VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #21

April 16th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone

VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!
• Friendly installation.
VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly publication
covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks.

Xigmatek Aegir CPU Cooler
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xigmatek-aegir-cpu-cooler/11887.html
April 16th, 2011

Samsung Nexus S Review:
Second "Google Phone",
but first with Android 2.3
High performance coolers are an essential part for the systems
of enthusiasts, especially those which delve into overclocking. Gingerbread
Today we are going to take a look on a product from Xigmatek, Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-nexus-s-review-second-
an European manufacturer, the Aegir SD128264 CPU cooler. google-phone--but-first-with-android-2.3-gingerbread/11823.html
April 16th, 2011
High performance coolers are an essential part for the systems
of enthusiasts, especially those which delve into overclocking.
Today we are going to take a look on a product from Xigmatek,
an European manufacturer, the Aegir SD128264 CPU cooler.
Xigmatek fancies naming their products after old gods and
other mythological figures; Aegir was the Norse god of the
seas. What the long model number stands for, we will never
The Samsung Nexus S has landed in Singapore. If you didn't
know. Xigmatek makes some interesting claims about the
have the chance to purchase online in December last year, well,
performance and technology of this cooler which will soon be
the good news is that you don't have to look for it online. The
put to the test.
phone is available at all mobile phone retailers here. We at VR-
Zone managed to get one in for this review.
Manufacturer features and specifications

• H.D.T. (Heat-pipe direct touch) technology.
• Support for LGA775/1156/1366; AM2/AM2+/AM3.
• Dual fan installed option and Anti-vibration rubbers
attached.
• Double layer HDT & Double performance.
• 2pcs Φ8mm & 4pcs Φ6mm high performance heat-pipes.
• PWM fan to adjust the power of the fan efficiently.
• Anti-vibration rubbers prevent vibration and absorb
noise. In early 2010, Google caught everyone by surprise when it
announced its own branded Nexus One Android smartphone.
• Mounting system, Spring-Screw and consolidate back Dubbed "the Google phone", the Nexus One was manufactured
plate. by Taiwanese company HTC and was preloaded with Android

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2.1 (Eclair) mobile operating system. To date, the smartphone Description: AMD is reportedly already preparing its next
has received updates to the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread. series of Radeon HD 7000-series GPUs, and planning to start
mass production of the new chips in May this year.
While Google had said that it will not come up with another
smartphone, the search engine giant launched the Nexus S, the Description: The keyboard is a vital piece of equipment to any
successor to the Nexus One, in December 2010. Manufactured gamer looking for that certain edge. Thermaltake’s Challenger
by Samsung, the Google Nexus S features the latest Android Pro has a few unique features to set itself apart from the rest
2.3 Gingerbread and it was available for online purchase in US of the field.
and UK. No luck for those of us here in Singapore then. Description: The DH67BL has all the necessary features that
Thankfully, in mid March, Samsung officially announced a HTPC or anyone needing a small powerful computer would
that the Nexus S is selling here. However, note that it is called need. The DH67BL has the LGA1155 socket that supports the
the Samsung Nexus S rather than Google Nexus S and there's newest Intel Core i7/i5/i3 Sandy Bridge processors.
a slight difference: the Samsung Nexus S uses the Super LCD Description: The latest mid-range card to greet us comes from
screen, while the Google Nexus S is equipped with Super ASUS and is part of the new NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti series. The
AMOLED. model we're looking at today is part of both the DirectCU and
For those into the full specifications, here you go:- TOP series and carries with it both a healthy overclock and
upgraded cooling system.
Samsung Nexus S
CPU 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird Description: ASUS’ WS series, which is shortened for
S5PC110 Workstation, targets users who find quality and stability to be
Memory Internal phone: 512MB the key features to any PC, while enabling the same PC to use
its performance to the max on said motherboard.
Storage 16GB internal
Screen 4-inches (WVGA) Super LCD Consumer Electronics and Software news
Graphics 800 x 480 Description: Ten months after the iPhone 4 was announced,
Display Resolution 5-MP camera w/ auto focus, Apple is still reassuring us that the white model is on its way-
LED flash possibly. After Bloomberg reported the white iPhone 4 should
Connectivity 3.5mm audio, micro-USB, be on sale by the end of the month.
802.11b/g/n Description: The BlackBerry PlayBook isn't just the third
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A-GPS major tablet platform to launch, or the first one to deeply poke
Expansion Slot n/a at figuring out why 7-inch tablets should exist—it's literally the
future of BlackBerry, since the QNX-based OS is going to be
Battery life 1500mAh rechargeable
the gooey software heart of BlackBerry phones in the next year
Lithium-ion
or so.
Talk time Up to 427 hour standby time;
Up to 402 min talk time Description: Microsoft's new browser, Internet Explorer 10
(IE10), will not run on Windows Vista, either now in its
Platform Android 2.3 Gingerbread
developer preview form or when the software ships, the
Dimensions 123.9 x 63 x 10.8mm company confirmed today.
Weight 129g
Description: A major security flaw has been discovered in the
Skype for Android app, one which could put the sum total of a
user's private data in danger of being accessed by others.
The Daily VR-Zone News Description: Spotify AB said it is cutting back on its free music-
Summary - 15 April 2011 streaming service, as the European start-up tries to boost the
number of paying subscribers and attempts to expand into the
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--15-
U.S.
april-2011/11451.html
April 16th, 2011 Description: Build quality, easy swappable 3.5'' HDD tray, dual
OS, built-in WiFi and 7.1 analog audio outputs are just some of
the many features that place the S800 Ultra by Egreat next to
the best network media players the market has to offer today.
Gaming news
In today's news roundup: AMD Radeon HD 7000-series Description: It's not officially E3 season until the first big
rumoured for May production ; ASUS GeForce GTX 550 Ti rumors start swirling. And there's a big one making the rounds
DirectCU TOP overclocked video card review; Apple: White related to Nintendo and a potential successor to the popular
iPhone 4 is real (and late) ; Review of the BlackBerry PlayBook; Wii console.
Sony PlayStation 3 sales hit 50 million , and Gears of War 3 Description: Sony announced today that the PlayStation 3 has
beta impressions . sold 50 million units worldwide as of March 29. Not only that,
Hardware news but PlayStation Move has been enjoying some success too,
with 8 million units sold worldwide as of April 3.

