Featured Reviews
Diablo III Gaming Benchmarks on Ivy Bridge & Trinity Laptops
Are you curious how Diablo III performs on the latest laptops with integrated graphics? We were very curious, so we figured we'd write up a piece on how Ivy Bridge compares against Trinity on this brand new game title. We will be using comparing the Intel Core i7-3920XM Ivy Bridge Processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000 to the AMD A10-4600M Trinity APU with AMD Radeon HD 7660G graphics to see which comes out on top!
Thermaltake Frio Extreme CPU Cooler Review
Today we look at one of the largest CPU coolers Thermaltake has released to date, the Frio Extreme. The Frio Extreme is the company's most recent addition to the Frio cooler series. The Frio Extreme is a twin tower, twin 140mm fan cooler, that Thermaltake says can handle processors rated up to 250W TDP. The Frio Extreme also sports the industry's first 10-year warranty for a CPU cooler. Join us as we put the Thermaltake Frio Extreme to the test on our Intel LGA2011 test system.
How To Build a Water Cooled Mini-ITX SFF PC w/ Ivy Bridge & Kepler
We wanted to build an Intel Ivy Bridge powered Small Form Factor (SFF) PC that is water cooled and be able to run an NVIDIA GeForce Kepler video card, so we did it! We thought that you might be interested in what our dream mini-ITX system would be and wrote up a guide that shows you what hardware we used and how we put it together. We also include some benchmark along with power consumption and temperature testing results of the complete project!
NVIDIA & EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card Review
What happens when you disable one of the Streaming Multiprocessor (SMX) units on the NVIDIA GK104 processor used for the GeForce GTX 680 video card? If you answered that you come up with a GeForce GTX 670 video card that is available for $100 less, you are on the right track! Read on to see how the new GeForce GTX 670 2GB video card performs when we put it to the test!
Thermaltake Frio OCK CPU Cooler Review
Designed to become the Over-Clocker King, the Thermaltake Frio OCK CPU Cooler is a fairly large HSF that can handle CPUs rated up to 240 Watts! The Frio OCK comes with six 6mm high-efficiency U-shape heatpipes and a pair of 130mm high static pressure fans to keep your processor nice and cool. Read on to see how this StarCraft II themed CPU cooler performs on our Intel Sandy Bridge test system!
Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile CPU Cooler Review
Today we take a look at the newest cooler from Noctua. This time Noctua is showing the Small Form Factor users some love with their new NH-L12 extra low profile CPU cooler. The NH-L12 is a low-profile cooler for Small Form Factor cases and HTPC environments. Join us as we see just how small this cooler is and how the new Noctua NH-L12 performs.
Verbatim 500GB USB 3.0 Store 'n' Go Portable Hard Drive Review
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go is a compact external portable hard drive that features a sleek finish and comes with the fastest USB connectivity available, SuperSpeed USB 3.0. We take the Verbatim Store 'n' Go 500GB USB 3.0 drive and put it to the test in this review. Read on to see how it performs in the benchmarks and see how the Nero BackItUp software does when we try to backup our 64GB SSD to this external drive!
Legit News
Zalman To Showcase Many New Products At Computex 2012
Zalman the company that made a name for itself with its high end CPU & GPU coolers, is to showcase a top to bottom lineup of new products at COMPUTEX 2012, Grand Hyatt Hotel, suite rooms 1035 & 1036, June 5-9. They will have something in each category: CPU coolers, PC cases, notebook coolers, power supplies, graphics cards, external HDD case, LED backlight monitors, speakers and finally, gaming-grade keyboards and mice.
New for cooling, we have the CNPS14X dual radiator 140mm cooler, CNPS9900DF dual fan vertical flower cooler and three new models of water cooler, the LQ310, LQ315 & LQ320. Zalman will also present several smart-looking mid tower cases. Other items of interest, include several new PSUs, the ZM1250W Platinum ultra high efficiency, ZM550/650/750-XG ultry high efficiency, plus various new graphics cards, mostly with non-reference Zalman coolers.
On the AMD side, interestingly, Zalman are not showing a HD 7970, but the new range starts with a HD 7950 and continues on down with the HD 7870, HD 7850, HD 7770 & HD 7750. Their NVIDIA presentation is much more limited though. Again the top model, in the shape of the GTX 680 is missing, leaving just a GTX 670, GTX 560Ti and GTX 550Ti in the range. Note that the GTX 670 only has the reference cooler, which seems odd, since other manufacturers have released non-reference cooler versions. Due to an issue with the link to the direct web page not working, please select item number 96 from the menu.
Posted by | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 03:15 PM | Comments
RunCore Launches InVincible SSD w/ Self-Destruct Feature - Video Shows Smoke!
Last month we told you that RunCore will be releasing an SSD that self-destructs and it looks like that drive has finally come to market. The drive is called the RunCore InVincible Solid State Drive and allows you to control the total physical destruction of your data with with a single click. RunCore posted up a video showing the data detruction and there was a small plume of smoke that came from the SSD when the drive was killed by blowing up the NAND Flash by over-volting it! If you are worried about your data and want to destroy it quickly, this might be one way to do it!
A less subtle method is the physical destruction of your SSD by applying an over-current to the NAND flash memory and thereby physically destroying these. The RunCore InVincible product series is catering to embedded computer systems requiring high-speed serial switched fabric interconnects for rugged design implementation and more flexible power ranges. Delivering optimized storage options particularly in mission-critical fields such aerospace, defense and general industrial applications.
Posted by | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 01:09 PM | Comments
LaCie Launches 2big NAS For Business Users - 100MB/s Transfer Speeds
LaCie recently announced a new 2-bay network-attached storage solution (NAS) that delivers the ideal combination of speed and security for small businesses – the LaCie 2big NAS, design by Neil Poulton. Powered by a 2GHz processor and improved file system, the 2big NAS delivers speeds up to 100MB/s, ensuring employees can share files from any PC, Mac, or Linux workstation. The LaCie 2big NAS is available now in diskless (0TB) version for $299 and a 6TB version for $649.
"According to data from Research and Markets, network storage is growing in excess of 30 percent annually, increasing the demands placed on network storage devices," said Erwan Girard, Professional Business Unit Manager at LaCie. "The LaCie 2big NAS was developed to scale with the needs of SOHO users, delivering fast file sharing and data security, the two most critical factors for a small business."
Posted by | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 12:44 PM | Comments
Zotac Launches GeForce GT 630, GT 620 & GT 610 Video Cards
ZOTAC yesterday expanded their NVIDIA GeForce 600 series by adding the ZOTAC GeForce GT 630, GT 620 and GT 610 video card options. The ZOTAC GeForce GT 630, GT 620 and GT 610 series are available in a variety configurations with 512MB, 1GB, 2GB and 4GB memory options in PCI Express 2.0 x16, PCI Express x1 or PCI interfaces. You can also get them active or passive cooled since these are low power entry level DirectX 11 graphics cards. You can see the ZOTAC GeForce GT 630 4GB Synergy Edition video card below. The Zotac GeForce GT 630 comes clocked at 810MHz on the 96 CUDA cores.
“ZOTAC is pleased to bring the GeForce 600 series to value shoppers seeking a superior visual experience discrete graphics brings to computing,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International. “By installing one of our ZOTAC GeForce GT 630, GT 620 or GT 610 series graphics cards, users can experience faster video and image processing and perfect high-definition video playback with a simple upgrade.”
