Thermaltake Urban T81 Review
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Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition Arriving October 15
Back in October 2013, Pinkerton Road Studio and Phoenix Online Studios announced that it was remaking Jane Jensen's classic 1993 point-and-click adventure game, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. Today, the studios announced that the remake, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition is scheduled to arrive for PC (Windows and Mac) roughly a year after the original announcement, on October 15, 2014. The game is currently available for pre-order on Steam, GOG.com, the Phoenix Online Store, and other retailers with a 15% pre-order discount, knocking the price down to $16.99 from its standard $19.99 price tag. In addition, pre-ordering nets you the official soundtrack by Robert Holmes.
Source: Press Release and Official Site
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New Alloy that Strengthens as it Cools
Thousands of years ago, humanity discovered how to create metallic alloys, which can often have properties superior to the original materials used. One example would be bronze, which is stronger than the copper that it is largely comprised of. Now researchers at Berkeley Lab and ORNL have discovered a new high-entropy alloy that could be of special use in extremely cold situations.
Typically alloys are composed of a few elements, with one representing the primary component, such as copper in bronze and iron in steel. High-entropy alloys however are made of multiple elements, and none is more dominant than another, and it has been theorized that such a material would have special properties. The Berkeley and ORNL researchers have put that to the test with CrMnFeCoNi (chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, and nickel) and were actually surprised by the results. The alloy's tensile strength and fracture toughness are among some of the highest values ever recorded, and actually improve at cryogenic temperatures. The researchers believe it is because of a phenomenon called 'nano-twinning' which involves deformations in one crystalline region to be mirrored in another. This causes continuous strain hardening, which protects against premature failing.
This unique improvement at cryogenic temperature makes the alloy of great interest for making storage tanks for liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, and oxygen. These special mechanical properties have not been optimized yet, so CrMnFeCoNi may improve as research continues.
Source: Berkeley Lab
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Biostar J1800NH2 to Support Intel Bay Trail
The JH1800NH2 is the latest motherboard from Biostar and it is a mini ITX solution targeting the Intel Bay Trail chipset. The System on a Chip design of the board allows for the small form factor with a fan-less design and low power consumption. The board presents several options for system configurations including offices, digital signage, thin clients, and kiosks. The small size doesn't limit the functionality of the board as it supports up to 16GB of DDR3, one PCIe 2.0 slot, and two SATA2 connections.
Source: Press Release
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Cooler Master Brings the CM Storm Mizar to North America
Cooler Master, a leading provider of computer chassis, power supplies, and CPU coolers, has announced that it has brought the CM Storm Mizar gaming mouse to the North American market. The mouse, which was released in the United Kingdom channel roughly six months ago, feature hardware geared directly towards gamers. An 8200 DPI Avago 9800 Laser Sensor enables excellent accuracy and control, while the ergonomic and sculpted design provides reduced nerve compression. The CM Storm Mizar also features seven programmable buttons, as well as a multi-color LED CM Storm logo that can be adjusted by users.
The CM Storm Mizar is available immediately from the CM Store for $59.99, and carries a two-year warranty that includes parts, product replacement, and free technical support.
Source: Press Release
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Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies Infecting Steam September 23
Last month, Nexon announced that it was bringing free-to-play Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies to Steam in Q3 2014. The Steam store page popped up today, and with it came the reveal of its release date: September 23. The game offers some classic Counter-Strike gameplay along with a slew of additional gameplay modes, new guns, new maps, and new characters: the game is more than just about zombies, with over twenty different modes to choose from in both PvP and PvE flavors; there are more guns at your disposal, along with crafting; there are over 60 maps, including classic maps from Counter-Strike; and female characters join the previously male-dominated roster, along with playable zombies. Nexon also promises frequent updates that add even more content over time. Unfortunately, don't expect it to look as good as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as it uses the old GoldSrc engine, not the Source engine.
Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, member states of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. You only need a Steam account to play, no Nexon ID is needed. All servers are provided by Nexon, but players can make their own private and public rooms, setting them to their desired maps and modes.
Source: Steam [1] & [2]
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HighPoint Announces Thunderbolt 2 External Docks
HighPoint has announced the latest additions to its Thunderbolt 2 offerings in the form of a pair of external docking stations. The first is the RocketStor 6351A, offering multiple connection options. The 6351A offers two USB 3.0 ports, a single 6Gb/s eSATA port, and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. In addition to the connection options, the 6351A can also be used as a charging station and supports Rapid Charging Mode for iOS devices. The RocketStor 5212 is the first Thunderbolt 2 storage dock to hit the market and enables users to attach SATA drives externally using a high speed Thunderbolt 2 connection. The 5212 is compatible with OS X Time Machine and also features external boot support.
