MSI Introduces Bargain-Priced 17.3" CX705MX Notebook
MSI might have a tough time topping the well-equipped, well-priced GE600, but there's nothing like one-upping a 16" multi-media monster with a 17.3" beast. The new CX705MX is yet another large screen, powerful notebook from the company that aims to strike a balance between raw power and cost, with the massive screen being perfect for gaming and movie viewing. Unlike many of the newer 17" machines, this one comes with Intel's somewhat older Core 2 Duo CPU. It also features ATI's Radeon HD 545V with 512MB of VRAM,
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Corsair Adds 32GB And 256GB Options To Nova SSD Family
Competition in the solid state storage space is getting intense, and Corsair has proven to be a serious contender. In order to keep up with Intel, OCZ Technology, SanDisk and the handful of others, the company is today expanding their Nova Series SSD family with two new sizes, one on the low end and one on the high end. There's a new 32GB and 256GB Nova SSD in the crowd, both of which utilize the Indilinx Barefoot controller. The 256GB Nova Series SSD is able to achieve speeds of up to 250MB/second read and
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Zotac Next Gen NVIDIA Ion-Based ZBox Sneak Peek
NVIDIA's Ion chipset has been propping up sluggish Intel Atom-based netbook and notebook performance, in HD media playback capability, for some time now. Even Intel's revamped Pinetrail platform with on-chip graphics couldn't offer enough multimedia muscle to be considered viable beyond standard business class applications, a bit of web browsing and email. Of course with the new Atom's integrated memory controller, NVIDIA had to re-purpose their technology in the form of what is essentially a dedicated
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Apple Sells 1 Million iPad Tablets In First Month: The Revolution Is On
Asus' CEO credited Apple with helping to jump-start the Tablet PC revolution in an interview recently, and at first, we figured he may be giving the enemy a bit too much credit. Now, we get the impression that other CEOs may start lining up to mirror Jerry Shen's thoughts. Apple already made known (a few times) that their iPad was selling well, but did anyone really see this coming?Just 28 days after the device shipped in America, Apple has managed to sell one million of their first tablets, even with an OS
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Internet Explorer Continues To Bleed Market Share; Chrome Picking It Up
My, how the mighty have fallen. It wasn't long ago that Internet Explorer simply dominated the Internet. Everyone used it be default, and no other browser came close in terms of market share. IE was so powerful that the European Union banded together and forced Microsoft to insert a Browser Selection Screen on all new copies of Windows 7, and we wouldn't be surprised if other nations followed suit.Since then, a number of worthy competitors have not only hit the market, but gained serious steam. Mozilla's Firefox
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Energy Star 4.0 Goes Into Effect; Energy Star 5.0 Coming In 2012
Mother Earth may be hurting from that oil spill down in the Gulf, but there's still some bright news on the "green" front: the new, tougher Energy Star standard went into effect this week, making it tougher for companies to ship and sell gizmos that aren't power efficient. Beginning on May 1, the new Energy Star 4.0 standard for televisions will go into effect, and while the standard was announced last September, it hasn't officially been the latest and greatest until now. With the new standard, the "maximum
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Ovi App Wizard Launches; Symbian^3 Makes App Creation Simple As Well
Nokia is experiencing their fair share of problems, with a CEO possibly on the brink of stepping away and a next generation smartphone OS that's now delayed from Q2 2010 to Q3 2010. But here's some bright news: anyone who can create a webpage can now create an app for Symbian^3. That's Nokia's next gen OS, and while it won't ship to consumer devices for a few months now, it's good to see Nokia hopping on the app ball before they fall hopelessly behind Apple, Palm and Google. Symbian today announced the availability
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LG Confirms Ally Smartphone For May 20
LG is launching its first Android-powered phone, the LG Ally. In addition to launching the new phone, LG is teaming up with Marvel Studios to launch a multi-platform marketing campaign for the phone and the upcoming summer film Iron Man 2. As part of the marketing campaign, you'll get a special edition Iron Man 2 comic book when you buy an LG Ally, LG Chocolate Touch, or LG enV Touch phone. Although LG's press release (see below) doesn't reveal many details about the Ally phone itself, we do know it will be