Posted by | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 12:39 PM | Comments
Dell Introduces 2U Rack Workstation for Virtualized 3D Workloads
Dell announced today it is expanding its client virtualization solutions with the introduction of the first virtualized 2U rack workstation enabling up to four concurrent professional graphics users to work from a single workstation from virtually anywhere. The Dell Precision R5500 rack workstation is the first four-GPU (graphics processing unit) configuration to be certified by Citrix with GPU pass-through on Citrix XenServer 6 using Citrix XenDesktop HDX 3D Pro, and brings additional security, IT resource optimization and end user flexibility to high performance workloads. This new usage model is designed for customers running 3D workloads in the engineering, medical, media and entertainment, scientific, software development and economic and finance market segments looking to support additional users on a single workstation.
“The Dell Precision R5500 offers the highest user density available on a XenServer certified platform for XenDesktop HDX 3D Pro, with four concurrent users per host,” said Derek Thorslund, director of product management, HDX technology at Citrix. “This makes it a very attractive option for customers looking to deliver high-end 3D professional graphics while keeping their intellectual property safe in the data center.”
Posted by | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 12:23 PM | Comments
New Trailer Released For The Last of Us - The Truck Ambush Trailer
Developed by Naughty Dog, creators of the best-selling Uncharte series, the upcoming game title called 'The Last of Us' looks like it will be a good one for PlayStation 3 owners! The Last of Us is expected to be released on 12/31/2012 and has an MSRP of $59.99 by Sony Computer Entertainment. Check out the new game trailer below.
Abandoned cities reclaimed by nature. A population decimated by a modern plague. Survivors are killing each other for food, weapons; whatever they can get their hands on. Joel, a brutal survivor, and Ellie, a young teenage girl who's braver and wiser beyond her years, must work together if they hope to survive their journey across the US.
Posted by | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 12:18 PM | Comments
End of the Road For Apple Mac Clone Maker Psystar, This Time Permanently
Who remembers Psystar? This was the plucky upstart company that tried making and selling "hackintosh" PCs under the "OpenMac" brand in 2008 - that's regular PCs with Apple's Mac operating system installed on them. However, to do this, they had to get around Apple's DRM which locked Mac OS X to Mac hardware, by using a specially made "Rebel EFI" hack. Unsurprisingly, Apple was unhappy with this - really unhappy and after a surprisingly long delay, they sued Psystar, eventually winning a permanent injunction against them in December 2009 to prevent them selling their computers with Mac OS X on them. The grounds for the injunction were violation of copyrights and of the Mac OS X licence agreement.
During its defence, Psystar hit back at Apple saying that because they had bought the copies of Max OS X on the open market, including Amazon and the Apple store, they could do what they wanted with them. They claimed that Apple was not following fair use guidelines and misusing its copyrights. However, this ignores the fact that software is licenced not sold and Apple are free to impose these restrictions, which was their eventual undoing.
Now, the case has finally been closed, since Psystar had tried to refer it to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court refused to take the case on, thus letting the lower court's (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit) ruling stand. The Supreme Court's appeal rejection can be viewed here (105KB PDF) and makes for depressing reading for Psystar, their lawyers and anyone rooting for them. Apple declined to comment on this ruling.
A U.S. District Court sided with Apple in 2009, saying that Psystar "violated Apple's exclusive reproduction right, distribution right, and right to create derivative works," a decision that led to a permanent injunction against the clone maker in December 2009.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 05:39 PM | Comments
Apple's Upcoming MacBook Pros, Airs and iMacs To Get High Resolution Retina Displays
Apple's recent new iPad has rightly been praised for its innovative high resolution 2048x1536 Retina display. With this launch however, it wasn't hard to see this technology coming to other Apple products. Now, according to some leaked info, this display technology will also make its way into the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops in the near future.
The new MacBook Pro will see major changes in design and functionality, including an ultra thin design and USB 3.0 ports, while the major change in the Air will be the new Retina display, complemented with an Intel Ivy Bridge processor and its improved IGP to drive it. Note that launch of the new Airs are still a little way off, because the power draw from the Retina display combined with the thin and light form factor are posing design challenges for Apple and its manufacturing partners. This isn't a problem for iMac Retina displays however, where panels have been spotted in the supply chain. No release date has been provided, nor the resolution of these Retina displays in any of Apple's upcoming products.
Note that that the current Retina display's resolution is higher than most desktop monitors and way higher than what comes on PC laptops. Of course, PC makers aren't standing idly by while Apple cleans up the market. Starting late 2012 and gaining momentum in 2013, we will see similar display upgrades appearing on PC laptops and desktops, which is very long overdue. In turn, this should spur sales of new, more powerful graphics cards for gaming to drive these displays and may well significantly invigorate the PC market as a whole.
The new Airs will also use improved Apple internal battery technology in order to support the battery life required by high-pixel-density screens such as the Retina Display, according to sources familiar with prototype versions of the super-thin notebook’s internal components.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 04:31 PM | Comments
Upgrade To Windows 8 To Cost a Flat $14.99 From Any Version of Windows 7
When a new operating system is on its way, Microsoft have always offered upgrades to it in order to prevent a preceding PC sales slump. Therefore, Microsoft will launch its upgrade to Windows 8 promotion on June 2, but this time it will work a little differently.
Windows 7 comes in several versions, while Windows 8 comes in just two, "Windows 8" and "Windows 8 Pro". In this instance, the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro will cost a flat $14.99 from any version of Windows 7, as confirmed by sources. The picture below shows a "beta" version of the offer without the price. By comparison, for the previous Windows Vista to Windows 7 upgrade, the purchase of a boxed retail copy of Vista would qualify for a completely free upgrade to the equivalent version of the boxed retail copy of Windows 7.
Note that the timing of this offer is approximately the same as when the release of the final Windows 8 Customer Preview version is due, in the first week of June. Windows 8 is expected to be broadly available in Q3 or Q4 of 2012.
In addition to this PC upgrade offer, Microsoft will also provide in-the-box upgrades to Windows 8 users in the form of upgrade "packs" that provide Windows 8 Pro and Windows Media Center capabilities. These upgrade packs replace the old Windows Anywhere Upgrade system and will be available through a new interface called Add Features to Windows 8. No word yet on the upgrade cost for these packs.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 03:27 PM | Comments
NVIDIA GeForce GRID Cloud Gaming Platform Announced
Gaming enters a new era today with the launch of the NVIDIA GeForce GRID cloud gaming platform, which allows gaming-as-a-service providers to stream next-generation games to virtually any device, without the lag that hampers current offerings. With the GeForce GRID platform, gaming-as-a-service providers can deliver the most advanced visuals with lower latency, while incurring lower operating costs, particularly related to energy usage. Gamers benefit from the ability to play the latest, most sophisticated games on any connected device, including TVs, smartphones and tablets running iOS and Android. Also at GTC, NVIDIA and Gaikai demonstrated a virtual game console, consisting of an LG Cinema 3D Smart TV running a Gaikai application connected to a GeForce GRID GPU in a server 10 miles away. Instant, lag-free play was enabled on a highly complex PC game, with only an Ethernet cable and wireless USB game pad connected to the TV.
