iKit AutoCharge + USB will charge your iPad and a lot more on the road
I have a few DC adapters around here that I have had for a while that plug into the DC outlet in my car to power my USB gear like the iPhone and more. The catch is that the chargers I have for the car lack the amps needed to be able to charge my iPad. If you plug the iPad in it gets no power. If you travel with your iPad a lot that is not a good thing.
A new DC charger has surfaced from iKit called the AutoCharge + USB and the thing will charge the iPad and any other USB charging device. The iKit offering provides 2.1 amps via a single USB port. The low profile device should fit in DC outlets in your car that are small or crowded too. It comes in white or black colors.
The charger also ships with a coiled USB cable that has an Apple charge adapter on one end. That means you can leave you normal cable at home and use the cable that comes with the AutoCharge + USB in the car. The device is available now for $24.95.
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MSI GT680R-008US notebook packs in new Sandy Bridge processor and more
MSI has added a new gaming notebook to its line of offerings that uses the Intel Sandy Bridge platform. The machine is called the MSI GT680R-008US. I have had my hands on a few of these MSI gaming notebooks and they are generally pretty cool devices. The new machine has a Core i7-2630QM processor inside.
Other features of the notebook include a 15.6-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and OLED backlighting. The graphics for the notebook are via GeForce GTX 460M with 1.5GB of DDR5 RAM just for the video card. MSI puts 8GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM inside the machine and 1TB of total storage.
That 1TB of storage comes from a pair of 7200rpm 500GB HDDs. 802.11b/g/n WiFi is built in along with Bluetooth and THX TruStudio Pro audio. The notebook also has MSI cooler boost tech and Dynaudio premium sound speakers. Rounding out the features is a USB 3.0 port, 720p webcam, and HDMI output. The notebook can be ordered right now for $1649.99.
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Giada AMD Fusion A50 and several more nettops break cover
Some think the nettop and netbook market are dead thanks to the tablets like the iPad. That isn't quite true just yet, there are still a lot of consumers that are shopping for these machines and there are a lot of computer makers still adding new machines to their lines. Giada has announced that it has launched four new nettops for 2011.
The new machines include the Giada A50 with AMD Fusion, the Giada i50 with a Core i3 or i5 CPU inside, and the N50 with Atom and ION 2 power. Another larger line of nettops called the D2301 was also announced using Core processors and ION 2 graphics.
The other machines all share the same chassis. The A50 is the rig in the pic here and it has a single DDR3 RAM slot, a 2.5-inch HDD bay, WiFi, and Bluetooth is optional. It also has HDMI output, VGA out, and a single USB 3.0 port along with four USB 2.0 ports. The machine measures in at 190 x 150 x 25mm. The i50 packs in a Core i3-330UM CPU or an upgrade Core i5-430UM CPU and HD graphics along with 320GB of storage, WiFi and a lot more. The only change for the D50 is the sub for the Atom D525 CPU and ION 2 graphics.
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Next-generation PSP announced by Sony at live Tokyo event
Sony's big event in Tokyo went down last night while most of those in the Americas were sleeping and the big announcement was the official unveiling of the next generation PSP handheld gaming device. Codenamed the NGP for now, this bad boy going to be a beast under the hood: A quad-core ARM Cortex 9 processor, WiFI and 3G data connectivity, GPS, a 5 inch OLED touchscreen, and a rear mounted touchpad are just the beginning of the specs that were shown off at the event.
Five key concepts were given as the platform for the next PSP: Revolutionary User Interface, Social Connectivity, Location-based Entertainment, Converging Real and Virtual (augmented) Reality. A Playstation Move inspired accelerometer and fully capable dual analog sticks will help make this a move fully PS3-like experience, and a touchscreen on the back that lines up exactly with the front screen offers a little something new in game control.
According to those on the scene demos of games like Little Big Planet and Uncharted on the NGC were pretty smooth and looked just as good as their PS3 counterparts. There's even dual cameras and an electronic compass integrated into the device for even more device flexibility. Sony's planning on the NGP being ready for the holiday season of 2011, so you're going to have to be good all year so Santa will drop one of these in your stocking. Hit the Source Link for some demo videos and more from Engadget.
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Download of the Day: CPU-Z 1.56.3 Beta
Our Download of the Day today is CPU-Z 1.56.3 Beta.
CPU-Z is a freeware utility that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system. CPU-Z does not need to be installed, just unzip the files in a directory and run the .exe. In order to remove the program, just delete the files. The program does not copy any file in any Windows directory, nor write to the registry.
CPU
• Name and number.
• Core stepping and process.
• Package.
• Core voltage.
• Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.
• Supported instructions sets.
• All cache levels (location, size, speed, technology).
Mainboard
• Vendor, model and revision.
• BIOS model and date.
• Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.
• Graphic interface.
Memory
• Frequency and timings.
• Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.
System
• Windows and DirectX version.
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Deal of the Day: Samsung 50" 1080P 3D-Ready Plasma HDTV for $1097 with FREE Shipping
Our Deal of the Day today is the Vann's - Samsung 50" 1080P 3D-Ready Plasma HDTV for $1097 with FREE Shipping.
Offer: You get 4 HDMI, E*Panel technology with 600Hz sub field motion, built in tuner and it's 3D ready. The low price is thanks to a $502.97 savings, of which $340 is set to expire 2/5/11. The price itself will not last that long as they seem to raise the price after the first couple of days. Lowest price among those that I would buy from (2nd lowest overall by less than a $10 margin).
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The most ridiculous, over the top, insanely awesome looking Indian movie - must see!
Came across this on my daily troll of websites, a clip from a 2010 Indian science-fiction film Enthiran. The clip is just crazy-insane with over-the-top action, it combines Terminator with The Matrix and even then, those movies seem tame compared to this!
Co-written and directed by S. Shankar, Enthiran is reported to be one of the most expensive films made in India. It includes Rajinikanth in dual roles, a scientist who is struggling to control his android robot created, whilst simultaneously playing the actual Android. The movie was shot over a two year period beginning in 2008 after eight years in development.
The film was critically acclaimed in India and has become the second highest grossing Indian film of all time.
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PlayStation Phone gets named Xperia Play
Engadget are smashing it today with another exclusive look at the PlayStation Phone. Sony will be calling it the Xperia Play, it features a four-inch, 854x480 multi-touch LCD screen, Android Gingerbread (2.3), single core processors that clocks between 122.88MHz and 1GHz, an Adreno GPU and 512MB of RAM.
The Xperia Play includes a DualShock-style control pad which slides out from the bottom of the device, it also includes the regular setup of buttons - bu there are two shoulder buttons instead of the usual four. Also, touchpads replace the usual analog sticks. More info and the official unveiling will happen at the Mobile World Congress which starts on February 14 in Barcelona.
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New RAGE screenshots ahoy!
id Software have released 3 screenshots for their upcoming game, RAGE. The screenshots accompany their official websites redesign. Nothing else has been released bar these 3 screenshots, but they're enough to get people talking.
The screenshots show off some of the vehicular gameplay, another shot shows the insane amount of character detail while the third shot is actual gameplay in the first-person perspective. RAGE is due on PC and consoles on September 13 - breaking the usual tradition of id Software saying their game would be released "when it's done".
Check out some more screenshots below:
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Facebook possibly testing VoIP calls directly through its site
A few Facebookers have today noticed a new "call" button when visiting their friends' profiles - clicking it did nothing so far, but the button is there in all it's glory.
The logical reason could be the Skype partnership that integrated your Facebook contacts. Now we're seeing it integrate directly into the Facebook site itself. Could it be? If it's true (and it seems to be) then it would be a great step forward. Now we just need some Facetime iPad 2 action and it would be some seriously heavy stuff.
Sorry for the Back to the Future gag, the latest episode of Fringe guest-starred Christopher Lloyd. Ha.
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Android 3.0 Honeycomb preview
Engadget have pimped their ride and installed Google's first public-access preview of its tablet-orientated OS, Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The early build SDK features "non-final" code and APIs, it is intended primarily for developers who want to get a head start on making their tablet apps.
Obviously, living on the edge requires using this type of early-build software. Engadget have a bunch of observations that you can have a read through and see if Honeycomb is any good as it stands right now. Obviously it's not a final build so I wouldn't be making any judgements of it just yet.
Here's what Engadget had to say:
Like Android SDK emulators before it, Honeycomb's is extremely slow -- nearly to the point of uselessness in this case. We'll give them a mulligan since this is a preview build, but seriously, we wouldn't recommend installing this unless you enjoy pulling your hair out.
There appears to be some sort of orientation bug that prevents us from going landscape, which is what we really wanted. Sorry about that! We've shot the video sideways and rotated all of our images; if we're able to figure it out or a newer build is released with orientation properly working, we'll update.
The browser looks great -- specifically the UI, which is going to make desktop browser users feel right at home perhaps more than any other tablet browsing experience to date. As with the rest of the emulator, it was too slow to really use -- and it kept crashing on us -- but we're digging the look.
The system for adding and managing widgets is a joy to use -- it makes your entire desktop accessible from a single screen, and we like the amount of detail you can preview for each widget before deciding whether to use it and where to place it.
In general, the window animations and screen transitions seem cool, but none were smooth or fast enough in the emulator to know for sure. Jury's still out until this gets faster or we're using Honeycomb on actual tablets.
We're not in love with the dim, squashed segmented display that Google is using for the time in the lower right; we're hoping there are plenty of alternative fonts available.
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AMD Catalyst 11.1 and AMD Catalyst 11.1a hotfix released
AMD have today released the WHQL-certified Catalyst 11.1 and 11.1a hotfix packages. The 11.1 set brings a tonne of new features, performance increases and other goodies.
Catalyst 11.1 includes a new Catalyst Control Center which is made to simplify the user experience to help customers get the most use out of their AMD product. Below is a full list of what the AMD Catalyst 11.1 release includes:
New Features:
The new Catalyst Control Center
o The new Catalyst Control Center enables a simplified user experience to help users get the most out of their AMD product
o Easily enable 3D settings to enhance game image quality
o Setup multiple displays to increase productivity
o Adjust power settings to increase battery life
o Supports two unique views - designed for mainstream and advanced users
o User Interface dynamically updates based on available AMD hardware
Support for OpenGL 4.1
o New features introduced in OpenGL 4.1
o Full compatibility with OpenGL ES 2.0 APIs for easier porting between mobile and desktop platforms
o The ability to query and load a binary for shader program objects to save re-compilation time
o The capability to bind programs individually to programmable stages for programming flexibility
o 64-bit floating-point component vertex shader inputs for higher geometric precision
o Multiple viewports for a rendering surface for increased rendering flexibility
Performance highlights:
F1 2010:
o Performance increases up to 12% on AMD Radeon HD 6900 and AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series single card configurations with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing disabled.
o Performance increases up to 10% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single card configurations with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing disabled.
