IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 10/04/2014

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 10/04/2014

TweakTown

Virtuix Omni VR treadmill will begin shipping in September
The perfect companion for the Oculus Rift or the GameFace Labs' VR headset is the Virtuix Omni virtual reality treadmill. Something that was born on Kickstarter, the VR treadmill will begin shipping this September starting from $499.

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If you decide to purchase the Virtuix Omni, you're going to need to buy an Oculus Rift or own a PC controller to use it. The $499 price also does not include shipping, so expect the price to balloon out considerably depending on where you live. The Virtuix Omni supports multi-directional movement with VR support, with gamers supported on the treadmill through a back harness and a pair of shoes.
All of this is controlled and monitored through tracking software that will allow players to "move" through the game. The company finished up its crowdfunding on Kickstarter last June, racking up $1.1 million, much more than its $150,000 goal.

LG shows off its Android Wear-powered smartwatch
LG has already unveiled its Android Wear-powered G Watch, but now we're hearing some more information on LG's wearable device. LG talked its G Watch with Pocket-lint, where it showed the site a non-working prototype of the G Watch, but in its final design.

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Pocket-lint wrote: "As the original mock-up pictures, already revealed by LG suggested, there will be no buttons on the device at all. The design offered a solid, seamless build that wasn't heavy but certainly felt premium". The Android Wear-powered smartwatch will arrive with interchangeable straps, which should have people impressed.

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All we know so far is that the G Watch will be powered by Google's Android Wear platform, with more details shared at Google I/O in June.

Someone smashes a Galaxy S5 on camera, battery explodes in his face
I've never seen the appeal of smashing a smartphone I can't even get my hands-on yet, but you know - YouTube and website hits and all, folks. Well, a YouTube reviewer has done just that, smashing Samsung's flagship smartphone with a hammer.

The 5.1-inch powerhouse of a smartphone survived the first few hits, but then crumbled under the pressure of some harder hits. Once those first few smashes were out of the way, down came the hammer like Thor. The reviewer smashed the phone into pieces, puncturing the battery in the process, which saw the battery itself very quickly expand, getting very close to an actual explosion.
Harmful chemicals sprayed out from the Galaxy S5's battery, thanks to the design of the battery it didn't explode, as the battery itself will vent pressure out of a single corner of itself. This avoids the battery catching fire, resulting in a quite harmful explosion.

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GameFace Labs ups the VR ante with a 2.5K VR headset
Oculus VR is ramping up its Rift DK2 unit, which features a 1920x1080 display inside of the VR headset. GameFace Labs is a company you may not have heard of, but it has just announced that it is the first company to show off a prototype VR headset with a 2.5K display.

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2.5K is just a fancy way of saying 2560x1440, where at this resolution, it is pushing out 78% more pixels than a 1080p-based display, such as the Oculus Rift DK2. Ed Mason, CEO of GameFace Labs explains: "The upgrade to 1280 x 1440 per eye is monumental. Individual pixels are hard to detect at first glance, making it a more immersive and comfortable experience in every single game and experience that we've tried. A lot of the 'presence' described by devs at the Valve [prototype VR headset] demonstration can be attributed to their use of higher resolution (and lower persistence) panels, which has a noticeable impact in suspending disbelief and tricking the brain".
Better yet, the company is just stopping at 2.5K, as it wants to get one of the most powerful mobile solutions into its VR headset, making mobile VR a reality. This is actually something I talked about Oculus VR doing, but it seems that GameFace Labs is the one we should be watching. The company is rubbing up against NVIDIA's very impressive Tegra K1 aka Jetson, which is a super powerful system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution that has a quad-core processor running at 2.3GHz with a 192-core GPU.
K1 supports up to 4K displays, with NVIDIA calling it the "world's most advanced GPU" as it can run Unreal Engine 4 with DX11 at under 5W of power. Mason has shown off photos to Road to VR using the K1 board that it is baking into its latest mobile VR prototype. My mission now? To get eyes-on with this new 2.5K VR headset.

HTC brings back Robert Downey Jr to back the HTC One M8
Last year, HTC elicited the talent of Robert Downey Jr. too promote the HTC One, and this year's HTC One M8 is now getting the RDJ treatment as well. Downey take a more serious roll this time and talks about how the HTC One received the highest praises at the 2014 Mobile World Congress, and how they mean nothing now that the HTC One M8 is out.

The video was evidently filmed before the HTC One M8 was released as RDJ talks about how he has a pre-release version, but non the less, HTC shelled out the big bucks to have him endorse the product. I do like how he credits the best tech journalist in the world during the video, and can somehow only think that he knows that I am part of that list... Yea I know, dreams can come true.

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Twitter rolls out new user profile pages to better display your tweets
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Windows 8.1 update 1 is finally here and you can download it now
Microsoft has been talking about the upcoming Windows 8.1 Update 1 for months now, and today the Redmond, Washington-based giant has finally released the update to the public. Windows 8.1 users can head over to Windows Update and install Update 1 to their system now, or you can wait and let Windows run the update for you when your automatic updates are scheduled to run.

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"Windows 8.1 Update and Windows RT 8.1 Update include improvements to make Windows more familiar and convenient for devices that use touch and mouse input and to make Windows available on a wider variety of devices, so you have more to choose from. Windows 8.1 Update and Windows RT 8.1 Update also include security and performance updates, and they must be installed for your PC to receive any future security updates for Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1," Microsoft said in a release.
Below is a list of the changes Windows 8.1 Update 1 brings to the table.

Boot straight to the Desktop: As was previously rumored, Windows 8.1 Update 1 will allow users to boot and resume straight to the classic desktop UI, allowing them to bypass the tiled Modern UI altogether. This will likely be a welcome feature considering that the Modern portion of Windows 8 hasn't been well received since it debuted back in late 2012.
Changes to the Taskbar: With Windows 8.1 Update 1, you can use both desktop programs and Windows Store apps from the classic desktop UI. Windows Store apps will also work on the desktop UI's Taskbar as well, and a new button on the Taskbar will permit you to access the Windows Store without forcing you to dive into the Modern UI to do so. With Windows 8.1 Update 1, the Taskbar will be accessible while using Modern apps by moving your mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen.
Tweaks to the Modern UI Start screen: The Modern UI Start screen will also receive some tweaks, including dedicated Power and Search buttons. The addition of a dedicated power button in the Start Screen will allow users to power their PCs off without having to open the Charms menu, shaving some seconds off the process of shutting down their systems. Newly installed Modern apps will be labeled "New," and will pull up a drop-down menu when right-clicked, as opposed to the bar on the bottom of the screen.

