OCZ begins to sink, cutting workforce by 28%, will discontinue 150 product variations
Who thought this time last year that SSD maker OCZ would be in this much trouble? The company have announced their reducing a large number of its staff, with as much as 28% of their non-production staff being out of a job, while workers at the company's Taiwan production facility getting cut down by 32%. The company has said:
We are undergoing a transition phase in the Company's evolution in which we are refocusing our efforts on products and strategies that will benefit both OCZ and our stakeholders over the long term. We have already taken aggressive steps to address some short-term tactical challenges and have begun streamlining the organization to help ensure that OCZ will be in the best position moving forward to address the fast growing consumer and enterprise SSD markets.
They aren't just stopping there, either. OCZ plans to discontinue around 150 product variations, too. OCZ adds:
This streamlines OCZ's product offerings to address the mainstream and higher-end consumer products, as well as enterprise and OEM solutions. The company has also evaluated its inventory and is in the process of making the necessary adjustments, including monetizing some inventory to better align its product offerings and to free-up cash for the business.
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iPad mini features stereo speakers, according to Phil Schiller
After
Amazon's attack on the iPad mini, a curious and potential customer reached out to Apple's Phil Schiller, who is the Senior Vice President of Marketing, regarding whether or not the iPad mini features a mono or stereo speaker setup. This customer got lucky as he actually got a response, one that will contradict what Amazon posted in their ad.
Phil Schiller's response to a rather wordy question regarding the mono/stereo debate was just three words: "It is stereo." When you're a Senior Vice President, time is money, though I think he could have sent back a little more than those three words. However, three words is all it takes to settle the rumors as to whether or not the iPad mini features stereo speakers.
So there you have it: the iPad mini does feature stereo speakers and Amazon's advertisement was incorrect. Will this affect anyone's buying decision? Probably not, but it is definitely nice to know for sure what is inside the device.
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Facebook testing new Timeline design that uses one column for posts
No longer will your eyes have to ping pong back and forth as you stalk someone of Facebook. Well, that is if Facebook's new Timeline design tests go well. Facebook has confirmed that they are running a trial design that puts all of a user's posts in a single column. Two columns are still present on a user's page, though.
The second column is used for some of the things it currently is, namely active modules. The left column is made bigger in the trial design, while the right-hand column has been made narrower. Active modules are now taller and thinner and continue to show all of the same information that they did in the old design.
"This is a new design Facebook is testing with a small percentage of people to make navigating timeline even easier," a Facebook spokesperson told The Next Web.
Take a look at the new design and let us know what you think of it in the comments. I, for one, am excited about these changes, though I'm still majorly against the Timeline profile in general.
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Google Play customers can now pay for purchases using carrier billing on Verizon
Users of Android on the Verizon network will now have the ability to bill their Verizon Wireless account, instead of using a credit card or other form of payment. This change should help users purchase more apps easily, and is especially important for those users who do not have another form of payment, such as a credit card.
Users will be able to charge up to $25 of apps and other Google Play "merchandise" to their wireless bill every month and then they only have to pay through one channel. This latest addition brings the feature to Verizon, a feature that Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T have had for a while now. Just be sure to keep track of how much you're spending.
If you'd like, it appears to be something you can disable by going to
Verizon's site and enabling "Block Web Purchases."
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Microsoft finally decides what to call the apps from Windows Store
Microsoft has had a bit of a time naming the apps that users download from the Windows Store. First, they were being referred to Metro apps, though they had to stop the Metro naming after someone threatened to sue them over its use. Yesterday, Microsoft referred to the apps as "Windows 8 Store Applications."
Microsoft has now recanted that description and instead directed everyone to refer to the apps as "Windows Store apps." It's a bit shorter and easier to say and much more likely to catch on, though most people will probably still just refer to the Windows Store apps as "apps" due to the ubiquitous that term has come to be.