Source: Press Release
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Apple Unveils Its First Wearable, Apple Watch, Coming Early 2015 for $350
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus weren't the only pieces of hardware Apple decided to unveil today; the company also unveiled its oft rumored first wearable device. Opting to call the device Apple Watch instead of iWatch, it features a sapphire display with four sensors on the back and is reportedly accurate up to 50ms. Interestingly, it's not touch-only, containing both a power button and what Apple calls a "Digital Crown" – a hardware dial on the side that can be used to navigate menus, zoom into images, and more. It also features inductive (wireless) charging.
The Apple Watch comes in three finishes (aluminum, stainless steel, and 18-carat gold) and two sizes, in addition to featuring a variety of straps to choose from. However, the straps are proprietary and not standard, so don't expect to use one from your existing watch. As expected, the device has a built-in heart-rate monitor and fitness tracker, removing the need for users to carry around additional devices like a Fitbit. That being said, there is a major and unfortunate caveat – it requires an iPhone 5.
The Apple Watch ships with two dedicated apps, Activity and Workout. The Activity app is pretty interesting and acts like your very own personal trainer of sorts. The app measures the quantity of your sitting, standing, and movement on a daily basis and creates a regimen for you to follow. It features three "rings" on the display, each representing a specific task you must complete that day. When you complete a task, its ring disappears. One ring may require you to move at a pace above a brisk walk for more than 30 minutes, while another may require you to stand for one minute out of every hour during a twelve-hour period. If the Activity app notices you vegging out on the couch for too long, it may give you a gentle nudge to get off your lazy bum and do something.
Meanwhile, the Workout app is more like what you'd expect from a fitness tracker, and is obviously for when you truly want to exercise. You can set goals based on target of calories burned, time spent exercising, or distance covered. The app will keep you updated on your progress and monitor your heart-rate and movement activity. Both apps save their data to the Health app on your connected iPhone, where everything is aggregated. Thankfully, Apple allows third-party apps to access that data if you already have one you like to use. In addition, Apple has create a third-party tool called WatchKit, which will help developers integrate compatible apps with the Watch's Glances screen. For example, if you own an electric BMW, you would be able to check the charging status of your car right from your Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch is going to sell for $350 and is expected to arrive Early 2015.
Source: Engadget [1] & [2] & [3]
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Nest Announces Compatibility with Additional Home Automation Gear
Nest Labs has publically revealed that more products than ever are now compatible with its own lineup of devices. Thanks to the “Works with Nest” developer program, which was announced last year, all Nest products are now compatible with Control4, Crestron, Dropcam, Remote Technologies Incorporated, and Universal Remote Control. Due to the announcement, Dropcam, which was purchased by Nest earlier this year, automates the process of recording and saving video clips when triggered by Nest Protect, a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm currently offered by Nest. According to Nest founder Matt Rogers, "Professional installers are a key market partner for Nest and we’re committed to enabling our products to connect with the home automation systems they trust and install every day.”
Source: The Verge
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Amazon Prime Instant Video Now Available on Android
After months of waiting, Amazon has just made its Prime Instant Video service available to Android users. The news comes after Russell Morris, the marketing director at Amazon Instant Video, revealed this past July that the service would be released for the Google mobile operating system. Amazon has incorporated its video service into its core shopping application, allowing Android users who subscribe to Amazon Prime to download and utilize the Prime Instant Video player to watch movies and television shows on their mobile device. With the service finally available on Android phones, Amazon is ensuring that more customers than ever now have access to it.
The video player that allows Android users to use Amazon Prime Instant Video, which can be accessed immediately, is only available through the Amazon Appstore.
Source: Engadget
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Apple Unveils the Highly Anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus; Shipping September 19
Apple held its live event today, with everyone expecting the official reveal of two iPhone 6 models, among other things. Indeed, Apple did unveil both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Both phones use a 64-bit A8 processor, which is reportedly 50% more energy efficient and 25% more powerful than the A7 in the iPhone 5s. There's also a new M8 coprocessor to help better track activity levels. Unfortunately, those hoping for a beefier camera are out of luck. Both versions come with a mere 8mp iSight camera, though it does feature phase detecting auto-focus, similar to the technology in SLRs. In addition, the Plus contains optical image stabilization.
Both versions will also ship with iOS 8, which will be available to download for iPhone 4s and greater, iPad 2 and greater, and fifth-generation iPod touch beginning September 17. Included in iOS 8 is a newly announced payment processing app called Apple Pay, which uses NFC, Touch ID, and a Secure Element chip to keep your precious credit card info under lock and key, with the ability to suspend payments right from the phone if your card gets lost or stolen, without the need to make a phone call. NFC connectivity is new to both versions of iPhone 6, so it's unclear if the app will be usable by previous generations.
