VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #18

April 5th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone

VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!
and backup solutions, it also offers print and media server
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covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks. more at a price that is easy on the wallet.
OCZ Vertex 3 Solid State Drive Tests @ Benchmark Reviews
The Daily VR-Zone News Description: The OCZ Vertex 3 SSD is based on the second-
generation SandForce's SF-2281 SATA 6Gb/s controller and
Summary - 5 April 2011 maintains all of the original core technology introduced in the
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--5- original SF-1200 series, but now improves SSD performance
april-2011/11454.html with 20% faster IOPS and 40% faster sequential read/write
April 5th, 2011 throughput. OCZ promises 60,000 IOPS at up to 550 MB/
s transfer speeds with the Vertex 3 SSD, and Benchmark
Reviews confirms that they're keeping this promise with tests
of the new storage device on a B3-stepping Sandy Bridge
platform against the Crucial RealSSD C400.
Sapphire Radeon HD 6790 1GB Video Card Review
Description: If all those NDAs last month weren't already
In today's news roundup: Reviews of AMD's Radeon HD6790 enough for everyone, we start the NDA run for April nice and
graphics card have started making their presence known on early. With AMD having taken care of the high end segment
the Internet; Thermaltake's Level 10 GT chassis gets reviewed; with cards like the HD 6970 and HD 6990, while also taking
A group of Windows Phone 7 hackers have released an update care of that mid-range - high end segment with cards from the
that allows existing WP7 users to get the latest Microsoft HD 6800 series, it was only a matter of time 'till we saw some
NoDo patches for their smartphones without having to wait more mid-range, cheaper cards hit the market. Considering
for carriers to officially roll out the update; More information NVIDIA released the GTX 550 Ti last month and more mid-
about Dell's elusive Alienware M14x notebook gets revealed; range models are rumored, it comes as no surprise that AMD
Japan is attempting to proceed on with life as usual by are starting to release their line-up. The first comes in the form
announcing that the Tokyo Game Show 2011 event will take of the HD 6790. It's clear that the xx30 naming scheme didn't
place as planned, and EA has launched their new online-only, work for them in the past, so it seems they've decided to look
free-to-play version of Battlefield. at a 50, 70 and 90 line-up now.
Hardware news Thermaltake Armor A30 SFF Chassis Review
Thermaltake Level 10 GT Case Review Description: Now, when most people think SFF, they
Description: Taking some cues from the original Level 10, immediately gravitate to Lian Li or Silverstone, but dreams of
Thermaltake hopes to be able to capitalize on it by offering a building a portable gamer on a budget usually get dashed by
more down to earth 'GT' version. Not only is the Level 10 GT the cost of a full aluminum chassis, or maybe the configuration
more affordable, it's also smaller and lighter, but has it lost all and airflow aren't up to par to handle the powerhouse you plan
that made the original such a work of art? to put in the smallest package possible to impress your friends
and foes at the next LAN event. Thermaltake jumped in with
Mach Xtreme Technology MX-GX 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive both feet and threw the A60 in the dryer for a while until it was
Review @ Madshrimps just the right size. Not in reality, just conceptually.
Description: The Mach Xtreme MX-GX USB 3.0 Flash Drives
offer incredible read speeds and come in 4 different flavours: AMD Radeon HD 6790 1GB Video Card Review @ Legit
8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB; they are also priced competitively, Reviews
the 16GB model being found at CaseKing.de for about 29.90 Description: AMD wanted a video card to fill in the price
Euros. and performance gap between the Radeon HD 6850 and the
Radeon HD 5770. The release of the Radeon HD 6790 graphics
Synology DS-211J Diskstation Two-Bay NAS Review @ card at the $149.99 price point should fill that gap and give
Tweaknews the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti a run for its money. Read
Description: Synology's DS211j is a great addition to an on to see how the AMD Radeon HD 6790 compares to dozens
expanding home network. Not only does it provide storage

1


of other cards and yes, we also overclock it and show you the update their phone to the latest version of Windows Phone 7.
thermals and power numbers! The update works on any WP7 phone (that use the supported
languages: English US, English UK, French, Italian, Spanish
Radeon HD 6790: Ace Up The Sleeve @ InsideHW
and German) and has the pre-NoDo update, NoDo update 1
Description: Last month, NVIDIA nicely summed up this
& 2 all in one process. As usual, this is an unofficial method
year’s first quarter with GTX 550, which seemed like a great
to update your phone, so make sure you know what you’re
competitor against Radeon HD 5770. Everything would have
doing before attempting anything, but from reports so far; the
been perfect for the Americans if AMD hadn’t already planned
update seems to work great. Head here for more details and
the counterattack for the very beginning of the second quarter,
let us know if you decide to use the update.
or to be precise, 5th April. The new Radeon is named HD 6790
and is somewhat of a modification, or a weakened version More shots, specs of Alienware M14x surface
of, Radeons HD 6850/6870, based on the Barts GPU. As Description: Thanks to Chinese tech site Zol, the previously
such, this model is based on the VLIW5 architecture, which leaked M14x gaming notebook from Alienware has been more
is somewhat old and doesn’t belong to the truly high-class fully uncovered. The specs also have been made more concrete,
Radeons; all chips from the Cayman family are based on with a quad-core, 2.3GHz Core i7 CPU and an NVIDIA
VLIW4 (Very Long Instruction Word). Besides, the Barts chip GeForce GT 555M both being present to give it relatively fast
located in HD 6970 has been weakened in order to replace the gaming. The notebook will also get Klipsch speakers and a
already obsolete HD 5770... stainless steel nameplate that can be engraved.
Consumer Electronics and Software news Next-gen iPod Nano to Also be a Tiny Camera?
Description: The previous generation of iPod nano had more
See your location history dashboard and more with Google
features than the current one. The older model packed a bigger
Maps 5.3 for Android
display as well as a video camera to capture 720p video. While
Description: Today, we’re happy to announce Google Maps 5.3
the quality wasn't great, it gave a very popular music player a
for Android, which lets you see your Google Location History
camera that worked for casual capture uses.
dashboard, check in at “home,” and add your own aspects for
places when rating them. Gaming news
Bing Becomes a Default Search Option for Firefox Tokyo Game Show 2011 To Proceed As Planned
Description: Companies like Microsoft and Google have a Description: Following Japan’s recent 9.0 earthquake last
major advantage due to their sheer size; they can optimize month, many events and services were delayed or shafted,
their extra products (such as IE9 and Chrome) for their people were concerned if it affects the Tokyo Game Show this
existing services (such as Bing and Google search). As such, the year. Fortunately, the organiser CESA has confirmed that the
fact that Microsoft is losing ground with Internet Explorer is event will proceed as planned from September 15 to September
significant for all their additional products. Internet Explorer 18 at the Makuhari Messe just outside of Tokyo.
9, with its more minimalist structure, better hardware EA Launches Battlefield Play4Free
acceleration, improved security, and faster overall load times, Description: EA's free online battlefield has gone live.
is an attempt to re-capture that ground – and it’s little Battlefield Play4Free opened to the public this morning,
surprise that IE9 is also fully integrated with Bing. What may combining the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 with
be somewhat surprising, though, is that Microsoft has been the classes and weapons of Bad Company 2 for 32-player
working to integrate Bing with Firefox – their top browsing shootouts.
competitor.
NGP could be delayed by Japanese earthquake
Apple followers have difficulty coping with Android's fame Description: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Description: Fanzine Apple Insider appears to be having a president Jack Tretton says supply-chain disruptions caused
little difficulty when it comes to the fact that Apple is slowly by disaster may delay the forthcoming portable in some
losing the mobile operating system wars to Android. Faced regions.
with web analytics statistics that say that Android is kicking
the Apple OS's bottom, Apple Insider elected to say the
complete opposite to keep the reality distortion field going. NVIDIA announces Quadro
Raptor Gaming M3X gaming mouse: 4800DPI of fail
Description: The newly released M3X gaming mouse is the
400, empowers designers and
latest gaming mouse from German gaming peripheral maker engineers with 10x better
Raptor Gaming (being distributed by CompuExpert here in
the United States). The M3X has a good feature set and performance
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-announces-
it's certainly comfortable, but a critical, physical design flaw
quadro-400-empowers-designers-and-engineers-with-10x-better-
quickly makes it irritating and annoying to use.
performance/11805.html
Get Windows Phone 7 NoDo on your phone now
Description: For those of you who can’t bear to wait around
for your carrier or Microsoft to push out the NoDo update
to your Windows Phone 7 device, great news. Chris Walshie
of Team ChevronWP7 (the folks behind the WP7 “jailbreak”)
released a tool on his blog that allows all WP7 device owners to