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MSI Z77 MPOWER (Intel Z77) Motherboard Review
Introduction
Lately we've taken the time and checked out many new Dual Channel RAM kits. While it's been a while since the Intel Z77 chipset launched, we've recently started seeing companies bring out refreshes of the extremely popular chipset that has gained a great reputation when paired with K based Ivy Bridge processors.
The most recent company to offer a refresh of the Z77 came from ASRock in the form of the
Z77 OC Formula which did an absolutely awesome job of impressing us. Today, though, we'll be taking the time to see what MSI is doing with the new MSI Z77 MPOWER board.
Before we take a closer look at the board itself there's a few things we need to do before hand, and the first thing is checking out the box along with the contents of it to see what MSI is doing with the bundle. Once we've done that we'll move onto the board itself and see what exactly is going on with the new Z77 MPOWER.
Once we've looked at that we'll move onto the BIOS to see what's going on before moving onto the testbed side of things. Once we've done that we'll also cover the overclocking side of things while we also talk about the motherboards that will be in our graphs today. Once we've done all that it's into the performance side of things to see just how the new Z77 MPOWER from MSI goes. First, though, as we mentioned, let's see what's going on with the package today.
Package
Looking at the box we can see a pretty sweet looking design going on with the front of the box. Opening it up we are greeted with some of the main components that makes the board stand out from the competition. In typical MSI fashion we've got improved components which in turn help give us improvements in both power and thermal. Along with that we've also got a bunch of OS Essential features which we'll take a closer look at when we move onto the board.
Looking at the bottom of the box you can see we've got a picture of the board and again a number of the main features are highlighted with a brief explanation. Turning over we've got even more detail which covers the "OC Certified" labeling that MSI has given the board. We've also got some of the main specifications of the board and a look at the I/O side of things.
Moving inside the box we can see the normal line up of paperwork included which also has that Certificate of Quality and Stability that we're used to seeing on higher end MSI motherboards. Along with all that you can also see we've got the standard driver CD present.
On the cable side of things we've got four SATA cables, SLI bridge and I/O panel cover. As far as little extras go we've got a Wi-Fi antenna, V-Check cables to check the voltage of the board in certain areas and M-Connector kit to make installation that little bit easier.
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Forza Horizon Xbox 360 Review
How did it come to this? How did in one single generation Sony let Microsoft and its Forza series not only catch up to Gran Turismo, but in many ways overtake it? During a time when Polyphony Digital commented car manufacturers wouldn't allow damage in Gran Turismo, Forza had damaged cars. Just one example of where Turn 10 has completely upset the apple cart of racing games. Forza Horizon however is a slight departure from the usual game. Gone is the hard-core focus on tweaking cars to the nth degree and instead an arcade style racer is in its place. However to call Forza Horizon an arcade racer is to completely undermine its quality, especially when compared to its big brother, Forza Motorsport.
The first major difference becomes apparent when you realize the game has a story and premise aside from getting lots of money and gaining cars. Of course that forms a key part of Forza Horizon, however there is a side story where you have to become the champion of the Forza Horizon event. The game is set in one huge car and music festival placed in Colorado. For a few days each year the story goes that the organizers of the Horizon event take of a patch of Colorado land and open it up for free racing and events. The fusion of music festival and car festival fits perfectly and the game feels like one big party. The series level and feel of Forza is thrown out the door with the focus definitely being on having fun.
This is reinforced by the number of different events on offer. Whilst there is circuit racing, you will also find point to point races, street races for money and showpiece events. Showpiece events are one of the more enjoyable aspects of this game and quite a novelty. Instead of just racing cars, these events are inspired by crazy events you may see on the Top Gear show. For example in one event you will be racing against a Mustang Fighter in a Mustang car. These events are slowly unlocked as you progress in the career mode and are the cream of the crop.