While there are a lot of similarities among the two versions, there are also quite a few differences. The major difference is of course in their size. The iPhone 6 is the 4.7" model with a 1334x750 Retina Display HD screen, coming in at just 6.99mm thick. The iPhone 6 Plus is the 5.5" model with a 1080p Retina Display HD screen, coming in at 7.1mm thick (still thinner than the iPhone 5s). The larger size of the Plus has presumably allowed for a much larger battery as indicated by the battery life numbers Apple revealed: four hours of 3G talk time for the 6, 24 hours for the Plus; ten days standby for the 6, 16 days for the Plus; and 11 hours of video for the 6, 14 hours for the Plus. That's a pretty substantial increase for the Plus model.
Source: Engadget [1] & [2] & [3] & [4] & [5]
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Heterojunctions of Doped Graphene Nanoribbons Created
That wonder material, graphene has many amazing electrical properties to it, but before it can be used, certain advancements need to be made. Researchers at EMPA have just made one by successfully creating heterojunctions within graphene nanoribbons. The researchers were also able to transfer the graphene piece from a conductive gold substrate to another, nonconductive material, which is vitally important for use in electronics.
Normally graphene, an atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms, is a conductor capable of carrying electrons at very high speeds, but when prepared as ultra-narrow nanoribbons, it becomes a semicondudctor. Semiconductors have what is known as a bandgap, which allows them to be switched from a conductive to a nonconductive state, and that is a needed feature for use in electronic circuits. What the EMPA researchers have discovered is that it is possible to dope graphene nanoribbons with nitrogen atoms and combine them with pure-graphene nanoribbons. This results in a p-n junction, as the nitrogen atoms introduce additional electrons, giving part of the nanoribbon a negative charge, while the remainder has a relative positive charge. This structure forces currents to only flow in one direction.
This kind of junction is a basic building block for many, more advanced electronic structures, such as transistors. The researchers estimate we will not see graphene nanoribbons used to create electronic switches in products for over a decade, but this work is bringing that day closer.
Source: Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
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There's No Escaping the Threat in Alien: Isolation
Creative Assembly has released a new video for Alien: Isolation entitled "No Escape", which is the first in a new #HowWillYouSurvive series of videos. This series of videos will feature "new footage showing different areas of the station as Amanda tries to outmaneuver the desperate situations she comes up against." As you might guess from the title "No Escape", it doesn't end particularly well for Amanda this time around...
Source: Press Release
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LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Becomes the First LEGO Game to Receive a Season Pass
The Season Pass craze has infected a LEGO video game for the first time. Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) announced that LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will be getting a Season Pass containing six DLC packs, with each one containing a unique themed mission level with story and free play modes. The first three packs will be available immediately at launch:
The remaining three DLC packs have not been unveiled yet, but WBIE promises over 40 additional characters by the time the Season Pass is complete, along with new vehicles. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham launches November 11 in North America, November 14 in the UK, and November 12 in the rest of Europe for PC (Windows and Mac), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo 3DS.The Dark Knight Pack
Experience the heart-pounding chase scene from the iconic film complete with cool vehicles and explosive action. Play as the legendary Dark Knight and Commissioner Gordon, as well as the Joker and his goons as they chase down Harvey Dent’s police escort. Bane and Catwoman from the third film are also playable.
Man of Steel Pack
Help Jor-El, his wife Lara and their robot Kelex send the infant Superman “Kal-el” into space towards the safety of Earth as Krypton falls into chaos. Find a way inside Jor-El’s home, fight General Zod’s invading forces and battle against Zod himself to save Superman.
Batman 75th Anniversary Pack
Play as Joker and Harley, setting up a variety of celebration set pieces. Be the Batman and play as some of the most iconic faces of Batman through the years, including his first appearance in Detective Comics #27.
Source: Press Release
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Artificial Cytoskeleton Membrane Moves
Many researchers have the goal of recreating something in Nature, such as the cells that living creatures are comprised of. Modern cells are very complex though, which is why researchers at Technische Universitaet Muenchen decided to look to what primordial cells were like, with the hope of one day building to complexity from simpler parts. Recently one of these simple parts achieved the ability to move on its own, which is a first for an artificial cytoskeleton membrane.
The earliest cells were just membranes with a few molecules inside, which is a functional if simple design. What the researchers created has a membrane similar to modern cells, with vesicals of microtubules, and kinesin moecules. Kinesins act as molecular motors in real cells, moving particles around along microtubules. In the artificial cell though, they instead move bundles of microtubules around, creating a constantly moving liquid crystal layer under the membrane. Thanks to a piece of mathematics figuratively called the 'hairy ball' theorem, we know that there must be a point that a bundle of microtubules are perpendicular to the other bundles, and the membrane. By varying the water content of the cell through osmosis, causing the membrane to collapse, and spiked extensions to form. These spikes, like those of living cells, can be used for movement.
Thanks to the minimalistic approach used here, this cell model could be used in the future to recreate living cells with a modular approach. Also, because the behavior of the artificial cell can be described by physics, it could be used to improve our understanding of how cells deform.
Source: Technische Universitaet Muenchen
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