“Gamers will now have access to seamlessly play the world’s best titles anywhere, anytime, from phones, tablets, TVs or PCs,” said Phil Eisler, general manager of cloud gaming at NVIDIA. “GeForce GRID represents a massive disruption in how games are delivered and played.”
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 02:15 PM | Comments
NVIDIA Takes Kepler To The Cloud - Virtualized GPUs Are Here w/ VGX
NVIDIA today unveiled the NVIDIA VGX platform, which enables IT departments to deliver a virtualized desktop with the graphics and GPU computing performance of a PC or workstation to employees using any connected device.
"NVIDIA VGX represents a new era in desktop virtualization," said Jeff Brown, general manager of the Professional Solutions Group at NVIDIA. "It delivers an experience nearly indistinguishable from a full desktop while substantially lowering the cost of a virtualized PC."
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 01:44 PM | Comments
Corsair Redesigns GS Series Power Supplies - Lower Noise & Power Use
Corsair today announced major upgrades to the GS Series line of high-performance power supply units (PSUs). A new improved design boosts energy efficiency, enabling the new GS Series PSUs to achieve 80 PLUS Bronze certification while also providing quieter, fanless operation at low power loads. The power supplies feature user-switchable red, white or blue LED lights that can also be turned off if desired. Further customization is possible with swappable color insert rings which are available for purchase from the Corsair website. The newly enhanced models are available in three wattage models: the GS600 ($99.99), GS700 ($114.99), and GS800 ($129.99).
"The GS Series line has been popular with PC enthusiasts who demand quiet, good-looking, and affordable power supplies they can count on,” said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager for Components at Corsair. “Now we are proud to deliver the next evolution in the GS Series PSU line, with higher-levels of energy efficiency and a new striking, customizable industrial design."
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 01:21 PM | Comments
NVIDIA Announces Tesla K10 and K20 GPUs - GK110 GPU Being Used
NVIDIA today unveiled a new family of Tesla GPUs based on the revolutionary NVIDIA Kepler GPU computing architecture, which makes GPU-accelerated computing easier and more accessible for a broader range of high performance computing (HPC) scientific and technical applications. The new NVIDIA Tesla K10 and K20 GPUs are computing accelerators built to handle the most complex HPC problems in the world. Designed with an intense focus on high performance and extreme power efficiency, Kepler is three times as efficient as its predecessor, the NVIDIA Fermi architecture, which itself established a new standard for parallel computing when introduced two years ago.
"Fermi was a major step forward in computing," said Bill Dally, chief scientist and senior vice president of research at NVIDIA. "It established GPU-accelerated computing in the top tier of high performance computing and attracted hundreds of thousands of developers to the GPU computing platform. Kepler will be equally disruptive, establishing GPUs broadly into technical computing, due to their ease of use, broad applicability and efficiency."
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 01:06 PM | Comments
Blizzard Launches Diablo III - Action-RPG Fans Rejoice
It has been 12 years since Blizzard launched Diablo II, so you can imagine how happy gamers became when Diablo III finally this morning! Will Diablo III be able to capture hearts and minds the way its two predecessors did, starting back in 1996? It appears that is has as Blizzard says that over two million people pre-ordered the game title! If you are into action—role-playing-game series, then you might want to check out Diablo III. It is now available in retail stores and you can purchase Diablo III digitally via the game's official website for $59.95.
"This launch is a culmination of many years of hard work by our development team, and many years of passionate, dedicated support from gamers around the world," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're grateful for the enthusiasm of our players, and for the help of our beta testers in getting the game ready for release. Now that Diablo III is live, we hope everyone's ready to have a hellishly good time slaying demons and collecting loot in Sanctuary."
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 12:38 PM | Comments
Man Gets Metal Implants For Apple iPod - iDermal
Professional body piercer Dave Hurban is a man attached to his iPod. Literally. Hurban, 21, who works in a tattoo parlor in Newfield, N.J., implanted four metal studs in the skin of his wrist and secured his iPod to them magnetically. He calls the body modification the iDermal.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 10:45 AM | Comments
ROCCAT Launches The Savu Mid-Size Hybrid Gaming Mouse
ROCCAT Studios today announces the release of the Savu – Mid-Size Hybrid Gaming Mouse – a competition device that “fusion welds” an ideal blend of performance and customizable features into a robust, perfectly-balanced, medium-size design. The Savu offers a combination of unprecedented true 4000 DPI optical sensor horsepower, world famous Easy-Shift[+] technology allowing for advanced button configuration, and a customizable lighting system delivering 16.8 million colors. What’s more, it’s the world’s first mouse to feature a stats and trophy system – called the ROCCAT Achievements Display, or R.A.D. – something previously known in similar form only in online gaming. Designed specifically for fans of mid-size gaming mice, the Savu also pampers the hands with an ergonomic right-hand thumb rest and soft-touch surface. The Savu will be available around the globe for a MSRP of 59.99 Euros or 59.99 USD.
“The Savu is the planet’s premiere mid-size gaming mouse – period,” says René Korte, ROCCAT Founder and CEO. “We packed it with not only world-beating speed and comfort, but with a slew of innovations designed to thrill. The Savu represents our continued dedication to giving gamers the exact gear to fit their every desire.”
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 10:34 AM | Comments
NVIDIA GPU Tech Conference Keynote Will Be Live Streamed This Morning
The NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference kicks off today with an opening keynote made by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. If you aren't at the event, fear not as NVIDIA will be streaming the event live online. The keynote begins at 10:30 am PT (today) and you can watch the stream happen at gputechconf.com. We have been told by NVIDIA marketing that Jen-Hsun Huang will be making some big announcements at GTC, so you’ll definitely want to tune in. The keynote is expected to last around 80 minutes.
Do not miss the opening keynote, featuring Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO and Co-Founder of NVIDIA. Hear about what’s next in computing and graphics, and preview disruptive technologies and exciting demonstrations from across industries. Jen-Hsun co-founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has served since its inception as president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 10:28 AM | Comments
AMD Launches 2nd Generation Trinity APUs
AMD today announced the widely anticipated launch of its 2nd-Generation AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) for mainstream and ultrathin notebooks, All-in-One and traditional desktops, home theater PCs and embedded designs. The 2nd-Generation A-Series APU, codenamed “Trinity”, is a grounds-up improved design over the previous generation, enabling a best-in-class PC mobility, entertainment, and gaming experience. Our review will be up later this week!
- Double the performance per watt of the previous generation
- The AMD HD Media Accelerator with a unique set of technologies designed to optimize video quality available with premium and Internet video content, and accelerate video file conversion
- An increase in CPU performance of up to 29 percent with higher processor speeds thanks to the next-generation AMD “Piledriver” CPU core with 3rd-Generation AMD Turbo Core technology, where power is dynamically shifted between the CPU and GPU depending on application needs, effectively providing a more responsive experience that can boost CPU frequencies to up to 3.2 GHz
- AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics for an increase of graphics performance up to 56% over the previous generation. Combined, the CPU and GPU cores deliver more than 700 gigaflops of computing performance5 – several times more than the fastest x86 CPUs – to boost performance of hundreds of applications
- Up to 12 hours of battery life through CPU and GPU power enhancements, with clear battery life leadership in notebook form factors.
