specific colours, but other options might also be added if there's enough demand. Do note that the P2532 isn't sold as a gaming notebook, but rather as a multimedia notebook. Despite plenty of promotion, Nvidia's 3D Vision platform can't be said to have been a booming success for the company, but it's one of very few commercially available 3D options for PCs. Now Nvidia has gone and dropped the price of its 3D Vision glasses in the US to try to get more consumers to get on board, but we have a feeling that it's not the cost of the glasses alone that are holding back consumer uptake. Despite plenty of promotion, Nvidia's 3D Vision platform can't be said to have been a booming success for the company, but it's one of very few commercially available 3D options for PCs. Now Nvidia has gone and dropped the price of its 3D Vision glasses in the US to try to get more consumers to get on board, but we have a feeling that it's not the cost of the glasses alone that are holding back consumer uptake. For one, the 120Hz screens that are required for Nvidia's 3D Vision glasses to work as intended are still scarce and on top of that, expensive. Software support isn't really an issue as there are plenty of game titles that supports 3D Vision and 3D video, be it software converted from 2D sources or actual 3D Blu-ray discs is readily available. Despite that, Gigabyte has gone for a quad core Core i7-2630QM processor which is Intel's entry level second generation Core i quad core model which has a base clock speed of 2GHz. This will come paired up with Intel's HM65 chipset, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, an option of a 500 or 750GB hard drive and a slim-line (even for notebook drives) optical drive, although Blu-ray won't be an option. We should 16
Slide 17: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Description: MSI's GeForce GTX 550 Ti Cyclone II measures in at 210 millimetres in length (8.26 inches), approximately the same size as NVIDIA's reference design, and requires a minimum of 400W or greater system power supply. Cooling is provided by a custom 9cm PWM fan and cooler combination with dual heat pipes and an aluminium fin array that allows for efficient heat transfer and dissipation, especially in a well ventilated case. New form of computer memory uses 100 times less power Description: Researchers from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Illinois have developed a new low-power digital memory which uses much less power and is faster than other solutions currently available. The breakthrough could give future consumer devices like smartphones and laptops a much longer battery life, but might also benefit equipment used in telecommunications, science or by the military. Evercool HPL-815EP Low Profile Cooler Review at Overclockers Online Description: Evercool turns out a number of solid products and the HPL-815EP is no exception. It may have a less than flashy name but it gets the job done. It is a good cooler if you have limited space and have no intentions of overclocking making it a perfect choice for home theater PCs no matter your choice in processor. Zalman ZM-F4 135mm Ultra Quiet Fan Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The Zalman ZM-F4 is not your typical 120mm cooling fan. The Zalman ZM-F4 is a 135mm multi-purpose fan that uses standard 120mm mounting holes. Using “Advanced Sleeve” bearing, the ZM-F4 fan from Zalman spins at 900 to 1300 RPM with a noise level of 18 to 26 dBA. Since the ZMF4 uses 120mm mounting holes, it can be used in place of a 120mm fan, whether inside a chassis or as an active cooling solution for an aftermarket heatsink. For an even quieter operation, Zalman includes silicone mounting pins and an RC56 resistor with every ZM-F4 fan package OCZ RevoDrive X2 240GB PCIe SSD Review @ Vortez Description: Our recent trip to CeBIT revealed OCZ Technology's endeavours as they remain market leader for SSD storage solutions. They were keen to show off their revolutionary PCIe SSDs at the show, amongst the bunch, the RevoDrive X2, which is poised to steal the spotlight from the conventional SATA SSD. The RevoDrive utilises the PCIe bus allowing it to access greater bandwidth over the SATA port (even SATA-III). GeForce GTX 590 Detalis Leaked via Slide Description: A supposed leaked slide has reared its face online, possibly one of many taken from a Nvidia partner presentation detailing Nvidia's upcoming dual-GPU graphics card, the GeForce GTX 590. The leak arrives just after AMD launched its Radeon HD 6990 graphics card sporting dual Cayman GPUs, a dual-BIOS toggle switch, and a hefty $699 pricetag. Consumer Electronics and Software News: 3DMark Vantage 1.1.0 Released @ NGOHQ.com Description: 3DMark Vantage is a PC benchmark suite designed to test the DirectX 10 performance of your graphics card. A 3DMark score is an overall measure of your system's 17 The 3D Vision glasses with a bundled transmitter now retail for $149 (S$191) which is a saving of $50. Nvidia has also lowered the price on additional glasses which now cost $119 per pair. That said, we can think of better things to spending our money on, although if you have a large enough TV that works with 3D Vision, then this seems