Super Planet Crash is the best physics-based game on the internet
Physics games are one of my favorite time killers on the internet, and the study of planetary systems is another small hobby I like to pursue when I have fleeting moments of free time. Today I learned of a new internet game that combines the two into a game more addicting than Flappy Bird, Angry Birds, or Gem Miner combined.

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Super Planet Crash is a game designed by Stefano Meschiari, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas, Austin, that challenges players to create planetary systems using various stellar bodies such as Earth and super Earth-sized planets, ice giants, gas giants and even other stars such as brown dwarfs. The object is to design a solar system that is capable of making it to the 500-year milestone without having any planets or stars crash into each other or exit the solar system bounds.
The game is based on software package called Systemic Console, that is actually a tool used by scientist to discover actual planets from the massive data store generated by the Kepler space telescope project. "Systemic Console is open-source software that we've made available for other scientists to use. But we also wanted to create a portal for students and teachers so that anyone can use it," Greg Laughlin, an astronomy professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who led the development of the software, said in a statement. The game's server has been seeing massive traffic today thanks to it being featured on several large sites, so it may go down from time to time, but I was able to play it for a solid 15 minutes earlier.

Cybercriminals greatly benefit from launching "mega breaches"
Cybercriminals are continually changing their strategy to compromise PCs and networks, with an increased shift towards well-researched, sophisticated attacks instead of simple attacks, according to the latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report.

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There was a 62 percent year-over-year increase in data breaches at the end of 2012, Symantec said, with more than 550 million identities exposed to potential theft. In addition to lost productivity, companies also risk public reputation - with the top eight data breaches in 2013 yielding large sums of personal information compromised.
"One mega breach can be worth 50 smaller attacks," noted Kevin Haley, Symantec Security Response director, in a press release. "While the level of sophistication continues to grow among attackers, what was surprising las year was their willingness to be a lot more patient - waiting to strike until the reward is bigger and better. Nothing breeds success like success - especially if you're a cybercriminal. The potential for huge paydays means large-scale attacks are here to stay. Companies of all sizes need to re-examine, re-think and possibly re-architect their security posture."

SK Hynix unveils a DDR4 module packed with 128GB of RAM
DDR4 RAM is still in its infancy and at the moment it's use is relegated to the high-end enterprise server world, but that has not stopped silicon manufacturer, SK Hynix, from pushing the new standard to the next level. Today the company unveiled its latest DDR4 module that boast an impressive 128GB of RAM on a single DIMM sized stick.

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"The development of the world's first 128GB DDR4 module has its significance in opening ultrahigh density server market" said Sung Joo Hong, the head of DRAM development at SK Hynix in s statement.. "The company will further strengthen its competitiveness in premium DRAM sphere with the development of high density, ultrahigh speed and low power consuming products."
The 128GB stick of DDR4 is based on Through Silicon Via technology and utilizes SK Hynix's 20nm 8GB chips packed in a single DIMM module as tightly as possible. SK Hynix says that the stick of DDR4 is capable of speeds up to 2133Mbp/s, with speeds reaching 17GB/s if passed through a 64-bit wide bus. The sticks operate on just 1.2V which is a significant energy savings over the common 1.5V DDR3 modules.

US Attorney General Eric Holder says DoJ hesitant of bitcoin
The United States government is worried that the bitcoin cryptocurrency can be used by criminals to help commit money laundering, and will take creative strategy by lawmakers, according to US Attorney General Eric Holder.

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Some investors have embraced bitcoin as a viable digital currency, though the demise of Mt. Gox and other exchange services have alarmed lawmakers. Bitcoin exchange operators are under close federal scrutiny, as the government continues to look at new methods criminals might use to move funds quietly.
"The department is committed to innovating alongside this new technology in order to ensure our investigations are not impeded by any improvement in criminals' ability to move funds anonymously," Holder said during a recent House Judiciary Committee. "Virtual currencies can pose challenges for law enforcement given the appeal they have among those seeking to conceal illegal activity. This potential must be closely considered."
The IRS recently ruled that bitcoins are technically property and not real currency, while supporters still hope to see bitcoins launch a mini-financial revolution.

Medicaid agencies face "high-risk" security threats, HHS report finds
As many as 10 state Medicaid agencies faced "high-risk" security issues, found while studying audits conducted from 2010 to 2012, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Inspector General's Office.

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The report didn't identify the Medicaid programs, so the affected programs didn't suffer further attack. A mix of access control problems, network operation controls, and entity-wide controls were found in programs spread across 10 states - with 79 confirmed security problems noted.
Employers aren't encrypting information, keeping patches updated, or taking basic steps to keep information secure. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently said government agencies don't do enough after suffering data breaches, and this report further confirms the problem.
From the report:
"Officials from several state agencies described some common causes when we discussed these findings with them. They pointed most frequently to resource constraints that made information system security a lower priority. Officials also described a lack of formal policies and procedures when explaining the causes of the vulnerabilities. The effectiveness of these information system general controls directly affects the state agencies' ability to sustain secure Medicaid systems."

Netflix has begun to stream 4K Video to its customers
Today Netflix announced that it has began streaming its first pieces of 4K content to customers with 2014 model 4K TVs that support the H.265/HVEC decoder. House of Cards gets the title of the first TV series to get streamed in 4K, and a couple of nature documentaries are also being offered in 4K. Unfortunately, those who have 4K televisions that were manufactured or bought in 2013 will not be able to enjoy these offerings from Netflix due to codec incompatibilities.

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Website HDTVTest is reporting that the 4K streams coming from Netflix are being delivered at 15.6Mbp/s and show obvious signs of compression, but does look better than Netflix's previous high-quality offering of the so-called "SuperHD" format. Unfortunately there are just not enough 4K TVs out there at the moment for widespread testing results to call back to, but I feel that Netflix will have a long journey ahead before any full-quality 4K content is passed on to customers.

Noctua's unveils the successor to the NH-D14, the NH-D15
With its previous flagship CPU cooler, the massive NH-D14, being widely recognized as one of the best CPU coolers ever made, Noctua has once again released a larger-than-life tower cooler to aid in your CPU cooling needs. The all new NH-D15 elite-class dial tower CPU cooler features several major improvements over its predecessor that not only improves performance, but continues Noctua's goal of creating the quietest CPU coolers in the world.