2


April 5th, 2011 software drivers, and simplifies upgrading to a new
solution.

• Hardware 3D Window Clipping - Accelerated clip
regions enable faster data transfer between a window
and the frame buffer to improve overall graphics
performance.
NVIDIA announced today the Quadro 400 graphics
processing unit (GPU), a new professional graphics solution
that puts the power of the GPU in the hands of designers and • High-Quality Display Connectivity - Drives ultra-high-
engineers. Built for use with professional applications, such as resolution panels, producing phenomenal image quality,
Autodesk AutoCAD, the NVIDIA Quadro 400 GPU provides supporting two active connectors, including dual-link
up to 5x faster performance over high-end consumer gaming DVI with up to 3840 x 2400 resolution @ 24Hz on each
cards. It also gives up to 10x improvement when running panel, and DisplayPort (DP) with up to 2560 x 1600
industry leading CAD / CAM applications. resolution.

• NVIDIA® Mosaic™ Technology - Enhances workspace
across up to eight displays (using one card per two
displays), enabling seamless taskbar spanning, as well
as transparent scaling of any application. Works over
multiple displays or a single high-resolution display, and
with NVIDIA nView® desktop management software.

The NVIDIA Quadro 400 processor also supports NVIDIA
3D Vision™ and 3D Vision Pro active shutter glasses
3D technology that delivers crystal-clear, stereoscopic 3D
visualisation for the most immersive 3D experience, ranging
SINGAPORE - April 5, 2011 - NVIDIA announced today the from desktop workstations to collaborative work spaces.
NVIDIA Quadro® 400 graphics processing unit (GPU), a new
professional graphics solution that puts the power of the GPU
in the hands of designers and engineers. Designed, Built and Engineered by NVIDIA to the Highest
Standards of Quality
Built for use with professional applications, such as Autodesk
AutoCAD, the NVIDIA Quadro 400 GPU provides up to 5x As with all Quadro professional graphics cards, the Quadro
faster performance over high-end consumer gaming cards. 400 is designed, built and warranted by NVIDIA to provide
It also gives up to 10x improvement when running industry industry-leading performance and reliability when running
leading CAD / CAM applications. professional applications. Companies consistently certify
Quadro professional graphics solutions for their users whose
Priced at just US$169, the Quadro 400 GPU also offers livelihoods depend on them.
excellent power efficiency, consuming less than 35 watts, and
its low-profile footprint means it offers the flexibility to fit into
any workstation, including small form-factor systems. Availability and Pricing
With 512 MB of DDR3 memory, the Quadro 400 processor The Quadro 400 (US$169 MSRP) is available immediately
enables professionals to interact with a wide range of design for the HP Z800, Z600, and Z400 Workstations, and for
models. It also provides high visual fidelity, featuring a 30- all Fujitsu CELSIUS workstations. It will be available later
bit (10-bits per colour) colour engine with a dynamic range this month and next on select Lenovo ThinkStation D20,
of over one billion colour variations. Quadro 400 drivers are C20, S20 and E30 models. It's also available from NVIDIA
optimised and certified on leading professional applications. Quadro channel partners including PNY Technologies in
"Designers and engineers, whether designing the largest North America and Europe, ELSA in Japan, and Leadtek in
assemblies or smallest components, rely on Quadro," said Asia Pacific.
Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions Group,
NVIDIA. "The Quadro 400 is the right tool to help ensure
that job gets done the right way, especially when it comes to
running professional apps like Autodesk AutoCAD." Source: NVIDIA Press Release

Additional features of the new Quadro 400 GPU include:

• Unified Driver Architecture - Guarantees forward and
backward compatibility with professional application
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According to the latest statistics, the number of COMPUTEX
COMPUTEX 2011 Spotlight : TAIPEI 2011 exhibitors reached 1,800 and would be using
Smart Handheld Devices and more than 5,200 booths, up by 8% from 2010. It is
estimated that the number of overseas buyers will top 36,000
Internet of Things and expected to create US$25 billions worth of business
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/computex-2011-spotlight--smart- opportunity.
handheld-devices-and-internet-of-things/11804.html
April 5th, 2011
During the Pre-show Press Conference held in March 30 at
Taipei International Convention Center (TICC), Mr. Walter
Yeh, the executive vice president of Taiwan External Trade
Development Council (TAITRA) pointed out that COMPUTEX
TAIPEI is one of the international exhibitions for large
enterprises to launch their latest products, foreign enterprises
The Taipei Computer Association (TCA), the organizer include AMD, Hitachi, Intel, Microsoft and etc., while local
of COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011 has expressed that the change companies led by Acer, Asus, Foxconn (Hon Hai) and others;
in computer usage of the consumers and the applications which will showcase their latest products such as Tablets, e-
of Internet of Things (IOT) is increasing gradually, boosting Book readers, Smart phones, 3D Display and products related
Taiwan ICT industry toward the development of supply chain to cloud computing at COMPUTEX, brightly shining into the
for Smart Handheld Devices and IOT, which relevant products sight of thousands overseas buyers.
and devices will exhibit during COMPUTEX. Smart Handheld
Devices and Internet of Things (IOT) are the hottest words
in the ICT industry in 2010, including Tablets, Smartphone, Mr. Zhang Li, the deputy secretary general of TCA also
Internet TV, Smart TV, 3D display products become the mentioned that in the midst of Smart Handheld Devices,
spotlight of the global market, clearly show the wireless Tablet PC will have a tremendous force and becomes the focal
broadband infrastructure of the new information society is point during COMPUTEX 2011, estimating around 50~100
taking shape. new Tablet PCs to be displayed. Not only have the Taiwanese
ICT manufacturers to show its strength in development of the
Tablet PC, but also to seize a big piece of market shared from
the grip of iPad.