Aside from the actual races that are on offer, there is a ton of other things to do in the world as well. Being an open world racing game you can drive around anywhere you want at any time right from the start. The developers have not locked off any of the areas at the outset. As you cruise around the world you will find challenges such as speed cameras, point to point speed cameras and with certain cars in the world you can challenge them to a race as you cruise by. This keeps Forza Horizon from being to formulaic and becoming boring quickly. If you are a bit bored of circuit racing, you can go for a spin and try and find some of the games hidden secrets. Or try and find some discount boards for the equipment or hidden cars in barns.
The presentation of the game is impressive as well. As you cruise the world it's very easy to determine where to go next and where a secret goal is near. As you progress in the career mode, updates are carried via the radio stations in the game. For example, as you take out one of the main contenders, there will be a news story on the radio about the hot new rookie. There are other elements as well that remind us of games such as Project Gotham Racing and Burnout (not surprising considering some of this team is from Bizarre Creations).
For example, as you drift and pass cars you gain points which is used to increase a popularity with fans rating (sounds like Kudos doesn't it?). As you gain more popularity, more showcase events are unlocked for you to participate in and so it becomes an important element in the game. There are also some elements of Burnout where you gain points for near misses and good passing, etc.
Those who are not that into cars will still find a lot to love with Forza Horizon and the game is very suitable for the casual gamer. Instead of asking you to select upgrades for cars, if the game feels your car is going to struggle in the upcoming race, it will let you know and also can recommend upgrades for you.
This makes it very easy to progress in the game and you are generally always only a few button presses from the next race. There is a lot to do in this world. Even if you mainline the story it will take you around eight hours to complete and that is almost impossible to do anyway. At some point you will not have enough money to buy a required car.
When it comes to where it matters, the game engine, it is as impressive as ever. Whilst the game has toned down the ultra-physics engine of the big brother game, it still can be a challenging simulation for those who turn off all the assists. The car physics feel fine when driving around and each individual car has its quirks. The models of the cars are second to none and in photo mode the game looks absolutely unbelievable. One area which is very impressive is that all the cars have their own individual dashboards modelled for in car view, right down to the exact place each knob is on the dashboard.
As well as the cars, the world the game is set in is also impressive. It contains both city and country areas and morphs between the two perfectly. Each track on offer has a challenge, but is also generally enjoyable to try. There were only a few times in the game where we felt a track was boring and unchallenging and surprisingly that was more towards the end of the game. The day/night cycle present adds challenge to the game as well with it being harder to see at night and that adds a completely separate challenge because of this. As you move around the world you unlock the ability to fast travel between locations for a cost.
The developers have put a huge effort into multiplayer as well. Aside from the regular races you would expect there is also the ability to cruise around in a free roam mode with up to seven other players and some unique gameplay modes such as infected. In infected one car starts as the infected car and has to crash into the others to infect them. The last player surviving wins.
It goes without saying with impressive cars and impressive environments that the visuals of the game are often stunning. The draw distance is nothing short of mind boggling for such a large area and there is no pop in to the view at all. Everything in the world just cohesively works to build an incredible ecosystem for the game. On the sound side of things Forza Horizon delivers as well. The soundtrack fits the game well with the only disappointment being that you cannot use custom soundtracks with the game. As expected the engine and car sounds are incredibly authentic and each individual car has its own sound tone.
Forza Horizon began as an offshoot to a formidable series. However, in many ways, the apprentice has become the master. There is a lot to love about this game that would be disappointing to not see it carry over to the main line of the franchise in the next generation. It's a complete package with good multiplayer, excellent and lengthy single player campaign, and a whole lot to do once you've finished the main story. Forza Horizon is one of the surprises of 2012 and should be played by every racing fan without a doubt.
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LG Unveils Advanced Touch 10 Monitor Optimized for Windows 8
LG Electronics (LG) introduced its Touch 10 monitor (model: ET83), optimized for use with Windows 8, which was launched by Microsoft last week. Whereas conventional touchscreens enable two-finger dragging, scrolling and pinching, LG's 23-inch Touch 10 monitor allows all ten fingers to be used simultaneously. The Touch 10 monitor is an excellent choice for those looking to enjoy an enhanced touch computing experience without having to upgrade their entire PC.
