IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 18/04/2013

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 18/04/2013

TweakTown

Facebook Home gives Canada and the UK some love
Facebook Home has expanded outside of the US finally, jumping over to the UK and Canada for starters. Even if you're based in the UK or Canada, you'll still need a specific phone for Facebook Home to work.

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These phones are the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III, HTC One X+, One X or One. Facebook Home does come pre-installed on one phone at the momnet, the HTC First, which is still a US-exclusive on AT&T. EE and Orange have confirmed they'll support HTC's First smartphone in the UK, but there's no word right now on any Canadian telcos carrying the 'Facebook phone'.
So if you're after Facebook Home for your smartphone, and have a compatible device, check out the Google Play Store on your device.

Chrome for Business adds some new features, includes legacy browser support and more
Google have just updated their Chrome for Business browser, where the Mountain View-based company have added legacy browser support and cloud-based management for Google Apps.

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If you are someone who uses older apps at work, you'll now be automatically switched to an alternate browser when needed. On the cloud side of things, the cloud-based management allows employees to log in to their Google Apps for Business or Education accounts from any device.

Google Glass Explorer Edition receives unboxing treatment
Google Glass shipments have started, and now we already have the Explorer Edition getting the unboxing treatment along with a slew of photographs. Unfortunately, it wasn't me doing the unboxing, sob.

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The glasses include a microUSB cable and charger, a pouch and shades. One of the users have noted that users can send navigation directions directly from their smartphone to Glass, which is something I expected, but is now confirmed.

The new Man of Steel trailer is here, Superman is set to be the next billion-dollar superhero movie
I'm such a big fan of Superman, and I really didn't like Superman Returns, so when I heard about Man of Steel, I became excited yet again. Everything from the suit, to the feel of the music has been perfect so far, and now, we have the third trailer to the movie.

It shows off some of that insane action finally, Superman flying, Zod menacing, more of fellow Aussie native Russell Crowe playing Kal-El's father, Jor-El. It is epic, and it deserves to be watched only in 1080p. Let me know your thoughts on the trailer in the comments below!

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Comcast will be encrypting even basic cable, will require settop box at each TV
Comcast has decided to start encrypting even their basic cable channels, forcing customers to use a settop box on every TV where they want to watch cable TV. Previously, basic cable channels would just require hooking a TV up to the coax jack in the wall.

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We are beginning to proactively notify customers in select markets that we will begin to encrypt limited basic channels as now permitted by last year's FCC B1 Encryption Order. While the vast majority of our customers won't be impacted because they already have digital equipment connected to their TVs, we understand this will be a change for a small number of customers and will be making it as convenient as possible for them to get the digital equipment they may need to continue watching limited basic channels.

Comcast will provide up to two DTAs free for two years, provided that the customers do not currently have equipment on their account. Customers will also have to request the settop boxes during the offer period around the time of encryption. Comcast has put up this FAQ about what to expect from the new encryption.

Bethesda uses Vine video to tease upcoming unannounced game
Bethesda has made use of the video sharing service Vine to tease a previously unannounced game. The Vine, viewable here, is quite cryptic, though several rumors are flying around the Internet. It starts out by showing barbed wire and then some spinning paper, which appears to be sheet music to Johann Sebastian Bach's "Air on the G-String."

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One of the rumors flying around is that it could be a new Fallout game, though Bethesda's VP of Marketing indicated that this isn't the case with a tweet. Other rumors include the possibility that this new game could be a new Wolfenstein game. We'll probably learn more about the game at this year's E3 expo in June.
In the meantime, what do you think of the teaser? Any ideas what game it could be for? Let us know!

WhatsApp brags that they are bigger than Twitter, now boasts more than 200M users
Today at Dive Into Mobile, WhatsApp CEo Jan Koum took a moment to brag that the messaging company is now larger than micro-blogging site Twitter. "We're bigger than Twitter today." WhatsApp boasts more than 200 million users, eight billion inbound messages, and 12 billion outbound messages per day.

