Don't expect many new Apple products until Q4 2013
Today is the day for Apple news, isn't it? We've just seen the iPhone makers earnings report for Q2 2013, and had news to not expect a bigger iPhone anytime soon, but now we shouldn't expect any new products between now and Q4 2013.
Personally, I think Apple are behind the ball and will have to come out with something that truly deserves the title of 'magical' and 'revolutionary' this time around. Google, LG, Samsung, Sony, HTC and more all have great products out and many more to come between now and Q4.
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AMD's Radeon HD 7990 is here, wants you to shut up and give it your money
AMD are back yet again with the monster of Radeon GPUs, the dual-GCN rocking Radeon HD 7990. The Radeon HD 7990 features a number-busting 8.6 billion (that's with a B) transistors, 4096 stream processors and a total of 8.2 TLOPS of compute power.
AMD's ZeroCore power technology is at play, where it switches off the second GPU when not in use to save power (and heat). You can check out our own review on the Radeon HD 7990 right here.
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Apple aren't going to release a larger iPhone until display 'tradeoffs' disappear
For years, Apple and more specifically, the late Steve Jobs, defended the 3.5-inch display on the iPhone. It wasn't until Apple were getting kicked all over the market by consumers demanding a bigger display that Apple shifted gears and increased the display to 4 inches on the iPhone 5.
My view continues to be that the iPhone 5 has the absolute best display in the industry, and we always strive to create the very best display for our customers. We wouldn't ship a larger iPhone while these tradeoffs exist.Considering Apple released the iPad mini with its god awful low resolution screen (when compared to the Retina display in the third- and fourth-generation iPads), I truly have no idea where Cook is coming from there. Unless they're having issues securing large numbers of high-resolution, bigger panels from their partners.
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Apple have had their 'best quarter ever' in China
Apple just reported their Q2 2013 earnings, where they saw a hefty $9.5 billion in profits over $43.6 billion of revenue - they also sold bucket loads of iPhones and iPads, but how is their market over in China? Booming, that's how.
Chinese revenue for Apple was $8.8 billion, up 11% year-over-year. Sales of the iPad grew a huge 138% in the same time frame. Both the iPhone and iPad have seen record sell-through rates in stores throughout China. Apple maintain 11 stores in the country, a number that is set to double in the next two years.
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Study suggests that voice-to-text apps aren't any safer than manually texting
Mobile device use has come under fire more and more in recent times, with numerous states outlawing talking on the phone without the use of a hands-free device. I've always contended that the action of holding a conversation is more dangerous than the act of holding the phone to your ear, but states apparently don't agree.
This means that the act of composing the text message, not the act of physically inputting it, is what is the distracting part:
We did not find any differences between manual texting and the two voice-to-text apps that we tested in terms of driver response time and the amount of time looking at the forward roadway. The amount of time that drivers spent looking at the roadway ahead was significantly less when they were texting, no matter which texting method was used.This means you should think twice before using that voice-to-text app as you are just as likely to have an accident. However, voice-to-text apps remain legal to use while manually inputting a text message has been outlawed in numerous states.
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BitTorrent releases Alpha version of Sync app to general public
BitTorrent Sync, a new piece of software that operates like Dropbox in that it syncs files on different systems, has been released to the general public in its unpolished Alpha form. BitTorrent Sync makes use of the BitTorrent protocol to sync files across different systems without the need for a centralized server.
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Apple's Q2 results released, Apple pulled in $9.5bn in profit, $43.6bn in revenue
Today was a big day for Apple as they released their second quarter financial results. Apple's stock has been in a free fall as of late and this quarter's earnings needed to be good for Apple to stop their stock from falling any further. The official numbers are in and Apple pulled in a quarterly revenue of $43.6 billion, up from $39.2 billion for the second quarter of last year.
Apple's stock price increased by roughly 5 percent during the conference call. It will be interesting to see how the stock fairs tomorrow during normal trading.
Tim Cook:
We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad. Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.
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HTC selling unlocked HTC One directly to customers, initial batch already sold out
The long-anticipated HTC One was officially put on sale by HTC today, who began selling unlocked versions of the premium Android device. Both 32GB and 64GB versions of the device were put on sale directly by HTC, possibly signalling that supply chain issues had been resolved. We do know that HTC could face issues over the microphone used in the device.
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Apple puts refurbished 7th generation iPod nanos up for sale, drops price on iPads
Apple has started selling refurbished seventh generation iPod nanos, meaning that Apple has finally built up enough stock of refurbished units to keep a good supply. The 16GB seventh generation iPod nanos are available in a variety of colors, including blue and yellow, for $129, or $20 cheaper than retail pricing.
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iPad users get Google Fiber TV app, allows users to browse, record, and buy content
Google has finally released a Google Fiber TV app for the iPad after having an app available for Android devices for around a month. Much is unchanged between the Android app and iPad app as both allow you to browse, watch, buy, and record content...provided you live in Kansas City and have a Google Fiber TV subscription.
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Thanks to slow LTE rollout, T-Mobile could be first to offer LTE-Advanced, or '5G'
We covered T-Mobile's 4G LTE launch and Uncarrier event pretty closely. At the time, all of the other major networks in the country already had operating LTE networks in multiple markets. T-Mobile now believes that it could end up being the first carrier to roll out 5G LTE-Advanced.
I think we'll probably be able to move faster [to LTE-Advanced] because we have the latest hardware in place. Others may have hardware that's two years old, so they may have to rip and replace.We don't fully know what it will take for the other networks to roll out 5G LTE-Advanced, though what Karimli says makes sense. 5G LTE allows for theoretical speeds of up to 300Mbps, around three times faster than LTE. T-Mobile plans to cover 100 million people by mid-2013 and 200 million by the end of 2013 with 4G LTE.
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First Firefox OS smartphones sell out same day as launch
There appears to be at least some demand for devices running the new Firefox OS. The first Firefox OS devices were released today and the company's website crashed and the devices quickly sold out. The devices, its worth noting, don't even feature the highest of specifications.
The Keon specifications are:
- CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 1Ghz
- UMTS 2100/1900/900 (3G HSPA)
- GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (2G EDGE)
- Screen 3.5" HVGA (320x480) Multitouch
- 3 MP Camera
- 4GB ROM, 512 MB RAM
- MicroSD, Wifi N, Light and proxmity Sensor, G-Sensor, GPS, MicroUSB
- 1580 mAh battery
- Over the air updates
- Unlocked, add your own SIM card
- CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.2Ghz x2
- UMTS 2100/1900/900 (3G HSPA)
- GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (2G EDGE)
- Screen 4.3" qHD (540x960) IPS Multitouch
- Camera 8 MP (back) + 2 MP (front)
- 4 GB (ROM) and 512 (RAM)
- MicroSD, Wifi N, Light and proxmity Sensor, G-Sensor, GPS, MicroUSB, Flash (camera)
- Battery 1800mAh
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Apple issuing iPhone 4 'antennagate' settlement checks, owners start to receive $15 checks
Apple's "antennagate" scandal has almost come to a close. Owners of iPhone 4 devices have started to receive their $15 check from Apple, their portion of the settlement fund. The checks are being issued to those owners who did not receive a free bumper for the defective iPhone 4.
The settlement was a total of $53 million, though lawyers got their hands on $16 million of it. The settlement found that Apple misrepresented and concealed material information about the iPhone 4, particularly the antenna and reception quality.
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Expanded Surface Pro availability planned for end of May by Microsoft
Microsoft is looking to expand market availability of the Surface Pro by the end of May. Officials from the Redmond giant have shared details about which markets will be getting access to the Windows 8 tablet and when availability will start. The Surface Pro has suffered from availability issues since its launch.
Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand are slated to get the Windows 8 tablet by the end of June. In other news, Surface RT markets will continue to be expanded. It will be available in Malaysia on April 25, Mexico by the end of May, and Korea and Thailand by the end of June.
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CBS threatens to file another lawsuit against Aereo, this time in Boston
We've covered the legal issues with Aereo in a bit of detail. CBS has so far been unsuccessful in its attempts to stop Aereo from streaming the broadcast TV network over the Internet. CBS has now said that they intend to sue Aereo again, this time in Boston as the service launches on May 15.
We will sue. Stealing our signal will be found to be illegal in Boston, just as it will be everywhere else.It's interesting to note that CBS has so far been unsuccessful in its court challenges.
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AP Twitter account hacked, White House has not been bombed
This afternoon some alarming news emanated from the Associated Press' Twitter account that stated the White House had been bombed and President Obama had been injured.
AP reporter Matt Moore took to his Twitter account to debunk the false report and confirm that the trusted news organization's Twitter account had indeed been hacked. The official source of the hack is unknown, but the hacker group Syrian Electronic Army appears to be claiming responsibility.
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Texas Instruments takes aim at Raspberry Pi with the new Beagle Bone Black
Much like the Arduino frenzy of a few years ago, everyone is attempting to cash in on the Raspberry Pi's success. This morning I was tipped off by a friend (thanks Chris!) about a new single board ARM based mini PC being released by Texas Instruments.
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LeakedTT: Possible 2013 NVIDIA GeForce lineup could include GTX 780, GTX 770, and GTX 760 Ti
Yesterday I reported on a leak that showed off two new additions to NVIDIA's Titan line of video cards; the Titan LE and Titan II. This morning we are learning a little more about the Titan LE, as well as two other new video cards for 2013.
We have also came across info on two other NVIDIA boards, the GTX 770 and GTX 760 Ti. The 770 is based off a GK104-425 die, which makes it nothing more than a higher clocked GTX 680. It is expected to perform 20-25% better than the GTX 670 and be on par with a GTX 680.
Like the GTX 770, the GTX 760 Ti is just rehashed hardware. The chip is based off a GK104-225 die, and is expected to increase performance by 20-23% over the GTX 660 Ti. The GTX 760 Ti should give AMD's 7800 and 8800 line of GPUs a run for their money.
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According to one survey, 19% of Americans want an 'iWatch'
We all know Apple will come out this year with a magical, and revolutionary new device that they'll think they were the first, and only company to think of - and it'll arrive as the iWatch.
ChangeWave director of operations, Andy Golub, told PCMag - who reported about the survey - that the upcoming, but rumored "smartwatch" is a testament to Apple's huge brand strength with consumers and that "Apple's track record of delivering ultra-convenient, easy to use products with a perceived 'cool factor' is driving pre-release demand".
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SpaceX launch their Grasshopper VTOL rocket, hovers in the air at 840 feet then lands safely
SpaceX are making leaps and bounds with their technology, with their Grasshopper rocket taking off and tripling its previous altitude mark of 263 feet by jetting up to 840 feet.
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ARM profits increase for Q1 2013, 2.6 billion ARM-based chips have been shipped this quarter
ARM has had a stellar Q1 2013, with pre-tax profits increasing by 44%, and revenues seeing an increase of 26% to $209.4 million since the same quarter of last year.
Over the course of the first quarter of this year, the company shipped 2.6 billion ARM-based chips, which is a huge 35% increase year-on-year, with embedded hardware up a nice 50% since Q1 2012. ARM's Mali products have exploded, up 500% on shipments versus the same quarter of last year.
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Gigabyte's next-gen Z87 G1-Killer motherboard teased
Gigabyte have pushed out a bunch of teaser images on their upcoming Haswell-capable Z87 G1-Killer motherboard. Gigabyte's G1 Killer series is the company's top-tier motherboard, which offers some high-end on-board solutions from companies like Creative and Bigfoot Networks.
We should hear more on this motherboard before Computex, which is just over a month away now!