"This is a compelling new product that re-imagines the touch experience and shows that LG is an industry leader in developing the next generation of touch monitor products," said J.J. Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the IT Business Unit at the LG Home Entertainment Company. "Smartphones and tablets have already proven that consumers are ready to fully embrace touch features. Our 10-point touchscreen takes it one step further by exponentially expanding the range of interactive possibilities. We believe this technology will excite and inspire software developers and users alike."
For tablet and smartphone owners, the Touch 10 monitor will feel like a huge improvement in the intuitive user experience they're familiar with. Most touchscreens utilize a two-finger recognition system which allows for basic manipulation of onscreen elements. LG's Touch 10 monitor affords users the ability to use all their fingers at the same time, meaning they can perform a number of new actions, such as dragging and rotating multiple items simultaneously. The highly responsive touch screen also enables the user to take advantage of Windows 8 features, including the on-screen keyboard. The Touch 10 monitor also supports a capacitive stylus (purchased separately) should the user prefer a pen-like interface.
It's great to see LG bringing touch to computing in innovative new ways," said John Case, Vice President WW OEM Marketing, Microsoft Corporation. "Pairing LG's Touch 10 monitor with a desktop or non-touch laptop will help create amazing Windows 8 touch experiences for customers."
The impressive 23-inch monitor is great for musical applications featuring virtual pianos, synthesizers and string instruments. A bigger display is also makes watching movies, playing games and children's educational programs much more enjoyable. A range of touch-friendly apps is available from the Windows Store. Moreover, from a consumer standpoint, the monitor's setup is refreshingly hassle-free; full touch functionality is available as soon as the monitor is connected, and no extra software is required.
To ensure optimal picture quality, the monitor utilizes an advanced In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel. IPS displays have inherent advantages over conventional Twisted Nematic (TN) displays in terms of both color and clarity. The range of colors displayed is both vibrant and naturalistic, with good contrast and overall consistency. IPS technology also provides a more comfortable viewing experience for the user, reducing eye strain and thereby allowing extended periods of use.
The Touch 10 monitor will be available in Korea next month followed by markets in Europe and elsewhere.
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PNY Introduces A New GeForce GTX 650 Ti Card
PNY Technologies, a global storage, upgrade and graphics solutions manufacturer, recently unveiled the GeForce GTX 650 Ti. Replacing the GTX 550 Ti, this new GPU makes NVIDIA's Kepler architecture available for a price lower than £150. The card allows enthusiasts to immerse themselves in their favourite games with an incredible level of detail, harnessing recently introduced NVIDIA technologies such as Adaptive Vertical Sync, PureVideo HD or NVIDIA 3D Surround. To allow gamers to experience its performance potential, it comes bundled with Ubisoft's Assassin Creed III!
Pauline Monin, Product Manager PC Components at PNY EMEA, said: "An exciting adventure game and an exciting graphics card, this is the perfect combination for the long autumn evenings that await! It's time to take advantage of our limited edition GeForce GTX 650 Ti and Assassin's Creed III bundle. Prepare not to leave your PC for some time!"
The GeForce GTX 650 Ti: a leap forward in performance!
Positioned in the middle of the NVIDIA range, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti was designed to allow users to make the most of the latest video games at a low price point. Thanks to its GK106 GPU it offers vastly improved performance compared to the GTX 550 Ti card (30% to 75% better depending on the game).
With a compact design, 768 CUDA processors and 1 GB of 128-bit GDDR5 memory, gamers looking for power at reasonable cost will be more than satisfied. The card also supports Microsoft DirectX 11 technology, NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync, 3D Vision Surround or PureVideo HD.
Connectivity is also at the forefront of its feature-set, with a PCI Express 3.0 connection, two DVI ports and a Mini-HDMI on-board. Its power consumption is measured with a TDP of 100 Watts.
