LR News History - Legit Reviews

Legit Reviews News History

Google Buzz: The First Wave?

Google has announced that it is rolling out Google Buzz to everyone's GMail accounts over the next few days. At first glance, Google Buzz seems to be the first step by Google to introduce some if its Google Wave features into GMail. Other media outlets are also noting that Google Buzz is also Google's first step into the Facebook and Twitter realm of real-time status updates. Check out this video for a quick demo:

Google Buzz is a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting. It's built right into Gmail, so you don't have to peck out an entirely new set of friends from scratch — it just works. If you think about it, there's always been a big social network underlying Gmail. Buzz brings this network to the surface by automatically setting you up to follow the people you email and chat with the most. We focused on building an easy-to-use sharing experience that richly integrates photos, videos and links, and makes it easy to share publicly or privately (so you don't have to use different tools to share with different audiences). Plus, Buzz integrates tightly with your existing Gmail inbox, so you're sure to see the stuff that matters most as it happens in real time.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 02:54 PM

Broadcom Announces Bluetooth + GPS + FM combination chip

Broadcom Corporation today announced a new Bluetooth + GPS + FM combination ('combo') chip solution that integrates advanced media processing, providing a power-efficient connected audio subsystem for multimedia smartphones and other handset devices. This new single-chip solution delivers high performance Bluetooth connectivity while enabling a range of media playback and recording functions that would otherwise have to be performed by the phone's host processor.

The new Broadcom InConcert BCM20751 combo chip is a powerful communications and media subsystem that enables key smartphone connectivity (including Bluetooth, GPS and FM radio) while also providing sophisticated audio processing. It offloads media and other processing from the phone's baseband processor to achieve significant power savings, increasing playback time by as much as 100 percent in multimedia handsets. The BCM20751 is based on the Broadcom BCM2075 Broadcom InConcert combo chip, and includes the technologies that enable the total phone system to consume less power. The processor includes additional memory buffering (up to 90 Kb) and integrated MP3 and ACC+ decoders, as well as an on-chip 5-band audio equalizer that enables the BCM20751 to perform high quality playback of popular music file formats while the baseband sleeps.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 01:54 PM

Apple Introduces Aperture 3

Apple has released it's much anticipated photo-editing software update with Aperture 3. Added are a slew of new features with the inclusion of the Faces and Places component which has been a big hit with users. The cost is $199 for new users and upgrades are $99 although there is a 30 day trial for those interested in trying before buying. Available at the Apple store now.

Aperture 3

Apple® today introduced Aperture™ 3, the next major release of its powerful photo editing and management software, with over 200 new features including Faces, Places and Brushes. Building on the innovative Faces and Places features introduced in iPhoto® '09, Aperture 3 makes it even easier and faster to organize large photo libraries.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 01:19 PM

ASUS Launches N Series Notebooks with NVIDIA Optimus Technology

ASUS is excited to be the initial launch partner of NVIDIA with the introduction of NVIDIA’s Optimus technology in its latest range of notebooks shipping this month. The first Optimus based notebooks will include the multimedia enhanced N Series to be followed by the sleek new U30Jc/UL50Vf products. The ever versatile mainstream K Series will include models with Optimus technology in the near future.

ASUS N Series Notebook

Featuring cutting-edge NVIDIA Optimus technology and powered by the new Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, the new ASUS N Series is designed for users who desire multimedia entertainment in a energy efficient package. The ASUS N Series is equipped with USB 3.0 connectivity capable of multimedia transfer rates of up to 5GB per second—up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0’s 480MB per second rate. Another highlight of the new ASUS N Series is SonicMaster audio technology that fine-tunes noise balance, volume and dynamic sound ranges, while minimizing environmental interference which provides greatly improved audio quality in a mobile platform. Finally, the ASUS N Series features Video Magic software which boosts the resolution of conventional DVDs up to full high definition 1080p from the standard 480p, as well as naturalizing the color and brightness of the images displayed.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 09:35 AM

AMD Discusses Fusion 'Llano' Processors at ISSCC

Yesterday afternoon at ISSCC in San Francisco, AMD presented details on the forthcoming 32nm Fusion APU slated for 2011, codenamed “Llano.” AMD Senior Fellow, Samuel Naffziger, walked attendees through several power management innovations to the x86 core, which he has also detailed in this blog post. The blog post confirms that the Fusion processor will feature four CPU cores, DDR3 memory and a DirectX 11 capable SIMD engine integrated on-die. The Fusion processor will be the first AMD CPU to use 32nm SOI processor technology when it launches in 2011. This accelerated processing unit (APU )is expected to first appear within the forthcoming “Sabine” platform for mainstream notebooks. And just to show how real it all is, the picture below shows the core’s more than 35 million transistors that fit within 9.69mm2 (not counting the 1MB of L2 cache shown on the right):

AMD Fusion Llano Processor Die Shot

At AMD, we live by the mantra that the Future is Fusion and our global engineering teams are working aggressively to deliver the industry’s first accelerated processing unit (APU) in support of it. That said, the consumer trends that led AMD to embark toward developing APUs began years ago; the idea wasn’t born in either a CPU or a GPU, but was born in how consumers began using their PCs. Things like: streaming video, immersive gaming, 3D user interfaces, enhanced multimedia and other compute intensive tasks became the norm rather than the exception. As an engineer, my job is to help figure out how the nuts and bolts can best fit together to help improve the user’s experience; our team is presenting today at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco some of the results of those efforts.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 09:26 AM

Gigabyte Launches Two Radeon HD 5450 Graphics Cards

GIGABYTE has announced two new additions to its selection of value graphics cards this week. The GIGABYTE GV-R545SC-1GI and GV-R545OC-512I are built on the highly anticipated ATI Radeon HD 5450 GPU ─ respectively utilizing DDR3 memory architecture and are able to deliver best-in-class performance with new clock speeds and provide break-through power efficiency management for tomorrow’s demanding applications. The GIGABYTE GV-R545SC-1GI and GV-R545OC-512I are designed to give user stunning high definition entertainment from the PC, whether Blu-ray/ HD DVD discs or other HD sources. You can read our review on the ATI Radeon HD 5450 reference video card here if you'd like to see how this series performs.

Gigabyte Radeon HD 5450 GV-R545SC-1GI Video Card

The GIGABYTE GV-R545SC-1GI and GV-R545OC-512I offers optimal performance and break-through efficiency, the GIGABYTE GV-R545SC-1GI and GV-R545OC-512I consume less than 20 watts under full load, making it the ideal choice for implementation across a large diverse install base of desktop PCs. In addition to supporting a wide range of the latest graphics technologies including dual mode software CrossFireX, ATI Stream technology, Microsoft DirectX 11, PCI Express 2.1 and UVD 2, the GIGABYTE GV-R5000 series are also equipped with the industry-leading GIGABYTE unique features including Ultra Durable 2 technology, and native HDMI port for HD gaming and Blu-ray movie playback.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 09:17 AM

NVIDIA Optimus Technology Aims To Improve Battery Life on Notebooks

With NVIDIA's just announced Optimus technology, notebook users can now experience the full performance benefits of a discrete GPU with the battery life of an integrated graphics solution. NVIDIA Optimus automatically, instantaneously, and seamlessly optimizes the notebook to offer the best performance or best battery life depending on the application.

NVIDIA Optimus Technology

When I first heard about the new technology from NVIDIA called OPTIMUS my thoughts went directly to the Transformers. Unfortunately this new technology won't transform your laptop into a something that it's not. What it does do however, is still a great feat. A few years ago NVIDIA released Hybrid SLI which allowed you to manually switch graphics engines. You had the choice to run either integrated graphic or a discrete graphics card. Problem was you had to manually switch, either people didn't realize that or they didn't know how to switch. It is estimated that only 1% of the computers that had the option, ever switched.

Legit Reviews Article

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 08:15 AM

Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 1GB CrossFire Video Card Review

It has only been five days since ATI released the ATI Radeon HD 5450 video card, but they are back at it today with the announcement of the Radeon HD 5570 video card. This card was designed to be an energy efficient, low-profile DirectX 11 card for small form factor PCs. It also happens to pack a pretty mean punch as it has a Compute Performance rating of 520 GFlops for a price tag of just $79.

Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 video card

The ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card that was launched last week brought full DirectX 11 support, ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology and ATI Stream technology support for ~$49. That is a hard combination to beat for the price, but the Radeon HD 5450 graphics card wasn't that great in gaming and some have said that it is too weak in compute performance. The ATI Radeon HD 5570 that was introduced today has four times the compute performance on paper and we were able to see nearly a two times difference in actual games. Not a bad increase for just an extra $30, but gamers will be hard pressed to go with anything less than a Radeon HD 5670 as it does much better across the board when it comes to gaming...

Legit Reviews Article

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 08:08 AM

Handheld Introduces The New Algiz 7 Rugged Tablet PC

Handheld introduced today the new Algiz 7 rugged tablet computer. The Algiz 7 is an ultra rugged mobile 7-inch widescreen tablet that runs Microsoft Windows 7 Professional operating system and features an Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor with 64 GB Solid State hard drive and 2 GB of DDR2 RAM. Weighing in at a mere 2.4 lbs, this compact tablet is one of the lightest 7" tablets on the market today.

Handheld Algiz 7 Rugged Tablet PC

The Algiz 7 comes standard with Bluetooth, WLAN and GPS as well as a built-in 2-megapixel camera with LED light. Optional 3G cellular capabilities provide high-speed GSM/UMTS/EVDO data transmission. The Algiz 7 is ready for Gobi(TM) 2000 technology and has built in antennas, which means that you'll be able to work on your choice of wireless frequency anywhere in the world. The Algiz 7 is rated IP65 and meets stringent MIL-STD-810G military standards for withstanding humidity, vibration, drops and extreme temperatures.

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 07:41 AM

Kingston Technology Revenues Steady in 2009 at $4.1 Billion

Kingston Technology Corporation has announced that its global revenues in 2009 reached $4.1 billion (U.S.), a $100 million increase over 2008. Kingston's modest increase was attributed to a rise in average selling price, healthier demand from corporate end customers and consumers, and the company's entry into the solid-state drive (SSD) market. The rise in revenue marks a change from the previous year when an oversupply in chips and a weakened global economy led to a downturn in the memory industry.

The memory market saw some financial recovery last year like many other industries and Kingston was able to benefit from the general rise in DRAM and Flash pricing," said John Tu, co-founder, Kingston. "We also expanded our product line when we entered the SSD market at the beginning of 2009 and within 12 months, have gained a strong foothold in this burgeoning area." "A year ago at this time, we were bracing for a bad year. Our company was lucky to catch some good breaks along the way that worked in our favor," said David Sun, co-founder, Kingston. "Together, with the support of employees, partners, vendors and customers, we were able to get through some tough times and see better days ahead. We are very happy to be where we are."

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 07:37 AM

NVIDIA Names University Of Maryland A CUDA Center Of Excellence

NVIDIA announced that it has recognized the University of Maryland as a CUDA Center of Excellence, placing it in an elite grouping of 9 other universities and research organizations worldwide. The university was selected for its pioneering use of GPU computing and the CUDA programming model across research and teaching efforts within multiple science and engineering departments. Other CUDA Centers of Excellence in the U.S. and abroad include Cambridge University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harvard University, National Taiwan University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Tennessee and University of Utah.

University Of Maryland

“Maryland was one of the first universities to start integrating the use of GPUs and the CUDA architecture into our courses and research,” said Amitabh Varshney, Professor of Computer Science at University of Maryland. “The CUDA programming model is an extremely effective educational tool for students learning parallel programming and no other technology available today provides as powerful and affordable platform for our research as the GPU.”

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 07:27 AM

ATI Announces Radeon HD 5570 Graphics Card For $79

AMD today introduced the ATI Radeon HD 5570 graphics card, perfect for end-users seeking an energy efficient, low-profile DirectX 11 card for small form factor PCs. The ATI Radeon HD 5570 graphics card joins the award-winning line of AMD graphics that fully support DirectX 11, as well as ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology1 and ATI Stream capabilities.2 This latest offering completes a full DirectX 11 refresh of AMD discrete graphics products, bringing customers a choice of cutting-edge graphics cards to match every budget and form factor.

ATI Radeon HD 5570 Graphics Card

“AMD recognizes that small form factor PCs are becoming more popular and low profile graphics upgrade options have been limited to date,” said Matt Skynner, vice president and general manager, AMD Graphics Division. “Customers purchasing small form factor PCs are looking for improved performance while gaming, watching HD video or working with the latest productivity applications. The ATI Radeon HD 5570 graphics card delivers all of this at a price that won’t break the bank.”

Posted by | Tue, Feb 09, 2010 - 12:32 AM

Ferrari Races Into Need For Speed Shift

Electronic Arts announced today that after a seven year hiatus, the elite racing brand Ferrari is returning to the Need for Speed franchise. On February 16th, players of Need for Speed SHIFT will be able to download a content pack that delivers 10 extraordinary Ferrari cars including the 430 Scuderia and the ultra-rare FXX and F50 GT.

EA’s Need For Speed Shift with Ferrari

The Ferrari Racing pack is the latest downloadable content for Need for Speed SHIFT and will be available worldwide today exclusively on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system for $10.00 or 800 Microsoft Points (Need for Speed SHIFT and Xbox LIVE® account required). In addition to 10 new cars, the Ferrari Racing Series will also extend SHIFT’s career mode with 46 new Ferrari specific challenges designed for the Ferrari cars to participate in including hot laps, eliminators, endurance races and a world tour.

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 10:40 PM

INDILINX JetStream SATA 6Gbps SSD Controller Update

Many of our readers have heard about INDILINX Barefoot and Amigos SSD controllers, but how is INDILINX coming along with the next generation SATA 6Gbps SSD controller called Jetstream? Legit Reviews contacted INDILINX to see how JetStream was coming along and got a response that they are positing their SATA 6Gbps products with corresponding 6Gbps device availability in the market. It looks like we will have to wait a little longer, but JetStream is coming!

INDILINX Barefoot SSD Controller

"As far as our JetStream product, which is based on 6Gbps interface, we can say that it is on schedule. However, there has been some changes to the schedule not due to the internal resources but due to the market condition and the SATA 6Gbps availability. We are not rushing but carefully going under the development process for Jetstream to match with the availability of host side SATA 6Gbps from major chipset manufacturers. We believe the quality is the number one priority." - Hyun Mun In, VP & General Manager Marketing & Business Development of Indilinx

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 11:21 AM

Aliens vs. Predator - New "Marine" Trailer

Sega has released a new Aliens vs. Predator Trailer this time featuring gameplay from the Marines. The multiplayer demo is out now and the full version hits shelves on February 19:

As the Marine, you'll experience a claustrophobic and terrifying experience where light is your friend, but there's never enough. However, the United States Marine Corps are humanitys last line of defence, and as such they are armed to the teeth with the very latest in high explosive and automatic weaponry.

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 11:13 AM

Micron and Nanya Develop a 2Gb DDR3 Memory Device Using 42nm DRAM

Micron Technology and Nanya Technology today announced that they have jointly developed a 2-gigabit (Gb) DDR3 memory device using their new copper-based 42-nanometer (nm) DRAM process technology. The move to smaller process geometries is fundamentally important for maintaining manufacturing cost efficiencies while also providing benefits for customers including lower power, higher performance, greater density, and smaller die sizes. The new 42nm process now makes 1.35-volts the standard, mainstream voltage requirement, compared to 1.5-volt with previous generations. The 1.35 voltage can provide a savings of up to 30-percent in some scenarios!

2-gigabit 43nm DDR3 DRAM die

The new 42nm DRAM process technology uses the more efficient and reliable copper metallization technology, allowing Micron and Nanya to stay on the leading-edge of process scaling. Micron has long recognized the benefits of copper in aiding DRAM scale, and has continued to leverage and refine the technology for nearly a decade. When compared to other metallization techniques, such as aluminum, copper is recognized as the more extendible, reliable and cost-effective approach for advancing process geometries and enhancing product performance. As Micron and Nanya continue to scale, moving to their next-generation 3Xnm process technology, the companies are building on their strong copper foundation to deliver high-quality and highly reliable products.

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 11:10 AM

Intel "Lunch Room" 2010 Super Bowl XLIV Commercial Ad

In case you didn't watch the Super Bowl last night here is one of the Intel ads that was shown to the world. Intel was promoting their recently announced 2010 Intel Core processor series in the commercials. Intel was also the title sponsor of the Super Bowl XLIV post-game show. TNS Media Intelligence said that 30-second commercials during the Super Bowl on CBS are selling for between $2.5 million and $2.8 million per 30 second spot. That is about $83,300 a second! I wonder what the feedback on the ads will be and to see if Intel is happy with the results. If they aren't then they should contact Legit Reviews as we have more than 6 million readers a year that love reading our in-depth PC hardware reviews and news! Heck, we might even cut you a better deal thatn ~$83,000 a second while we are at it! You can read our review on an Intel Core 2010 processor based notebook here.

Intel will debut two new commercials over three purchased 30-second spots, the first airing during the fourth quarter of the big game on Feb. 7. Each commercial employs a sense of "geek humor" and will center on the 2010 Intel Core Processor family, which announced earlier this month at the International Consumer Electronics Show, delivers unprecedented integration and smart performance, including Intel Turbo Boost Technology1 for laptops, desktops and embedded devices.

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 09:37 AM

Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader to hit stores

Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc said on Monday that its Nook electronic reader would be available in most of its physical stores as of Wednesday, ahead of Valentine's Day, ending weeks of delays. The Nook's in store debut, originally expected in December, was delayed after Barnes & Noble sold out of the device before the holidays and was unable to get production sufficiently ramped up.

Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader

The Nook e-reader, which Barnes & Noble launched in October and competes with devices such as Amazon.com Inc's Kindle, had previously only been available for order on the retailer's website or at in-store kiosks as the No. 1 U.S. bookstore chain struggled to meet what it said in late 2009 was strong demand for the e-reader.

Reuters Technology News

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 09:15 AM

China: Hacker training site shut down

Police in China shut down what officials think was the largest training Web site for computer hackers, local media said. The Black Hawk Safety Net offered lessons on cyber attacks and sold Trojan software, which allows outside access to a computer when remotely installed, media reports said.

Police arrested three people who ran the Web site and charged 100 to 200 yuan ($14 to $29) for lessons, the China Daily newspaper said. Established in 2005, the site had recruited more than 12,000 paid and 170,000 free members and collected more than 7 million yuan ($1.02 million) in membership fees, the reports said.

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 09:15 AM

IBM Launches Power7 Chip and Servers

IBM is launching its long-anticipated Power7 processor and systems based on the chip on Monday. The processor is a huge and risky step for IBM, integrating eight processing cores in one chip package, with each core capable of executing four "threads" helping to turn this individual chip into a virtual 32-core processor. In comparison, Intel's high-end Xeon processors typically have two threads per processing core.

IBM's Power7 Chip

The IBM announcement comes amid a flurry of activity in chips aimed at servers. On Monday, for example, Intel Corp. is expected to introduce a long-delayed version of its high-end Itanium product family, a separate product family from the x86 chips used in most personal computers and lower-priced servers.

Wall Street Journal

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 02:04 AM

Samsung Introduces 500GB HDD Pre-Loaded with 'Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT'

Samsung has announced the Samsung S2 Portable, a fully transportable external hard drive, pre-loaded with the movie ‘Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT’. The launch will coincide with the movie’s DVD and Blu-ray release on Feb 22.

Samsung & Michael Jackson’s This Is It

Timed with the DVD and Blu-ray Disc(TM) release of ‘Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT’, the pre-loaded external HDD will be available at major European retailers from February 22, 2010. "We are excited to present this movie starring Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of all time, pre-loaded on the Samsung S2 Portable," said H.S. Lee, Vice President, Storage Marketing, Samsung Electronics.

Posted by | Mon, Feb 08, 2010 - 01:03 AM

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