IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 10/7/2013

Sunday, October 6, 2013

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 10/7/2013

TweakTown

NVIDIA drops pricing on mid-range GPUs, just in time for new games
Just in time for AMD to announce its next-gen R7 and R9 series of GPUs, NVIDIA is using this time to drop its prices on its popular mid-range GPUs. This includes the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 1GB and 2GB models, as well as the GTX 660.

nvidia_drops_pricing_on_mid_range_gpus_just_in_time_for_new_games

We now have pricing of the GTX 650 Ti BOOST 1GB and 2GB models for $129 and $149 respectively, while the GTX 660 is now priced at $179. The GTX 760 has a suggested etail price of $249, and the GTX 770 starts at $399. This is a great time to pick up a new GPU, with next-gen titles about to hit like Battlefield 4 and Watch Dogs. If you enjoy the GeForce side of things, prepare your wallets!

BlackBerry to blow most of its $2.6 billion cash pile very quickly
BlackBerry won't be part of the consumer handset market soon, but the Canadian phone maker does have a decent cash pile at the moment: around $2.6 billion. Not huge, but it's still in the billions.

blackberry_to_blow_most_of_its_2_6_billion_cash_pile_very_quickly

AllThingsD is reporting from a research note from Bernstein Research analyst Pierre Ferragu, who says that BlackBerry is on track to blowing through $2 billion of its cash pile, over the next six quarters. This is just 18 months away. He says that this is because "the company is losing users at a very high pace, has a stretched working capital and massive off-balance-sheet commitments that will turn into cash burn in the next four quarters."
Ferragu also believes that this cash burning could also put problems on its deal with Fairfax Financial, who plans to buy the company at $9 per share with many potential investors starting to worry if BB begins whipping out its wad of cash left, right and center. BlackBerry is on track to spend over $500 million of its $2.6 billion cash pile in the next three months alone, so I think we'll see this money disappear quicker than 18 months.

Half-Life 3 trademark in the EU was a fake, prepare your tears
We reported earlier in the week that Valve had trademarked the Half-Life 3 name in the EU, but it turns out this was wrong. It has all been a fake, with the website for the EU trademark office now gone.

half_life_3_trademark_in_the_eu_was_a_fake_prepare_your_tears

Valve Time is right on the ball with this, but I'm sure that there are many out there, myself included, who are disappointed with the news. Just as we were hearing about the Steam Box, SteamOS, Steam Machines and Steam Controllers, we were suckered into believing one of the, if not the most anticipated game was finally coming... but not anymore.

RumorTT: Samsung to purchase stake in Best Buy
Samsung is looking to post yet another record quarter, with the South Korean giant reportedly in the motions to purchase a stake in Best Buy. Best Buy is one of the largest retailers in the US, so it would be a big scoop for Samsung to own a stake of it.

rumortt_samsung_to_purchase_stake_in_best_buy

Samsung's Vice Chairman, Lee Jae-yong spoke with The Korea Times, saying that he "recently met with senior executives at Best Buy and discussed pending business issues." The Galaxy device maker has already worked with the US retail giant on the "Samsung Experience Shops" that have been opening up within Best Buy stores across the United States.
This move will only increase its exposure within the US, acting like quasi-Apple Stores, which will help Samsung sell even more smartphones in the US market than they do now.

Sony's DualShock 4 controller will have 'basic functions' on Windows
Sony has confirmed that its DualShock 4 controller will work with Windows PCs out of the box, but will only have compatibility "for basic functions" according to President of Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, Shuhei Yoshida.

sony_s_dualshock_4_controller_will_have_basic_functions_on_windows

Yoshida confirmed the news through Twitter, after he was asked if Sony would release a driver for the DualShock 4 controller to make it work with Windows. Yoshida tweeted back, saying "the analog sticks and buttons will work just fine." He was asked if the DS4 would feature Windows compatibility by default, where he said it would, but with "basic functions."

Issue plagued GTA Online could be updated as early as tomorrow
Grand Theft Auto Online has been plagued with major issues since its launch, and Rockstar has said that they are working hard on a patch that should fix all of the issues. Rockstar says that the patch could come as early as tomorrow, but I am expecting something to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

issue_plagued_gta_online_could_be_updated_as_early_as_tomorrow

The issues arise when gamers try to log in to the game and they get an error that says "Failed to Host a GTA Online Session." Other issues include the occasional "failed to star job" error if you actually manage to long in and play the game. We want to know if you have been experiencing issues with GTA Online. Leave us a comment and let us know.