Pricing and Availability
With a three-year guarantee, the GTX 650 Ti is available in two versions: alone, or packaged in a bundle with Assassin's Creed III, from all good e-tailers, from £125.
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STMicroelectronics First to Simplify Complex Routing With New DisplayPort 1.2 Device
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and a top player in ICs for home multimedia, today added the STDP43 series of products to its innovative DisplayPort portfolio. These Systems-on-Chips (SoCs) are the world's first high-speed active-protocol bi-directional media-routing devices that manage audio and video data from various sources and send this data to multiple displays. The devices support DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4, the latest versions of the two most common digital-display interface technologies used in computer and consumer electronics. The STDP43 SoCs are catalytic in the rapidly expanding markets for next-generation digital signage, universal docking stations and video hubs required by the new generation of notebooks and PCs based on the latest Intel and AMD CPUs that support the multi-stream features of DisplayPort 1.2.
The STDP43 series offers powerful routing logic for managing today's complex display options, such as in data centers, video-walls, and control centers, where content sharing to multiple displays is a critical requirement. Using dual-mode receivers and transmitters in various configurations, ST's new SoCs can split, combine, route and convert DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 signals into full HD on multiple daisy-chained displays with color depth up to 48 bits per pixel, or into 4Kx2K (4096x2160p = 4 times Full HD) on a single display.
"The STDP43 SoC adds a very versatile product to ST's strong mix of DisplayPort 1.2 solutions," said Todd Meany, General Manager of ST's Display Product Division (DPD). "Laptop and display designers are cheering ST's media-routing concept that allows for more flexibility and faster implementation of complex media functionality from docking stations and media hubs. In addition, multimedia data centers now have more options to expand their designs by taking full advantage of the multi-stream feature."
The STDP43 series' industry firsts include:
- First single-chip solution to combine two DisplayPort or HDMI streams into a DisplayPort 1.2 MST (Multi-Stream) output.
- First to convert DisplayPort 1.2 MST signal into two DisplayPort or HDMI outputs.
- First to transport up to 8 A/V streams on a single connector/cable from one device to another.
- First discrete DisplayPort receiver with DisplayPort GTC (Global Time Code) feature for
- Audio inter-channel synchronization.
Other important features and benefits include:
- Total link bandwidth of 21.6 Gbps that supports largest format displays and all 3D formats, up to 4K2K 60Hz / 3D Full HD 120Hz video & 7.1 Ch audio
- Supports video splitting up to 4K2K; a single STDP43 SoC can drive two 4K2K displays.
- Cascading of multiple STDP43 devices allows driving multiple 4K2K displays.
- Supports Mobility DisplayPort (MyDP) feature; able to receive and display MyDP signal from smart phones and tablets via passive cable.
- ST's STDP43 series devices -- the Dual-Mode DisplayPort 1.2 splitter (STDP4320) and the
- Dual-Mode DisplayPort 1.2 concentrator (STDP4328) -- are sampling now, with mass production scheduled for Q2 2013.
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OWC Data Doubler Adds Second Drive to 2012 Mac Mini
Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, today confirmed its OWC Data Doubler Kit is compatible with the new 2012 Mac mini announced by Apple earlier this week. The 'do-it-yourself' kit enables mini owners to add a second internal 2.5" SATA hard drive up to 1.0TB or a high-performance Solid State Drive to complement the existing internal factory drive. Fully supported with all required parts, tools, and a step-by-step 'how-to' video, users can add an OWC Mercury 6G SSD up to 480GB in capacity starting from $83.99. With this kit, users can enjoy near instantaneous booting and application launches along with an incredible boost to overall system and application performance thanks to real-world sustained data rates of up to 559MB/s. While OWC highly recommends its Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSDs for the 6.0Gb/s data bus equipped 2011-2012 Apple mini, this DIY kit is fully compatible with all 9.5mm or smaller 2.5" Serial ATA SSDs, including the largest capacity in the 3G speed class OWC Mercury Electra 960GB SSD.