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Dutch Court orders STMicro to stop microphone sales to HTC
HTC shares have dropped since STMicroelectronics N.V. (STM) has been ordered by a Dutch court to stop supplying HTC with microphones used in smartphones. Nokia complained that the chipmaker broke an exclusivity agreement, mentioning that "HTC has no license or authorization from Nokia to use these microphones or the Nokia technologies from which they have been developed."
Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant has mentioned in an e-mail that "Nokia filed this action after it discovered these components in the HTC One. In its marketing materials HTC claims that its HDR microphone is a key feature for the HTC One, but it is Nokia technology, developed exclusively for use in Nokia products." Unveiled in February, the HTC One has already been delayed by about one month because of a shortage of camera components developed specifically for it.
STMicroelectronics' response statement has detailed the company's disappointment at the court's decision, also mentioning that they don't expect any immediate impact on handset sales. They have expressed their intention to appeal against the court's ruling, but they have also left the road ahead open for further manoeuvring and negotiations by saying that they are ready to "propose alternative solutions".
In the midst of all this, HTC shares have taken a 3.3%, drop closing at NT$268 in Taipei. This is their biggest stock decrease since March 13, a drop that is 50% higher on volume than the 90-day moving average. In an emailed statement, HTC has said that they are currently consulting with STMicro in order to decide whether it is necessary to explore alternative solutions in due course.
When money's in short supply companies must try to do whatever is necessary in order to make it through another year. Desperate times call for desperate measures, all in a future that unfortunately doesn't look too bright for Nokia. Realistic planning must be implemented by Nokia today rather than tomorrow, if they ever hope to hold on to (and improve upon) their current ever-diminishing market segment.
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Ask the Experts: I need helping choosing between the Samsung S27A950D and ASUS VG278HE monitors!
Our Ask the Experts section has a new question, where we have Rashid from the Philippines torn between two great gaming monitors.
Story is, I'm buying a new computer after five years or so with my laptop, chose to buy a PC since a laptop has a very few upgrade possibilities ( or so I think ).
These are the specs:
- CPU: Intel i7-3770
- Motherboard: Asus P8Z77 V
- Memory: 2 Corsair Vengeance 8GB
- GPU: XFX HD 7970 3GB/384bit
A: You can view the answer to Rashid's question right here.
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DICE: Battlefield 4 will not feature motion control, considers it a gimmick
If you were hoping for some motion control in the upcoming first-person shooter from DICE, then you're out of luck. Battlefield 4 will not be featuring any motion control gameplay. Patrick Bach, executive producer of Battlefield 4 told Edge:
We are not interested in things that don't make the game better. There are a lot of gimmicks - people throwing money at us - 'can you implement support for this quirky control thing?' No, it doesn't make the game better.Bach also said that DICE are "extremely open to innovation", but they do not like gimmicks, adding that they do not add value to the player. Bach isn't completely against motion control, where he is open to the technology if it actually adds to the gameplay. Hopefully we see Oculus Rift support, DICE, don't disappoint me, okay?
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AMD Radeon HD 7990 6GB Dual GPU Video Card Review
Introduction
With a $999 price tag, AMD are joining the $1,000 club that NVIDIA have been sitting in for a while with the GeForce GTX TITAN; a truly beast of a single GPU card. Out of the box the EVGA GTX TITAN 6GB SuperClocked impressed us immensely. If that wasn't enough performance for you overclocking brought with it even more performance, thanks to a strong core clock speed increase. If $1,000 wasn't enough then throwing a second card into the mix and discovering the awesomeness that a $2,000 video card setup brings in the form of SLI is truly amazing. We'll have that article online soon.
Today though we get the chance to finally see what AMD does with a $1,000 video card. Of course being a reference card means that we don't have any form of package, instead we'll just get straight into the card to see what's going on with the new model. Once we've done that we'll move onto the specification side of things and find the main details.
We'll then take a quick moment to look at our testbed before we cover the cards that you'll see in our graphs today before finally checking out the performance of the new dual GPU model.
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InWin GT1 Mid-Tower Chassis Review
Introduction
I get the concept here, too. It may take some creative looking, but with the new mid-tower InWin is delivering, there are body lines and features that could be seen as being automotive inspired. Things like a pair of headlights near the top, on the front of the chassis, an open grill to allow plenty of air to be forced through the chassis once at speed, and even a hoods cowling, if you will, placed on the top of the chassis. It doesn't add room because the air cleaner or super charger is in the way, but it does allow for airflow much in the same way as the front of the chassis does, but here there is the front I/O panel that is tucked into the surface for aerodynamic reasons, and mixed into the front of the cowling is a HDD dock.
As I have said for many years now looking at InWin cases, they are definitely hit or miss. Styling is the main thing that keeps a lot of users as either fans or haters of their cases, and there is a definite trend to the more expensive cases having more refined looks, as the more affordable solutions try to break a lot of the rules associated with what makes for a good chassis. After seeing what I did with the D-Frame, I just hope that the GT1 from InWin that we are looking at today can end on the same high note I had with the other race inspired design.
Stick with me as I cover some of the technical aspects so we can get a good look at the GT1, what it offers, and if in fact it can be held in the same sort of reverence as other racing inspired designs have done for them.
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Asustor AS-604T 4-Bay NAS Review
Introduction
Although subtle, it's easy to find the 'tributes' to QNAP and Synology in the Asustor AS-604T we're looking at today. Thankfully, Asustor managed to bring the best features from each to the new venture with QNAP-like hardware design and a simple software layer for easy configuration.
The AS-604T is one of many products introduced by Asustor in late 2012. At CES, the company gleefully shared their entire 2013 roadmap leading into 2014 and a number of products peppered the timeline. Asustor won't be a company here today and gone tomorrow. Here today and because of it NAS shoppers have another genuine builder to look at before making their purchasing decision.
Our first sample from Asustor is a four-bay, full feature NAS. The most heavily contested and fastest growing segment in the consumer space with very good products already on the market from QNAP, Thecus, Synology and a number of low cost units that we can't justify giving the full feature tag make up this 4-bay market.
Asustor did pick a very good time to enter the market. New features like HDMI output and smart phone control further increase the functionality while pulling small, quiet NAS products into the living room. A new door opens on the consumer side while existing enterprise functions come deeper down to the small business market, iSCSI and virtual storage come to mind.
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Rosewill SilentNight 500-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review
Introduction
The Rosewill SilentNight 500W is a fanless 500W power supply designed for those seeking a lower wattage, highly efficient unit with zero sound. If this sounds familiar to you, it might be due to use covering several fanless units in the past. The Kingwin Stryker 500W is one power supply that comes to mind for most and that is because it is identical to that of this unit. Both are from Super Flower and we expect to see almost identical results from the Rosewill. I've personally used the Kingwin Stryker in my HTPC for over a year now and not only is it 100% silent as advertised, but it has performed flawless as well.
Specifications, Availability and Pricing
Rosewill lists the SilentNight with an MSRP of $179.99, but it is currently listed for $159.99 on Newegg. Shockingly, this is the same price that the Kingwin Stryker 500W is going for. Nobody seems to have the SilentNight in stock and Rosewill let me know they expect it to be available again in May. Rosewill backs the SilentNight 500W unit with a five year warranty.
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Oblivion (2013) Cinema Review
Whilst on a routine repair mission, a long outdated NASA craft crash-lands with human survivors - including a pilot, Julia Rusakova (Olga Kurylenko); a familiar face who haunts Jack's dreams. Soon, it will be apparent that there is far more behind the war than was ever revealed.
As with the accusations of 'style over substance' leveled at the Tron sequel, one could easily make the same claims of Oblivion, however despite some faults, that isn't one of them.
Oblivion's true faults lie in a disjointed script which flirts with mystery and simplicity in its first half, clearly delineating the rules of the films universe, before turning them upside down.
Similar to Daft Punk providing the amazing score for Tron: Legacy, French electronic outfit M83 provide the musical accompaniment, albeit less memorably than the former. Still, it's an interesting score and one that can stand alone successfully in its own right.
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Enermax Ostrog Giant Mid-Tower Chassis Review
Introduction
With the newest Ostrog design, the changes outside delivers customers a familiar front bezel with the outer ring of mesh around the bays and lower section of the bezel. There also is a raised front section on the roof of the chassis that incorporates the front I/O panel, but even this is redesigned. The side panels are different too, as this time they are pressed outward to allow for more space behind the panels. Internally you lose an optical bay drive, but gain an easily removable section of the HDD cage to allow for longer video cards. Really, at every turn, no matter where you look, there are changes to be found with this new design.
The slightly wider, less elegant, but more aggressive mid tower we are looking at today is the Enermax Ostrog Giant. While it isn't larger in stature, the redesign does take giant steps from the original concept, and offers customers something a bit unexpected. To help out this chassis, that same ring of mesh that stayed in the Ostrog series, well this time you have a color option. You can get a black chassis with a blue mesh ring, and a pair of 140mm blue LED fans in the front to match, or you can get the version we were sent, which is the red mesh ring with complimentary colored LED lighting in the front.
Enermax has been a little hit and miss lately with some of the cases I have seen; it was discussed at CES, and now is my first chance to see if anything was done. So if the introduction image has you intrigued, hang out and continue reading as I dish out what the Enermax Ostrog Giant mid-tower chassis offers in features as well as price.
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SuperSSpeed S301 Hyper Gold SLC Enterprise SSD Review
Introduction
SuperSSpeed is a regional ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) that also markets SSDs under their own flag. SuperSSpeed and their parent, Richmax Technology, also have deep roots as NAND distributors. This provides them a bulk pricing advantage to sell Intel 25nm SLC-powered SSDs at prices lower than many thought possible.
One of the redeeming characteristics of the LSI SandForce SF-2281 controller is that it offers a modular building block that allows manufactures to easily create and sell their own SSDs. The SuperSSpeed S301 was initially a regional product from Hong Kong, but with some influence from TweakTown's Chris Ramseyer, our Consumer Storage Editor, the SuperSSpeed has made its way to American shores as well.
It is important to note that LSI SandForce SF-2281, typically utilized in consumer applications, is employed in the S301. The SF-2582 and 2682 are the SandForce enterprise controller variants, but the reliable SF-2281 responds very well to the use of SLC NAND, even removing much of the performance penalty incurred with incompressible data.
The SuperSSpeed S301 and its SF-2281 controller feature beefy stats, with 550/520 MB/s of sequential read/write speed. The S301 is no slouch in the IOPS category either, rated for 80,000/60,000 IOPS in 4K random read/write.
With the high pricing of SLC NAND pushing it out of many datacenter applications, we were surprised to find this SSD competing with client MLC SSDs at the comparatively low price point of $2.00 per GB. The high price of SLC NAND is not always at the heart of the exorbitant pricing of most SLC products. SLC SSDs also tend to have other features, such as enhanced firmware for end-to-end data protection, and capacitors for power fail protection, that drive up costs. By stripping away these features, SuperSSpeed is able to deliver an SLC SSD at a competitive price point.
We have been noticing a trend towards the deployment of consumer MLC SSDs into datacenter applications to realize upfront benefits in acquisition costs. The concept of users taking a more value-oriented approach to SLC SSDs certainly is not entirely out of bounds. For users with heavy workloads that would typically require a higher endurance solution than enterprise-class MLC SSDs, it would not be too far of a jump to deploy a consumer SLC product.
The SuperSSpeed S301 competes in the consumer market, but today we are pulling no punches, taking it against the current leaders in the enterprise SSD market.
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MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Boost Twin Frozr Gaming Overclocked Video Card Review
Introduction
We've already looked at a lot number of retail options from both sides of the fence including the ASUS, GIGABYTE and Sapphire on the AMD Radeon HD 7790 side. As for the NVIDIA options, we've seen the Palit along with the Gainward GTX 650 Ti Boost, which we ran in SLI and overclocked.