Patriot Memory unveils new low-profile Viper 3 memory kits
Today Patriot Memory unveiled a new line of memory kits in its Viper series of high-performance RAM. Patriot says the new low-profile kits are the perfect memory kits for the extreme-performance enthusiast as well as the overclocking gurus.

patriot_memory_unveils_new_low_profile_viper_3_memory_kits

The new DDR3 kits feature clock speeds of 1600MHz, 1866MHz, and 2133MHz, and are available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. Patriot says the memory modules are XMP 1.3 certified and are just 1/25" tall which allows more clearance for massive CPU coolers. The kits feature heat-spreaders that are available in black, red, and blue. No information was given on pricing at the time of this writing.

New Technologies for Server and Storage Solutions by Supermicro
In the server market Supermicro is beginning to pick up market share with its new line of server and storage solutions supporting Intel's new Xeon Processor's E5-2600 v2 & 1600 v2 family of CPU's.
"Intel's Xeon processor E5-2600/1600 v2 families push performance and efficiency to new levels with greater density and feature integration thanks to Intel's 22nm Tri-gate transistor technology," said Shannon Poulin, vice president and general manager of Intel Datacenter Marketing Group. "Intel works closely with partners such as Supermicro to ensure their latest computing solutions offer increased performance with higher frequency and core counts, lower power consumption and more features such as security and PCI-E acceleration. With Supermicro's rapidly expanding product lines and worldwide presence, our combined technology innovations can get to market quickly and contribute to a greener, more secure computing environment."
[img]01[/img]
"Once again, Supermicro leads the industry with the best and most innovative green computing solutions supporting Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors," said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "Our architecture advancements in FatTwin, TwinPro² and SAS3 12Gb/s solutions deliver the highest computing performance and energy efficiency with maximized PCI-E, memory and storage I/O bandwidth for unrivaled performance per watt, per dollar, per square foot. Our new server, storage and workstation solutions, combined with full integration and support services worldwide, help organizations minimize TCO and maximize ROI as they scale their business."
Supermicro also announced extreme-density 6U, 112 node MicroBlade systems featuring ultra-low power 8-core Intel Atom™ Processor C2000.

GIGABYTE Announces Full Support of the New Intel Xeon Processors
GIGABYTE has long been a leader in the enthusiast motherboard market and now has full support for Intel's Xeon Processor E5-1600 V2 & 2600 V2 Product Families to enter into the server market. Always going above and beyond industry standards these new motherboards come equipped BIOS fine tuning and support for 1866 MHz memory frequency at higher DIMM populations.
Gigabytes new line up cover workstation and server motherboards, GPU/MIC Computing, Network Relaying, High Density Computing and Standard Server Racks.This new line up of server motherboards carries the same level of quality and support that GIGABYTE is well known for.
[img]01[/img]
GIGABYTE has released a very strong lineup of motherboards and systems to take advantage of Intel's new Xeon processors E5-1600 V2 & E5-2600 V2 product families for applications such as high frequency trading, telecommunication networks, mobile data transfers and many more.
Summary: The server motherboard market is not easy to enter into these days and GIGABYTE has done a great job with this new line up of systems.
Tags: GIGABYTE, GPU/MIC Computing, Network Relaying, High Density Computing, Standard Server, high-end server industry, green computing, Xeon Processor's E5-2600 v2 & 1600 v2 family, Workstation motherboards, William Harmon

Kogan unveils refreshed Agora smart TV HDMI Dongle
Kogan has just launched a new version of its Agora smart TV HDMI dongle that sports all of the same features as its predecessor, but now packs a stronger punch in the hardware department. The new dongle features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

kogan_unveils_refreshed_agora_smart_tv_hdmi_dongle

The new Kogan HDMI dongle also houses 8GB of RAM, a mini USB port, and a microSD slot to add additional storage space. The remote features a 2.4GHz wireless connection, and the company has an optional Kogan-branded wireless keyboard and trackpad for just $39 more. I would like to see how this stacks up to Google's Chromecast in terms of ease of use and setup, not to mention streaming quality. With the device running Android, I would imagine that it behaves much like my Pivos Xios DS media box.