During the speech, Mr. Stephen Su, general director of
Industrial Economics and Knowledge (IEK) under the
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said the
average annual sales rate of netbook and e-book reader
will not go over 4% from the period of 2011~2014. As for
notebook will experience some effects, Su thinks that the
average annual sales rate of notebook will stay above 16% from
2011~2014. Complete research report named "How Tablet will
Transform the Landscape of ICT Industry" is available for
download under this link http://www.computex.biz/photo/
images/computexshow/list/file_20110330135542.pdf.
The mobile life becomes a trend after wireless broadband
is available, which driving the ICT manufacturers to
develop information technology products and equipments Smart Handheld Devices integrate with wireless broadband
for smart life. The Taipei Computer Association (TCA), makes a new information society
the organizer of COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011, the world's Li expressed that the Smart Handheld Devices and Internet
most complete communication supply chain industry, has of Things (IOT) are the hottest words in the ICT industry in
expressed that the change in computer usage of the 2010, including Tablets, Smartphone, Internet TV, Smart TV,
consumers and the applications of Internet of Things (IOT) is 3D display products become the spotlight of the global market,
increasing gradually, boosting Taiwan ICT industry toward the clearly show the wireless broadband infrastructure of the new
development of supply chain for Smart Handheld Devices and information society is taking shape.
IOT, which relevant products and devices will exhibit during
COMPUTEX, witnessing Taiwan ICT industry in steps with the
hottest trend that never stop growing! Starting from Q4 of 2010, TCA is conducting quarterly
economic prosperity survey where the audiences are the local
exhibitors, the result of each quarter refer as COMPUTEX
Gathering of large enterprises in COMPUTEX bolsters Exhibitor Index (CEI). The result of Q2, CEI is 1.64 that
explosive force on the Tablets means in the Above Average area, while 43% of interviewed
enterprises viewed between Good and Above Average. On the

4


statistical, the exhibitors whom are dealing with Tablet PC, The game is a direct sequel to the original Shift launched
Smartphone, Internet TV, Smart TV and products related PC back in 2009 and puts the basics in perspective by adding
systems including photo-electronics products are optimistic a rewarding experience system for everything you do in the
and gave Good rating on Q2. Consequently, TCA thinks that game, online or not. Together with game's economy which you
this coming June, many relevant products will be displayed earn by getting several achievements or winning a place, you
during COMPUTEX, which is worthy of expectation. are able to give your car some lovely cosmetics and engine
customizations. The sequel offers more than 140 vehicles from
37 manufacturers, a huge boost from the original's 60+ cars.
In order to realize the market potential of Smart Handheld
Devices, TCA and Ministry of Economics Affairs (MOEA)
established a Smart Handheld Device working group, hoping
Taiwan to generate production output value worth US$50
billions by 2014, which develops Taiwan to become the
innovation and manufacturing center of Smart Handheld
Devices in the world. On the other hand, TCA established
Taiwan Internet of Things Alliance (TIOTA) recently; in which
COMPUTEX will be hosting IOT Area at TWTC Hall 2 that will
be one of many new highlights in this year's COMPUTEX.

Not only limited to PC and peripheral products, TCA believes
under the efforts in many aspects, the COMPUTEX TAIPEI
As easy as it may look but the game be a tough nut to crack as
will become the world's purchasing platform for Smart
extra experience are earned by fulfiling the right requirements
Handheld Devices and IOT products.
or sticking to the green racing line marker on the track. All
these actions fill up the experience gauge which unlocks other
tracks, customizations and advancing of the story.

Shift 2: Unleashed Review Driving your vehicle is not just breeze but it can be rather a
'terrifying' experience. Shift 2 Unleashed takes a step further
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/shift-2-unleashed-review/11799.html
to get close with racing simulation genre, an attempt to place
April 5th, 2011
itself with the likes of other simulation titles such as Gran
Turismo 5 or Forza Motorsport. So think twice before cranking
up the speeds to the maximum and trying to achieve some
impossible drifting at a sharp corner.
To make this realism on a higher notch, Shift 2: Unleashed
For the racing fanatics, here is one game you might want to try adds a helmet cam view that puts the player in the driving
- Shift 2: Unleashed And in this review, we bring Electronic seat. As suggested by the name, you will see the the dynamic
Art's latest racing title for a spin down the racing track. and see view as what a real driver would and feel its effects: A blurring
how it fares. More after the jump. view of the sides as speed hits insanity levels or nasty bumps
and gray-outs with shedding doors, broken glass and bonnets
after a nasty crash. It is a nifty addition but gives an immersive
experience on the overall gameplay.

The screeching of tyres on the track is no stranger to any
racing game and games involving vehicles of such genre. The
fundamentals of winning is simple: get down the racing track
and win.
Electronic Art's Need for Speed franchise has been around for ouch!
more than 15 years and with Shift 2: Unleashed, this is the 17th
Being preferential towards arcade racers, Shift 2 took me a
installment in the series, developed by Slightly Mad Studios
while to get used to its driving mechanics. Regardless of what
and published by EA.
car I choose, I will just crash and find myself in the last place

5


but there are intriguing factors in the game which keeps me
going for a reason. AMD: Llano APU is Shipping
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-llano-apu-is-shipping/11803.html
Shift 2 Unleashed Noteworthy Features April 5th, 2011
Social at its best
Autolog, a social feature that began in Hot Pursuit returns as
the core of the game, putting together your friends and those
glorifying statstics in a leaderboard-like system. More often Recent rumours of AMD shipping Llano in April were met with
than not, you will be racing your friends and compare fastest some skepticism. However, the rumours have turned out to
times and stats with one other. be true, as AMD is shipping Llano A-series APUs to OEMs, as
of 4th April 2011, for revenue. In a webcast, CFO and Interim
CEO Thomas Seifert announced, “Customers are very excited
about Llano coming to market and we will look forward to
seeing our “Llano”-based systems in the market this quarter —
the second quarter.”

Career Mode
This is where the main bulk of the game lies - Career mode. In
the single-player campaign, your Shift 2 racing career begins
with a quick test on the track using a Nissan GT-R. Don't be
fooled as the results of the race will determine your skill level
and the recommended enhancements such as anti-lock brakes, In fact, Llano (as part of the Sabine platform) has been
traction assistance and a racing guide line. shipping since late March, as suggested by the above picture -
a celebration at AMD's Singapore branch.
All of this is to prepare you for the open seasons to the grand
FIA GT1 series finale. A different range of events await from While AMD remains silent about when we can expect the
standard races and time attacks, to eliminations and drift OEMs to ship systems with A-series APUs, rumours suggest
challenges. With approximately 40 tracks, the game should we can see Sabine based laptops as early as May. Of course, we
satisfy an average racer looking for terrain differences. can certainly expect the notebook and desktop worlds, OEM
and retail, to be flooded with A-series Fusion APUs within this
quarter, by June. Rumours suggest AMD has notched up an
impressive number of design wins for its A-series APUs.
Despite being so close to release, we don't know much about
Llano and it's Sabine platform and Socket FM1, beyond a
tentative line-up and some performance demos by AMD.
AMD's Llano release is now expected to be closely followed by
its next-gen CPU release, FX-Series (Bulldozer) in what is a
crucial few months for AMD.