Both models have impressed us so far and while the NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti Boost offering tends to be a little faster, it's also a little more expensive, due to the 2GB of GDDR5 included, instead of the 1GB seen on the AMD HD 7790. Today we're back looking at the GTX 650 Ti Boost which comes from MSI.
The new MSI GTX 650 Ti 2GB Boost Twin Frozr Gaming video card is the first to come in as part of the new "Gaming" series name we're seeing from MSI, which saw the launch of new motherboards under the name, too. It will be nice to see some unity between the motherboard and video card area as MSI no doubt hope to further this new "Gaming" series brand in the coming months.
While we'll be looking at one of the new MSI Gaming Series motherboards in the coming weeks, today is all about the MSI GTX 650 Ti 2GB Boost Twin Frozr Gaming video card. As always, the approach will be fairly standard as we take a time to look at the box and the package before moving onto the card itself. Once we've done that we'll then take a look at the specifications along with what we managed to overclock the card to. We'll then look at our test system, talk about the cards that you'll see in our graphs today and get stuck into the performance to see just what we're able to get out of the card.
Package
[imgsbs]03[/imgsbs] [imgsbs]04[/imgsbs]Looking at the front of the box you can see we've got a new design with the card being part of the new Gaming series from MSI. The black and red looks good and you can see the main information on the front along with mention that it's an OC Edition card in the bottom left. Looking at the back of the box we have some of the main features including MSI Afterburner support along with mention that higher quality components are used. On the right you can see some of the core features of the GPU itself.
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ASUS VivoBook S500C Touchscreen Ultrabook Laptop Review
Introduction
With four different Ultrabook systems in the lab, we are able to update some of our tests. Notably, PCMark 7 and Powermark have been updated to their latest versions. Previous PCMark 7 scores are not comparable to the new version so all old results have been archived. We've gone ahead and archived Powermark's results at the same time to be sure that results in our charts are all comparable.
The ASUS S500C will definitely be on the cheaper side of the onslaught of Ultrabooks, but should you spend a little more and get something a bit more powerful? Or is the added cost not worth the additional performance or features?
Keep reading to find out!
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Sony Xperia Z Smartphone Review
Introduction
Sony have been struggling in the smart device market, but the Xperia Z is a departure from everything we know about their devices, and a head-first dive into a spec-filled, beautifully-designed future for the company.
Sony's Xperia Z has a Full HD (1920x1080) display, and it looks gorgeous - which will have people turning their heads on the street. Sony need this right now, just as HTC do with their troubles in the market after being a leader just years ago.
Let's get into the specifications, pricing and availability of the Xperia Z.
Specifications, Pricing and Availability
Sony have jam-packed the Xperia Z with some of the best components on the market - it truly stands on its own two feet, ready to swing at any potential competitor. We have a 1.5GHz quad-core processor from Qualcomm (the MDM9215M), backed up by the Adreno 320 GPU. There's 2GB of RAM inside the Xperia Z, and 16GB of internal flash storage backed up by a microSD card for expandable storage.
We have LTE support, Wi-Fi with the usual 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC support. Going from these specs, there doesn't seem to be much that the Xperia Z doesn't do - which is great. If you're someone who wants one of the fastest smartphones on the market, you will definitely want to consider the Xperia Z.
Newegg are currently selling the Xperia Z unlocked for $649.99 with free shipping at the time of writing. This is a decent price for the specs inside of the phone, and that gorgeous 1080p display. As always, Google's Nexus 4 (which is made by LG) is nearly half the price of the Xperia Z, and that is something to consider when thinking about picking up the Xperia Z from Sony.
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Rosewill Fortress 750-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review
Introduction
Today we are taking a look at another power supply from Rosewill. This time around it is the Fortress 750W unit. It is the little brother to the Tachyon unit in that it while it doesn't feature modular cabling, it does provide up to 750W of 80 PLUS Platinum power. The Fortress doesn't come from the same OEM as the Tachyon and also features a longer warranty.
Let's dig into the unit and see if other options from Rosewill are just as good as we saw with the Tachyon.
Specifications, Availability and Pricing
Rosewill has an MSRP of $179.99 on the Fortress 750W and that sounds quite a bit high for a 750W unit until you take into consideration that the power supply has a current price of $129.99. Even though Rosewill is the in-house name for Newegg, it would appear that they are starting to branch out beyond Newegg. We found the Fortress 750W for sale on Amazon for $109.99. At a price that low, you're talking about the possibility of some serious power at a very low price. Sweetening the deal even further is that the Fortress 750W power supply is backed by a seven year warranty.
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Consumer (Samsung and OCZ) vs. Enterprise (SMART Optimus) SSD Performance Analysis
Introduction
This may not seem like a large number, until we take into consideration that this is roughly the output of 30 nuclear power plants, or 30 billion Watts, and leads to a whopping power bill of $8.5 billion annually. SSDs bring tremendous advancements in the IOPS produced per Watt of energy consumed, and in many cases, this is one of the driving factors in the decision to deploy them into an enterprise environment.
As with any device that delivers a substantial performance advantage over a commodity product, SSDs command a much higher price than their HDD counterparts do. The performance advantages of SSDs, in addition to their enhanced density, lower power requirements, and other factors combine to make them a cheaper long-term solution than HDD storage. While the lowered TCO is a big magnet drawing prospective buyers into considering SSDs, the up-front expenditure is also the largest inhibitor to deploying SSDs into the datacenter.
This pricing double-edged sword leads many to look for value-oriented solutions. This eventually turns the eye to consumer SSDs and their lower price structure. For those unaware of the differences the learning curve can be steep and come at a high cost. Users are typically aware that client (consumer) SSDs feature a lower endurance threshold than enterprise products. When comparing the price and performance of consumer SSDs, many mistakenly think that they can overcome the high price premium of enterprise SSDs simply by replacing cheaper consumer SSD more often (rip-and-replace).
Unfortunately, many users simply look at the specifications of client hardware and immediately think that these radically high specifications will equate to a high level of performance in heavy usage enterprise scenarios, when in fact this could not be further from the truth.
Intoxicating performance specifications for client hardware lead many to make the jump without considering the significant impact that differing hardware specifications can have upon the real performance in an actual deployment. Client SSDs higher performance specifications are not indicative of long-term sustained performance in typical enterprise usage scenarios. We take a deeper look at the different test methodologies on the following page.
There are several key differentiators between client and enterprise SSDs, with performance, consistency, power efficiency, duty cycles, power loss protection, and data protection features chief amongst them. This is a daunting list, and by no means will we cover all of these facets in today's article.
The focus today is relatively simple: performance variability and latency. Deploying an SSD that does not deliver sustainable performance over the long term can end up significantly affecting TCO. Making significant tradeoffs in endurance to realize a cost saving is a risky gamble with data, but doing so at the expense of overall performance removes the initial motivation of utilizing an SSD to address performance challenges.
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Enermax Triathlor FC 650-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply Review
Introduction
The power supply we have today is the Enermax Triathlor FC 650W. The power supply features the same 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency and 650W total output that we saw from the NAXN ADV 650W, but that is just about where the similarities end. The Triathlor FC series is the replacement for the well-received Enermax Modu82+ series. For quite some time, the Modu82+ series stood as a PSU lineup that offered a bit more than an entry level power supply, but less than an enthusiast level unit. The price point was right in the middle too so that you were truly getting what you paid for.
Let's see what the new Triathlor FC 650W is made of and see just how well it fills that void.
Specifications, Availability and Pricing
Enermax lists the Triathlor FC 650W with an MSRP of $119.99. The unit seems to have limited stock at the moment, but Antares Pro does list the unit as being available for $98.99 with $15.00 shipping. This still makes the Triathlor FC one of the most expensive 80 PLUS Bronze units available on the market and makes it comparable with several other 650W enthusiast units rated for Gold or higher. Enermax backs the Triathlor FC 650W by a three year warranty.
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SMART Storage Systems CloudSpeed 500 Enterprise SSD Review
Introduction
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Top 10 TweakTown Content from the past week [15 April 2013]
Here are our top 10 articles, reviews and guides from the past week!
- Crucial M500 960GB SSD Review
- ASUS Radeon HD 7790 DirectCU II OC Overclocked Video Card Review
- Intel 335 Series 180GB SSD Review
- NZXT Kraken X60 280mm AIO CPU Cooler Review
- Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0 Overview and Test Results
- ADATA XPG SX900 128GB with SandForce B02 controller SSD Review
- Palit GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB OC Video Card Review
- BioShock Infinite Benchmarked with AMD EyeFinity at 5760x1080
- Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro UI: The (d)evolution of the world's most popular OS
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Case Smithing: Personalized Acrylic Etching and Engraving
Introduction
In primitive times caves were carved to keep track of seasons or to tell tales of successful hunts. In World War II the infamous "Kilroy was here" started appearing in occupied territories etched and scrawled into fences and houses, and more recently your name on your high school desk out of boredom in those never ending classes.
Anyone who has watched the Flintstones will immediately think of prehistoric birds chiselling letters into stone tablets, but no matter what the application is, it is undeniable that engraving and carving is one of those mediums that truly has lasted the stretch of time.
With all this in mind let's take a look into how we can apply this timeless "art form" into our own modern day use, that being etching/engraving acrylic sheets and panels for PC modding.
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ICY DOCK MB662U3-2S Dual Bay USB 3.0 RAID Enclosure
For those that have budgets you may want something with all the options of a NAS such as RAID 1, 5 or even 10. While the market has no shortage of devices to fit your needs, choosing one can be quite difficult with every manufacturer having something readily available.
Today I will be introducing you to the latest solution from ICY DOCK, a well-known company in the external storage market. The ICYRAID MB662U3-2S is the latest dual bay USB 3.0 enclosure from the California based company with options such as RAID 0, 1, JBOD and BIG next to its tool-less design and active cooling policy. On the compatibility side of things we find that the ICYRAID MB662U3-2S is fully functional out of the box with Windows XP/Vista/7 and 8 and even Mac OS 10.2.8+.
Choosing the proper benchmarks to be used in a review can be, at times, a hassle. While I would love to please all of you and run every possible benchmark on these enclosures, it would be at the very least time consuming. With that said I have chosen some of the more popular, and widely available benchmarks. All testing is run in the same order on every enclosure and that is the order you see it here in this review.
If you happen to find yourself in the market for external storage and want something elegant without sacrificing performance, the ICYRAID MB662U3-2S may be just what you're looking for. The single sheet aluminium design gives the enclosure added durability and even structure for cooling your hard or solid state drives depending on what road you choose to take. If you took a glance at the image of the rear of the unit you will also notice ICYDOCK left you with options as far as the lighting goes, a simple flick of the switch and the activity light is shutdown.
Performance of the unit is pretty impressive, and cementing this further is the pricing which I will touch on shortly. As you just saw, the unit is capable of speeds upwards of 400MB/s when used with solid state drives. While we only tested the RAID 0 and 1 functionality in this review, the enclosure does support two additional modes those being JBOD and BIG. JBOD as most of you know configures the drives independently and each drive is accessed directly. BIG on the other hand combines or spans drives into one larger virtual drive, which is then accessed as one.
Pricing of the ICYDOCK MB662U3-2S at launch is expected to be around $149.99. Comparing this to our previously reviewed CalDigit AV Pro that was significantly higher in term of price gives the ICYDOCK a slight edge. Though you will have to purchase your own drives with this unit.