Left 4 Dead 2:
o Performance increases up to 17% on AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series single and Crossfire configurations with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing disabled.
o Performance increases up to 8% on AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series single configurations with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing disabled.
Highlights of the AMD Catalyst 11.1a Hotfix include:
Performance improvements for the AMD Radeon HD 6800 & HD 6900 series in a number of applications
Catalyst Control Center - New Tessellation controls
Gives users full control over the tessellation levels used in applications
Catalyst AI Texture Filtering updates
The Quality setting has now been improved to match the High Quality setting in all respects but one; it enables an optimization that limits tri-linear anisotropic filtering to areas surrounding texture mipmap level transitions, while doing bilinear anisotropic filtering elsewhere. This optimization offers a way to improve filtering performance without visibly affecting image quality
The Performance setting has also been updated to address comments about the sharpness of the default Quality setting causing shimmering in certain cases. It now provides a smoother filtering option that eliminates most shimmering while preserving the improved detail provided by anisotropic filtering.
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F-1 Converter lets you use Logitech G25 or G27 on Xbox 360 and more
I have tried out a lot of racing wheels over the years and they are not all created equal. They may have force feedback in common, but the Logitech G27 and G25 racing wheels have stood a step above everything else I have tried. If you are a serious racing game fan on the PS3 and have either of those racing wheels, you already know how good they are. If you are an Xbox 360 player, only you might not since the Logitech gear only supports the PS3 and PC.
A new adapter called the F-1 Converter has surfaced and it plugs in between the Logitech racing wheels and the Xbox 360. It takes the incompatible nature of those racing wheels and tweaks them to work with the Xbox console. That means you can get your drive on with Forza using the Logitech wheels. The converter is more than just for allowing the G27 to work with the Xbox though.
The F-1 Converter is also able to store a number of button commands to execute combos and other things in a game and can play them all back at the press of a single button to allow you to execute the combos flawlessly. The downside is that seems like cheating to me.
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Rude Gameware Fierce Laser Mouse V2 packs 5000 dpi laser engine
I am one of the PC gamers that likes a lot of sensitivity in my mouse. I play games on a big 30-inch LCD so having a mouse with enough sensitivity to cover the screen with little hand movement is a big deal to me. Rude Gameware has unveiled new mouse that is called the Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse V2 that has decent sensitivity and more features.
The mouse has a 5000 dpi laser engine, which isn't as good as a lot of other offerings on the market right now. You can get mice with lots more sensitivity than 5000 dpi, but that may be enough for many folks. One of the best features of the new mouse is the price; you can pick one up right now for $49.99. Mice with more resolution will typically cost you a lot more than that.
Other features of the mouse include 1000Hz polling with a 1ms response time. The mouse has onboard memory and seven programmable buttons. The memory can store profiles and macros. The weight of the mouse is adjustable and the sensitivity can be adjusted during play. An LED indicator shows what sensitivity setting the mouse is at. It also uses Teflon feet for low friction and quiet play.
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Ricoh adds new fast focusing CX5 digital camera to line
I mentioned a new rugged digital camera from Panasonic earlier and Ricoh has also unveiled a new camera today. The only thing I know about Ricoh is their copier line so it's a bit odd to see a new digital camera to me from the company. The new cam is called the CX5 and it has some really cool features like high-speed focus. Being able to focus faster makes it easier to catch the image you want during fast action without blur.
The CX5 can focus in as little as 0.2 seconds, which is about half the time it took the previous CX4 camera to focus. The camera has a 28mm wide-angle lens that can zoom up to the equivalent of 300mm. That gives an optical zoom range of 10.7x. The camera also has a super zoom mode that will give it the equivalent of 600mm zoom. That mode is a 2x digital zoom that multiplies the optical zoom.
The camera has a litany of automatic modes and automatic scene settings. The rear LCD is a 3-inch unit with 920k dots making it very high resolution. The camera has HDMI output for viewing photos and HD 720p video on a big screen. The camera will come in black, silver, and pink with pricing unknown right now.
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Cooler Master Elite 343 computer case breaks cover
Cooler Master has made some of my favorite computer cases over the last several years. The cases are generally big and packed full of bays and features to allow you to cram tons of hardware inside. The latest case that has surface from Cooler Master isn't a big case, it's a smaller mini tower dubbed the Elite 343.
The case is sized to work with Micro-ATX mainboards. Despite the smaller size, the Elite 343 still has the features that we expect from Cooler Master like a robust cooling system and a tool-free design. The cooling system includes a 120mm front fan that is pre-installed. The rear of the case can be fitted with an 80mm or a 90mm fan.
The case has a pair of 5.25" drive bays that are exposed. The HDD cage inside the chassis can be removed to fit long video cards in like the HD 5970. The chassis comes in black only and is made from plastic and steel. It measures 7.08" x 13.85" x 17.32" and weighs 8.84 pounds. It has USB ports on the front panel along with audio ports and can be fitted with optional FireWire and eSATA ports. Pricing and availability are unknown.
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Panasonic Unveils LUMIX DMC-TS3 Digital Camera
Panasonic has tossed the replacement for its aging TS2 digital camera with a rugged design onto the market. The new camera is called the TS3 and is a rugged digital camera that can survive use outdoors. The camera is waterproof for 40-feet, can survive drops from 6.6-feet, and is freeze proof to -10C. The cam is probably more rugged than you are
The cam has a 3D photo mode that will take 20 images at one time and then overlay the best two shots for 3D viewing on the Panasonic 3D TVs. It's not clear if those 3D photos are viewable on anything other than a Panasonic TV. The camera has a 12.1MP sensor and can record 1080p HD video as well.
The rear of the camera has a 2.7-inch LCD with 230K dot resolution and an anti-reflective coating. Other features include GPS and a wealth of automatic modes and settings. The GPS sensor can tag images with details like the city they were shot in and can offer the name of landmarks that images include if the landmark is in the database. The camera will ship in March at an undisclosed price.
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TweakTown's Aussie Flood Appeal Dream System - Donate and Win!
It's been a little delayed due to securing parts, but we are very happy and proud to announce TweakTown's Aussie Flood Appeal Dream System!
As many of you would know, much of the state of Queensland in Australia was devastated by one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history - it is being compared to the tragic Cyclone Tracy of 1974 which flattened 80% of Darwin's houses. The clean-up bill for the Aussie floods is expected to hit at least FOUR BILLION DOLLARS and it will take years to fully recover. People have lost everything, their homes are gone and towns have been completely destroyed.
We have teamed up with some of our closest technology company friends and rounded up some of the hottest new products on the market to build the TweakTown Aussie Flood Appeal Dream System. Currently the system is valued at $4871.81 USD (based on Newegg price where applicable), but keep in mind that value will only increase as we adding some extras such as Windows OS, games, monitors and anything else that comes our way from kind companies who are getting involved.
Without further ado, the Dream System consists of the following parts so far: (Jan 26, 2011)
- Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz CPU (donated by AVADirect)
- GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD7 Motherboard
- SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6970 2GB Video Card x 3
- Western Digital Black 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s HDD x 3
- Corsair Obsidian Series 800D Case
- Corsair Professional Series AX1200 PSU
- Corsair Hydro H70 Cooler
- Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 Speakers
- Corsair HS1A Headphones
- Corsair Voyager GTR 128GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
- Corsair DOMINATOR GT DDR3 Kit
- Corsair Force F120 120GB SSD x 2
- Thermaltake Tt eSPORTS Challenger Ultimate Keyboard
- Thermaltake Tt eSports Black Mouse
- Thermaltake Tt eSports DASHER Mouse Pad
- Thermaltake Gaming Glove
- Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player
We would like to thank the following companies for their tremendous and generous support: Corsair, GIGABYTE, Sapphire, Thermaltake, Western Digital and AVADirect. You guys are the best!
Unfortunately due to time constraints, we couldn't provide an image of the system built as the parts are in the process of being shipped to Shane Baxtor, our video card guru, who will build the system up nicely for the winner. In around two or three weeks, he will have a performance article online covering stock and overclocked performance and of course plenty of hot pictures of the built system. He will keep the system overclocked at the maximum stable overclock he finds while testing.
We are still after three 24-inch or 27-inch gaming monitors to go along with the system to allow for some impressive EyeFinity gaming. We are also accepting retail boxed PC games and anything else that is not already covered here. If you are interested in donating towards the Dream System, please contact Cameron Wilmot via email. Please remember to come back to this page often as the list of parts above will hopefully grow.
If any company wants to make a corporate donation of any amount, please contact Cameron Wilmot via email. If the donation is large enough, we may provide free banner advertising impressions.
How do I win it?
Donate! Donate! Donate! Donating $10 USD will give you one raffle ticket into the Dream System draw. For example, if you donate $120 USD, you will get 12 raffle tickets entered and of course a better chance of winning. We are accepting donations via PayPal using the Donate Button below.
If PayPal is not suitable for you, please contact Cameron Wilmot via email for alternative arrangements. We will run the Dream System raffle from today until February 26th, 2011. However, we reserve the right to extend the length of the raffle if our donation target amount has not been reached. We will extend at intervals of one week up till March 31st, 2011 if required.
Anybody in the world can enter. You will not need to pay the huge shipping bill because our lovely friends over at Thermaltake signed on to be our "shipping sponsor" and cover that bill!
We urge you to get behind this and donate as much as you can. If you cannot donate, we understand that as well and hope that you will tell everyone you know about the Dream System raffle for charity. Please, we also ask everyone to post about this on Twitter and Facebook. If you run a website or blog, we would also very much appreciate if you could write about this. Of course, we want to generate as much attention as possible to generate as much money as we can to give to the victims of the Aussie floods.
Where does the donation go? How can I trust you?
Every cent that is donated will be given to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal which is operated by the Queensland government.
At the end of our appeal, we will be putting all of the raffle tickets into a box and a winner will be chosen. After the drawing, we will write out the check to Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal for the full amount generated and it will be mailed off right away. All of that will be videotaped and an article will go online covering it for all to see. For anyone that doubts this project, once the funds have been donated, we will provide a copy of the receipt from Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal to anyone who emails and asks and it will be posted on this page as well. Money will be transferred from PayPal to TweakTown's business account and then a check mailed to Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. Additionally, if anyone requests screenshots from our PayPal account, we will provide those. If you have any doubts or questions, please contact Cameron Wilmot via email.
PLEASE DONATE AND SUPPORT THE VICTIMS OF THE AUSSIE FLOODS!