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Koum noted that WhatsApp also has one of the smallest ratios of engineers to active users with fewer than 50 engineers at the company. Of course, it's not completely fair to compare WhatsApp to Twitter since the services are quite different. However, it does show how WhatsApp has exploded onto the mobile messaging scene.
It's important to note that WhatsApp recently announced they would be charging $0.99 per year for the service. Koum added that WhatsApp hasn't seen any negative impact on user numbers. Because of high engagement and a way of monetizing users, Koum said the service isn't looking at any acquisition offers.

Android on track to hit total of 1B activations sometime this year, according to Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt has said that the total number of Android activations are set to cross the one billion threshold in "six to nine months." Currently, Android devices are being activated at the rate of about 1.5 million per day, an impressive rate that will likely continue to increase as more developing markets start demanding smartphones.

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"Android is by far the primary vehicle by which people are going to see smartphones," Schmidt said.
Schmidt remained somewhat secretive about future Android plans. In regards to the promotion of Sundar Pichai, he added, "Don't confuse organization design and product design." In other words, don't have your heart set on Chrome OS and Android OS becoming one in the same.
A total of one billion Android device activations is quite the accomplishment. It goes to show how popular the Android platform is and how it helps to have an operating system that can be used across a wide range of devices, much like Windows.

Microsoft Exec: Microsoft has no plans to launch a Surface Phone
A Microsoft executive has come out and said that Microsoft does not currently have plans to release its own smartphone. Windows Phone Corporate VP Terry Myerson shot down speculation that Microsoft would be releasing a Microsoft-made phone anytime in the near future.

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Myerson was then asked what it would take for Microsoft to release their own device:

It would have to be something where Nokia or HTC or other primary partners were not providing the consumer experience we think was possible on our platform.

Myerson then added that he feels current Windows Phone devices already provide a great experience. However, Myerson's comments don't preclude Microsoft from releasing a Surface Phone sometime in the future. I definitely wouldn't count Microsoft out of the mobile device market quite yet, though their Surface tablet experience may have rethinking plans.

Motorola planning stock Android devices that are sized 'just right'
Motorola is planning on releasing stock Android devices that are sized "just right." Instead of following the idea that "bigger is better," Motorola has decided to follow the idea that "better is better." At least that's what Jim Wicks, Motorola's design chief, has said the first batch of devices will be.

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Jim Wicks:

It comes off as kind of weird to anyone who hears it for the first time, but there have been follow-up discussions and there's no issues with that at all. We've been spending the past eight months on this next generation of phones, and we've all seen positive feedback and collaboration around things.

We'll start to see devices that Google contributed to sometime in the second half of 2013. These devices should feature slimmer bezels and a range of sizes, though we expect the devices to be on the smaller side of the current range. We also expect these devices to feature a "wow" factor not present in current Motorola devices.

Google Fiber TV gets HBO and Cinemax for an additional charge
Google has managed to negotiate deals with HBO and Cinemax so that customers who are using the Google Fiber TV bundle package can now add on HBO and Cinemax--for a price. Any Google Fiber TV customer can add the new HBO package for $20/month (tax not included). This package includes HBO, HBO2, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Latino, HBO Comedy, and HBO Zone.

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Cinemax fans will be able to get the new Cinemax package for just $10/month (again, tax not included). The Cinemax package includes Max, MoreMax, ActionMax, ThrillerMax, WMax, @Max, 5-StarMax, and OuterMax. If you're a serious TV watcher, Google rolled out a new "premium package" that will set you back $40/month.
The premium package comes with STARZ, Showtime, HBO, and Cinemax.

You can sign up for these packages starting now. If you already have Fiber service installed in your home, you can call customer service 24/7 at 866-777-7550 to have any of these packages added.

Facebook for iOS getting Chat Heads, probably the most liked feature of Facebook Home
Facebook is working on bringing Chat Heads, one of the most liked features of Facebook Home, to the iOS app. The app update has already been pushed out to iOS devices--I just downloaded it moments ago--and the update text says that Chat Heads will be coming to everyone over the "next few weeks."