“The latest OEM notebooks, ultrathins, All-in-Ones and desktops based on the new AMD A-Series APU enable the best video and gaming experiences, highly responsive performance with AMD Turbo CORE, and accelerate an ever-increasing range of productivity and multimedia applications -- in sleek, stylish designs at price points that make sense,” said Chris Cloran, corporate vice president and General Manager, AMD Client Business Unit. “Our 2nd-Generation AMD A-Series APU is a major step forward in every performance and power dimension, allowing users to enjoy a stunning experience without having to give up the things that matter to them most. This experience doesn’t stop at mainstream notebooks. It carries over into affordable ultrathin form factors featuring the latest in AMD Radeon™ graphics.”
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 10:15 AM | Comments
May 15, 2012 News from Around the Web
GIGABYTE GTX680 Windforce 3x OC Review @ Vortez and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
We've seen a few cards now with the Windforce cooler and each has impressed us with its cooling ability and acoustic reduction of reference designs. The 3x Windforce cooler on the GTX680 has been used before, notably on the AMD HD7950 where it performed extremely well so we are hoping for similar results with the GTX680 it is tasked with cooling this time around.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 06:44 AM | Comments
ARCTIC Announces High Performance 140mm Case Fans - F14
Proper case cooling is crucial in maintaining the optimal temperature and stability of your PC system and for some reason it is good to find quality 140mm fans. ARCTIC noticed the gap here and today launched two 140mm fan models under its ARCTIC F PWM and ARCTIC F Series – ARCTIC F14 PWM and ARCTIC F14. The ARCTIC F14 PWM and ARCTIC F14 are each designed to maximize the airflow efficiency within your PC system with minimal noise. Both fans run up to 1300 RPM and push 77.3 CFM of air at this peak speed. These case fans come with a six-year limited warranty and the ARCTIC F14 costs $11.90, while the ARCTIC F14 PWM costs $12.90.
Thanks to our PWM Sharing Technology (PST), the ARCTIC F14 PWM can connect up to five fans (including CPU fans) while sharing the same PWM signal in the BIOS. You can control and optimize on-demand the speed of these fans together efficiently and hassle-free. The ARCTIC F14 PWM and ARCTIC F14 are perfect solutions to enhance the stability of your PC system with a superior cooling efficiency-to-noise ratio.
Posted by | Tue, May 15, 2012 - 06:33 AM | Comments
Leaked: NVIDIA GTX 680M Info
NVIDIA will be presenting their mobile version of the GTX 680 at Computex 2012 on June 5, called the GTX 680M. While it doesn't have anywhere near the processing power of the desktop version, at least it's not a rebrand, like NVIDIA tend to do.
This chip is a highly cut down version of the GK104 Kepler GPU found in the regular GTX 680. Intead of 1536 CUDA cores, it will have just 744 or 768 of them, depending on who you ask. Oddly enough though, the memory amount is purported to be a whopping 4GB of GDDR5. This doesn't make any sense for a cut down laptop variant though, so we're taking this with a pinch of salt. It will have a 256-bit memory bus, like its bigger brother and will consume up to 100W of power, which makes dissipating its heat a non-trivial problem, even in a performance oriented laptop chassis.
This chip is based on second revision A2 silicon, with the chip being marked as N13E-GTX 680M-A2. Performance is claimed to be 37% better than the GTX 670M, which is a rebrand of the Fermi architecture and the first leaked benchmark claims it reaches 4905 3D Mark 11 points. The chip will support SLI and DirectX 11.1.
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 07:13 PM | Comments
Mozilla To Fight Microsoft's Firefox Ban On Windows RT's Classic Desktop Mode
Mozilla, the developer of Firefox, has said that it will fight a third party browser ban by Microsoft on Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 designed to run on ARM powered devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Microsoft is not restricting access to x86/x64 versions of Windows 8 that run on regular PCs, however.
On Windows RT, Microsoft will only allow third party browsers to run in Metro mode, while completely banning them on the "classic desktop" mode, which uses Win32 APIs in Windows RT. However, a special version of Internet Explorer 10 will come bundled with RT and will run on that classic desktop. Microsoft claim that the ban is driven by security, reliability and performance reasons, as Windows chief executive Steven Sinofsky explained, "If we enabled the broad porting of existing code [to Windows RT] we would fail to deliver on our commitment to longer battery life, predictable performance, and especially a reliable experience over time. The conventions used by today's Windows apps do not necessarily provide this." Note that those same Win32 APIs would still be needed in Metro mode to deliver a fully featured web browser by Mozilla. Hence, this restriction effectively prevents them from competing with IE10.
However, Mozilla isn't buying this and claims that Microsoft is returning to the monopoly tactics of old, by locking out competitors which goes against the antitrust ruling against it. However, legal action isn't Mozilla's first choice, but instead believe that the most effective way to resolve this is "through critical discussion and transparency of the issues rather than through legal action", according to Harvey Anderson, Mozilla's top lawyer.
Oddly though, Mozilla hasn't put up much of a fight Against Apple ban to let their browser run on any of their products a while back, whether they be desktop or mobile. This appears to be because Apple have a much smaller share of the total browser market compared to Microsoft, who still have a near monopoly on desktop operating systems and are not a convicted monopolist like Microsoft.
"Apple is not a convicted monopolist that has legally binding commitments to not block access to browser-related APIs [application programming interfaces], like Microsoft," Dotzler wrote in a comment added to his first post. And in another, he said, "Those [legally-binding] commitments don't go away because Microsoft wishes them away."
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 06:39 PM | Comments
Amped Wireless Launches Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Router
Amped Wireless, the leading manufacturer of high-power, long-range wireless communications products for the home andoffice, today unveiled its new flagship, high-performance,long range router – the R20000G High Power Wireless-N Gigabit Dual Band Router. Engineered to deliver exceptional levels of performance, power and flexibility, this new router is designed for use in large homes and offices. The R20000G brings unprecedented, simultaneous dual band Wi-Fi to home and office users of up to 10,000 square feet of coverage or a quarter of an acre, the same size as a major league baseball diamond. The new R20000G High Power Dual Band Router retails for $179.99 (USD) and is available now.
- Dual high power 2.4Ghz 600mW amplifiers, dual high power 5.0GHz amplifiers and dual low noise amplifiers for improving wireless reception
- Dual High Gain 5dBi detachable dual band antennas
- High speed 620MHz internal processor for faster networking
- Simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz dual band 802.11n technology
“Amped Wireless has continued to make strides in the industry with our innovative power amplifying technology and design,” stated Jason Owen, president and CEO at Amped Wireless. “The R20000G is the ideal product for any consumer that wants to outfit their entire office or home and backyard, with a high performance router with the most Wi-Fi coverage on the market today.”
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 01:33 PM | Comments
NZXT Announces Switch 810 Special Edition Case in Matte Black and Gunmetal
NZXT today announced two new color options for the Switch 810 PC case, Matte Black and Gunmetal. The Switch 810 Special Edition in Matte Black and Gunmetal are both priced at $179.99 MSRP. You can read our review on the NZXT Switch 810 case in white here.
NZXT constantly pursues innovative ways to manufacture the best cases possible in the market. During the development of Switch 810, a lot of passion went into the design phase of this chassis and many bold decisions were made. We incorporated more than 16 features in our chassis while keeping an attractive price point consumers would find highly valuable. Without our community’s valuable feedback and criticisms, our products would not be as unique as they are today. We always aim to maintain customer satisfaction through providing high quality products at great prices, which is why we decided to release the Special Edition to feature two of the most demanded color palettes from our loyal fans: Matte Black and Gunmetal. The community voiced their opinion and we responded. This is our way of showing that NZXT cares.