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First look at the SilverStone DC01 tiny aluminum NAS (video)
Besides looking at the new TJ11 case from SilverStone, we also got pulled into a small meeting room to get an exclusive look at SilverStone's upcoming DC01 NAS.
The Taiwanese company is still finishing off the design and some other tweaks to the software, but the DC01 looks to have some potential as a small, light weight NAS. The hardware is protected by a stylish looking small aluminum casing measuring 123mm (W) x 123mm (D) x 33mm (H). It houses a single 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD along with the tiny little PCB inside. The system is powered by a 750MHz dual-core ARM processor.
Like other NAS devices, there is a web-based control panel you can go into and control various aspects of your storage. SilverStone made us of a Linux based operating system which allows you to do just that, but it has the feel of an operating system like the Apple Mac OS. You can do things like view photos and videos and listen to music. While we didn't see it in action, you can also get social with Facebook and others. I am not exactly sure why you would run Facebook through the web-based interface of the NAS, but it is there anyway.
Later down the track SilverStone also told us that they will be releasing an iPhone app to the App Store which will allow you to control the NAS from your phone. That is a pretty nifty idea. In the video above, Tony Ou from SilverStone gives us a quick rundown of the DC01. The demo we had was less than ideal, but it does give you a bit of an idea about what is ahead.
Apparently the DC01 will go on sale after Chinese New Year, which is towards the end of next month. At this stage we do not have any details on pricing. We are looking forward to putting it through the paces in a full review to see what it can really do and if it is worth your dollars.
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SilverStone Temjin TJ11 case production model video hands-on
Today we spent some time with Tony Ou from SilverStone Technology at their Taipei based headquarters where we got some quality time with a production and shipping version of the recently released Temjin TJ11 case.
If our numbers are correct, this is the eleventh case in the Temjin series of cases. The first Temjin case, the TJ01, was first developed back in 2003, and since then each new revision over the years has improved by developing new ideas and additions. Kept are the most popular features from previous models and they are added to the latest version. And that makes perfect logical sense to me.
The TJ11 was recently showcased at CES in Las Vegas by the crew at SilverStone, but the version you may have already seen covered there was of a early and non-finished sample. In the video above you get a look at the mighty all aluminum 21kg gross weighted monster in all its glory. Thanks goes out to Tony for his time this afternoon for introducing their latest product to TweakTown readers.
The TJ11 should go on sale late next month and see a price of a little under $600 in the United States. It's a lot of money for a case, but the attention to detail in build and quality is pretty impressive and cooling performance should also be top notice, too. We will be getting a review sample from SilverStone soon, so stay tuned for our full review by Chad later on.
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Download of the Day: GPU-Z v0.5.1
Our Download of the Day today is GPU-Z v0.5.1.
TechPowerUp introduced version 0.5.1 of GPU-Z, our lightweight graphics sub-system information and monitoring utility. GPU-Z provides you with technical details of your installed graphics processors, and lets you monitor clock speeds, voltages, temperatures and fan speeds. This month's release adds support for new GPUs, improves stability, and corrects some minor bugs. To begin with, detection for the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti graphics processor is added, alongside GeForce GTX 480M, and GeForce GTX 485M. Detection was improved for GeForce GTX 460M, GT 445M, and GT 435M. Early support for AMD's Fusion Llano, Ontario, and Zacate-embedded APUs were also added.
With the latest driver, NVIDIA had blocked our power-throttling disable parameter. We found our way around it, and using a new method, fixed the "/GTX500OCP" parameter using which you can override NVIDIA's power throttling feature. Support for new voltage controllers used by the latest batches of Radeon HD 6800/HD 6900 series graphics cards were also added. A number of stability improvements were made, and bugs fixed. The updates notifier is less pesky, it checks for timely updates in the background when GPU-Z is launched (according to update check frequency defined by user), and appears to users only if it finds that new updates are available.
The latest version includes the following changes:
Changes in Version v0.5.1
• Added support for NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti, 480M, 485M
• Added transistors and die size for 460M, 445M, 435M
• Added release date for 6800 GT, 6600 GT, 6600, 6200, 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS, 8800 Ultra, 8600 GTS, 8500 GT, 8800 GS, 9600 GSO, 8800 GT, GTS 250, GT 440
• Added preliminary support for AMD Zacate and Ontario APUs
• Found a new way to disable NVIDIA's power limiter
• Added support for GTX 570 and GTX 560 to power limit disable function, the parameter is now called /GTX500OCP
• Fixed crash in sensors panel
• Acer PCI vendor now using a shorter text that fits the field width
• Added CHL8214 & CHL8226 support for AMD Barts and Cayman
• Improved the automatic update check to run completely in the background and only appear when an update is available (manual update check is unchanged)
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Deal of the Day: 2TB Western Digital Elements USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $89.99 with FREE Shipping!
Our Deal of the Day today is the Newegg - 2TB Western Digital Elements USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $89.99 with FREE Shipping!.
Offer: Use promotional coupon code: EMCKJHE22 to drop the price of the 2TB Western Digital Elements USB 2.0 external hard drive down to just $89.99 with FREE shipping. Good until 1/31/11 or while supplies last.
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Tt eSPORTS introduces Black Element gaming mouse
Tt eSports, Thermaltake's new gaming peripheral division, has been super busy with new product rollouts. The latest announcement is the release of the Black Element, a gaming mouse with a ton of features.
Sporting a 6500 DPI laser, nine macro buttons, and Omron gaming switches rated for five million keystrokes, the Black Element is geared towards MMO and RTS gamers. Adjustable weights, a rubber coating, 128kb onboard memory, and adjustable lighting with five available colors help you make this mouse truly your own. Custom software gives you control of the memory onboard the Element with up to 5 profile assignments and 45 total macros and this is a pretty customizable mouse. No release date or price were announced at this time.
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MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Twin Frozr II Video Card
Introduction
We've already been amazed with what the GTX 560 Ti offers us when we looked at the GIGABYTE version which falls into the SOC series from the company. Now it's time to see what MSI can do with the model and while this one might not fall into that higher end HAWK series that we've grown to love, it does carry with it both an OC and the Twin Frozr II cooler.
We instantly know that the card isn't going to be as aggressive on the clock front because it's part of the Twin Frozr II series, but we expect it to offer some great cooling numbers while at the same time giving us a better idea of how lower clocked GTX 560s will perform against the competition.
With the full package on hand, we'll check out what MSI has got going on with the bundle before we look at the card itself, that Twin Frozr II cooler, and of course the specifications that MSI are offering us with this model.
Package
Looking at what's on offer from MSI, you're not seeing anything out of the ordinary when it comes to the package. We've got the manual and quick user guide for paperwork, the driver CD, two dual Molex to 6-Pin PCI-E power connectors along with a single DVI to VGA and mini HDMI to HDMI connector.
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Zalman N Series SandForce 128GB Solid State Drive
Introduction
It is no secret that solid state drives are very profitable and every company is looking to take a slice of the green pie. The latest addition to the growing number of companies offering SSDs is Zalman. Zalman, a company best known for their high performance CPU heat sink coolers and high quality PC cases, might seem to be late for the party, but their entry comes at a time when the winners have been established and little chance of faultier was possible.
Zalman's highest performing SSD, the N Series, is controlled by a SandForce SF-1200 controller, the highest performance SATA 3G controller on the market and our pick for any SSD with less than 256GB capacity. The SF-1200 is a beast of a controller and it is aging very gracefully. New firmware from SandForce and their partners has given the highest rated even better performance; something we will look at today since the new N Series uses the latest firmware offering.
There are several companies offering SandForce consumer drives and with competition comes very low prices or extravagant accessory packages. Zalman has chosen to compete with the low cost offerings on the market and eliminated the accessory package. Today we will look at the performance of the new Zalman N Series SandForce controlled SSD and see how it compares in performance and price to the competition.
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LittleBigPlanet 2 PlayStation 3 Review
With LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule showed the power of the PlayStation 3 console. For years Sony had told us that the PS3 system is incredibly powerful and will offer unique experiences, but it was not until LittleBigPlanet was shown that people saw something rather unique only available on the system. However, it was not without its problems. Many people did not like the floaty platforming plus the tools really only allowed platform style games and sequences to be made. Media Molecule went back to the drawing board and came up with LittleBigPlanet 2; a game that not only continues the style of the first game well, but adds so many options and tools that it is potentially the first truly 'must try' game of 2011.
In LittleBigPlanet 2 you once again take control of Sackboy (or Sackgirl). Sackboy came to represent not only LBP, but also the PlayStation 3 over time and so it is of no surprise he is back. The game begins in the sackworld version of Leonardo DaVinci's house. You as Sackboy are asked to join the Allegiance with Leonardo, but first you must take on some tasks; after which you move onto various worlds trying to solve problems which have befallen them.
As you would expect, each world in the game is unique and offers new challenges. One of the main criticisms we had of the original LittleBigPlanet was that the difficulty level rose significantly at one point in the game and the level balancing was not great. This is generally fixed in LBP 2 with the main core levels offering a challenge without ever making you really want to smash a controller.
LittleBigPlanet 2 also introduces new tools for Sackboy to use such as a grappling hook and grabbing gloves. This allows you to manipulate the world a lot more than in the past. Rather than just being able to push small boxes around, in the sequel Sackboy with the right tools can latch onto objects as well as throw items around to solve puzzles. These tools form the core of the puzzles within the game and many of the puzzles do force you to think beyond usual platforming gameplay.
However, where the game has found most of its improvement is in the community features. Whenever you load a level in single player or one of the many custom levels online, and others are playing it, you will be asked if you wish to join them. If you do you will find yourself playing with other players within an instant, running around the worlds trying to solve puzzles. There is still the option to play by yourself should you so desire, however. You can still build levels together and there is more encouragement to play with others with some levels having certain areas only accessible when two or more sackboys are present.
Even when the game is boiled down to its platforming core, it is still significantly improved. Whereas in the first game we felt we were going through the motions a bit moving from A to B, we have generally found the levels in LittleBigPlanet 2 to be interesting and fun to play. You will find puzzles are now a lot more commonplace such as having a switch to turn off an electric current, as well as jumping puzzles and puzzles which involve objects. The great thing is these puzzles are far from brain benders and you generally will not get stuck, giving you the satisfaction of beating a puzzle without tearing your hair out.
The longevity of LittleBigPlanet was determined by the ease of use of its tool set which was one of the games highlights. LittleBigPlanet 2 is no different; however, it is now possible to build all sorts of different games.
Already on the PSN network you will find games which mimic micro machines, Silent Scope and Left 4 Dead amongst others. The fact that these games can be envisioned in the LBP world proves the power of the tools. They are also easy to use. Jump in, start placing objects, add some gears and play. That won't give you the best level of course, and to do something truly special will take hours if not days or weeks, but it is easy to get into and learn.
The levels which the community are building already show the power of the engine and tool set well. It is also a lot easier to find these levels in the sequel with Media Molecule adding filters on search as well as choosing some of their favourite levels. There is also a web interface accessible on PC to search for levels which makes it a lot easier to find other levels people are recommending and you can queue them for download as well.
The game continues its cartoon style in the visual department with larger than life and unique and interesting characters present. Nothing in the LBP world is taken seriously and nor it should be with bold bright colours. It is clear to us that Media Molecule has refined the graphics engine even further of the game as the colours are more crisp and vibrant. Sackboy still has his problems with jumping and those who didn't like it in the first game will still find it somewhat problematic here, but overall the game looks beautiful.
LittleBigPlanet 2 is a fantastic refinement of something that was already a fantastic game. The ability to build your own levels basically means that you really get out of this game what you put in. It is a community driven game where success will be driven by that community and how well it builds levels and how quickly. From early evidence this will not be a problem, however, and LittleBigPlanet 2 is sure to continue to be one of the best games on the PlayStation 3 system. As long as the community keeps pumping out fantastic levels, you could spend a long, long time in this game. Highly recommended.
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POWERCOLOR PCS+ HD6970 TO UNLEASH HARDCORE GAMING PERFORMANCE
POWERCOLOR PCS+ HD6970 TO UNLEASH HARDCORE GAMING PERFORMANCE
The PCS+ system features factory overclocking, 20% Lower Temp., and is 10dB quieter than reference
Taipei, Taiwan -January 27, 2011 -- TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today expands its award-winning PCS+ series into the HD6970 series with the PowerColor PCS+ HD6970. Featuring all the latest technology, the PowerColor PCS+ HD6970 clocks in at 940MHz core speed and 1425MHz memory speed, easily accelerating gaming machines with nearly 2.9 teraFLOPs of computing power and delivering amazing gaming performance.
The PowerColor PCS+ HD6970 is equipped with a unique dual fan cooling solution; built with two large 92mm cooling fans, heat is easily dissipated from the 3x 8 ø large heat pipes and copper base which fully cover's the GPU. Temperatures are cooled up to 20% when compared to reference boards. The advantage of the dual fan cooling design is optimization of the air flow in a using a lower fan speed, providing a quieter working environment and better a user experience.
"Ultra cool, Ultra Performance is the gaming experience we want to deliver to all users of the PCS+ series," says Ted Chen, CEO of TUL Corporation. "I believe the PowerColor PCS+ HD6970 provides the performance that satisfies the hardest, of hardcore gamers."
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®2 Game Bundle: A Record Setting AAA Title for True Gamers
To bring more benefits for PCS+ gamers, PowerColor includes the most-anticipated game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, into the PCS+ HD6970. Continuing the gripping and heart-racing action against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse, the Modern Warfare 2 delivers the most realistic and immersive FPS gaming experience with PowerColor PCS+ HD6970 to all gamers, enabling the most exhilarating gaming experience like never before.
About TUL Corporation
TUL is a leading supplier of AMD graphics cards under the PowerColor brand. We offer award-winning products based on our technology leading components, quality design and superb engineering. TUL employs more than 150 talents worldwide, with offices in China, Europe, Russia and USA to support over 300 channel partners and distributors in 50 plus countries. For further information, visit: http://www.tul.com.tw/global/
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OCZ Technology Announces the Z-Drive R3 PCI-Express Solid State Drive with Virtualized Controller Architecture
OCZ Technology Announces the Z-Drive R3 PCI-Express Solid State Drive with Virtualized Controller Architecture
Next-Generation SSD Solution Features Proprietary Controller Technology from OCZ
SAN JOSE, CA—January 26, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ),a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, announces the latest Z-Drive R3 PCI-Express SSD solution for enterprise and OEM clients. Showcased for the first time at CES 2011, the Z-Drive R3 updates the existing lineup with greater performance, reliability, and design flexibility with a new compact footprint for server applications, and is the first SSD to officially deploy OCZ's proprietary Virtualized Controller Architecture (VCA) technology.
Creating a 'virtual super controller,' OCZ's VCA (Virtualized Controller Architecture) pools the resources of two or more NAND flash controller interfaces, MCPs, storage processors, and a physical interface complete with customizable features and interface options that eliminates the need to re-spin expensive silicon. VCA is able to address NAND flash in an innovative way through the use of a massively parallel array, eliminating bottlenecks by increasing both read and write speeds up to the theoretical interface limit while keeping access latencies to a minimum. With VCA, IT Architects can now take advantage of enterprise-rich features that are not available when utilizing traditional raid cards with an array of SSDs in their servers. With the Z-Drive R3, which makes use of VCA technology, clients can now overcome this obstacle and deploy a single solid state drive that not only delivers exceptional bandwidth but also beneficial enterprise features including TRIM, SMART monitoring, native command queuing (NCQ), tagged command queuing (TCQ), power fail management, and wear-leveling.
"The Z-Drive R3 lineup of PCI-E SSD's delivers superior performance and flexibility to enterprise clients who require high bandwidth coupled with high transactional performance," commented Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "Clients gain both the benefits of increased performance and reduced size with the Z-Drive R3, the half height and half length card can fit in even the slimmest servers and yet is capable of delivering up to 135k IOPS in a half height and 250k 4K Random write IOPS, in a full height configuration, due to OCZ's unique Virtualized Controller Architecture. This innovative new technology will provide customers with robust enterprise features including TRIM, SMART monitoring and power fail management all within a single streamlined solution."
The Z-Drive R3 takes the SATA/SAS bottleneck out of the equation and by implementing PCI-E Gen. 2 x8 interface and multiple SSD processors to deliver up to 1GB/s transfer speeds and 135,000 4k random write IOPS for maximum productivity in an professional IT environment. Available in up to 1.2TB capacities using a variety of NAND flash, this drive features a half-height and half-length form factor to maximize its application potential for servers and racks. OCZ will also introduce a new full height card that offers even higher performance and up to 250,000 4k random write IOPS.
The Z-Drive R3 with VCA takes enterprise data storage to new heights, providing the benefits of SSDs in a server environment for a cooler, quieter, more cost-effective solution than mechanical hard drives. OCZ's complete range of Z-Drive R3 is now available in SLC, MLC, eMLC NAND flash in 150GB, 300GB, 600GB, and 1.2TB capacities to fit the demanding needs of today's storage networks, data centers, and supercomputers.
For More information on the Z-Drive R3 solutions, please visit our product page here.
About OCZ Technology Group, Inc.
Founded in 2002, San Jose, CA-based OCZ Technology Group, Inc. ("OCZ"), is a leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of high performance and reliable Solid-State Drives (SSDs) and premium computer components. OCZ has built on its expertise in high-speed memory to become a leader in the SSD market, a technology that competes with traditional rotating magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs are faster, more reliable, generate less heat and use significantly less power than the HDDs used in the majority of computers today. In addition to SSD technology, OCZ also offers high performance components for computing devices and systems, including enterprise-class power management products as well as leading-edge computer gaming solutions. For more information, please visit: www.ocztechnology.com.
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LSI Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2010 Results
LSI Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2010 Results
MILPITAS, Calif., January 26, 2011 - LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today reported results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2010.
Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2010 News Release Summary
• Fourth quarter 2010 revenues of $664 million
• Fourth quarter 2010 GAAP* net loss of 2 cents per share
• Fourth quarter 2010 non-GAAP** net income of 14 cents per diluted share
• Fourth quarter operating cash flows of $112 million
• Full-year 2010 revenues of $2.6 billion
First Quarter 2011 Business Outlook
• Projected revenues of $605 million to $635 million
• GAAP* net (loss)/income in the range of ($0.03) to $0.07 per share
• Non-GAAP** net income in the range of $0.07 to $0.13 per share
* Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
** Excludes goodwill and other intangible asset impairment, stock-based compensation, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, purchase accounting effect on inventory, restructuring of operations and other items, net, and gain/loss on sale/write-down of investments. It also excludes the income tax effect associated with the above mentioned items.
Fourth quarter 2010 revenues were $664 million, a 4% increase year over year compared to $638 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2009, and compared to $629 million reported in the third quarter of 2010.
Fourth quarter 2010 GAAP* net loss was $13 million or 2 cents per share, compared to fourth quarter 2009 GAAP net income of $65 million or 10 cents per diluted share. Fourth quarter 2010 GAAP results compare to third quarter 2010 GAAP net income of $23 million or 4 cents per diluted share. Fourth quarter 2010 GAAP net income included a net charge of $103 million from special items, consisting primarily of $48 million of net restructuring and other items, $40 million of amortization of acquisition-related items, and $15 million of stock-based compensation expense.
Fourth quarter 2010 non-GAAP** net income was $90 million or 14 cents per diluted share, compared to fourth quarter 2009 non-GAAP net income of $124 million or 18 cents per diluted share. Third quarter 2010 non-GAAP net income was $79 million or 13 cents per diluted share.
Cash and short-term investments totaled approximately $677 million at quarter end. The company completed fourth-quarter purchases of approximately 6 million shares of its common stock for approximately $32 million. In 2010, the company purchased approximately 51 million shares of its common stock for approximately $250 million, completing its repurchase program announced in March, 2010.
"We delivered solid quarterly revenue growth with revenues near the high end of our guidance range, reflecting seasonal strength in our storage systems and storage semiconductor businesses," said Abhi Talwalkar, LSI president and chief executive officer. "For the full year, our revenues grew substantially, driven by increased enterprise spending for IT infrastructure products that rely on our technology. As economic conditions continue to improve in 2011, we expect to benefit from higher enterprise spending levels and new product ramps with our tier one customers."
LSI recorded full-year 2010 revenues of $2.57 billion, a 16% increase compared to $2.22 billion in 2009. The company reported 2010 GAAP net income of $40 million or 6 cents per diluted share. Full-year 2010 GAAP results compare to full-year 2009 GAAP net loss of $48 million or 7 cents per share. Full-year 2010 GAAP net income included a net charge of $293 million from special items, consisting primarily of $161 million in the amortization of acquisition-related items, $66 million of stock-based compensation expense, $59 million of restructuring costs, and $7 million of net loss on the sale and write-down of investments.
Non-GAAP net income for 2010 was $333 million or 52 cents per diluted share, compared to 2009 non-GAAP net income of $232 million or 35 cents per diluted share.
Bryon Look, LSI CFO and chief administrative officer, said, "We delivered another quarter of solid operating performance, with operating cash flows growing 36% sequentially to $112 million. For the full year, our operating cash flows were $367 million, up 80% year over year. Our balance sheet further strengthened as we ended the year with $677 million of net cash while remaining debt free. On a full-year basis, our profitability also improved significantly as we continued to focus on making progress toward our business model targets."
Capital spending is projected to be around $15 million in the first quarter and approximately $60 million in total for 2011.
Depreciation and software amortization is projected to be around $26 million in the first quarter and approximately $105 million in total for 2011.
LSI Conference Call Information
LSI will hold a conference call today at 2 p.m. PST to discuss fourth quarter financial results and the first quarter 2011 business outlook. Internet users can access the conference call at http://www.lsi.com/webcast. Subsequent to the conference call, a replay will be available at the same web address.
About LSI
LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) is a leading provider of innovative silicon, systems and software technologies that enable products which seamlessly bring people, information and digital content together. The company offers a broad portfolio of capabilities and services including custom and standard product ICs, adapters, systems and software that are trusted by the world's best known brands to power leading solutions in the Storage and Networking markets. More information is available at www.lsi.com
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Logitech Announces Third Quarter Financial Results for FY 2011
Logitech Announces Third Quarter Financial Results for FY 2011
Company Delivers Record Revenue, Increases Full-Year Sales Outlook
FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 26, 2011 and MORGES, Switzerland, Jan. 27, 2011 — Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced financial results for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2011.
Sales for Q3 FY 2011 were $754 million, up 22 percent from $617 million in the same quarter last year. Excluding the unfavorable impact of exchange rate changes, sales increased by 26 percent. Operating income was $76 million, an increase of 30 percent compared to $58 million in the same quarter a year ago. Net income for Q3 was $65 million ($0.36 per share) compared to $57 million ($0.32 per share) in Q3 of FY 2010. Gross margin for Q3 FY 2011 was 36.0 percent, up from 33.9 percent one year ago.
Logitech's retail sales for Q3 FY 2011 grew by 17 percent year over year, with an increase in Asia of 51 percent, an increase in the Americas of 31 percent, and a decrease in EMEA of 1 percent. OEM sales increased by 18 percent. The LifeSize division contributed 5 percentage points to the Company's Q3 FY 2011 sales growth compared to the prior year.
"We are very pleased with our Q3 performance, which included our highest-ever quarterly sales and strong year-over-year growth in both sales and operating income," said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief executive officer. "All of our retail product categories contributed to our sales growth, with double-digit increases in remote controls, pointing devices, video and gaming. OEM sales made a very solid contribution, and the momentum continued for our LifeSize division, which delivered the highest-ever quarterly sales in its history.
"A highlight of the quarter was the launch of Logitech Revue with Google TV and related peripherals. We are confident about the long-term potential of the Google TV platform and look forward to continued enhancements around the platform as we work with Google to push periodic over-the-air software updates."
Outlook
For Fiscal Year 2011, ending March 31, 2011, Logitech has increased its sales outlook from the previous range of $2.35 to $2.4 billion to the new range of $2.4 to $2.42 billion. The target for operating income for the full year remains in the range of $170 to $180 million. Expected gross margin continues to be approximately 36 percent. The expected tax rate has been lowered to approximately 14 percent.
Earnings Teleconference and Webcast
Logitech will hold an earnings teleconference on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and 14:30 Central European Time. A live webcast of the call, along with presentation slides, will be available on the Logitech corporate Web site at http://ir.logitech.com.
About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in products that connect people to the digital experiences they care about. Spanning multiple computing, communication and entertainment platforms, Logitech's combined hardware and software enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video entertainment, gaming, social networking, audio and video communication over the Internet, video security and home-entertainment control. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).
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Intel Labs to Invest $100 Million in U.S. University Research
Intel Labs to Invest $100 Million in U.S. University Research
First Center Hosted by Stanford, Focused on Visual Computing
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Intel Labs announced $100 million cash investment in U.S. university research over the next 5 years, marking a new model of collaboration for the organization.
- Funding will support a number of Intel Science and Technology Centers; the first such center will be led by Stanford University and focus on next-generation visual computing.
- This new model of university-lead research is expected to provide U.S. researchers with up to 5 times more funding from Intel Labs compared to the previous approach, and enable engagements across a broader set of universities.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 26, 2011 - Intel Corporation announced plans to invest $100 million directly into U.S. university research over the next 5 years to drive innovations in computing and communications. The company will open Intel Science and Technology Centers across multiple universities throughout the year.
The centers will focus on projects in select technology areas that align with the company's research agenda including visual computing, mobility, security and embedded solutions. This new model is expected to result in U.S. researchers receiving up to five times more funding from Intel Labs when compared to the previous approach.
As an initial step, Intel Labs also announced that Stanford University will be the hub for the first center, which will focus on improving visual computing experiences for consumers and professionals. Researchers at Stanford will collaborate with a community of researchers from seven other universities. The recently introduced 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processor with combined visual and 3-D graphics will be a key R&D platform for researchers to develop innovations which improve the quality and the way images are captured or created, manipulated or interpreted and ultimately displayed to the viewer.
This first Intel Science and Technology Center, as well as those that will follow later this year, represents a new model of collaboration for the company. Until now, Intel Labs ran open collaboration centers near research universities and a substantial portion of the company's funding focused on operating, maintaining and staffing these facilities. The new centers will be Intel-funded and jointly led by Intel and university researchers. They are designed to providemore dollars in the hands of researchers, and to encourage tighter collaboration between academic thought leaders in essential technology areas such as visual computing, security and mobile computing. For maximum flexibility, Intel will be able to tune its research agenda across the research centers over time. Intel plans to invite proposals from the academic community to continue pursuing the creation of additional Intel Science and Technology Centers.
"Intel Labs has long been a significant investor in university research and this program is the next step in that critical investment," said Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer. "The pace of technology change is getting faster. With today's announcement we are ensuring that Intel Labs' academic research support is adaptable and flexible. Our new approach should allow us to quickly and dynamically invest in the most promising academic work."
"Stanford is honored to be chosen as the host university for the initial ISTC," said Pat Hanrahan, the lead academic principal investigator for the ISTC-VC. "This is an exciting new model that will have huge impact on the future of computing. Stanford looks forward to working with Inteland our network of seven other universities, to bring exciting new visual computing experiences to the computer user."
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Forty Young Innovators Named Intel Science Talent Search 2011 Finalists
Forty Young Innovators Named Intel Science Talent Search 2011 Finalists
U.S. High School Seniors Recognized in Prestigious Science Competition
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Forty high school seniors from across the country were named finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2011, a program of Society for Science & the Public.
- For the first time ever, California has surpassed New York as the state with the highest number of young innovators in the competition.
- Finalists will gather in Washington, D.C. in March to compete for $630,000 in awards with the top winner receiving $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2011 - Forty high school seniors from across the U.S. are celebrating their selection as finalists in the country's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition, the Intel Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science & the Public (SSP). Finalists, who were announced today, will gather in Washington, D.C. from March 10-15 to compete for $630,000 in awards. The top winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation. For a list of this year's finalists, visit www.societyforscience.org/sts.
"The most pressing issues in society today will be solved by curious youth, like these Intel Science Talent Search competitors," said Shelly Esque, vice president of Intel's Corporate Affairs Group. "It is their passion for math and science that lays the foundation for America's innovation."
Intel has sponsored the Intel Science Talent Search and the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair for 13 and 14 years, respectively. Because Intel views education as the foundation for innovation, over the past decade, Intel and the Intel Foundation have invested more than $1 billion and Intel employees have donated close to 3 million hours toward improving education in more than 60 countries.
Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942.
"I am especially encouraged this year by the quality and breadth of applications from across the country, from students who are tackling some of the world's most challenging issues," said Elizabeth Marincola, president of SSP. "We congratulate the outstanding finalists in the 70th Science Talent Search and join Intel in welcoming them into the small and prestigious group of alumni finalists who have realized so much success over the past decades."
Intel Science Talent Search 2011 Fast Facts
- The Intel Science Talent Search 2011 finalists come from 15 states and represent 39 schools.
- For the first time ever, California has surpassed New York as the state with the highest number of young innovators in the competition. California has 11 and New York has seven finalists. This is followed by Texas with three; Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania with two each; and Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska with one each.
- This year's finalists' independent research projects include such topics as examining the effect of high levels of glucose on morphine receptors, suggesting that sugar may be addictive; improving pain management for Chinese-American cancer patients through targeted education; using simulated human emotions to change the way people interact with robots; and helping to treat autoimmune diseases with ultraviolet light.
- What's next: Finalists will gather in Washington, D.C. for a week-long event from March 10-15. They will undergo a rigorous judging process, meet with national leaders, interact with leading scientists and display their research at the National Geographic Society. Top winners will be announced at a black-tie gala awards ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 15.
To get the latest Intel Science Talent Search news, visit http://www.intel.com/newsroom/education, join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/InspiredbyEducation and follow Twitter updates at twitter.com/intelinspire. To join Intel's community of people sharing their stories with the hope of becoming a catalyst for action and a voice for change in global education, visit http://www.inspiredbyeducation.com.
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AMD Boosts Application Development for AMD Fusion APU-Powered PCs with Updated Software Development Kit
AMD Boosts Application Development for AMD Fusion APU-Powered PCs with Updated Software Development Kit
SUNNYVALE, Calif. —1/27/2011
AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced availability of the updated AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) Software Development Kit (SDK) v2.3 with full support for the first AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), OpenCL™ 1.1 and AMD Radeon™ HD 6900 Series graphics. AMD APP technology enables AMD GPUs and CPUs to work together to run many demanding computing tasks faster than possible with just the CPU alone.
AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing SDK v2.3, previously known as the ATI Stream SDK, empowers software developers to write new applications that can take full advantage of the parallel processing power of heterogeneous computing platforms, such as those based on new AMD E-Series and C-Series APUs that combine a multi-core CPU and DirectX®11-capable GPU on a single die.
"When developers harness the power of parallel processing within our APU designs, they can fundamentally change the PC experience to help not only make it faster, but also to create new possibilities in software," said John Taylor, director of Client Product and Software Marketing, AMD. "In 2008, AMD was the first processor design company to embrace OpenCL, and as such, we have made significant progress in parallel processing innovation. Our vision has been realized with the widespread availability of the first PCs powered by AMD Fusion APUs."
"Industry standards like OpenCL and OpenGL, common APIs, and tools like the AMD APP library and SDK give application developers a shared environment that allows them to harness maximum hardware performance for amazing application experiences across platforms," said George Tang, vice president and general manager of ArcSoft's Video and Home Entertainment Group. "By supporting these open standards, AMD is giving developers access to a programming environment that helps them more easily navigate the recent advances in computer hardware, including AMD's APU technology."
In addition to support for the first AMD Fusion APUs and OpenCL 1.1, AMD APP SDK v2.3 offers improved runtime performance and math libraries for OpenCL.
AMD Developer Summit
Improving OpenCL performance and programmability on AMD platforms is a key initiative for AMD, and this summer, AMD technical personnel, AMD executives, developers and partner companies will gather at the AMD Fusion Developer Summit to discuss industry standards including OpenCL, and to explore how to best optimize applications for heterogeneous computing.
The inaugural AMD Fusion Developer Summit (AFDS) will be held June 13-16, 2011 in Bellevue, Washington. Presentation proposals are due by February 4, 2011. AFDS will gather developers, academics and emerging innovators to learn more about heterogeneous computing, APU technology, parallel processing and developer programs like the AMD Fusion Fund.
About AMD
AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). AMD's graphics and computing technologies power a variety of devices including PCs, game consoles and the powerful computers that drive the Internet and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
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AMD Fusion APUs can reduce carbon footprint by up to 40% vs. previous generation products
AMD Fusion APUs can reduce carbon footprint by up to 40% vs. previous generation products
—Carbon footprint study demonstrates considerable environmental benefits for forthcoming AMD Accelerated Processing Units —
SUNNYVALE, Calif. —1/27/2011
AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced its AMD E-350 APU demonstrated a significant reduction in the overall product "carbon footprint" as compared to a previous generation product featuring an AMD Athlon™ Neo II Dual core processor and an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5430 graphics processor. The environmental benefits were evidenced by a recently completed carbon footprint study that examined the production and use of the new APU, and found a reduction of up to 40 percent in total carbon emissions over the life of the APU1.
The study calculated the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, or carbon footprint, of the systems from the silicon fabrication through the use phases of the product life cycle. The findings showed that the AMD Fusion APU reference system generated 40.2kg CO2e of GHG emissions compared to 67.4kg CO2e of GHG emissions for the previous generation products - a 40.3% reduction in overall GHG emissions associated with the APU product over its estimated lifetime. While the study showed some reduction in carbon footprint at the manufacturing stage, the largest carbon benefits for the APU stem from lower energy consumption when the product is used.
The lower carbon footprint of the AMD E-350 APU, as compared to the test system, largely results from the innovative integration of the computing and graphics processors onto a single piece of silicon. This eliminates the chip-to-chip linkage between CPU and GPU that can add latency to memory operations and reduce power.
"AMD's commitment to reduce our impact on the environment spans our operations, our behaviors and the products we design," said Nigel Dessau, Chief Marketing Officer, AMD. "AMD Fusion APUs are a remarkable example of how a company's business interests and environmental interests can align and result in innovative products that deliver incredible experiences, value, and significant energy and cost savings for consumers and businesses alike."
The study compared systems with the following specifications: the AMD Fusion APU system featured the AMD E-350 APU (18 watts Thermal Design Power), which is a single-chip processor that combines a dual-core CPU with a DirectX11 discrete-class graphics processing unit (GPU); while the reference system featured a dual-core AMD Athlon™ Neo II CPU and a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5430 GPU card.
AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units
AMD Fusion APUs mark a significant leap forward in technology innovation to address evolving workloads and users' needs for smaller, more power-efficient form factors that enable richer visual computing experiences such as:
- Outstanding Web browsing experiences in terms of speed of response, quality of graphics, quality of animations;
- Smooth video playback of HD and 3D content in even the most portable form factors;
- Optimized experience in popular GPU-accelerated productivity applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint where AMD Fusion enables smooth transitions, better animations, easier video editing;
- Enhanced content management capabilities to help organize the millions of digital media files created and stored by consumers everyday;
- User interface innovations designed to rapidly evolve as new technologies such as gesture recognition and voice command take advantage of the massive parallel processing capability of GPUs as evidenced by the hundreds of gigaflops of compute power in the AMD Fusion APU codenamed "Llano".
The potential carbon footprint savings from AMD Fusion APU technology is dramatic. The AMD Fusion APU tested in the Carbon Footprint Study was found to save an estimated 27.2 kgCO2e over its lifetime compared to the non-APU product. As to the product use, which was by far the greatest source of carbon emissions, the study found that a single AMD Fusion APU-based system could save an estimated 9 KWh of energy/year.2
Based on the latest IDC Worldwide PC Forecast, the 2011 worldwide portable PC market - the primary market for which the AMD Fusion APU Model E-350 is targeted - is estimated to total approximately 233 million units in 2011.3 If AMD Fusion products were to be installed in approximately one-third of that market - or 77 million units - that could result in a total carbon dioxide emission equivalents savings of nearly 500,000 metric tons annually.4 That is the same amount of annual GHG emissions from 95,160 passenger vehicles or the same amount of electricity used by 60,399 homes for one year.
About AMD
AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). AMD's graphics and computing technologies power a variety of devices including PCs, game consoles and the powerful computers that drive the Internet and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
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Sparkle Announces Calibre X560 Graphics Card
Sparkle Announces Calibre X560 Graphics Card
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, announced the Calibre X560 Graphics Card with Accelero cooling solution from Arctic Cooling, delivering unparalleled levels of cooling performance and gaming experience to mainstream gamers. The Calibre X560 Graphics Card adopts the Fermi 2.0 architecture which upgrades core algorithms such as texture filtering and Z-axis compression over Fermi 1.0 architecture, so that the corresponding instruction operation efficiency is greatly enhanced. At the same time, with semiconductor chip manufacturing technology improvements at TSMC, through the upgrading of core components and semiconductor manufacturing process optimization of its characteristics, still based on TSMC 40nm process in the premise, The Calibre X560 Graphics Card can run at higher frequencies. By the two improvements, the Performance/Watt ratio of the Calibre X560 Graphics Card has great increase over GeForce GTX 470 graphics cards.
Outstanding Performance/Price Ratio For The Mainstream Gaming Market
The Calibre X560 Graphics Card fully upgrades the performance of previous generation products, bringing outstanding Performance/price ratio to the mainstream PC gaming market. Like all NVIDIA "DX11 Done Right" GPUs, the Calibre X560 Graphics Card delivers the world's fastest performance for DirectX 11 (DX11) games in its class.
Excellent Cooling With Arctic Cooling Solution
The Calibre X560 Graphics Card is equipped with the Accelero Cooling Solution from Arctic Cooling, which delivers ultimate cooling weapon for mainstream hardcore gamers. The Accelero Cooling Solution for the Calibre X560 Graphics Card features 4 pure copper heatpipes with 6mm diameter,2 big size PWM fans with 92mm diameter and pure aluminum fins. The radical optimized air flow design is targeting to cool effectively. The Accelero Cooling Solution can adjust the rotating speed of the fans according to the GPU working temperature, dramatically improve the cooling performance between the Calibre X560 cooling system and the GTX 560 TI cooler, delivering more performance and has a higher tolerance for overclocking.The two PWM fans from Accelero cooling solution bring maximum air flow but operate extremely silence.
Unbeatable Performance /Watt
By optimizing the core manufacturing process, higher efficient cooler and the hardware power monitor circuit, the Calibre X560 Graphics Card is thoroughly improve on power consumption, heat dissipation and working noise. Now, theCalibre X560 Graphics Card has unbeatable performance/Watt ratio compared with previous generation products, such as GeForce GTX 460 graphics cards.
A Perfect Time to Upgrade
With the introducing of the second generation of Intel i7 CPU based on Sandy Bridge architecture, now it's the perfect time to upgrade. The combination of the Sandy Bridge and the the Calibre X560 Graphics Card provides the CPU and graphics horsepower and video bandwidth needed to experience DX11 games and high-definition Blu-ray movies in eye-popping stereoscopic 3D on a single display or spanning across three screens for an immersive gaming environment.
All-Solid-Capacitor Design
With good design in mind, the Calibre X560 Graphics Card uses solid capacitors, supplying more stable current than electrolytic capacitors and strengthening longer lifespan, containing zero risk of leaking or exploding, as a true factor of products quality.
A Generation Ahead In DX11 Tessellation Test
The Calibre X560 Graphics Card is built ground up for tessellation, bringing games closer to reality without sacrificing the high frame rates gamers enjoy. By PolyMorph Engines for Tessellation, the Calibre X560 Graphics Card lets mainstream gamers to experience an unprecedented level of detail and realism in the latest DX11 games. Compared with competitor products, the Calibre X560 Graphics Card brings more detailed characters and terrain in games.
Calibre 3-years International Warranty
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd, is continuously improving product and service quality. High quality components are used for the Calibre X560 Graphics Card to ensure 3 years of reliable performance.
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Announcing the BitFenix Facebook Sweepstakes
Announcing the BitFenix Facebook Sweepstakes
Win a Colossus Venom Edition and more by becoming a fan
(BitFenix Design Lab, January 26th, 2011) - Today, BitFenix is announcing a special contest for our Facebook fans. From now until February 11th, users can go to the BitFenix Facebook page and enter the contest by "liking" the page and filling out the sweepstakes entry form. At the end of the contest period, one lucky fan will win the hottest gaming chassis on the planet - a brand new Colossus Venom Edition!
"BitFenix is almost one year old, and thanks to our fans, we've come a long way during the short time that we've been around," says David Jarlestedt, BitFenix Product Manager. "We wanted to give back to all the fans that have supported us, and this Facebook contest is an easy way for both new and long-time fans to win some cool BitFenix gear."
Entering the contest is easy:
1. Go to the BitFenix Facebook Page (http://facebook.bitfenix.com) and click "Like"
2. Find the Sweepstakes tab and fill in the contest form
In addition, BitFenix will give away one additional chassis for every 500 new "likes" our Facebook page receives! The more people that enter, the more prizes will be given away!
Enter the sweepstakes by going to the BitFenix Facebook page: http://facebook.bitfenix.com
Full contest details can be found here: http://bit.ly/gD5V63
For more information on BitFenix, visit: http://www.bitfenix.com.
About BitFenix
BitFenix is the result of the collaboration of several veterans in both the technology and gaming industries. From the same minds behind some of technology's most venerable products, BitFenix creates hardware and peripherals that grant the user the utmost control, strength, and performance to complete their computing tasks. Combining a deep understanding of gaming and other high-demand computing applications with superior engineering and design know-how, the BitFenix Team is dedicated to creating the go-to computing products and peripherals for those who refuse to quit. For more information, check out http://www.bitfenix.com.
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Colorful Announces iGame GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card
Colorful Announces iGame GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card
Colorful announces the latest NVIDIA graphics card - GTX560 Ti. Comparing with the GTX460, the new GTX560Ti provides 48 more CUDA Processors; as the architecture of GF114 is like an "update" of GF104 , the GTX560 Ti is compatible with the PCB solution of GTX460, that's why we could see most of the GTX560 looks like GTX460. Colorful also continues the PCB solution of iGame460, which made a great success in 2010, and named the new product as iGame560-1024 D5 Ymir.
The iGame560 continues the Shark-inspired Bionic design on the cooler, however, it increases the surface of nickel plated cooper base and the length of the heat-pipes, to achieve better thermal performance. For the VRM area, it makes use of a 7-phase design, with high-grade ONSEMI-made MOSFETs which are covered by one piece of radiator. Just like other iGame Ymir series, it has a dual-BIOS design that is user-controllable with a switch on the rear panel, each BIOS stores a different clock speed profile, in Normal Mode, sticking to reference speeds of 820/4000 MHz (Core/Memory); in Turbo Mode, the clock is setting at 900/4200 MHz, and the performance will achieve to that of HD 6950.
Key Features:
• Shark-inspired Bionic Design, with Breathing Light equipped.
• Silver Plating Technology and 6+1 multiphase VRM.
• Unparallel Hybrid Cooling System, providing better thermal performance and lower noise.
• One Key Overclocking and Voltage Measure Points.
• Proadlizer capacitor onboard to provide better Overclocking capacity.
• iGame Tools Pack and mini HDMI cable provided(Optional).
Specifications:
• Name: iGame560-1024 D5 Ymir
• CUDA CORES: 384
• Graphics Clock (Normal/Turbo): 820/900 (MHz)
• Memory Clock (Normal/Turbo): 4000/4200 (MHz)
• Memory Capacity: 1024MB
• Memory Interface: 256-bit
The iGame560-1024 D5 Ymir will be available now in Asia and will be available in Europe after Chinese New Year Festive.
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MSI Releases Its First Sandy Bridge-Powered Notebook for North American Gaming Enthusiasts
MSI Releases Its First Sandy Bridge-Powered Notebook for North American Gaming Enthusiasts
GT680R combines performance with superior sound and vision, offering Turbo Drive Engine Technology, DirectX 11-ready NVIDIA graphics card, Dynaudio Premium Speakers and THX TruStudio Surround Sound
CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. - Jan. 26, 2011 - MSI Computer Corp., a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, today announced the North American availability of the GT680R, its first gaming notebook available to consumers with the new 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor. With features focused on performance, sound and vision, the GT680R provides the perfect combination for people in need of the ultimate gaming and multimedia experience.
MSI has packed the GT680R with performance features including:
• New 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 2630QM Processor: Debuted earlier this month at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, Intel's new energy-efficient processor consumes less power and delivers higher performance, which is optimized with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology. The processor also offers capabilities including media processing for faster video editing and HD video playback with next-generation picture quality.
• MSI's Exclusive Turbo Drive Engine Technology: TDE's efficient, real-time data processing enhances system performance, specifically video decoding/encoding, gaming and design, which results in fast response time.
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460M: The GT680R features NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX460M discrete graphics card with 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory, providing real-world visual quality and improved efficiency. Support for Microsoft® DirectX® 11 provides higher resolution so that small details such as facial features are recognizable, making games appear more realistic.
• USB 3.0: The GT680R features two USB 3.0 ports, delivering data transfer that can reach rates of up to 4.8GB per second, 10 times the bandwidth of USB 2.0. MSI's own i-Charger technology provides three times the power to make charging CE devices even faster.
• MSI Exclusive DDR3 SO-DIMM X 4 Slot Design: As more RAM provides higher processing speed, the GT680R has four pieces of SO-DIMM to provide the most economical means to upgrade memory capacity, supporting RAM storage up to 16GB.
• Dual SATA HDD with RAID 0: The GT680R also comes with dual SATA HDD with RAID 0 support, to double storage for HD content as well as performance for HD content processing.
To provide a superior audio and visual experience, MSI has incorporated the following features into the GT680R:
• Professional Sound Quality: The GT680R integrates THX TruStudio Pro wrap around sound to provide professional theater-grade audio. As a result, voices in movies are clearer, the sound and bass quality of speakers are enhanced, and abrupt volume changes appear smooth. In addition, MSI worked closely with renowned sound system designers at Dynaudio to determine ideal locations for speaker installation, resulting in obstruction-free sound transmission.
• Precise Vision: The GT680R features a wide, cinema-class 16:9 ratio LED display to provide detailed and vivid images, and also features HDM1 1.4 so that any type of high-fidelity, high-definition video can be viewed via a cable on a LCD television screen.
The GT680R also features MSI's own Cinema Pro technology for optimal graphics. A touch of the Cinema Pro hotkey instantly kicks in the film mode for higher resolution and richer colors to maximize the cinematic experience.
The new GT680R has an MSRP of $1,649 and is available at Newegg.
For more information and product images, please visit http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=283.
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Intel Labs to Invest $100 Million in U.S. University Research
Intel Labs to Invest $100 Million in U.S. University Research
First Center Hosted by Stanford, Focused on Visual Computing
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Intel Labs announced $100 million cash investment in U.S. university research over the next 5 years, marking a new model of collaboration for the organization.
- Funding will support a number of Intel Science and Technology Centers; the first such center will be led by Stanford University and focus on next-generation visual computing.
- This new model of university-lead research is expected to provide U.S. researchers with up to 5 times more funding from Intel Labs compared to the previous approach, and enable engagements across a broader set of universities.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 26, 2011 - Intel Corporation announced plans to invest $100 million directly into U.S. university research over the next 5 years to drive innovations in computing and communications. The company will open Intel Science and Technology Centers across multiple universities throughout the year.
The centers will focus on projects in select technology areas that align with the company's research agenda including visual computing, mobility, security and embedded solutions. This new model is expected to result in U.S. researchers receiving up to five times more funding from Intel Labs when compared to the previous approach.
As an initial step, Intel Labs also announced that Stanford University will be the hub for the first center, which will focus on improving visual computing experiences for consumers and professionals. Researchers at Stanford will collaborate with a community of researchers from seven other universities. The recently introduced 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processor with combined visual and 3-D graphics will be a key R&D platform for researchers to develop innovations which improve the quality and the way images are captured or created, manipulated or interpreted and ultimately displayed to the viewer.
This first Intel Science and Technology Center, as well as those that will follow later this year, represents a new model of collaboration for the company. Until now, Intel Labs ran open collaboration centers near research universities and a substantial portion of the company's funding focused on operating, maintaining and staffing these facilities. The new centers will be Intel-funded and jointly led by Intel and university researchers. They are designed to providemore dollars in the hands of researchers, and to encourage tighter collaboration between academic thought leaders in essential technology areas such as visual computing, security and mobile computing. For maximum flexibility, Intel will be able to tune its research agenda across the research centers over time. Intel plans to invite proposals from the academic community to continue pursuing the creation of additional Intel Science and Technology Centers.
"Intel Labs has long been a significant investor in university research and this program is the next step in that critical investment," said Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer. "The pace of technology change is getting faster. With today's announcement we are ensuring that Intel Labs' academic research support is adaptable and flexible. Our new approach should allow us to quickly and dynamically invest in the most promising academic work."
"Stanford is honored to be chosen as the host university for the initial ISTC," said Pat Hanrahan, the lead academic principal investigator for the ISTC-VC. "This is an exciting new model that will have huge impact on the future of computing. Stanford looks forward to working with Inteland our network of seven other universities, to bring exciting new visual computing experiences to the computer user."
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
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Gigabyte Launches New GTX 560 Ti Series Graphics Card
Gigabyte Launches New GTX 560 Ti Series Graphics Card
GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to present the latest premium graphics card series, GV-N560SO-1GI and GV-N560OC-1GI. Built with next-generation NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti GPU and GDDR5 memory technology, GV-N560SO-1GI and GV-N560OC-1GI run blockbuster games with amazing performance. Supporting NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround, 3D Vision, PhysX, and 2-way SLI, GV-N560SO-1GI and GV-N560OC-1GI guarantee ultimate extreme DirectX 11 gaming experience. Both GV-N560SO-1GI and GV-N560OC-1GI adopt GIGABYTE's innovative WINDFORCE 2X cooling technology for optimal thermal solution.
World's Fastest GTX 560 Ti
Of the two GIGABYTE GTX 560 Ti models, GV-N560SO-1GI is the latest new addition to GIGABYTE's Super Overclock Series. GV-N560SO-1GI's core and memory clock are 1G and 4580 MHz respectively whereas the standard GTX 560 Ti is 822/4000 MHz. To qualify for "SOC" series, GV-N560SO-1GI's GPU must go through GIGABYTE's innovative GPU Gauntlet Sorting process and it must be equipped with Ultra Durable VGA or VGA+ boards. Designed specifically for overclocking competition and gaming battle, GIGABYTE's secret weapon GTX 560 Ti Super Overclock Edition is built with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti GPU. Based on 40nm processor and advanced GDDR5 memory technology, the powerful new GPU consists of ground-breaking features including Microsoft DirectX 11 and NVIDIA PhysX which lead to incredibly immersive HD gaming experience and unrivaled performance. GV-N560SO-1GI also features WINDFORCE 2X, 7 phase PWM design, OC Guru graphics card smart tuner and voltage read point.
WINDFORCETM 2X: Anti-turbulence Cooling
GV-N560SO-1GI and GV-N560OC-1GI are both equipped with WINDFORCE 2X mirroring-inclined fin cooling solution. WINDFORCE 2X mirroring-inclined fin design is equipped with 2 ultra quiet PWM fans and four pure copper heat pipes. The special inclined dual fan design effectively minimizes the flow of turbulence between two fans and enhances heat dissipation of hot area right underneath each fan. By unique design, WINDFORCE 2X even enlarges air channel on the graphics card vents and creates a more effective airflow system in chassis. This special design helps heat dissipate quickly from GPU. In addition, the 2 copper heat-pipes strengthen the speed of heat dissipation.
Pure Power Architecture
GV-N560SO-1GI has incredibly pure power. It is compatible with ATX standard length PCB. 7 phase PWM design includes 6 for GPU, 1 for memory. This feature ensures a more stable system and better overclocking capability.
GPU Gauntlet Sorting
GIGABYTE's very own GPU Gauntlet Sorting process is the key to the best GPUs for Super Overclock Series. A GPU must pass a sequence of tests to be selected. This unique process offers three major advantages. First, full-throttle performance tuning improves GV-N560SO-1GI overclocking ability by at least 21%. Second, optimized thermal efficiency lowers extra temperatures by 16% (GV-N560SO-1GI compared to stock GTX 560 Ti). Fan speed is guaranteed at standard rpm in high-rated 3D and physics-accelerated games to reduce noise for an absolutely quiet environment. Lastly, expert power switching lowers power switching loss by 12%. With GPU Gauntlet Sorting, GIGABYTE SOC graphics card guarantees higher overclocking ability.
Ultra Durable VGA+
Thanks to Ultra Durable VGA+ that features 5+1 quality components, the Super Overclock Series supports top performance in graphics benchmarking. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA+'s use of proadilizer on GV-N560SO-1GI graphics cards is able to provide purer power supply compared to traditional power design (zero proadlizers). On GV-N560SO-1GI graphics cards, GIGABYTE uses one NEC Proadlizer, also known as film capacitor, to provide amazing current capacity and extremely low ESL/ESR for super overclocking ability. The added proadlizer transmits more stable power even during heavy loading.
OC Guru - Graphics Card Smart Tuner
GIGABYTE proudly improves its graphics card smart tuner OC Guru. This graphics card tweaking utility puts together the best combination of software/hardware overclocking. It now features 3 profiles: OC (for overclocking mode), Gaming (for gaming mode), and Green (for power saving mode). The different modes cater to users' different needs. GIGABYTE's distinctive adjustable software offers gamers to adjust tuners for memory, voltage, and fan speed. OC Guru, the user-friendly software, gives hardcore gamers liberty when overclocking.
Voltage Read Point
GIGABYTE's specific voltage read point supplies hardcore gamers an ultimate benching experience at overclocking competition. Heavy users can change the voltage simply through software instead of manually adjusting any components on PCB. It is easy for overclockers to master the platform and monitor GPU workload at any time just through voltage read point.
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Cooler Master Also Announces Elite 343 Value MATX Case
Cooler Master Also Announces Elite 343 Value MATX Case
Cooler Master introduces the new Elite 343, mini tower chassis designed for Micro-ATX motherboards. This case comes with the Cooler Master's excellent quality and design. For the average user, Elite 343 allows for a quiet environment. For anyone with a powerful PC, Elite 343 also fits the bill as adding fans for improved ventilation is easy. The good traits of easy installation, and a cool yet quiet interior environment combined with its outlook makes the Elite 343 a great option for users wanting to assemble compact systems.
Quiet Environment and High Ventilation
The Elite 343 allows for building compact systems to perform greatly without having to sacrifice on noise issues. With the pre-installed 120mm fan and mesh design on the front, Elite 343 gives users a quiet and constant cooling environment. For users needing additional ventilation, Elite 343 has provision in the back for installing 80 mm or 90 mm fan to enhance heat absorption.
Easy Assembly and Customization
The new Elite 343 has two 5.25" tool-free. The removable HDD cage and retaining holes allow for easy customization. If users want to install long graphic card like AMD HD 5970, they can remove the HDD cage in order to provide plenty of space for those long graphic cards. For people who want to have multiple hard disks, the HDD cage is their best companion. Discover how easy and fun it can be to install and maintain a system.
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Cooler Master Announces Elite 371 Value Gaming Case
Cooler Master Announces Elite 371 Value Gaming Case
The two words budget and case rarely come true when put together, but Cooler Master has mastered this by designing affordable chassis without compromising on quality. The new Elite 371 builds upon Cooler Master expertise and delivers high-end features in the affordable market space. Cooler Master believes that just because something is affordable, it doesn't have to lack features or be a "budget" product.
The Elite 371 features a classic black Cooler Master design with clean, yet attractive lines. It has been built to last and uses high quality materials. It's also been designed to keep the components inside the case cool and not only does it have space for plenty of additional cooling fans, but it can also be fitted with large CPU coolers.
Plenty of room to grow
The Elite 371 might be an affordable case, but that doesn't mean it's limited as it has plenty of room for your system to grow in as you upgrade. There are three 5.25-inch drive bays, as well as one forward facing 3.5-inch drive bay and five internal 3.5-inch drive bays for hard disk drives. There's even room for a pair of high-end ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics cards from AMD.
High-end cooling
If you're concerned about cooling your components, then the Elite 371 will put your mind to rest as it comes fitted with a rear 120mm fan and it has space for two additional top mounted 120mm fans, a front mounted 120 or 140mm, two 120 or 140mm side mounted fans as well as a bottom mounted 80, 90 or 120mm fan. The top mounted fans as well as the air-intake for the bottom mounted PSU all features air filters to reduce the dust that gets sucked into the case.
Cooler Master engineered
As with all Cooler Master chassis the Elite 371 has a range of practical features such as tool-free installation of both optical drives and hard drives, easy access to the back of the CPU socket for easy installation and removal of the CPU cooler and a pair of front mounted USB 2.0 ports and audio jacks.
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V3 Gaming PCs Now Available with NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 Ti Graphics Cards
V3 Gaming PCs Now Available with NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 Ti Graphics Cards
NVIDIA has launched the GeForce® GTX 560 Ti graphics card, and V3 Gaming PC is announcing the availability of those graphics cards in all of its desktop computers systems. The GeForce® GTX 560 Ti has 386 CUDA cores and 1GB of GDDR5 memory.
Jan 25, 2011 - LOMITA, CA (January 25, 2010) - V3 Gaming, manufacturer of high-end computer systems, has announced the availability of the NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 Ti graphics card in all of its desktop computer systems. The NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 Ti is a compact yet powerful DirectX 11 GPU that is great for small form factor and budget computer systems.
The new NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 Ti graphics card is the latest implementation of the ultra-powerful "Fermi" GPU architecture that originally launched with the GeForce GTX 480 graphics card earlier this year. NVIDIA's Fermi architecture brings massive GPU compute superiority and unprecedented gaming performance to the graphics card market. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti is equipped with 384 CUDA cores and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory.
"The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti fits perfectly between the already exceptional graphics card offerings from NVIDIA. The capabilities of this card along with the physical characteristics are right in line with what we're trying to accomplish with our small form factor systems." said Steven Chien, CEO of V3 Gaming PC. The NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 Ti supplants the GeForce® GTX 460 as the recommended card for mainstream to high-end gaming systems from V3 Gaming PC. The small physical stature of the card compared to the competition allows it to be used across a wider-range of cases, including the Move 3DS - a small form factor LAN Party PC from V3.
Like all recent NVIDIA graphics cards, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti supports the latest Microsoft DirectX 11 technology, which makes it perfect for playing all of the latest games. Due to its position in the middle of the price spectrum for NVIDIA graphics cards, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti is a great candidate for use in SLI configuration. Performance scaling in SLI has proven to be great with the GeForce GTX 560 Ti, and SLI also allows the card to support 3D Vision Surround which spans the great 3D gaming experience across three monitors.
V3 Gaming PC desktops equipped with NVIDIA's GeForce® GTX 560 Ti series graphics cards also support NVIDIA's CUDA® and PhysX® technologies for the best computing experience possible. V3 Gaming PC recommends pairing this new graphics card with a capable processor to ensure an optimized gaming experience. All V3 Gaming PCs are backed by industry-leading lifetime labor and technical support services, as well as a 3-year limited warranty on parts.
# # #
About V3 Gaming PC
V3 Gaming PC, headquartered in Lomita, California, is a of manufacturer bleeding-edge gaming computers and components designed for the enthusiast audience. Founded in 2010, V3's team consists of seasoned industry veterans with a reputation for producing the most well-built, well-supported computers on the market. For more information, visit http://www.v3gamingpc.com, order@v3gamingpc.com
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Sparkle Announces its Reference Design GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card
Sparkle Announces its Reference Design GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card
SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today presents The SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card, -- the newest addition to its GTX 500 Series of DirectX 11 graphics cards designed for mainstream market. The SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card adopts the Fermi 2.0 architecture which upgrades core algorithms such as texture filtering and Z-axis compression over Fermi 1.0 architecture, so that the corresponding instruction operation efficiency is greatly enhanced.
At the same time, with semiconductor chip manufacturing technology improvements at TSMC, through the upgrading of core components and semiconductor manufacturing process optimization of its characteristics, still based on TSMC 40nm process in the premise, The SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card can run at higher frequencies. By the two improvements, the Performance/Watt ratio of the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card has great increase over GeForce GTX 470 graphics cards.
Outstanding Performance/Price Ratio For The Mainstream Gaming Market
The SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card fully upgrades the performance of previous generation products, bringing outstanding Performance/price ratio to the mainstream PC gaming market. Like all NVIDIA "DX11 Done Right" GPUs, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card delivers the world's fastest performance for DirectX 11 (DX11) games in its class.
Unbeatable Performance /Watt
By optimizing the core manufacturing process, higher efficient cooler and the hardware power monitor circuit, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card is thoroughly improve on power consumption, heat dissipation and working noise. Now, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card has unbeatable performance/Watt ratio compared with previous generation products, such as GeForce GTX 460 graphics cards. Testing result shows that the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card has 21% better performance/Watt than GeForce GTX 460 1024MB graphics card.
A Generation Ahead In DX11 Tessellation Test
The SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card is built ground up for tessellation, bringing games closer to reality without sacrificing the high frame rates gamers enjoy. By PolyMorph Engines for Tessellation, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card lets mainstream gamers to experience an unprecedented level of detail and realism in the latest DX11 games. Compared with competitor products, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card brings more detailed characters and terrain in games. DX11 Tessellation testing result shows that the tessellation performance of the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card is 5 times faster than AMD Radeon HD 6870, 2.5 times faster than AMD Radeon HD 6950.
Overclocker's Dream Product
Thanks to the semiconductor manufacturing process optimization done by NVIDIA and TSMC, now the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card has good overclocking performance, giving more overclocking headroom and fun to overclockers. It places gamers in the center of the action and experience true gaming cinema in extreme HD (2560x1600) resolutions—all enabled by the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card, NVIDIA SLI technology, and incredible performance in the latest games including Bioshock2, Alien VS Predator, and Dirt2. With the great OC headroom, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card tears through complex DirectX 11 environments and cinematic effects at blazing frame rates in extreme HD resolutions.
All-Solid-Capacitor Design
With good design in mind, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card uses solid capacitors, supplying more stable current than electrolytic capacitors and strengthening longer lifespan, containing zero risk of leaking or exploding, as a true factor of products quality.
A Perfect Time to Upgrade
With the introducing of the second generation of Intel i7 CPU based on Sandy Bridge architecture, now it's the perfect time to upgrade. The combination of the Sandy Bridge and the the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphics Card provides the CPU and graphics horsepower and video bandwidth needed to experience DX11 games and high-definition Blu-ray movies in eye-popping stereoscopic 3D on a single display or spanning across three screens for an immersive gaming environment.
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