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Of course, the implementation will differ slightly. Chat heads will only show up when being used in the Facebook App. When we reported that iOS might be getting Facebook Home, the details were likely regarding this update that has since been released. Users will also be getting "stickers" in the coming weeks.
The Facebook App is available from the iOS App Store.

AMD Radeon HD 7990 'Malta' engineering sample shows up on Ebay, current bid at $510
Someone has seemingly gotten their hands on the elusive AMD Radeon HD 7990 dual-GPU video card that AMD is readying for launch. Codenamed "Malta," this GPU features two of AMD's 7970 GPU cores on a single board paired with 6GB of vRAM. The card was first unveiled at the Game Developers Conference alongside Battlefield 4.

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We're pretty sure that the auction will end up getting pulled from Ebay, but that shouldn't stop you from bidding on the item. We know that the 7990 does exist, so this card shouldn't be a fake. The card takes two 8-pin PCIe power connectors for a total of 375W TDP.
There are still four days left on the auction, but we doubt it will still be up by the end of the day. If it does end up selling, we'll be sure to report on the final selling price. It's currently at $510, at the time of writing, with 17 bids having been placed. Shipping will set you back an additional $50, but it is one-day shipping.
The auction is available on Ebay.

RumorTT: iPhone 5S to come with 12MP camera and improved low light mode
Rumors about the iPhone 5S have surfaced that suggest the new Apple device will feature a 12-megapixel camera and improved low light functionality. It's not completely unexpected that Apple would up the ante in terms of the iPhone's camera, but remember that this is just a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt.

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Apple has previously used the S models to upgrade the camera, such as upgrading the iPhone 4S' camera to 8MP from 5MP in the iPhone 4. A 12MP sensor wouldn't bu unheard of in a device and might be just enough to set the iPhone 5S apart from other smartphones coming out.

Some Apple TVs have WiFi issues, Apple to replace faulty units
Apple has discovered that a "very small number" of Apple TVs might have issues with WiFi. Because of this, Apple has opened up a replacement program, authorizing Apple Authorized Service Providers or Apple themselves to replace faulty third-generation Apple TV devices for up to two years from the purchase date.

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The issues include the device not being able to locate a network, join a network, or being unable to maintain a steady connection to a network. To be eligible for a replacement, your serial number must fall within the range provided by Apple. This means the last four characters must be DRHN and the third and fourth characters must be one of the following:
H9, HC, HD, HF, HG, HH, HJ, HK, HL, HM, HN, HP, HQ, HR, HT, HV, HW, HX, J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, J6, J7, J8, or J9

Tweakipedia: How to build a new virtual machine using VMware Workstation 9
Our Tweakipedia section has a new post.

TweakTown's Tweakipedia

We've written up a small guide on how to install a virtual machine using VMware Workstation 9. This comes in handy when playing with software, so you don't mess up your main Windows installation. You can read more on the Tweakipedia article right here!

Galaxy S4 appears on AT&T website, ships on April 30 for $639 outright
We heard yesterday that AT&T would receive the Galaxy S4 first, on April 26, but it appears that the Staples document was off by a few days. It looks like the official pre-order availability and pricing for the Galaxy S4 is now here, and on AT&T's website.

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The pricing is $199 on a two-year contract for the 16GB Galaxy S4 in either white or black, and if you want it outright, it's going to set you back $639. If you want it on a one-year contract, then that price comes down to $449. You can pre-order right now, here, if you want it with the estimated May 3 arrival date. You know you want to.

Facebook Home could be coming to the iPhone
Facebook Home may not be doing so well on Android, but that isn't stopping the talks of the app arriving on the iPhone. According to Adam Mosseri, director of product at Facebook, talks are happening, but nothing is concrete right now. He says: "We've shown them what we've built and we're just in an ongoing conversation".