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 01:24 PM | Comments
GoPro HD Camera Dive Housing Now Available For $50
GoPro today announced the launch of the Dive Housing. The new GoPro Dive Housing features a large, flat glass lens that allows for maximum photo and video sharpness underwater in all resolutions. Waterproof to 197ft / 60m, the Dive Housing is ideal for diving, snorkeling and any underwater filming scenario. The GoPro Dive Housing is available now with an MSRP of $49.99.
The Dive Housing is compatible with all HD HERO cameras, GoPro mounts and accessories. Included items: waterproof Dive Housing, protective lens cap, tether string and assorted mounting hardware. This new accessory adds to the HD HERO's reputation as the most versatile camera in the world.
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 10:24 AM | Comments
Buffalo Releases 802.11ac Wireless Networking Solutions
Buffalo Technology today announced that the AirStation WZR-D1800H wireless router and WLI-H4-D1300 wireless media bridge are now available for purchase from select retail partners. Based on Broadcom’s 5G WiFi chips and first unveiled on the show floor at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, WZR-D1800H and WLI-H4-D1300 offer speeds up to three times faster than 802.11n and are fully backward compatible with 802.11a, 11b, 11g and 11n to ensure interoperability with legacy devices. The WZR-D1800H and WLI-H4-D1300 are available now at an estimated street prices of $179.99 each. The Buffalo AirStation WZR-D1800H wireless router is shown below.
Creating a sanctuary of wireless connectivity, the Buffalo AirStation AC1300 / N900 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router WZR-D1800H provides a dependable, high quality signal for simple syncing between mobile devices, data-heavy streaming of HD movies from online services and everything in between. AirStation WZR-D1800H boasts amazing speeds up to 1300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, and it integrates a class leading 2.4 GHz 3x3 802.11n radio providing backward compatibility and offering speeds up to 450 Mbps. With a total aggregate wireless throughput up to 1750 Mbps across the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, AirStation WZR-D1800H frees consumers from the conventional networking restrictions of wired Ethernet cables, wireless network bottlenecks and other radio activity, providing the ultimate in wireless performance. Available at a price comparable to current Wireless-N solutions, WZR-D1800H provides fast, simultaneous dual band N900 operation for compatibility with current wireless devices with the future proofed security of next generation wireless networking, 802.11ac, built in.
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 09:42 AM | Comments
May 14, 2012 News from Around the Web
NZXT Switch 810 Special Edition (Gunmetal) Full-Tower Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"The NZXT Switch 810 Special Edition introduces two new color options for fans of the previously released Hybrid tower case. The NZXT Switch 810 SE in either Gunmetal or Black matte finish maintains the flexible housing options of the original Switch 810 but also includes an updated tool-less HDD caddie that now allows the use of 90 degree SATA and power cables for SSD/2.5" drives. Capable of housing a 65mm thick triple fan push-pull radiator on top as well as a dual-fan radiator at the bottom, the NZXT Switch 810 is a water-cooling enthusiast's dream. Air cooling enthusiasts however also have plenty of options to choose from with 10 fan mounting areas to keep your components cool. "
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 09:04 AM | Comments
ASRock Announces New BIOS For Ivy Bridge Processors on Intel P67, H67 & Z68 Boards
ASRock today announced that its entire line of Intel P67, H67 and Z68 series motherboards will support Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs by updating the latest P version BIOS & Drivers! Via an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU, ASRock P67, H67 and Z68 series motherboards are resurrected. Users may expect more powerful processing speed yet lower power consumption by the world’s first 22nm 3-D Transistors. If you own an ASrock motherboard with one of these chipsets you can find the most recent 'P' BIOS for your board listed here.
“Besides pursuing extremes with hardcore hardware enthusiasts and die-hard gamers, making high-end technology easy and accessible for everybody is also one of ASRock's goals.” commented James Lee, V.P. of Sales and Marketing at ASRock. “We have no doubt that users will be thrilled as much as we are with these updates, it will be like experiencing a brand new motherboard all over again.”
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 09:00 AM | Comments
QNAP Launches Two 16-Drive Turbo NAS Models w/ Intel Xeon CPUs
QNAP today announced its new additions for the high-end SMB market segment with two 16-drive 3U rackmount Turbo NAS models with up to 64TB storage capacity using 4 TB drives. The TS-EC1679U-RP and TS-1679U-RP, powered by the Intel Xeon processor and the Intel Core i3 processor respectively, are the highest capacity and highest performing NAS products ever developed by QNAP. Both models feature optional 10GbE networking and 6Gb/sec SATA interfaces, achieving incredible 2,000 MB/sec and 200,000 IOPS throughput; delivering sustained ultra-high performance suitable for demanding data center & high-end SMB environments. The new models feature cable-less disk drive backplanes, hot-swappable power supply, and cooling fan modules for maximum reliability and uptime. No word on pricing, but the QNAP TS-EC1679U-RP and TS-1679U-RP are shipping immediately and will be expensive. The QNAP TS-EC1679U-RP 3U rackmount NAS unit is shown below. This model comes with a Quad-core Intel Xeon Processor E3-1225 (3.1 GHz), DDR3 ECC RAM, 600W redundant power supply, 2X expansion slots for storage expansion and network expansion, 4X Gigabit LAN ports (several expansion options for Gigabit + 10GbE networking).
"QNAP is making a foray into the data center with these two new Turbo NAS models which deliver stunning 2,000 MB/sec and 200,000 IOPS performance,” said Meiji Chang, general manager of QNAP Systems, Inc. “Performance is only part of the equation though, the new models also raise the bar on reliability and uptime by reducing failure points and maximizing redundancy in critical components so the system administrators have peace of mind they made the right choice for their networked storage.”
Posted by | Mon, May 14, 2012 - 08:54 AM | Comments
GameStop Throws In The Towel, Begins Selling Steam Vouchers
A source talking to Kotaku has said that GameStop has admitted defeat in its digital war with Valve. GameStop, which acquired Impulse from Stardock back in 2011, has failed to push into online PC sales via digital distribution. So instead of trying to compete with Steam directly, GameStop will start selling vouchers in its brick-and-morter stores. These vouchers which will go on sale starting May 15th are apparently "kind of a sensitive issue" between GameStop and Valve. Considering how awkward the situation has become between both companies, I do have to wonder how this will work out; GameStop will be selling Steam vouchers while still operating Impulse, which could end up cannibalizing their own digital sales or it could end up becoming another revenue source. Tell us what you think.
A GameStop source has told Kotaku that, given the relative failure of the company's push into online PC sales via its purchase of Impulse, it's now trying something a little more practical. Namely, selling Steam vouchers in its bricks-and-mortar stores.
Posted by | Sun, May 13, 2012 - 02:19 PM | Comments
Adobe Issues Free Security Updates for CS5 Vulnerabilities After Backpedalling On Costly CS6 Upgrade
Adobe Creative Suite 5 versions of Illustrator, Photoshop and Flash Professional contain a critical vulnerarbility in them, that can allow the attacker to take control of a PC or Mac running these apps.
Now, CS6 is the current versions of Adobe premier (and expensive) software suit, but the previous CS5 is still officially supported by the company, so it was strange that the company's initial response to the discovery of this vulnerability was to say that users had to upgrade to CS6, which of course costs significant money. However, Adobe later that day backpedalled on this decision and will make the updates available here once they have been released. It looks like a system can be compromised by opening a malicious .tif file, at least in Photoshop CS5 and earlier. Adobe have not yet released specifics for the other apps in the suite.
In explaining its previous position earlier in the day, the Adobe spokesperson had said that since the vulnerabilities had been resolved with the new CS6 version, "no dot release was scheduled or released for Adobe Photoshop CS5. In looking at all aspects, including the vulnerabilities themselves and the threat landscape, the team did not believe the real-world risk to customers warranted an out-of-band release for the CS5 version to resolve these issues."
The spokesperson had further said that, "we are not aware of any exploits targeting any of the issues fixed..."
Posted by | Sat, May 12, 2012 - 05:34 PM | Comments
Fake Flash Player Malware Targets Android Phone Users
Cybercriminals are always on the lookout to make a fast buck from unsuspecting marks. Web sites that require Flash Player to be viewed properly often show a prompt to install the plug-in. However, this should not be accepted, as it may not be what it seems. Instead, the plug-in should always be obtained from official sources, such as the Adobe website itself.
Trend Micro has discovered an infected website hosted on a Russian domain that offers to install Flash Player, claiming it to be compatible with all Android versions to help lure people in. However, it instead links to another URL to download a malicious .apk file which contains a malware-laced version of the Flash Player plug-in that Trend Micro has called ANDROIDOS_BOXER.A. This malware rips off the user by sending texts to premium numbers without the user's permission, which can cost the victim around $10 a pop.
The infographic below shows a snapshot of Android threats. Click here to display a larger version of it - there's no malware payload I promise you!
Upon further investigation, we have seen a bunch of URLs that are hosted on the same IP as this particular website. Based on the naming alone used in these URLs, it appears that Android is a favorite target for cybercriminals behind this scheme.
Posted by | Sat, May 12, 2012 - 04:44 PM | Comments
An Initial Look At Thunderbolt Technology On a PC Motherboard
AnandTech has taken a look at Thunderbolt implementation on a PC motherboard. This new, high speed connection technology co-developed by Intel and Apple has so far only been used in Apple Macs, but it's now finally coming to PCs. Therefore, AnandTech has taken a look at an initial implementation on an MSI Z77A-GD80 motherboard. It hasn't been formally certified yet, so while the technology shows promise, there were still a few issues to iron out, such as hot-plugging functionality not working properly.
Co-developed by Apple and Intel, Thunderbolt is a tunnel that carries both PCIe and DisplayPort traffic to the tune of 20Gbps per channel (10Gbps up and down). In the past, whenever you wanted to add a PCIe device (LAN, audio, high-speed storage, etc...) you needed to physically install that device in your system either via an ExpressCard slot on a notebook or via a PCIe slot on your desktop. Thunderbolt acts as a decoupler for PCIe devices, allowing you to put controllers that would traditionally lie inside your system outside of it, or even inside another device like a display. That's where the DisplayPort support comes in.
Posted by | Sat, May 12, 2012 - 02:59 PM | Comments
Facebook "Pay To Promote Post" Tool Being Tested
It seems Facebook is always up to something, this time its a "pay to promote post" tool which they are testing in New Zealand. A spokesperson talking to the BBC said "We're constantly testing new features across the site," and "This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends." With the testing of the new tool comes pricing options which ranging from $0.50 - $2.00 with payments being made via credit card or PayPal. While the offer seemed shady to users in the beginning, its confirmation as genuine and its continued testing could turn the tool into another source of revenue for Facebook. That said, there has been no mention of when testing will end or if it be tried in other territories. What do our readers think, would you use this feature or not? Tell us what you think.
Different methods of highlighting posts were being tested, said the spokesperson. These would see a range of charges being levied to make posts more visible. Comments on the tests suggest the highest price being charged was £1.25 ($2) while others cost 25p or 50p.
Posted by | Sat, May 12, 2012 - 02:14 PM | Comments
Battlefield 3: Double XP Weekend Now Underway, New Premium Service Incoming
It looks like EA & DICE want more users to get involved in Battlefield 3. They're running a "double XP" weekend, which has already started as of midnight PDT yesterday and will run until May 13th midnight PDT. During the event you will score double the points which will be listed in an "Additional Points" section. The double XP will apply to all of Battlefield 3's multiplayer game modes and maps. While this is a great idea to help late comers get some unlocks it appears to be nothing more then a way to draw gamers back to BF3 in preparation for the Close Quarters DLC and upcoming premium service. The premium service offers up some interesting items, such as a new premium knife and unique black dog tag along with weapon and soldier camo options. Love it or hate it, the premium service will launch June 4th, until then double XP won't last forever so get out there and get in on the action.
Update: According to Battlelog PC gamers will have to wait for their Double XP "PC players: Apologies for delay in your 2XP event. To give you a full weekend as planned, we're rescheduling this for May 26-27"
Posted by | Sat, May 12, 2012 - 01:53 PM | Comments
NVIDIA Announces Better Than Expected Earnings
NVIDIA today reported revenue of $924.9 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 ended Apr. 29, 2012. Guidance for next quarter calls for sales between $990 million and $1.05 billion, topping analyst forecasts of $976 million. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said the company's new Kepler GPUs are boosting business and Tegra growth is on track. NVIDIA pointed out that the first Ultrabook carrying one of its GPUs was launched in March, while the first quad-core Tegra 3 also saw a debut in February.
"Kepler GPUs are accelerating our business," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer of NVIDIA. "Our newly launched desktop products are winning some of the best reviews we've ever had. Notebook GPUs had a record quarter. And Tegra is on a growth track again, driven by great mobile device wins and the upcoming Windows on ARM launch. "Graphics is more important than ever. Look for exciting news next week at the GPU Technology Conference as we reveal new ways that the GPU will enhance mobile and cloud computing," he said.
Posted by | Fri, May 11, 2012 - 04:12 PM | Comments
Intel Ivy Bridge CPU's Are Proven To Suffer From Poor TIM Choice
Japanese tech site, Impress PC Watch, has proven what many have suspected: Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs suffer high temps due to a poor thermal interface material (TIM) choice between the CPU and intergrated heat sink (IHS). Why Intel decided to use TIM instead of solder for the IHS is unknown but what was discovered is that by replacing the cheap thermal compound with better alternatives yielded significant temperature drops. They compared the stock TIM with OCZ's Freeze Extreme and Coollaboratory's Liquid Pro while using a Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E as the cooler of choice. They then compared all three TIMs at stock 3.5GHz and overclocked at 4.6GHz 1.2v. At stock clocks and stock TIM the I7 3770K hit 61℃ while the OCZ TIM dropped temps to 53℃ and the Liquid Pro TIM dropped temps down to 50℃ that's a full 8-11℃ lower then the stock TIM Intel used on the CPU's IHS. When overclocked to 4.6GHz the load temps with stock TIM skyrocketed to 84℃, meanwhile the OCZ TIM dropped temps down to 69℃ with the Liquid Pro dropping temps all the way down to 64℃. That means at full load and overclocked simply replacing the TIM used between the CPU die and IHS showed insane temp drops of 15-20℃. As it stands replacing the TIM on most enthusiasts CPUs wont be likely due to the simple fact it will void their warranties because the IHS must be removed. This test however, does prove that Intel has indeed cheaped out on the thermal interface material inside the IHS. The only reason for this action that comes to mind is to keep Ivy Bridge from cannibalizing Sandy Bridge E sales.