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR
Camera Announced
Realism Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nikon-d5100-digital-slr-camera-
For easy crashers like me, I will enjoy the total destruction announced/11802.html
of my vehicle. Damage is not visual-only and by changing an April 5th, 2011
option, damage to your vehicle affects the car performance;
even an engine blowout with tyres rolling onto the tracks.
Forget about other camera angles, go for the driver seat view
and experience the way the game is meant to be played.

6


After much anticipated wait, Nikon D5100 is real and official.
Product availability and prices will be announced at a later
date but let us look at the official specs.

Additional Features and Functions
- High-speed continuous shooting at up to approximately 4 fps
Nikon announces the D5100 Digital SLR camera, introducing and a very precise and
new features and upgraded specifications as compared to its
predecessor. durable shutter unit that has passed testing for 100,000 cycles
The D5100 will come with Nikon’s latest CMOS image sensor
and the new EXPEED 2 image-processing engine. The updated - Equipped with Quiet shutter-release mode for shooting in
sensor will bump the effective megapixel count to 16.1, the situations in which quieter shutter
same that was found in Nikon D7000. The camera adds a
new High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature that captures two operation is desired. Infrared receivers for remote control
shots of varying exposure each time the shutter-release button operation on the front and back of the camera enable wireless
is pressed, and then combines the two shots into a single image control over the shutter from both in front of and behind the
with a broad dynamic range. camera (optional
ML-L3 wireless remote control supported).

The D5100 another new feature known as the "Effects mode"
found on the Mode selection dial which is essentially special - Equipped with 16 scene modes that enable the simple capture
effects applied on images and videos. A total of seven of beautiful photos of the
special effects, including Selective Color and Color Sketch are
desired scene with automatic optimization of camera settings
included.

- Built-in HDMI-CEC compatibility enables control over
Night Vision is another feature which ramps up the ISO to
playback of still images and movies
102400 which enables shooting under conditions of darkness
while verifying the subject and composition in the monitor using the television's remote control when the camera is
(this feature shoots in JPEG format and in black and white. connected to a high-definition TV
RAW recording is not possible) via the HDMI connector.

Visibility has been increased with the large 3-inch display - HD movie recording and editing
found on the D5100 that has approximately 921k-dot high-
resolution that supports viewing on various angles.
1Manual focus, M or S mode, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster,
and other settings at default values
Nikon adopts a side hinge for the vari-angle monitor that
prevents the monitor from hitting the tripod when it is opened
while the camera is mounted on a tripod.

The vari-angle monitor opens from 0 to180° to the side, and Specification Chart
can be rotated up to 90°clockwise and up to 180° counter-
clockwise when it is open. Say yes to self-portraits. Type Single-lens reflex digital
camera
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF
contacts)
Effective pixels 16.2 million

7


Image sensor 23.6 X 15.6 mm CMOS sensor Dimensions (approx.) 128 X 97 X 79 mm
mage size (pixels) • 4,928 X 3,264 (L) (W×H × D)
Weight (approx.) 510 g without battery,
• 3,696 X 2,448 (M)
memory card, or body cap
• 2,464 X 1,632 (S) 560 g with battery and
File format 1) NEF(RAW), 2)JPEG, memory card but without
3)NEF(RAW)+JPEG body cap
Media SD (Secure Digital) memory Major supplied accessories EN-EL14 rechargeable Li-
cards *1 ion battery, MH-24 battery
SDHC, and SDXC memory charger, AN-DC3 strap, EG-
cards CP14 audio/video cable, UC-
Frame advance rate Up to 4 fps *2 E6 USB cable, DK-5 eyepiece
ISO sensitivity ISO 100 – 6400 in steps cap, BS-1 accessory shoe
of 1/3 EV. Can also be set cover, DK-20 rubber eyecup,
to approx. 0.3, 0.7, 1, or 2 BF-1B body cap, ViewNX 2
EV (ISO 25600 equivalent) CD-ROM
above ISO 6400; auto ISO
sensitivity control available • *1Not applied to Multi Media Card
Movie Frame size (pixels) and frame • *2Manual focus, mode M or S, shutter speed 1/250 s or
rate : faster, and other settings at default values

• 1,920 X 1,080, 30 p/25 • Unless otherwise stated, all figures are for a camera
p/24 p, high/normal with a fully-charged battery operating at an ambient
temperature of 20° C (68° F).
• 1,280 X 720, 30 p/25
p/24 p, high/normal
• 640 X 424, 30 p/25
p, high/normal

A frame rate of 30 p (actual

7-inch Android tablet with IPS
frame rate 29.97 fps) is
available when NTSC is
selected for video mode. panel display spotted in China
25 p is available when PAL Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/7-inch-android-tablet-with-ips-panel-
is selected for video mode. display-spotted-in-china/11801.html
Actual frame rate when 24 p April 5th, 2011
is selected is 23.976 fps.
File format/Video
compression:

MOV, H.264/MPEG-4
Advanced Video Coding In-Plane Switching technology (IPS) has been around for
a long time, being made available for high-resolution
Audio recording device: displays including Apple's first generation iPad. And recently,
another manufacturer is making a tablet that is using the IPS
Built-in monaural or external panel for its display.
stereo microphone; sensitivity
adjustable
Monitor 3-in., approx. 921k-dot
(VGA), vari-angle low-
temperature polysilicon TFT
LCD with 170° viewing angle,
approx. 100% frame coverage,
and brightness adjustment
Power source Battery : One rechargeable Li-
ion EN-EL14 battery
AC adapter : EH-5b AC
adapter; requires EP-5A
power connector (available
separately)