Valve unveils what hardware reference Steam Boxes may house
Valve recently unveiled its grand plan for the long anticipated Steam Boxes. Now being called Steam Machines, Valve said that the new gaming consoles will be developed and sold by partners, but the company did mention that it would be making a Steam Box of its own, and 300 lucky Steam users would be getting one to beta test.

valve_unveils_what_hardware_reference_steam_boxes_may_house

No other mention was made about the hardware that we might see packed inside Valve's Steam Box at the time of the initial release, but today we have found out what those beta boxes will contain. Valve says that the first Steam Machine will be a high-end device that features off-the-shelf PC hardware, and will be fully upgradeable like a normal gaming PC.
Valve's Steam Machine will be served up with several hardware configurations with GPUs spanning from NVIDIA's GTX Titan, GTX780, GTX760 and GTX660. CPUs will conside of Intel i7-4770, i5-4570, and some i3 processors. RAM allocation will be 16GB of unknown origin and storage will consist of a 1TB/8GB hybrid SSHD. A 450W 80Plus PSU will handle power delivery, and the entire thing will fit in a case just over 12-inches by 12-inches by 3 inches. No image was issued with the hardware details.

Origin PC kicks AMD GPUs to the curb after poor customer feedback
Boutique system builders usually stock both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs to appease both sides of the "which GPU is better argument," as you will always have customers who want both. It appears that the folks over at Origin PC have decided that stocking AMD GPUs is just not worth it anymore.

origin_pc_kicks_amd_gpus_to_the_curb_after_poor_customer_feedback

Citing "customer experiences" and "poor customer support" Origin PC has decided to stop offering AMD GPUs in their system builds as it has just became too much of a headache. With AMD just launching its new Radeon R series of GPUs, this new development has to be a crushing blow and shows that companies need more than new hardware to keep customers coming back.

This decision was based on a combination of many factors including customer experiences, GPU performance/drivers/stability, and requests from our support staff. Based on our 15+ years of experience building and selling award winning high-performance PCs, we strongly feel the best PC gaming experience is on NVIDIA GPUs.

Just 2 weeks in and Best Buy has cut iPhone 5C prices to $50
Best Buy has began offering anyone who buys on iPhone 5C in-store a $50 gift card in an effort to push more of the colorful iPhones out the door. The gift card offer was first spotted by ABC News and is said to run from today until October 7th.

just_2_weeks_in_and_best_buy_has_cut_iphone_5c_prices_to_50

While Best Buy has held similar gift card events for iPhones in the past, they were for refurbished models and not brand new iPhones, so this leads us to wonder if iPhone 5C sales are slower than Apple wants us to believe. The iPhone 5C was widely expected to be a lower cost device by industry analyst and Apple shareholders alike, but unfortunately Apple failed to see the value in a lower cost model.

Google rolls out Android 4.3.1 update for Nexus 7, fixes LTE issues
This morning Google began pushing out an OTA update of Android 4.3.1 to its 2013 edition Nexus 7 tablet. While an update was expected for the device, no one expected it to release this fast and with no announcement. The update began being pushed to Nexus 7 devices late last night and is only available for the 2013 Nexus 7 at the moment.

google_rolls_out_android_4_3_1_update_for_nexus_7_fixes_lte_issues

The update is still very much a mystery with no change log being released, and no information anywhere on what new features it may contain. We suspect that it is just a bug fix update and that it is the result of Nexus 7 owners not being able to connect to Verizon's LTE network. The update itself is just 9.42MB in size, so slight and small changes to code are most likely the only fixes that have been applied.

AMD will most likely release an ARM-based SoC for mobile this year
A new report has surfaced that suggest AMD is working on finalizing a consumer-focused System on Chip for mobile devices. The SoC is said to feature a combined core design comprised of ARM Cortex A57 and A53 cores and will be deployed in tablets and high-end smartphones this winter.

amd_will_most_likely_release_an_arm_based_soc_for_mobile_this_year

The combined core design should prove to be interesting as the A57 architecture is designed around a multi-issue pipeline that is capable of executing commands out of order, while the A53 is a much more docile core that runs instruction sets in order very efficiently. Graphics are said to be handled by a GCN architecture GPU, which is the same technology that powered the Radeon HD 7000 series of video cards. AMD is expected to launch the new SoC sometime in Q4, but not much else is known.

RumorTT: Google and Nokia set to launch smartwatches this month
2013 is turning out to be the year of the smartwatch, with heavy hitters like Samsung and Sony both releasing wearables of their own. If a new report is true, then both Google and Nokia will be tossing their hats into the smartwatch arena later this month. Newly leaked images of a Nokia branded smartwatch have surfaced, and Google is expected to unveil it's GEM smartwatch later this month as well.

rumortt_google_and_nokia_set_to_launch_smartwatches_this_month

The Nokia device that is seen in the images above can be nothing other than a smartwatch, and we fully expect it to be running some form of Windows Phone OS. Not much else is known though, but if rumors are true then we will see the smartwatch unveiled at an October 22nd event along with five other devices. Google's GEM smartwatch is still a bit of an enigma, and the company is keeping any and all information under tight wraps. Some reports suggest that it will have dual screens, while other suggest it will look similar to Samsung's Galaxy Gear. Google is expected to launch the GEM at the Android 4.4 KitKat event where the Nexus 5 will be unveiled.

