IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 30/07/2011

Biostar intros updated budget oriented Z68 board w/ improved CPU VRM
If you're looking for a decent entry level Z68 on the cheap, you may be interested to know that Biostar are delivering what looks to be a fairly well rounded budget board in the new TZ68K+ that they've just launched this week.

Biostar actually already has what looks like an identical board in its current lineup, the TZ68A+, however the new TZ68K+ differs in that it sports a stronger CPU VRM arrangement with 8 phases vs. the 4-phase VRM setup on the TZ68A+, making it a bit more attractive if you want to get a decent overclock. As a result of the chunkier VRM setup, it now has its own heatsink to assist in keeping temps at bay.

Otherwise, the board or more or less the same with its two PCI-E x16 slots (x16 / x4 electrically), a single PCI-E 2.0 x1 slot, and two legacy PCI. The rest of the board is closely bounded by the chipset's native feature-set with two SATA 6Gb/s and four SATA 3Gb/s ports, all of which are internal. Biostar has also left LPT and COM headers resident on this board and it has a range of USB 2.0 ports along with a couple USB 3.0 ports on the rear I/O.

As for the remainder of the rear I/O, it has 6-channel HD audio, a PS/2 keyboard port and HDMI 1.4, DVI and D-Sub display outputs. Biostar has also used a UEFI BIOs for this board.

Pricing hasn't been mentioned on the updated board yet, but shouldn't come in too far above the TZ68A+ which currently sits at around $100 US.

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Dell's 10-inch Streak 10 Pro launches in China
Dell's biggest tablet yet, the 10-inch Streak 10 Pro is almost ready for shipping with it initally running through channels in China. A Chinese website has managed to get their hands on a sample to confirm the specs and get a nice happy snap of it sitting next to its smaller 7 and 5-inch brothers.

The Streak 10 Pro, like the Streak 7 runs Android Honeycomb while its 10-inch display has a resolution of 1280x800 and uses highly durable Gorilla Glass. Packed inside is a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC (System on a Chip), 1GB of DDR2 memory, the option for 16, 32 or 64GB of flash storage, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 as well as two webcams; a 5MP rear-facing and 2MP frontal.

To give us an idea on pricing, as the Streak 10 Pro has been officially launched in China, it starts at 2,999 yuan (around $465 USD).

It is said that Dell's new 10-inch tablet might not make it to the U.S. until next year.

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Sharkoon readies up X-Tactic SR gaming headset
Sharkoon has just announced the North American launch of its new X-Tactic SR gaming headset, exclusively availabile only through Amazon.com. This headset is compatible with PS3, 360 and PC, featuring support for DD 5.1, Dolby Pro Logic II and Dolby headphone, promising an immersive 3D sound experience.

The adjustable headband is wrapped in leather, while its earcups are softly padded. It has a built-in microphone, in-line volume controls and comes bundled with Sharkoon's SCU (Sound Control Unit) with a 3D Sound Expander that can connect up to two sets of headphones.

Amazon is now taking pre-orders for the X-Tactic SR at $139.99 USD in which you will be given a $10 promotional credit offer for other purchases. Shipments will commence on August 16th.

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Download of the Day: Skype 5.5.0.112
Our Download of the Day today is Skype 5.5.0.112.

Skype is software for calling other people on their computers or phones. Download Skype and start calling for free all over the world.

The calls have excellent sound quality and are highly secure with end-to-end encryption. You don't even need to configure your firewall or router or any other networking gear.

Additionally it doesn't just work on Windows. Skype is also for Mac OS X, Linux and PDAs using Pocket PC, with a native look and feel for each platform. Talking, sending instant messages or even file transfers work between different platforms like a charm.

- Skype calling - Skype has all the features of an ordinary phone so it's even easier to manage your calls.
- Video calling - see who you are talking to at the same time as speaking to them.
- Add Skype and SkypeOut contacts - Add contacts who use Skype and those who use ordinary phones so you can call more people.
- Organising groups - group contacts under certain names and share them with your contacts so they can talk to them too.
- Basic chat and emoticons - when it's not convenient to call, chat or Instant Message (IM) your contacts.
- Group chat - for when it's easier to chat or Instant Message (IM) all your friends at once.
- Profile settings - change how you appear to the world and let people know a bit about you.
- Conference calling - talk to more than one friend at a time.
- Import contacts - search your address book to find friends and family that already have a Skype name and start calling them for free.
- View Outlook contacts - view and call your Microsoft Outlook® contacts quickly and directly from your Skype contact list.
- Quickfilter and Speed-Dial - find Skype contacts, recent chats and SkypeOut contacts quickly and easily, then enter their Skype name to call them back quickly.

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Deal of the Day: Nike - Just Reduced Collection! Popular Sizes and Colors
Our Deal of the Day today is the Nike - Just Reduced Collection! Popular Sizes and Colors.

Offer: They've got a new section now where you can see what has just been reduced. For men and women, and kids are all included.

NIKE JUST REDUCED COLLECTION SALE

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AMD FX 8150P Bulldozer pricing, $300
This can't be confirmed as 100% truth yet, but it seems AMD has "accidentally" leaked out the pricing of their upcoming eight-core Bulldozer chip. AMD announced a give away of 5 x AMD FX-8150P processors and if you scroll through the terms and conditions of the competition, the following line can be found:

Top tier prizes: Five (5) AMD FX series eight-core processors. Approximate Retail Value: $300 USD each.

Oh really... well, it seems the processor will compete against the Intel Core i7 2600 Sandy Bridge CPU which is currently retailing at $300. Can AMD bulldoze Intel over with this chip and the competitive pricing, we'll have to wait and see!

Shout out to "DjiXas" who provided me with a link to this info.

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Acer Iconia Tab A100, 7-inch Android Honeycomb-powered tablet, out next month for $300
Acer's 7-inch Honeycomb tablet has been talked about for a while now, but there's finally light at the end of the tunnel for the 7-inch tablet. According to an email sent out to Acer retail parters today, the Iconia Tab A100 should find its way to store shelves in early August for a suggested price tag of just $300. The Tegra 2-powered 7-inch tablet should be a great edition to the Honeycomb tablet market when it launches as its one of the first 7-inch Honeycomb-based tablets out when the rest like the Iconia, Transformer and Galaxy Tab are all 10.1-inch models.

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Samsung Galaxy S II hits 5 million sold
Samsung should be quite proud to be the strongest competition in the smartphone market against the fruit-logo juggernaut, Apple. Samsung have a goal of 10 million Galaxy S II sales before years end and at the rate they're going they should surpass this without a problem. It was only 7 weeks ago that I reported they had sold an impressive three million in 55 days.

President and Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business, JK Shin, has said:

In just a few months the Galaxy S II has led the way in driving Samsung's unmatched performance in the smartphone industry. Since being launched into the retail market in late April, the Galaxy S II has seen tremendous growth. This reflects the strong support from carrier partners globally, who in choosing the Galaxy S II as their flagship device have reaffirmed the device's status as a premium, market-defining Smartphone.

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Razer debut Electra headset, Carmen Electra left out in the cold
Razer have debuted a pair of cushy headphones designed for gaming on-the-go. The most obvious feature the Electra headset has is the detachable 3.5mm jack cables on the headset, sure it looks like something you might not use, but if you've ever tripped on your cord, accidentally pulled it out or heck, even transportation, this is a godsend. Razer pushes the headset for gamers who want a headset for their hones as well as for gaming, the mic-enabled cable is made compatible with the iPhone, BlackBerry and HTC phones.

The Razer Electra headphones are getting prepped for an October launch and should have a price of US$59.99.

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iPad 3 contract goes to drum roll... Pegatron, not Foxconn
In a surprise move, Pegatron has been awarded a new contract to build Apple's upcoming next-generation iPad, Taiwan Economic News reports. According to the report, Pegatron underbid Hon Hai for a new contract to manufacture the iPad 3 which is touted to be available some time near the Thanksgiving holiday according to earlier reports. Hon Hai, owner of infamous Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn, currently manufacturers Apple's current-gen iPad 2 as well as other Apple-related products.

Pegatron it seems, is working hard to increase its production share of Apple devices, but the luck doesn't stop with just the iPad 3 contract. Pegatron have also won an order from Apple to manufacture a total of 15 million iPhone 5 handsets. Apple may be changing things around with manufacturers for their devices, but component suppliers are staying the same. TPK Holdings will still supply touch panels, Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology supply batteries, Largan Precision will supply camera lenses and finally Foxconn Technology will throw in some outer casings.

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ECS A75F-A (AMD A75) Motherboard Review
Introduction

It's been a while since we've seen anything from ECS. To be honest, it's been a while since we've seen products from a couple of companies with PowerColor and Jetway products recently showing up at our doorstep as well. While one of those products went a lot smoother than the other, we hope that it's all smooth sailing today with the ECS A75F-A motherboard.

As you can probably guess from the name, the A75F-A motherboard is of course an A75 based one, supporting the latest crop of APUs from AMD. With the new Llano platform off to a good start and companies showing us a strong lineup of boards, it will be interesting to see what ECS manage to bring to the table today.

As for the layout, there's not going to be any surprises with the typical setup seen. We'll start by checking out the package before we move onto the board itself to see what's going on. Once that's done, we'll venture into the BIOS to have a look at that setup before we get into the overclocking side of things.

Once that's done, we get into the fun stuff and find out the performance we're able to get out of the board. But first, let's check out that package.

The Package

Checking out the box, we can see that funky reflective design is going on which makes it really hard to take a photo. Take our word for it, though, it does look cool. On the back of the box you can see it gives us a run down on a lot of the major features that are on offer and we'll look into all that when we take a closer look at the board.

Moving inside the package, there's nothing too out of the ordinary going on; we've got a manual and quick setup guide, driver CD, five SATA cables and our I/O cover. Nothing too fancy, but everything you need to get up and running.
... Read the rest in your browser!

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Sharkoon Announces Lightweight high-end, 3D Sound Headset for PS3, Xbox 360 & PC
CompuExpert, a division of Digital Interactive Systems Corp., today announced the Sharkoon X-Tactic SR will begin shipping August 16 in North America, and will be available exclusively from Amazon.com. The latest in the award-winning line of specially designed gaming headsets delivers the ultimate in multi-directional audio performance for maximum immersion and combat advantage, yet is incredibly lightweight for continued comfort over long hours of gameplay. Experience a whole new world of crushing explosions, screaming commands and powerful game sound output through the Sound Control Unit (SCU) with the new 3D Sound Expander.

The X-Tatic SR features Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Pro Logic II and Dolby Headphone, creating completely new sound dimensions that allow players to hear enemies approach from any direction. In addition, the SCU offers one additional connection for a second headset with 3.5mm jack, so two can enjoy excellent surround sound.

Regardless of whether it's a PS3, Xbox 360, PC or tablet PC, the X-Tatic SR allows you to connect to all major platforms with its extensive accessories collection. Configure your personal sound using the in-line volume controller while chatting with your friends via USB to PS3 or Xbox Live. As with all Sharkoon headsets, the X-Tatic SR is designed to remain comfortable through marathon play sessions with a cushioned headband, individually adjustable, padded cups and a flexible, detachable microphone. The USB power connection removes the need for an additional power supply.

The Sharkoon X-Tactic SR is priced at $139.99 and is available for pre-order now at Amazon.com, here. Consumers pre-ordering the Sharkoon X-Tatic SR Gaming Headset will also receive a $10 promotional credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com.

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VIA Labs Launches VL751, the Next-Generation USB 3.0 to NAND Flash Controller
VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of USB 3.0 integrated chip controllers, today announced its latest USB 3.0 device controller, the VIA Labs VL751 SuperSpeed USB to NAND flash controller. The VL751 is VIA Labs' second-generation single-chip solution for USB 3.0 flash drives, and offers enhanced performance using today's popular flash memories. The VIA Labs VL751 has been certified by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) for SuperSpeed operation, ensuring high quality, seamless interoperability, and effortless backwards compatibility.

The VIA Labs VL751 features a four-channel NAND interface, doubling or even quadrupling maximum throughput over single or dual-channel designs. The second generation VIA Labs VL751 offers improved parallelization and higher efficiency through integrated pre-read and pre-write buffers, better support for popular flash memories, and a pipelined ECC engine. Cumulatively, these enhancements translate into a nearly 100% performance boost over the VIA Labs VL750 with no increase in power consumption.

"With USB 3.0 functionality being integrated into next-generation chipsets, virtually all new desktops and laptops will have USB 3.0 by early next year" said David Hsu, Associate Vice President, VIA Labs, Inc. "The VIA Labs VL751 will be important in the general broadening of the USB 3.0 ecosystem by allowing fast, large capacity flash drives of 32gb or more to be readily available and more affordable than ever."

VIA Labs VL751 USB 3.0 to NAND Flash Controller
The VIA Labs VL751 features USB mass storage class 'Bulk-Only Transport' for universal compatibility across platforms such as Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux without the need for additional drivers. Featuring a 4-channel memory controller with interleaving support, blistering fast data transfer speeds of 120MB/s or more are within reach. VIA Labs VL751 is fully compliant with the USB 3.0 specification, and is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 standards, offering class-leading performance in USB 2.0 mode with transfer speeds of up to 35 MB/s.

In addition to high performance, the VIA Labs VL751 is also designed for ease of implementation and support. Powered by advanced in-house PHYs, VIA Labs VL751 is a single-chip solution that offers outstanding signal integrity characteristics while supporting popular 2X-3X nm flash memories.

Availability
VIA Labs VL751 USB 3.0 to NAND Flash controller is available now for sampling.

To learn more about the VIA Labs VL751 USB 3.0 to NAND Flash controller, please visit this page

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Marvel releases (TBT-10C) 7-inch Mercury Pad Tablet (800 x 400) with Android 2.3 OS, 802.11 b/g, camera, brings the world to your fingertips.
Marvel (TBT-10C) 7" Mercury Pad Tablet (800 x 400) with Android 2.3 OS, 802.11 b/g, camera, brings the world to your fingertips.

Marvel Tablet is developed and produced by Marvel-Digital.com. The Ultra lightweight design, smooth edges, thin profile and intuitive controls fit right in your hand. 7" multi-touch screen instantly connects to Google apps. So you can access Gmail, Google Maps, while watching YouTube or reading digital book. Moreover it makes users easy to view and edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint and see PDF files. Marvel (TBT-10C) 7" Mercury Pad Tablet (800 x 480) lets you get instantly updated on world events, chat with friends, and connect with the digital world, anywhere, anytime.

Retail Price : $259

Product Link : http://marvel-digital.com/mercury-pad-pmp-c-3/low-price-marvel-tbt-10c-7-inch-mercury-pad-tablet-800x480-p-83

YouTube Demonstration : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKGytO0dD0Y

Hardware Specification:

CPU : Samsung S5PV210, ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 1GHz system clock
Memory : DDR2 512MB
Storage : Internal supported 4GB/8GB/16GB option
LCD : 7"TFT, 16:9, 800 x 480
Touch Screen : Capacitive Multi Touch Screen
Camera : 0.3M - 2M pixel
SD Card : Micro SD, Maximum Support 32GB
HDMI : 1080P HD Video Output
USB : USB Host 2.0, USB Device 2.0
Audio : Built-in Stereo Speaker, 3.5mm Stereo Headphone, Built-in Microphone
WIFI : 802.11 b/g
3G : External USB 3G Module, HUAWEI:E220, E1750, E156G, ZTE:MF637U
G-Sensor : 360 Degree G-Sensor
Battery : 2250 mAH
Power : 9V/2A power adapter (100 - 240v input)
Power jack : 9V/2A power adapter (100 - 242v input)
Weight : 510 g

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iBUYPOWER Launches New Professional Series Line of Workstations

Fully customizable systems feature 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 Processors and NVIDIA Quadro Graphics Cards

El Monte, CA - July 28, 2011 - iBUYPOWER, a leading innovator of integrated solutions, is excited to announce the launch of its new Professional Series line of workstations. Each of the powerful new systems features cutting edge technology like 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 processors, RAID cards and NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards. All of the new Professional Series workstations are fully customizable and can be configured to meet the specific needs of any creative professional.

"We understand the challenges creatives face and the level of performance they demand from their workstations" said Darren Su, Executive Vice President of iBUYPOWER. "That's why it was imperative that we design the iBUYPOWER Professional Series with the best components available and that we make the systems fully customizable to fit each industry's specific needs."

The new workstations' Intel® Xeon® processors offer advanced features like Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Hyper Threading Technology to improve efficiency and help creatives get the most out of their new systems. The powerful 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 processors are capable of running multiple demanding programs and applications without having to compromise speed or performance.

The Professional Series' NVIDIA® Quadro® graphics cards deliver up to 5x faster 3D performance and 8x faster computational simulation across a broad range of design, animation and video applications. The professional-class GPUs are ideal for accelerating applications from companies like Adobe, Autodesk, RTT, Dassault Systemes, Bunkspeed and many more.

The iBUYPOWER Professional Series Line is available exclusively at iBUYPOWER.com and starts at $1,069.

Follow iBUYPOWER at facebook.com/iBUYPOWERPC all the latest news on the new Professional Series Line and all of iBUYPOWER's systems.


About iBUYPOWER

iBUYPOWER Computer, an enterprise in association with American Future Technology Corporation (AFT), is one of the largest system builders in the PC gaming industry. Located in Los Angeles County, iBUYPOWER's mission is to provide a complete computing solution to meet the needs of the surrounding community and customers nationwide. Currently, the company's product lines include gaming desktops, gaming notebooks, workstations, media center PCs, peripherals and multimedia products. http://www.iBUYPOWER.com.

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