8


The Apple iPad incorporated In-Plane Switching (IPS)
technology for its screen, which may explain why images The Daily VR-Zone News
looked sharp and vivid on the tablet. It has taken many months Summary - 4 April 2011
before IPS panels become affordable for manufacturers to Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--4-
adopt them. april-2011/11456.html
And it seems like a Chinese company is coming up with a 7- April 5th, 2011
inch tablet device running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and
equipped with IPS screen. A picture of the prototype is out
on the web (shown above). The tablet will also come with
A9 AMlogic CPU which has the performance to stream either
Flash or HTML5 video with no buffering. HDMI out, SD card
In today's news roundup: Three USB3.0-capable flash drives
reader, 3G sim and USB.
with capacities of 64GB get put to the test to see which product
offers users better performances; Thermalright's TR-360
replacement cooler for the Xbox 360 video game console gets
Pricing will be approximately 1900 yuan (US$290)
reviewed; A future version of iOS might receive OS X's Spaces
and available from 10 April.
feature; Panasonic is reportedly starting to ship BDXL optical
discs which boast up to 100GB of storage space; Dynasty
ASUS P8H67-I DELUXE (Intel Warriors 7 is set to receieve a DLC which restores the game's
original Japanese voices, and Anonymous has declared war on
H67 Express) Review Sony in support for George Hotz
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-p8h67-i-deluxe-intel-h67-express-
Hardware news
review/11734.html
April 5th, 2011 USB 3.0 64GB Flash Drive Round-up
Description: In the last year we have reviewed a handful of
USB 3.0 devices and today several memory manufacturers
offer flash drives claiming to utilize the extra performance
offered by the revamped interface. Today we are looking at
three 64GB flash drives: the AData Nobility Series N005,
Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 and Patriot SuperSonic.
While Mini-ITX solutions are often looked down upon as ASUS Routers: Wireless Elegance @ InsideHW
slow and somewhat cheap, not all of them are destined Description: In order to create a good SOHO wireless network
for use as low-power media centres or 8-hours-a-day office environment, one always has to provide reliable equipment.
machines. Enter the latest Mini-ITX motherboard from ASUS, In order to avoid the regret of not having chosen equipment
the P8H67-I DELUXE which is based on the Intel H67 Express more wisely when first setting up the network (unlike some
chipset, and supports all second-generation Intel Core 'Sandy of us), make sure you look comprehensively at the current
Bridge' processors. How will this mighty midget perform? We market situation. If you don’t have a personal contact that
find out. would provide adequate advice, cruise the internet a little and
take a look at what others are recommending. It’s likely in both
Intel's second-generation Core 'Sandy Bridge' processors can
cases that you’ll end up in the default product gamma of a
be mated to a few 6 Series chipsets, including the P67
large manufacturer, but at times, you may be surprised by the
Express and H67 Express which are often used in consumer
quality of the solutions offered by other familiar names in the
and enthusiast builds. The core frequency of Intel Unlocked
IT field. This is one such occasion, and we’ve had the chance to
'K' processors can be overclocked only on the P67 Express
thoroughly examine two of ASUS’ wireless solutions, namely
chipset, while the H67 Express trades that for integrated Intel
DSL-N10 (modem/router) and a dual-band router RT-N56U...
HD Graphics overclocking capabilities. The ASUS P8P67-I
DELUXE that we will be looking at today, is powered by the Thermalright TR-360 Xbox 360 GPU Cooler Replacement
H67 Express - you have no access to a 'K' processor's unlocked Review @ Madshrimps
multipliers. Description: Designed for the XBOX 360 GPU, to provide
better cooling and heat dissipation, reduces the chances of
Obviously, this particular motherboard is not really aimed at
break down and prolong the XBOX 360 life.
enthusiasts, but its small form factor is definitely excellent for
SOHO implementations. Although small in size, that does Lian Li Lancool PC-K57 Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews
not necessarily mean it has limited computing power. In this Description: Lian Li LanCool's PC-K57 chassis has a lot going
article, we test the P8H67-I DELUXE with an Intel Core for it, and the potential for much more. The bold look and
i5-2500K Processor. Read on to find out more! solid construction are quite welcome, but there is a lot more to
recommend it. With a roomy interior, solid tool-free features
and outstanding cable management, including the innovative
cable channel, the PC-K57 was a joy to work in and the dust
filters are easily serviced to help the user keep the case in good
shape.

9


OCZ ZX 850 Series 850 Watt Power Supply Review out and the LED backlight highlights dark scenes extremely
Description: The ZX series of power supplies is aimed at well. Not to be outdone by any 3D TV on the market, the
powering gaming and enthusiast systems alike and is available UN55C9000 comes fully equipped with 3D playback as well as
in 850W, 1000W, and 1250W flavors. This range of power wireless LAN for media streaming and Internet browsing.
supplies offers plenty of power for those seeking to power A.C.Ryan PlayON!HD Mini 2 Full HD Media Streamer Review
systems with a single GPU all the way up to a triple GPU system Description: The space and user friendly PlayON!HD Mini 2
with dual processors. The ZX series of power supplies boast may not be perfect in every possible aspect but it is without
80Plus Gold certification, fully modular cables, and a single doubt amongst the best standalone Media Players A.C.Ryan
12V rail. Today we take a look at the ZX 850, the smallest of has designed and manufactured to date.
the three ZX series power supplies.
Sony CEO tips Apple built-in camera plans, iPhone 5 delay
ASUS Sabertooth P67 Motherboard Review @Hi Tech Legion possible?
Description: This year ASUS introduced the Sabertooth P67 Description: In an on-stage interview at Carnegie Hall with
motherboard. The Sabertooth P67 is the next generation in Walt Mossberg, Sony CEO Howard Stringer appears to have
durability and reliability. The Sabertooth P67 has enough confirmed an earlier rumor that an upcoming iPhone 5 will
features to hit every market of user, from the server computer, have an 8MP digital camera with a sensor made by Sony.
to the enthusiast gamer. This P67 motherboard supports the Stringer made a number of somewhat cryptic comments to
newer Intel 1155 socket CPUs and up to 1866 DDR3 memory. Mossberg about Apple, at one point commenting on the irony
The main specific features to note with the Sabertooth P67 are of Sony making "the best camera" for Apple devices.
the TUF thermal armor, TUF thermal radar, TUF components,
Digi+ VRM, and E.S.P. The TUF thermal armor is a shunt K-Touch W700 Anroid phone looks pretty sweet
designed panel that covers all of the critical components. Description: While the Chinese have been known for creating
poor copies of existing phones and slapping on a different OS
Zalman ZM-F4 135mm Multipurpose Fan Review and brand name on their devices, phone manufacturers, K-
Description: We've visited similar offerings from Zalman's Touch, has introduced a phone worthy of not being branded as
Computer Noise Prevention System (CNPS) products with the some cheap knock off. Called the W700, this Android phone
Zalman ZM-F3-FDB & ZM-SF3, along with the CNPS 9900 has got some pretty nice specs to boot. It packs a dual-core
MAX. We at Legit Reviews have come to respect the Zalman NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, it runs Android 2.2, has 512MB of
products we have seen since they perform admirably and live RAM, 8GB of internal memory, a 3.8″ display (480 x 800), a
up to their claims. Today was no different. Zalman's ZM- 5 megapixel rear camera, a 0.3 megapixel front facing camera,
F4 Multipurpose Fan was probably one of the best fans I WiFil, Bluetooth, GPS, FM tuner, and microSD card slot. It
have ever run into. Its sound was as smooth as butter. It will be released in China mid-April via China Unicom for 3500
outperformed most offerings on the market. It also did so Chinese Yuan ($535). No word on whether it’ll hit our stores
while still remaining quiet and affordable... but we wouldn’t mind seeing phones like these on sale at low
Patriot G2 (GAMER 2) 1600MHz CL9 8GB Review @ Vortez prices.
Description: It was at the very end of last year that Patriot Panasonic to ship first-ever 100GB BDXL recordable disc
Memory announced the commencement of a new series Description: Panasonic claimed the distinction on Monday of
named Gamer 2 (G2 for short). This new series of memory, being the first company to ship a BDXL rewritable disc. The
again, like many of our recent memory product reviews is three-layer, 100GB disc gives users as much as eight hours and
focussed on the new Sandy Bridge platform. Apart from 40 minutes of full-quality, 24Mbps 1080p video they can write
their attractive price-tag they also have a number of pleasing many times. It should theoretically be tougher than most discs
characteristics - they are extremely low profile, so much so with a coating to guard against fingerprints and scratches.
that the heatspreaders are in fact shorter than the modules
they cover. They are also said to give impressive performance Windows 8 to use Ribbon, Phone 7 design?
figures too. Description: Screenshots from early builds of the next version
of Windows suggest Microsoft is favouring its Ribbon inteface.
Consumer Electronics and Software news Early versions of Windows 8 have popped up online over the
Patent Describes OS X Spaces on iPad past few weeks, with the pre-beta code apparently leaked as
Description: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published Microsoft sends it to partners.
a new patent that describes a system by which Spaces, Apple’s Gaming news
system for operating multiple independent desktops on one
computer, might be brought to the iPad. Could this be a WC 11: Clone Wars Season 4 - Grievous vs. Gungans!
preview of the merger of iOS and OS X? Description: A teaser for Clone Wars Season 4 shows some
cool clips glimpses at what's to come, including a Jedi so bad
Samsung UN55C9000 55 inch 3D LED TV Review at ass, he has two double-sided lightsabers.
Overclockers Online
Description: Flip through any magazine and you’ll see that sex Anonymous Declares War on Sony
sells and an ultra thin 55″ 3D LED TV is just downright sexy Description: Gulp! That's the collective reaction Sony likely
in any room! Mouths drop in awe when friends come over and had this morning after receiving a slap to the face from
see what I have in the living room. Picture quality is just as the hacker activist group famous for taking on the Church
important to how a TV looks and the UN55C9000 has one of of Scientology, Anonymous. For its recent actions against
the best displays Samsung has ever made. The colors stand