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"Having convinced tens of thousands of quiet cooling enthusiasts around the globe, our NH-D14 has become a reference for top-tier dual tower heat sinks," explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "In the end, it took us more than three years of continuous development, countless thermal simulations and over hundred samples to come up with a substantial improvement in efficiency. Staying true to our policy of not releasing anything we're not 100% satisfied with, we had to accept some delays in order to squeeze out the last few percent of performance, but now we're proud to finally release the NH-D15 as a worthy successor to the venerable D14."

The new NH-D15's "fin-stack" has increased in size from 140mm to 150mm allowing the company to better space out the cooler's heat pipes. This wider spacing allows for a more uniform heat distribution over the entire finned surface. The NH-D15 features recessed lower fins that provides clearance for tall memory heat sinks while in single fan mode. Additionally, the NH-D15 ships with Noctua's NF-A15 premium fans and are PWM controllable for maximum system performance. The new flagship is expected to retail for $99 USD.

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iOS 7 adoption rate sits at 87%, up significantly since January
The latest numbers are in for the iOS ecosystem and iOS 7 is growing very quickly. Back in January, the numbers showed that iOS 7 adoption was at 80%. Now only a few months later, the adoption rate for iOS 7 sits at 87%.

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That is a gain of 7% in about three months. The metrics are figured by looking at the clients that accessed the App Store during a seven day period ending on April 6. iOS 7 adoption has also grown a lot since last month when it was at 84%.
iOS 6 holds 11% of the iOS usage market. Earlier versions of iOS hold less than 2% of the market. I'm always surprised people are still on these old versions of the OS considering the updates are free.

Revi Charger is a smartphone charger and battery backup in one
If you are on the road a lot and away from an outlet, it can be hard to keep your smartphone going. A battery backup is the answer for most people, but many of these battery backups are bulky and heavy making them difficult to take with you. A new combination charge cable and battery backup has debuted called the Revi Charger.

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The device is compact and only 2.5mm thick. It has a u-shaped cable that has a USB connector on the bend for plugging into your computer and a microUSB port on the other end. That lets you connect your phone to the battery on the road and to the computer for charging when you are near an outlet.
The Revi Charger comes in two versions with the 2.5mm thick unit offering 550 mAh of power and weighing 1 ounce. The larger of the two has a 1440 mAh battery inside and is 7mm thick with a weight of 1.7 ounces. There is a version of the charger available for the iPhone 5. The 550 mAh unit sells for $25 for either version with the larger capacity version selling for $30 for either version with shipping early this summer.

Apple iWatch to feature UV light exposure sensor according says rumor
The rumors about the Apple iWatch will never end until the product launches. Even then, the rumors will only transition to what the next version of the device will have. A new iWatch rumor is making the rounds that claims the iWatch might have a UV light exposure sensor. That would allow the iWatch to monitor for risk of sunburn.

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The rumor suggests that the sensor would come from Silicon Labs. That company announced an interesting sensor with a host of functions earlier this year. Other than monitoring UV light exposure the chip can also track heart rate, pulse, blood oximetry, and supports proximity and gesture control with infrared and ambient light methods.
Despite being packed with features this chip is surprisingly small at 2mm square. Rumors continue to suggest that the iWatch will ship later this year with as many as 10 million units selling in 2014. A rumor in February suggested that the iWatch would feature solar, induction, and motion charging.

Samsung ramps DDR4 production before Intel E5-2600 V3 launch
Just moments ago Samsung announced the companies has increased DDR4 production. This comes on the just before of Intel's E5-2600 V3 series announcement that we expect soon.

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Upon launch, DDR4 will increase DRAM performance while at the same time lower power consumption.

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Here we see the evolution of DRAM over time with both throughput and power.

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DDR4 will push the performance ceiling to levels we've never seen before. As the number of CPU cores increase, the processors need faster DRAM to feed all of the cores data to process.

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The end result should push the virtual machine count higher on servers and increase workstation performance for applications that rely heavily on processor and DRAM performance.
Full press release below:
SAN JOSE, CA - April 8, 2014 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, said today that it is accelerating its production ramp up of DDR4 memory modules to accommodate an anticipated strong market demand along with the approaching introduction of the new Intel Xeon™ processor E5-2600 v3 product family. DDR4 is the most advanced memory for server and high-performance computing applications.
"At Samsung, we are taking the lead in readying the DDR4 market to coincide with the introduction of the next-generation Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family, and plan to contribute to creating a bigger market for DRAM in the second half of 2014," said Jim Elliott, corporate vice president, Memory Marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "We will continue to introduce high-density DDR4 modules for global OEMs that will facilitate the launch of next-generation enterprise servers and will maximize IT investment efficiency."
"Samsung's new 20nm process technology will play a major role in driving DDR4 adoption in conjunction with the launch of the future Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family," said Geof Findley, director, PMO Memory Enabling & Applications Engineering, Intel Corporation. "The integration of Samsung DDR4 memory as part of future Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3-based systems will drive higher performance and lower power consumption in the enterprise and data center markets."
Samsung's DDR4 memory provides significant benefits to server manufacturers including lower power consumption, reliability and improved system performance with current speeds up to 2400 megabits per second (Mbps).
Samsung is ramping production of its entire family of 4Gb-based DDR4 modules in preparation for future systems based on the Intel's Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family. They include DDR4 RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, and ECC SODIMMs, as well as x4, x8 and x16 DDR4 chips. Later this year, Samsung will also facilitate a transition to 8Gb 32GB DDR4 modules for the high density server market.
"The industry-leading 20nm process from Samsung is a compelling advancement in the DDR4 market," said Victor de Dios, president, DE DIOS & ASSOCIATES, Newark, CA. "The advantages of lower power, faster performance, and higher densities will enable DDR4 demand to increase seven-fold in 2015 and exceed DDR3 in server platforms," he added.
Samsung DDR4 LRDIMMs, RDIMMs, and ECC SODIMMs are available globally in densities from 8GB to 64GB at speeds of 2133 to 2400 Mbps.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the world's of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit http://www.samsung.com.

All 85,000 US H-1B work visas snapped up in just five days
It took less than one week for companies in the United States to pick up 85,000 H-1B visas for 2015, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services.

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Applications were collected starting on April 1, but it didn't take long for the 65,000 general category and 20,000 advanced degree spots to be taken.
The small number of H-1B visas has led to Silicon Valley companies - and major corporations throughout the US - to petition the federal government to undergo immigration reform. Companies want to see the number of visas increase, and have the application process made easier than the current system.
This is the second consecutive year in which visas disappeared in the first five days, as companies struggle with a skilled labor force.
Here is what the USCIS press release noted:
"A computer-generated process will randomly select the number of petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the general category and 20,000 under the advanced degree exemption. The agency will conduct the selection process for the advanced degree exemption first. All advanced degree petitions not selected will become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit."

