IT News HeadLines (Elite Bastards) 09/03/2010

Elite Bastards review: ASUS Maximus III Formula motherboard

Looking for a high-end Intel P55 chipset motherboard with an eye towards some hardcore overclocking? ASUS' Maximus III Formula might be just the board to tempt you as part of the company's Republic of Gamers range, and today we take a look at this particular part to see if it can live up to its potential.

ASUS' motherboard layouts always tend to impress, and the Maximus III Formula sticks to that clean but effective layout, which should prevent anything too major in the way of component placement conflicts or the like.

The rear of the motherboard offers up a single PS/2 port for a keyboard, nine USB 2.0 ports (one of which is offered up for ASUS' RoG Connect functionality), a single FireWire and eSATA port and a Gigabit RJ45 network jack.

ASUS Maximus III Formula motherboard review

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Sony to enable PlayStation Portable games on other devices?

Rumours about a "PSP 2" in some shape or form seem to crop up relatively frequently, but the latest speculation surrounding the future of Sony's handheld console business suggests that a next-generation PlayStation Portable might not be a dedicated console at all, but rather a smartphone of some description.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Sony is planning to release a smart-phone capable of downloading and running PSP games along with a portable device that blurs distinctions between netbooks, electronic book readers as well as portable game consoles. The two devices are expected to compete against various multi-function products that are already available and are incoming from various makers.

Quite naturally, Sony would not confirm or deny plans to release certain products, but, fairly speaking, it would be natural for Sony to diversify its PlayStation Portable business: not everyone wants to carry a number of devices, but would prefer one or two universal gadgets despite of quality of experience. Therefore, Sony’s plans to release a PlayStation Smartphone and a slate-type PC are completely logical.

X-Bit Labs have the story in full.

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Panasonic G2 and G10 Micro Four Thirds digital camera preview

For many years, there's been quite a gulf in terms of both image quality and size when it comes to comparing a digital SLR camera with a compact digital model. To try and bridge this gap, Panasonic introduced their Micro Four Thirds range of digital cameras, looking to offer features and image quality that come close to a DSLR but in a device which comes closer to a compact camera in size. With the company introducing two new offerings in this range, Hardware Zone have spent some hands-on time with both of them.

The Micro Four Thirds digital camera system looks set to stay, as Panasonic reveals their latest cameras in the line - the Lumix DMC-G2 and the DMC-G10. The G2 is the update to the very first Micro Four Thirds camera released to market, the G1 which debuted in late 2008. The G2 features a brand-new touch-sensitive, articulating LCD screen, with touch controls. The G10 is the G2's sister model, looking similar but lacking some of the G2's features, think of it as the more affordable, entry-level offering in the G-series.

Besides the two new cameras, Panansonic is also launching a new lens, the new LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization), which is a 35mm camera equivalent of 28-84mm.

We've had the G2 and G10 prototypes in our office for a while now, enough to gleam some first impressions. We'd like to point out that these are prototypes, and while most of their aspects should already be set in stone, the finished model may differ in some details. The new 14-42mm lens can be seen on the G10.

You can read their full preview right here.

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