10


PlayStation 3 hackers, including George "Geohot" Hotz,
Anonymous has declared war on Sony.
Dynasty Warriors 7 To Get Japanese Voices In Free DLC
Description: The US release of Dynasty Warriors 7 will be
getting Japanese voices for free in the form of a DLC. The DLC
will be made available via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.
The free DLC update will also include additional costumes.
No release date was mentioned but the developers mention
another paid DLC is also on its way.

Apple's 7th generation iPod
nano may come with built-in
camera Go-Rock SRS 3D surround
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-s-7th-generation-ipod-nano-
may-come-with-built-in-camera/11797.html Bluetooth mini-speakers
April 5th, 2011
coming to Singapore
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/go-rock-srs-3d-surround-bluetooth-
mini-speakers-coming-to-singapore/11795.html
April 5th, 2011

A leaked photo from a Taiwanese Apple-related blog,
Apple.pro, shows an iPod Nano with a camera hole. If that is
believed to be true, this means that the portable digital media
player could also take videos (and even images) like its 5th
Taiwanese manufacturer Go-Rock is known for their range
generation sibling.
of products including cables, power adapters and audio
accessories for computers, mobile phones and MP3 players.
And the latest product comes in the form of Bluetooth mini-
speakers which are coming to Singapore.

The picture you see above is taken on Saturday from Taiwanese
Apple-related blog, Apple.pro, which is well-known for leaking
Apple's hardware. However, the author could not verify if this
is genuine. It was only a day after April's Fool, though it is
unlikely this is a joke, seeing how the blog has correctly leaked The Go-Rock SRS 3D surround Bluetooth mini-speakers
each of the previous six generations of the iPod nano past features PumpBass Technology which claims to maximize
years. the sound bass within limited and constrained space. The
speakers may have a small footprint, but feature stereo 3D
The 5th generation iPod nano has received a built-in camera surround audio experience for the audiophiles.
from the 4th generation, but the 6th generation which comes
in a smaller, squarish form factor has the camera removed. The Go-Rock can connect wirelessly to your iPad, iPhone,
Perhaps Apple would bring the camera back to the upcoming tablet PC, notebook PC, mobile phone, PSP or any devices
7th generation after much feedback from consumers. that support A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles. On top
of that, the speakers also come with two-way power supply,
retractable built-In cables, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
and a charging USB cable.

11


775/ 1156/ 1366 and AMD AM2/ AM2+/ AM3 processors, the
Sony Alpha 33 DSLR M608 Pro can be found in stores in Europe at a MSRP of
Production Halted in Japan €48.90.
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-alpha-33-dslr-production-halted-
in-japan/11794.html News via [Xilence]
April 5th, 2011

Sharkoon Unveils AL2 and AL4
PC Chassis
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sharkoon-unveils-al2-and-al4-pc-
chassis/11792.html
April 5th, 2011

German-based Sharkoon Technologies has expanded its line-
up of PC chassis with the addition of the AL2 and AL4. Similiar
The Alpha 33 DSLR camera is Sony's first to feature a
in designs, the AL2 (395 x 375 x 180mm) supports all mini-
translucent mirror technology though it is not known why the
ITX and micro ATX motherboards while the bigger AL4 (480
camera was canned in less than a year.
x 192 x 430mm) can fit full-sized ATX boards.

Xilence Debuts M608 Pro
cooler
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xilence-debuts-m608-pro-
cooler/11793.html
April 5th, 2011

Taipei-based Xilence Technology has announced the M608
AL4
Pro, adding on to its line-up of CPU coolers for PC. Measuring
143 x 136 x 129mm, the cooler boasts four copper heat pipes, German-based Sharkoon Technologies has expanded its line-
a copper base, and is equipped with a 120mm PWM fan that up of PC chassis with the addition of the AL2 and AL4. Similiar
operates at 500 RPM to 1,500 RPM. in designs, the AL2 (395 x 375 x 180mm) supports all mini-
ITX and micro ATX motherboards while the bigger AL4 (480
x 192 x 430mm) can fit full-sized ATX boards.

Taipei-based Xilence Technology has announced the M608
Pro, adding on to its line-up of CPU coolers for PC. Measuring
143 x 136 x 129mm, the cooler boasts four copper heat pipes, AL4
a copper base, and is equipped with a 120mm PWM fan that
operates at 500 RPM to 1,500 RPM. Compatible with all Intel

12


Available in silver or titanium colors, they feature external
5.25" drive bays (AL4 - four, AL2 - two), one exposed 3.5" bay,
PCIe slots (seven on AL4, four on AL2), pre-installed blue LED
fans (front), and and front-side I/O panels with two USB 2.0
ports and audio ports. The AL2 and AL4 can be purchased
from major retailers and e-tailers at MSRPs of €44.90 and €49
respectively.
News via [Softpedia]

I-O Data Readies New External
Blu-ray writer
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/i-o-data-readies-new-external-blu-ray-
AL4 writer/11791.html
April 5th, 2011

I-O Data has announced the BRP-U6X, an external Blu-ray
writer with support for the BDXL standard. Measuring just
20mm thick and weighing 320g, the slim writer sports a USB
2.0 interface and supports write speeds up to "6x for BD-R
(single- and dual-layer), 4x for 34-layer BD-R, 2x for BD-RE,
8x for DVD-R+R and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-R+R DL and
DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 24x for CD-R and 16x for CD-
RW".