Verification before had been expected to fall about 4 ~ 5 ℃ repaint of grease is not nearly tell the difference, if you use the Liquid Pro, actually became a big temperature difference between the results take more than the imagination. Whereas had reached to 61 ℃ during operation of the 3.5GHz Core i7-3770K is the standard state, when applied OCZ Freeze Extreme is 53 ℃, when applying Liquid Pro decreased to 50 ℃. When operating 4.6GHz fever has increased due to overclocking, this difference is spread further, when applied OCZ Freeze Extreme is 69 ℃ to 84 ℃ under standard conditions, when applied Liquid Pro is and 64 ℃, the temperature difference between those 15 ~ 20 ℃ occurred.
Posted by | Fri, May 11, 2012 - 03:19 PM | Comments
Batman: Arkham City - Harley Quinn's Revenge Trailer
The new DLC pack called 'Harley Quinn’s Revenge' for the game title Batman: Arkham City has made its debut with a short trailer and a release date! It looks like it will come on the same day as the Batman: Arkham City Game Of the Year Edition, which is May 29th, 2012. Watch as Harley Quinn seeks vengeance in this trailer for Batman: Arkham City.
Posted by | Fri, May 11, 2012 - 12:41 PM | Comments
Corsair Vengeance C70 Mid-Tower Gaming Case Walkthrough
Corsair posted up a video tour of the new Vengeance C70 Mid-Tower gaming case that is very good. This new case has a military feel to it and we love the new green color they are using.
The Vengeance C70 computer case has convenient built-in carry handles and a steel front panel instead of plastic for enhanced durability. Eight PCI-E slots give you the freedom for the multi-GPU setups, and dual USB 3.0 I/O ports and six SSD-ready hard drive bays (in two removable drive cages) enable the PC to be tuned for raw performance. The C70 has up to 10 fan mounts, making it a great case for air-cooling, plus the C70 also features room for water-cooling with spots for the Hydro Series™ H100 or other 240mm radiators on top. The bottom hard drive cage can also be removed to install a second 240mm radiator. The case is available in three colors: Arctic White, Gunmetal Black, and Military Green.
Posted by | Fri, May 11, 2012 - 12:08 PM | Comments
Assassin's Creed III -- World Gameplay Premiere Released
The full gameplay trailer for "Assassin's Creed 3" was released on May 10th and it is worth a quick view if you are a fan of this game series. Assassin Creed 3 will be released on October 30, 2012 in the United States.
Assassin's Creed III is the opening chapter of two new stories: one of Connor, the newest Assassin, and one of a new nation, both in an epic fight for land and freedom. In this gameplay world premiere, travel through the early American city of Boston, battle man and beast alike as you explore the vast open frontier, and witness to the intensity and excitement of the Battle of Bunker Hill -- one of the most famous battles of all time.
Posted by | Fri, May 11, 2012 - 11:58 AM | Comments
May 11, 2012 News from Around the Web
DeepCool Ice Wind Pro Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"Deepcool's Ice Wind Pro heatsink is a rather novel CPU cooler for two unique qualities; 1) its heatpipe-to-fin arrangement and 2) the geometry of its leading and trailing fin edges. First off, rather than clusters of heatpipes at the left and right sides of the aluminum fin tower, the eight ends of the heatpipes are lined up straight in a row, 10mm apart, right down the middle of the heatsink. Secondly, the leading/trailing edges of the aluminum fin stack have five large, slightly arc'd diamond cut-outs parallel to the direction of the fins that break up the otherwise monolithic wall."
Posted by | Fri, May 11, 2012 - 07:47 AM | Comments
UK Video Game Censorship To Get Tougher
The UK government believes that violent video games affect young minds negatively, despite there being no definitive proof of this. It's been this way for decades. Video games were previously rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) but that will now change to the Video Standards Council (VSC) in line with Europe-wide guidelines. The Pan European Game Information system (PEGI) also gives games an age rating. The new rules will now rate games according to PEGI's specifications and will impose stricter punishments on retailers. For example, a retailer cought selling 12-rated game to a child may go to jail.
In the quote below, much is made about the need for "clarity", as if that's the only problem with the current system, while imposing stricter rules and harsher penalties. No, what's needed is an end to this ridiculous knee-jerk reaction of "we do it for the children!" scaremongering. The picture below shows Duke Nukem Forever, a "violent" and "sexist" 18-rated game that's right in the crosshairs for extra censorship.
Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey said: "It will give parents greater confidence that their children can only get suitable games while we are creating a simpler system for industry having their games age-rated."
While the BBFC will now largely stop assessing content in games, it will still be called upon to judge games with gross violence or sexual material.
Games and entertainment body Ukie said the new system provides "much needed clarity for consumers".
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 07:11 PM | Comments
War of Words Between Intel and ARM Heats Up
It's no secret that ARM on mobile devices using Windows 8 RT is going to provide competition for Intel. Therefore, it's not surprising to see Intel trying to point to problems with the competition and rubbish their products with a war of words.
The latest comments from Intel come from their investor meeting 2012, where CEO Paul Otellini pointed out weaknesses in an ARM PC. He said that ARM faces a "big uphill fight" since they don't support the countless thousands of legacy apps, which is a big drawback for corporate buyers who have stacks of legacy apps that they need to keep running. Note that private users have just the same problem on a smaller scale, so will also get put off by this. He also pointed out that ARM has no existing Windows hardware support. Both of these things are a big challenge for the ARM platform, for sure.
Despite all this though, Intel also has a lot to prove, since ARM have been making power efficient processors since the late 1980s when they were part of UK-based Acorn Computers, that really sip battery power while delivering a lot of performance, hence virtually all mobile phones nowadays use some version of the ARM CPU. Intel's efforts to squash the bloated and inefficient x86 architecture into this electrical power and processing performance envelope hasn't been exactly too successful, so they have their work cut out, too.
"There's been a lot of debate that [Windows 8] is going to be a real entree for the ARM camp into Windows for the first time," he said. "While at face value, that's true...[but] I think they have a big uphill fight," he said.
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 06:31 PM | Comments
Microsoft To Bring Internet Explorer With Kinect Control to Xbox 360
Microsoft is to bring a modified version of its Internet Explorer 9 web browser to the Xbox 360. A significant enhancement compared to the standard PC version, is that it will be controllable using Kinect, bringing gestures and voice control to the browser. One use for this, will be to enhance Bing search functionality by making searches quicker. It's currently undergoing testing with no word of a release date. However, with E3 coming up, official details from Microsoft should appear within a few weeks.
Kinect support is not mandatory according to our sources, but the browser is said to be tuned for Kinect usage.
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 06:08 PM | Comments
Epic's 20th Anniversary Original Soundtrack Giveaway
There's nothing like some free content from content companies well known for releasing good quality products. In this case, it's Epic Games celebrating 20 years in the business - an epically long time for a computer games company (sorry). The company, well known for the Unreal Tournament and Gears of War series, also made lots of other, now long-forgotten games, such as Epic Pinball, Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit and Shadow Complex.
They are giving away the 20th Anniversary Original Soundtrack for free, which includes music from such great games as the Unreal Tournament series, Gears of War series and Bulletstorm. The tracks are presented as individual downloads and can be obtained from the link below.
Epic Games is 20 years old!
To celebrate we’re giving away 20 of the best Epic tracks from our games over the years. We’ve hand picked and remastered a soundtrack that includes everything from Jazz Jackrabbit to Unreal Tournament.
There are even a few surprise tracks that have never before been released on our soundtrack!
Make sure to get the whole soundtrack and rock out to some retro video game tunes!
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 05:49 PM | Comments
Dish Networks DVR Gets (Very) Limited Ad Skip Feature
Digital video recorders (DVR) of old used to have a feature where they would skip forward thirty seconds at the touch of a button, making it very easy and convenient to skip ads. Soon after however, Big Content leaned on the manufacturers to remove this feature highly valued amongst viewers. Dish Networks have now brought it back in a limited form to their Hopper and Joey DVR hubs, calling it Auto Hop.
It lets viewers skip all the ads in a commercial break with a single press of a button, which sounds like Utopia. However, it contains significant restrictions which sully this Utopia: only primetime HD programs on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are supported, and they need to start at 1:00am. Also, the viewer must wait a whole day before this will work. Finally, the service will only be available to Hopper's PrimeTime Anytime subscribers. That's an awful lot of restrictions. Don't you wish for that unconditional 30 second ad skip button now?
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 05:23 PM | Comments
DVDs and Blu-rays To Get 20 Annoying Seconds of Unskippable Anti-Piracy Warnings
Currently, DVDs and Blu-rays contain one annoying, 10 second unskippable FBI anti-piracy message. However, with immediate effect, six major movie studies will begin making new discs that contain two 10 second unskippable anti-piracy messages. The first one is from the FBI "educating" the viewer that unauthorized reproduction or distribution is illegal and carries a big, fat penalty. The second one patronizes with "Piracy is not a victimless crime" and points to the iprcenter.gov website for more info. Annoyed by this? It's called "progress".
Disc sales of both types are already sliding and need all the help they can get to make them more attractive, while streaming services don't have such warnings, which really doesn't help the sales of discs, does it? Good marketing move, there. Perhaps they should make discs that contain only these warnings, lasting two hours, to really "educate" the viewer?
An ICE spokesman tells me that the two screens will "come up after the previews, once you hit the main movie/play button on the DVD. At which point the movie rating comes up, followed by the IPR Center screen shot for 10 secs and then the FBI/HSI anti-piracy warning for 10 secs as well. Neither can be skipped/fast forwarded through."
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 04:24 PM | Comments
Firefox Banned On ARM-Based Windows, Claims Mozilla
According to Mozilla, it seems Microsoft is back to muscling aside its competitors in the browser market. This time, they're banning Firefox from ARM-based Windows. Harvey Anderson, Mozilla's General Counsel, claims "They're trying to make a new version of their operating system which denies their users choice, competition, and innovation," and that "Making IE the only browser on that platform is a complete return to the digital dark ages when there was only one browser on the Windows platform." This looks to be the beginning of another browser war like that seen in the 1990s where Microsoft used their muscle to force out Netscape bringing about a stagnation in web browsers. As it stands, Mozilla could build a browser for ARM-based Windows, but that browser would be crippled due to how Microsoft has handled access to various modes and APIs. Microsoft's only defense comes from Deputy General Counsel David Heiner who listed two reasons why they wont permit other browsers:
- ARM processors, which power virtually all iOS, Android, and Windows Phone smartphones and tablets today, are different from the x86 chips that power PCs. The chips have new requirements for security and power management, and Microsoft is the only one who can meet those needs.
- Windows RT -- the version of Windows 8 geared for ARM devices -- "isn't Windows anymore."
Will this result in another anti competitive lawsuit against Microsoft, or will Mozilla and the Redmond giant make peace and work things out? Time will tell, but for now it looks like Microsoft won't be budging from their decision. This is probably because they don't wish jeopardize the best possible user experience they can provide, which looks to be a play taken from Apple and their iOS. Regardless, Anderson hopes an amicable solution will be found. More in depth analysis on the issue can be found at the source.
"First, Microsoft has a browser that runs in Classic mode on Windows ARM. They are not allowing us that same access to run our browser on Classic. Second, Microsoft has a browser that runs in Metro mode on Windows ARM that has access to rich APIs that they are denying to third-party Metro browsers on Windows ARM," Dotzler told CNET. "So, we are denied the ability to deliver any browser on Classic, and we are denied the ability to build a competitive browser on Metro." Dotzler also elaborated on the issue in a first and second blog post.
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 04:15 PM | Comments
MW3 To Get 'Face Off' Mode and Content Collection 2
Xbox 360 fans of Activision's super-successful Modern Warfare 3 will be pleased that they will be getting a new kill mode on May 15 called Face Off and some free DLC to complement the distinctly non-free Content Collection that has been available for some time. Face Off allows friends and strangers to kill each other in a new way, by designing it for 1v1 or 2v2 firefights, with its four maps built specifically for small, intense close-quarters battles between a small number of soldiers. There are two free maps launching with Face Off: Aground is set on a beached ship on the coast of Scotland, while Erosion is set on the Italian coast during a volcanic eruption.
At the same time, Content Collection 2 will made available on May 15 to Xbox 360 gamers who subscribe to Call of Duty Elite and May 21 to members of the free non-Elite version. This will include the above content, plus several more maps. There has been no firm date announced for the release of this DLC for the PC, which PC owners will be used to putting up with. However, what's surprising is that PS3 owners are in the same predicament. The video below demonstrates all the lovely new content awaiting Xbox 360 owners only.
On May 15 two of the Face Off maps will be launched to the public for free on Xbox Live. To be clear, Elite isn't required to download them, just Modern Warfare 3 itself.
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 03:50 PM | Comments
V-MODA Unveils New Earplugs - Faders VIP
V-MODA today announced the companies latest addition to the Ear Armor hearing protection line, Faders VIP. Like the original Faders, the VIP edition protects your hearing by evenly reducing harmful noise levels by 12dB across the frequency spectrum, while still allowing for music and speech to pass with crystal clarity. The noise reduction can make the difference between an enjoyable listening experience and lifelong hearing loss. Tuned by professional DJs, producers, doctors and featuring four sizes of medical grade fittings to fit even the smallest and largest of ears, Faders VIP also boasts a new detachable cord and a high quality carrying case giving club, concert and event-goers advanced hearing protection. The V-Moda Faders VIP metal earplugs are available now for as low as $19.99.
“Last year’s launch of Ear Armor, Inc. created a windfall of amazing feedback from musicians to race and concert-goers. Loud events coupled with the popularity of smartphones, MP3 players and headphones have created a pandemic of hearing loss in everybody from kids to adults and too little is being done to stop it and educate customers. Faders are a universal solution to fully enjoy music and conversations without the damaging effects of higher decibels that cause irreversible noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus,” says Val Kolton, Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of V-MODA. “Both the cheapest foam and the most expensive custom ear plugs can muddle sound quality and push debris too far into your ear canal causing even more damage to your ears.”
Posted by | Thu, May 10, 2012 - 01:30 PM | Comments
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