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During the Q&A session after Facebook Home was unveiled, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg expressed interest in bringing Home to iOS, but said that an iOS version would be harder to create as the social networking site would have to work with Apple. Mosseri said that Facebook Home would be altered in order to suit Apple's preferences:

It may or may not be Home. We could also just bring some of the design values to the iOS app. That might be how it ends up. Or we could build just the lock screen. Maybe then it's not called Home, it's called something else.

Ask the Experts: Should I go CrossFire HD 6870's, or purchase a HD 7790?
Our Ask the Experts section has a new question, where we have Tony in Australia wanting to know how he should proceed with his GPU upgrade.

TweakTown's Ask the Experts

Q: I want to improve my gaming performance although I have very empty pockets, I currently have a Gigabyte Radeon HD 6870 1GB Super Overclocked now. I have enough money to buy a Gigabyte Radeon HD7790 2GB Overclocked, but I'm hesitating because I can also buy another Radeon HD6870 1GB. I'm not sure whether the CrossFired cards would be much better although I'm having trouble finding another HD 6870 but i can find a HD 6850 (can the two diff cards be used in CrossFire?)

A: You can view the answer to Tony's question right here.

Dell stand by Microsoft's side, will stay committed to Windows RT on future ARM devices
Microsoft have found themselves a strong partner in Dell, who have reiterated their commitment to Windows RT. Dell have announced that future generations of their XPS 10 tablet are under development, based around the Windows RT platform.

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Dell's vice president, Neil Hand, has said: "it's turned slower than we were hoping at this point in time. Over the long haul it shouldn't matter if it is Windows on ARM, Windows on Intel, Windows on anything else". IDG News has reported that the new products will be lighter and faster, but no detailed specifications have been unveiled.

Android devices with malware infections tripled last year
Android looks like its the OS of choice for malware developers, with mobile security vendor NQ finding that Android devices infected with malware grew exponentially last year alone.

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NQ found that Android devices with malware infections grew from 10.8 million in 2011 to 32.8 million, meaning a triple of infections year-over-year. They also found that nearly 95% of malware detected in 2012 was designed specifically for Google's mobile OS, which means that Android is the main target for cybercriminals.
Most Android malware infections happen in China, India and Russia - so while this might seem like some frightening numbers at first, InfoWorld's Brian Katz does make us feel all a little better. Katz also writes that most mobile malware can be avoided if Android users "download apps only from known sources", such as the Google Play Store. My advice? Don't click ads, don't open suspicious links, don't join random or weird Facebook groups that want all of your info.

New Grand Theft Auto 5 artwork gets unveiled
Rockstar have graced us with two more pieces of artwork from their upcoming, sure to break records game, Grand Theft Auto V. The first image shows off a guy on a motorbike holding an uzi, with a helicopter above him in which looks like a hot pursuit.

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The second shot is a guy on a jet ski, just smashing through some waves. According to Rockstar though, the images show "two of our three leads, Michael and Franklin getting things done - by sea, or by land. Of course many other modes of transport will also be available to accommodate your travel needs across Los Santos and Blaine County this September".

Anonymous attacks North Korean websites
North Korea are the subject of yet another attack by Anonymous, this time taking down a North Korean news and information site. Uriminzokkiri.com has been taken down, with a timeout error appearing when someone tries to access the site.

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Anonymous didn't stop there, as they also attacked minjok.com, jajusasang.com and paekdu-hanna.com. These sites were hacked to display images mocking North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong-un. This also isn't the first time Anonymous have hacked North Korea, as earlier this month the hacking collective gained access to the North Korean Twitter feed.
With access to NK's Twitter feed, they posted tweets to images poking fun at Kim Jong-un, condemning him for "threatening world peace with ICBMs and nuclear weapons" and "wasting money while his people starve".

Google Glass units roll off the production line for the first time, will be shipped to Explorer access members
The first batch of Google Glass units have just rolled off the production line, and will be shipped to the early Explorer Edition members. This should happen over the coming weeks.