like a pretty decent deal as long as you have the prerequisite HTPC with a suitable Nvidia graphics card hooked up to it, at least as long as Nvidia's solution is cheaper than that offered by the TV maker. The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 15 Mar 2011 Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--15mar-2011/11603.html March 17th, 2011 In today's news roundup: A slide containing information about an NVIDIA GTX 590 has seemingly been leaked out onto the Internet; Researchers from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Illinois have developed a new low-power digital memory which uses much less power than conventional memory used in PCs; 3DMark Vantage 1.1.0 gets released; Adobe has issued a security bulletin for a new zero-day vulnerability found in Flash; Dragon's Age gets reviewed, and our sister site SGCafe gets its hands on the limited edition boxset of Disgaea 4, Nippon Ichi's first sRPG game for 2011. Hardware News: ASUS GeForce GTX 550Ti DirectCU TOP 1GB DDR5 DX11 Video Card Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: The ASUS GeForce GTX 550Ti DirectCU TOP can be considered a "Top Sniper". The GTX 550Ti DirectCU TOP takes the 550 to the near extreme. The 550Ti is a re-built 450 to meet the needs of the newest games and gamers. Unlike the 450, the 550Ti now has a 192-bit memory interface, and, because of mixed density GDDR5 chips, still retains the 1GB size. ASUS has increased the core clock speed to 975MHz and added their DirectCU cooling solution on top. MSI GeForce GTX 550 Ti Cyclone II Review
Slide 18: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone 3D gaming capabilities, based on comprehensive real-time 3D graphics and processor tests. By comparing your score with those submitted by millions of other gamers you can see how your gaming rig performs, making it easier to choose the most effective upgrades or finding other ways to optimize your system. Logisys MS6801 Wireless Notebook Mouse Review @ Bigbruin.com Description: Overall I'd have to say the Logisys MS6801 was more comfortable to use than many other mini mice I have used... and perhaps it is better than some full sized mice that I have used that were just too low profile. I wouldn't go so far as to replace a full sized mouse with this at my desk, but for use on the road the balance of comfort, features, and portability are well done. Orb TV Review @ TestFreaks Description: Our homes have become our entertainment centers, much more than any time in the past. We have huge TVs in our living rooms and access to high quality movies and audio to keep us from leaving our houses. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Anyway, getting the media libraries from our computers to our TVs can be an expensive and a not so easy proposition. Today for review I’ve got an easy way to get your media to your TV from your computer, it’s called the Orb TV and it works over your wi-fi network to stream everything you have and more right to your TV. One of the interesting features of the Orb TV is that you can control it from your phone with a free app. Internet Explorer 9 Released, But Should You Care? Description: Microsoft has released IE9, the latest version of the venerable Internet Explorer browser. To check out how it compares to to its competitors, I installed it (which, unlike other browsers, required me to restart my machine) and ran it through a few different benchmarking tools. Google to introduce NFC payment systems in New York and San Francisco? Description: Ever since Google brought the Nexus S onto the market with NFC capabilities, they’ve been pretty quiet with the pushing of NFC-services throughout the country (other than Hotspot they haven’t been doing much). But now it looks like they’re back on track with NFC again. Adobe Flash suffers from 'critical' new zero-day hack Description: Adobe has published another security advisory after the discovery of a “critical vulnerability” in Adobe Flash Player 10.2.152.33 and earlier versions across all major platforms including Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Solaris and Android mobile devices. According to Adobe, the Zero-Day exploit is being deployed in the wild in “targeted attacks” through a Flash (.swf) file embedded in a Microsoft Excel file delivered as an email attachment. Gaming News: Dragon Age II GPU & CPU Performance Test Description: Given our ability to fit out PCs with vastly superior hardware, it pays off when playing Dragon Age II. Right off the bat BioWare released a free high-resolution texture pack download designed exclusively for the PC version. Just as important, the game exclusively supports DirectX 11 on the PC providing cutting edge rendering features such as tessellation, additional dynamic lighting, depth of field and ambient occlusion (SSAO). When compared to DX9 we can confirm that Dragon Age II looks considerably better using the more advanced renderer. Unboxing Disgaea 4 Limited Edition Description: Makai Senki Disgaea 4 (??????????4) is Nippon Ichi’s first strategy RPG for 2011 and fourth in the series for the PlayStation 3. In this series, the story revolves around Valbatoze, a vampire boy and Fenrich, a boy with werewolf