CacheBox certifies Micron P420m for use with CacheADVANCE software
Our evaluation of the Micron P420m PCIe SSD ended on a high note; the P420m delivers a plentiful helping of performance at a very friendly price-point. The key to mass adoption of flash in the enterprise will always be centered around value, and combining a hefty 1.4TB chunk of flash acceleration to existing infrastructure is a great proposition.

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Today CacheBox announced the addition of the P420m PCIe SSD to their compatibility list. The P420m joins other Micron SSDs as certified for use in CacheBox's CacheADVANCE application acceleration software. CacheADVANCE leverages flash solutions to speed existing HDD infrastructure without disrupting the existing environment.
Providing the speed of flash for hot data, and the capacity of bulk HDD storage for colder data, is the most economical deployment model for flash in the datacenter. This marriage of Micron's P420m and CacheADVANCE software nets a 14X increase in performance and a 93% latency reduction in CacheBox's MySQL OLTP workload testing.

Corsair releases the Black Aluminum Vengeance K70 Mechanical Keyboard
Corsair has just announced the launch of the latest mechanical keyboard to be added to its already impressive arsenal. The new Vengeance K70 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard features a rugged black-anodized aluminum frame with red back-lit keys who's brightness can be adjusted as a whole or individually. Corsair says that the new K70 features authentic German-made Cherry MX switches for the best reliability, accuracy, and longevity of any other mechanical switch on the market.

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The Vengeance K70 is designed with a 100-percent anti-ghosted matrix with full n-key rollover and a 1000Hz reporting rate, meaning that you never miss a keystroke, or a key combination while typing or gaming. The Keyboard also features multi-media controls, a built-in USB hub, and a "soft-touch" wrist wrest that helps reduce fatigue during those long gaming sessions. The K70 is available with Cherry MX Red, Cherry MX Blue, and Cherry MX Brown switches to suit each individual gamers needs. The Vengeance K70 will retail for $129.99.

Nikon Coolpix P700 specs leak ahead of official unveil
Nikon has a lot of different cameras on the market today running from point and shoot units to high-end DSLRs. Specifications on a new camera that isn't announced yet have hit the web called the Coolpix P700. The camera is thought to be a replacement for the P600 pictured here.

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The P700 boasts a huge zoom range with the leak claiming that it will feature a 24-2000mm f/3.5-8.5 lens. The leak also tips a magnesium body with a big grip. Despite using a magnesium body, the camera is reportedly 45.8 ounces in weight.
The big feature other than the huge zoom range is a 1-inch Aptina made sensor. The camera also uses an Expeed 4 image processor and has a 3.5-inch LCD. There is no word on the resolution of that big sensor. The source of the rumor claims the camera will be unveiled in May.

Xbox 360 GoPro Channel lands as an app with exclusive videos
The Xbox 360 is now the old Microsoft console and it's good to see that Microsoft is still supporting the console rather than trying to push everyone to the Xbox One. Earlier this year Microsoft mentioned that the Xbox 360 would be getting a new GoPro channel where people could enjoy action sports footage and other content recorded using the GoPro cameras.

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The GoPro channel is now available via the GoPro app on the Xbox 360. Users will be able to stream and curate content on the channel to their TV. To celebrate the launch of the new Xbox 360 channel, GoPro is offering users on the game console exclusive videos.
GoPro has two videos that will be available to Xbox 360 users a week before the videos are available elsewhere. The videos include a basketball trick shot involving a car. The other is an extreme snowmobile jump. Those videos are only on the Xbox 360 and should be available to watch now.
"The GoPro Channel app will bring the best of GoPro originally-produced and user-generated content into the homes of millions of Xbox Live Gold customers," said Adam Dornbusch, Head of Content Distribution at GoPro. "We're excited to launch with exclusive content for early adopters of the app and stoke out the Xbox 360 community with hours of engaging and inspiring GoPro videos through the Channel."

Logitech announces tunable G502 Proteus Core gaming mouse
PC and console peripheral company Logitech has unveiled the G502 Proteus Core gaming mouse, a fully customizable device that can be adjusted to account for different surfaces, weight, and speed configurations.

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The customizations allow for gamers to use any type of surface and change the settings so it performs better. Logitech included a wide DPI range from 200 up to 12,000, with the ability to track movement at 300 inches per second. Gamers interested in changing the mouse's weight can use up to five slots to add 3.6g weights, something that Logitech has embraced in the past.
The Logitech G502 Proteus Core will be available later this month with a $79.99 MSRP.
"With the world's best sensor technology, complete surface, weight and balance tuning and mechanical switches, we have made a mouse that dominates," said Ehtisham Rabbani, Logitech gaming business general manager, in a press statement. "The Logitech G team believes that when hype fades, Science Wins!"

Drone gets hacked, crashes into and injures Australian athlete
During the Endure Baravia Triathlon in Western Australia, a camera drone was hacked, and then flown into the ground - but before it hit the ground, it reportedly struck an athlete. Some reports have said that the drone crashed near her, and she fell after becoming "startled" by the crashing drone.

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Just how was it hacked? The operator of the drone, New Era Photography and Film's Warren Abrams, said that someone had intentionally "channel hopped" the drone, which took control of it, and caused the drone to crash into the ground from the skies above. The bigger issue at hand, is that Abrams' company didn't have the certification to be commercially covering the race in the first place.

Thunderbolt - Do cables actually matter in Storage Applications?

Thunderbolt - Do cables actually matter for performance?

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If you are one that has jumped on the Thunderbolt bandwagon, whether it be for the performance the technology offers or the daisy chaining capabilities, Thunderbolt cables don't always make their way into the scope of delivery when you purchase a product.
When you find yourself in this situation, what cable do you go for? Is it worth the extra money to buy premium cables? Does it even matter?
Today, we will look over and test the performance of several brands of Thunderbolt cables and explore the performance characteristics of each along with exploring the differences in performance based on the length of the cable.

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First, we will discuss our test system and how we will be testing. Our test platform for all Thunderbolt storage solutions is the Late 2013 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina. Software used to test the performance of storage solutions starts with Diglloydtools disk tester with BlackMagic Disk Speed Test and Quickbench 4.0 complementing. In each of piece of software, we use sequential benchmarks to test the peak performance obtained via the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2.