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Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Blu-ray Movie Review
I've always loved Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the world that was created, now all the more so that I understand the backbreaking efforts and pre-digital craftsmanship that went into its production. Director Robert Zemeckis, fresh from his success with the Back To The Future franchise (the third of which was in post-production at the same time as Rabbit) was on a roll and successfully made a picture that although has well and truly been supplanted from a technical perspective, has the heart and soul as real and pervasive as anything made since.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with AVC MPEG-4 compression.
Made well before the digital age, the film has always had a dirty and artifact addled transfer owing to limits of pre-digital compositing and manual rotoscoping techniques that lie at the heart of the production. However, clearly struck from a new transfer and significantly rejuvenated, Roger transcends its primitive shackles with a pleasant and striking Blu-ray transfer.
Newly color timed and digitally restored, the film now features nary a visible film artifact, which is somewhat of a minor miracle itself. There is evidence of judicious application of digital noise reduction, but never in the extreme. As such, grain is kept to a minimum. Shots with animation feature a slight, but noticeable drop in detail, which is no doubt built in to the master.
I've long watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit on previous mediums and it's a definite understatement to say that the film has never looked better than it does here. Sure, it could be bettered, but short of a full restoration and re-composition of its elements, (a hugely cost prohibitive measure), it won't likely be.
Audio
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, at 24 bits.
Originally mixed with six channel audio, Roger hits Blu-ray with the same 5.1 mix as the 2003 DVD release, albeit now in lossless form. It's certainly not the most aggressive, nor impressive audio mix of all time, but I think most of the films fans will know exactly what to expect.
Dialogue for the most part comes across well, with good audio sync. A few of Bob Hoskin's faux American accented lines are difficult to make out, but more of a reflection of late 80's production methods.
Unsurprisingly the sound design frequently utilizes over the top sound effects and action to accompany the too-infused antics, and many are mixed to make use of surrounds at key moments. Low frequency usage is appropriate, however lacking the power to strike terror in the hearts of neighbors.
The score by Alan Silvestri is entirely memorable and suits the somewhat film noirish 1940's backdrop well.
Disney have included some worthwhile extras on the Who Framed Roger Rabbit Blu-ray, but haven't taken the opportunity to create any additional ones.
First up is the screen specific Audio Commentary featuring Directors Robert Zemeckis, producers Frank Marshall and Steve Starkey, ILM visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston and writers Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. With such a large group of contributors, there's hardly a gap to be found, and the group discuss every aspect of the production, including the once cutting edge visual effects and some of the well hidden Easter eggs. Thanks to this track, I now know what a 'goose' is.
The 37 minute Behind the Ears: The True Story of Roger Rabbit Documentary hosted by the voice of Roger Rabbit, Charles Fleischer, unveils a reasonably in-depth look at the novel production by way of on-set footage, un-animated rushes and interviews, of which a significantly cut down version can be found in the shorter, and more kid-friendly Who Made Roger Rabbit featurette.
The highlight for me are the Three Animated Shorts, which were originally tied to theatrical exhibitions of Disney releases such as Dick Tracy and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The shorts are animated at the same level of quality as the film proper, and have similarly been remastered in HD, with 5.1 sound.
Next up are thee smaller featurettes Before and After which compares footage from the rough dailies with the final animated scene, Toon Stand Ins which reveals the on set aids which assist the actors to hit their marks and On-Set, which takes the form of some further behind the scenes outtakes.
Finally, we have one Deleted Scene, along with director introduction explaining why it was cut. It would have been nice to see this one integrated into the film proper. Perhaps for the 30th anniversary release.
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Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro UI: The (d)evolution of the world's most popular OS
Reports surfaced this week clearly showing a huge drop in overall PC sales during the first quarter of 2013. As we have reported in a recent news article, expert analyst firms have placed this drop between the region of 11% (Gartner) to 14% (IDC). This is a massive drop, the largest one ever seen by research analysts in almost 20 years of tracking.
The experts have cited several contributing factors for this fall, but once again Windows 8 has been burdened with a large part of the blame. With Windows 8, Microsoft has dumped the classic taskbar and the familiar Start Button and Start Menu of previous Windows iterations, in favour of the touchscreen Metro UI. Many Windows users around the world felt alienated by this dramatic change towards an interface which is deemed by many as more suitable to a touchscreen tablet or smartphone, rather than a PC. There has been a lot of speculation why Microsoft did this. In this article we will explore some of the possible reasons that may have led Microsoft to take such drastic measures.
Microsoft must have felt pretty much like an outsider in this massive global game. Their response was a touchscreen interface of their own, and Metro UI was born. The main problem for the Redmond people at that point was the simple fact that Google and Apple had already established themselves as the major players and global market leaders in the field. Microsoft had entered the arena very belatedly. For the first time in its history, Microsoft was reduced to the role of the third contender, desperately trying to catch-up with the leaders up front. At some point the Microsoft people must have realized that their only realistic short-term hope was to go for bronze. Windows smartphones were eventually released to a lukewarm reception. By that time Google and Apple had already reserved the biggest slices of the pie, leaving behind only crumbs for Microsoft.
I can understand the way of thinking that led to such an action. With the apparent failure of Windows smartphones, Microsoft must have realized that the only way out for them would be to gradually worm their way back into a mainstream position of strength via the only avenue that was left open to them: The PC. Windows 7 was still the most popular PC OS in the world. The only way for Microsoft to balance things out in their favour had to be through their next Windows iteration.
When the Windows 8 release candidate was unleashed to the public, I just couldn't believe that Microsoft had left out the Start Button/Menu. End-user logic dictates to at least give users the choice to disable Metro and bring back the classic Windows 7 desktop and Start Button/Menu, if they want to. The problem is that end-user logic is often at odds with a company's long term planning. In the end Microsoft opted to take the choice away from its customers, essentially forcing Metro down our collective throats.
Microsoft must have realized that by allowing the classic Windows 7 desktop with a Start Button/Menu as an optional extra in Windows 8, they would essentially be shooting themselves in the foot. If the classic mouse/keyboard driven Windows interface was to be allowed as an option in Windows 8, then it is very probable that parents who buy a new computer, would readily be reverting to the classic interface that they know best. The problem for Microsoft with such a scenario is that parents would also end up teaching their kids to use their computers in the old-fashioned way. This is something that Microsoft most certainly does not want.
By employing such a strategy Microsoft faces an immediate problem. Millions of Windows users worldwide are still used to the old way of doing things, and reject Metro as a result. Microsoft hopes to change all of that. Some see this as the devolution of the world's most mainstream PC operating system. Others see it as simply the natural evolution of Windows towards an era when fingertips on a screen or on a mid-air holographic projection (when such tech becomes commercially available), will totally replace the need for a keyboard and mouse.
The future of the humble Start Button looks very dim indeed with Windows Blue also taking the choice away from users, at least that's what we've seen so far. Not that I have expected anything different; in fact I would be very surprised if Microsoft was to yield to public pressure and bring the classic taskbar/button/menu back in future Windows iterations. I see Redmond digging in its heels and sticking to its guns through thick and thin with this: Metro is here to stay. A large decisive factor will be the rate of adoption of Windows 8 (or later) by businesses. Swapping Windows 7 workstations for Windows 8 equivalents is not a priority for I.T. managers at this point, but this is bound to change. Future Windows iterations will most likely be Metro driven and eventually most businesses will be forced to adopt the new way of doing things.
Personally I will be bypassing Windows 8 altogether. With all the great Linux distros that are readily available nowadays, it is unlikely that I would upgrade my own systems to a version of Windows anytime soon - unless of course Microsoft manages to release something truly exceptional in the relatively near future. I still understand though that I will also be forced eventually to adapt to the new way of doing things, despite my initial reluctance to do so. For as long as we live and our mental faculties remain intact, we can always learn new things; and learn new things we must, it seems.
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Far Cry 3 PC Review
In Far Cry 3 you take control of Jason Brody, a young college kid with rich parents enjoying life to the max on an island paradise when things go awry. Jason and his friends are captured by pirates and the infamous Vaas. Taken for ransom from their wealthy parents, Jason manages to escape with his brother and from there the story becomes that you as Jason must rescue your friends, but also as you build acquaintances on the island, decide how you want the future to be for those people. There is a point where the story just becomes boring and formulaic unfortunately, but until then it's one of the best stories of this generation.
As expected based on the first two games, Far Cry 3 puts you in a massive open world with side missions and main story to complete. One of the key facets of the title is exploration and the game significantly rewards you for exploring. Whilst there are scripted elements to some of the missions, sometimes it's just interesting to wander about the island and see what the enemy and other NPCs are doing. One example was we were closing in on an enemy kill, only to see a crocodile jump out of the water to take him alive. If someone else was to go to that exact spot, it may not happen because those sequences are not scripted.
For example, if you get some shark skins, you can craft a new pouch which improves your inventory level - something which is a lot more interesting to do than just buy a new pouch. You can pick up leaves and plants to help you concoct medicine to heal Jason. At no real point in the game are you forced to buy things. For example, one area which encourages exploration is the local stores. If you manage to take over the local radio tower, the shops will give you free weapons as a reward whilst that tower is not held by the enemies. It's a really interesting mechanic that rewards exploration in a manner that is tangible rather than just 'let's see this entire island'.
For the most part the missions are also enjoyable to play as well. There are over thirty campaign missions with quite a number more side missions to complete. To complete Far Cry 3 without doing side missions will take you about 10 hours and so it is a fairly meaty game when you compare it to most releases. The game does contain fast travel once you have visited a location although sometimes it is better to just explore and see the world on offer.
What Far Cry 3 manages to achieve is a believable world. This island could be a real world thing (although it's not), and the developers have clearly put a lot of work into building a fantastic world for the game. It has the crazy professor and the tribal warriors to complete the mix. But what takes it to the next level is the various fauna milling about the place. You can be swimming quietly in the rivers or ocean and the next minute a shark or crocodile attacks. The first time this happens you will literally jump in your seat and it's generally over before it even starts. You can imagine this is how it happens in the real world as well with most victims attacked before they even know it's happening.
On the PC at least, Far Cry 3 is a visual tour de force and one of the best games graphically we have ever played. If you have the hardware and video card to push this to the max you will see a visually stunning world with amazing graphics. Tone the graphics done a little and the game still shines even on older hardware, so it is clear Ubisoft has done its job in optimizing this game for fairly run of the mill systems as well. This is something that the original Far Cry game was criticised for not doing.
The game also features a co-operative multiplayer portion for up to four players to take part in. It is set six months before the actual events of the single player campaign and so in many ways is its own story. Introducing co-operative into such an awesome, open world game is something that Ubisoft had to do to take this game to the next level. With a length of about six hours, you certainly get your money's worth even though it's not the main campaign.
Far Cry 3 started out with a great E3 presentation that put the hype levels through the roof. Usually when this happens games significantly let us down, but in this case Ubisoft has delivered. No doubt they felt the pressure of such an awesome opening with Vaas and our main character, but instead of crumbling, they produced what is sure to be one of the best games of 2012.
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Hitman: Absolution Xbox 360 Review
This game became Kane & Lynch which had middling success in both sales and critical format. So six years later we have the return of Agent 47 and it's not without changes. Absolution completely changes up the series in many ways and we still aren't sure if all the changes and decisions made were the right ones.
Absolution picks up with Agent 47 being tasked to kill his agency handler Diana. She has gone rogue and has been selling secrets to enemies of the agency so his final contract becomes her. The agency has produced another agent from a child, Victoria with Diana on her deathbed asking 47 to protect her at all costs. This is what the story primarily revolves around; the protection of Victoria and escaping from the agency that 47 once called home. From the outset this shows just how much of a departure Absolution is to the regular format with previous games tasking 47 with contracts to fulfil for the agency.
This is only apparent on some of the levels. On many levels within the game there are no targets and instead it is 47's goal to reach another area to continue the story. As well as this there are times where the game takes control from you and performs kills in cut scenes. For a series which has focused so much on clean quiet kills from a gameplay perspective, to have this happen is frustrating. There are some sections in the game where quiet kills just cannot occur.
This is where you will like this game or not. Whilst in the past each mission was one huge environment for 47 to traverse and come up with sneaky ways to take out the target, in this game you are instead tasked with basically getting from point a to point b. Hitman in many ways becomes a third person shooter with the amount of sandbox missions able to be counted on less than two hands. Given that there are 20 missions overall in the game, this is a bit disappointing.
However, on those levels which do give you the freedom to explore and come up with various ways to take out the targets, the game absolutely shines. Previously seen at E3, the King of Chinatown level is one such example where there is many different ways to take out the target such as poisoning fish or blowing up a car. And it is these missions that you will revisit over and over again to try and come up with different ways to end the mission without being seen.
As well as the actual targets each mission contains a number of challenges to complete. Sometimes these challenges are to take out the targets in various different ways whilst other times it can be tasks such as finishing the mission only using 47's suit. Given that you very often traverse areas where you should not be, doing this is harder than it sounds.
Many of the elements we have seen in previous titles have again come back. You can still take the disguises of other characters although this is a bit harder than last time around.
Enemies will spot that you are not one of them quite easily and so it becomes a case of still having to focus on stealth even when blended in. To aid with this, 47 now has an instinct ability which allows you to see enemies through walls and walk near enemies in disguise without being spotted. You gain more instinct by performing quiet kills and tasks.
One of the more frustrating elements of Absolution is the change from limited save games to checkpoints. Instead of being able to save at any point in the game (within a limited number), you now have to track down and find checkpoints in the level. They are generally off the beaten track and this can be very frustrating especially on the tougher levels. The checkpoints also do not get retained if you leave your game which we have no idea why IO Interactive decided that was a good idea.
On the visual and environmental side of things the game is generally impressive. Whilst there is quite a variety to the locations that you will visit during your time with the game, it is not as varied as it was in Blood Money with some locations being visited more than once. Some of the missions are quite large in size whilst others are almost corridors only. It goes without saying the larger missions are the ones where 47's abilities can really shine. One thing that is true is that in general IO Interactive has used the environments to the best of their abilities with 47 being able to perform numerous environmental based kills on his targets.
Multiplayer comes in the form of contracts mode and in an ironic twist this system is much closer to that of the older games. You can either build or download contracts from other users and basically you are dropped into a world and have to kill targets silently to fulfil the contract. As you do so you gain money which can be used to upgrade your weaponry in multiplayer. This is an interesting take on multiplayer and we hope that users really embrace this system because it's entirely possible this could give the game a lot of legs.
Hitman: Absolution is a game that made us think about how we review games in many ways. Should we review a game based on what the name is on the box, or what the content actually is. Of course the latter is the answer, but we can't help but feel that this is not the greatest Hitman game. It's significantly different to other Hitman titles, but it's also not a bad game. If you come into the game expecting Blood Money 2 you will be disappointed, but if you look past this you will find a competent Hitman game that has just enough elements of its predecessors to ensure you should play as 47 again.
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Assassin's Creed III: Liberation PlayStation Vita Review
However, with the release of a new platform, the PS Vita, Ubisoft decided to give the portable space another crack with the AC series and have come out with mixed results. Liberation is not necessarily a bad game, but there are some areas which can be quite infuriating to play.
Liberation for the first time introduces a female character as the main lead. You play as Aveline, the black daughter of a rich businessman in the 1700's. A result of infidelity, Aveline lives with her step mother and father in New Orleans as one of the wealthy and famous. However, Aveline wants to rid the world of slavery, especially for her people and sets about trying to bring down the tyranny which existed in the time. Set in the 1700's, the game takes place during the same timeline as that of the main console game, and to get the most out of the story, you need to play both.
This is probably the most interesting change to the franchise because it means you often have to change your clothing to complete tasks. Having to change clothing to complete a task can be a tad tiresome (especially when it's not clear which clothing you should be wearing), but all the same the addition enhances the franchise.
As well as the main city, you will also visit the bayou of New Orleans which gives you the opportunity to partake in tree climbing and jumping. Ripped directly from the console game with Connor you can at will climb trees and often have to when completing assassination tasks. The game controls well and it's very obvious when you can and cannot climb trees. The Bayou has a very Metal Gear Solid 3 feel to it - a large, lush jungle full of crocodiles and other animals that can hurt Aveline. The main difference being that Aveline does not need to eat animals to survive.
The structure of the game takes on that of its console big brothers. The game includes nine sequences to complete which is a little on the short side and you will have this game down in around six to eight hours depending on how good you are at it. There is no difficulty setting so once you finish it, that's it really.
There are a number of side tasks to complete and there is a meta game where you can control a shipping company to gain money, but really in the grand scheme of things, you can ignore these and easily complete the game. One of the interesting elements is that the story you get if you just play the main missions is not the actual story. To get the real ending you need to take out a particular hidden character in each sequence.
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One of the biggest bugbears we have with the game is the PS Vita controls. The main controls themselves are fine, but when the developer is trying to shoe horn in the touch mechanics of the game, it just starts to break. For example, the game will at times ask you to put the Vita camera near a bright light. It took us a while to find a light that would give the Vita what it wanted, and there was no indication at all whether we were getting closer or not.
There are also other sections of the game which use the back touchpad such as paddling a canoe. There is nothing wrong with trying to include Vita specific controls, but when they work like they do in Liberation (it's a lucky dip as to whether your motions will be picked up), it would have been best to leave them out.
The environments that the game is set in are impressive for a handheld product. The city of New Orleans is beautifully represented by period buildings and the actual city itself is quite large, but nowhere near what you find in the console games of course. The split of the bayou and the city is an interesting feature with both environments having graphical problems as well as also some impressive sections. Voice acting on the system is impressive especially for a handheld and whilst the soundtrack can become repetitive, it suits the game and setting well.
There is no doubt that Assassin's Creed III: Liberation is the most impressive handheld version of the series yet. Ubisoft has used some of Vita's power well, but also included some utterly frustrating mini games based on the touch and camera features. It is on the short side and that means it's not really suitable as something for a long distance trip, but for short spurts on the way to work, it works almost perfectly.
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ORIGIN PC Launches The Record-Breaking AMD Radeon HD 7990 DUAL GPU Graphics Card
April 24, 2013, 12:00 A.M. EST, Miami, FL - ORIGINPC announces the launch of the new AMD Radeon HD 7990 dual GPU graphics card on their award-winning desktops for gamers, artists, professionals and hardware enthusiasts. Powered by AMD's Graphics Core Next Architecture, the AMD Radeon HD 7990 features an astounding 8.6 billion transistors, 4,096 stream processors, 6GB DDR5 memory and up to 8.2 teraflops of computing power. With support for ULTRA HD 4k gaming, 6 displays per card and its record-breaking benchmark performance, the AMD Radeon HD 7990 provides the best gaming experience to date that can now be enjoyed on all ORIGIN desktop systems. ORIGIN PC is also offering AMD's brand new gaming bundle that features 8 of the most popular AAA titles with the purchase of a single AMD Radeon HD 7990 graphics card.
The new AMD Radeon HD 7990 Graphics Card features:
- 4096 Stream Processors With 6GB GDDR5 Memory
- Professional ORIGIN PC GPU Overclocking
- AMD Crossfire Technology for up to Quad GPUs
- Triple Ultra-Quiet Axial Fans With a Full Card-Sized Heat Sink To Disperse Heat
- AMD Eyefinity Technology supporting up to 6 displays per card
"ORIGIN PC customers are always craving the latest technology and we are delighted to launch the world's fastest graphics card on our line of award-winning desktops." says Kevin Wasielewski, CEO/Co-Founder of ORIGIN PC. "The performance of the 7990 enhances the way you experience games with Ultra HD gaming support that brings extremely highly detailed world's to life on your ORIGIN PC."
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Samsung Australia Introduces the GALAXY S4
SYDNEY, Australia - Wednesday 24th April, 2013 - Samsung Electronics Australia has announced the hotly anticipated GALAXY S4 will go on sale from Saturday, April 27th 2013 for RRP $899, with pre-sales commencing from Wednesday, 24th April 2013. At an exclusive event held at the Opera House, Samsung confirmed Australia will be one of the first countries in the world to sell the GALAXY S4.
The Samsung GALAXY S4 is slimmer yet stronger compared to the GALAXY S III, with less to hold yet more to see. The phone offers a highly finely crafted design encompassing a large screen size and battery, minimised bezel; all housed in a light (130g) and slim (7.9mm) shape. Two colour options are now available - Black Mist and White Frost.
The GALAXY S4 boasts a 802.11ac Wi-Fi adaptor and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. It will be available in Australia with immediate 4G LTE compatibility across Telstra, Optus and Virgin Mobile 4G networks. It will be available on Vodafone's 4G network from June 2013.
Meaningful Moments - Gives Greater Enjoyment
The GALAXY S4 has a Full HD Super AMOLED display to showcase images in exceptional detail. Its 5-inch large screen has 441ppi for stunning viewing quality. The Samsung GALAXY S4 also utilises Corning's new Gorilla Glass 3, making it a durable travel companion for all of life's adventures.
Equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera, the GALAXY S4 also boasts a 'Dual Camera' function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. When capturing moments, users can choose from a variety of frame effects which blend the two pictures naturally and also adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one. Users can select 8 different ways to combine the two photos taken by the front camera and the rear camera.
The new 'Story Album' function allows photos taken by the GALAXY S4 to be automatically gathered and sorted out according to your timeline, geo-tagging information, or a specific event to create a photo album.
True Connections - Brings People Together
Samsung GALAXY S4 enables true connections with the people in our lives. With its 'Group Play' function, GALAXY S4 users can enjoy music, photos, documents and games with those around them without even requiring a Wi-Fi, AP or mobile signal. This feature enables GALAXY S4 users to connect directly with other GALAXY S4 users to share, play and co-create content and entertainment instantly. Its 'Share Music' option allows users to have the same song playing on multiple GALAXY S4 phones in sync to create a party atmosphere.
The GALAXY S4 is designed to bring people closer together by breaking down language barriers. It makes international travel a joy, with 'S Translator' which provides translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, text message and ChatON. This translation feature is possible both from speech to text and text to speech and helps ensure that you can rely on the correct information whilst abroad.
Effortless Experience - Makes Things More Convenient
The GALAXY S4 is designed to ensure that tasks are effortless with innovative features that detect your face, voice and motions to enable screen control with no need for finger touch activation.
'Samsung Smart Pause' enables you to control the screen by where you look. When you are watching a video, the video pauses when you look away then it starts right up again when you are looking directly back at it.
'Air View' allows users to hover with their fingers to preview the content of an email, S Planner, image gallery or video without having to open it. You can even see a magnified view on the internet browser, or a phone number saved in the speed dial on the keypad. With 'Air Gesture', you can change the music track, scroll up and down a web page, or accept a call with a wave of your hand.
Empowered Living - Take Control of Your Quality of Life
The GALAXY S4 helps empower your life by keeping you up-to-date with health and wellbeing information using the new 'S Health' application. The combination of sensors built within the device systematically and automatically monitors your health, surroundings and so much more to help you in your efforts to improve your quality of life. Also, users can easily track their health efforts using food diary, exercise diary and sleep monitor. (Certain functions are enabled by specific accessories.)
Another feature which was designed with your wellbeing in mind is 'Samsung Adapt Display' which provides an optimal viewing experience, customised for each type of application, and 'Samsung Adapt Sound' offers an optimal level and type of sound, personalised for each user.
Samsung Apps & Content
Samsung's dedicated Australian team is working with local and global content producers to bring the very best apps and content to Australian consumers.
The GALAXY S4 will include 'Samsung Hub', which allows users to search and purchase video, games, books and learning contents from one store, with one single sign in.
Australians are increasingly switching towards music streaming. 'Samsung Music Hub' is a streaming service built specifically for GALAXY smart phones, GALAXY tablets, Samsung Smart TVs and web. GALAXY S4 consumers will receive a one month Premium trial.
The Samsung GALAXY S4 also comes with popular premium voice-guided navigation with Navigon by Garmin, offered free.
Samsung WatchON is an exciting new service from Samsung that launches on the GALAXY S4. Samsung WatchON will offer two services to create a truly rich TV & Video On Demand experience across both the Samsung GALAXY S4 and our new Samsung Smart TVs.
The first service called ON TV is a TV discovery service that turns the GALAXY S4 into a next generation TV remote control. All 34 Australian free-to-air TV channels are integrated enabling users to browse what's on TV, see programme recommendations from friends via social networks, search for favourite shows and set programme reminders. ON TV will be live from the end of May.
The second service is called Movies and TV Shows. This service offers a choice of Video On Demand services from major Hollywood studios, local content partners such as Quickflix and Catch Up TV services such as Plus 7 and will be available from July.
Extending the TV experience is the Samsung Smart View application. This application available from early May will enable users to clone what you're watching on your TV on your GALAXY S4.
Foxtel GO is scheduled to launch on the GALAXY S4 from June and out across our Smartphone and Tablet range. It allows users to take their Foxtel experience out of the living room. This app will be available for download from Samsung Apps.
A Launch of Operatic Proportions
The GALAXY S4 was launched on Tuesday April 23rd at the iconic Opera House, marking the start of Samsung's new partnership with one of the world's most recognised and celebrated buildings.
The exclusive partnership positions Samsung as the Opera House's first ever Principal Partner, in a multi-million dollar, three-year collaboration that will be celebrated by handing over the canvas of the Opera House sails to the public for the first time. In a celebration of the new partnership and on the night of the GALAXY S4 global launch, fan-generated content was projected onto the Opera House sails, creating a once in a lifetime opportunity for select Australians to see their images on the most famous canvas in the country.
Arno Lenior, Samsung Electronics Australia Marketing Director, said; "As a global leader in technology and innovation, Samsung's vision is to facilitate discovery for all Australians through our products and content. Our partnership with the Opera House literally brings this vision to life and forms the heart of our relationship. The potential audience for all the Opera House's incredible work is every Australian in the country. We want to help make this a reality. At Samsung we passionately believe technology can better people's lives, and bringing the Opera House's best in class arts and education content to more Australians than ever is our ultimate goal with this sponsorship."
Pricing and Availability
GALAXY S4 is on sale from Saturday, 27th April for a RRP of $899 (for the 16GB variant) from the Melbourne and Sydney Samsung Experience Stores, the Samsung GALAXY Glasshouse on the Opera House Western Broadwalk, as well Telstra, Virgin Mobile, Optus and Vodafone. Pre-sales begin from Wednesday, 24th April 2013.
The Samsung GALAXY S4 will be available in Australia with the Quad-core 1.9 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Series 600 processor.
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TP-LINK Delivers Affordable Gigabit Switches for SMBs
CITY of INDUSTRY, CA (April 19, 2013) - TP-LINK, a global provider of networking products, has delivered a series of gigabit Ethernet switches that break new ground for price and performance for any business looking to upgrade their LAN.
These L2 Managed Switches allow an office infrastructure to provide Ethernet connection to computers. With the PoE functionality, the TL-SG3424P is an efficient and cost-effective choice for small business networks to work with wireless access points, surveillance cameras, VoIP phones and other PoE supported devices. It eliminates cable clutter by using the existing power lines to transfer both power and data.
The combination of performance, features, energy-saving capabilities and attractive price make the cost per port for gigabit switching affordable for SMBs who need to resolve network traffic bottleneck, use more ports on the network than a traditional router has available, and tap the maximum amount of speed their network can pump out. The TP-LINK JetStream switches are priced up to 66% less than like devices (based on a comparison of switches sold at Amazon.com).
TP-LINK Jetstream 24-Port Gigabit L2 Managed PoE Switch with 4 SFP Slots (TL-SG3424P) Highlights:
- ACL, 802.1X Authentication, Port Security, IP Filtering, Storm control, DHCP Snooping, IP Source Guard and DoS Defend provide robust security strategy
- L2/L3/L4 QoS and IGMP snooping to so voice and video are always clear, smooth and jitter free.
- SNMP, RMON, WEB/CLI/Telnet Log-in bring abundant management policies and faster set-up and configuration with less downtime
- Equipped with 8 PoE+ supported ports to transfer data and power over a single cable
- Works with IEEE 802.3af/at compliant devices, expanding home and office networks
- Innovative energy-efficient technology reduces power output by up to 75%
- Plug and play design, no configuration required
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Intel Reports First-Quarter Revenue of $12.6 Billion
Intel Corporation today reported first-quarter revenue of $12.6 billion, operating income of $2.5 billion, net income of $2.0 billion and EPS of $0.40. The company generated approximately $4.3 billion in cash from operations, paid dividends of $1.1 billion, and used $533 million to repurchase 25 million shares of stock.
"Amidst market softness, Intel performed well in the first quarter and I'm excited about what lies ahead for the company," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "We shipped our next generation PC microprocessors, introduced a new family of products for micro-servers and will ship our new tablet and smartphone microprocessors this quarter. We are working with our customers to introduce innovative new products across multiple operating systems. The transition to 14nm technology this year will significantly increase the value provided by Intel architecture and process technology for our customers and in the marketplace."
Q1 Key Financial Information and Business Unit Trends
- PC Client Group revenue of $8.0 billion, down 6.6 percent sequentially and down 6.0 percent year-over-year.
- Data Center Group revenue of $2.6 billion, down 6.9 percent sequentially and up 7.5 percent year-over-year.
- Other Intel Architecture Group revenue of $1.0 billion, down 3.9 percent sequentially and down 9.0 percent year-over-year.
- Gross margin of 56 percent, down 2 percentage points sequentially and down 8 percentage points year-over-year.
- R&D plus MG&A spending of $4.5 billion, in line with the company's expectation of approximately $4.6 billion.
- Tax rate of 16 percent.
Intel's Business Outlook does not include the potential impact of any business combinations, asset acquisitions, divestitures or other investments that may be completed after April 16.
Q2 2013:
- Revenue: $12.9 billion, plus or minus $500 million.
- Gross margin percentage: 58 percent, plus or minus a couple percentage points.
- R&D plus MG&A spending: approximately $4.7 billion.
- Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles: approximately $70 million.
- Impact of equity investments and interest and other: approximately zero.
- Depreciation: approximately $1.7 billion.
- Revenue: low single-digit percentage increase, unchanged from prior expectations.
- Gross margin percentage: 60 percent, plus or minus a few percentage points, unchanged from prior expectations.
- R&D plus MG&A spending: $18.9 billion, plus or minus $200 million, unchanged from prior expectations.
- Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles: approximately $300 million, unchanged from prior expectations.
- Depreciation: $6.8 billion, plus or minus $100 million, unchanged from prior expectations.
- Tax Rate: approximately 27 percent for each of the remaining quarters of the year.
- Full-year capital spending: $12.0 billion, plus or minus $500 million, down $1.0 billion from prior expectations.
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ASUS Announces PA249Q ProArt Series LCD Monitor
ASUS today announced the PA249Q ProArt Series LCD Monitor, a professional 24-inch display that is factory pre-calibrated for uncompromised color precision, straight from the box. The PA249Q ProArt Series LCD Monitor has a native 1920 x 1200 resolution with 16:10 aspect ratio and features AH-IPS (Advanced High-Performance In-Plane Switching) display technology for a bright and vibrant image with 178-degree wide viewing angles. The PA249Q also features ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio, and ASUS QuickFit Virtual Scale and Splendid Video Intelligence technologies for enhanced image quality.
The ASUS PA249Q ProArt Series LCD Monitor is pre-calibrated at the factory for unmatched color accuracy and features independent six-axis color control with outstanding color space reproduction - 99% Adobe Wide Gamut RGB, 100% sRGB and 120% NTSC. In addition, the PA249Q supports 10-bit 'deep color' for more natural transitions between different hues. The PA249Q also features a brightness rated at 350cd/m² and an 80,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio for enhanced image contrast.
Next-generation AH-IPS display technology
The ASUS PA249Q ProArt Series LCD Monitor is LED backlit and features AH-IPS (Advanced High-Performance In-Plane Switching) display technology for reduced energy consumption, superior color accuracy and increased backlight transmission for an overall brighter image.
A host of exclusive features allow professional users to get the best results. Exclusive ASUS QuickFit Virtual Scale displays on-screen guidelines for an actual-size preview of images prior to printing, while ASUS Splendid Video Intelligence technology automatically adjusts display settings to give the best visual quality for the kind of image being displayed.
ASUS QuickFit Virtual Scale and Splendid Video Intelligence, along with other monitor options, are accessed via a user-friendly five-way control on the monitor. The PA249Q also features two user-customizable shortcuts for frequently used monitor controls, removing the need to navigate the full on-screen menu system for functions such as brightness control.
Comprehensive video inputs with picture-in-picture support
The PA249Q ProArt Series LCD Monitor has DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D and D-Sub ports, and can display content from two video inputs at the same time. Picture-in-picture mode displays content from a second input in a window in one corner of the screen, while picture-by-picture mode splits the screen down the middle to display content from two separate sources side-by-side.
The PA249Q also features a four-port USB 3.0 hub for convenient pass-through connectivity at speeds up to 10 times that of USB 2.0 with compatible devices. The monitor is mounted on a versatile stand with full tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment.
ASUS ProArt Series monitors garnered accolades at the 2012 Good Design Awards and 2013 CES Innovation Awards.
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Western Digital Announces SmartWare Pro Utility
WD, a Western Digital company, and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, today unveiled WD SmartWare Pro, an easy-to-use software tool that gives customers the power to back up their files to any USB external hard drive or the cloud using their personal Dropbox. Additionally, in the event that a file is deleted, lost, or a previous version of a file is needed, WD SmartWare Pro makes it easy to quickly restore and retrieve backed-up data.
WD SmartWare Pro is simple to set up with an intuitive installation interface that lets customers get up and running in just a few simple clicks. Once the software is setup and the drives are connected, WD SmartWare Pro visually presents customers' files and folders in a control center where they can manage multiple external hard drives and their Dropbox account. WD SmartWare Pro is compatible with WD products such as My Passport and WD Elements portable hard drives, as well as external USB drives from other manufacturers. Additionally, WD SmartWare Pro works seamlessly with WD network attached storage drives such as My Book Live.
File restoration and retrieval is quick and easy with WD SmartWare Pro. If customers accidentally delete an important file or need to get an earlier version of a file, WD SmartWare Pro helps customers retrieve the file in seconds with the easy-to-use "retrieve interface" and the software can be configured to save up to 25 older versions of a file. Customers can navigate the retrieve interface to restore all the backed up files or select a particular file or folder to restore.
"The growth of digital content has continued to increase exponentially and our goal is to provide a simple and comprehensive way to ensure peace of mind that all of our content is safely backed up," said Jody Bradshaw , general manager of WD's consumer storage solutions. "WD SmartWare Pro not only accomplishes secure backup of important photos, videos and files, but ultimately makes it easier to preserve precious digital memories."
Price and Availability
WD SmartWare Pro is currently available as a free 30-day trial at http://www.wdstore.com. After the 30-day trial a standard license, valid for use with up to three computers, is available for a special promotional price of $19.95 US. A premium license, valid for use with up to ten computers, is available for a special promotional price of $39.95 US. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is $29.95 US for the standard license and $49.95 US for the premium license.
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Dell Announces Latitude 3330 Notebook for Schools
Dell today launched the Latitude 3330, designed to help schools and educators teach tomorrow's leaders while providing excellent value school districts. The new laptop offers the robust computing features required to maximize learning productivity, compatibility with Dell's existing solutions and services for education and support for personalized learning opportunities in the classroom.
A snap to deploy, the Latitude 3330 easily integrates into a school's existing IT infrastructure, speeding up time to classroom and saving time and money. It's sleek, lightweight, and sturdy design stands up to the demands of even the youngest of students, fits easily on classroom desks and in backpacks and moves easily from classroom to classroom or home and back. The new laptop offers no compromise performance with full laptop productivity and all day battery life with a 6-cell battery.
Dell developed the Latitude 3330 to increase student access to technology and work in as many IT environments as possible. The new laptop fully supports Microsoft Windows 8, Windows 7, and Linux Ubuntu, giving students the ability to produce, consume and share information, as well as leverage common learning applications and software to personalize their learning experience during the school day and at home.
Built on the trusted reputation of Dell's Latitude line, the new laptop has a 13.3-inch anti-glare screen that minimizes the scrolling required of smaller screens, an HD 720 webcam, and WiDi support for virtual classroom collaboration. The Latitude 3330 is available with a broad choice of storage technology ranging from proven standard hard drives to high-performance SSD for maximum durability and quick system response time. Equipped with VGA, HDMI, USB3.0 and optional USB docking, the new laptop can connect easily to the majority of desk environments and room infrastructures for smooth presentation, teaching and maximized learning time.
The newest Dell Mobile Computing Cart solution, also announced today, is available in managed and unmanaged options and enables secure storage, charging and transport for easy mobility. It is designed to accommodate a variety of form factors and screen sizes, including Dell tablets, Ultrabooks, laptops and up to 30 Latitude 3330s. The managed cart option allows for remote management and IT updates, ideal for managing a fleet of systems between multiple campus locations.
Superb security and manageability
Dell offers tailored solutions options for cost effective security, management, and end-user productivity. Dell Data Protection | Encryption, available on the Latitude 3330 in the coming months, enables secure employee or student collaboration with a single, easy to-manage solution for data encryption across devices, removable media and in public cloud storage. With DDP|E, a school district's data encryption needs can be remotely managed using a single console and compliance is simplified with a one-touch present policy, ideal for safeguarding confidential student and employee data.
Additionally, the Latitude 3330 comes with a complete set of automation tools to help IT administrators tackle the time consuming tasks of deployment, monitoring and updating systems with superior efficiency. Dell's deep integration with industry-leading consoles, such as Dell KACE and Microsoft System, enables better deployment, quicker configuration and easier management of updates.
Availability and Pricing
The Latitude 3330 is available in late April 2013 and starts at $419. The Dell Mobile Computing cart is also available in late April and starts at $1899.99 for the unmanaged configuration and $2799.99 for the managed configuration.
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Scythe Releases the Ashura CPU Cooler
Japanese manufacturer Scythe, known for high performance CPU Coolers and innovative PC accessories, is hereby announcing the brand new Ashura CPU Cooler.
Scythe's Engineers focused on designing a very slim, yet powerful heatsink and achieved the overall dimensions of 145 x 161 x 65 mm (W x H x D). The height being restricted to 161 mm, lets the Ashura CPU Cooler fit into most mainstream tower PC Cases compared to other competing 14 cm fan models. Thanks to this asymmetric heatsink design users are able to even use memory modules with tall heatsinks. Excellent heat transfer is accomplished by utilizing total of six 6-millimeter copper-heatpipes, which connect the solid copper base plate and the aluminum fins. To avoid oxidation, Ashura CPU Coolers base plate has been nickel-plated in addition.
No compromise has been made in regards to compatibility as well. Scythe Ashura CPU Cooler is compatible to a variety CPU sockets from Intel, such as LGA 2011, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA775 and LGA1366, as well as AMD sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1 and FM2. Both experienced and novice users are able to mount the Ashura CPU Cooler without a hassle.
Scythe Ashura CPU Cooler with the model-no. SCASR-1000 is available on the market as of today. The suggested manufacturers retail price is 36,50 EUR excluding tax and vat.
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Sapphire Announces Radeon HD 7790 2GB OC Graphics Card
SAPPHIRE Technology has just added a 2 GB model to the recently introduced HD 7790 series of graphics cards. Like the other members of the series, the SAPPHIRE HD 7790 2 GB OC is based on the latest Bonaire chipset featuring the highly acclaimed graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD and sets a new standard for performance in mainstream graphics.
The SAPPHIRE HD 7790 2 GB OC Edition has 2 GB of the latest DDR5 memory and is factory overclocked, with core clocks of 1050 MHz and memory clocks of 1600 MHz (6.4 GT/s effective), to deliver new levels of performance in its price segment. Performance is optimized with the latest version of AMD's PowerTune technology.
Working or gaming with multiple monitors is becoming increasingly popular, and the SAPPHIRE HD 7700 series supports this with AMD Eyefinity, now in its second generation. The SAPPHIRE HD 7790 OC Edition has two DVI ports (DVI-I and DVI-D), HDMI and a single DisplayPort output, supporting up to four monitors.
The SAPPHIRE HD 7790 OC Edition can be installed in any PC with a free x16 PCI-Express slot, and communication with the host PC is optimised with the use of the latest high speed PCI-Express Gen3.0 interface. Built in hardware support for AMD CrossFire enables multiple cards to be used to further enhance performance in a suitably specified mainboard.
The SAPPHIRE HD 7790 OC supports the latest industry standards and is ready for Windows 8 with its architecture designed for DirectX 11.1, OpenGL 4.2 and OpenCL 1.2. This latest version of AMD's Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture also supports an unparalleled array of display and audio technologies, with new fast HDMI features (such as support for 4K resolution and full frame rate 1080p stereoscopic support), DisplayPort 1.2 certification (with support for Multi-Stream Transmission), and DDM Audio (which adds supports for up to 6 simultaneous independent audio streams). Video capabilities include native support for 3D Blu-ray (MVC Codec), DivX decode and hardware encoding of H.264 video via VCE.
The SAPPHIRE HD 7790 series is shipping now and is available through SAPPHIRE's established etail and retail partners. Purchasers will also receive a voucher for a FREE copy of the highly acclaimed BioShock Infinite from participating retailers.
For more information, visit the product page.
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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.
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
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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.
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.
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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.
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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ORIGIN PC Announces The Ultimate Desktop Chassis Supporting Up To 4-WAY SLI Liquid-Cooled TITANs
Miami, FL - April 15th, 2013, 9:00 a.m. Eastern - ORIGIN PC announced today the availability of the highly anticipated Corsair 900D full tower chassis to their award-winning line of GENESIS desktops. The Corsair 900D is the perfect solution for hardware enthusiasts looking for a desktop chassis that offers an incredible amount of expansion options with plenty of room for future upgrades. With enough space for up to nine hard drive bays, dual power supplies and support for up to 4-WAY SLI liquid-cooled NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN graphics cards, the Corsair 900D Chassis is a welcomed addition to the ORIGIN GENESIS family.
- Supports Up To Five Radiator Mounting Points, Dual Power Supplies and Nine Hard Drive Bays
- ORIGIN CRYOGENIC Liquid-Cooling Solution for both CPU and GPU
- Supports Up To 4-WAY SLI Liquid-Cooled NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITANs
- ORIGIN PC Custom Automotive Paint Finish Available
"The Corsair 900D is a perfect addition to our GENESIS line of high-performance desktops." said Kevin Wasielewski ORIGIN PC CEO and co-founder. "With plenty of room for upgrades and support for up to 4-WAY SLI Liquid-Cooled TITANs, the GENESIS 900D is the ideal solution for any hardware enthusiast."
"The Obsidian 900D cases are designed to be the ultimate platform for seriously expandable, high-performance PCs," said Thi La, Senior VP and GM of Memory and Enthusiast Component Products at Corsair. "With the ORIGIN team's system design expertise and flair for style, I knew they would build an incredible machine around the case. They did in a big way. The ORIGIN GENESIS 900D PC is simply amazing."
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Top 10 TweakTown Press Releases from the past week [15 April 2013]
Here are our top 10 posted press releases from the past week!
- Fusion-io Unveils 1.6 TB ioFX for Workstation Applications
- HighPoint Launches The Industry's 1st, Lowest-Cost 40-Port SATA 6Gb/s HBA
- IDF 2013 Transforming Computing Experiences from the Device to the Cloud
- NETGEAR Debuts the R6250 802.11ac WiFi Router
- HGST Launches The Industry's First 12 Gb/s SAS Solid State Drives
- G-Technology Launches Industry's Most Flexible Storage Solution
- TSMC and Cadence Strengthen Collaboration on 16 nm FinFET Process Development
- Noctua Introduces NH-U12S and NH-U14S Single Tower CPU Coolers
- Samsung Mass Producing 10 nm Class High-Performance 128-Gbit 3-bit MLC NAND Flash
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SP/Silicon Power Launches an Ultra Slim Portable Hard Drive Diamond D20 - Elegantly Slim, Brilliantly Light
Taipei, Taiwan - April 15th, 2013 - SP/Silicon Power, the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions today unveils an ultra slim portable hard drive - Diamond D20. The all new D20 is built in a light-weighted and ultra slim design for easy carrying and fits perfectly in your pocket. Featuring a solid aluminum metal structure with unique carbon-like texture, D20 creates a new sense of digital fashion trend, ideal for those who looking for storage on the go.
SP Diamond D20 is literally light in weight as well as in size. However, smaller size doesn't have to mean smaller storage. D20 offers a large 500GB capacity with the USB 3.0 super high speed interface to satisfy users requiring excellent performance for multiple data transfer. The built-in LED status indicator allows users to instantly identify power supply and activity status. It is also a green product as it is equipped with a hibernation mode to save power.
SP D20 portable hard drive comes with the SP Widget free download software, providing 7 major back up and security tools and offers a 3 year warranty. For more information, please visit the official website at http://www.silicon-power.com.
- SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant and backwards compatible with USB 2.0
- Ultra slim and light-weighted design for easy carrying
- Solid aluminum metal structure and scratch resistant surface
- Power saving sleep mode
- LED indicates power on and data transfer activity
- New version of SP Widget free download software, providing 7 major back-up and security functions (256-bit AES file & folder encryption)
Diamond D20 Product Specifications
- Dimensions: 116.5 x 78 x 10.5 mm
- Weight: 135g
- Capacity: 500GB
- Standard Compliance: USB 3.0 / 2.0
- Data Transfer Rates: Max. 5 Gb/s (USB 3.0 Mode) Max. 480 Mb/s (USB 2.0 Mode)
- Power Supply: DC 5V (Power supplied through USB)
- Operating Temperature: 5~ 55
- Storage Temperature: -40~ 70
- Supported Operating Systems: Windows 8/7/Vista/XP/2000, Linux 2.6.31 or later, Mac OS 10.5 or later (only USB 2.0 currently supported)
- Color: White
- Three-year warranty
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HighPoint Launches Industry's First 20-drive, single Mini-SAS port RAID HBA Solution
April 2013, Milpitas, CA - HighPoint Technologies, Inc., a leading HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, announces the industry's first 20-drive, single-port 6GB/s SATA RAID HBA, the RocketRAID 644LS. Powered by HighPoint's 6Gb/s SATA Port Multiplier architecture and industry-proven RAID IP, the RocketRAID 644LS represents the industry's best SATA RAID storage performance value, and is fully compatible with PC and Mac computing platforms.
The RocketRAID 644LS utilizes the latest SATA storage technology, HighPoint's 6Gb/s SATA Port Multiplier Architecture, and a PCIe 2.0 host interface to deliver a blazing fast transfer bandwidth - ideal for large scale RAID 5 configurations comprised of today's cost-effective, high-capacity 6Gb/s SATA hard disk drives.
Supports up to 20 drives from a single Mini-SAS Port
80TB of direct-attached storage from a single cable; configuring large-scale, RAID storage solutions has never been easier! No other 6Gb/s SATA RAID HBA's can deliver this much capacity from a single connection! The RocketRAID 644LS's industry standard SFF-8088 port directly supports up to 4 SATA hard drives, and as many as 20 when used in conjunction with port-multiplier compatible storage chassis and enclosures.
Best Cost/Performance SATA 6Gb/s RAID 5 Solution
The RocketRAID 644LS represents industry's ideal 6Gb/s SATA RAID 5 cost-performance storage solution. An unbeatable combination of HighPoint's industry-proven RAID IP and storage expansion technology, a PCIe2.0 x4 host interface, support for 80TB of storage from a single port, and affordable pricing, makes the RocketRAID 644LS the industry's best 6Gb/s SATA RAID storage value.
The RocketRAID 644LS is supports a variety of storage configurations including RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and JBOD. The easy to use Web-based Management interface includes advanced RAID features such as Online Capacity Expansion (OCE) and Online RAID Level Migration (ORLE) which allow customers to scale, upgrade or convert existing storage configurations whenever the need arises.
Supports all Major Computing Platforms
The RocketRAID 644LS was designed with maximum compatibility in mind, and can be easily integrated into any PC and Mac computing platform. The PCIe 2.0 x4 host interface, low-profile form factor and Mini-SAS connectivity ensure compliance with industry standard motherboards, backplanes and storage chassis.
The RocketRAID 644LS's comprehensive RAID Storage Management suite is available for all major operating systems and includes BIOS-level storage management, an intuitive Web-based interface, and a selection of CLI packages available for Linux and FreeBSD platforms.
Availability and Pricing
The RocketRAID 644LS will be available in April 2013, from our worldwide network of retail and distribution partners.
MSRP: USD$99.00
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Samsung Mass Producing 10 nm Class High-Performance 128-Gbit 3-bit MLC NAND Flash
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing a 128-gigabit (Gb), 3-bit multi-level-cell (MLC) NAND memory chip using 10 nanometer (nm)-class process technology this month. The highly advanced chip will enable high-density memory solutions such as embedded NAND storage and solid state drives (SSDs).
Samsung's 128Gb NAND flash is based on a 3-bit multi-level-cell design and 10nm-class process technology. It boasts the industry's highest density as well as the highest performance level of 400 Mbps data transfer rate based on the toggle DDR2 interface.
Utilizing 128Gb NAND flash memory, Samsung will expand its supply of 128-gigabyte (GB) memory cards, which can store as many as sixteen 8GB full HD video files. Samsung now will also increase its production volume of SSDs with densities over 500GBs for wider adoption of SSDs in computer systems, while leading the transition of main storage drives in the notebook market from hard disk drives (HDDs) to SSDs.
Demand for high-performance 3-bit MLC NAND flash and 128Gb high storage capacities has been rapidly increasing, driving the adoption of SSDs with more than 250GB data storage, led by the Samsung SSD 840 Series.
Samsung started production of 10 nm-class 64 Gb MLC NAND flash memory in November last year, and in less than five months, has added the new 128Gb NAND flash to its wide range of high-density memory storage offerings. The new 128 Gb chip also extends Samsung's 3-bit NAND memory line-up along with the 20 nm-class 64 Gb 3-bit NAND flash chip that Samsung introduced in 2010. Further, the new 128Gb 3-bit MLC NAND chip offers more than twice the productivity of a 20 nm-class 64 Gb MLC NAND chip.
Samsung plans to keep introducing leading-edge SSDs and embedded memory storage solutions with high-quality features, in accelerating the growth of the premium memory market.
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EK Water Blocks Announces ASRock Z77 Extreme11 FB Block
EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manucturer, is proud to introduce the company's first full-board water block for ASRock motherboard - the Z77 Extreme11. EK-FB ASR Z77 Extreme11 water block is a complete liquid cooling solution for ASRock Z77 Extreme11 motherboard. This water blocks directly cools Intel Z77 southbridge (PCH), PLX PEX 8474 PCIe lane splitter, LSI SAS2308 control hub as well as power regulation (VRM / MOSFETs) module. It is a high flow water block that can be easily used with systems using weaker water pumps.
Base of the waterblock is made of nickel plated electrolytic copper while the top is made of quality POM Acetal material. The sealing is performed by quality rubber gaskets. The nickel plated brass screw-in standoffs are already preinstalled and allow for easy and trouble-free installation.
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Silicon Power Presents Velox V50 SSD
Are you still spending your quality time waiting for your computer to boot up? Have you experienced lag problems while operating multiple applications? SP/Silicon Power, the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions, today introduces an addition of the Velox series 2.5" SATA III SSD - Velox V50 to solve your problems. The Velox V50 features the latest controller technology to provide a brand new computer experience in excellent performance and cost effectiveness for those who are about to retire their traditional hard drives.
Different from the other solutions in the market, SP Velox V50 is equipped with a brand new controller, delivering a more stable and more powerful user experiences. Combining with the latest firmware and advanced controller circuit design, Velox V50 is able to maintain a long-standing IOPS performance while using it under extended period.
With the combination of reliability and durability, SP Velox V50 is your ideal solution for users looking to upgrade their desktops and laptops. The V50 SSD is available in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, and is backed by a three year warranty.
Features:
- SATA 6 Gb/s, backwards compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s
- 530 MB/s max. read speed
- 200 MB/s max. write speed
- Supports TRIM command and Garbage Collection technology
- NCQ and RAID ready
- Sustain IOPS performance over other competing solutions on NTFS file system
- Implemented with ECC technology to guarantee data transmission reliability
- Built-in with SMART monitoring system
- Low power consumption
- Shockproof & Anti-Vibration
- Noiseless operation, no latency delay and no seek error
- 3 year warranty
- Capacities: 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB
- Dimensions: 100 mm x 69.85 mm x 9.5 mm
- Weight: 63g
- Vibration Resistance Test: 20G
- Shock Resistance Test: 1500G Max
- Color: Iron Grey Brushed Aluminium
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PC Shipments Post the Steepest Decline Ever in a Single Quarter, According to IDC
Worldwide PC shipments totaled 76.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13), down -13.9% compared to the same quarter in 2012 and worse than the forecast decline of -7.7%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The extent of the year-on-year contraction marked the worst quarter since IDC began tracking the PC market quarterly in 1994. The results also marked the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year shipment declines.
Despite some mild improvement in the economic environment and some new PC models offering Windows 8, PC shipments were down significantly across all regions compared to a year ago. Fading Mini Notebook shipments have taken a big chunk out of the low-end market while tablets and smartphones continue to divert consumer spending. PC industry efforts to offer touch capabilities and ultraslim systems have been hampered by traditional barriers of price and component supply, as well as a weak reception for Windows 8. The PC industry is struggling to identify innovations that differentiate PCs from other products and inspire consumers to buy, and instead is meeting significant resistance to changes perceived as cumbersome or costly.
The impact of slow demand has been magnified by the restructuring and reorganizing efforts impacting HP and Dell. Lenovo remains a notable exception as it continues to execute on a solid "attack" strategy. Mid- and bottom-tier vendors are also struggling to identify growth markets within the U.S. Among the most vulnerable group of vendors are the whitebox system builders, which are undergoing consolidation that is affecting shipments as well as the distribution sector.
"Although the reduction in shipments was not a surprise, the magnitude of the contraction is both surprising and worrisome," said David Daoud, IDC Research Director, Personal Computing. "The industry is going through a critical crossroads, and strategic choices will have to be made as to how to compete with the proliferation of alternative devices and remain relevant to the consumer. Vendors will have to revisit their organizational structures and go to market strategies, as well as their supply chain, distribution, and product portfolios in the face of shrinking demand and looming consolidation."
Regional Highlights
- United States - The U.S. market had another dismal quarter in 1Q13, contracting -12.7% year on year, with a drop of -18.3% compared to the fourth quarter of 2012. With total volume falling to 14.2 million, quarterly shipments reached their lowest level since the first quarter of 2006. With this latest figure, the U.S. is now in its tenth consecutive quarter of year-on-year contraction (excluding a brief moment of growth - less than 2% year on year - in 3Q11).
- EMEA - As expected, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) remained constrained, posting a stronger double-digit decline than anticipated in the first quarter of 2013. Results fell short of expectations in the consumer segment as softness in demand persisted amid a continued shift to tablets and ongoing budget pressures. Meanwhile, the market response to Windows 8 and touch-enabled devices remained slow, leading to cautious sell-in from most vendors. Shipments in the commercial market remained constrained as predicted, following continued economic pressure and lack of major IT renewals.
- Japan - PC shipments were in line with expectations in the first quarter. Some economic improvement is helping to support commercial replacement demand ahead of the scheduled end of support for Windows XP next year. However, consumer shipments remained very weak.
- Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APeJ) - PC shipments in APeJ declined sharply, dropping a record -12.7% year on year, the first time the region has experienced a double-digit decline. Although much of the earlier Windows 7 stock had cleared, a lukewarm reception toward Windows 8 hampered new shipments. China's inactivity contributed heavily to the decline, as public sector spending continued to be constrained.
- HP remained the top vendor, but posted a substantial double-digit decline in shipments after an aggressive fourth quarter kept growth flat during the holidays. HP's worldwide shipments fell more than -23% year on year in 1Q13, with significant declines across all regions, as internal restructuring continued to affect commercial sales. Although HP maintained its leadership position in the United States, the company saw U.S. shipments fall -22.9% from a year ago.
- Lenovo remained second in global shipments and nearly closed the gap with HP. Lenovo continued to outpace the market, notably expanding shipments with its attack strategy. In the United States, Lenovo outperformed the market with double digit year-on-year growth compared to the market's double-digit contraction. Shipments in Asia/Pacific declined, however, keeping Lenovo's overall growth flat.
- Dell saw shipments decline by more than -10% globally and -14% in the United States. The vendor continued to face tough competition and struggled with customer uncertainty about the direction of its restructuring. Nevertheless, the decline in shipments was smaller than the past few quarters, and its sales to Asia/Pacific returned to positive growth.
- Acer Group continued to see substantial declines in shipments across regions. As the leader in Mini Notebook shipments, the vendor has been particularly exposed to the decline in these systems. Slow consumer and SMB growth has also taken a toll. In a sequential comparison, Acer's market share rose slightly to 8.1% in 1Q12 from 8.0% in 4Q12, halting its market share decline.
- ASUS managed some growth in the United States, but saw a substantial decline in EMEA and Asia/Pacific. The company's substantial surge in Americas shipments in the second half of 2012 gave way to limited growth as demand weakened.
- Apple fared better than the overall U.S. market, but still saw shipments decline as its own PCs also face competition from iPads.
- Toshiba also saw shipments decline in the United States, but fared better than the overall market, benefitting somewhat from the restructuring of market leaders HP and Dell.
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