traits and Fuuka, a girl dressed in Prinny uniform. Capcom donates Street Fighter IV iPhone sales to Japan quake relief Description: Due to the Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami last Friday, many local game companies are either conserving power by shutting off online game services or donating money to help out. Capcom recently announced their relief plan on their website, and its one that involves one of their mainstay franchises. VR-Zone Giveaway #6 - ASUS A50 Smartphone Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/vr-zone-giveaway-6--asus-a50smartphone/11595.html March 17th, 2011 Follow four easy steps and stand a chance to win different prizes every week. This week..we are giving away: ASUS A50 Smartphone Check out http://launch.vr-zone.com and find out how you can win these prizes NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 Final Specs Unveiled Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-geforce-gtx-590-final-specsunveiled/11604.html March 17th, 2011 It seems that a few presentation slides of the GeForce GTX 590 have been making their way onto the internet and they are pretty much accurate. Interesting bits of details are revealed like dual vapor chambers, 10-phase power array, a dual x16 PCIe chip, 12 layer copper, 2oz copper PCB etc. As promised, we now bring you the final specs of GeForce GTX 590 launching in a week's time.... 18
Slide 19: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone OCZ acquires Indilinx for US $32 million Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ocz-acquires-indilinx-for-us-32million/11600.html March 17th, 2011 OCZ Technologies has announced their acquisition of Indilinx, one of the first companies that made controllers for SSDs - with their Barefoot controller perhaps being the most famous product. OCZ is acquiring Indilinx for US$32 million in OCZ stock, and the latter will stand to own 9.5% of the combined company. Read on for more details. OCZ is acquiring Indilinx for US$32 million in OCZ stock, and the latter will stand to own 9.5% of the combined company, with OCZ gaining a set of 20 patents and patent applications related exclusively to the business as part of the transaction. As all current management and employees are kept, there is little change expected in the Korea-based Indilinx. The name-dropped Tinkerbell controller hints at OCZ's desire to expand into the mobile space, and the upcoming SATA3 supporting Jetstream SSD controller from Indilinx should not be delayed by this acquisition much. Addition of High Performance Controller Technology and Firmware is Expected to Accelerate Storage Technology Innovation and Expand Product Portfolio SAN JOSE, CA—March 14, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ),a leading provider of high-performance solidstate drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Indilinx Co., Ltd, a privately held fabless provider of flash controller silicon and software for SSDs. Indilinx is headquartered in South Korea and currently sells its line of flash controllers to SSD manufacturers and Tier One OEMs for use in a broad array of products addressing multiple markets, including embedded and industrial as well as laptops and PCs. Indilinx controllers have been deployed within OCZ's SSD products since December 2008, and are currently featured in the Z-Drive series of PCIe-based SSDs. Indilinx's technology is expected to enable OCZ to expand its presence into the embedded, hybrid storage, and industrial markets. OCZ will gain substantial intellectual property from Indilinx including approximately 20 patents and patent applications related exclusively to the business as part of the transaction. For example, the acquisition is expected to extend OCZ's capabilities with advanced controller technology including Tinkerbell™, a high performance eMMC 4.4 x controller that replaces SSDs in consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, GPS units, and netbooks. Tinkerbell improves the user experience in consumer mobile devices 19 It seems that a few presentation slides of the GeForce GTX 590 have been making their way onto the internet and they are pretty much accurate. Interesting bits of details are revealed like dual vapor chambers, 10-phase power array, a dual x16 PCIe chip, 12 layer copper, 2oz copper PCB etc. As promised, we now bring you the final specs of GeForce GTX 590 launching in a week's time : Codename D13U-50 GF110/P1020 CUDA Cores 1024 Graphics Clock 612MHz Processor Clock 1224MHz Memory Clock 3420MHz Memory Interface Width 2 x 384-bit Memory Config 3GB GDDR5 Power Connectors Dual 8-pin Dimensions 11" x 4.5", Dual Slot Pricing is yet to be confirmed and availability is pretty much expected to be low at launch. Stay tuned for more information. Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Advert "The Donor" Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-advert-thedonor-/11601.html March 17th, 2011 In these advertisements for the upcoming Xperia PLAY, Sony Ericsson has two videos that should be viewed in sequence. The first has Android robot having thumbs grafted onto its unfeeling green robotic appendage it calls arms, leaving it a mystery as to where the thumbs came from.
Slide 20: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone March 17th, 2011 for applications such as internet browsing, gaming, social networking applications, emails, and multimedia play. Following its acquisition by OCZ, Indilinx will continue to produce and supply its line of controller products to SSD manufacturers and OEMs on a global basis. The Indilinx controller business, and its 45 employees, will remain intact under the leadership of Bumsoo Kim, the founder and President of Indilinx, and Hyunmo Chung, Indilinx's Chief Technology Officer. OCZ will continue its own R&D program to develop new proprietary technologies and products to expand its own solid state drive offerings. The Indilinx acquisition notwithstanding, OCZ plans to continue utilizing controllers from other manufacturers including long-term partner SandForce, who currently supplies SSD processors for a wide range of the Company's SSD products including the Vertex 2, Agility 2, RevoDrive, customizable Deneva enterprise drives, and the upcoming Vertex 3 family of SSDs. "This transaction is an important step in OCZ's strategy and significantly enhances our ability to capitalize on the worldwide demand for Solid State Drives," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. "This combination brings together two organizations that are committed to advancing solid state drive design, and provides a unique opportunity for OCZ to increase both customer and shareholder value as well as expand our reach into embedded markets." Under the terms of the agreement, OCZ will acquire Indilinx for approximately $32 million of OCZ common stock. Indilinx shareholders will own approximately 9.5% of the OCZ shares outstanding after issuance of the shares. The transaction has been approved by the board of directors of each company, and is expected to close within 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. OCZ expects the transaction to become accretive to its earnings per share toward the end of this fiscal year on a non-GAAP basis, excluding acquisition-related expenses, restructuring charges, and amortization of intangibles. Aerocool has unveiled the VS-4 PC chassis, targeting gamers on the lookout for decent PC cases at reasonable prices. Aerocool Debuts VS-4 PC Chassis Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/aerocool-debuts-vs-4-pcchassis/11602.html 20
Slide 21: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone to-toe against Intel where performance is concerned, and that day might just be round the corner. At least, that is according to a report obtained by IT website X-bit Labs, which claims that it had been able to score a look at some internal AMD documents about its plans in the market. Measuring 433 x 185 x 495mm, the steel mid-tower chassis has enough room for four 5.25" optical devices, six 3.5" HDDs, seven expansion cards, extra-long graphic cards (up to 430mm), and features detachable HDD/ FDD cages, predrilled holes for watercooling tubes, and a front side I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports and audio connectors. It is equipped with a rear 120mm fan for cooling and can be purchased from major retailers and e-tailers at a price of €38. News via [Techpowerup] X-bit Labs reports that AMD is fully aware that its current lineup of x86 CPUs and APUs are no match for Intel's new processors running off the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, and that the company is putting its hopes on the upcoming Bulldozer-based chips to even the playing field, as shown in the image above. Interestingly, AMD appears to be banking more on features and core count as opposed to raw performance in order to go up against Intel's Sandy Bridge. For example, the company's top-end Zambezi desktop CPUs list higher core counts as its only advantage against Intel's high-performing i5 and i7 processors, while the mainstream-level Lynx chips claim added processing cores and support for OpenCL over Intel's offerings. In contrast, the only areas where AMD specifies superior performance over Intel's chips are in the entry-level and budget segment, where its processors will go up against Intel's Pentium and Celeron-branded chips. AMD Bulldozer to compete against Intel in performance? Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-bulldozer-to-compete-againstintel-in-performance-/11598.html March 17th, 2011 AMD's biggest strength in the x86 processor market stems from the fact that its chips have been consistently capable of delivering a better dollar-to-performance ratio. However, it seems that the world's second largest chipmaker is no longer content with having to play second fiddle where raw performance is concerned, and a certain document seems to lend credence to that claim. ASUS introduces NC1 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-introduces-nc1-active-noisecancelling-headphones/11597.html March 17th, 2011 Speak of AMD processors to any seasoned gamer or overclocker and chances are you will have much to hear about how the company's processors have a knack for winning large numbers of the aforementioned users over to its fold because of its superior dollar-to-performance ratio. After all, not everybody has the luxury of being able to spend large sums of money on their PC, and it makes sense that DIY-ers on a budget will definitely want to maximize their purchasing dollars as much as possible. However, it seems that AMD has also been hard at work in preparing for the day where its processors can actually go toe- Does a set of headphones which claims to offer up to "100 hours of high-quality sound" in "a readily-portable form factor" sound like the kind of device you want to clip on to your ears while blasting music from that portable audio player or smartphone of yours? If so, ASUS might have just the thing you want, and it comes in the from of its just-introduced noisecancelling headphones, the NC1. 21
Slide 22: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Noise-cancelling headphones are great little devices, are they not? After all, their ability to mute out most forms of unwanted noise ensures that the listener does not have to deal with the frustration of having his or her audio experience interrupted by any distractions, and this is especially useful under various circumstances. You know, like using it to cancel out the longwinded lecturer talking rambling on about some impractical topic such as quantum physics. However, the rise of consumerism also means that anything which is to be sold to the mass market has to be not only functional, but portable and visually appealing. And that is what ASUS claims to be capable of delivering with its new active noise-cancelling set of headphones which it calls the NC1. Unfortunately, ASUS did not provide any details such as pricing and a release date, although they were nice enough to supply a list detailing the NC1's hardware specifications. Microsoft discontinues Zune media player Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-discontinues-zune-mediaplayer/11596.html March 17th, 2011 The NC1 boasts the capability to deliver up to 87% noise reduction, a feat which ASUS claims puts the NC1 well ahead of the competition in terms of efficiency. This is apparently done by actively detecting environmental sounds such as engine noise and railway vibration, and generating inverse sound waves to cancel these out. To ensure that sound quality is not affected in the process, the NC1 headphones makes use of 40mm speaker drivers with specially-selected neodymium magnets which is reportedly capable of ensuring "faithful reproduction and dynamic bass performance in every usage scenario". On top of that, the NC1 also boasts an astounding 100 hours of battery life on a single AAA battery, even with the active noise-cancellation (ANC) system activated, which, when put into perspective, is "more than enough for six average flights between New York and Hong Kong". More importantly, users who do not need to make use of ANC can simply turn off the feature, which will result in complete battery-less operation for greater battery longevity. Last but definitely not least, users who demand portability will be interested to know that the NC1 and be collapsed and stashed away in a small touring case when the need arises. Most of us in Asia are probably not familiar with the Microsoft Zune since the media player isn't sold here. And it probably does not matter too much with the recent news that the software giant is discontinuing this product line. Microsoft introduced the Zune media player in 2006 to go against Apple iPod devices, though the media player was only sold in US and some parts of Europe; it never made its way into Asia even though the new Windows Phone 7 has a Zune 22
Slide 23: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone software for users to playback their music and videos. (Did we mention you can only rip the songs from your CDs to the Windows Phone 7?) To date, the software giant has launched seven Zune media players and according to recent news, it looks like the company will stop producing new Zune players, and shift the focus to other devices. While we may not see new versions of Zune players, Microsoft will continue to promote their Zune software onto mobile devices; the Zune software allows users to purchase songs and movies as well as stream unlimited music through a monthly subscription. However, it seems that consumers may soon be able to look forward to having two more choices when it comes to selecting a laptop from Alienware's product lineup. Apparently, leaked images of what appears to be 14-inch and 18-inch versions of Dell's Alienware notebooks have been circulating online, as shown below: Leaked images of Alienware M14x and M18x surface online Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/leaked-images-of-alienware-m14x-andm18x-surface-online/11594.html March 17th, 2011 Dell has had only three Alienware notebooks up for sale for quite some time, but it seems that consumers may be soon able to have a greater variety of choices, thanks to a couple of leaked images. Apparently, hidden in Dell's factories are two more Alienware notebooks in its production line, and they come in either a 14-inch and 18-inch form factor. No details about the machines' hardware specifications have been revealed yet, but a report from Electronista claims that the 18-inch version, which has been tentatively named the M18x, will sport either two AMD or NVIDIA graphics cards installed via CrossFireX or SLI and will feature a screen capable of full HD resolutions. The report from Electronista also goes on to claim that the graphics cards that will be installed in the new Dell Alienware laptops will either be AMD's Mobility Radeon HD 6730M or 6770M, while the NVIDIA version will most likely come with the GeForce GT555M. Lastly, no information about possible retail prices for either notebook has been released yet, so do stay tuned for updates. Do you fancy getting yourself an Alienware notebook? If so, it should probably be of little surprise that Dell does not give potential consumers much choice in selecting the notebook that would best fit their needs. After all, with only 11inch, 15-inch and 17-inch form factors available, chances are consumers who crave an average-sized notebook or a gigantic, full-fledged desktop replacement notebook will probably give Alienware a miss and hop over for something else. 23
Slide 24: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 9 RTM ahead of official release Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-launches-internetexplorer-9-rtm-ahead-of-official-release/11593.html March 17th, 2011 "GPU-powered HTML5 in Internet Explorer 9 with AMD Fusion chip technology means Web developers have the ability to create fast, immersive and increasingly beautiful Web experiences," he said in a statement on Monday. In addition, AMD also launched a IE9 # APU giveaway to indicate its support for Internet Explorer 9, where it praises the browser as being "a new kind of browser that takes advantage of the graphics and processing capabilities of the APU to unlock the full power of your PC". Well, it appears that Microsoft could barely contain its excitement on this one. Apparently, the Redmond software giant sees the final version of Internet Explorer 9 as being such a groundbreaking achievement that it had gone ahead with an official launch event for the browser. And this in spite of the fact that Internet Explorer 9 is only supposed to be available on midnight EST March 15. Are you ready to take your web browsing experience to the next level? For the most part, you should; after all, just about everything needed to usher in the next big thing in evolving web standards is ready for the consumer. And at the very least, the infrastructure needed to take advantage of these new additions to online standards is ready; all that is needed now is an up-to-date web browser that can utilize the aforementioned infrastructure to its full potential. And if getting the most out of the Internet sounds like something you cannot go without, you'd definitely want to look to Microsoft for the tools needed to do so. At least, that is what it claims to be able to provide with the finalized version of Internet Explorer 9, and so great is the Redmond giant's excitement over Internet Explorer 9 that it has seen it fit to launch the browser even before its official release date later on midnight EST March 15. Unfortunately, it seems that Microsoft is not about to release the download links for the RTM version of the browser before the aforementioned time and date, so you will probably have to camp by your PCs if you want to be one of the first few to get your hands on the final version of Internet Explorer 9. Monster JustBeats headphones series arrives in Singapore Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/monster-justbeats-headphones-seriesarrives-in-singapore/11592.html March 17th, 2011 According to Internet Explorer general manager Dean Hachamovich, Internet Explorer 9 is an example of the importance of the operating system used to run a web browser, especially when HTML5 comes with broad support for hardware acceleration on the browser. "The browser is only as good as the operating system it runs on," he said. This was backed up by Ryan Gavin, senior director of Internet Explorer, who claimed that Internet Explorer 9 can deliver a better browsing experience thanks to its deep support for hardware acceleration, especially on AMD hardware. Justin Bieber fans rejoice. The Monster JustBeats series of headphones have landed in Singapore. Available in a unique purple, and Justin Bieber's favorite color, the JustBeats headphones promise superb audio quality for young music lovers. 24
Slide 25: March 17th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone Designed to bring high quality sound for youths, the Monster JustBeats series headphones is a collaboration between pop music singer Justin Bieber and the headphone company. The limited edition JustBeats series comes in both in-ear and stylish on-ear versions - the on-ear JustBeats by Dr. Dre comes in an attractive matte purple finish (Bieber's favorite color), while the in-ear version JustBeats iBeats features a purple and chrome finish. JustBeats by Dr. Dre will retail at S$490 and JustBeats iBeats will retail at S$210 and is available at Audio House, Alpha Audio, Best Denki, Epicentre, Harvey Norman, HMV, i Studio, Stereo and Nubox outlets. Limited stock is available in Singapore. 25