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The coming weeks should be exciting times, as developers get their hands (or is that eyes) on Google Glass. We should expect many more news tidbits to come out, with a much closer, and more personal look at the Glass unit itself. I really wish I had spent the money to acquire a pair of glasses at the time of Google I/O, damn it.

Samsung might move away from traditional plastic design with their Galaxy Note III, chasing a more premium feel to their devices finally
The plastic feel of Samsung's Galaxy smartphones is getting old - something I haven't liked in the Galaxy S III, or Note II, and it looks like the South Korean electronics giant is set to move away from the use of plastic in their upcoming Galaxy Note III.

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It looks like Samsung might shift to an aluminum construction, and possibly go down the route of using a unibody enclosure. Considering Samsung has been outselling all major competitors in the market with their plastic design, there's no need for a change. Unless they're not enjoying the premium look and feel of competitors' devices like the iPhone 5, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z.
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S4 still includes a plastic design, so it'll be interesting to see if they provide the Note III with their aluminum design first before shifting it over to the Galaxy S5 - can you believe we're already talking about that? No, I can't either.

SMART Storage Systems CloudSpeed 500 Enterprise SSD Review

Introduction

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The award winning CloudSpeed 500 from Smart Storage Systems offers up admirable endurance specifications and provides enterprise-class features at a price point competitive with consumer hardware. This addresses the gap between heavy-workload SSDs and client SSD products.
The 6Gb/s CloudSpeed 500 delivers 500MB/s in sequential read/write speed and 60,000/20,000 random read/write IOPS. The SSD is available in 120, 240, and 480GB capacities. Featuring the proven LSI SandForce SF-2581, an enterprise version of the SF-2281 controller, in tandem with SMART Storage Systems proprietary technologies provides a solid platform for the CloudSpeed 500.
The Guardian Technology Suite, covered in more detail on the following page, allows SMART Storage Systems to take typical consumer-grade MLC NAND and extend its lifetime to 15,000 P/E cycles. This is a 3x-5x improvement over normal MLC NAND. This allows the CloudSpeed 500 to withstand 1.2 full random drive writes per day (DWPD). This important specification underlines one of the key advantages of the CloudSpeed 500 over client SSDs.
Pricing is always a big concern, and many times the exorbitant pricing of some high-end enterprise-class SSDs can lead administrators to deploy client SSDs into servers to save on upfront acquisition costs. By deploying relatively cheap client hardware, and simply replacing the SSDs as they wear out, companies can enjoy large cost savings over some enterprise SSDs.
This 'Rip-and-Replace' model provides initial advantages in the pricing department, but there are significant trade-offs in performance and data protection. Consumer SSDs are not designed for the heavy workloads of enterprise environments, and performance falls rapidly in these scenarios.

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The CloudSpeed 500 also includes power capacitors not found in consumer hardware, which allow all data to be committed to NAND in the event of a host power-loss issue. SandForce processors also feature R.A.I.S.E. (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology. This baked-in feature provides data redundancy in the event of uncorrectable errors.
R.A.I.S.E., along with full data path protection, provides a higher level of protection for data not offered by consumer products. In concert with ECC, this results in an UBER (Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate) of less than 1 in 10^18 bits read. This is a tremendous 100X improvement over the JEDEC JESD 218 spec for enterprise-grade SSDs.
SMART Storage Systems brings the features and reliability of a tier-one OEM enterprise SSD into a competitive price point that in the past was unattainable for an SSD with these features. Backing the enhanced endurance, performance, and data protection technologies with a five year warranty gives SMART's customers peace of mind that their storage devices will function reliably in demanding scenarios.
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AZiO Levetron GH808 USB Gaming Headset Review

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Since I have not dealt with the AZiO before, we are going to give them the same treatment we give all new faces, which is a clean slate in order to impress us on. When entering the gaming headset arena for the first time, it's always tough to gauge just where to aim your blow, so to speak, given the massive number of headset solutions out there at the moment, and the sheer volume of fly by offerings out there right now.