AL2

I-O Data has announced the BRP-U6X, an external Blu-ray
writer with support for the BDXL standard. Measuring just
20mm thick and weighing 320g, the slim writer sports a USB
2.0 interface and supports write speeds up to "6x for BD-R
(single- and dual-layer), 4x for 34-layer BD-R, 2x for BD-RE,
8x for DVD-R+R and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-R+R DL and
DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 24x for CD-R and 16x for CD-
AL2 RW". Covered by a one year warranty, it comes bundled with
WinDVD BD and Nero Express Essentials. The BRP-U6X is
expected to hit store shelves in Japan in April at a MSRP ofUS
$270.
News via [Techconnect]

Silverstone Announces DC01
NAS
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/silverstone-announces-dc01-
nas/11790.html
April 5th, 2011

AL2

13


SilverStone Technology, well-known for its high performance
PC cases and thermal solutions, has released the DC01, a The Daily VR-Zone News
compact aluminum NAS device. Summary - 1 April 2011
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--1-
april-2011/11457.html
April 5th, 2011

In today's news roundup: NVIDIA talks about its plans and
hopes for both its mobile Tegra platform and its workstation-
oriented Project Denver CPU based off the ARM architecture;
SilverStone Technology, well-known for its high performance
Tier-1 notebook ODMs are reportedly thinking to cutting out
PC cases and thermal solutions, has released the DC01, a
the ExpressCard expansion slot from all future designs in
compact aluminum NAS device.
an attempt to conserve space and cut costs; Images of a
mirrorless Pentax camera featuring interchangeable lenses
and a retro, rangefinder-esque look has started leaking onto
the Internet; Nokia has released the entire source code for
the latest (and final) version of Symbian in a bid to keep the
mobile operating system alive in the developer community;
The recently-released Angry Birds Rio game for smartphones
get reviewed, and our sister site SGCafe has published its
review on the latest game that has taken the world by storm:
Crysis 2.
Hardware news
Sapphire Pure Black X58 Motherboard Review @ Legit
Reviews
Description: It has been a few years since Sapphire has put out
a new motherboard. Here we are though, getting ready for a
look at their first Intel motherboard since the days of the Intel
Pentium 4! The Sapphire Pure Black X58 supports USB 3.0,
SATA 6, and CrossfireX for starters! Is the Sapphire Pure Black
X58 motherboard going to be the right board for you? Read on
to find out!
Kingston HyperX Genesis 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 Memory Kit
Review @ Bigbruin.com
Description: The aesthetics may be slightly different from
what we expect from Kingston, but the under the hood of the
HyperX Genesis 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 kit the performance
is the same. Testing on a Sandy Bridge system showed that
this kit has the ability to offer high speed performance with
minimal effort thanks to the plug and play nature of XMP
profiles.
Corsair TX850V2 850 Watt Power Supply Review
Description: Fast forward to today and we now have the
Corsair TX Version 2. The specific power supply on the
Measuring 123 x 123 x 33mm, the enclosure runs on a bench right now is the Corsair TX850V2. On the surface,
dual-core ARM11 processor, has one 2.5" drive bay, Gigabit the TX850V2 differs little from its predecessor. Connector
Ethernet connectivity, one eSATA and two USB 2.0 ports. It availability remains the same and if it wasn't for the sticker
also supports VPN/ Bit-Torrent clients, and doubles-up as an denoting it as a TX850V2 instead of a TX850W, you probably
iTunes/ DLNA/ print-server. The DC01 is covered by a one wouldn't know they were different. Corsair took a good look
year warranty and can be found in stores at a cost of US at the internals and decided to make some changes there,
$149.99. bringing with it improved efficiency and higher quality DC
output. Read on as we take an in depth look at the Corsair
News via [Techpowerup] TX850V2.

14


Asus P8P67 LE Motherboard Review @ ITShootOut.com input peripherals, so that they operate without so much as a
Description: The P8P67 LE is the baby of Asus’ extensive full- squeak.
ATX Sandy Bridge motherboard range. The variant we are Your mobile phone is watching you ... closely
looking at today is one of the B3 editions, meaning it doesn’t Description: While most of us know it is theoretically possible
suffer from the potential SATA issue that plagued the first for our movements to be tracked by detecting which tower our
generation of all P67 motherboards. mobile phone is connected too, it might come as a shock to see
Laptop makers to stop using ExpressCard slots? just how much of a digital footprint we leave as we go about
Description: There are reports that some Tier-1 laptop our daily lives
manufacturers are considering dropping ExpressCard ports SteelSeries Scope Pro Gaming Glasses Review
on all laptops - to reduce size and costs. ExpressCards haven't Description: The Scope Pro Gaming glasses by SteelSeries and
been successful and almost all laptops now include Wi-Fi, Gunnar help reduce eye strain and fatigue while at the same
Bluetooth and enough USB ports to make these modules quite time they can improve your gaming performance by reducing
unnecessary. glare, improving contrast and enhancing detail.
NVIDIA Interview: Tegra 2 and Project Denver - March 31, Internet Explorer 9: Better Than Ever @ InsideHW
2011 @Hi Tech Legion Description: On 14th March, a new chapter in the never-
Description: Paul at HiTech Legion chats with Nick Stam, ending browser war began. In the blue, Microsoft corner,
NVIDIA technical marketing director and Bruce Chan, senior the long-awaited Internet Explorer 9 finally made its official
PR manager of Tegra 2 to discuss the past, present and future appearance. After several months of open testing of beta
of Tegra. With the announced Tegra roadmap outlining the versions, we got the finished product, promising high
creation of powerful ARM-based, multi-core, ultra low-power performance and a simple interface, ready to ease your work
processors that are significantly faster than anything the tech and entertainment on the web…
industry could have imagined, how much will the lines be
blurred between desktop and mobile computers in the future? Google’s Music Search Engine Quietly Vanishes From The
How far is NVIDIA willing to push the performance envelope Web
of sub-1W computing? Description: A tipster pointed out the disappearance of the
old Google Music Search landing page to us, which doesn’t
Prolimatech Super Mega CPU Cooler Review @ Vortez necessarily mean it vanished recently, but I’ve searched
Description: Prolimatech first came into the market with their everywhere for mentions of Google officially or unofficially
Megahalem using a very original dual tower that came in a retiring the service and have been unable to find any reports
package the same size as other traditional tower heatsinks about it. I wonder if simply nobody noticed it was gone, or that
such as the Thermalright Ultra Extreme. It proved to be highly my search skills or simply not what they used to be.
successful amongst enthusiasts but from our own results it
failed to keep up with Thermalright's offering, its closest Symbian source code released by Nokia
competitor. Moving on three years from then, Prolimatech Description: Just to confirm with people that they’re finally
have made tweaks to their design and are ready to take on the done with the aging operating system, Nokia has released the
top coolers once again with their new ultimate Super Mega source code to the latest version of Symbian to the public.
iteration, this time facing the Noctua NH-D14, Thermalright Originally a job for the Symbian Foundation, Nokia took over
Silver Arrow and Venomous X. when the foundation closed its doors late last year. Now the
code for the Symbian platform is out in the wild, as well
HIS Radeon HD 6870 IceQ X TurboX Video Card Review as the SDK and build tools. Now other developers can take
Description: Today we've got a fancy HD 6870 from HIS; the Symbian and pick up where Nokia left off, and hopefully they’ll
IceQ X TurboX. It's a bit of a tongue twister, but we're fairly be creating something new in the process – maybe a heavily
sure we're going to love it as it carries that IceQ tag along with
modified, homebrew version of Symbian that would make
the Turbo tag, our two favorite from HIS. Before we look closer even Android and iOS users want to use? (Although highly
at the actual card, though, let's check out the package that HIS unlikely) What we do know is that Nokia is finally saying
has got gone on. Then we'll see the IceQ cooler they're using goodbye to Symbian as it prepares itself for the arrival of
before looking at the specifications. We'll then finally get into Windows Phone on their hardware. Bad news for the Symbian
the performance that's on offer. devices coming out later this year though – when people find
Consumer Electronics and Software news out there’s no more love for the operating system from the
parent company, will they even be bothered to give those new
Nexus takes the click out of the computer mouse
Symbian phones a shot?
Description: The clicking sound we hear when we press a
mouse button is part of the device's switching mechanism, Pentax NC mirrorless camera spotted with vintage design
that has also become a kind of audible comfort cushion for Description: Corroborating earlier rumors surrounding a
computer users. However, Dutch component manufacturer mirrorless Pentax camera, several press photos have finally
Nexus believes that in these days of notebook trackpads surfaced. The images are tied to the model NC-1, which is said
and tablet touchscreens, we no longer need the audible to represent one of the smallest mirrorless cameras to arrive
confirmation that a requested action has been performed – we on the market, while the company is also alleged to be working
can see it onscreen. The company has now discovered some on a second mirrorless system with a larger build.
silent switching technology and installed into a couple of its Gaming news