Watch Dogs requires 64-bit OS, makes better use of multi-core CPUs
We are finally seeing PC games move into the 64-bit world after what has felt like forever, with Ubisoft's Watch Dogs requiring a 64-bit OS to function. The news comes from the studio unveiling the requirements of its upcoming super open-world game.

watch_dogs_requires_64_bit_os_runs_better_on_quad_core_cpus

Watch Dogs will require a 64-bit OS, a DirectX 9.0c-capable GPU, and 20GB of spare HDD space. Recommended hardware includes a DX11-capable GPU with at least 1GB of VRAM, 4GB of system RAM, and a quad-core CPU. As for GPUs, it's suggested that you use an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770. If you want to run the 'recommended' level, you're going to require much more power.
Ubisoft recommends 2GB of VRAM, an 8-core processor and at least 8GB of system RAM. Watch Dogs is said to scale very well on multi-core processors, so if you're in the market for a new CPU, you might want to grab that 6- or 8-core processor. With the recommended level, the GPU requirements go up, but not too bad, up to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850.

Apple releases OS X Mavericks Developer GM seed to Mac developers
Apple has just posted its OS X Mavericks Developer GM seed, which should be finding a new home on OS X developers' Macs very soon. The Cupertino-based company has also seeded the GM build of Xcode 5.0.1 for building applications in Mavericks.

apple_releases_os_x_mavericks_developer_gm_seed_to_mac_developers

The company is still aiming for a late-October launch for Mavericks, with Apple now training AppleCare staff on the new OS this week. Sources of MacRumors have said that training on Mavericks must be completed by October 11.

Twitter beta sees a UI revamp, is a much simpler design
If you're one of those lucky people in the Twitter beta testing group, you would know that there was an update tonight which has a new user interface. Twitter has changed the basic interface of its app, making it more simple to use.

twitter_beta_sees_a_ui_revamp_is_a_much_simpler_design

The left edge slide-in drawer is gone, and the scrolling tabs at the top of the page have been replaced by a simple three tab design: Home, Discover and Activity. Notifications and messages have been moved, which now feature their own distinct buttons in the top action bar, with number badges indicating unread counts.
If you want to compose a new tweet, that's now at the bottom of the app, where you'll also be greeted with new buttons to add a picture, launch into the camera, or directly into the tweet and start typing.

Instagram begins its ad rollout to its users
It looks like Instagram is finally unleashing its ads to its application, with the Facebook-owned company announcing it will start pushing ads onto users' Instagram feeds.

instagram_begins_its_ad_rollout_to_its_users

Instagram will do this to grow its revenues, and it says it will make sure that "any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already enjoy from your favorite brands." Instagram also said that the ads that will be "be enjoyable and creative in much the same way you see engaging, high-quality ads when you flip through your favorite magazine."

Samsung estimated to rake in record $9.4 billion profit this quarter
Samsung has teased the world with its earnings estimates for Q3 2013, where it looks like the South Korean giant will break records, again. Samsung is looking to report $53.9 billion in total revenue, with an operating profit of around $9.4 billion.

samsung_estimated_to_rake_in_record_9_4_billion_profit_this_quarter

This is extremely good for the company, as it represents an increase from its $8.5 billion from its last quarter, and $51 billion in sales. When compared to its results from this time last year, it's a much bigger increase from the $48.5 billion in sales and $7.5 billion in profits. This represents an increase of 13% year-over-year.

Apple to power up Siri with its acquisition of Cue
It looks like Apple is wanting to strengthen its voice assistant, Siri, with its acquisition of Cue. Cue is a personal assistant application that has been an iOS exclusive.

apple_to_power_up_siri_with_its_acquisition_of_cue

AppleInsider reports that Cue's functionality is similar to the sort of predictive information delivery that is very similar to Google Now, which is incredible. Apple has always put continuous work into Siri, but it looks like this acquisition of Cue could help them better compete with Google and its incredible Now service.

Twitter is looking to raise $1 billion with its IPO
Twitter is closer to its IPO, pushing out its IPO filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The social network filed an S-1 behind closed doors earlier in the year, as they were able to do so because Twitter's annual revenue was less than $1 billion last year.

twitter_is_looking_to_raise_1_billion_with_its_ipo

Now that Twitter's S-1 in public, we can find out what its financials are ahead of its IPO. The social network is looking to raise $1 billion, which will be underwritten by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and a bunch of other banks. Twitter will share its trade under the ticker TWTR.

Adobe hit with cyber attack, up to 2.9 million accounts at risk
Adobe has been hit with a cyber attack, with the hackers taking information from up to 2.9 million Adobe customers. The hackers were able to access Adobe IDs and encrypted passwords, but customer names, encrypted debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates and order information was stolen.

adobe_hit_with_cyber_attack_up_to_2_9_million_accounts_at_risk

As you can imagine, this is quite bad. Adobe says that the intruders most likely didn't access any decrypted information, which means your credit card details should be safe. The 2.9 million affected customers will see their passwords reset, with Adobe offering one year of free credit card monitoring to make sure that malicious purchases aren't made.
A separate, but possibly related attack also saw the source code to a number of Adobe's products taken, including Acrobat and ColdFusion. Adobe says there is no "specific increased risk to customers" due to its source code being stolen.

HTC's Q3 2013 sees $101 million operating loss
We know HTC aren't doing well, but it looks like the problem it is going through is continuing. The Taiwanese manufacturer has posted up its preliminary unaudited financial results for Q3 2013, posting an operating loss of $101 million.

htc_s_q3_2013_sees_101_million_operating_loss

This is the first operating loss in HTC's history, but take a look at the break down in its Q3 2013 financials:

Total revenues of $1.6 billion (NT$47.05 billion)
Operating loss before tax of $119.4 million (NT$3.50 billion)
Operating loss after tax of $101.3 million (NT$2.97 billion)
Earnings per share after tax of -$0.12 (-NT$3.58)

The Little Mermaid 3D (1989) Blu-ray Review

the_little_mermaid_3d_1989_blu_ray_review

After years of cheap animation resultant from a company that was both financially and artistically lacking, alongside poor morale, Disney was not in a good shape. Forced to go cap in hand to private investors to produce further animated output, 1986's The Great Mouse Detective and 1988's Oliver and Company proved lucrative enough to move forward with a long mooted adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's classic story tale The Little Mermaid.
Of course, in true Disney fashion, the company made the original, tragic story a little more commercial (read; upbeat), but the core story of a mermaid besotted by the human world has translated in whole and became a huge success for the company and ushered forth a period of renewal for the company, now dubbed the 'Disney renaissance'. Over this time, the company burst forth from their relative malaise with a strong suite of animated films, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Pocahontas.
The Little Mermaid truly stands the test of time, filled with more heart and warmth than your average animated feature, with eminently hummable musical numbers that propel the story forward and a cache of memorable characters that may even bring a tear to the eye.
Video
The Little Mermaid 3D is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1, a slight deviation from the original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MVC MPEG-4 compression.
Resultant of a brand new 35mm scan by restoration facility Reliance Mediaworks and digital restoration utilizing the Lowry method, The Little Mermaid has, without any word of hyperbole, simply never shone as brightly, nor looked as good as it now does.

the_little_mermaid_3d_1989_blu_ray_review

The new color timing is far more balanced and a huge improvement on previous transfers. It's as if the white balance has been re-set as a point of reference throughout, as the image looks a little whiter than before, replacing some of that yellow hue that permeated the last DVD release. Textures are much finer and there is so much more detail in background animations.
Mermaid was the last film to be cel animated before the CAPS system was implemented, which gives the film a slightly more organic feel. The restoration has wisely retained a small amount of grain, giving a gentle reminder of the pre-digital manpower that created it.
I have been particularly dismayed by the use of digital noise reduction on other Disney catalogue titles, but I just can't see that much, if any has been used here. It's truly a beautiful image. Some of the animation is crisper and clearer than others - the opening has always been particularly hazy by design.
Sadly, there is one huge downside with this video transfer. It seems that during the restoration process, one short shot during the climax of Part of Your World has been incorrectly ordered, making the audio sync temporarily drift. It's an admittedly small and fleeing mistake, yet such a crucial one. I certainly hope that Disney can correct the flaw in future pressings and offer replacement discs to those who would like them.
The Little Mermaid is the oldest traditionally animated feature to receive 3D conversion, and the first that does not come from the digital CAPS system. There's some subtle 3D use, but overall this is somewhat aggressive conversion, in the same vein as The Lion King.
Conversion firm Legend3D, whom previously worked on Top Gun 3D, Man of Steel 3D and The Life of Pi 3D has done a good job with selective pop out; Ariel's coiffured fringe sticks out quite convincingly, as do the bubbles, which I would have thought would have posed some problems. There's some really sustained and impressive 3D sequences throughout, including Under the Sea and the moment where Ariel reaches out with her hand in the climax to Part of Your World.
I did see one scene featuring Eric which looked a bit 'off' (his head look displaced from his body), but overall this quite a beautiful presentation.
I would love the opportunity to see this is in 3D at a cinema one day; sadly the planned worldwide 3D release was cancelled earlier this year, but for now I'll just have to keep saving for an 84 inch 4K set!

the_little_mermaid_3d_1989_blu_ray_review

Audio
The Little Mermaid 3D is presented in DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 at 24 bits.
Coming from stereo source materials, The Little Mermaid sounds downright brilliant in lossless 7.1. Disney has created a few 5.1 mixes for Laserdisc and DVD releases, each one slightly more aggressively mixed than the last, but with this Blu-ray mix, we have what I can assume will be the finite audio mix - and if that's the case, it's so amazing that I would have no problem with that at all.
Dialogue is clear and audible, and lip sync, whilst occasionally off, is generally quite good. Whilst the fidelity of some sound effects is at times limited (many sound effects are quite vintage), audio mixers have done what they can to refresh them. The biggest audible leap in this mix is in the films numerous musical set pieces, which sounds significantly fresher and aggressively mixed than previously. Numbers such as 'Under the Sea' and 'Kiss the Girl' now feature significantly improved surround use and refinements to bass extension.
This really is quite an astounding mix, and exactly what Disney home theatre aficionadas have been wanting for years.

the_little_mermaid_3d_1989_blu_ray_review

Extras
For this 3D Blu-ray release, Disney include the same extras package as included on the 2D disc, which in turn includes the entirety of extra features assembled for the previous 2 disc DVD release, whilst adding some new features and even upgrading one. Sadly, there are no 3D exclusive extras. Let's take a look.
The Audio Commentary by co-writers/directors Ron Clements and John Musker, and composer Alan Menken is a relatively enjoyable affair, even more so for die-hard fans. The creators poke fun at their own mistakes and deficiencies, but also shed light on some of the films Easter eggs and animation processes.
The 45 minute long Treasures Untold: The Making Of The Little Mermaid documentary is perhaps the final word on the film, rounding up the key players in the production, including many whom have moved on from Disney, including executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. A great side experience to the audio commentary, the doco discusses the films conception, voice casting and the technical approach. For me the highlight is seeing voice artist Pat Carroll laugh with Ursula's maniacal cackle. Sadly, the documentary is presented in a window boxed, standard definition image.
The short Storm Warning: The Little Mermaid Special Effects Unit featurette looks how the film achieved impressive animation effects in a mostly pre-digital world, whilst the Behind The Scenes- How real actors featurette looks the original recording sessions with talented mime artists provided much of the films motion tests and gave real life to the main characters. The Little Mermaid: The Story Behind The Story looks at the changes made from the original Hans Christian Anderson short, partially due to commercial reasons, but also to make it a little more relevant to modern audiences. @ Disney Animation takes a look at Disney Animators, new and old, and how the company has been shaped and re-shaped by its past and future.
Perhaps the most poignant of the sets extras is the Howard's Lecture featurette, which features a rare recording of the renowned lyricist Howard Ashman delivering a fascinating lecture to Disney artists. Ashman was a pivotal part of the films production, whose life was cut tragically short after production finished from AIDS complications. Interspersed throughout are recollections from animators and co-directors John Musker and Ron Clements the former of who chokes up, while recalling one Howard anecdote. He is truly missed.
The eight minute The Little Match Girl short, it's connection to The Little Mermaid being that it was also written by Hans Christian Anderson, was once meant to part of a second Fantasia sequel, but once that project was scuttled, it found its way onto the Mermaid DVD. For this Blu-ray, Disney classily upgraded the short to full 1080p vision, with 5.1 sound. It's a tragic, yet touching short, but its superb animation makes it a much watch.
Next up are 25 minutes of vintage Deleted Scenes in generally rough, animatic stage, whilst the Blu-ray adds an additional scene; Harold The Merman includes the newly recorded audio with Pat Caroll reprising the voice of Ursula.
Finally, we have a few smaller featurettes including Under the Sea: An Early Presentation reel, In their world: Jodi Benson's journey to the new Fantasyland, Disneypedia: From life under the sea, Under the Sea Adventure: A Virtual Ride Inspired By Disney Imagineers, along with the Original Theatrical Trailer.
Overall, a great extras package that truly does the film justice.

the_little_mermaid_3d_1989_blu_ray_review

What do TweakTown awards and ratings mean? Click for details!

... Read the rest in your browser!

Corsair RM850 850-Watt 80 PLUS Gold Power Supply Review

Introduction

corsair_rm850_850_watt_80_plus_gold_power_supply_review

Up to this point, the only power supplies that we have seen that come with the ability to be controlled and monitored by software have been digital power supplies. We even have another unit on our test bench that is new to the market with its own software, but it is still a full digital unit. The digital units have proven to be some of the best on the market, but they often come at a price. The new RM series from Corsair helps bridge the gap a little.
It does this by adding the Corsair Link capability without being a full digital power supply. This will make the unit more cost effective to the consumer, but it may also mean that it simply doesn't perform like an enthusiast grade digital power supply.
Today we have the RM850 on our test bench, but the power supply is available in six different wattages from 450W to 1000W. The RM series is fully modular and also compatible with Corsair's individually sleeved cables which you can check out here. Let's see what the RM850 is made of.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

corsair_rm850_850_watt_80_plus_gold_power_supply_review

The RM850 features a single 12V rail capable of 70.8A or 849.6W. Both the 3.3V and 5V rails are rated for 25A each with a combined maximum output of 150W. The 5VSB is rated for 3A or 15W. Maximum combined output for the Corsair RM850 is 850W.

corsair_rm850_850_watt_80_plus_gold_power_supply_review

The RM series isn't intended to be a flagship power supply for Corsair, but it does do a good job of filling out our Feature Summary. All protections are preset, which is something that we've come to expect from any power supply that bears Corsair's name on it. The RM850 is fully modular and features flat ribbon cables entirely. The RM850 is rated for 80 PLUS Gold efficiency. Finally, the RM850 is not certified for 100% continuous output at 50C, but Corsair does state it is rated for so at 40C.
The RM850 from Corsair has an MSRP of $149.99. This makes the Corsair RM850 very comparatively priced with other units on the market that have been out for some time. At the time of writing, Newegg seems to be the only place that has it in stock at the time of writing this article and they are currently $10 over MSRP, coming in with a price tag of $159.99. Corsair offers a five year warranty on the unit.
... Read the rest in your browser!

Thermaltake Commander F5 Fan Controller Review

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

Thermaltake is bringing forth a new fan controller to the market to go along with all the new series' of cases like the Urban, Chaser, and of course the Commander cases that this fan controller shares its name with. This five channel, slider based fan controller offers up to eight watts per channel, but isn't the typical fan controller one would expect either.
The Commander F5 fan controller is faced with a mesh panel, and has bold red slider knobs. On top of that, active fan channels are denoted with individual blue LEDs, and there is also a red LED denoting that this controller has power. The oddity I have found with this controller is that while you do have voltage control, the range I saw was from 10V at the low-end, and only 11.15V when the sliders are all the way up.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

In typical Thermaltake packaging, the Commander F5 is displayed prominently on the front to show you right away what is inside this eye catching package.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

In 11 languages, I believe they are pointing out the mesh front grill and the five channels this controller offers.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

The top of the packaging offers the Commander F5 naming, and denotes its multi-fan controller capabilities.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

Usually when the red stripe wraps around the box, it tends to lead to something interesting. In this instance, it led to UPC bar codes and other iconography.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

The back is where Thermaltake covers the six features of the Commander F5 above the specifications chart. Then off to the right are other images covering some of the previously listed features along with a couple new ones.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

The controller comes wrapped in an anti static bag, but is also secured inside of the much larger box with the use of dense foam at both sides.
Getting back to the amount of power and just what you can do with it, I see this fan controller as less of a controller, and more of a step down device. I am not positive if this is how all of these controllers act, but with the slider in the lowest position sending 10V, there isn't very much low-end to this device.
Then on the other end of the slider, I was topping out at 11.15V on some channels, while others were slightly lower; why not 12V? So in essence, what we are really looking at is the ability to stack a few fans on each channel without overshooting the power capabilities, but only to lower them slightly from what they can do on any other fan controller I have ever used.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

The contents you will receive from Thermaltake are the fan controller, a user manual, information about the one year warranty, and a bag with four screws to mount the Commander F5 in a chassis.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

The Thermaltake name starts things off at the left. Inside of all the mesh there are numbered red sliders for each of the five channels. There is also just a hint of the LED lights poking through the mesh.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

On the back of the PCB, there isn't much going on at all. There are a few resistors on this side, and the solder points from the diodes on the other side of the PCB. Also notice the fan headers are fit against the floor to keep them from pulling lose.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

The connectivity for the Commander F5 consists of the Molex plug for powering it, and there are channels marked one through five, and all are 4-pin ready, but use two wires for power and ground only.

thermaltake_commander_f5_fan_controller_review

With five fans connected all of the blue LEDs will light up as seen. Once the PC is booted, even without connected fans, the red LED will glow to show you the F5 is indeed powered.
Overall I am perplexed with what I was delivered. I had expected the voltage to be slightly limited to like 11.9V, but not all the way down to 11V flat. Then on the low side, where I expected to be able to drop to around 6.5 to 7.5V, all five channels would not go below 10V. While I do like the styling and the use of LED lights and bright colored sliders, I just don't see much practical use for a device with these limitations.
While looks definitely sell with fan controllers, since enthusiasts and case builders tend to like to stick to a theme, with a PC Case Gear listing at $35, I just am not feeling this one. If it had a wider range of voltage, maybe, but as it sits, I just can't really see anyone with the need to control all of their fans with this limited range that this Commander F5 delivered in our testing.

What do TweakTown awards and ratings mean? Click for details!

... Read the rest in your browser!

Corsair Obsidian 750D Full-Tower Chassis Review

Introduction

corsair_obsidian_750d_full_tower_chassis_review

Corsair is one of those companies that needs no introduction, and for that matter, if you haven't seen or heard of the Obsidian series by now, you really need to get out from under that rock. Over the years I have seen what started with the 800D, a chassis well ahead of its time, and has since blossomed into, at my last count, six variations now on the elegance that is the Obsidian.
We also just took a look at the 900D not too long ago, and with that design, they took the 800D to all new heights and solved a ton of the issues that plagued the design of the 800D. This just goes to show that Corsair isn't sitting on their laurels and depending on one or two cases to fit everyone's needs. They almost have a sixth sense to what the masses want, and are able to keep producing solutions to keep up with these needs.
Where most of the Obsidian cases are designed really well, I know firsthand that building in the 800D and the 900D, while both huge cases, takes quite a bit of pre-planning to get everything in right, and not have a complete mess on your hands when you are done. This time around, things are a touch different in the aspect of designing the latest chassis to be offered in this series. Things like modular drive bays, new side mounted SSD trays, tool-free clips and HDD trays, push button front panel to access the dust filter, at any angle you look at the latest Obsidian, you can tell it is designed for speedy builds in a chassis that is designed to make thing both quick and easy. Gone are a lot of the things that bombed on the 800D, but the 900D lends its design elements, with plenty of water cooling capability in this new design too. So if you want to try to complicate things, Corsair has you covered here too.
At first glance the Obsidian 750D we are looking at today does resemble the rest of the cases on the outside, but with our windowed version we are testing, it is easy to see that Corsair stuck with the newer, much larger, tinted window offering with this design. Inside of the chassis you are going to find all the things that make case builders all warm and fuzzy, with plenty of room to fill this chassis with some serious amounts of hardware. On top of that there are the new design elements that make this super simple to rearrange or customize to fit your specific needs, but to see it all, you must hang tight as we get through the specifications and packaging on the next page.
... Read the rest in your browser!

SanDisk X210 Business Class 512GB SSD Review

Introduction

sandisk_x210_business_class_512gb_ssd_review

Solid state drives have crossed over from the enthusiast and power user market and are going mainstream. The early performance issues and later stability issues have been overcome. Modern SSDs are reliable, with predictable life spans and that has opened the door for business use.
The SanDisk X210 isn't the first SSD specifically for business notebook use, but it's one of the first to merge enterprise SMART registers and an affordable price. SanDisk used the same controller that the company used on popular Extreme II consumer SSD. The SanDisk in-house firmware team traded a small amount of performance from the Extreme II in for more reliability. The result is a high performance, business focused SSD that's sold at a low price.
The X210 also serves an additional role, server operating systems. We're often asked about what product to use for server operating systems when the workload takes place on secondary storage. The X210 brings a high level of reliability and was designed for this purpose as well.
Let's dig in now and take a close look at the 512GB model.
... Read the rest in your browser!

Available Tags:NVIDIA , BlackBerry , Samsung , Windows , Server , GIGABYTE , Intel , Xeon , TV , Valve , hardware , Steam , AMD , iPhone 5 , iPhone , Google , Android , Nokia , Apple , GM , Mac , Twitter , Apple , Twitter , Adobe , 3D , Blu-ray , Thermaltake , SSD ,

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)