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So, it would make good sense then to feel out the market a little bit see what's going on and maybe come up with a modest first round offering that will not break the bank, but may well give a good indication as to whether the push into said market is indeed a viable one.
Enter the Levetron GH808 gaming headset that we have today which is a modest entry level offering and as such is set to indicate a future or not for AZiO in the cut throat world of gaming headsets.

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The design elements of the Levetron are fairly standard throughout. The circumaural ear cups that cover the whole ear can be seen, and provide the best seal around the ear in terms of choice of design.

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As usual with these headsets a rudimentary mic is included also for voice chat functions associated with some games. This does seem to be quite a standard feature these days unless the headset is designed only for music, however this one is not.
Connection is handled rather easily by a USB plug, which has become increasingly popular of late, with many company's opting for its ease of use and flexibility. This is also due to the convergence concept which sees peripherals either leaning to work together or finding a new home. And for the most part we like this. It does however continue to erode the concept of high-end audio on the PC.

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Now also of interest to us is the inclusion of a volume knob and further; its listing as a main feature on the packaging, which honestly has become a bit of a joke of late. With company's having a good old laugh at consumers expense, think buying a loaf of bread with a sticker on the front saying, 'now featuring bread inside', enough said.

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Now on a lighter note, the Levetron features super bass which has a vibration component which acts in such a way as to simulate the effect of having a subwoofer without actually having one.
The construction of the headset itself is rather good featuring a rugged and strong design that should be able to withstand some serious use. The ear-pads are soft and should fit nicely for most users. We were a little disappointed because we did not find a spare set included in the package.

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Overall the specs sheet is a fairly run of the mill affair for the most part. But in saying that we feel that these are some pretty good numbers and this headset should be able to deliver a decent level of audio quality.
Also worth a mention here we feel is the way in which AZiO provided such a detailed and comprehensive specification list on the rear of the packaging. We thought that just the intention behind making these important numbers transparent is a really good one. And does not go by without being noticed by us.

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Even if we are not talking about an ultra-expensive headset costing several hundred dollars, we feel it's still just as important to show buyers what exactly they are getting, by showing the spec list on the back of the box.

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Also of interest here on the spec list is the vibration driver which provides the user with the added low-end effect, which should really be close to simulating how a subwoofer would sound if being used in the room.

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Lastly of interest here is software control panel that can be downloaded from the AZiO website and allows for a virtual 7.1 surround field to be created.
The Levetron gaming headset is well built and feels sturdy to hold, which is a great start. On the head, the unit feels solid, we would not say lightweight, but equally it is far from being a heavy and cumbersome thing to wear.

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Sound quality testing was overall a pleasant experience we found with the added extra of the vibration function not only being a really cool extra, but a serious feature that can be turned on when wanted to great effect. The overall level of sound quality is pretty good for the most part. With a decent amount of detail and timbre to the sound, but only just making it past the red line of disrepute regarding the high-end, that many headsets hover around.
Listening to a selection of music through the Levetron was a really rewarding experience. The low-end is an interesting thing to behold here because the vibration driver does much of the work, which for much of the time is a good thing, however there are certain types of music that will sound a little muddy with it turned on, which is why the button is there, we would suppose.

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The high-end is quite good in terms of how it sounds when we can hear it, because unfortunately much of the time it gets obscured by the extra oomph of the low-end vibration driver and simply becomes too low in volume to sit where it should in the mix.
The mid-range was strong through testing with male voices sounding really good with headset. The level of warmth and tonality to the sound was quite impressive for the price and intended function.
AZiO should look into tuning the high-end a little bit better for times when the vibration driver has being enabled. When said function is not enabled, the high-end for the most part is perfectly fine. But since this is such a good feature, we feel that some tuning should be done to equal things out to maximize its enjoyment.
During testing of gaming with the Levetron headset we were equally impressed with the performance on offer. With the vibration feature working well again when some big low-end action took place. The built-in surround function works as intended and can add the obvious extra dimension to gaming that virtual surround can. However, as we always say, this is just a feature to use and for pro gamers a dedicated surround headset or speaker system is always the best option over algorithm driven solutions.