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ASUS Announces Multimedia Centric Eee PC Seashell 1005PR
Asus announced a new multimedia centric netbook—the Eee PC Seashell 1005PR—which is designed to deliver a "rich and smooth High Definition online viewing experience when watching your favorite streaming movies, television/news programs and user-generated videos." The Eee PC Seashell 1005PR features Broadcom's Crystal HD Accelerator, an Intel Atom processor N450, 10.1-inch screen with 1366x768 resolution, and HD audio. Asus claims you'll get up to 11 hours of battery life, but we all know that's
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LG Confirms Ally Smartphone For May 20
LG is launching its first Android-powered phone, the LG Ally. In addition to launching the new phone, LG is teaming up with Marvel Studios to launch a multi-platform marketing campaign for the phone and the upcoming summer film Iron Man 2. As part of the marketing campaign, you'll get a special edition Iron Man 2 comic book when you buy an LG Ally, LG Chocolate Touch, or LG enV Touch phone. Although LG's press release (see below) doesn't reveal many details about the Ally phone itself, we do know it will be available May 20. Rumors suggest this phone is headed to Verizon, though LG doesn't mention any carriers in the announcement. Other features of the phone include a touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard.
LG Mobile Phones Joins Forces With Marvel Entertainment To Create a Multi-Media Marketing Campaign for 'Iron Man 2'
Movie Tie-In Features 'Stark-Worthy' TV Spots, Futuristic Micro Site and Game, Special Edition Marvel Comic Book and Robust Movie Promotion Program
Campaign Culminates with Film-Themed Event Highlighting Augmented Reality Technology and the New LG Android Device
SAN DIEGO, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones), in partnership with the upcoming summer blockbuster, Iron Man 2, from Marvel Studios, is launching a multi-platform marketing campaign that celebrates the film's theme of heroism through technology and gadgets that push the limit. Proving that life is good when you're connected, LG will implement a comprehensive campaign focusing on how innovation can help bring people together and make everybody a Super Hero.
Kicking off the campaign's many initiatives will be Super Hero themed television commercials that showcase the superhuman capabilities of LG's first Android mobile phone, LG Ally. In-store gift-with-purchase promotions will allow consumers nationwide to receive a special edition Augmented Reality enabled Iron Man 2 comic book with the purchase of selected LG handsets. LG will also launch a movie-themed micro site, www.lgim2.com, which includes an engaging online film-themed game with built-in Augmented Reality experiences and text-to-win consumer sweepstakes. The company's Iron Man 2 marketing programs will also include special retail promotions at Best Buy for LG LED HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players.
The campaign will culminate with an exclusive New York event that will celebrate the launch of LG Ally and will feature futuristic technology from the LG Design the Future Challenge. In addition, the event will allow attendees to interact with a variety of Augmented Reality experiences, as well as provide an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Iron Man 2 film.
"LG and Marvel have come together once again to empower audiences with a thrilling account of technology and its endless possibilities," said Ehtisham Rabbani, corporate vice president, marketing and innovation, LG Mobile Phones (LG MobileComm USA Inc.). "Allowing LG to display its innovation expertise and most advanced devices, Iron Man 2 is the perfect fit for LG's sophisticated handsets and smart products."
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military in Iron Man 2. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances -- and confront powerful enemies. The film is directed by Jon Favreau and will debut in theaters nationwide on May 7.
Advertising Campaign
Challenging audiences to ask themselves, "Is it a lifesaver…a smartphone, or something better?" the LG Iron Man 2 advertising campaign brings the power of an LG Android device to life. Centered on five friends caught in the cross-hairs of battle between alien drones and Iron Man himself, each character must use their LG phones to find the right mobile applications to save themselves and capture a bit of glory along the way. Showcasing LG handset capabilities such as instant Internet access, music player portability, turn-by–turn navigation, photo and video sharing, and even the ability to make online purchases and restaurant reservations, each ad is a tribute to the endless possibilities of the LG Ally.
LG Micro Site
LG has developed a micro site that will give movie fans a much deeper and interactive experience than the usual movie tie-in website. In addition to information about LG Ally, site visitors can download Augmented Reality applications and enter a consumer sweepstakes with the chance to win tickets, phones and incredible LG prizes. There is also an online game, where fans can participate in exciting film-themed activities using the latest Augmented Reality technology. The site can be visited at www.lgim2.com.
Limited Edition Marvel Comic Book
A special edition Iron Man 2 comic book created by Marvel will be given away with the purchase of an LG Ally, LG Chocolate Touch and LG enV Touch mobile phone. The comic book will feature a variety of Augmented Reality experiences and will also provide consumers with text messaging short codes to access exclusive Iron Man 2 content.
Movie Promotion Program
Dovetailing with its "Something Better" brand marketing campaign LG Electronics will be implementing a comprehensive movie promotion program with Marvel, including TV advertising, in-store point-of-purchase materials, retailer circular ads, dealer sales incentives, and digital and mobile campaigns, from April 25 through May 22.
Consumers can text LGIM2 from their mobile phone to 95173 to receive exclusive Iron Man content, download the Augmented Reality application on their LG Ally phone and enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win the ultimate Iron Man 2 prize package:
- LG Ally and 1 year FREE service contract
- 2 tickets to the U.S. premiere of a Marvel movie
- 55-inch class LG "Infinia" LED HDTV and LG Network Blu-ray Home Theater System
Additional elements of the movie promotion program are special Iron Man 2 consumer electronics promotions with Best Buy. From April 25 through May 8, Best Buy shoppers can purchase a specially priced package consisting of LG's LE5400 LED HDTV and BD570 Blu-ray Disc player. Starting on May 9 and running through May 22, Best Buy also will offer a similar LG Iron Man 2 package which bundles together the LE5400 and LG's Network Blu-ray Home Theater LHB335.
LG's LE5400 LED LCD HDTV offers superior picture quality, advanced energy saving options and flexible access to content-on-demand. LG's BD570 Blu-ray Disc player includes NetCast Entertainment Access with wireless connectivity for convenient access to online content such as Netflixâ„¢, CinemaNowâ„¢, VUDU, YouTubeâ„¢, Picasa, AccuWeather and Pandora®.  LG's LHB335 Home Theater System delivers a stunning entertainment experience with NetCast streaming content, Full HD 1080p Blu-ray Disc playback, 1080p upscaling of standard DVDs, and Pure HD audio performance including Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio Essential. Â
Consumers interested in learning more about the Best Buy product bundles can visit www.lgironman.com. LG and Best Buy also are supporting the co-branded promotion with a broadcast, online and mobile advertising campaign on ABC networks.
LG's Android "Ally"
LG Ally is the first Android device to boast an Augmented Reality application -- currently exclusive to LG. Consumers who purchase LG Ally can download the Augmented Reality app, featuring exclusive Iron Man 2 content, at www.lgim2.com or by texting 95173 from their mobile phone. Present throughout Iron Man 2, LG Ally allows users to explore and experience Augmented Reality through built-in applications and software. A touch screen handset featuring a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, the Ally is the ultimate complement for technology enthusiasts who, like Tony Stark, expect nothing but the best. LG Ally will be available May 20. Â
Exclusive Iron Man 2 Event
Showcasing its most "Stark-worthy" technology and reinforcing its innovative heritage, LG will host an event in New York on May 11 that will engage movie fans and gadget gurus alike. The event will boast a variety of Augmented Reality experiences as well as give attendees a hands-on look at the LG Ally. The event will also feature three futuristic concept phones from the LG Design the Future Challenge. This year's competition marks the inaugural participation of Russell Bobbitt, the prop master from Iron Man 2. Bobbitt served as a guest judge for the competition, awarding one contestant's cutting-edge design with the Prop Master's Choice award. The design that wins Prop Master's Choice will be created into a non-working mock-up and displayed at the event. The lucky contestant's design could even windup in Bobbitt's next blockbuster film. The world-renowned prop master will also be on hand at the event to showcase the ultramodern props from the film's set.
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T-Mobile Gets Another Android 2.1 Exclusive: myTouch 3G Slide With Keyboard
For a carrier with so few customers compared to AT&T, VerizonWireless and Sprint, T-Mobile USA sure manages to score some prettynice phones. HTC's HD2 is easily the nicest Windows Mobile 6.5 phone onthe market, and now the company has yet another Android phone that'ssure to make at least a few people consider the switch.
The new myTouch 3D Slide is a new model based off the phone you've seenEric Clapton and several other stars toying with on televisioncommercials, adding a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for those who preferphysical keys over a strict virtual keyboard. The phone will be aT-Mobile exclusive at least for awhile, bringing Android 2.1 to a sleekform factor with a 3.4" HVGA touch-screen. The entire phone is lessthan 15mm thick, and it also features a 5MP camera, music player, 8GBmicroSD card and enhanced media sharing functionality to get yourcontent to social networks faster.
The phone is expected to ship in June in black, white or red, and ofcourse 3G is included when you're in a T-Mobile 3G coverage area. Ifyou held out on the original myTouch 3G in hopes of having a versionwith a keyboard, your wait is almost through.
 New T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide Improves Communication Through T-Mobile Exclusive Software
The latest Android-powered smartphone marries beautiful form with superior function on a faster 3G network.
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced a new addition to its exclusive line of Android™-powered T-Mobile myTouch® 3G smartphones — the T-Mobile® myTouch 3G Slide™. Anticipated to be available in June, the new myTouch 3G Slide combines a roomy slide-out QWERTY keyboard with an incredibly crisp, high-performance touch screen powered by the latest Android software. The T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide is purpose-built for communication, with unique new features that help customers connect more easily, more quickly and more often to their closest family and friends.
   “Many smartphones are increasingly powerful in their features and specifications without continuing to improve the main reason that so many people have mobile phones — the ability to communicate with each otherâ€
“Many smartphones are increasingly powerful in their features and specifications without continuing to improve the main reason that so many people have mobile phones — the ability to communicate with each other,†said Andrew Sherrard, vice president of product development, T-Mobile USA. “The new myTouch 3G Slide is a smart and sleek phone that fits into your pocket, your budget and your family life with exclusive T-Mobile features that put communication with your closest family and friends front and center.â€
New features only available on the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide include the following:
Faves Gallery™: Life is hectic, so it’s easy to miss opportunities to connect with loved ones. Faves Gallery presents up to 20 of your favorite people and the different ways to communicate with them — calls, texts, e-mail, instant messaging, social networking updates — in a dedicated application accessible through a soft button and an easy-to-use widget complete with photos, contact information and one-touch ability to respond. All of your Faves® get special status on your myTouch 3G Slide™; anytime they communicate with you or update their social network you get a notification in the notification pane. Even if you’re not using your phone, a custom green light lets you know you’ve got a communication waiting from one of your Faves. And you can respond directly from the Faves Gallery, without launching e-mail or other applications, so you connect more quickly and more often with the important people in your life.
myModes: myModes helps you draw the line between work and home by creating different themes with home screen apps, widgets and wallpapers to empower people in the different roles they play each day. You can set myModes to switch at a designated time, by location, or manually with the option to create and store up to 10 customized modes. myModes removes clutter and makes you more efficient both at work and at home. Want to forget about work on the weekend? No need to hide your work phone or switch to another device; just put away your work tools, like e-mail and your calendar by switching modes, and bring forward all the things you love to do on Saturday.
Genius Button™: With the Genius Button, you press one button, talk, and it delivers. The Genius Button, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN), is an easy-to-access button on the front of the new T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide allowing the use of voice commands to control the phone and it’s features including making calls, composing and sending texts and e-mails, searching the Web or your surroundings. It will even read text messages aloud, and lets you dictate responses naturally as if you were speaking directly to a person.
Powered by the Android 2.1 software, the myTouch 3G Slide offers a rich mobile Web experience and access to thousands of applications on Android Market from games to location-based social networks to on-the-go shopping and more. Similar to the original, the new myTouch 3G Slide was designed to facilitate personalization inside and out. A five-pane home screen, with the option to increase to seven panes, offers plenty of real estate for your favorite widgets, applications and themes.
Designed by HTC exclusively for T-Mobile, the myTouch 3G Slide features a 3.4-inch HVGA touch-screen display with virtual keyboard as well as a roomy, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Less than 15mm thick, the elegant design slides easily into your pocket proving that Android brains don’t have to come in a sci-fi box. The myTouch 3G Slide also features a 5-megapixel camera, a music player with a pre-installed 8GB microSD memory card, and enhanced video capabilities to make it easy for users to record and share pictures and videos, whether via e-mail, MMS or one-click upload to sites such as YouTube™ and Picasa™.
The device’s powerful mobile data experience is supported by fast data speeds via Wi-Fi and T-Mobile’s nationwide 3G network, which is getting even faster this year as T-Mobile upgrades its network with the latest wireless technology.
The myTouch 3G Slide is expected to be available in June, exclusively from T-Mobile USA in three colors — black, white or red. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t-mobile.com for more information.
* 3G coverage is available in locations nationwide, but may not be available everywhere. For more details on where T-Mobile network coverage is available, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage.
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MSI Introduces Bargain-Priced 17.3" CX705MX Notebook
MSI might have a tough time topping the well-equipped, well-pricedGE600, but there's nothing like one-upping a 16" multi-media monsterwith a 17.3" beast. The new CX705MX is yet another large screen,powerful notebook from the company that aims to strike a balancebetween raw power and cost, with the massive screen being perfect forgaming and movie viewing.Unlike many of the newer 17" machines, this one comes with Intel'ssomewhat older Core 2 Duo CPU. It also features ATI's Radeon HD 545Vwith 512MB of VRAM, room for 8GB of DDR2 memory, a 1600x900 resolutionscreen, a 2.5" hard drive (250GB/320GB/500GB SATA), a 4-in-1 cardreader, HDMI output, VGA output, three USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out,Ethernet, a Kensington lock slot, 6-cell battery, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi,Bluetooth 2.1, a 1.3MP webcam, and a 2.1 speaker system with subwoofer.
There's probably not enough power here to really carve up the latestgaming titles, but some of the older ones should be no issue. Also,those looking to watch Hulu, DVDs, etc. on a larger screen should finda lot to love here.
MSI CX705MX Notebook
Best Value in Mobile Multimedia Computing
The MSI CX705MX comes equipped with the ATi Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics card, a wide 17.3" cinema-class 16:9 ratio LED display to maximize film viewing pleasure, and MSI's own cross hatch design color film print.
Taipei—MSI recently added the CX705MX, a supersized 17.3†laptop equipped with the ATi Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics card, to its Classic notebook computer series. It is clad in color film print (with MSI’s exclusive classy cross hatch design) for extra protection against scratches and wear. The 45-degree beveled edge construction is unique to MSI. Mobile computing was never so classy.
MSI Marketing Director Sam Chern points out that the CX705MX comes equipped with the ATi Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics card for excellent multimedia performance and that, despite the oversized screen, this notebook is a lightweight, tipping the scales at less than 3kg. Add to that the stylishly elegant body, graced with MSI's own cross hatch design, the CX705MX allows you and your friends to enjoy an audio/visual feast whenever and wherever you like.
LOHAS with class
Chic cross hatch design color film print: The MSI classic CX705MX laptop computer comes with 45-degree beveled edges. What’s more, the cross hatch design color film print coating on the cover and wrist rest areas not only prevents scratches and wear, it gives this mean machine a dark crystal-like luster.
MSI's exclusive Chiclet keyboard: The CX705MX uses the newest independent Chiclet keyboard for a comfortable, solid touch and fewer typos when you're typing. The shimmering cross hatch design on the lid and wrist areas gives this laptop a minimalist style you won’t find in other notebook computers.
Brilliant sights and sound
ATi Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics card: The CX705MX comes with the high end ATi Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics card for outstanding display performance, exquisite picture quality, and brilliant colors.
16:9 cinema ratio backlit LED display: The CX705MX boasts a 17.3" LED backlit screen with cinema-class 16:9 ratio, superb resolution, and viewability increased by 14%. You'll never again be bothered by dark edges when watching high resolution DVDs.
Embedded subwoofer: The CX705MX comes with two 2-watt speakers and a subwoofer embedded in the base which work in concert with the discrete graphics card and 17.3" theater-class screen to give you the perfect audio/video experience.
Smart ECO Solution
MSI's exclusive ECO Engine Power Saving Technology: The CX705MX comes with MSI's Engine Power Saving Technology which allows you to select from among five power management levels—Video Game, Film, Presentation, Word Processing, and Turbo Battery, to automatically adjust screen brightness, on/off and sleep mode, and processing performance settings to give your battery flexibility and maximum use on each charge.
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Issue with ASUS EAH5850
Hello guys,
Im new and would like some help. I recently bought a new Graphics Card, Asus H5850, and after installing the drivers, i run into a problem.
After i installed the drivers and it asks for a reboot, it boots normally, getting into the "windows sign". then gets black screen, lots of thinking from my pc's end 
but it all ends up in a blue screen before i get to see my desktop.
when i boot in safe mode, i have no issues, but i guess it just takes the built in display or something...
Just ask me for any info needed, to maybe provide that solution :)
Thx for the trouble anywayz.
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Corsair Adds 32GB And 256GB Options To Nova SSD Family
Competition in the solid state storage space is getting intense, andCorsair has proven to be a serious contender. In order to keep up withIntel, OCZ Technology, SanDisk and the handful of others, the companyis today expanding their Nova Series SSD family with two new sizes, oneon the low end and one on the high end.There's a new 32GB and 256GB Nova SSD in the crowd, both of whichutilize the Indilinx Barefoot controller. The 256GB Nova Series SSD isable to achieve speeds of up to 250MB/second read and 195MB/secondwrite, while the 32GB Nova Series SSD delivers speeds up to 195MB/sread and 75MB/s write; each drive supports TRIM (used in Windows 7),and both are backed with a 2-year warranty. As has become the norm withSSDs, no prices are being immediately published.
Corsair® Adds 32GB and 256GB Drives to Nova Series SSD Product Family
FREMONT, California, May 4, 2009 - Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the addition of two new drives to their award-winning Nova Series SSD family.
The 32GB Nova Series SSD is the perfect mix of performance and value for use as a boot drive for basic configurations, and can also be used in high-performance multi-drive RAID configurations.  The 256GB Nova Series SSD is an excellent choice for systems that need both high performance and large capacity. Both drives utilize the popular Indilinx BarefootT controller.
 The 256GB Nova Series SSD is able to achieve speeds of up to 250MB/second read and 195MB/second write, while the 32GB Nova Series SSD delivers speeds up to 195MB/s read and 75MB/s write. Each drive fully supports the TRIM command used by Microsoft Windows® 7 operating systems, to maintain optimal performance automatically over the lifetime of the drives.
The 32GB and 256GB Nova Series SSDs are available immediately from Corsair's authorized distributors and resellers worldwide and are backed by a two-year limited warranty. Complete customer support via telephone, email, forum and Tech Support Express is also available.
For more information on Corsair solid-state drives, please visit the Corsair SSD product page. Images of the Corsair Nova Series solid-state drives are available for download here.
About Corsair
Founded in 1994, Corsair specializes in premium, high-performance peripherals and components for personal computers. Corsair's award-winning products are the delight of the world's most demanding hardware enthusiasts. For more information, visit corsair.com.
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Internet Explorer Continues To Bleed Market Share; Chrome Picking It Up
My, how the mighty have fallen. It wasn't long ago that Internet Explorer simply dominated the Internet. Everyone used it be default, and no other browser came close in terms of market share. IE was so powerful that the European Union banded together and forced Microsoft to insert a Browser Selection Screen on all new copies of Windows 7, and we wouldn't be surprised if other nations followed suit.Since then, a number of worthy competitors have not only hit the market, but gained serious steam. Mozilla's Firefox has become a huge player, and Google's Chrome has grown faster than pretty much any other unconventional Web browser in the history of the space. The newest data from Net Applications is rather shocking, particularly for those who felt that IE8 would turn things around for Microsoft. In the browser arena, it seems that ground is lost very quickly once competition rolls into town and people start leaving. It's much like a mass exodus.
Since IE8's launch in March of 2009, the browser has lost nearly 9 points of market share, most of which was gained by Google's Chrome. As of last month, Internet explorer held just 59.95% of the overall browser market share, which is 0.69 points less than the month before. Firefox gained 0.07 points during April 2010 (rising to 24.59% overall), while Chrome rose 0.6 points (rising to 6.73% overall). Apple's Safari browser inched up 0.06 points to 4.72% overall, while Opera lost 0.07 points and had an estimated share of just 2.30%.
StatCounter's numbers for the same month are somewhat different (showing IE’s market share at 51.42%, Firefox at 32.62%, Chrome at 8.82%, Safari at 4.27% and Opera at 1.99%), but one thing syncs between the two: IE is losing market share fast, while Chrome is gaining it quickly. The numbers also show that Firefox users tend to be quite loyal, with very little churn between one version to the next.
Still, Microsoft is playing for keeps with the impending release of IE9, and if Apple continues their rampage against Flash, IE9's HTML5 capabilities might just help it to see the very uptick in usage in quite some time. So, how do you feel about this? Are you still hanging onto IE? Can't turn away from the plug-ins available for Firefox? It'll be interesting to revisit this topic in 3-5 years; we're guessing that Microsoft will continue to lose, while Chrome and Firefox continue to gain, making it more of a 3-horse race rather than a 1-horse race. Hopefully we won't have to eat too much crow.
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Energy Star 4.0 Goes Into Effect; Energy Star 5.0 Coming In 2012
Mother Earth may be hurting from that oil spill down in the Gulf, butthere's still some bright news on the "green" front: the new, tougherEnergy Star standard went into effect this week, making it tougher forcompanies to ship and sell gizmos that aren't power efficient.Beginning on May 1, the new Energy Star 4.0 standard for televisionswill go into effect, and while the standard was announced lastSeptember, it hasn't officially been the latest and greatest until now.With the new standard, the "maximum amount of power an Energy Star TVcan consume will drop by about 40 percent." After May 1, no televisionswill be able to be manufacturerd will be able to carry an Energy Starlogo unless it meets Energy Star 4.0 protocol, and models that don'tmeet the criteria will also vanish from the EPA's continual list ofcompliant televisions.
40% may sound like a huge improvement, but it's mostly because EnergyStar 3.0 wasn't that stringent. Now, ES 4.0 means that a 50" HDTV won'tbe able to carry an Energy Star logo is it burns over 153 Watts, whichis not quite half of 3.0's maximum. Also, the new standard makes surethat sets drain less than 1 watt when in sleep or standby mode, whichis what consumers see as "turned off."
So, are TV makers ready? They sure are. Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp,Sony, and Vizio are already producing sets that are ES 4.0-compliant,so it's unlikely that there will be an outcry over the change. Ofcourse, this standard won't last long; Energy Star 5.0 is alreadyplanned for May 2010, which will make a 50" set have to draw less than105 Watts when turned on. See, we told you Mother Earth would be happy,if only for awhile.
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Full-length MGM films to air on YouTube
YouTube, the world's largest video site, has partnered with MGM to begin showing full-length films from the studio's archive. Recently the video giant has been trying to play catch up to video site Hulu. The partnership hopes to boost revenue to both Youtube and MGM along with giving more direct competition to Hulu, the NBC owned site that features free full-length shows from Fox, NBC, and CBS, along with various full-length movies. Jim Packer, co-president of MGM Worldwide Television, is optimistic, saying, "They have a lot of people walking through their front door everyday. And if they are smart in how they grow this, YouTube should have a successful business also."
If all goes well, the MGM channels should be running within the next 18 months.
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BeetleCam
BeetleCam
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Apple Sells 1 Million iPad Tablets In First Month: The Revolution Is On
Asus' CEO credited Apple with helping to jump-start the Tablet PC revolution in an interview recently, and at first, we figured he may be giving the enemy a bit too much credit. Now, we get the impression that other CEOs may start lining up to mirror Jerry Shen's thoughts. Apple already made known (a few times) that their iPad was selling well, but did anyone really see this coming?Just 28 days after the device shipped in America, Apple has managed to sell one million of their first tablets, even with an OS that doesn't multi-task, and the fact that no expansion card slot and USB port are built-in. Just a few years ago, the Tablet PC market died out due to a general lack of interest, particularly because no existing operating system was designed to fully take advantage of an all-touch interface.
Apple has managed to nail that, mostly because they have had years of practice with the touch-based iPhone range. Years back, analysts were stunned that Apple was able to sell one million iPhone handsets (their first handset at the time) in 74 days, and now they've managed to sell one million units of their first tablet in less than half the time. Steve Jobs, the company's CEO, is obviously thrilled with the news, stating: "Demand continues to exceed supply and we’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers."
To date, over 12 million iPad apps have been downloaded, along with 1.5 million eBooks. To us, this milestone not only reflects on Apple, but on the industry as a whole. With tablets planned from numerous other PC makers, it honestly feels as if the time is finally right for the tablet PC to thrive. Now, we just need a good touch-based user interface to ship on them, and we'll be all set. Good thing Google just acquired BumpTop, right?
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Ovi App Wizard Launches; Symbian^3 Makes App Creation Simple As Well
Nokia is experiencing their fair share of problems, with a CEO possiblyon the brink of stepping away and a next generation smartphone OSthat's now delayed from Q2 2010 to Q3 2010. But here's some brightnews: anyone who can create a webpage can now create an app forSymbian^3. That's Nokia's next gen OS, and while it won't ship toconsumer devices for a few months now, it's good to see Nokia hoppingon the app ball before they fall hopelessly behind Apple, Palm andGoogle.Symbian today announced the availability of its web applicationdevelopment tools, making application development on the Symbianplatform as easy as creating a webpage; these new tools open upapplication development to creators of any technical ability, providingaccess to consumers and device manufacturers within the world’s largestmobile market. In other news, the Ovi App Market also opened up today, this time bringing simplistic app making to existing Nokia phones. This is certainly a double-edged sword; on one hand,it's great that newbies can create apps with only links to RSS feeds,but on the other, it seems that this could quickly crowd their appstore with useless junk.
Using Symbian’s web application development tools, any existing web developer can simply apply all their existing skills with HTML, CSS and JavaScript but in a mobile context. By exploring just a few more JavaScript APIs, developers can directly access the deep device capabilities that ultimately produce truly engaging applications with mass appeal to the mobile consumer, such as contacts, camera, accelerometers and even location. Is this sort of dumbed-down app process the future, or is this just a blip on the radar of much more sophisticated apps?
 Although Symbian web applications can be created using any existing web development environment, the added value delivered by the tools environment provided by Symbian is in areas like mobile-specific application preview, debugging and deployment capabilities. These features further support the transition of desktop development skill into the mobile universe.
Williams added: “With these tools, web developers can leverage their existing expertise effectively to create powerful mobile applications. This, combined with the on-schedule release of Symbian^3, is further proof of our commitment to enabling innovation and empowering all developers, including web developers, to harness the rich capabilities of the Symbian platform.â€
The new tools, which have recently come out of community beta and are available across all of the major platforms including Windows, Mac and Linux, can be accessed at:
http://developer.symbian.org/main/tools_and_kits/symbian3_developer/index.php.
Information about developing and contributing to the tools as an open source project is available from the package landing page, at: http://developer.symbian.org/main/source/packages/package/index.php?pk=263.
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