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In our first image above, we have a set of four 40-inch, or 100cm, Thunderbolt cables. Vendors include Sumitomo Electric, StarTech.com, OWC, and the included cable with the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2.

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Here we have our second batch of shorter cables; these come in at 20in, or 50cm. Vendors of these cables are Apple and Akitio.

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Here we have the connecting end of each cable lined up. All of these cables share the same quality from a visual inspection minus the Akitio, which uses a thinner wire for the length of the cable.

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Starting the testing, we have our first benchmark and set of results. With Diglloydtools, we found each cable capable of delivering 1150 MB/s read and 1000 MB/s write with only minor fluctuations between each cable.

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Next, we take a look at the results from Black Magic Disk Speed Test. Here we have read results between each cable bunched up again around 1140 MB/s, while the write results showed a 50 MB/s difference between the lowest performing Akitio cable and highest performing OWC cable.

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In our third benchmark, we take a look at the results from Quickbench 4.0. Here we have all cables performing near 1350 MB/s in read, while the write results show a 35 MB/s performance difference between the top and lowest performing cables.
Modern day Thunderbolt storage solutions like the latest Little Big Disk from LaCie are capable of intense throughput up to 1300 MB/s read and 1100 MB/s write. Surely you wouldn't want the cable that connects the device to your Mac or PC to be the weak link or rob you of performance you would have otherwise. So do cables matter?
To that, I would say it depends on your workload. If you are one that uses a read intensive workload, we found no major performance improvement or loss from using shorter cables or one that had a visually better build quality. The difference between the lowest and highest read speed was 6 MB/s. Now if you are one that has a heavily focused write workload, things are a bit different for you.
If we look at all of our write testing, you can clearly see the difference between the cables. In Diglloydtools, the difference between the highest and lowest performing cables was 10 MB/s. With Black Magic and Quickbench, the difference was greater at 50 MB/s.
What do you do if your purchased device did not come with a cable? Do you buy any cable off the shelf and go with it? Or is there truly a "best" cable for storage? If we go back and look at the results of all the testing, we can clearly see a trend where the StarTech 40-inch cable and the OWC 40-inch cable come out on top in every scenario.
Of course, cost of each cable will come into play when making a purchase decision as well; here we find the 0.5m, or 20-inch, Apple cable available for $29.99, while you can pick up the Startech.com and OWC 1m, or 40-inch, for $37.99 and $31.99, respectively.
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Cougar CMX V3 850-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply Review

Introduction

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It has been a little while since we have had a Cougar power supply cross our bench. So long that many of our readers may not even be aware of the brand. Cougar is still relatively new to the power supply market; if you've not heard of them, don't feel like you've been living under a rock for fifteen years or so.
To date, we've only looked at two of their units, the Cougar GX800 and the PowerX 550W. Both of these units have performed well, and even though they may not quite be ready to compete with the likes of Enermax or SilverStone, Cougar has some fine units that deliver where it matters.
Cougar recently updated their CMX line of power supplies and that is just what we have today. The CMX V3 850W power supply is a natural progression of the line. The new CMX V3 units are smaller in dimensions and maintain their build quality and efficiency. On top of that, Cougar has added support for fourth-generation Haswell processors.
This is becoming increasingly important as the power requirements for processors are progressively getting lower, and idle states are now using a very minimal amount of power. Older units can often have problems supplying clean and stable power in very low power states, and that is why they have the certification.
The CMX units are also aimed at making sure you don't over spend on a power supply. We know out of the gate that the CMX V3 isn't designed to raise the bar when it comes to outputting power, but it is designed to give you bang for your buck. Just how well it delivers is yet to be seen, though, so keep reading as we go over the unit inside and out.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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The Cougar CMX V3 850W power supply features a pair of 50A 12V rails with a maximum output of 69A or 828W. Both the 3.3V and 5V rails are rated for 25A each with a maximum combined output of 160W. The CMX V3 850W does have a very strong 4A 5VSB rail, which is rapidly becoming more important. I'm quite sure we haven't seen any units that have a higher 5VSB output, and we've seen only a handful of units that have the same output. The CMX V3 850W power supply is rated for a maximum of 850W of continuous power.

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Overall, the CMX V3 does a good job when it comes to features. It scores a clean sweep when we talk about protections, covering SCP, OVP, OCP, OPP, and OTP. The unit features both native and modular cables, all of which are fully sleeved. All modular cables are sleeved to be flat ribbon-like cables, utilizing a rubberized sleeve instead of the more typical nylon mesh. The CMX V3 850W power supply is rated for 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency. Finally, the Cougar CMX V3 is not rated for 100 percent continuous output at 50C; however, it is rated to do so at a more modest 40C.
Cougar has an MSRP of $119 on the CMX V3 850W unit. This is a very middle of the road price for an 850W Bronze rated power supply, and we expect it to perform accordingly. The CMX V3 850W model wasn't available for purchase at any reputable sites at the time of review. However, there were several sites with the higher wattage 1000W model. We suspect that we couldn't find the unit due to limited supply at launch and that it will be available very soon. Cougar backs the CMX V3 unit with a three-year warranty.
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ASRock Rack 2U12L6SC-2TS6 Barebones Server Kit Review

Introduction

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There are many ways that you can get your servers. You can buy them from OEMs that are pre-built, buy a barebones kits, or build the whole thing yourself.
One of the easiest ways to get started is to pick up a barebones kit and install your CPUs, RAM, and drives of choice.
Today, we will be looking at an ASRock Rack 2U12L6SC-2TS6 barebones server kit. The motherboard used in the ASRock 2U12L6SC-2TS6 is the EP2C602-2TS6/D16.
The ASRock 2U12L6SC-2TS6 is very close to the ASRock EP2C602-2T/D16 Server Motherboard (Intel C602) that we reviewed recently.
The main difference between these two motherboards is the storage options available on the two boards.

Packaging

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Here you can see what the server looks like after we opened the shipping box. The server comes shipped in protective foam inserts. Located on the side is a small accessory box.

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We really liked how the foam inserts came in two pieces. This allows us to remove the top piece at both ends and simply lift out the server. Many servers we receive come with an insert that slips over both ends; this means we have to pull the whole server out before we can remove the inserts.

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The server comes with a simple accessory list: just a manual, driver disk, and hard drive mounting screws. We like printed manuals a lot here because we don't have to find a PDF file and view that on a separate computer.
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AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Reference Dual GPU Video Card Review

Introduction of the AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8GB

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For a long time AMD was able to say that they offered the fastest single PCIe video card on their popular Game.AMD website. The release of new models from NVIDIA meant that the company had to remove the comment as it was no longer true. Today, though, AMD no doubt hope to start that count again offering the fastest single PCIe video card on the market with the release of the R9 295X2 8GB.
Like any new video card, the release of the R9 295X2 8GB doesn't come as a surprise to people who follow tech closely. AMD has been rumored of releasing the card for a while now and recently over the past week, we started to see leaks on specifics. Of course, there's always a cloud of doubt overhead when it comes to this information. Today, we get to show you what's really on offer when it comes to the specification side of things. More importantly, though, today we're able to show you just what kind of performance the new model from AMD offers.
While we would normally move from here straight into the card because it's a reference one, AMD did something a little special with the release of this particular model, which we offered a sneak peek of just the other day at our Facebook page.
Let's move forward, though, and take a closer at this very special package from AMD before we take a closer look at the card itself to find out just what AMD is offering with this brand new model, the R9 295X2 8GB.

Package - What comes inside the box

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With the same image that was being teased on the Game.AMD website recently, you can see we've got a very sleek looking approach to the briefcase that AMD shipped the reference model in. Heading over to the handle side you can see we've got a nice AMD plaque which makes the whole setup look like something a Bond villain should be carrying handcuffed to his arm.

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Opening up the briefcase, we get first look of the card itself. You can see the card sitting across the top, while on the right, you can see a small radiator. The left corner shows us the logo that AMD was using for what was labeled as "Project Hydra". Of course we don't have any kind of bundle or that being a reference card.
So, let's not delay any longer and get a closer look at the card itself and see just what exactly we're dealing with here today.
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ADATA XPG V2 PC3-19200 16GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review

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Having just looked at the G.Skill RipjawsX PC3-17000 8GB Dual Channel Memory Kit and finding ourselves quite impressed with what the kit has going on, it was time to check out another kit of RAM that has been sitting around for a while. The ADATA kit we're looking at today, like the G.Skill one, had been tested a while ago, but due to circumstances, I hadn't gotten around to writing it.
Fortunately on this miserable Wednesday afternoon in Taipei, I have gone on a writing bender and finally got around to doing what I've been meaning to do for weeks. When it comes to performance memory, ADATA isn't the first name that comes to mind, but previous experience has shown us that the company is extremely capable of producing some extremely strong performing memory.
If the G.Skill kit we looked at the other day wasn't for you because maybe the 2133MHz DDR clock wasn't enough or the fact it was an 8GB kit turned you off, the kit we're looking at today from ADATA improves both those areas. We'll get a bit more specific in just a moment, though.
When it comes to the performance line of memory from ADATA, the XPG series sits at the top. The XPG series from ADATA consists of three series at the moment. Alongside the original V1.0, we have the V2 and Gaming V2.0, with the V2 version being the one we're looking at today.
With the V2 available in two different colors, Tungsten Grey and Gold, you can see clearly below that we're dealing with the latter color. The heat sink looks good, and overall quality is strong. Like most companies who offer performance memory, you can see that ADATA has opted for a black PCB, which looks great. While there's not a whole lot of PCB to be seen due to the heat sink, the aesthetic benefit that the black PCB brings is always nice.

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On both sides, you can see the XPG and ADATA logo clearly in the middle of the memory kit. Both sides are identical except for the fact that one does offer us a sticker that gives us some of the main information regarding the kit we're dealing with today.

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Moving in closer, you can see the AX3U2400W8G11-DGV model number that gives us a little bit of information. Below that, though, you can see exactly what we're dealing with here today. You can see the kit comes in at 2400MHz DDR, or PC3-19200, out of the package. You can also see that this is an 8GB module that is part of a 16GB kit.
Since we're dealing with a higher speed out of the box, it comes as no surprise that the timings are slightly looser than what we saw out of the G.Skill kit we looked at. This particular kit comes in at 11-13-13-35 @ 1.65v. While not seen here, it does offer a 1T Command Rate instead of the more relaxed 2T seen on a lot of modules. Heading into the BIOS, it comes as no surprise that after selecting the XMP profile the system booted straight away. Below, you can see just how everything looked on our GIGABYTE Z87X-OC Force motherboard.

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Under AIDA64, we ended up with Read / Write numbers of 34,786 MB/s / 37,581 MB/s, a copy speed of 33,598 MB/s, and latency of 44.9ns. Compared to the G.Skill kit we looked at recently, you can see the extra MHz helps push our overall MB/s a decent chunk north. At 2133MHz DDR, the G.Skill kit was offering between 28,000 MB/s to 31,000 MB/s, depending on which test you looked at. While the timings are more relaxed, the extra 267MHz DDR makes up for it and pushes more data through the kit.
As always, once we've tested the kit at its out of the box speeds, we head back into the BIOS to see just how much more we can get out of the kit. Unfortunately, when it came to achieving more MHz, we just couldn't get anything extra out of the kit. As always, this is disappointing. We tried to relax the timings a little, made sure the latest BIOS was installed, and did all the normal things to help improve the MHz, but we really couldn't get anything noteworthy out of it.
Of course, that doesn't mean it's the end of our testing. If we can't get any more MHz out of the kit, we do the next best thing. Try and reduce the timings on the kit to add more performance. Normally our first step when it comes to this is to reduce the Command Rate from 2T to 1T. ADATA has already been quite aggressive in the Command Rate area, though, as we mentioned earlier. While most companies opt for the 2T Command rate, ADATA instead opted for the 1T meaning that we couldn't move in that area.
With nowhere to move when it comes to the Command Rate we have to go straight for the jugular and attack the timings. This is always a tedious task as we have to adjust four different areas. Messing around with our four main timings and the voltage of the kit, you can see we managed to move to a more aggressive 10-12-12-30-1T @ 1.7v setup.

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Under AIDA64 we ended up with Read / Write numbers of 34,819 MB/s / 37,492 MB/s, a copy speed of 33,544 MB/s, and latency of 44.7ns. Comparing the two results, you can see little changes when it comes to the raw MB/s. The only area that we see a little bit of movement in is the latency, which drops ever so slightly.
With not too much to report on, we head back into the BIOS to see what happens with the overall speed when we push our CPU clock north. With a 48x Multiplier and a 99.8 BLCK, we end up with our CPU running at 4888.4MHz, a strong overclock from the default 3500MHz. Looking below, you can see the ADATA kit continues to run at the same 2400MHz DDR with the more aggressive 10-12-12-30-1T @ 1.7v setup.

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Under AIDA64, we ended up with Read / Write numbers of 34,950 MB/s / 37,534 MB/s, a copy speed of 33,813 MB/s, and latency of 43.5ns. Knowing that the Z87 platform brings little change to Read, Write, and Copy numbers, we didn't expect much change, even with the GHz+ overclock on the CPU. Compared to the previous results and our first ones, you can see on a whole there's really nothing much to see when it comes to these areas.
The one area that does see improvement, though, is the overall latency, which has moved from 44.9ns in our first test to 43.5ns in the last one. Overall, though, you can see that overclocking the CPU as usual brings with it little difference in overall performance.
It's a little easy to find yourself a little disappointed with the lack of overclocking when it comes to the ADATA kit we're looking at today, but this is a really nice kit of RAM that will suit a lot of people. Priced at around the mid $100 mark, it's less than double the price of the 8GB G.Skill kit we looked at. It's roughly only around 60 percent more expensive for 100 percent more memory.
If that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, the 2400MHz DDR clock out of the box is great. It's made even better by the fact that ADATA offers us a 1T Command Rate via the XMP profile. That means that by simply loading the XMP profile in the BIOS, you're getting yourself a decently timed kit of RAM.

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Of course, overclocking is something that can always differ from product to product, and while we didn't have any luck getting extra MHz out of the kit, the improvement on the timings was nice. Looking at the performance difference, though, you can see why most people would choose to just go into the BIOS, set the XMP profile, and leave it at that. The biggest change in performance comes with the CPU speed increase, and that's only in the latency area.
The ADATA kit we're looking at today comes out of the box with decent speed and timings and doesn't cost a fortune. If you're looking for a 16GB kit of RAM and you want something that offers a bit more MHz, this is a fantastic kit. While ADATA might not be the first company that comes to mind when buying performance memory, having a look at what the company offers here today shows that they're someone that you should consider.
PRICING: You can find the ADATA V2 16GB (Gold) RAM Kit for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.
United States: The ADATA V2 16GB (Gold) RAM Kit retails for $155.14 at Amazon.

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MAINGEAR Offers AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Graphics In Desktops
MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks and workstations has just added AMD Radeon R9 295X2 video card solution to their award winning up desktop offerings.

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The new AMD Radeon R9 295X2 video card was engineered for ultimate performance and for the first time in industry history, the video card reference design ships with an advanced closed-loop water cooling system. Hardcore gamers and PC enthusiasts will enjoy cool temperatures that are also extremely quiet during the high demand of their PCs right out the box without any tweaking.

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MAINGEAR's SHIFT will fit a single card configuration, while the Rush and Force desktops can be outfitted with dual card options. All MAINGEAR systems with this new card will take advantage of PC games enabled with AMD Mantle that offers high quality imagery and performance. For those gamers looking to get a maxed out performance, they can setup for ultra-settings with 4K gaming and even get over two million pixel more than 4k by combining give HD screens in an AMD Eyefinity Setup. The MAINGEAR RUSH will have its own AMD R9 295X2 Edition that offers two video cards and is painted in a Ferrari Red exterior color called the MAINGEAR Rush Vesuvius Edition.
"We're excited for the introduction of the AMD Radeon R9 295X2 to Maingear's system lineup, enabling a first-class gaming experience with the world's fastest video card," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. "With the AMD Radeon R9 295X2, ultra-enthusiast gamers can effortlessly run any game at maximum settings in 4K while benefiting from industry-acclaimed Mantle to maximize performance."
"When we add a new card to our lineup, we always put it through its paces, "said Wallace Santos CEO of MAINGEAR, "Our commitment to only integrating the best parts available completely represents itself in the AMD Radeon R9 295X2, the build quality of the card, the new innovative features, and the over the top performance truly earns it its place in a MAINGEAR machine."
All MAINGEAR custom build PC products are supported with lifetime labor and phone support with one to three year hardware warranty.

Logitech Launches First-of-Its-Kind Logitech G Tunable Gaming Mouse
Logitech, a leading innovator of gaming peripherals, today introduced its newest Logitech G mouse, the Logitech G502 Proteus Core Tunable Gaming Mouse. This extremely customizable mouse combines the world's first 12,000 DPI sensor with advanced surface and weight tuning to help you maximize your victory potential. "I've been super excited to use this mouse in public, I got to test it and it felt great! Was super comfortable and just fit perfectly to my hand," said Hai Lam, team captain for Cloud 9. "Adjusting the DPI is super easy and very flexible. This is probably my favorite mouse to date!" As with every product in the Logitech G lineup, Proteus Core reflects Logitech's commitment to putting science to work to help you win.

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"With the world's best sensor technology, complete surface, weight and balance tuning and mechanical switches, we have made a mouse that dominates," said Ehtisham Rabbani, general manager of the Logitech gaming business. "The Logitech G team believes that when hype fades, Science Wins!"
Superior Tracking
Proteus Core features the Logitech G exclusive Delta Zero technology in the world's most powerful and accurate sensor. Combining a huge DPI range of 200 all the way up to 12,000 with zero sensor acceleration, zero smoothing or filtering, and zero pixel rounding, the mouse is designed to deliver unparalleled tracking performance and responsiveness, and can track movement at 300 inches per second.
Superior Tuning
Proteus Core allows you to calibrate the sensor against a gaming surface's unique physical and reflective characteristics, reconfiguring itself for optimal performance. This means you can achieve peak tracking speed and minimal lift-off distance on whatever gaming surface you use. So whether you prefer your mouse pads hard or soft, light or dark, you can get the best-possible tracking response.
To maximize physical feel and performance, Proteus Core lets you adjust its weight and center of balance through the placement of up to five 3.6g weights in the mouse. For complete control over your game you can use Logitech Gaming Software to reassign any command or macro to one of the 11 programmable buttons thanks to the 32-bit ARM processor controlling Proteus Core's onboard memory.
Superior Controls
While most gaming mice feature a monolithic key-plate that can flex and warp, Proteus Core has individual left and right keys that provide a rigid and stable platform, resulting in more precise, durable, and satisfying clicks. To further enhance feel, speed, and accuracy, we use mechanical micro-switches under every key. And our exclusive dual-mode hyper-fast scroll wheel has been improved to offer enhanced click-to-click precision and lightning-fast scrolling for the Web.
Pricing and Availability
The Logitech G502 Proteus Core Tunable Gaming Mouse is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in April 2014, for a suggested retail price of $79.99

Corsair Releases Black Aluminum Vengeance K70 Mechanical Gaming Keyboards
Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance PC gaming hardware, today announced that the award-winning Vengeance K70 mechanical gaming keyboard -- in black aluminum with red backlit keys - is now available with Cherry MX Blue and Brown keyswitches in addition to the original Cherry MX Reds. Similar to all Vengeance gaming keyboards, the latest K70 doesn't miss when it counts due to genuine German-made Cherry MX switches, the most popular and accurate mechanical keyswitches for gamers - with over 5 billion sold.

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The sophisticated aesthetics of the refreshed Vengeance K70 gaming keyboard starts with an anodized black aluminum chassis for long-lasting durability and timeless style. Vibrant red backlighting shines through each key, oozing an industrial look capable of complimenting any gamer den. The overall backlighting can be adjusted to four levels of intensity while the lighting for each key can be independently enabled or disabled. The key-by-key lighting customization allows users to highlight just the keys they need to emphasize, such as WASD, and then save the setting directly to the K70's onboard memory.

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"We re-evaluated all of the available key switches on the market including new clones of the Cherry MX," said Jason Christian, product manager for gaming keyboards and mice at Corsair. "None could match the consistent performance and reliability across the keyboards like the original German Cherry MX switches."
Vengeance K70 features:

Never miss a keystroke: the combination of a 100% anti-ghosted matrix, full n-key rollover and 1000Hz reporting rate provide lightning fast accuracy that you can always count on
Media maven Multimedia controls give quick access to volume, skip tracks, play, stop, and pause
Useful USB port supports accessories such as a Vengeance gaming headset or mouse
Rest your wrists with a removable soft-touch pad that provides extra comfort for lengthy gaming or typing sessions
Get that pro look with alternate red-colored, contoured textured keycaps for the WASD keys and 1-6 keycaps for additional customization

Available in three different Cherry MX mechanical switch types to suite different gaming and typing preferences:

Cherry MX Red - for smooth, linear key response for ultra-fast double and triple taps without a tactile "bump" or audible click
Cherry MX Brown switches - for fast and precise actuation with a light tactile feedback "bump" for comfortable typing and minimal audible click
Cherry MX Blue switches - for great gaming performance with an assertive tactile feedback and audible click that can be helpful when typing

Pricing, Availability, and Warranty
The new versions Vengeance K70 gaming keyboard will be available in April with a suggested retail price of $129.99 USD backed with a two-year warranty.

Noctua Presents the NH-D15 Dual Tower CPU Cooler
Noctua today introduced its new flagship-model NH-D15. Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, the NH-D15 is an elite-class dual tower cooler for the highest demands.

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"Having convinced tens of thousands of quiet cooling enthusiasts around the globe, our NH-D14 has become a reference for top-tier dual tower heat sinks", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "In the end, it took us more than three years of continuous development, countless thermal simulations and over hundred samples to come up with a substantial improvement in efficiency. Staying true to our policy of not releasing anything we're not 100% satisfied with, we had to accept some delays in order to squeeze out the last few percent of performance, but now we're proud to finally release the NH-D15 as a worthy successor to the venerable D14."

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Noctua's NH-D14 has received more than 350 awards and recommendations from leading international hardware websites and magazines, making it one of the most successful premium heat sinks ever built. With its expanded layout and dual NF-A15 fans, the NH-D15 further improves the D14's much acclaimed quiet cooling performance.
Compared to the NH-D14, the NH-D15's fin-stack has been widened from 140 to 150 mm and its heat pipes are now spaced further apart, which allows for a more uniform heat distribution over a larger surface area and thus contributes to the NH-D15's superior efficiency. Thanks to its recessed lower fins, the NH-D15 provides 64mm clearance for tall memory heat sinks in single fan mode, making it compatible with most high-end RAM modules on the market.
The NF-A15 premium fans supplied with the NH-D15 support PWM for convenient automatic speed control through the mainboard. In addition, the maximum fan speed can be reduced from 1500 to 1200 rpm using the supplied Low-Noise Adaptor for even quieter operation.
Topped off with the trusted, pro-grade SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system, Noctua's proven NT-H1 thermal compound and full 6 years manufacturer's warranty, the NH-D15 forms a complete premium quality solution that represents a deluxe choice for overclockers and silent-enthusiasts alike.
Pricing and availability
The NH-D15 will be available by mid-April at suggested retail prices of EUR 89.90 / USD 99.90.

Samsung Accelerates Ramp Up of #DDR4 Production
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, said today that it is accelerating its production ramp up of DDR4 memory modules to accommodate an anticipated strong market demand along with the approaching introduction of the new Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family. DDR4 is the most advanced memory for server and high-performance computing applications.

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"At Samsung, we are taking the lead in readying the DDR4 market to coincide with the introduction of the next-generation Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family, and plan to contribute to creating a bigger market for DRAM in the second half of 2014," said Jim Elliott, corporate vice president, Memory Marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. "We will continue to introduce high-density DDR4 modules for global OEMs that will facilitate the launch of next-generation enterprise servers and will maximize IT investment efficiency."
"Samsung's new 20 nm process technology will play a major role in driving DDR4 adoption in conjunction with the launch of the future Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family," said Geof Findley, director, PMO Memory Enabling & Applications Engineering, Intel Corporation. "The integration of Samsung DDR4 memory as part of future Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v3-based systems will drive higher performance and lower power consumption in the enterprise and data center markets."
Samsung's DDR4 memory provides significant benefits to server manufacturers including lower power consumption, reliability and improved system performance with current speeds up to 2400 megabits per second (Mbps).
Samsung is ramping production of its entire family of 4 Gb-based DDR4 modules in preparation for future systems based on the Intel's Xeon processor E5-2600 v3 product family. They include DDR4 RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, and ECC SODIMMs, as well as x4, x8 and x16 DDR4 chips. Later this year, Samsung will also facilitate a transition to 8 Gb 32 GB DDR4 modules for the high density server market.
"The industry-leading 20 nm process from Samsung is a compelling advancement in the DDR4 market," said Victor de Dios, president, DE DIOS & ASSOCIATES, Newark, CA. "The advantages of lower power, faster performance, and higher densities will enable DDR4 demand to increase seven-fold in 2015 and exceed DDR3 in server platforms," he added.
Samsung DDR4 LRDIMMs, RDIMMs, and ECC SODIMMs are available globally in densities from 8 GB to 64 GB at speeds of 2133 to 2400 Mbps.

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