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Description: We here at IGN have had a few days to get our feet
wet in the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta before anyone else. Mionix Zibal 60 Mechanical
But we aren't here to brag (well, maybe a little), we're here to Keyboard Unveiled
let you know what we think. Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/mionix-zibal-60-mechanical-keyboard-
unveiled/11885.html

Taiwan Excellence Awards April 16th, 2011

Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/taiwan-excellence-awards/11886.html
April 16th, 2011

Mionix has unveiled the Zibal 60, a mechanical
keyboard developed for the gamer. It comes with non-tactile,
Today the Gold and Silver awards in the Taiwan Excellence mechanical, black cherry MX switche, multi-level backlight
Awards were announced and VR-Zone was on location in illumination paired with six key rollover as well as two
Taipei. The awards are very prestigious in Taiwan and this year port usb 2.0 hub, audio/mic extensions and media control
was the 19th year that TAITRA arranged the awards. All the big keys. Mionix™ Zibal 60 will be available worldwide to pre-
names like Asus, D-Link, Gigabyte, MSI and VIA were in the order today and delivery in June 2011. Suggested retail price:
running for the top Gold and Silver awards, although we have $149.99 / €149.99
to say that we were somewhat surprised at the judges choices.

Today the Gold and Silver awards in the Taiwan Excellence
Awards were announced and VR-Zone was on location in
Taipei. The awards are very prestigious in Taiwan and this year
was the 19th year that TAITRA arranged the awards. All the big
names like Asus, D-Link, Gigabyte, MSI and VIA were in the
running for the top Gold and Silver awards, although we have
to say that we were somewhat surprised at the judges choices.
There are of course several categories outside of the
IT industry for the Taiwan Excellence Awards and the
products competing for the awards included an SUV for
local car company Luxgen, CNC machines, cook tops, water
purification systems and even a high-end toilet from HCG with
a wireless remote control. You’ll find pictures of some of these
products on the last page, as not all were actually displayed at Vaxjo, Sweden – April 14th, 2011 - Mionix™, the Swedish
the event due to their sheer size. A total of 974 products were manufacturer of professional high-end gaming accessories
submitted for the awards of which 459 were selected of which today unveiled the Mionix™ Zibal 60, a mechanical keyboard
only the top 30 products were represented at today’s awards developed for the gamer that deserves the best.
ceremony. Also on site was Taiwan’s Vice President Vincent
V. Siew and he presented the Gold award winners with their
awards. "I believe it is an artform to building keyboards, that are not
just for gaming but also compromise free and simple in design.
The high attention to detail and subtle features are going to be
loved by our loyal users”, says Carl Conradsson, Mionix.

WHEN INNOVATION MEETS PERFORMANCE
The Mionix Zibal 60 is a fusion of the best keyboard
components together with great gaming features that gives
your game the edge you have been searching for. Engineered
with non-tactile, mechanical, black cherry MX switches that
deliver the best feel to every keystroke. Multi-level backlight
illumination paired with six key rollover that allows you to
perform up to six simultaneous keystrokes with all keys, make
the Zibal 60 standout from the crowd. in addition to the
performance features, the Zibal 60 offers smart functions that

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include a two port usb 2.0 hub, audio/mic extensions and
media control keys for full integration with your desktop setup.

FEATURES
• Black Cherry MX Mechanical key switches
• Detachable wrist rest
• Green backlit key illumination
• Three lighting modes On, Off and WASD
• Multi-level brightness control
• Mionix action key to access light/media controls
• Six key rollover
• Rage proof durability
• Connect-through ports for audio/mic
• full speed uSb 2.0 hub
• Plug n Play

AVAILABILITY & PRICING
Mionix™ Zibal 60 will be available worldwide to pre-order
today and delivery in June 2011
Suggested retail price: $149.99 / €149.99

Mozilla announces new
"Aurora" rapid release for
Firefox
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/mozilla-announces-new-aurora-rapid-
release-for-firefox/11884.html
April 16th, 2011

Most tech-savvy PC users do not have a problem with testing
out pre-release and development builds of popular software,
especially if the 'popular software' in question happens to be
the all-important application known as the 'web browser'. Of
course, most users will also attempt to draw a line between
getting the latest, most bleeding-edge software and having to
deal with unstable applications that seemingly are engineered
to break something, and leave it to Mozilla to attempt to bridge
the gap with its new rapid release channel of Firefox known as
Aurora.

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have gone through substantial amounts of testing from the
developers and are deemed stable enough for use by most PC
users barring a few bugs every here and there. However, there
is still a long gap between the time taken for suitable nightly
build to be pushed up into the Beta channel, and this is where
the new Aurora release comes in to fill that gap.

Most tech-savvy PC users are usually adventurous enough
enough to test out pre-release software that are made freely
available for download, and for good reason. After all, it
is always important to have the latest and the greatest Unlike the Minefield nightly builds, the Aurora releases
version of any software one is currently using for a wide are aimed more towards software enthusiasts who crave an
variety of reasons, such as increased stability, performance experimental browser that comes with some semblance of
improvements and the introduction of new user-centric stability. Instead of daily releases, Aurora builds have a slightly
features. longer release cycle of approximately six weeks, but will come
with some degree of testing from the Mozilla developers. This
That being said, most sane adventurous users will attempt helps to ensure that there is a minimum level of stability
to draw the line between highly experimental software present in Aurora builds of the Firefox web browser.
applications that have gone through little to no quality testing
by the program's developers, and pre-release software that are The Aurora builds of Firefox are already available for users to
proclaimed to feature stability levels close to that of what will download and install, but we would like to remind users that
eventually be the final build. And because real-world statistics the Aurora channel is not meant for 'anybody' to download.
are so important to developers of any software application, This is due to the fact that the Aurora channel is still no where
Mozilla is attempting to reach out to a wider audience for as stable as a beta build, which in turn pales to the final release
its Firefox web browser by reaching a compromise between where stability is concerned. Get it if you want, but keep in
its highly unstable testing branches and more stable beta mind that there is a distinct possibility of having to deal with
channels, and it comes in the form of the new Aurora rapid- the browser breaking at the most unexpected moment due to
release channel. its unstable nature.

As most people who are familiar with Mozilla's development
schedules are fully aware, Firefox development can be broken
down into three broad categories. The first category is
known as Minefield, and as its name suggests, it is in this ASUS Announces World's First
stage of development where developers introduce various
experimental features into the web browser. However, the Two-Way HDMI Streaming Kit
nightly builds generated daily by the Minefield channel are Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-announces-world-s-first-two-way-
also considered off limits to all but the most adventurous PC hdmi-streaming-kit/11883.html
user, as these builds are churned out by an automated build April 16th, 2011
server with no quality tests performed on them.
The second category is known as the Beta release channel, and
this is the channel which most of the average adventurous PC
users are familiar with. Unlike the nightly builds, beta builds

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ASUS has launched WAVI, the world’s first wireless HDMI kit Hardware specifications:
to feature innovative two-way wireless USB control designed
Model Name WAVI
to stream PC content to the big screen TV. WAVI (Wireless
Audio Video Interaction) is offered as a pair of devices Wireless standard AMIMON WHDI Technology
that bridges the gap between the home office and living Antenna 4 x 5 MIMO
room. Watch movies, play the latest PC games, enjoy social Operation Channel 5 GHz
networking or even do online shopping, all on the big screen Power Supply Transmitter and
TV from the comfort of a couch. Read on to view the full press Receiver:12V, 2A 24W
release, along with the WAVI's hardware specifications. adapters
Power consumption 24W
Resolution TV:1080p, 1080i , 720p,
576p, 480p
3D Videos: 1080p@24Hz
Dimension 241mm x 171mm x 290mm
Adapter and Cables AC adapter x2
ASUS has launched WAVI, the world’s first wireless HDMI kit
HDMI cable x2
to feature innovative two-way wireless USB control designed
to stream PC content to the big screen TV. WAVI (Wireless USB cable x1
Audio Video Interaction) is offered as a pair of devices That being said, no information about the WAVI's official
that bridges the gap between the home office and living release date and pricing has been released by ASUS yet, so
room. Watch movies, play the latest PC games, enjoy social do remember to check back this page for updates about these
networking or even do online shopping, all on the big screen missing details.
TV from the comfort of a couch.

Samsung announces new line
of external hard disks with
USB3.0 support
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-announces-new-line-of-
external-hard-disks-with-usb3.0-support/11882.html
April 16th, 2011

With the need to be mobile being greater than ever before,
Control the PC on the living room TV via two-way streaming most of us have taken to storing our important data on
The WAVI HDMI streaming kit consists of a transmitter removable storage devices such as external hard disks and
and receiver for two-way input and streaming. Unlike other flash drives, and for good reason. However, what happens
wireless HDMI kits, the WAVI allows users to control the PC what users start demanding even greater speeds in the process
content in the living room with a wireless keyboard and mouse, of transfering data from one's PC to an external storage device?
thanks to wireless USB support. The WAVI operates at the The answer is simple: go the way of USB3.0. And this is exactly
wireless 5GHz band and provides up to 25 meters* of coverage. what Samsung has done for its latest M-series line of external
Additionally, under the Extend Mode, users can continue hard disks
working on the PC screen while streaming multimedia content
to the living room TV – maximizing the use of a single home
PC while also providing home entertainment experiences.
PC fun made easy on the big screen TV
The WAVI is easy to set up, with only an HDMI connection
needed on each unit. Plug the transmitter end to the PC and
the receiver end to a TV with an HDMI connection for wireless
entertainment. Anything that can be enjoyed on the PC can
now be enjoyed on the living room TV — stream high quality
Blu-ray movies, play PC games lag-free, listen to music, keep
up with friends on social networks like Facebook or Twitter or
do some online shopping, all from the comfort of the couch. When it comes to PC accessories and pheripherals, the one
*Subject to room settings thing which virtually all PC users cannot afford to go without

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today are the humble but vital tools known as external storage The new M-series of external hard disk are reportedly available
devices such as external hard disks and USB flash disks, and for sale already; that being said, no information about the hard
for good reason. After all, external storage devices such as disks' prices has been revealed, so we will probably have to wait
the examples mentioned above are essential for transfering for that bit of information to be publicly announced once these
data from place to place in the absence of a wireless data hard disks show up for sale in sunny Singapore.
connection, and the ability to always have a physical copy of
one's digital content can mean the difference between meeting
or missing a deadline for the busy professional. MSI launches nine new high-
With that in mind, the rapid advancements taking place in the performance notebooks
technological field today also means that access to ultra high- Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-launches-nine-new-high-
speed data interfaces is no longer a luxury, but a neccessity. performance-notebooks/11881.html
So how does one make the humble external storage device April 16th, 2011
perform faster in order to keep up with the demands of today's
digital worker? For Samsung (and many other manufacturers
as well), the answer is simple; outfit those devices with
the latest, fastest data connection interface possible. And in
this case, the interface in question is USB3.0, which is now
supported in Samsung's new line of M-series external hard
disks. Need a new notebook for the year 2011? Well, leave it to MSI
to flood the retail shelves with a new wave of offerings which
seemingly appear to be capable of catering to a wide variety of
demands put forth by the ever-so-choosy consumer. With up
to nine new models being announced by the Taiwanese OEM,
it seems that 2011 is going to be yet another rather interesting
and competitive year for the notebook PC market.
Smartphones and tablet PC devices may be all the rage where
mobile computing is concerned today, but many professionals
will still swear by their trusty, full-sized notebook when it
comes to serious data crunching, and for good reason. After
all, the puny ARM processors used in mobile devices are just
not powerful enough to handle some of the more resource-
According to the official press release issued by the Korean intensive applications used by many professionals in their line
electronics giant, the new line of M-series hard disks will be of work today. That, and the fact that the ARM architecture
available in both 2.5-inch and desktop-sized 3.5-inch form is simply not capable running the world's most popular PC
factors to cater to both the mobile and deskbound users who operating system means that one still needs a proper device
need a means of expanding the maximum storage capacity of running of a decent x86 processor in order to even start
their current machines. thinking about being productive while on the move.
The 2.5-inch versions of the new external hard disks, which Naturally, if you are gravitating towards an x86-powered
will be sold under the M2 Portable branding, will feature what notebook for your mobile computing tool of choice, chances
Samsung calls a simple and modern 'Scandinavian' design are you will have to take a pick between mobility and
with a coating that is reportedly stain and fingerprint resistant. raw performance. And the good news is that MSI has just
In addition, Samsung has confirmed in its press release that announced nine new notebooks which appear to be capable of
the M2 Portable hard disks will be sold in two capacities only satisfying a wide variety of consumers.
(500GB and 1TB) and will come in four different colours for
consumers to choose from, namely Brown Black, Noble beige,
MSI X370
Grey Mist and Clay Orange.
On the other hand, the larger 3.5-inch external hard disks,
otherwise known as the M3 Station, will be sold in two colours
only (Brown Black and Moble Beige), and are said to come in
only one capacity, which is that of a hulking 2TB.
In addition to the hardware, Samsung also claims that the
new M-series line of external hard disks comes bundled with
various tools such as a disk management program, Auto
Backup programs and a 'Secret Zone' application which is
supposedly tied to the management of the hardware-based
Secure Erase function found in most hard disks today (but
disabled at the BIOS level).

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The latest entrant to MSI's ultraslim X-series product line, the April 16th, 2011
MSI X370 ultraportable notebook drops the typical Intel ULV
processors used in such classes of notebooks in favor of one of
AMD's Fusion APUs instead. Powering the MSI X370 is one of
AMD's low-power E-series processor, the dual-core, Bobcat-
based E-320, which is clocked at 1.6GHz, and an integrated
AMD Radeon HD 6310 GPU which is built into the processor.
MSI's press release makes no mention of any further hardware Sure, most Meizu M8 users were already preparing themselves
specifications, but we have gotten word that the X370 will for the day where the company responsible for the production
come bundled with up to 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard and marketing of their iPhone-lookalike handsets ceases all
disk, along with the standard VGA-out and HDMI-out ports, a development for their device, but nothing beats an official
card reader and a webcam, all for the price of US$599. announcement to announce the inevitable. And this was
MSI FX620DX/FX420 precisely what M8 users were treated to in an announcement
posted on a Meizu forum not too long ago.
Meizu's new smartphones always seem to grab the headlines
whenever they are released, and it is usually due to all the
wrong reasons such as bearing uncanny similarities to a
certain OEM's devices, right down to the very way their own
WinCE-based OS is designed. However, that is mostly history,
and the Meizu we are all familiar with today are now one of
the more popular smartphone OEMs in China for their sleek-
looking smartphones that run off the open Android operating
system.
However, where does that leave the older Meizu M8
smartphone which still runs off a heavilly skinned version
of WindowsCE and features much more limitted hardware
MSI has also updated its high-performance FX series of specifications as compared to the current Meizu M9
notebooks with two new additions to its product line, and they smartphone based off the Android operating system? Well, it
come in the form of the FX620DX (shown above) and the appears that M8 users will have to deal with the fact that their
slightly smaller FX420 notebooks. smartphone has reached the end of its upgrade path, for the
OEM's CEO, J. Wong, has seemingly made an announcement
That being said, high-performance notebooks are usually
on the company's official forum that the development team
made to look impressive to complement their high-end
will cease all efforts on maintaining and updating the Meizu
hardware specifications, and the newly-announced FX
M8's firmware.
notebooks are no exceptions. According to the official press
release, the new notebooks are "sheathed in MSI's exclusive
raised totem seal coating and color film print which exude a
sophisticated air and provide the added bonus of making these
NBs resistant to scratches and wear."
Unfortunately, MSI has not released any information about
the FX620DX and FX420's hardware specifications. However,
a quick look at MSI's product page reveals that the FX620DX
will sport either an Intel Core i5-2410M or i7-2630QM
processor, an NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics card, a hard
disk with up to 720GB of storage capacitiy and up to 8GB
of memory. And while the FX420 is still not listed on MSI's
product page, we have got word that the FX420 will drop the
GT540M in favor of an AMD Radeon HD 6470 graphics card.

Meizu to cease all For some reason, we not able to find the alleged 'official
development for M8 announcement' anywhere on Meizu's official BBS, although
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/meizu-to-cease-all-development-for- another forum set up by Meizu fans, known as Meizu Me,
m8/11880.html have claimed that J. Wong did indeed break the news in their
official forums. On top of that, the Meizu Me forums claim that
J. Wong's justification for dropping all development efforts
for the Meizu M8 and its underlying WinCE-based OS stems
from the fact that the company simply could not afford to keep
maintaining two operating systems, especially when the M8

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has not been sold for quite some time already due to legal April 16th, 2011
threats from the likes of a certain fruit-named OEM.
Instead, the main focus for Meizu's development team will
now be the Meizu M9 and the company's upcoming product
which Meizu Me dubs the M9 II, both of which are based off
Google's Android operating system. In other words, it looks
like the curtain has officially fallen for the M8, whose time on So far there haven't been all to many third party SATA 6Gbps
stage is now at its end. controllers in the market, although ASMedia, a subsidiary to
Asus announced its ASM106x series of SATA 6Gbps controller
back in December last year, but it's only now that we're
Personalize your Gmail with a starting to see products based on it. So far the only option
new background picture has been Marvell's family of SATA 6Gbps controllers which
is continually growing, but we have a feeling that ASMedia's
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/personalize-your-gmail-with-a-new-
background-picture/11879.html
solution will be far more cost effective.
April 16th, 2011

So far there haven't been all to many third party SATA 6Gbps
controllers in the market, although ASMedia, a subsidiary to
Asus announced its ASM106x series of SATA 6Gbps controller
back in December last year, but it's only now that we're
starting to see products based on it. So far the only option
Google has included a theme feature in Gmail that allows users has been Marvell's family of SATA 6Gbps controllers which
to have a personalized look. Aside from the various color and is continually growing, but we have a feeling that ASMedia's
theme selections, you can now customize Gmail with your own solution will be far more cost effective.
background picture too. Read on for more details. We're somewhat surprised that ASMedia is only listing the
ASM1061 on its website, as the company has three more
models, the ASM1060, ASM1062 and ASM1062R where
the latter supports RAID. The ASM1060, ASM1062 and
ASM1062R are all pin to pin compatible, whereas the
ASM1061 is not. The ASM1060 only supports SATA 3Gbps
which is a bit confusing as its model name is so similar
to the SATA 6Gbps products. The ASM1060, ASM1062 and
ASM1062R all support IDE, while the smaller ASM1061
doesn't.

Yes, you can now have a personalize Gmail account, the way
you want it. Previously, you can only select from the different
color and themes available in the settings.
Simply go to the "Options", the gear icon at the upper right of
the screen, choose "Mail Settings", "Themes" and to the option,
"Create Your Own Theme". Select a Picasa photo or upload We have to apologize for the fact that we don't know which
your picture, as well as customize text and background colors. controllers are being used in the products we've spotted,
but we have a feeling that the both products are using o
In addition to this theme customization, Google has also the ASM1061, as it's the smallest of the four SATA 6Gbps
mentioned that it will be making ads relevant according to controllers and the chips used in both cases are tiny, in fact the
your emails. chip is so small that its dwarfed by other components on the
PCB.
ASMedia's SATA 6Gbps The add-in card comes from Taiwanese eMegatech, although
we didn't manage to track it down on the manufacturers
controller hits retail website, but it retails for NT$1090 (S$47) in Taiwan which
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/asmedia-s-sata-6gbps-controller-hits- seems a bit on the expensive side.The second product we've
retail/11878.html sporting an ASMedia SATA 6Gbps is an upcoming H61
motherboard from MSI called the PH61A-P35. This board
also incorporates an ASMedia USB 3.0 host controller and an
ASMedia PCI Express to PCI bridge.

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We'd expect to see a lot more products with ASMedia solutions IMFT claims that we can expect similar performance and
at Computex as well as some new announcements by the more importantly, endurance as its current 25nm NAND Flash
company itself whom we'll make sure to visit at the show. products. If you take a look at the picture provided by IMFT
Hopefully there will be some benchmarks of ASMedia's SATA you'll see the significance in terms of size that the die shrink
6Gbps controllers cropping up, as performance matters when offer, even from 25nm. Do note that the 34nm parts are two
it comes to SATA 6Gbps and ASMedia is going to have to 4GB devices, whereas the 25nm and 20nm parts are 8GB. The
offer similar performance to that of Marvell's products to gain 25nm parts measure 167 square mm while the new 20nm parts
general acceptance by motherboard and add-in card makers. measure a mere 118 square mm. This can be used to reduce the
board space on a PCB of an SSD by somewhere between 30 to
40 percent, or the other way to look at it you could fit 30 to 40
Intel and Micro announces percent more NAND Flash chips to an SSD.
20nm NAND Flash Right now we're of course looking at pre-production silicon
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-and-micro-announces-20nm- and actual production isn't intended to start until sometime
nand-flash/11877.html in the second half of this year. However, by then IMFT is
April 16th, 2011 expecting to have 16GB samples ready which the company
claims will allow for 128GB single chip SSD the size of a
postage stamp. As for cost reduction over current 25nm parts,
well, it won't that massive, but expect to see even more
affordable SSDs towards the end of this year or early next year,
especially as the price of the SSD controllers for 2xnm NAND
Flash are expected to have come down by then as well.
If things go as planned for Intel and Micron's joint venture in
NAND Flash, we might be seeing a second iteration of SSDs
later this year, as the two companies have announced that The Daily VR-Zone News
they're the first NAND Flash manufacturer to create 20nm
8GB MLC NAND Flash memory. It's unclear exactly how Summary - 14 April 2011
significant this additional die shrink is, although beyond being Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--14-
a cost saving measure; it also means smaller memory chips. april-2011/11875.html
April 16th, 2011

If things go as planned for Intel and Micron's joint venture in
NAND Flash, we might be seeing a second iteration of SSDs
later this year, as the two companies have announced that
they're the first NAND Flash manufacturer to create 20nm
8GB MLC NAND Flash memory. It's unclear exactly how
significant this additional die shrink is, although beyond being In today's news roundup: Thermaltake's dual 120mm tower
a cost saving measure; it also means smaller memory chips. cooling fan, the Thermaltake Jing Silent CPU cooler, gets
Although some companies are already manufacturing sub reviewed; EVGA's dual-GPU GeForce GTX590 Classified gets
25nm NAND Flash memory, IMFT just overtook all of its the quad-SLI treatment for a performance review by Hi Tech
competitors with its 20nm NAND Flash. The company is Legion; Red Hat is reportedly planning to create a new
expecting to transition all of its Fabs from 25nm to 20nm this programming language that will kill off the use of Java in the
year with its Fab in Utah, USA being the first one, followed by enterprise space; Lenovo denies the existance of plans for a
its Virginia, USA and Singapore plants at a later stage. This is 23-inch tablet computing device; Sony unveils a fresh wave
a very quick transition, although it's likely to be a somewhat of games for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable video
easier transition than what is normally the case, at least if the game consoles, and Nintendo is reportedly considering a price
quick time scale is anything to go by. cut for its existing Wii consoles for the month of May.
Hardware news

10


Thermaltake Jing Silent CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews games smoothly in 2560x1600 with all the eye-candy turned
Description: Today we are taking a look at the Thermaltake up to the max, including an anti-aliasing mode that can be set
Jing silent CPU cooler. The Jing is a dual 120mm fan tower to 64x? A single EVGA GTX 590 Classified can do that. Two
cooler with being quiet and performing well as its goal. Join GTX 590 in Quad-SLI means you’ll be ready for anything.
us as we stack the Jing up against a dozen other coolers on Fractal Design Define XL PC Case Review @ Real World Labs
our Intel Core i7 test bench and also see how quiet the Jing is Description: Not only does the latest Define XL by Fractal
compared to the kings of quiet, Noctua. Design packs the same high build quality and number of
OCZ Vertex 3 240GB SSD Review features as its smaller siblings but it is also the largest tower
Description: The performance oriented controller used by the case currently in their production line.
Vertex 3 known as the SandForce SF-2281 includes support Consumer Electronics and Software news
for the SATA 6Gb/s interface, while boasting read and write
speeds of 500MB/s+, a mind blowing figure when compared ROCCAT Kulo Stereo Headset Review @ Vortez
to previous generation chips. Description: It is today that we look in anticipation to
a product that we first cast our eyes on at CeBIT some
NZXT Blue Sleeved LED Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com weeks ago now. ROCCAT Kulo is an extremely lightweight
Description: What you get from NZXT is a two meter long gaming headset designed for those on the move, with their
string of LED lights with a controller and mounting hardware compact design they are sure to feature at the yearly LAN
that lets you customize the lighting effect seen through a case's party. ROCCAT claim that this headset will offer great audio
side window. Available in lengths of either one or two meters performance and has a robust construction thus allowing it to
- and with color choices of blue, green, orange, red, or white withstand the knocks and bashes, twists and pulls that some
- there is bound to be a combination to suit just about any peripherals have to endure whilst in transit.
system.
Windows Phone 7, You Were Supposed to be Great. So What
OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G 120GB Solid State Drive Happened?
Review Description: "Windows Phone 7 is the most aggressively
Description: It's now 2011 and we've started a new season for different, fresh approach to a phone interface since the
solid state drives. Take me out to the ball game; OWC is in iPhone." We published those words half a year ago, hoping
the batter's box. OWC has kept their SandForce partnership WP7 would be a radical firebrand in phone land. But it's
and once again amazed us with their ability to get a product stalled. We're disappointed.
to market so quickly. To date only OCZ Technology has been
able to sample us with a SandForce 2000 Series product and Red Hat wants to knife Java with Ceylon Project
that was an engineering sample that can't use the same mass Description: Open source distributor Red Hat has been
production firmware found in the retail drives. We've already secretly working on a new language, which it wants to use to
covered the SandForce 2000 Series lineup in detail. For a full kill off Java in the enterprise and stick its own Java-based
break down of what's to come, be sure to check out that article." successor in its place.
Thermaltake Level 10 GT Case Review @ Tweaknews HTC Sense 3.0 will only support Sensation, EVO 3D, Flyer and
Description: Level 10 for the masses? I'm sure that's what newer devices; older hardware left behind
Thermaltake had in mind when designing the Level 10 GT Description: Unfortunate news for anyone who saw HTC's
chassis. Available now for a bit less than $300 US, the Level 10 Sense 3.0 UI and started dreaming about seeing it on their
GT has a much more attractive price, but only when compared Desire HD, Incredible S or any other handset that doesn't ship
to the original Level 10 chassis. with it preloaded. HTC has said that because of the hardware
requirements of the fancier new Android skin, only the dual-
Intel DP67BG Review @ ocaholic core Sensation 4G and EVO 3D smartphones and the 1.5GHz
Description: With the DP67BG Intel presents its Sandy Bridge Flyer tablet will be benefiting from it for now.
motherboard which has been designed for overclockers and
gamers. The board therefore comes with decent overclocking Lenovo denies plans for 23″ tablet
features in the BIOS as well as attractive performance. Description: There won’t be a 23″ tablet coming from Lenovo
Regarding features the list isn't very long but never the less this year. According to the latest reports online, the Chinese
there still is the backlit skull which one could also find on the OEM has denied the existence or plans to introduce a tablet
previous board. later this year.
EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified Quad-SLI Performance Gigabyte's S1080 dual-core Windows tablet ships to Taiwan
Review @Hi Tech Legion Description: Gigabyte has started taking orders for its S108
Description: The EVGA GTX 590 Classified video card consists dual-core 1.66Ghz Atom-powered Windows 7 tablet in Taiwan.
of two GF110 GPUs on a single PCB. The EVGA GTX 590 The device has a has a 10.1-inch LED capacitive multi-touch
Classified has 3,072MB of GDDR5 memory on a 768-bit panel with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. It comes standard
memory interface equipped with 1,024 CUDA cores. Clocked with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and utilizes Intel’s GMA 3150
higher than the stock GTX 590, the EVGA GeForce GTX integrated graphics, while it features one USB 3.0 port in its
590 Classified edition carries a core clock of 630 MHz and array to deliver high-speed connectivity.
a memory clock of 3456 MHz. A pair of EVGA GTX 590 Wi-Fi only Dell Streak 7 released in the U.K.
Classified in SLI provides astonishing performance, unlike
anything NVIDIA has ever produced. Ever wanted to play

11


Description: The Dell Streak 7 hasn't been met with much HELSINKI, FINLAND – APRIL 14, 2011 – Futuremark®
praise stateside, but maybe it will have better luck now that the today confirmed that PCMark® 7, a new benchmark offering
Wi-Fi only version is being launched in the United Kingdom. complete PC performance testing for Windows 7, will be
released on May 3, 2011. PCMark 7 will be available in 3
Gaming news
editions: the Basic Edition, a free download offering unlimited
Sony Computer Entertainment Unveils New Games In Media runs of the main PCMark test, the Advanced Edition which
Event includes all 7 PC tests and the Professional Edition which
Description: Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong unlocks all features and is the only edition licensed for
Kong (SCEH) held a media preview on their latest upcoming commercial use. The Advanced and Professional Editions can
PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Portable (PSP) game titles be pre-ordered now from http://www.pcmark.com.
which includes Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls, SOCOM 4,
BRINK, Thor: God of Thunder and Dissidia 012 [duodecim]
Final Fantasy (Chinese/English version). PCMARK 7 BASIC EDITION – Free, available from May 3,
2011
Nintendo To Cut Wii Price To $150 In May
Description: A year and a half has passed since Nintendo last • Free PC test offering unlimited runs of the main PCMark
cut the price of the Wii, to $200. And it might almost be time test suite
for another price slashing for the popular gaming console.
• Browse, search and compare results online
FEAR 3 multiplayer preview: Corrupting influence
Description: FEAR 3 will feature four multiplayer gametypes, • Store one result online
each an isolated mode largely dissimilar to the others. We
already got a look at the aptly named "F**king Run!" scenario PCMARK 7 ADVANCED EDITION - $39.95 – PRE-ORDER
during PAX East, and at a recent preview event I got my hands NOW
on the three other modes, as well as a second take of F**king
• Includes all 7 PC tests with more than 25 individual
Run.
workloads
• Browse, search and compare results online
PCMark 7 Slated For May 3rd • Unlimited online results storage
Release, Pre-Ordering Now • Hide results from public view
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/pcmark-7-slated-for-may-3rd-release-
pre-ordering-now/11876.html • Offline result management
April 16th, 2011 • Advert-free online service

PCMARK 7 PROFESSIONAL EDITION - $995.00 – PRE-
ORDER NOW

• Licensed for commercial PC system testing
• Includes all 7 PC tests with more than 25 individual
Futuremark today confirmed that PCMark 7 will be released workloads
on May 3, 2011. PCMark 7 will be available in 3 editions: • Command line automation
the Basic Edition, a free download offering unlimited runs of
the main PCMark test, the Advanced Edition ($39.95) which • Browse, search and compare results online
includes all 7 PC tests and the Professional Edition (S$995) • Unlimited online results storage
which unlocks all features and is the only edition licensed for
• Hide results from public view
commercial use. The Advanced and Professional Editions can
be pre-ordered now from http://www.pcmark.com. • Offline result management
• Advert-free online service
• Priority support

PCMark 7 provides a set of 7 PC tests for measuring different
aspects of PC performance with a high degree of accuracy.
Overall system performance is measured by the PCMark
test. The Lightweight test measures the capabilities of entry
level systems and mobility platforms unable to run the full
PCMark test. Common use performance is measured by the
Entertainment, Creativity and Productivity tests. Component
performance is measured by the Computation and Storage
hardware tests. The Storage test is ideal for testing SSDs and
external hard drives in addition to the system drive.

12


dedicated to the development of "innovative, breakthrough
products" which utilize its proprietary PicoP laser projection
PCMark 7 will be released on May 3, 2011. PCMark 7 Advanced
technology.
and Professional Editions can be pre-ordered now from
http://www.pcmark.com. Visit the official website for more In his opening address, NTU's president-designate and
information or follow Futuremark on Facebook. provost, Professor Bertil Andersson likened the relationship
between the University and MicroVision to that of a 'marriage'
which had experienced its fair share of 'suitors' aiming to
MicroVision announces 'court' the other party.
opening of research and
development facility at NTU
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microvision-announces-opening-of-
research-and-development-facility-at-ntu/11873.html
April 16th, 2011

Think lasers are only good for making industrial cutting tools,
light shows and flashy, lightsaber-lookalike that are capable of
bursting balloons with their heat output? Well, think again. A "NTU is proud to partner with MicroVision in their first
company known as MicroVision which specializes in laser R&D centre outside of the US. With MicroVision's speciality
and ultra-miniature display technologies is out to show the in areas such as Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMs),
world how lasers can be used to actually make something laser physics and augmented reality, there will be many
practical for the needs of the consumer, military, industrial opportuniteis to work with both the faculty and students from
and healthcare segments. And to that end, MicroVision has the engineering, physics and new media fields," he said.
announced its first ever global R&D centre at Nanyang According to Andersson, the new research facility wil not only
Technological University. focus on developing new products capable of taking advantage
of MicroVision's PicoP technology, but also "carry out
advanced research in MEMs and laser physics". MicroVision's
PicoP technology is currently being used in a wide variety
of devices, such as heads-on displays found in medical and
military-grade equipment and even laser projectors designed
for use with smartphones.
He also added that it was the large amount of synergy
between the University and MicroVision which has made this
partnernship possible.
"In fact, the rate our relationship progressed was so fast, we
did not even have the time to declare our 'engagement'," he
quipped.
Also present at the ceremony was MicroVision's president and
Lasers make great toys, do they not? After all, most of
CEO, Alexander Tokman, who spoke about the significance of
us would have at one point of time been infatuated with
the partnership with NTU.
those little laser pointers that seemingly need so little energy
to project a coherent beam of red light that is capable of
maintaining its integrity for what is easily a hundred metres
without pettering out, unlike a regular torchlight. Then came
the introduction of more powerful, lighsaber-lookalike laser
pointers that featured more powerful laser diodes with colours
aside than red, and geeks were instantly in heaven with their
new toys.
MicroVision's latest announcement will probably serve as an
eye-opener, especially for those who have not been keeping
up with laser technology development. This is because the
company has just announced the establishment of a new
research and development centre in the campus of Singapore's
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) which will be

13


"The breadth of the technological expertise in the University
is second to none; MicroVision looks forward to working with
NTU's commendable faculties and student body on furthering
its world-winning IP portfolio," he said.
Tokman also affirmed MicroVision's commitment to the
partnership in his speech, claiming that the company plans to
have up to 25 people working in its R&D facilities within a year
and half, and NTU staff will make up apprximately 30% of the
research team.
This was followed by the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding between NTU and MicroVision by Andersson
and Tokman.

Last but not least, MicroVision's vice president of global
R&D and advanced applications, Sid Madhavan wrapped up
the presentation with a quick explaination of the company's
Sony Computer Entertainment
technological breakthroughs and areas of collaboration with announces new PlayStation 3
NTU.
and PSP titles for 2011
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-computer-entertainment-
announces-new-playstation-3-and-psp-titles-for-2011/11874.html
April 16th, 2011

Earlier today, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong held
a media event in Singapore to announce their upcoming
PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) game titles
for 2011. The games that were showcased include DISSIDIA
Final Fantasy Chinese/English version, Socom 4 (Asia English

14


vesion), Thor: God of Thunder, Brink and Man vs Wild with If you a fan of Bear Grylls, from Man vs. Wild on the Discovery
Bear Grylls. Channel, you can now try the game on the Sony PlayStation
console. You go through each environment or stages and try
to meet your in-game objective - from finding food, battling
rattlesnakes to building shelters. The game will be in retail
from 18 Apr 2011.

The DISSIDIA 012 [duodecim] Final Fantast Chinese/English
version is developed from the North America edition, and
the main difference is that the voice will be in Japanese
while subtitles are in traditional Chinese for event scenes and
English for all menus and system messages. Sony Computer Brink is a first-person shooter that offers team-based
Entertainment Hong Kong has collaborated with SQUARE multiplayer missions which can be played online as well as
ENIX to launch the bundle pack of PSP DISSIDIA 012 offline single player mode. If you enjoy such first-person
[duodecim] Final Fantasy Chaos & Cosmos Limited which shooting games, Brink is scheduled to be available on 18 May
consists of a special edition PSP, software game and tradition 2011.
arts (selected one from 10 characters randomly in Vol.1 or
Vol.2 series). The bundle pack will be available on 10 May
at S$344 in pearl white with original "Chaos & Cosmos
design, while the game itself is selling at S$39.90.

Marvel fans are all waiting for the highly anticipated movie,
Thor, which is going to be in cinemas here on 28 April this
month. Coincidentally, the game is also scheduled to launch
on 29 April. If you enjoy playing the mighty God of Thunder
Socom 4 is a tactical third-person shooter game set in Asia, and and fighting the enemies with the legendary hammer, check
is playable with the PlayStation Move controller. The game is this out.
scheduled for release on 19 Apr 2011.

Monster introduces Mobile
Jamz high performance in-ear
headphones
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/monster-introduces-mobile-jamz-high-
performance-in-ear-headphones/11872.html
April 16th, 2011

15


Today, Monster has introduced their new Mobile Jamz high watercooling enthusiasts. This thing sure weighs a ton and
performance in-ear headphones that features 2GB Monster expect availability in early May. Pricing and specs are not
Mobile Media Drive and Monster Mobile Media Manager finalized at this point of time. Next, we have the HD 6950
software, and "ControlTalk Universal" which claims to work Vortex Edition that comprises of dual 92mm adjustable fans
with any music phone, including BlackBerry, and others. where users can manually adjust the fan height to achieve
better cooling performance. It costs some USD10-20 higher
than its standard version.
PowerColor LCS HD 6990

Monster has announced Mobile Jamz, the newest addition
to the acclaimed Jamz family of in-ear headphones. Made of
stylish solid metal, the Mobile Jamz is virtually indestructible
and claims to offer deep, powerful bass and crystal clear high We are greeted with some of the upcoming PowerColor
frequency response. graphics cards in their Taipei office. First, we have LCS
The Mobile Jamz features a host of innovative features such as HD 6990 graphics card fitted with EK waterblock for the
the Monster Mobile Media Drive with 2GB microSD card and watercooling enthusiasts. This thing sure weighs a ton and
USB adaptor for managing and transferring music and photos expect availability in early May. Pricing and specs are not
from PC to phone. Preloaded with Monster's Mobile Media finalized at this point of time.
Manager software, the process is simple, quick and intuitive
and delivers an iTunes-like music management experience.
PowerColor PCS+ HD 6950 Vortex Edition
The in-ear headphones also comes with ControlTalk Universal
for hands-free calling with microphone and answer button.
Users can take incoming calls conveniently on most music
phones with a 3.5 mm headphone port or a 2.5 mm headphone
port with an adaptor. With the included Y-Cable "Chat
Adapter," Mobile Jamz can also be used to make calls and
video chats on Skype, as well as other online voice and video
chat applications.
The Monster Mobile Jamz retails at S$239 and is available
at Audio House, Alpha Audio, Best Denki, Epicentre, Harvey
Norman, HMV, i Studio, Stereo and Nubox outlets.

PowerColor LCS HD6990,
HD6950 Vortex and SCS3 Next, we have the HD 6950 Vortex Edition that comprises of
dual 92mm adjustable fans where users can manually adjust
HD6850 the fan height to achieve better cooling performance. It costs
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/powercolor-lcs-hd6990-hd6950- some USD10-20 higher than its standard version.
vortex-and-scs3-hd6850/11870.html Here's the official press release from TUL :
April 16th, 2011

Taipei, Taiwan –April 14th, 2011 -- TUL Corporation, a leading
manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today introduced an
innovative cooling technology into the HD6950 series: the
PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II Edition. Featuring the PCS+ series
characteristic, the latest edition has superior overclocking
We are greeted with some of the upcoming PowerColor ability which clocks in at 850MHz core speed and 1300MHz
graphics cards in their Taipei office. First, we have LCS memory speed, easily accelerating gaming machines with
HD 6990 graphics card fitted with EK waterblock for the nearly 2.39 teraFLOPs of computing power and offering the
surprising gaming experience
16


The PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II Edition enables users to
manually adjust the fan and its physical attributes. By lifting
the fan, it optimizes the air flow and taking advantage of the
cooler air from the bottom of the case, balancing the ambient
temperature. Furthermore, with the exclusive perforated fan
design and anti-turbulence ability, enhancing the cooling
efficiency and resulting in cooling down the temperature up to
20% compare to reference design.

Also, the latest solution utilizes “Gold Power Kit” which is
composed of the select components: Ferrite Core Choke, Dr.
Mos and solid capacitor, allows the stable and more efficient We have seen this card last November and apparently it has
overclocking entertaining environment. undergone numerous revisions and the most notable is the
components layout on the PCB.

Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®2 Game Bundle: A Record
Setting AAA Title for True Gamers Texas Instruments joins the
To bring more benefits for gamers, PowerColor includes the USB-IF certified crowd
most-anticipated game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, into Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/texas-instruments-joins-the-usb-if-
the PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II Edition. Continuing the gripping certified-crowd/11871.html
and heart-racing action against a new threat dedicated to April 16th, 2011
bringing the world to the brink of collapse, the Modern
Warfare 2 delivers the most realistic and immersive FPS
gaming experience with PowerColor PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II
Edition to all gamers, enabling the most exhilarating gaming
experience like never before.

It seems like this week is a good week for getting certified
by the USB-IF, as following AMD's and Fresco Logic's
announcements earlier this week, it's now Texas Instruments
time to get no less than two USB 3.0 host controllers certified.
TI is also the first company to get a four port USB 3.0 host
controller certified and this means that we can look forward to
motherboards with even more USB 3.0 ports.

It seems like this week is a good week for getting certified
by the USB-IF, as following AMD's and Fresco Logic's
announcements earlier this week, it's now Texas Instruments
time to get no less than two USB 3.0 host controllers certified.
TI is also the first company to get a four port USB 3.0 host
controller certified and this means that we can look forward to
motherboards with even more USB 3.0 ports.
The two products in question are the TUSB7320 and
TUSB7340, the first is a two port host controller and the
second is a four port host controller. TI claims to offer a lower
BOM (Bill Of Materials) cost than its competitors thanks to no
need for an external EEPROM or some type of Flash memory,
although at a mere five percent saving this doesn't sound like
a huge savingbut on a few million products, it'll surely add up.
That said, it looks like TI is set to be very price competitive, at
least compared to what Renesas have been asking for its host
PowerColor SCS3 HD 6850 controllers to date.

17


cardboard with the most important data in five languages,
including German are printed.
Description: With the latest Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD
the people over at Creative have managed not only to surpass
themselves but also the competition and have once again
proven that they have been and still are the best at what they
do.
Description: With the Survivor of the relatively new
manufacturer Bitfenix are now presented on the second
housing market. The first work, Collossus, leaving competitors
sit up and showed a 16 kilo monster in innovative LED
technology.
The two port TUSB7320 is said to have a SRP of US$3.50 while Description: Today CM Storm launch a new mid-tower case
the four port TUSB7340 seems to be the much more affordable called Enforcer. Seen at CES 2011 and CeBIT 2011 this new
option at US$4.50, both in quantities of 1,000 units and we'd case has much more subtle styling compared to the Scout and
expect motherboard, notebook and add-in card makers to Sniper cases currently residing in CM Storm's product range.
get even better pricing than this in higher volumes. This will Description: The Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2200 2.1 PC
potentially have a huge impact in the uptake of the USB 3.0 speaker system is designed for gamers looking for high-quality
standard, as the Renesas host controller that so far has been 2.1 audio solution at a price point below $100.
the most widely used one, due to it being the only USB-IF
certified two port solution has had an SRP of about US$4.50-5 Consumer Electronics and Software news:
and this is part of the reason that we've been stuck with two Description: In many respects, Echo is an ordinary 3G
USB 3.0 ports on most motherboards. smartphone, capable of running the usual library of Android
apps, and with a set of features that includes a 5-megapixel
Unprintable Content (Video, Flash, etc.) camera with flash, stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and more. It comes
with 1 gigabyte of on-board memory and an expandable 8-GB
TI recons it should kick off its volume production by the end microSD memory card.
of this month and hopefully we should be seeing the first
motherboards with TI's new host controllers come Computex. Description: The company has officially announced some of
It's been slow progress so far, but with two new USB-IF its plans for Internet Explorer 10 at the annual Mix event, a
certified host controller makers in the market, it looks like Microsoft-led conference about online development.
we're finally starting to see some real competition and on top Description: HTC has officially outed the Sensation, an
of that we can look forward to either more affordable USB 3.0 upcoming Android handset with impressive hardware
products, or more ports for the same money. specifications and Sense 3.0, the new version of HTC's custom
software environment.
The Daily VR-Zone News Description: Apple previewed Final Cut Pro X, the newest
version of the company's professional non-linear editing The
Summary - 13 April 2011 announcement came at the Final Cut Pro User Group Network
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--13- Supermeet, being held in Las Vegas during the 2011 National
april-2011/11453.html Association of Broadcasters Show.
April 16th, 2011
Description: The first one we're looking at comes from MSI
and is labelled the CX640, and on the specifications front it
does indeed look the goods with an Intel i5-2410M clocked at
2.3GHz on the H65 chipset.
Gaming news
Description: When I sat down a couple of weeks ago to play
In today's news roundup: Corsair CMPSU-TX750V2 750W F.E.A.R. 3's four multiplayer modes, I was immediately struck
PSU Review; Review of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi by one thing in particular. Every mode is a focused four-player
Titanium HD; HTC Sensation 4G unveiled with new version affair.
of Sense ; Apple Announces Final Cut Pro X ; The Frantic
Multiplayer of F.E.A.R. 3 , and a feature on Women in Games. Description: Many warriors prepare to battle the oncoming
storm in Rift on PC, but should you join the fight?
Hardware news
Description: One of the biggest points of contention in the
Description: The Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 with an output discussion surrounding women in video games is the phrase
power of 750W with the 80 Plus Bronze certification and must "women in video games." This implies that women are special
therefore have at 20%, 50% and 100% load efficiency of 82%, in a way that requires them to be singled out
85% and 82%. On the predominantly yellow-black-colored

18

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VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #21