IT News HeadLines (HotHardware) 18/03/2010

Digital Storm Puts Core i7-980X EE Into DAVINCI Workstation
Digital Storm is completely and fully on the Core i7 bandwagon. Just a day after the custom PC builder announced that Intel's benchmark warrior (that would be the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition) would be present in their consumer desktops, now the company is bringing the same chip to their most powerful workstation.Engineered to suit the needs of creative professionals who need serious horsepower to churn through audio and video editing, the DAVINCI is one of the most wildly powerful workstations on the market
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Get Lucky With The HotHardware, Intel and iBuyPower Sweepstakes
In light of the St. Patrick's Day Holiday, we thought it would be fun to give away yet another awesome gaming system! Thanks to our good friends at Intel and iBuyPower, we’ve got a killer rig to give away to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! This time around, you could win a full Intel Core i7 980X Gulftown-based system, complete with a Radeon HD 5870 pushing the pixels, an Intel X25-M SSD, and a head-turning Chimera Inferno 2 case.There is no doubt this machine will be great for all of the gamers and enthusiasts
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How Google Goofed in Porting the Nexus One to AT&T
Some blunders are entirely understandable, like forgetting to put your pants on before walking out in public (we've all been there, right? Right?). Others have you scratching your head wondering 'what the frack were they thinking?' Google's latest move falls into the latter category, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.In a blog post this week, Google announced that its Nexus One smartphone "superphone" is now compatible with AT&T's 3G network, something that hasn't been possible up to this point since
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Motorola CLIQ XT Android Smartphone On Sale At T-Mobile For $129.99
Motorola was all but dead in the cellphone world just 2 years ago. A DROID, CLIQ and DEVOUR later, and it's hard to believe these guys ever went anywhere. Motorola is firmly back on track in the smartphone arena, and the CLIQ XT is yet another fantastic addition to their portfolio. Launched today solely on T-Mobile USA, this Androd-based phone has the MOTOBLUR navigation panel and Flash-enabled software to boot.Other specifications include a 5MP camera, music player, 3.5mm audio jack, built-in GPS, 3G, a microSD
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MOG Brings Streaming Music To iPhone And Android Platforms For $10/Month
iTunes has the music market locked down in some ways, but there are still subscription-based services out there gaining traction simply because it's a market that Apple has shunned. There's no way to pay iTunes a monthly premium in order to stream as much music as you'd like, but that functionality will soon be coming to the iPhone anyway.MOG is making a name for themselves this week by introducing an "all-you-can-eat" styled music download service that's meant to be used on iPhone and Android smartphones, and
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Spring Design Puts $399 Alex E-Reader On Pre-Order
Spring Design voiced their intentions to jump into the ebook market late last year, and even at CES we were led to believe that the Alex e-reader would ship by February. It's obviously March, and the Alex is still not in the hands of consumers. But that's the bad news; the good news is that one of the world's first dual-screen e-readers is now available to order (pre-order, really) and will be shipping next month.Another unique thing about the Alex is the fact that it's based around Android, Google's mobile
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Velocity Micro Brings Core i7-980X Extreme Edition To Desktop Rigs
Intel's new Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor rocked our benchmarking lab, and now it's ready to rock your own computer den. The chip has already landed on a bunch of new machines (or old machines with refreshed specifications) Velocity Micro wants to make sure that they are also an option when it comes time to select a new 980X-based machine.The company has added the chip as an option to a number of their machines, with six-core desktops starting at $2825. According to the company, the i7-980X allows Velocity
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Internet Explorer 9 Is Looking Positively Sexy
See that headline? If you'd asked us last week if we'd ever use the word "sexy" to describe a browser—particularly a Microsoft browser—we'd have beaten you with a stack of TPS reports. This week, well, it's a different story. The actual IE9 browser isn't available for download yet, but Microsoft has made what it calls the Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview available for download. Internet Explorer 9 offers a bevy of new features compared to IE8 (or anything else), but the most exciting feature is the browser's
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MAINGEAR Updates SHIFT With Core i7 980X & More
MAINGEAR is expanding its lineup to offer the new Intel Core i7 980X 6-core processor. The MAINGEAR SHIFT is part of the company's high performance consumer desktop lineup. In addition to the new Intel processor, the SHIFT now boasts of SATA 6G which enables Crucial’s new RealSSD C300 to reach speeds of 335 MB/s on sustained reads. MAINGEAR Updates SHIFT Everyday Super Computer to Include Core i7 980X and More SHIFT now configurable with Intel’s 6 core Core i7 980X processor, SATA 6Gb, and USB 3.0, winning PC
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WD Introduces 1TB My Passport SE For Mac Portable USB Drive
Western Digital introduced new 1TG and 750GB My Passport SE for Mac portable USB drives. The new drives are currently available at WD's online store and are formatted for Mac and compatible with Apple Time Machine software. The drives are USB powered and feature 256-bit hardware encryption with password protection. WD Introduces New One Terabyte My Passport SE for Mac Portable Drives LAKE FOREST, Calif., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WD®, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced
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EUROCOM Equips 17" D900F Panther Notebook With Core i7-980X Extreme Edition
EUROCOM has been known to go overboard when it comes to notebooks, though some may say they're just going beyond the call of duty in order to offer up cutting-edge products to their customers. Intel's new Core i7-980X "Gulftown" has been quite the hit in the desktop world, but given the massive heat output, it has yet to find its way into a notebook. And for good reason; Intel never intended for this chip to be used in a laptop.That's not stopping EUROCOM from doing the impossible, though, as the new D900F Panther
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Getting Physical: AMD, NVIDIA Trade Shots Over Hardware Physics
When it comes to hardware-accelerated PhysX and the future of GPGPU computing AMD and NVIDIA are the modern-day descendents of the Hatfields and McCoys. Both companies attended GDC last week, where a completely predictable war broke out over PhysX, physics, developer payoffs, and gamer interest in PhysX (or the lack thereof). The brouhaha kicked off with comments from the senior manager of developer relations at AMD, Richard Huddy, who said: "What I’ve seen with physics, or PhysX rather, is that Nvidia create
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CyberPower Offers Intel's 6 Core Gulftown CPU For High-End Rigs
CyberPower is rolling out a new series of high-end gaming rigs based on Intel's Gulftown processor. CyberPower's top of the line Black Pearl, Gamer Xtreme 3D, and Fang Series Black Mamba gaming systems will offer the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Processor. In addition, the entire line of X58 systems will offer the Core i7-980X option. CyberPower Beefs up High-End Gaming Rigs with Intel's 6 Core "Gulftown" CPU BALDWIN PARK, CA (March 16, 2010) - CyberPower's www.cyberpowerpc.com high-end gaming rigs will
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Microsoft's New LifeCams Go To 720p: Your Makeup On?
Many people forget that Microsoft is a hardware company as well as a software company. There's no question that Windows, Windows Mobile and now Windows Phone 7 Series gets the majority of the attention, but the Zune HD, their line of mice and keyboards, and even their webcams are certainly deserving of a look. Today, the Redmond-based giant is expanding their LifeCam lineup, and for those who like the idea of video chats in HD, you'll probably be snapping one up to sit on top of your monitor.The latest three
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ZOTAC Announces World's First ION Upgrade Kit
ZOTAC is best known for a couple of things: intense graphics card, and powerful small form factor PCs. Today, the company is touching on both of its core values with the introduction of the world's first ION Upgrade Kits. This is a huge boon for anyone looking to get a little more horsepower behind their existing shell.The ION Upgrade Kit features a ZOTAC small form factor motherboard and ZOTAC ION (powered by NVIDIA, obviously) graphics card; all you need is an enclosure that'll hold it all. The solution ships
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Razer Introduces DeathAdder Left Hand Edition Gaming Mouse
Gamers come in all shapes and sizes, and believe it or not, not all of them prefer to game with the same hand. There's no doubt that right-handed gamers are catered to more often than not, while left-handed gamers are usually left to fend for themselves. Today, Razer is making life a lot easier for left-handed in-game snipers, with the first "gaming grade mouse" to be made specifically for lefthanders.It's a familiar mouse, the DeathAdder, but now in a left-handed edition. It's simply called the DeathAdder Left
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Digital Storm’s Black|OPS Desktop Gains 4.4GHz Core i7-980X
Digital Storm has been fighting tooth and nail to make a name for themselves in the gaming desktop area, and there's hardly a better way to do that than by putting the world's fastest CPU into one of their desktops. And then overclocking it. The company's massive Black|OPS desktop is now available to order with Intel's Core i7 980X Extreme Edition, but rather than running at the stock 3.3GHz speed, this one can be tuned up to 4.4GHz. There's no question that this 32nm chip will turn out some serious benchmarks,
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HTPC Building - A HotHardware How-To Video Spotlight
Building a Home Theater PC is often times a much better option for enabling your entertainment center for various forms of digital media playback capability. Rather than stepping up to additional discrete components, like a stand-alone Blu-ray, DVD or CD player, why not really infuse your living room entertainment center with real intelligence and multimedia muscle and build an HTPC (Home Theater PC)? In this video, we'll give you some suggestions on a few component selection options for building
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Astro Gaming Debuts A30 Cross-Gaming Headset
Gaming headsets are becoming more and more popular with online gaming becoming a more well-integrated aspect of gaming in general, and Astro Gaming has been at the forefront of the revolution. The new Astro A30 Cross-Gaming Headset uses the same audio and voice communication DNA in the A40, but it utilizes a lightweight, street-styled design that can be used on consoles and even cellphones.It's basically a headset or a set of headphones, or both. There's a built-in, Dolby-powered ASTRO MixAmp, which is an audio
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Dude, You're Getting a ... Mac? February Mac Sales Skyrocket
Show of hands - who out there is drinking the Apple flavored Kool-Aid? If everyone's being honest, then look around and you'll likely see a lot of limbs flailing about, and certainly a good number more than if we would have asked this question one year ago. Why is that? According to market research firm NPD, retail sales of Mac computers in the month of February jumped 43 percent for the month.A one-time anomaly? Not likely. Similarly strong sales were also noted in January, in which the NPD group says Mac sales
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Home Theater PC Building - A HotHardware How-To
Building a Home Theater PC is often times a much better option for enabling your entertainment center for various forms of digital media playback capability. Rather than stepping up to additional discrete components, like a stand-alone Blu-ray, DVD or CD player, why not infuse your living room entertainment center with real intelligence and multimedia muscle and build an HTPC (Home Theater PC)? In this video, we'll give you some suggestions on a few component selection options for building an HTPC,
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How Google Goofed in Porting the Nexus One to AT&T