OWC DIY Kit for 2011-2012 Mac mini Includes:
- OWC 5-Piece Mini Toolkit
- Logic Board Removal Tool for Mac mini 2011-2012
- All driving mounting components including custom flex cable, screws, and grommets
- OWC Installation Guide
- OWC Online Installation Video
Availability, Pricing
The OWC Data Doubler Kit for 2011-2012 Mac mini models is available for immediate ordering at the discounted price of $44.99 direct from OWC's ecommerce portal,
http://www.macsales.com. A Data Doubler kit without tools is also available for $37.99. OWC also offers an instant $15.00 rebate on these kits when an OWC Mercury 2.5" SATA SSD is purchased at the same time.
Let the OWC Pros DIFY
If, after watching the how-to video, mini owners are not fully confident of their ability to add a second drive to their machine, they can choose to have OWC 'Do It For You' via the mini Installation Service. For only $99 with two-way shipping included, mini owners can have OWC professionally install a hard drive or SSD, and memory and receive their higher-performance mini back within 72 business hours or less installation turnaround.
"Our Data Doubler Kit enables the full internal data capability of 2011-2012 Mac minis for massive performance or capacity machines," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "With the kit, owners can add a second hard drive up to 1.0TB, or an SSD for higher performance, drive capacity, and/or configuration options that just aren't available as factory options."
Double the 2011 mini's Factory RAM
To complement the improved drive performance that the OWC Data Doubler Kit provides, 2011 and 2012 mini owners can also choose to upgrade RAM with OWC 4GB, 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB Memory Kits and with savings of up to 63% compared to factory options. OWC memory upgrades are fully tested and certified Mac and further supported and backed by the OWC lifetime warranty, 24/7 free tech support, and free installation videos that ensure the successful upgrade experience that is the OWC Difference.
For more information, visit the
product page.
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Apacer rolls out DDR3 SO-RDIMM, for Networking and Mission Critical Applications
The rapidly developingcloud-based services have brought prospective impact on the enterprise-level storage device, network communication equipment and high-end server.To meet the enterprises' demand for powerful computing, Apacer, the global professional manufacturer of the memory module, launchesDDR3-1333 SO-RDIMM.It's the special memory module tailored for the Mission Critical Application and the Networking System device. As the product features compactness, high-processing speed and high stability brought by registering clock driver with parity chip, it can offer enterprises the multi-advantage storage device in a cloud-based operating environment.
Designed with reference to the electrical specification for JEDEC DDR3 204pin SODIMM memory module,DDR3-1333 So-RDIMMis Apacer's latest special memory module andalso a customized product supporting capacity up to 4GB. Thanks to the small form factor of only 67.5mm, it can be fully accommodated within the narrow and small switch and router. In addition, to effectively protect the networking communication system from data processing mistake during transmission of high-capacity data and large-scale computing, DDR3-1333 So-RDIMM not only adopts registering clock driver with parity chip to achieve synchronization and stabilization of the signal, but also supports Error Correcting Code(ECC). Itthus effectively improvesthe accuracy of signal transmission and significantly enhancesthe reliability of the memory module.Moreover, with a view to reducing the temperature and power consumption of the current mission critical application, this product's built-in thermal sensor enables the system to monitor the temperature change in the memory module during operation, thereby effectively protecting the system from failure due to overheat. The thermal sensor can optimize the power usagethrough adjustment, minimizing the power consumption by the system.
DDR3-1333 So-RDIMM, the special memory module from Apacer, has gone through rigorous environment tests (extended temperature and high/low pressure testing for longer periods of time) and motherboard test. Currently, the module has successively passed international OEM vendors' strict tests for ensured compatibility and stability when used in Networking System.Apacer has years of extensive experience in the networking communication system and the server market. Apacer has developed a wide array of specifications and technologies for server memory modules and introduced the special memory module to satisfy the demands forhighly reliable and highly compatible products with various specifications from the customers.
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