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The AZiO Levetron gaming headset is a winner in our books combining all of the things needed to make a product do well. The package is a good one and so is the material choice and construction of the headset. At the time of writing the GH808 was on sale at Newegg for $59.99 with $2.99 in shipping, and for what you get, we consider it a pretty good deal.
Testing was overall a good experience and we found no real issues to report about adverse performance. In fact, the vibration function that we thought initially was more gimmick than goer, turned out to be really quite impressive.
We love how the function can be turned on or off depending on the use of the headset, which is a good thing as a times the high-end gets missed a little. And the performance during testing of music was top notch in the mid-range and had a good amount of energy and emotion for a USB gaming headset, let that be said.

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Habey Intros PRO-6820 Fanless Core i7 Quad-Core System with 6 GbE Interfaces
HABEY USA, a leading manufacturer of embedded computer and an Associate member of the Intel Intelligent Systems Alliance, introduces the PRO-6820. This is a fanless barebone system, with a chassis built tough for extended industrial processing indoors or outdoors. The system measures in at 9.45" x 9.96" x 4.53", not much bigger than our small form factor systems, running off Intel's 3rd Generation Ivy Bridge Quad Core i3/i5/i7 processor, and capable of up to 8GB of memory from 2x 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM slots.

Rich with I/Os, the PRO-6820 offers 6x instal USB slots, 2x front accessible USB 3.0 slots and 4x rear USB 2.0 slots. The system also has 2x PS2 ports, 1x externally accessible 8-bit GPIO port, 4x COM ports, 6x LAN ports, 1x mic-in, 1x audio-out, 1x CF Card Socket & 1x externally accessible 2.5" SATA HDD. The Intel Integrated HD Graphics controller allows 1x VGA port with resolution up to 2048x1536 & 1x DVI-D ports with resolution up to 1920x1200.

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habey_intros_pro_6820_fanless_core_i7_quad_core_system_with_6_gbe_interfaces

The fanless, vent-hole-free system can perform in extended temperature environments with operating temperatures measured at -30C - 90C (-22F - 158F). Designed tough and rugged, the PRO-6820 is ideal for, but not limited to, outdoor digital video surveillance, much like the systems controlling traffic cameras and lights. This system is in production and ready for order.
Features:

Intel 2nd/3rd Gen Core i-Series Mobile Processors, Barebone Fanless System

Highly Efficient Fanless Design For Extended Temperature Environment

Vent-Hole Free Construct w/ Ext. Accessible 2.5" Bay And CF Slot

QM77 Chipset Supports 3rd Generation Intel Core i5/i7 Dual mini-PCIe expansion with one SIM socket for Wifi and 3G/4G Module

Six Gigabit Ethernet ports and four COM ports

Built-in watchdog features and instant OS recovery function

For more information, refer to the datasheet.

ASUS Taichi 31 with Dual 13.3-inch Displays Now Available
ASUS today announced availability of ASUS Taichi 31, a sleek Ultrabook with a 13.3-inch dual-screen design that offers the mobile flexibility of a tablet with the performance and features of a notebook. ASUS Taichi 31 features a choice of Intel Core processors and joins the 11.6-inch ASUS Taichi 21, launched in October 2012.
With two Full HD 13.3-inch screens placed back-to-back, ASUS Taichi 31 combines the best features of a Windows 8 tablet and a powerful Ultrabook in a single sleek design. With the same stunning black-mirror finish and slender profile as the 11.6-inch ASUS Taichi 21, ASUS Taichi 31 is as elegant as it is innovative, and packs a host of features that help make light work of any productivity task.

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Lid closed, ASUS Taichi 31 is a high-performance tablet with a powerful Intel Core i7 or i5 processor and blazingly fast SSD storage. Scratch-resistant glass with 10-point multi-touch makes Windows 8 effortless and intuitive to use, while the supplied pressure-sensitive stylus is perfect for taking handwritten notes, annotating documents and drawing sketches.
Lid open, ASUS Taichi 31 offers three distinct ways to work. With just the inner display active, ASUS Taichi 31 is a powerful Ultrabook with a comfortable backlit keyboard and a generously proportioned touchpad with full support for Windows 8 gestures. Better still, both displays can also be active at the same time in Extended Desktop or Mirrored Desktop mode, making it easy to show a presentation or share a video, without the need for a clumsy external monitor or a bulky projector.
Brilliant images and astonishing audio quality
In whichever mode ASUS Taichi 31 is used, two Full HD displays with IPS technology give outstanding clarity with vibrant color and 178-degree wide viewing angles. Dual-band Wi-Fi with Intel WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0 offer high-performance wireless connectivity, while two USB 3 ports provide full support for the latest high-speed external storage devices and rapid mobile device recharging.
ASUS SonicMaster technology, co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, delivers astonishing sound quality on ASUS Taichi 31 with all kinds of listening material. ASUS Taichi 31 also features a rear 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with 1080p Full HD video recording and a front-facing 720p HD video camera, plus a noise-suppressing array microphone for crystal-clear video chat. ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II technology gives up to seven hours battery life with Wi-Fi web browsing.
Multi award-winning design
ASUS Taichi has received a number of awards since its launch in October 2012. The 2013 CES Innovations Award judging panel were impressed by ASUS Taichi for its daring design and entirely new approach to mobile PCs, while the 2013 iF Design Award committee acknowledged the vision behind its innovative design. ASUS Taichi was also awarded a prestigious G Mark in the 2012 Good Design Awards for its breakthrough design that offers new levels of productivity and entertainment.

APLEX Introduces Low Power Consumption BOX PC
Taipei, Taiwan - April 16, 2013 - APLEX Technology Inc., a global industrial computer product solution provider, today extends its embedded BOX PC portfolio with Intel D2550 Dual Core 1.86 GHz processor equipped with NM10 chipset, wide range power input from 9 to 32V DC, and 2x204pin SO-DIMM up to 4GB that delivers advanced graphics processing capability and significantly reduces power consumption. This ACS-2645 embedded system enables greater adoption in machine controlling, factory automation, and is ideal for any industrial applications.

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aplex_introduces_low_power_consumption_box_pc

Abundant I/O Designs
Extending APLEX din rail BOX PC Series such as ACS-2685/ACS-2695, fanless ACS-2645 has a simple & stylish design and in conjunction with Cedar Trail platform, it can provide excellent graphics performance and power efficiency. The I/O connections include four COM port (2xRS-232 (COM1&COM2), 1xRS-422/485 (COM3), 1xRS-232 (COM4)), 4x USB 2.0 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 1x audio port. With the growth of WiFi connection in industrial-grade product applications, ACS-2645 has dual optional antenna interfaces for efficient connectivity and provides another solution for communications besides USB ports and HDD bay.

Accessible Storage Design
ACS-2645 provides 2 x 2.5" SATA HDD and 2 x PCI expansion slots for excellent data storage for backup. In addition, it is easy for users to take one screw off and put HDD or PCI card in this embedded unit, which saves installation time. Compared with traditional embedded system, ACS-2645 takes advantages of cable hidden and easy installation design to provide a compelling user experience. As for ways of mounting, ACS-2645 can be din-rail amounted and wall-mounted.
Features of ACS-2645

Intel Atom Processor D2550 1.86GHz , L2 Cache 1MB

Support 2 x SO-DIMM 204pin, up to 4GB DDRIII 800/1066MHz FSB

Fanless Solution

2 x 2.5" SATA HDD Space

1 x External CF slot

Support 9~32V DC power input and AC power input

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