Some blunders are entirely understandable, like forgetting to put your pants on before walking out in public (we've all been there, right? Right?). Others have you scratching your head wondering 'what the frack were they thinking?' Google's latest move falls into the latter category, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

In a blog post this week, Google announced that its Nexus One smartphone "superphone" is now compatible with AT&T's 3G network, something that hasn't been possible up to this point since T-Mobile and AT&T use different 3G frequencies. So how'd Google do it? No deals with the devil here, the search giant simply released a second model that's compatible with both AT&T's 3G network and will run on Rogers Wireless in Canada.

Brown and black areas represent 3G. Pink represents EDGE/GPRS.

On the surface, this is a brilliant move by Google. After all, the Nexus One hasn't exactly been smoking the competition in sales, let alone living up to the hype as a potential iPhone killer. And how could it, given T-Mobile's dismal 3G coverage? It can't, and the proof is in the sales. According to Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, Google sold about 135,000 Nexus One smartphones in the past 74 days. By comparison, Apple sold eight times as many iPhones during the same period, and even Motorola's Droid outpaced the Nexus One by the same margin.

"As Google and Apple continue to battle for the mobile marketplace, Google Nexus One may go down as a grand, failed experiment or one that ultimately helped Google learn something that will prove important in years to come," writes Peter Farago, VP of Marketing, Flurry.

Farago goes on to argue that Apple is enjoying much more 3rd party developer support, and that ultimately "developers support hardware with the largest installed base first." If that's the case, getting back to our original question, why then are we scratching our heads over Google's latest announcement? Because we can't fathom how the Nexus One will turn it's lackluster sales figures around at $529 a pop. Without a subsidized two-year contract -- and there isn't one being offered through AT&T, unlike T-Mobile, which offers the Nexus One for $179 -- Google's fighting an even bigger uphill battle than it needs to. Even more perplexing, Google appears to be just fine with that.

Image Credit: Flurry.com

"We're pleased with our sales volumes and with how well the Nexus One has been received by our customers," a Google spokesperson told InformationWeek.com. "The Nexus One is one of a fast growing number of Android handsets which have been brought to market through the Android ecosystem. Our partners are shipping more than 60,000 Android handsets each day compared with 30,000 just three months ago."

That's fine for the Android platform, but if Google is serious about pushing its own hardware out along with it -- and they should be, considering the Nexus One is really nice smartphone -- they're going to need a different game plan.

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Get Lucky With The HotHardware, Intel and iBuyPower Sweepstakes

In light of the St. Patrick's Day Holiday, we thought it would be fun to give away yet another awesome gaming system! Thanks to our good friends at Intel and iBuyPower, we’ve got a killer rig to give away to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! This time around, you could win a full Intel Core i7 980X Gulftown-based system, complete with a Radeon HD 5870 pushing the pixels, an Intel X25-M SSD, and a head-turning Chimera Inferno 2 case.

There is no doubt this machine will be great for all of the gamers and enthusiasts out there! And it could be all yours! As we've done with previous sweepstakes, we’ll be giving away this rig away to a randomly selected contributor to our on-line forum and news discussion systems (see below for details). The complete break-down of components in the system includes:

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Case: Chimera Inferno 2 Processor: Intel Core i7 980X Cooling: Liquid CPU Cooling w/ 120mm Radiator Memory: 6 GB DDR3-1600 Triple Channel Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5870 - 1GB Motherboard: Intel X58 Motherboard Add-on: ASUS U3S6 USB 3 & SATA 3 Power Supply: 1000 Watt Power Supply Primary Storage: 80 GB Intel X25-M MLC SSD Data Hard Drive: 1TB Hard Drive Optical Drive: 10X LG Blu-Ray Re-Writer OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Miscellaneous: iBUYPOWER / NZXT Internal USB Expansion System + Bluetooth Module Subtotal: ~$2,999.00

To be entered into the sweepstakes, you’ve got to be a registered, active member of our forum and a resident of the United States or Canada. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up quickly and easily (and for free), right here.

From this point forward, we’ll be monitoring discussions here in the news and in the forum as well. We will be randomly selecting a winner based on community involvement and quality of contribution. You can also increase your chances of winning by signing up for our HotHardware RSS News Alerts or becoming a fan of HotHardware via our respective Facebook or Twitter feeds. The contest will run for about a month; we'll announce the winner on Monday, April 19, 2010.

This is a great chance for to you to win a custom, ultra powerful new system. Now go make some new friends in the forum and get in the running! Good Luck!

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MOG Brings Streaming Music To iPhone And Android Platforms For $10/Month

iTunes has the music market locked down in some ways, but there are still subscription-based services out there gaining traction simply because it's a market that Apple has shunned. There's no way to pay iTunes a monthly premium in order to stream as much music as you'd like, but that functionality will soon be coming to the iPhone anyway.

MOG is making a name for themselves this week by introducing an "all-you-can-eat" styled music download service that's meant to be used on iPhone and Android smartphones, and the good news is that the $10/month service fee allows users to also stream music on their desktops. What's notable is that this isn't a download-and-save service; you can stream tunes, but it doesn't seem that you get to keep a local copy on your own system. That's probably why it's cheaper than Rhapsody-To-Go, which runs $15/month.

The app should be coming in early Q2 if it can pass through Apple's filters, and it just might pressure Apple into seeing what revenue they're missing out on by ignoring the streaming market. Any music, any time to the iPhone or Android? We're sold.

With MOG All Access Mobile, users will be able to access MOG’s full music catalog of seven million songs from a smartphone. Features include:

• On-demand listening: Users can listen to any artist, album, or song, on-demand, in unlimited amounts.
• MOG Radio: Users can hear an unending stream of music based on a track or artist, with full control over how many similar artists are mixed in. Because MOG Radio is built right into the play queue, the music never has to stop.
• Music discovery technology: With an innovative slider control, users can decide if they want to listen to true “artist only” radio, or allow for the introduction of similar artists into the playlist queue.
• Seamless integration between website and mobile: Users can access the playlists they make at MOG.com for on-the-go listening. They can also bookmark favorites while using the mobile app that are then integrated into their personal library.
• My Downloads: Users can, in unlimited fashion, download songs to their phone into a “local cache” so they can continue to listen to music even when out of cell or WiFi range.
• HQ Audio: Users can download songs at the standard rate of 64 kbps or turn on HQ downloads to save the song as a larger file with higher audio quality.

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MAINGEAR Updates SHIFT With Core i7 980X & More

MAINGEAR is expanding its lineup to offer the new Intel Core i7 980X 6-core processor. The MAINGEAR SHIFT is part of the company's high performance consumer desktop lineup. In addition to the new Intel processor, the SHIFT now boasts of SATA 6G which enables Crucial’s new RealSSD C300 to reach speeds of 335 MB/s on sustained reads.

MAINGEAR Updates SHIFT Everyday Super Computer to Include Core i7 980X and More

SHIFT now configurable with Intel’s 6 core Core i7 980X processor, SATA 6Gb, and USB 3.0, winning PC Mag’s Editors’ Choice Award

Union, New Jersey – March 16, 2010 – MAINGEAR Computers, award-winning builders of custom computers for PC gamers and enthusiasts, announces a hardware refresh for the SHIFT everyday supercomputer. The revamped hardware is highlighted by Intel’s Core i7 980X 6 core, hyperthreaded 3.33GHz processor, giving enthusiasts the ability to run up to an astonishing 12 threads in parallel enabling your PC to execute multiple CPU intensive tasks at once. SHIFT also now boasts scorching fast SATA 6G that enables Crucial’s new RealSSD C300 to reach speeds of 335 MB/s on sustained reads, which is now also available on the SHIFT.

MAINGEAR’s implementation of USB 3.0 further solidifies SHIFT’s high performance prowess allowing newer flash drives and external SSDs to really fly at speeds up to 5Gbps. To ensure the new state-of-the-art hardware doesn’t come at the cost of added decibels, MAINGEAR integrated AcoustiPack sound dampening that keeps the system whisper quiet no matter what’s going on under the hood. In their review on March 11th, PC Mag awarded this new SHIFT their coveted Editors’ Choice award.

“The new Intel Core i7 980X is the fastest, smartest desktop PC microprocessor on the planet, and it only makes sense that it’s prominently featured in the masterfully hand crafted MAINGEAR SHIFT,” said CJ Bruno, VP, GM Intel Americas. “The MAINGEAR SHIFT, featuring an overclocked Intel Core i7 980X, was recognized by PC Magazine as one of the fastest gaming PCs on the market today and awarded their Editors Choice.”

“Our all new 2010 SHIFT is taking the pole position in the high performance consumer desktop market,” said Wallace Santos, CEO and Founder of MAINGEAR. “By intelligently integrating best-of-breed hardware and supporting it with top-tier, in-house technical support by the same guys who built your system, we’re delivering the best PC experience money can buy.”

MAINGEAR’s SHIFT rethinks the status quo of the high end PC industry with rigs that often feature an array of plastic, bling, and commoditized components and offers every day supercomputing in a sophisticated design with sublime, elegant lines, unmatched performance, optimal airflow, and limitless upgradeability. By harnessing the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU), the SHIFT can speed up everyday tasks like photo and video editing, transcoding videos for portable media devices, and upscaling standard definition video.

Consumers can purchase the Shift at MAINGEAR’s Web site www.maingear.com or order by phone at (888-MAINGEAR). The base price for the Shift is $1,799 and comes with MAINGEAR’s premium Lifetime Labor and Phone Support with 2 year hardware warranty and is backed by the best in-house support team in the country.

The SHIFT Everyday Super Computer
Chipset	Intel® P55 Express Chipset	Intel® X58 Express Chipset
Case	MAINGEAR SHIFT	MAINGEAR SHIFT
Processor	Intel® Core™ i5 and i7 up to 2.93GHz	Intel® Core™ i7 up to 3.33GHz
Motherboard	Asus® P7P55D-E	Asus® P6X58D
Video Card	Your choice of NVIDIA or AMD/ATI	Your choice of NVIDIA or AMD/ATI
Memory	Up to 16GB DDR3 Dual Channel	Up to 24GB DDR3 Dual Channel
Power Supply	Up to 1.2KW Silverstone	Up to 1.2KW Silverstone
Hard Drive	WD Caviar Black, Crucial RealSSD C300, and more	WD Caviar Black, Crucial RealSSD C300, and more
Optical Drives	DVD and Blu-ray Burner options	DVD and Blu-ray Burner options
Sound Card	Optional Auzentech Hi-fidelity	Optional Auzentech Hi-fidelity
Cooling	Closed-loop MAINGEAR X120 watercooling	Closed-loop MAINGEAR X120 watercooling
OS	Microsoft Windows 7	Microsoft Windows 7
Base Price	$1,799	$2,299

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Motorola CLIQ XT Android Smartphone On Sale At T-Mobile For $129.99

Motorola was all but dead in the cellphone world just 2 years ago. A DROID, CLIQ and DEVOUR later, and it's hard to believe these guys ever went anywhere. Motorola is firmly back on track in the smartphone arena, and the CLIQ XT is yet another fantastic addition to their portfolio. Launched today solely on T-Mobile USA, this Androd-based phone has the MOTOBLUR navigation panel and Flash-enabled software to boot.

Other specifications include a 5MP camera, music player, 3.5mm audio jack, built-in GPS, 3G, a microSD card slot, a proximity sensor, and a full touchscreen to get your fingers moving. It's a refined look from the original CLIQ that we definitely like, and while the price isn't quite iPhone 3G-level, it's not bad for an Android phone.

It's available to order today for $129.99 on an Even More plan (requires a 2-year contract) or $329.99 on an Even More Plus plan.

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Dude, You're Getting a ... Mac? February Mac Sales Skyrocket

Show of hands - who out there is drinking the Apple flavored Kool-Aid? If everyone's being honest, then look around and you'll likely see a lot of limbs flailing about, and certainly a good number more than if we would have asked this question one year ago. Why is that? According to market research firm NPD, retail sales of Mac computers in the month of February jumped 43 percent for the month.

A one-time anomaly? Not likely. Similarly strong sales were also noted in January, in which the NPD group says Mac sales skyrocketed by 36 percent. Put the two months together and Apple's selling nearly 40 percent more Macs than it did to begin 2009.

To be fair, it's not as though Apple should have any trouble outpacing early 2009 figures. In January and February of 2009, Mac sales declined 6 percent and 16 percent, respectively, which was the first time in nearly six years that Apple reported a year-to-year drop-off in Mac sales. But even if we dismiss last year's dismal sales as a yardstick, Apple still stands to sell between 2.8 million and 2.9 million Macs in the March quarter, a tick above Wall Street's expectation of 2.7 million units.

"Ever since the refresh of the MacBook Pros last year, they've done well," said Stephen Baker, an analyst at NPD.

'Doing well' might be an understatement, at least according to Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray, who recently dubbed 2010 the "Year of the Mac."

So why such a dramatic turnaround compared to last year? Part of the answer is that the entire PC market is on an upswing. According to IDC, steeply discounted PCs and improving economic conditions are paving the way for double-digit growth in 2010. And even though price drops aren't exactly in Apple's DNA, Baker says consumers are seeking out lower-priced units, such as the $999 MacBook and $1,199 MacBook Pro (the lowest priced MacBook Pro available).

"It's been a good platform," Baker said. "I'm not sure why it's selling better [than the previous desktop], but then, the entire PC market is doing extremely well right now."

On a related note, Apple iPod sales are also up from last year to the tune of 10 percent, and up 7 percent in the first two months of 2010 compared to the same time frame in 2009.

So we ask again - who among you is drinking the Apple flavored Kool-Aid?

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Velocity Micro Brings Core i7-980X Extreme Edition To Desktop Rigs

Intel's new Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor rocked our benchmarking lab, and now it's ready to rock your own computer den. The chip has already landed on a bunch of new machines (or old machines with refreshed specifications) Velocity Micro wants to make sure that they are also an option when it comes time to select a new 980X-based machine.

The company has added the chip as an option to a number of their machines, with six-core desktops starting at $2825. According to the company, the i7-980X allows Velocity Micro to unleash an array of benchmark-crushing PCs, offering performance boosts of up to 40% on applications which utilize the i7-980X’s twelve hyperthreaded virtual cores and extreme overclockability. VelocityMicro.com customers will be able to get their hands on all of that power with the fully upgradeable Edge Z55 starting $2,825 with the expertly configured Raptor Lx665 and Lx775 available at TigerDirect.com for $3,599 and $4,799 respectively. Not cheap, but then again, this CPU isn't for the lighthearted (or the empty-walleted).

Velocity Micro Announces the Immediate Availability of Intel® Core™ i7-980X Processor Extreme Edition Powered PCs

Record-setting configurations featuring the ground-breaking six core processor for sale at select retailers and direct from VelocityMicro.com

Richmond, VA—March 16, 2010— Velocity Micro, the premier independent builder of premium, high performance desktop computers, notebooks, and peripherals, announces the immediate availability of the world’s first six core, twelve thread, single processor desktop PC. Powered by the Intel® Core™ i7-980X, these newly launched configurations combine the smartest, fastest processor on the planet with Velocity Micro’s expert engineering for extreme power in multimedia and gaming applications, especially when multi-tasking, for the ultimate in productivity, speed, and bragging rights. Six core desktops begin at $2,825.

“With the launch of the Core i7-980X, Intel has given us the means to create a whole new level of benchmark crushing, ultra performance PCs,” said Velocity Micro Vice President Chip Lowell. “By utilizing this new technology in conjunction with our meticulous craftsmanship and patented engineering methods, we’re able to offer some of the most powerful, record breaking consumer desktops on the market.”

The release of the Intel Core i7-980X highlights Intel’s continued awesome portfolio for the extreme performance processor market. Building on the innovative Nehalem architecture, the i7-980X allows Velocity Micro to unleash an array of benchmark-crushing PCs, offering performance boosts of up to 40% on applications which utilize the i7-980X’s twelve hyperthreaded virtual cores and extreme overclockability. VelocityMicro.com customers will be able to get their hands on all of that power with the fully upgradeable Edge Z55 starting $2,825 with the expertly configured Raptor Lx665 and Lx775 available at TigerDirect.com for $3,599 and $4,799 respectively.

“The Core i7-980X Extreme Edition is a massive leap ahead for microprocessor technology and for consumers as well," said CJ Bruno, VP, GM Intel Americas. "PC enthusiasts will love and greatly benefit from the performance boost that the world’s first desktop six core processor offers. We are thrilled that Velocity Micro is able to offer the Core i7 980X on launch day to this performance-hungry crowd.”

All Velocity Micro PCs are hand built and supported in the USA. To configure a Core i7-980X based system or another ultra performance desktop, notebook, or netbook, visit www.VelocityMicro.com. Velocity Micro products are also available from select retailers nationwide.

About Velocity Micro

Velocity Micro, Inc. is the premier high-performance personal computer provider in North America. Founded in 1992, Richmond, Va.-based Velocity Micro custom builds award winning gaming, mobile, multimedia, home office, small business, pro workstation, and visual supercomputer solutions. Velocity Micro consumer systems are available at Frys and select Staples retail stores nationwide, as well as online vendors Amazon, Costco.com, Target.com, Newegg, TigerDirect, Overstock, and many others. For more information on Velocity Micro, please call (800) 303-7866 or visit www.velocitymicro.com.

Velocity Micro has earned over 45+ industry awards, including 12 PC Magazine Editors’ Choice awards. CNET, Maximum PC, Mobile PC, PC World, Computer Gaming World, Computer Shopper, and PC Gamer editors have all chosen Velocity Micro systems as some of the industry's best-performing, highest-quality, and most reliable PCs.

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Internet Explorer 9 Is Looking Positively Sexy

See that headline? If you'd asked us last week if we'd ever use the word "sexy" to describe a browser—particularly a Microsoft browser—we'd have beaten you with a stack of TPS reports. This week, well, it's a different story. The actual IE9 browser isn't available for download yet, but Microsoft has made what it calls the Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview available for download. Internet Explorer 9 offers a bevy of new features compared to IE8 (or anything else), but the most exciting feature is the browser's built-in GPU hardware acceleration.

As it turns out, there's quite a bit Microsoft can do, even with a modest integrated GPU. AMD's Robin Maffeo has put together a blog post that summarizes several key differences between IE9 and its predecessors.

• The MSHTML rendering layer has been enhanced to use Direct2D and DirectWrite instead of GDI. Direct2D enables GPU accelerated 2D graphics and text, and allows sub-pixel positioning. In addition, the GPU is used for scaling (bitmaps are mapped to textures), which is ideal for zooming and moving images around the screen. This GPU support translates directly into improved readability of pages, more precise placement of text and images, and smooth scrolling and zooming.


• JavaScript performance is greatly improved from older versions of Internet Explorer, and should be competitive if not better than competing browsers. In the past, JavaScript in IE was interpreted and not compiled into native processor instructions. The JavaScript engine now includes a JIT compiler which emits x86 instructions and compiles the code before it runs, resulting in a dramatic performance uplift. Instruction generation can also be tailored to the underlying processor to take full advantage of the underlying platform.


• IE9 is more standards compliant than previous versions, with new support for HTML5 elements such as

The Javascript performance improvement is still a bit murky; let's unpack it with some help from the official IE9 blog. "To improve JavaScript performance even more, Chakra [IE9's Javascript engine] does something quite different from other script engines today. It has a separate background thread for compiling JavaScript. Windows runs that thread in parallel on a separate core when one is available. Compiling in the background enables users to keep interacting with webpages while IE generates even faster code. By running separately in the background, this process can take advantage of today’s multi-core machines – so, users with a Core2Duo or QuadCore or i7 can apply that power to making webpages faster without any additional effort. "

Still shots don't do the rendering engine justice. Picture 256 icons spinning at 60 frames a second, without slowing anything else down.

IE9 isn't expected to drop until 2011 and its GPU-accelerated rendering engine isn't compatible with Windows XP due to fundamental differences between Windows XP's software rendering style and the Desktop Window Manager that ships with both Windows 7 and Windows Vista; it's not clear if Microsoft will release IE9 for XP or simply continue to maintain IE8's security patches. It's hard to capture some of the coolest things the IE9 Platform can do in a static screenshot; head over to Microsoft's website and take a look yourself if you're curious. When you consider how much of our time is spent within a browser, this is the sort of innovation that could genuinely be called a game-changer. We'll undoubtedly see announcements and demonstrations from Chrome, Firefox, and Opera in the days ahead—the sooner this tech hits the desktop (without being buggy) the better.

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HTPC Building - A HotHardware How-To Video Spotlight

Building a Home Theater PC is often times a much better option for enabling your entertainment center for various forms of digital media playback capability. Rather than stepping up to additional discrete components, like a stand-alone Blu-ray, DVD or CD player, why not really infuse your living room entertainment center with real intelligence and multimedia muscle and build an HTPC (Home Theater PC)? In this video, we'll give you some suggestions on a few component selection options for building an HTPC, as well as a high-level overview of its assembly and a few key design points to look out for.

HTPC Building - A HotHardware How-To

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Digital Storm’s Black|OPS Desktop Gains 4.4GHz Core i7-980X

Digital Storm has been fighting tooth and nail to make a name for themselves in the gaming desktop area, and there's hardly a better way to do that than by putting the world's fastest CPU into one of their desktops. And then overclocking it.

The company's massive Black|OPS desktop is now available to order with Intel's Core i7 980X Extreme Edition, but rather than running at the stock 3.3GHz speed, this one can be tuned up to 4.4GHz. There's no question that this 32nm chip will turn out some serious benchmarks, but those extreme results will require extreme cash. The Extreme configuration has a base price of $5,642, easily making it one of the most expensive desktops in the world today. Anyone ponying up?

Digital Storm’ Black ¦OPS Gaming PC Integrates World’s Fastest CPU at 4.4GHz

Ultimate gaming PC updated with Intel’s lighting-fast Core i7 980X Extreme Edition processor

Fremont, Calif. – (March 16, 2010) – Digital Storm, the predominant name in system integration, proudly announces a hardware update to its Black|OPS gaming systems. Now gamers can configure the Black|OPS machine with Intel’s first consumer hexa-core processor, the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition.

With the addition of the 32nm Core i7-980X processor, also known as Gulftown, gamers can effortlessly run up to 12 computing threads at once, a feat that was once unimaginable. Intel’s’ new processor features an impressive 12MB L3 cache, which helps streamline operation by limiting the number of times the CPU needs to access DDR3 memory. The Core i7-980X has a clock speed of 3.33GHz, making it as fast as any processor Intel has ever created.

“The introduction of a six core processor with hyper threading capabilities is a momentous occasion for gaming enthusiasts,” remarked Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm’s Director of Product Development. “With our TwisterBoost overclocking package, we can overclock the i7-980X to a record breaking 4.4GHz. The results we’ve recorded on our test bench have been nothing short of astounding. I can honestly say that our Black OPS machines with this new CPU resulted in the most impressive gaming experience I’ve ever had.”

Digital Storm’s Black|OPS systems with Intel’s Core i7-980X Extreme Edition are currently available for purchase at www.DigitalStormOnline.com. The Extreme configuration has a base price of $5,642 & each Digital Storm system comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty, including replacement parts, and lifetime customer support.

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Spring Design Puts $399 Alex E-Reader On Pre-Order

Spring Design voiced their intentions to jump into the ebook market late last year, and even at CES we were led to believe that the Alex e-reader would ship by February. It's obviously March, and the Alex is still not in the hands of consumers. But that's the bad news; the good news is that one of the world's first dual-screen e-readers is now available to order (pre-order, really) and will be shipping next month.

Another unique thing about the Alex is the fact that it's based around Android, Google's mobile operating system. It'll cost far more than Amazon's Kindle at $399, but the addition of a color screen at the bottom may make it worthwhile for some. Another new tidbit is that the availability of the Borders eBook store won't be there until June, but you can certainly load up your own content in the meanwhile.

We really wish the second screen could be used for things like video and gaming, but who knows, maybe that will come in due time. After all, with Android at the helm, almost anything is possible.

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Microsoft's New LifeCams Go To 720p: Your Makeup On?

Many people forget that Microsoft is a hardware company as well as a software company. There's no question that Windows, Windows Mobile and now Windows Phone 7 Series gets the majority of the attention, but the Zune HD, their line of mice and keyboards, and even their webcams are certainly deserving of a look. Today, the Redmond-based giant is expanding their LifeCam lineup, and for those who like the idea of video chats in HD, you'll probably be snapping one up to sit on top of your monitor.

The latest three LifeCams feature TrueColor Technology, with the LifeCam HD-5000, LifeCam HD-5001 and LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks sporting 720p HD sensors and AutoFocus technology. Pricing and details for the family are highlighted below, but just make sure to deactivate whichever one you buy when you don't want to be on camera. Wouldn't want to be accidentally seen without your morning makeup, right?

Today Microsoft Hardware announced three new LifeCams featuring TrueColor Technology, a groundbreaking image-processing technology that produces a bright, colorful picture in even the most challenging light conditions. Microsoft developers and researchers created TrueColor Technology to enhance color during video calls, and by combining software and firmware, TrueColor makes each video look bright and colorful in virtually any lighting situation.

·        The LifeCam HD-5000 features a flexible attachment base to fit on most surfaces, and is the only webcam on the market to offer 720p HD widescreen video and Auto Focus for under $50. Exclusive to Best Buy, the LifeCam HD-5001 includes all the same great features as the LifeCam HD-5000, but will have a custom design with a white faceplate. Both will be available later this month for $49.95 each.

·        The LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks includes TrueColor Technology, 720p HD widescreen video, Auto Focus and a compact design and carrying case that is exclusive to notebook users. For the ultimate viewing experience, the LifeCam HD-6000 features a 360-degree rotation view making it even easier to share more with friends and family. It will be available in May for $59.95.

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EUROCOM Equips 17" D900F Panther Notebook With Core i7-980X Extreme Edition

EUROCOM has been known to go overboard when it comes to notebooks, though some may say they're just going beyond the call of duty in order to offer up cutting-edge products to their customers. Intel's new Core i7-980X "Gulftown" has been quite the hit in the desktop world, but given the massive heat output, it has yet to find its way into a notebook. And for good reason; Intel never intended for this chip to be used in a laptop.

That's not stopping EUROCOM from doing the impossible, though, as the new D900F Panther can be ordered with either the 3.33GHz Core i7-980X Extreme Edition or the new Xeon W56xx CPUs. Desktop-level CPUs have been found every so often in larger notebooks, but this is a real feat. We can't believe that EUROCOM has managed to get this into a laptop so fast, and as you'd expect, the rest of the specifications are equally impressive. Up to 24GB of DDR3 RAM, a 17" display, up to 2.4TB of hard drive space (up to 4 HDDs), NVIDIA's GTX 285 or Quadro FX 2800/3800 GPUs and an optional RAID setup.

You can customize the machine to your liking right now, but the 980X rig starts at $3675. Starts. Good luck affording it, and good luck lugging this thing around!

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Getting Physical: AMD, NVIDIA Trade Shots Over Hardware Physics

When it comes to hardware-accelerated PhysX and the future of GPGPU computing AMD and NVIDIA are the modern-day descendents of the Hatfields and McCoys. Both companies attended GDC last week, where a completely predictable war broke out over PhysX, physics, developer payoffs, and gamer interest in PhysX (or the lack thereof).

The brouhaha kicked off with comments from the senior manager of developer relations at AMD, Richard Huddy, who said: "What I’ve seen with physics, or PhysX rather, is that Nvidia create a marketing deal with a title, and then as part of that marketing deal, they have the right to go in and implement PhysX in the game...I’m not aware of any GPU-accelerated PhysX code which is there because the games developer wanted it with the exception of the Unreal stuff. I don’t know of any games company that’s actually said ‘you know what, I really want GPU-accelerated PhysX, I’d like to tie myself to Nvidia and that sounds like a great plan.'"

This rather irritated Team Green, who hit back with some comments of their own. In an interview with PCGamesHardware, the director of product management for PhysX, Nadeem Mohammed, said: "we do not pay developers to select PhysX instead of other physics solution. Once PhysX is selected...we will work closely with them [the developer] to provide whatever engineering and technical assistance to make the PC version as good as it can be—and hopefully that includes pushing the edge on special PhysX effects which may require GPU acceleration for best performance."

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, PhysX is used to create the fog and shadows above (along with some GPU cloth)

From here the situation declines rapidly. AMD claims that PhysX is proprietary, deliberately deprecated to lower CPU performance, and that NVIDIA's claims that gamers actually want PhysX are spurious. According to Team Red, NVIDIA is propping up PhysX through marketing deals and bribes; the company points to NVIDIA's decision to disable PhysX if a non-NVIDIA GPU is present and the squabble over antialiasing in Batman: Arkham Asylum as proof that NVIDIA can't be trusted to maintain an "open" standard. NVIDIA's response? bullsh err, "Nonsense." We don't have room to address the complete scope of the disagreement, but lets examine whether or not PhysX counts as proprietary.

Without PhysX, the game looks more like this. Detail levels are just as good, but the ambient fog and cloth are missing.

This Section Brought To You By Ragdoll Physics

PhysX is free in the sense that anyone can download the developer tools but it's not an open standard, despite NVIDIA's attempts to portray it as such. An open standard (like OpenGL) is typically maintained by a neutral third party or jointly controlled by several competitors. NVIDIA has made comments implying that it would love to see ATI implement PhysX support in-driver, but AMD's experience with standards controlled by its principle competitor (Intel) have probably left it deeply leery of such partnerships. It's all to easy to see NVIDIA agreeing to share its current PhysX implementation only to turn around and announce a new, NVIDIA GPU-required version of PhysX, hypothetically dubbed PhysX 2.0.

Unless NVIDIA agrees to share power or turns the standard over to a neutral third party AMD (probably) won't come to the table.Instead of a unified hardware physics platform, we'll likely have to deal with two competing solutions. NVIDIA has the advantage of having started much earlier, but a true open standard from AMD could gather developer support quickly.

NVIDIA pays lip service to the idea of sharing PhysX with AMD, but the company's decision last fall to disable PhysX if an AMD GPU was running as the primary display speaks much louder than any nice talk about sharing. It's never, ever a good idea to punish your customers by taking away product functionality that they actually paid for. The company claims compatibility issues and QA testing were the problem, which should mean that the option is plastered with WARNING stickers and "Use at Your Own Risk."

Until the dust settles, gamers can look forward to fractured standard support, forced incompatibility, and a whole lot of finger-pointing.We at Hot Hardware can't predict what hardware acceleration standard will win, but as gamers we all lose.

One last note. The popularity of PhysX changes depending on how you tally it. If we count games that use software PhysX then NVIDIA's claim that over 240 titles use PhysX is probably accurate. If we go by hardware accelerated PhysX, there are just 15 games on NVIDIA's own list. Title quality is hit-and-miss. Even if we assume there are 10 games that should be on that list and aren't, hardware PhysX support clearly hasn't taken off yet.

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CyberPower Offers Intel's 6 Core Gulftown CPU For High-End Rigs

CyberPower is rolling out a new series of high-end gaming rigs based on Intel's Gulftown processor. CyberPower's top of the line Black Pearl, Gamer Xtreme 3D, and Fang Series Black Mamba gaming systems will offer the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Processor. In addition, the entire line of X58 systems will offer the Core i7-980X option.

CyberPower Beefs up High-End Gaming Rigs with Intel's 6 Core "Gulftown" CPU

BALDWIN PARK, CA (March 16, 2010) - CyberPower's www.cyberpowerpc.com high-end gaming rigs will get an extreme performance boost when the company rolls out a new series based on Intel's most advanced processor to date, the "Gulftown."

The Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Processor, dubbed "Gulftown," features six physical cores. Intel's hyper threading technology provides users with an additional six virtual cores for a total of 12 threads on a CPU operating at a blazing 3.33GHz. Users can enhance the already scorching speeds with CyberPower's Venom Boost optional technology, which overclocks the processor up to an additional 30 percent.

Intel's Gulftown will enable you to crush the most intense 3D games and applications with ease. CyberPower's top of the line Black Pearl, Gamer Xtreme 3D, and Fang Series Black Mamba gaming systems will all be powered by Intel's 6-core monster. Additionally, CyberPower will integrate the Core i7-980X option across its entire X58 line of systems giving you the power of the Gulftown processor with your dream configuration.

CyberPower offers several advanced cooling options to keep your CPU cooled. CyberPower's Advanced Hydro Liquid Cooling kit is the preferred cooling of choice allowing you to overclock the Gulftown up to 30% while keeping temperatures and noise level low. CyberPower also features Asetek's new 550LC liquid cooling solution for enhanced heat dissipation.

All i7-980X based systems can be easily customized with a number of hard drive, SSD, component, memory, and optical drive options at the company website. All systems are pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Operating System to enhance your gaming and multimedia experience.

All CyberPower computer systems come with a 3-year limited warranty and free lifetime phone support.

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Need a few motherboard standoffs

Hi guys,

I got a Thermaltake Armor case from a buddy/classmate of mine who no longer needed it (he had gotten an Antec 1200). However, the case only came with one motherboard standoff. No problem, I tell myself, I've got tons of those! But boy was there a problem. When I used my own standoffs, I realized they were a good 2mm too short! My I/O ports barely make it into the I/O shield, and I can't even plug in any PCI cards all the way.

It seems, then, that the Thermaltake Armor uses nonstandard standoffs. I measured the one standoff I luckily had and saw that it is precisely 1cm tall (not counting the screw threading, which adds 4mm). So, does anyone have any standoffs like this lying around? I really don't care about thickness or material, or even if they're all different, I'm just looking for the right size. I would ideally need 9 to fully mount an ATX motherboard, but whatever you got that you don't need is just fine.

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Razer Introduces DeathAdder Left Hand Edition Gaming Mouse

Gamers come in all shapes and sizes, and believe it or not, not all of them prefer to game with the same hand. There's no doubt that right-handed gamers are catered to more often than not, while left-handed gamers are usually left to fend for themselves. Today, Razer is making life a lot easier for left-handed in-game snipers, with the first "gaming grade mouse" to be made specifically for lefthanders.

It's a familiar mouse, the DeathAdder, but now in a left-handed edition. It's simply called the DeathAdder Left Hand Edition, equipped with the same 3.5G infrared sensor but with a reversed design to fit the opposite hand. It's available now for $59.99 in the U.S. or €59.99 in Europe.

RAZERâ„¢ RELEASES THE FIRST GAMING GRADE MOUSE

SPECIFICALLY FOR SOUTHPAWS

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Carlsbad, Calif. – March 16, 2010 - Razer, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, today announced the Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition™, the very first gaming mouse designed with the professional left-handed gamer in mind. The Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition was created to meet community demands for a mouse that was purposefully engineered to give lefties the competitive edge, combining a comfortable ergonomic form factor with a powerfully precise 3.5G infrared sensor.

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“Leftie gamers have long been requesting that we develop a gaming grade mouse that is designed exclusively for the left-handed gaming community and we really value the feedback we receive from our fans,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president, Razer USA. “Not many gamers know this, but I am a southpaw myself and feel truly excited to have a mouse that fits perfectly in my left hand. There is really no substitute for gaming with your naturally dominant hand.”

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About The Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition

The Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition features a unique ergonomic form factor to give lefties a comfort they can call their own for extended gaming sessions. The Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition boasts five programmable Hyperesponseâ„¢ buttons, as well as the trademark 1000Hz Ultrapollingâ„¢ technology, providing gamers with the speed necessary to make every moment count. Loaded with a 3500dpi Razer Precisionâ„¢ 3.5G infrared sensor that offers over four times more precision than a standard 800dpi mouse, the Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition is fully equipped to frag, especially when you strike from the blind side.

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Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition

COST: US $59.99; EU €59.99

AVAILABILITY:Â Worldwide

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Product Features:

·         Ergonomic left-hand design

·         3500dpi Razer Precision 3.5G infrared sensor

·         1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response

·         Five independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons

·         On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment

·         Always-On™ mode

·         Ultra-Large non-slip buttons

·         16-bit ultra-wide data path

·         60–120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration

·         Zero-Acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon® feet

·         Gold-Plated USB connector

·         Seven-Foot, lightweight, braided fiber cable

·         Approx. size in mm: 128(L) x 70(W) x 42.5(H)

About the Razer Group:

Razer™ is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming products and peripherals that are designed "For Gamers. By Gamers™". Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Razer’s award-winning lineup of products includes desktop speakers, headsets, keyboards, mice, software, and gaming surfaces. Since 1998, Razer has collaborated with leading professional gamers to develop, manufacture and market cutting-edge gaming peripherals using proprietary technologies that give gamers the competitive edge. Razer products offer the best in precision, sensitivity, usability and distinctive product design and have a reputation for being leaders in gaming peripheral technology.

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For more information, please visit www.razerzone.com.

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WD Introduces 1TB My Passport SE For Mac Portable USB Drive

Western Digital introduced new 1TG and 750GB My Passport SE for Mac portable USB drives. The new drives are currently available at WD's online store and are formatted for Mac and compatible with Apple Time Machine software. The drives are USB powered and feature 256-bit hardware encryption with password protection.

WD Introduces New One Terabyte My Passport SE for Mac Portable Drives

LAKE FOREST, Calif., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WD®, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new one terabyte (TB) and 750 gigabyte (GB) capacity My Passport™ SE for Mac® portable USB drives. Available at WD's online store, the new My Passport SE for Mac portable drives are formatted for Mac and compatible with Apple Time Machine® software.

Perfect for saving, storing and backing up Mac computers, these ultra-portable 1 TB and 750 GB My Passport SE drives are easy to carry because they are USB-powered and do not need an external power adapter. Equipped with 256-bit hardware encryption with password protection for an extra level of security, this small drive with mega-capacity give users peace-of-mind knowing that their data is protected from unauthorized access or theft.

"With over 10 billion songs downloaded from the iTunes® store, the enormous capacity of the new My Passport SE for Mac drives makes them the perfect travel-friendly storage device to hold all the rich media content collected by videographers, creative professionals and digital media enthusiasts with large digital media collections," said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD's branded products group.

A product specification sheet and photos of My Passport SE for Mac drives are available on the company's Web site at http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=807.

Price and Availability

WD's My Passport SE for Mac portable drives are available now at WD's online store. MSRP for the My Passport SE for Mac 1 TB portable drive is $199.99 USD and for the 750 GB model is $179.99 USD.

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