15


Angry Birds Rio for Android @ TestFreaks
Description: The birds are back! This time our fine feathered
friends are traveling to Rio to rescue their fellow birds who are
being held captive by smugglers. Today the Amazon Appstore
for Android was unveiled and with it the release of the newest
version of everyone’s favorite way to pass the time called Angry
Birds Rio. I figured I would take a quick look at it for you, it’s
certainly worth getting I think.
Nintendo 3DS vs Smartphone Gaming: Which Wins?
Description: Nintendo has released the 3DS, the next
generation of its mobile gaming console and successor to
the immensely popular DS, at an interesting time for mobile
gaming, adding 3-D capability, better graphics and a 3-D
camera to the proven dual-screen format of the Nintendo DS. In addition to those changes, Gigabyte has also added a
Crysis 2 Review for PC Marvell 88SE9172 SATA 6Gbps RAID controller which we're
Description: Crysis. The game that made mainstream rigs not familiar with and that doesn't appear on Marvell's website.
come to a cripple back in 2007. Its lush graphics and physics On top of that we gave a pair of Etron EJ168 USB 3.0 host
that boast “realism” remains as a visual and performance controllers which means you get two rear ports as well as
benchmark for today’s games and hardware. We find out if two front ports via an internal USB 3.0 header. Finally a VIA
Crysis 2 is worth the bang for the buck for the hardcore gamer FireWire controller has been added, a feature missing on the
in you. P67A-UD3

Gigabyte quietly launches the
P67X series of motherboards
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-quietly-launches-the-p67x-
series-of-motherboards/11789.html
April 5th, 2011
The PWM heatsink appears to have shrunk a little bit though
and gone is the blue streak of colour found on the P67A-UD3.
Finally the colour of most of the rear ports has changed from
black to red for some reason and we can't really figure out why.
Still, it might make them easier to see under a dark desk, but
it's the only thing we can think of that would make any sense.

Although Gigabyte showed off one of its P67X motherboards As for the P67X-UD3R we're looking at Gigabyte's new black
at CeBIT in the beginning of March, that board has as yet to PCB and all of the changes done to the P67X-UD3 are carried
turn up, but the company has quietly added a couple of other over here too. In fact, the only difference we can see between
boards from its P67X series to its website. The two models are the two boards is a different PWM design for the P67X-UD3R
the P67X-UD3 and P76X-UD3R, both of course using the B3 going up from six to 10 phases and it's apparently using Driver
stepping chipset. MOSFETs, something the P67-UD3 appears to be lacking.
Again we're missing the blue colour highlights on the heatsinks
of the P67A-UD3R and it also appears like Gigabyte went with
Although Gigabyte showed off one of its P67X motherboards a pair of smaller PWM heatsinks on the P67X-UD3R.
at CeBIT in the beginning of March, that board has as yet to
turn up, but the company has quietly added a couple of other
boards from its P67X series to its website. The two models are
the P67X-UD3 and P76X-UD3R, both of course using the B3
stepping chipset.
So what makes these boards different from the P67A series?
Well, from what we can tell there are some small but important
changes as well as one rather odd one. Comparing the P67X-
UD3 to the P67A-UD3 the most visual change is a much larger
heatsink on the chipset and also a relocation of the chipset
position on the motherboard away from the PCI Express x16
slots. This has also lead to the SATA ports being moved to the
front of the PCB and they're now angled at 90 degrees.
We can't really see anyone not picking a P67X over a P67A
board; unless the P67X are a lot more expensive, but we have
a feeling it won't be the case despite the extra features. What

16


we don't understand is why Gigabyte is offering two very is that MSI has gone for a different rear port layout that the
similar SKUs that will compete directly with each other. We're Sapphire card of which pictures appeared earlier this week.
still waiting for the P67X-UD4 which showed up at CeBIT,
but we're sure it'll arrive soon enough and it might even get
accompanied by more X series boards from Gigabyte.

Is Google making an app that
would identify people's faces?
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/is-google-making-an-app-that-would-
identify-people-s-faces-/11787.html
April 5th, 2011

We presume MSI will offer a couple of different versions
and the pictures we have are of the most basic model which
Today's news story comes from CNN, which released a story we believe will be called the R6790-2PM2D1GD5 going by
claiming that Google is developing an application able to MSI's standard naming scheme. We'd also expect to see an OC
identify people's faces. It is only natural that Google... version at some stage and maybe even a Cyclone or Twin Frozr
...has the technical capability to perform such a feat but most II version. MSI has gone for a high-end rear I/O layout with
people remain sceptical and rightfully fear for their privacy. a pair of DVI ports, a pair of mini DisplayPorts and an HDMI
port. The cooler features three heatpipes and is of the same
CNN reports that "Google is working on a mobile application design as MSI uses on a couple of its Radeon HD 6850 cards.
that would allow users to snap pictures of people's faces in
order to access their personal information, a director for the
project said this week." and of course Google claims that "We
recognize that Google has to be extra careful when it comes to
these [privacy] issues. Face recognition we will bring out once
we have acceptable privacy models in place."
We fear to think what kind of new "trend" Google's "Faces
App" might become; people taking pictures of your face at any
random encounter and then "Googling" for your personal data
(which include your e-mail and phone number) could prove to You'll of course get a copy of MSI's afterburner overclocking
be dangerous, especially for younger people and females. software bundled with the card, but what we can't quite make
out from the rendered box shot is what the free bundle is, but
it appears to be some kind of adapter or something, possibly a
mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter. The card is "limited"
Exclusive pictures of MSI's to driving four displays at once, but this is unlikely to be an
issue for anyone considering this card.
Radeon HD 6790
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/exclusive-pictures-of-msi-s-radeon-
hd-6790/11786.html
April 5th, 2011

Details of AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 6790 cards have
been leaking all week and now VR-Zone can offer you the first
pictures of MSI's upcoming card based on the new GPU. We
don't have too many details on hand, but what we do know As for the specifications, well, we're expect this to be a stock
is that MSI has gone for a different rear port layout that the card so expect the GPU to be clocked at 840MHz, the memory
Sapphire card of which pictures appeared earlier this week. at 4.2GHz effectively, 800 shaders, 40 texture units, 32 ROPs
and a 256-bit memory interface. AMD is said to be launching
the Radeon HD 6790 series on the 5th of April for a price of
Details of AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 6790 cards have been
between S$220-260. For more detailed specifications, head
leaking all week and now VR-Zone can offer you the first
pictures of MSI's upcoming card based on the new GPU. We
don't have too many details on hand, but what we do know

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VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #18

VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #18

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VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #18