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VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Oct 2011 Issue

A monthly roundup of VR-Zone.com Technology News covering facebook, google, apple, baidu, social media, PC, gadget, geek, technology, intel, microsoft, AMD, NVIDIA, ARM, iphone, android, internet

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VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Oct 2011 Issue

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  1. Publishedby:VR-Zone October5th,2011 VR-Zone.com|StufffortheGeeks! OlympusPenE-P3Review: ThisPenismightierthanyour compactcamera Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/olympus-pen-e-p3-review-this-pen-is- mightier-than-your-compact-camera/13611.html October5th,2011 VR-Zone|StufffortheGeeksisabi-weeklypublication coveringthelatestgadgetsandstuffforthegeeks. AMDFX-6100listedine-tailer bundles Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-6100-listed-in-e-tailer- bundles/13690.html October5th,2011 TheOlympusPenE-P3isoneofthethreecamerasthatwere announcedinSingaporeataneventatendJunethisyear, andboaststheworld'sfastestautofocusing(AF)viaFrequency AccelerationSensorAFsystemandalensincorporatingthe MSC(MovieandStillCompatible)mechanism.Inthisreview, VR-Zonehaveahands-onthenewmicrofour-thirdscamera andseeifitshootsaswellasitlooks. WhenOlympuslaunchedtheirfirstPenseriesE-P1micro four-thirdsdigitalcamerain2009,itgarneredmanyfavorable reviews.Andbasedonthesuccessoftheirnewlineofmicro four-thirdproducts,thecameramanufacturerhasunveiled theOlympusPenE-P3whichisoneofthelatestmodels inthePenseriesannouncedthisyear.TheE-P3resembles itseldersiblings,theE-P2andE-P1,thoughitcomeswith fewimprovementsoverall.Thecameraclaimstoincorporate theworld'sfastestautofocusing,achievedwiththeFAST (FrequencyAccelerationSensor)AFsystem,andfeatures 12.3-megapixelHighSpeedLiveMOSSensorwith1080i fullhighdefinitionmoviecompatibilityandhighISO12,800 sensitivity. Here'salookattheE-P3specification, 1 OneofthetopAmericane-tailers,TigerDirect,hasrevealed AMD'supcomingFX-6100aspartofseveralbundles-ranging frommotherboardtofullsystembundles.Thepriceforthe FX-6100islistedas$189.Notsurprisingly,theFX-6100isnot listedindividually. OneofthetopAmericane-tailers,TigerDirect,hasrevealed AMD'supcomingFX-6100aspartofseveralbundles-ranging frommotherboardtofullsystembundles.Thepriceforthe FX-6100islistedas$189.Notsurprisingly,theFX-6100isnot listedindividually. Interestingly,somebundles,suchasMSI 990FX + FX-6100, claimtobeshippingasearlyas"within24hours".However, theAsus Sabertooth + FX-6100bundlehasamorerealistic timeframeof7-21days. Sincethereisnoindividuallisting,therearenodetailed specificationsmentionedforFX-6100.However,theheading itselfrevealsa3.3GHzbaseclock,14MBtotalcacheanda95W TDP-allinaccordancewithreportsthusfar. Ofcourse,thesebundlepublicationsarelikelytobeinbreach ofNDAsandmaybetakendownfromthewebsitesoon. Tillthen,youcanreviewalistofFX-6100 bundles here.

  2. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone OlympusE-P3 Drivemode Single-frameshooting, Sequentialshooting,Self- timer Approximately3frames/sec Available USB2.0,miniHDMI, video-out,dedicatedmulti- connector(Video: NTSC/PALselectable, OptionalremotecableRM- UC1,USB) BLS-1/BLS-5Lithium-ion battery(included) 122x69.1x34.3(excluding protrusions) 369g(includingbatteryand memorycard) Lensmount EffectivePixels ImageStabilizer Monitor Dustreduction Lenssystem LiveMOSsensor Magnificationratio Filterarray AFsystem Meteringsystem MicroFourThirdsMount 12.3millionpixels Builtin(Imagershiftimage stabilizer) 3-inchOLEDTouchscreen Display SupersonicWaveFilter(dust reductionsystemforimage sensor) MicroFourThirds interchangeable HighspeedLiveMOSSensor x5,x7,x10(Default),x14 Primarycolorfilter(RGB) ImageContrastDetectionAF System/AFAssist TTLImageSensormetering Sequentialshootspeed Built-inflash Input/Output Battery Dimensions Weight system EV0-20 SDmemorycard(SDHC, SDXC,UHS-Icompatible), Eye-Fi 1.33(4:3) DCF,DPOF,compatible/Exif, PRINTImageMatchingIII RAW(12-bitlossless compressopmJPEG,RAW- JPEG,MPO(3Dstill) [RAW]4032x3024pixels; [JPEG]4032x3024pixels- 640x480pixels AVCHD/AVIMotionJPG AVCHD:Max4GB/AVI Motion-JPEG:Max2GB Portrait,e-Portrait, Landscape,Landscape+ Portrait,Macro,Sport, Nightscene,Night+Portrait, Children,Highkey,Lowkey, 3D DISmode,NatureMacro, Candle,Sunset,Document, Panorama, Fireworks,Beach&Snow, FisheyeConv,WideConv, MacroConv AUTO:ISO200-12800 (customizable,default200- 1600) 6settings(3000K-7500K) Lamp(3000K),Fluorescent (4000K), Daylight(5300K),Flash (5500K),Cloudy(6000K), Shade(7500K) FromIDF:RetinaQuality 2560x1600HDPanelsonIvy BridgeUltrabooks Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/from-idf-retina-quality-2560x1600-hd- panels-on-ivy-bridge-ultrabooks/13689.html October5th,2011 With2560x1400'retina'displaysexpectedonIvyBridge Ultrabooksnextyear,eventhe2048x1536iPad3maynothave theportablehi-resleadforlong.But,whynot16:102560x1600 theninstead?Makesiteasiertoseethephotographsand documentsinrealproportion... Duringthepastmonth'sIDF,thereweremanyinteresting disclosuresandevenstrategicdirectionsunveiled,especially whenitcomestoIntel'smobileproductexpansion. Ultrabooks,thenewcategoryofultraslim,verylightfull functionnotebookPCsthatofferrealPCexperienceatnear- tabletsizeandweight,werethefocusthere-inparticular,their displays. Whataboutthedisplays?AllthosebeautifulslimUltrabooks ontheshowfloorhadtypicallya13-inchclass,1366x768'HD ready'display-yesthesameuseless16:9moviescreenwithless verticalrealestatethanany5yearoldnotebook.Howwillthat comparewith,10inchclassiPad32048x1536display,withnot only3xthepixelcountbutalsomuchmoreuseful4:3aspect ratio? Enter'retinaquality'Ultrabooks.Earlynextyear,whenIvy BridgeUltrabookmodelsarrive,expecttosee2560x144013.3 inchdisplaysjustsome3mmthick,tosatisfythesystem thicknessrequirements.Takealookattheslides... 2 Meteringrange Memory Aspectratio Recordingformat Fileformat Recordingimagesize Movierecording FileSize SceneselectAE ISOsensitivity Presetwhitebalance

  3. October5th,2011 Now,a2560x1440Ultrabookwouldhavealotofpixels,over 3andahalfmillion,tobeprecise,butthewidemoviescreen factorwouldleavemanyofthoseunused,evenifeditingtypical photosordocumentsorwebpages.Havinga2560x1600 full4Mpixelscreenat16:10would,here,enablenotjust betterusabilitybutalsomorebeneficialtabletconfiguration, whichsomeUltrabookswilloffer.A16:9tabletscreenisjust tooelongated,exceptforAngryBirdsplayingormoviefile watching.And,sincethesearePREMIUMUltrabooks,the5% orsothatstingypanelvendorssavebyglasscuttingisnot Publishedby:VR-Zone ACRyanintroducesVEOLO digitalhomeentertainment device Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/ac-ryan-introduces-veolo-digital-home- entertainment-device/13688.html October5th,2011 ACRyanhasunveiledtheVEOLOsmartAndroidhubthat claimstoofferapps,Internet,andmediastreameronyourTV, atthecomfortofyourhome.TheVEOLOisequippedwith ARMCortexA91GHzprocessor,onboard512MBDDR3andis basedonGoogleAndroid2.2Froyomobileoperatingsystem. ACRyanhaslaunchedVEOLOdigitalhomeentertainment devicethatclaimstoofferapps,internet,andamedia streamer,allonyourTV.TheVEOLOisbasedontheGoogle Android2.2Froyomobileoperatingsystemandbrings enhancedexperience,includingcasualgamesandsocial media.Thebuilt-inwebbrowserandJavasupportallowusers toviewFlashwebsitesandstreamvideosonTV.Youcan alsostreamyourlibraryofmovies,musicandpicturesinFull highdefinition(HD)with1GigabitwiredLAN.Inaddition, thedeviceisequippedwithARMCortexA91GHzprocessor, onboard512MBDDR3memoryandoffersbuilt-inwireless 802.11b/g/nLAN. Youcanaccessthefunctionalityofakeyboardandmouse, wirelessmotioncontrollerwiththebundled3-in-1remote control.TheACRyanVEOLOwillretailinNovember2011, andendOctoberinSingaporeatasuggestedretailpriceofS $329. ArcticCoolingreleasedtwo newVGAcoolers Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/arctic-cooling-released-two-new-vga- coolers/13687.html October5th,2011 worththetroubleonsuchtopendmachines. Eitherway,exceptthisstuffinaboutsixmonthsfromnow,too. 3

  4. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone ArcticCooling,thewellknownmanufacturerfrom Switzerland,todayreleasedtwonewVGAcoolersaimingat differentsegmentsofthemarket.Thefirstcooler,baptized "AcceleroTwinTurbo6990",isaverypowerfuldualfancooler designedespeciallyfortheAMDRadeonHD6990.Thesecond product,the"AcceleroS1PLUS"isauniversal,passivecooler. Readonfordetails. ArcticCooling,thewellknownmanufacturerfrom Switzerland,todayreleasedtwonewVGAcoolersaimingat differentsegmentsofthemarket.Thefirstcooler,baptized "AcceleroTwinTurbo6990",isaverypowerfuldualfancooler designedespeciallyfortheAMDRadeonHD6990.Thesecond product,the"AcceleroS1PLUS"isauniversal,passivecooler. ThecompanyclaimsthattheirnewAcceleroTwinTurbo 6990isthemostpowerfulVGAcoolerever.Withtwo120mm PWMcontrolledquietfansandacoolingcapacityof400Wit certainlyseemstobeaveryimpressiveproduct. Ontheotherhand,theAcceleroS1PLUSisanentirelypassive VGAcoolerdesignedformaximumcompatibilityandabsolute silence.Ofcoursethelatterisobvious,sincetherearenofans oranymovingpartsatall,whileArcticCoolingclaimsthat thiscoolercanbemountedonover80differentmodelsof midrangetohigh-endcards.Thecoolerappearstobeagood valueat49.95$USD. ApplelaunchestheiPhone4S Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-launches-the- iphone-4s/13686.html October5th,2011 Thiscoolerhasbeendesignedasauniquesolutionforthe newestAMDRadeonHD6990VGAcard,obviouslyaiming towardsbothhardcoreoverclockersanduserswhofoundthe stockcoolingsolutiontooloud.Finally,ArcticCoolingalso designedthemostexpensiveVGAcoolerinhistory,withthe AcceleroTwinTurbo6990retailingfor149.95$USD. TheiPhone4Shasfinallylandedanditseemslikemostof thechangeshastakenplaceontheinsideandasexpected, AppleupdateditwiththesameAppleA5processorastheiPad 2.Appleclaimsuptotwicetheperformanceanduptoseven timesfastergraphicscomparedtotheiPhone4. TheiPhone4Shasfinallylandedanditseemslikemostof thechangeshastakenplaceontheinsideandasexpected, AppleupdateditwiththesameAppleA5processorastheiPad 2.Appleclaimsuptotwicetheperformanceanduptoseven timesfastergraphicscomparedtotheiPhone4. Bynowyou'veprobablyfiguredoutthatperformanceshould beslightlyfasterthantheiPad2thankstotheslightlylower resolutionscreen(960x640vs1024x768).Appleistoutingthe iPhone4SasagreatgamingdevicethankstothePowerVR SGX543MP2graphicscorefromImaginationTechnologies, 4

  5. October5th,2011 althoughonceagainitshouldbesimilartotheiPad2interms ofgraphicsperformance. Appleclaimsupto8h3Gtalktime,or14h2Gtalktime, alternatively6hofwebbrowsingover3Gor9hoverWi-Fi. It'salsomeanttodoeither10hofvideoplaybackor40hof musicplayback.That'saslightimprovementovertheiPhone 4intermsof3Gtalktime,butslightlyworseforWi-Fiweb browsing.Ontheplusside,Applehasaddedsupportfor 14.4MbpsHSDPA(theiPhone4supports7.2Mbps)although theHSUPAspeedremainsthesameat5.8Mbps.Forthosein CDMAcountriesthereallygoodnewsisthattheiPhone4Sis whatisgenerallyreferredtoasaWorldPhone,asinitworks onbothCDMAandGSM/WCDMAnetworks. Thecamerahasbeenboostedfrom5MegapixelsoftheiPhone 4to8MegapixlesfortheiPhone5.ThenewCMOSsensor hasbacksideilluminationwhichAppleclaimscancapture73 percentmorelight.Furthermorethenewcameracaptures pictures33percentfasterandithasanewhybridIRfilter that'ssaidtoofferbettercolouraccuracyandbettercolour uniformity.Applehasalsokittedoutthecamerawithanew f/2.4lenswithfivelenselementsthatthecompanyclaimsis30 percentsharper.Addtothisanewimagesignalprocessorin theA5SoCthataddsfacedetectionand26percentimproved whitebalanceanda1.1secondtimetofirstshotand0.5second shottoshotandyou'relookingataprettyseriousphone snapper. Applehasfinallycaughtupwiththecompetition,butnot overtakenthembyadding1080pvideorecordingsupport totheiPhone4S,aswellasvideostabilization(electronic weguess)andsomethingthecompanycallstemporalnoise reduction.FinallyAppleaddedsupportforAirPlaymirroring whichmeansthatyoucanplaygamesonthebigscreen, althoughwe'renotsurehowpopularthisfeaturewouldbe,as althoughtheiPhonehassomeofthebesthandheldgamesout there,wedoubtthatthey'lllookgoodona1080pscreen. ThemosttalkedaboutfeatureaheadofthelaunchwasApple's newvoiceassistantandit'scalledSiri.It'saspeechrecognition Publishedby:VR-Zone andvoicecommandfeaturethatallowsyoutogivevoice commandstoyourphone.Astohowwellthiswillworkfor non-nativespeakersorthosewithastrongaccentordialect isyettobeseenandwecanimaginetheamountofproblems Siriwillsufferfrom.SiriwillworkwithUK,USandAustralian EnglishaswellasFrenchandGermanatlaunch,butAppleis promisingtoaddmorelanguagesovertime.There'snodoubt ApplehasspentalotofresourcesondevelopingSiri,it'sjust thateverysinglevoicecommandorspeechrecognitionsystem we'veeverusedovertheyearhasproventohavesomekindof issues. Sirioffersalotofadvancedfeaturesthatwehaven'tseenfrom othervoicecommandprogramsandit'sclearthatAppleis takingadvantageoftheCPUpoweronofferfromtheA5SoC. ThingslikeremindercanbesettoaspecificlocationandSiri rememberwhospecificpeopleare.We'dpresumethatthere's somethingofalearningcurveherewheresomethingshave tobesetupmanuallybeforeSiricandosomeofthetaskson offer,butatleastsomeofthefunctionalityappearstobepretty handy. That'saboutitfortheiPhone4S,it'llbeavailableinblackor whiteandit'llofcourseruniOS5.The16GBmodelisgoing forUS$199,the32GBforUS$299andamuchhopedfor64GB versionforUS$399.Atthesametimethe8GBiPhone3GS isnowavailableforfreewhilethere'sanew8GBiPhone4 availableforUS$99,allpricesincludesatwoyearcontract tie-inofcourse.TheiPhone4Swillbeavailableforpre-order onOctober7thwithinitialavailabilityintheUS,Canada, Australia,theUK,France,GermanyandJapanonthe14thwith another22countries-includingSingapore-addedonthe28th andanother70countriesbeforetheendoftheyear.Itseems liketheiPhone5rumoursweren'ttrueafterall… Formoredetailedcoveragefromtheevent,wesuggestyouhit upEngadget. Fujitsulaunchesitsown versionofanUltrabook Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/fujitsu-launches-its-own-version-of-an- ultrabook/13685.html October5th,2011 InasmuchasIntel'sUltrabookshavetheirmerits,wecan't helpbutwonderwhyanyonewouldgetoversomethinglike say,thenewFujitsuLifebookSH76/E,asherewehavean ultra-light13.3-inchnotebookwithafullfatCPUanda6-cell battery.It'snottheonlyoneofitskindeither,asToshibahas beenofferingasimilarmachineforquitesometimenowinthe shapeofitsPortegeR830andolderR730. InasmuchasIntel'sUltrabookshavetheirmerits,wecan't helpbutwonderwhyanyonewouldgetoversomethinglike 5

  6. October5th,2011 say,thenewFujitsuLifebookSH76/E,asherewehavean ultra-light13.3-inchnotebookwithafullfatCPUanda6-cell battery.It'snottheonlyoneofitskindeither,asToshibahas beenofferingasimilarmachineforquitesometimenowinthe shapeofitsPortegeR830andolderR730. TheLifebookSH76/Eweighsinatamere1.34kg,that'sabout thesameweightasAcer'snewUltrabook.Whatwedidn't mentionisthatthisiswiththeopticaldrivefitted,slideitout andreplaceitwithaweighsaverandtheLifebookSH76/E isamere1.22kg,that'slighterthanmanynetbooks.Addinga bitofextraweightisasecondary27Wbatterypackthatcan alsobefittedinlieuoftheopticaldriveandcombinedwith thestandard72Wh6-cellbatterypack,Fujitsuclaims18.2h batterylife,althoughthestandardbatteryissaidtobegood forupto13.7hofusagewithouttheopticaldriveinstalled. ThisprettymuchblowsawaytheUltrabooksintermsof batterylifeandwehaven'tevengottentothefeautres.For starters,theLifebookSH76/EcomeswithaCorei5-2520M Publishedby:VR-Zone Luxa2announcesitsiPhone5 casesaheadofApple'slaunch Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/luxa2-announces-its-iphone-5-cases- ahead-of-apple-s-launch/13684.html October5th,2011 We'renotsurethiswasthesmartestmoveinhistory,but Luxa2,adivisionofThermaltakehassentoutitspressrelease aboutitsnewiPhone5casesshowingoffatotalof13different designs.Althoughtheimagesdoesn'tgiveawaytoomuchin termsofdetails,there'sonefrontshotofadummyunitwhich suggeststhatAppledecidedtokeeptheroundbuttonforat leastoneofitsrumouredtwonewmodelsthatareexpectedto launchlatertodayUStime. We'renotsurethiswasthesmartestmoveinhistory,but Luxa2,adivisionofThermaltakehassentoutitspressrelease aboutitsnewiPhone5casesshowingoffatotalof13different designs.Althoughtheimagesdoesn'tgiveawaytoomuchin termsofdetails,there'sonefrontshotofadummyunitwhich suggeststhatAppledecidedtokeeptheroundbuttonforat leastoneofitsrumouredtwonewmodelsthatareexpectedto launchlatertodayUStime. Ifnothingelseit'sagreatwayofgettingsomefreepublicity, asiPhone'scasesareadimeadozenthesedaysandalthough Luxa2hascomeupwithacoupleofslightlyunusuallooking casessuchasawoodenoneandabraidedone,theotherare fairlygenericintermsoflook,althoughsixmodelsappearto themadeofclearplasticwithvariouspatterns. CPUwhichisclockedat2.5GHzbutwhichwillturboallthe wayupto3.2GHz.There'sspaceforapairofSO-DIMMsand upto8GBofRAMcanbefitted,althoughitshipswith4GB asstandard.Storagecomesinthesameofa128GBmSATA SSDandthisispartlywhathelpstokeeptheweightdown,but thenagain,manyUltrabooksareexpectedtoshipwithmSATA SSD's. Connectivityisn'tbadeither,asFujitsuhasmanagedtofita pairofUSB2.0ports,asingleUSB3.0port,aD-subconnector, anHDMIport,aGigabitEthernetport,anSDcardslot,a singleaudiojackandevenanExpressCard/34slot.Addtothat 802.11b/g/nWi-FiandoptionalWiMAXsupportandthisis farmoreimpressivethanyouraverageUltrabook.Weshould alsomentionthatthedisplayhasatypicalnotebookresolution of1366x768. Sook,theLifebookSH76/Emightnotbequiteasthinas theUltrabooksat16.6mmatitsthinnestand23.2mmatits thickest,butwe'requitehappytolivewiththatslightlythicker profileconsideringalltheextrafeatures.There'sonlyone problem,theaskingprice,astheLifebookSH76/Ewillhit retailinJapanlaterthismonthfor180,000Yen(S$3,075/US $2,345)abouttwicethepriceofAcer'sUltrabook. 6

  7. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone LGlaunchesOptimusLTE, first4GHDsmartphonein Korea Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-launches-optimus-lte-first-4g-hd- smartphone-in-korea/13683.html October5th,2011 Ifthedummyfittedtothecasesturnsouttobeanythinglike therealdeal,whichwe'dexpectittobethisclosetolaunch, thenwe'rebacktoametalbackwithaplasticApplelogo. Thelogoisusedtoimprovetheantennasignalswhichwould beblockedbythemetalbackotherwise.Thecameradoesn't appeartohavechangedinanysignificantwayasfarasthe designisconcerned,butthat'saboutasmuchaswecantell fromthepictures. Thevolumebuttonshavechangedintoaslimlinerocker designanditappearsasifthelockswitchhasbeenmovedright nexttothecameraontheoppositesideofthevolumerocker. Asfarasthefrontofthephoneisconcerned,well,itdoesn't lookthatdifferent,butit'spossiblethatApplehassuppliedthe casemanufacturerswithdummyunitsthatdon'tgiveawaythe rumouredfrontre-design.Makewhatyouwantofthis,butthe waitisalmostover. LGKoreahasannouncedthelaunchoftheirnewOptimus LTEsmartphone,whichclaimstobethefirstmobiledevice inthecountrytoleadLongTermEvolution(LTE)withhigh definitionIPSdisplaytechnology.Unfortunately,nowordas towhenthisphonewillbeavailableoutsideKoreathough. LGKoreahasannouncedthelaunchofOptimusLTE,which claimstobethefirstmobiledeviceinthecountrytooffer4G connectivitywiththehighestresolutionIPSdisplayavailable onasmartphone.TheLGOptimusLTEfeaturesabrilliant 4.5-inch"TrueHDIPS”displaywhichclaimstoprovide higherresolution,brightnessandclarity,showingnatural colors.Itisequippedwitha1.5GHzdual-coreprocessor, runsAndroid2.3Gingerbreadmobileoperatingsystemand comeswithahighcapacity1,830mAhbattery.Ontopofthat, thesmartphonealsooffersseamlesscontentsharingthrough 7

  8. October5th,2011 HDMIandDLNA.AvailabilityoftheLGOptimusLTEin marketsoutsideofKoreahasnotbeenconfirmed. GeForce600brandingleaked in285BETAdrivers Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/geforce-600-branding-leaked-in-285- beta-drivers/13682.html October5th,2011 Inthelatestunreleased285BETAdrivers,theexpected GeForce600brandinghassurfaced.Themarketingnames leakedareNVIDIAGeForce610MandNVIDIAGeForceGT 630M.TheGeForce610MislikelytobeanentrylevelGPU whiletheGeForceGT630McouldverywellbeaGK107SKU. Inthelatestunreleased285BETAdrivers,theexpected GeForce600brandinghassurfaced.Themarketingnames leakedareNVIDIAGeForce610MandNVIDIAGeForceGT 630M.TheGeForce610MislikelytobeanentrylevelGPU whiletheGeForceGT630McouldverywellbeaGK107 SKU. BetweenGK107 newsandtheseleaks,itseemsevidentthat NVIDIAisconcentratingonsmallmobileGPUstodebutit's next-genlineofGPUs. NokiaAceandSabrespecs leak Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/nokia-ace-and-sabre-specs- leak/13681.html Publishedby:VR-Zone 5Megapixelautofocuscamera.Theonlynovelfeaturehereis interchangeablebackcovers,atypicalNokiafeature. TheAceontheotherhandwillbeNokia'sflagshipphone, butwehaveahardtimegettingexcitedaboutasinglecore 1.4GHzWindowsPhone7device,eventhoughNokiaissaid tobekittingitoutwitha4.3-inchAMOLEDdisplayandan 8MegapixelCarlZeissbrandedcamerawithautofocus.It's alsosaidtohave16GBofstorage,a1,800mAhbatteryand HSPA+connectivity.Nokiawillofcourselaunchallofits upcomingWindowsPhone7deviceswiththeMangorelease oftheOS. Wecan'tbutfeelalittlebitsorryforNokia,asitsnewhandsets willberunninglastyear'shardwarebythetheyarrivein quantityinthemarket.It'slessthanthreemonthsleftofthis yearandthehandsetsaren'texpecttolaunchattheearliest towardstheendofthismonth.NokiaWorld2011hasbeen suggestedasapotentiallaunchplatformandthattakesplaces onthe26thand27thofOctoberinLondon.Atthisrate,Nokia iswillinglygivingawayitsmarketsharetoitscompetitors,as thecompanysimplydoesn'thavecompetitiveproducts,unless ofcourseyouonlycountotherWindowsPhone7handsetsthat is. AMDandIntel'supcoming platformsgetcertifiedbythe PCI-SIG Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-and-intel-s-upcoming-platforms- get-certified-by-the-pci-sig/13680.html October5th,2011 October5th,2011 Wedon'tgenerallybrowsethePCI-SIG'swebsite,butwe happeneduponsomeinterestinginformationsomewhatby accidentasweweresearchingforsomethingunrelated.It seemslikethePCI-SIGhascertifiednotonlyAMD'supcoming TrinityAPU,butalsoIntel'supcoming2012desktopand mobileplatforms,althoughit'snotwhatyouthink. Wedon'tgenerallybrowsethePCI-SIG'swebsite,butwe happeneduponsomeinterestinginformationsomewhatby accidentasweweresearchingforsomethingunrelated.It seemslikethePCI-SIGhascertifiednotonlyAMD'supcoming TrinityAPU,butalsoIntel'supcoming2012desktopand mobileplatforms,althoughit'snotwhatyouthink. ThecertificationlistcoversPCIExpress2.0compliant hardwareandbothAMD'sTrinityAPUwithassociated referenceplatformandIntel'sMahoBayandChiefRiver motherboardplatformshavepassedcertification.Doesthis meanwewon'tseePCIExpress3.0supportfromeither companynextyear?Well,no,itjustmeansthatbothplatforms arecompliantwiththecurrentstandardsandthattheycan operateatspeedsof5GT/sorGB/sifyouprefer. DetailsofNokia'supcomingWindowsPhone7handsetsare startingtoappearifwe'retobelievetherumours.Aswith everyotherWindowsPhonehandsetmaker,Nokiaseemsto belimitedtothesameQualcommSoCandinthiscaseit'sthe MSM8x55dependingonCDMA/UMTSsupport,eventhough therumoursareonlymentioninga1.4GHzprocessorwithout specifyingthemodel. DetailsofNokia'supcomingWindowsPhone7handsetsare startingtoappearifwe'retobelievetherumours.Aswith everyotherWindowsPhonehandsetmaker,Nokiaseemsto belimitedtothesameQualcommSoCandinthiscaseit'sthe MSM8x55dependingonCDMA/UMTSsupport,eventhough therumoursareonlymentioninga1.4GHzprocessorwithout specifyingthemodel. TheSabreappearstobesimilartothealreadyleakedSeaRay, asbothhandsetsaresaidtofeaturea3.7-inchdisplay, althoughwithSabrebeingthelower-endhandsetitgetsto makedowithastandardLCDdisplayovertheAMOLED displayfittedintheSeaRay.Sabreisalsosaidtofeature 8GBofinternalstorage,25GBoffreeSkyDrivestorageanda 8

  9. October5th,2011 WeshouldalsomentionthatIntel'sSandyBridge-EandIvy BridgeCPU'sareasyetnotonthelistandincaseofall fourlistedproducts,it'sonlythex16slotthathasbeentested accordingtothesliminformationprovidedonthePCI-SIG website.However,lookingatthelistitdoesn'tlookentirely complete,asthereareseveralcurrentproductsmissingfrom thelist. Inrelatednews,AsushasfinallyannounceditsfirstPCI Express3.0enabledmotherboards.VR-Zonehaskeptout ofthebickeringthat'sbeengoingonbetweenthevarious motherboardmanufacturerswithregardstoGen3support ornot,butwewouldjustliketohighlightthefacthere thatAsusismakingsimilarclaimstoGigabytewithregards tocompatibilityandhasalistofolderP67,H67andH61 motherboardsalongsidemostofitsZ68boards.Theonlybad newsisthatownersoftheMaximusIVExtreme-Zwon'tbe gettingGen3support,althoughAsusclaimsthattheboard willworkwithIvyBridgeCPUs.Forthefulllistofsupported motherboards,headovertotheAsus website. AcerASPIRES3Ultrabook Review Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/acer-aspire-s3-ultrabook- review/13679.html Publishedby:VR-Zone TheUltrabookwasthemosttalk-aboutsubjectatthe COMPUTEX2011computerexpoinTaiwanthisyear.Anda numberofmanufacturersalsotooktheopportunitytolaunch theirUltrabookattherecentIntelDeveloperForum(IDF) 2011.Beforeweproceed,let'slookatwhatisanUltrabook. AttheCOMPUTEX2011,thechipgiantproposedtheideaof makingthenotebookPCmoreportableanduser-friendlywith improvedendurancetomeettheneedsofusersforatleasta day.Butmostimportantly,thepricewouldhavetobebelow US$1,000. TheAcerASPIRES3fromTaiwanclaimstobethefirst ultrabookonthemarketanditwasofficiallylaunchedon28 Septemberwithannouncedavailabilitydetails,specifications andpricing,listedbelowforyourreference. Specifications October5th,2011 Aspire Aspire S3-951-2464G33iss01S3-951-2464G23iss02 Processor IntelCore i5-2467M1.6GHz TurboBoost 2.3GHz IntelCore i5-2467M1.6GHz TurboBoost 2.3GHz Chipset Display Memory Storage Battery IntelUM67ChipsetIntelUM67Chipset 13.3-inch13.3-inch(1366x (1366x768)16:9768) DDR34GBx1DDR34GBx1 320GB7mmSATA240GBSSD HDD+20GBSSD 3cell/6hours3cell/7hours TheUltrabookisanewcategoryofthinandlightweight ultraportablelaptop(definedbyIntel)thatareequippedwith newSandyBridge/IvyBridgebasedConsumerUltra-Low Voltage(CULV)Intelprocessors,integratedgraphicsandSSD storage.TaiwanesemanufacturerAcerhasrecentlylaunched theirASPIRES3UltrabookinTaipei,andVR-Zonemanaged togetoneinforreview. Ports USB/HDMI/ memorycard reader USB/HDMI/ memorycard reader Wireless Bluetooth Webcam 802.11b/g/N802.11b/g/N Bluetooth4.0Bluetooth4.0 1.3-megapixel1.3-megapixel Others 1.33kg/4thgen DolbyDigital/ 13mm 1.33kg/4thgen DolbyDigital/ 13mm 9

  10. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone -1000HzUltrapolling/1msresponsetime AspireAspire S3-951-2464G33iss01S3-951-2464G23iss02 Pricing NT$34,900NT (approx.US$1,140)$44,900(approx. -5independentlyprogrammableHyperesponsebuttons US$1,466) RazerunveilsTransformers3 gamingperipheralswithmovie DVD/Blu-rayrelease Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/razer-unveils-transformers-3-gaming- peripherals-with-movie-dvdblu-ray-release/13678.html October5th,2011 BesidestheTransformers3DVD/Blu-raymovierelease,you cannowownapieceoflimitededitionTransformers3gaming peripheralfromRazer.Razer,withlicensefromHasbro, hasunveiledtheirnewrangeofTransformers3gaming -On-the-flysensitivityadjustments -60–120inchespersecondand15gofacceleration -Zero-acousticRazergaminggradeUltraslickmousefeet -Gold-platedUSBconnector -7-ftlightweight,braidedfibercable -Approx.sizeinmm:128(L)x70(W)x42.5(H) SandyBridge-EshouldhitC2 steppingafterlaunch Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/sandy-bridge-e-should-hit-c2-stepping- after-launch/13677.html October5th,2011 peripherals. WeknewthatIntel'sSandyBridge-Echipswerebigand complicatedtomake,butwhatwedidn'texpectwasthatIntel wasgoingtocontinuouslykeeprunningintoproblems.The currentC1steppingisapparentlyhavingproblemswithVT- d,notamajorissueformostconsumers'maybe,butit'sa hugeproblemwhenitcomestoXeonchipsandassuchIntel isworkingontheC2steppingtofixthis"errata". WeknewthatIntel'sSandyBridge-Echipswerebigand complicatedtomake,butwhatwedidn'texpectwasthatIntel wasgoingtocontinuouslykeeprunningintoproblems.The currentC1steppingisapparentlyhavingproblemswithVT- d,notamajorissueformostconsumers'maybe,butit'sa hugeproblemwhenitcomestoXeonchipsandassuchIntel isworkingontheC2steppingtofixthis"errata". TheonlygoodnewshereforIntel,ifyoulookatthatway, isthatitscurrentExtremeEditionCPU'sdon'tsupportVT-d, neitherdoestheSandyBridgeK-SKUCPU's,soasfarasthe consumerplatformisconcerneditlooksliketherewon'tbe anyfurtherdelays,buttheinitialbatchshouldbeC1stepping ratherthanC2.TheC1steppingshouldbeinproductionby now,orbythelatestbynextweek,althoughwedon'tknow whenIntelwillkickoffproductionoftheC2stepping,but it'sverypossibleitwon'tbeuntilnextyearasqualification samplesoftheC2steppingisn'texpecteduntiltheveryendof theyear. Aswe'vementionedbefore,IntelwillonlycertifytheWaimea BayplatformforPCIExpress2.0atlaunch,duetothefactthat therearen'tenoughthirdpartycardstotestwith.SomePCI 10 Razer,underlicensefromHasbro,hasunleashedaunique Transformers3:DarkoftheMoonCollector’sEditionproduct linenowavailableonDVDandBlu-Ray.Thefouruniquely designedRazerDeathAddermiceintheformofOPTIMUS PRIME,BUMBLEBEE,MEGATRONandSHOCKWAVE, claimtoofferunparalleledgamingperformance.Alsoincluded intheproductlineisadual-sidedRazerVespulamousemat wherebyonesiderepresentstheAUTOBOTSwithaspeed- enhancingsurface,andtheother,theDECEPTICONSwith acontrol-enhancingsurface.Youcanshowcaseyourfavored allegianceasyouannihilateopponentswithyourpreferred styleofswiping.AnexclusivelaptopcasedesignedbyRazeris alsoavailableinfouriconicTRANSFORMERSbrandcolors, deliveringastylishandeye-catchingstoragesolution. Price:US$59.99 Availability:NorthAmerica(RetailandRazerzone.com)– AvailableNow;RestoftheWorld–Q42011 Productfeatures: -Ergonomicright-handeddesign -3500dpiRazerprecision3.5Ginfraredsensor

  11. October5th,2011 Express3.0devicesarestilllikelytowork,butInteldoesn't guaranteecompatibility.Thismakesuswonderifthecurrent 6-seriesmotherboardwithGen3switcheswillactuallywork properlyoncecardsandmoreimportantly,IvyBridgeCPU's arrive. Wealsohavesomegoodnewsforthosewantingtocontinueto useWindowsXP,theWaimeaBayplatformwillbecompatible withboth32-bitand64-bitversionsofWindowsXP,although Intelwon'tbeprovidingRapidStoragedriversforthe32- bitversionofXPandassuchthestandardWindowsdrivers willbehandlingthings.Theplatformwillalsobesupporting Windows8onceMicrosoftlaunchesit. Wecan'tbutfeelsorryforthemotherboardmanufacturersas well,aswe'rehearingthatIntelhasjackedthepriceoftheX79 chipsetupby20percentcomparedtotheX58chipset,which putstheX79chipsetsomewhereintheUS$70region.Thisis ofcoursethelistpriceandwithvariousdiscountsandwhat not,Intelmightverywellbesellingitforfarless.However, we'relookingatachipsetthatoffersnothingnewoverthe X58chipsetintermsoffeaturesandit'sthesizeofanyof the6-serieschipsets,i.e.itshouldbecheapertomanufacture Publishedby:VR-Zone comeupwiththisbackwardssolution,butitreallylookslike justyetanotherartificiallimitationthatislikelytoupset consumers. We'vealsogotfulldetailswithregardstothegraphics resolutionsthataresupportedaswellasconfirmationofthe clockspeeds.TheN2800(andD2700)hastheGPUclockedat 640MHzwhiletheN2600(andD2500)getstomakedowith a400MHzGPUclock,althoughtherenderclockisrunningat aslower200MHzforallmodels. AllfourCPUssupporteDP/DisplayPort,HDMI1.3a,LDVS (singlechannel)andD-sub/analoguedisplayconnectivity. However,whenitcomestosupportedresolutionsthingsget complicated.Forthecaseofsimplicitywe'veincludedthe tableprovidedbyIntel,butit'sveryclearthatthemobile versionsareartificiallyheldbackwhenitcomestothedisplay resolutionofthenetbook/notebook,althoughconsidering mostnotebookdisplayshavearesolutionof1366x768from 11.6to15.6-inches,thisisn'tahugeissue.Whatisstrange thoughistheDisplayPortlimitationforexternaldisplaysfor theN-seriesCPUsandyou'rebetteroffusingHDMIinthis case.Notethatonlytwodisplayscanbeusedsimultaneously. thantheX58chipsetwhichconsistsoftheI/OHubandthe ICH10R.Nowifthereonlywassomecompetition… IntelrevealsAtomN2X00- seriesdetailsaheadoflaunch Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-reveals-atom-n2x00-series- details-ahead-of-launch/13675.html October5th,2011 OneofthemostimportantaspectsofthenewAtomprocessors ishardwarevideodecodesupportandIntelhasimplemented supportforMPEG2,WMV,H.264andVC-1ateither720p60m 1080i60or1080p24forvideosencodedatupto20Mbps. Sadlythere'snosupportforMPEG4(orratherMPEG4part 2asH.264isMPEG4part10),soDivXandsimilarformats arestilllackinghardwaredecoding.Initswisdom,orrather lackthereof,Intelwon'tbeofferinghardwaredecodeforFlash fromversion11.0andonwards.Inotherwords,thisisnota platformforthefuture. InasmuchasthenewAtomplatformisahugeupgradein manyways,wecan'thelpbutfeeldisappointedabouthow littleIntelreallyhasadded.It'sveryclearthatIntelisscared thatitsAtomplatformswilleatawaymarketsharefromits CeleronandPentiumbrandedprocessors.AMD'sonlybattle inthismarketspaceistogainconsumerapproval,asitsentry levelFusionplatformwiththeEandC-seriesAPU'sareeasily outperformingIntel'sAtomprocessorswhereitmattersfor mostconsumers.WedoubtthatIntelwillhaveahardsell,but wedon'tthinkitsAtomprocessorswillhavethesamemarket shareasinthepast,astheplatformjustisn'tcompetitiveany more. Thereisn'tmuchleftintermsofsecretswhenitcomesto Intel'supcomingN2X00-seriesofmobileAtomprocessors, butwhatwedidn'talreadyknow,Intelhasnowmanagedto unveilitselfthankstoadatasheetthatthecompanypublished aheadoftheCPUlaunch.It'sasimplemistake,asthesame datasheetcoverstheAtomD2X00-seriesandalthoughthe twoCPUfamiliesareverysimilar,therearesomedifferences beyondthemobileanddesktopaspects. Thereisn'tmuchleftintermsofsecretswhenitcomesto Intel'supcomingN2X00-seriesofmobileAtomprocessors, butwhatwedidn'talreadyknow,Intelhasnowmanagedto unveilitselfthankstoadatasheetthatthecompanypublished aheadoftheCPUlaunch.It'sasimplemistake,asthesame datasheetcoverstheAtomD2X00-seriesandalthoughthe twoCPUfamiliesareverysimilar,therearesomedifferences beyondthemobileanddesktopaspects. Forstarterswe'dmissedhefactthattheAtomN2600only supports2GBofRAM,whereastheN2800happilyaccepts 4GB,justlikeitsdesktopcounterparts.Ontopofthatthe N2600onlysupportsasingleDIMMwhiletheotherthree Atommodelshappilytaketwo.We'renotsurewhyIntelhas 11

  12. October5th,2011 CorsairH100WaterCooler Review Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-h100-water-cooler- review/13674.html October5th,2011 Eventhoughcomputerwatercoolingstartedoffabout fifteenyearsago,itwasnotuntilacoupleofyearsagowhen companiesfirstreleasedclosedloop,readytorunliquid basedcoolersforPCcomponents.Oneofthefirstcompanies whichreleasedsuchaliquidbasedcooleracoupleofyears agowasCorsair.Todaywearegoingtohavealookat thelatestandlargestliquidbasedCPUcoolerCorsairever released,theHydroSeriesH100.TheH100featuresadualfan radiatorandCorsairboaststhatthecoolercandeliverextreme performance;wewillfindoutifthatclaimistrueinthisreview. Eventhoughcomputerwatercoolingstartedoffaboutfifteen yearsago,itwasnotuntilacoupleofyearsagowhen companiesfirstreleasedclosedloop,readytorunliquid basedcoolersforPCcomponents.Oneofthefirstcompanies whichreleasedsuchaliquidbasedcooleracoupleofyears agowasCorsair.Todaywearegoingtohavealookat thelatestandlargestliquidbasedCPUcoolerCorsairever released,theHydroSeriesH100.TheH100featuresadualfan radiatorandCorsairboaststhatthecoolercandeliverextreme performance;wewillfindoutifthatclaimistrueinthisreview. ASRockZ68Extreme7Gen3 Review Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-z68-extreme7-gen3- review/13629.html October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone ASRockwasestablishedin2002tocompeteagainstTier2 motherboardmakerslikeDFI,ABIT,andECS.Traditionally manythinkofASRockasASUS'sentrylevelboardmaker, asASUSisthoughtofascateringtothehigh-endmarket segment.Whilethingsaren'tsoclearanymoreastowho ownswho,itisprettymuchacceptedthatASRockisn'towned byASUSanylonger,buttheystillseemtobuyinbulkand thusweseealotofthesamepartsused,evenpartsthat areexclusivelymadeforASUS.InfactafterASUSsplitwith Pegatron,PegatronusedASRocktocompeteagainstASUS.To makethingsevenstrangeritseemslikeASRockisstillusing someofASUS’sR&D,foundries,aswellasbuyinginbulkwith them.Whileofficiallytheyarenotthesamecompany,they suredohavemanycommonsimilarities.Itseemsthatperhaps ASUSdidn'tknowormaybewantedASRocktobecomewhat ithasbecometoday,amotherboardbrandwhichhascomea longwayinverylittletime. WiththeintroductionofLGA1155basedchipsetsASRockshot throughitslowertierstatusandisnowcompetingheadto headwithGIGABYTEandASUS.ThewayASRockisableto dothisiswithlowerprices,sinceASUSandASRockshare alotofthesameparts,ASRockisabletoobtainpartsata bulkprice/contractsthattheycouldn'tnegotiateontheirown. ThentheirparentcompanyPegatronsharesfoundrieswith ASUS,sowhenASUSoutsourcestoPegatrontheycanusethe technologyASUSusedtomanufacturerthatboard.Itisnotas deviousasthatsounds,anditsreallyagreatthingforASRock fans. TodayweventureintoASRock'slastesttop-of-the-lineZ68 boardwhichisinaclassofitsown;afeaturepackedbeauty withanaffordablepricetag.Followusaswetakeagood deeplookatwhatmakestheboardwhatitis,fromitsunique technologiestowhatmakesitroar.Followustoanswer questionslike,howdoyougetPCI-E3.0withanNF200? HowistheVRMontheExtreme7Gen3comparabletoother boards?HowisthisboardpricedlowerthanotherNF200 bearingboards? Introduction YetthisZ68Extreme7Gen3hasa3yearwarranty,2ozcopper PCB(somethingprettymuchuniquetoonlyafewASRock boards),JapaneseSolidCaps(thataresprayedgoldtoindicate goodquality?),aswellassometechnologiesthatmakethis reviewerwonder,aretheytryingtocompeteagainsttheZ68X- UD7andtheMaximus4Extreme-Z? TobeginthereviewablockdiagramoftheZ68platform: 12

  13. October5th,2011 ComparedtotheearlierP67,theZ68chipsetaddsIntelHD Graphicssupport,aswellasIntelSmartResponceTechnology (SSDCaching).IntelshouldhaveinitiallyreleasedtheZ68 chipset,asitsgainsfromP67areveryminimal.This motherboardalsohasLucidVirtutechnologywhichallowsfor switchablegraphics,DVI,HDMI,D-SUB,andDisplayPortare allavaible.ASRockdoesn'tdoeverythinglikeASUS,firstthey don'tusetheIntelPHY,insteadtheyuseBroadcomcontroller, thefirsttimeihaveseenoneona$280board.Theyalsouse aPLXbridgechiptobettertheuseofthe8PCI-E2.0lanes thatthePCHoffers,thisallowsthemtoaddanother16x(4x pghysical)slottotheboard,whilesimultaneouslyrunning3x USB3.0and2SATA6GB/scontrollers. SonyEricssonintroduces XperiaactiveandLivewith Walkman Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-introduces-xperia- active-and-live-with-walkman/13673.html October5th,2011 TheSonyEricssonXperiaactive,designedfortheactive lifestyleusers,wasshowcasedinJunewiththeXperiaRay andXperiaTxt.Today,thecompanyhasofficiallylaunched thephoneinSingapore,togetherwiththeSonyEricssonLive withWalkmanthatpromisesgreataudioenjoymentformusic lovers. Publishedby:VR-Zone SonyEricssonhasannouncedthelaunchoftwonewAndroid smartphones-Xperiaactive(aboveleft)designedforusers withanactivelifestyle,andLivewithWalkman,anAndroid smartphonethatdeliverssuperiormusicexperience. SonyEricssonXperiaactive RunningonthelatestAndroid2.3Gingerbread,theXperia activeisatoughAndroidsmartphoneforanactivesportsand outdoorlife.Thisphoneisdust-proofandwaterresistantand incorporateswetfingertrackingtoensurethephoneworks perfectlyevenifthethescreenorauser’sfingersarewet. TheXperiaactivealsofeaturesRealityDisplaywithMobile BRAVIAEngine,5-megapixelrearcamerathatcancapture highdefinitionvideos,andapowerful1GHzprocessor.Pre- loadedwithsportsappsthatenableuserstoeasilytracktheir fitnesslevels,userscansettheirtrainingrouteusingthebuilt- inGPS,BarometerandCompass.Inaddition,on-screenheart rateandpulsecanbemonitoredinreal-time(enabledbyANT +wirelessnetworkingtechnology),whiletheSportyPalPro appcanmonitorreal-timeperformance. SonyEricssonLivewithWalkman TheSonyEricssonLivewithWalkmanhasadedicated Walkmanhardwarebuttonthatprovidesinstantaccessto themusicplayer.ThephonealsorunsthelatestAndroid2.3 Gingerbreadanduserscanlike,shareanddiscovercontent throughFacebookintegrationwhiletheinfinitebuttonallows consumerstoconnecttofriends,photos,musicandvideos. TheSonyEricssonLivewithWalkmanhasastylishcurved design,aglossyfinishandamineralglassdisplay.Italso featuresa3.2-inchscreen,1GHzprocessor,front-facing cameraforvideocallinganda5-megapixelAFrearcamera thatcancapture720pHDvideorecording.TheSonyEricsson LivewithWalkmanalsocomeswithSony’sxLOUDthat enhancesaudiooutput. Pricingandavailability TheSonyEricssonLivewithWalkmanisnowavailablein SingaporeinthecoloursBlackandWhiteatarecommended retailpriceofS$398beforetelcosubsidies.TheSonyEricsson XperiaactivewillbeavailableinSingaporefrom1October 2011tomorrowinBlackwithOrangeband,atarecommended retailpriceofS$498withoutcontract. 13

  14. October5th,2011 NortonMobileSecurityLite offersAndroidusersfrom protectionphysicalandonline crime Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/norton-mobile-security-lite-offers- android-users-from-protection-physical-and-online-crime/13672.html October5th,2011 Androiduserscannowsecuretheirmobiledevicesfrom physicalandonlinecrimewiththefreeNorton'sMobile SecurityLite.Thenewsecurityapplicationoffersselectedanti- theftfeatureswithpowerfulanti-malwaretokeepyourdata safeevenifyouloseyourphone. NortonbySymantechasunveiledtheavailabilityofNorton MobileSecurityLite,afreesecurityapplicationforAndroid- basedsmartphones.TheNortonMobileSecurityLiteclaimsto seamlesslycombineselectedanti-theftfeatureswithpowerful anti-malwarethatgivesuserssecurityeveniftheirphoneis lost,stolenorcompromisedbymalware. KeyfeaturesOnNortonMobileSecurityLite: -Anti-theft–TheaverageadultinSingaporeloseshis mobilephone1.6timesin5yearsand50percentreported concernsoverthelossofprivacyandsensitiveinformation. NortonMobileSecurityLiteallowsuserstolocklostorstolen phones,preventingstrangersorthievesfromaccessingvital informationorrunninguptheirmobilebill. -Anti-malware–Scansallfilesandappupdatesdownloaded tothemobiledeviceandautomaticallydetectsandremoves threatswithoutslowingyoudown. -AutomaticLiveUpdate–Automaticallydownloadsand installssecurityupdateskeepingyouastepaheadof cybercriminals. PricingandAvailability NortonMobileSecurityLiteisnowavailableforfreein EnglishontheAndroidMarket.Foruserswhowantadditional Publishedby:VR-Zone SonyEricssonannounces LaraCroftandtheGuardianof LightfirsttoAndroidonXperia PLAY Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-announces-lara-croft- and-the-guardian-of-light-first-to-android-on-xperia-play/13671.html October5th,2011 SonyEricssonXperiaPLAYownerswhoarealsofansofLara CroftgameswouldbepleasedtoknowthatLaraCroftand theGuardianofLightwillbeavailableonAndroid,andfirst ontheXperiaPLAYsmartphone.Readonforthedetails. SonyEricssonisaddingmoretitlestoitsXperiaPLAYphone andwithapartnershipwithworldrenownedSquareEnix. Thepartnershipwillbringmuchlovedtitlessuchas“Lara CroftandtheGuardianofLight”exclusivelytoAndroidon theXperiaPLAYinNovember2011.Moreestablishedgame titlesfromSquareEnixwillfollowinthecomingmonths.The SonyEricssonXperiaPLAYhasbeenmadeavailabletomore consumersaroundtheworld.Thesmartphonehasrecently goneonsaleintheUSontheAT&Tnetworkandonthe14th September,thecompanyannouncedthatXperiaPLAYwillbe launchedinJapanwithNTTDOCOMOinOctober2011. LaCielaunchestheLaPlug, letsyouaccessUSBdrives overthenet Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/lacie-launches-the-laplug-lets-you- access-usb-drives-over-the-net/13670.html October5th,2011 protectionsuchastheabilitytoblockunwantedcallsortext messages;orblockphishingwebsitesusedtostealpersonal informationandmoney,thereistheoptiontoupgrade tothefullfeaturedNortonMobileSecurityforanannual subscriptionofS$19.90. Ifproductdesignismoreimportanttoyouthanwhatyouget foryourmoney,thenLaCieismostlikelyafamiliarbrandto you.However,thecompanydoesmanagedtocomeupwith 14

  15. October5th,2011 somequirkybitsofhardwarefromtimetotimeanditslatest addition,theLaPlugisjustoneofthosethingsthatcouldbe immenselyuseful,butsomehowturnsouttobefairlypointless atthesametime. Ifproductdesignismoreimportanttoyouthanwhatyouget foryourmoney,thenLaCieismostlikelyafamiliarbrandto you.However,thecompanydoesmanagedtocomeupwith somequirkybitsofhardwarefromtimetotimeanditslatest addition,theLaPlugisjustoneofthosethingsthatcouldbe immenselyuseful,butsomehowturnsouttobefairlypointless atthesametime. InessencetheLaPlugisacompactNASboxat119x119x37mm, exceptthatbynowyou'vemostlikelyrealisedthatbybeing sosmallthere'snospaceforaninternaldrive.Ratherthan doingaNAS,LaCieputtogetheraboxthathasbothGigabit Ethernetandsupportfor802.11b/g/nWi-Fiwherethequirky bitisthatithasfourUSB2.0portsforexternalstoragedevices. Threeoftheportsarearoundthebackformorepermanent connectivityandoneisonthefront.Inadditiontobeingable toacceptstoragedevicestheLaPlugalsoacceptsprintersfor sharingoverthenetwork. TheneattrickisthatLaCieprovidessoftwarewiththeLaPlug thatallowsyoutoaccesstheattacheddevicesevenwhen you'renotathome,well,atleastaslongastheLaPlugis connectedtotheinternetsomehow.It'salsopossibletoget accesstotheLaPlugviaawebbrowser,butthisisn'talways themostconvenientoptioninourexperience.TheLaPlugalso supportsUPnPandDLNAandwillstreammediatoanyother DLNAdevice.BeinganApplefriendlycompanyLaCiehasalso throwninsupportforApple'sTimeMachinebackupsoftware. TheproblemisthatLaCieexpectsyoutopayUS$74.99(S$97) fortheLaPlug,forthatkindofmoneyyoucanwiderangeof wirelessrouterswithaUSBportortwobuiltin.Sook,mostof Publishedby:VR-Zone themaren'tlikelytohaveTimeMachinesupportbuiltin,but they'relikelytohavemoreadvancedfeaturesandyoudoget arouterincludedaswell.Wecan'tbuthelptofeelthatLaCie priceditselfoutofthemarketabithere,althoughthenagain, we'resuretherewillbeplentyoflesstechnicallyinclinedusers thatwouldbemorethanhappytospendthatkindofmoney foreasynetworkaccesstotheirdatastoredonmultipleUSB drives. Samsungunleashesmultiple mobilebuildingblocks Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-unleashes-multiple-mobile- building-blocks/13669.html October5th,2011 It'sactuallyquiteamazinghowmanyproductsSamsung makesandthere'snowonderthatthecompanyisstarting tohavesuchadominantplaceinthemobilemarketspace. Thecompanyannouncednolessthanfivenewproducts relatedtomobileproducts,anewHDCMOSsensor,a 16MegapixelCMOSsensor,faster64GBeMMCflashmemory, 3XnmLPDDR3memoryandanew1.5GHzExynosSoC manufacturedusinga32nmHigh-KMetalGatelow-power process. It'sactuallyquiteamazinghowmanyproductsSamsung makesandthere'snowonderthatthecompanyisstarting tohavesuchadominantplaceinthemobilemarketspace. Thecompanyannouncednolessthanfivenewproducts relatedtomobileproducts,anewHDCMOSsensor,a 16MegapixelCMOSsensor,faster64GBeMMCflashmemory, 3XnmLPDDR3memoryandanew1.5GHzExynosSoC manufacturedusinga32nmHigh-KMetalGatelow-power process. TheHDCMOSsensorismaybenotthemostimpressiveof theannouncements,buttheS5K8AAasit'scalledisatiny 1/8.2-inchCMOSsensorwitha1.2Megapixelresolutionand theentirecameramodulesisamere2.8mmdeep.Thetrick hereisthatit'lldo720p30videoor480p60andcombined withbacksideilluminationitshouldmakeforbettervideocall qualityinslimhandsetsandtablets. Ontheotherendofthespectrumisthe1/2.3-inch16Megapixel CMOSsensorcalledtheS5K2P1,that'sthesamesizesensor asintherecentlylaunchedPentaxQinterchangeablelens compactandlargerthanthatfoundinmanybudgetdigital cameras.Althoughthisbacksideilluminatedsensorwas designedwithhigh-endsmartphonesinmind,itcanalso beusedwithdigitalcamerasandcamcordersanditshows thatphonesaregettingveryclosetoentirelyreplacingentry leveldigitalcameras,atleastaslongasyou'renotworried abouthavingtheabilitytozoom.Samsungmakessome impressiveclaimsfortheS5K2P1aswell,asit'smeantto shoot16Megapixleimagesat30fps,or8.3Megapixelpictures at60fps,allwithoutanyshutterlageffectin16:9format. 15

  16. Publishedby:VR-Zone CanonSingaporelaunches 23imagingproductsfor consumerandenterprise markets Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/canon-singapore-launches-23-imaging- products-for-consumer-and-enterprise-markets/13668.html October5th,2011 CanonSingaporehadamassiveproductlaunchforthe secondhalfof2011today,with23imagingproductsranging fromprinterstoprojectorsanddigitalcameras.Andno,the companydidnotrevealanyCanonmirrorlesscamera,despite Nikonunveilingtheirslastweek. TheCanonPowerShotS100(left)placedtogetherwiththe PowerShotS95 TheCanonPowerShotS100compactdigitalcamerawas amongthe23productsthatwereshowcasedattheevent.The successortothepopularS95comesinblackorsilver,andnow comeswithagripforbetterhandling.TheCanonPowerShot S100willbeavailableinearlyNovember,withpricingdetails tobeannouncedclosertoavailabilitydate. October5th,2011 Movingonwegettoaproductyou'regoingtowantinthesame phoneasthe16Megapixelcamerasensor,namely64GBof eMMCNANDflash.Samsung'slatesteMMCNANDflashuses atoggleDDR2interfaceandismanufacturedusingSamsung's 2Xnmprocess.Samsungclaimssequentialreadspeedsof 80MB/sandwritespeedsof40MB/swhichthecompany claimsisathreefoldimprovementoverfastmicroSDcards. No-one'sgoingtocomplainaboutfasterstoragememoryon theirphones,right? Onthesubjectofmemory,weswiftlymoveontoSamsung's 3XnmLPDDR3memorywhichisavailablein4Gbit(512MB) chips,whichmightnotseemlikealot,butit'sthefirst DDR31,066MHzmemorydesignedforuseinsmartphones andtablets.NotonlyisitfasterthanLPDDR2,butSamsung alsoclaimsthatituses20percentlesspowerwhichequalsto betterdevicebatterylife.SadlySamsung'sLPDDR3memory won'tgointomassproductionuntilsometimenextyear,but itshouldhopefullybereadyintimefortheonslaughtofnew quadcoreARMSoC'ssuchasNvidia'snextgenTegramodel whichwillbeabletotakeadvantageofLPDDR3memory. Finallywehaveyetanotherfirst,Samsung'snewExynos4212 ARMCortex-A9SoCwhichisbuiltonSamsung's32nmHigh- KMetalGatelow-powerprocess,somethingthecompany hasco-developedwithGlobalFoundries.Bymovingfrom 45nmto32nm,Samsunghasmanagedtoboosttheclock speedfrom1.2GHzto1.5GHzwiththeaddedbenefitofthe Mali-400MPgraphicscorebeingboostedfrom267MHzto 400MHzsomethingSamsungclaimswillboostthegraphics performancebyupto50percent.Ofcoursemovingfrom 45nmto32nmbringswithittheaddedbenefitoflowerpower usageandSamsungclaimsthatthepowerusageisdownby upto30percent.Samsungalsothrewinsupportforafew additionalvideocodecs,1080pvideoencodingandon-chip HDMI1.4support.TheExynos4212shouldbeavailablefrom nextquarter,althoughwehaveafeelingitmighttakealittle bitlongeruntilweseedevicesbasedonit,atleastfromanyone butSamsung. Ifthat'snotanimpressiverangeofannouncementsallat once,wedon'tknowwhatisandwecanseewhyAppleisso concernedaboutSamsung.It'sbecomeclearthatSamsungis amajorforceinthemarketandthecompanyisseemingly puttingalotofeffortintobecomingaleaderinthemobile marketspace,notonlyintermsofproducinghigh-enddevices, butalsowhenitcomestoofferingthebestcomponentsthat goesintothedevicesaswell.Byhavingitsowncomponents echosystem,Samsungdoesn'thavetorelyonpartnerseither, somethingthatcanseriouslyholdacompanybackattimes. Thatsaid,itcanbeadangerousgambletobetooover reliantonyourownabilitiestoo,butthenagain,Samsung doesn'tseemtorelysolelyonitsowncomponents,asrecently launchedversionsoftheGalaxySIIintheUSfeatured Qualcommprocessors.Still,wecan'twaittoseewhat'snext fromSamsung. 16

  17. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone IncorporatingtheenhancedHSsystemandnewDIGIC 5imageprocessor,thePowerShotS100featuresahigh- sensitively12.1-Megapixel1/1.7-typeCMOSimagesensorthat cancapturesuperbqualityimagesevenunderlowlight situation.Inaddition,thecameraalsocomeswithintegrated GPSunitthatcanrecordlocationintoapicture’sEXIFdata. CanonalsounveiledthelatestrangeofPIXMAprinterswhich includetheMG2170,MG3170,MG4170,MG5370,MG6270, MG8270andthesinglefunctioniP4970withtheimproved FullHDMoviePrintfeatureandFunFilters.Userscanalso leveragetheimprovedwirelessprintingcapabilitiestoprint directlyfromtheiriPhonesandiPadswithApple’sAirPrint technology,ordirectlyfromtheirwebalbumswiththePixma CloudLink. Andsomemodelpicsattheevent:- 17

  18. October5th,2011 ASRockTeaseswithX79 Extreme7Picture Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-teases-with-x79-extreme7- picture/13667.html October5th,2011 ASRockisnowafull-fledgedmotherboardmanufacturerwith boardstargetingeverymarketsegment,from$50officePC boards,toall-outenthusiastboards.Itsupcomingsocket LGA2011lineuphasonesuchboard,onethatwoosbudget- unconciousbuyers,theX79Extreme7. ASRockisnowafull-fledgedmotherboardmanufacturerwith boardstargetingeverymarketsegment,from$50officePC boards,toall-outenthusiastboards.Itsupcomingsocket LGA2011lineuphasonesuchboard,onethatwoosbudget- unconciousbuyers,theX79Extreme7. Publishedby:VR-Zone Tobeginwith,thisboardseemstohavesixDDR3DIMM slots.That'sanoddnumber,consideringtheSandyBridge- EprocessorembedsfourDDR3memorychannels,andso motherboardsshouldideallyeitherhavefourslots(oneper channel),oreight(twoperchannel).AswithallLGA2011 boards,thememoryslotsarearrangedoneithersidesofthe large2011-pinsocket. TheCPUseemstobepoweredbyatleastan8-phaseVRM. We'reabletocountjustonerowofchokesontheVRMarea northofthesocket,therecouldbemorerows.Interestingly, theFETsofthememoryVRMseemtobecooledbyheatsinks, aswell.ThelasttimewesawheatsinksovermemoryVRMwas withFoxconnQuantumForceX58boards. TheheatsinkcoolingtheX79PCH(platformcontrollerhub) iscooledbyanactivefan-heatsink.Activecooling,wethink, isredundant.X79,unlikeX58,isasinglechipplatform controllerhub,withthenorthbridgecompletelyrelocatedto theCPUpackage.APCHisnotmuchmorethanaglorified southbridge.OverclockerswillseldomneedtoplaywithPCH voltages.Besides,smallfanscanaddtothecasenoise.One upsideweseeisthatwithamulti-diskRAIDarray,thePCH couldheatup,andtheactiveheatsinkdesigncouldhelpkeep thesizeoftheheatsinkdown. WeseeatleastfivePCI-Expressx16slots,onecanexpectat leastfourofthemtobeGen3.0,andwiredtotheprocessor. Wespy9internalSATAports,andtwofront-panelUSB3.0 headers(fourports).Apartfromtheusual24-pinATXand8- pinEPSpowerinputs,theboardcandrawpowerfroma4-pin Molexconnector.Theextrapowermightcomehandyinsome scenarios(suchasaPhysX-dedicatedgraphicscardthatrelies onthemotherboardentirely,forpower. Ohyes,we'relookingforwardtomorepictures. "SonyTablet"Sarrivingin SingaporeinOctober2011 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/-sony-tablet-s-arriving-in-singapore- in-october-2011/13666.html October5th,2011 Thisafternoon,SonyElectronicsAsiaPacificannouncedthe launchoftheirlatest"SonyTablet"SinSingapore.The"Sony Tablet"Ssportsa9.4-inchtouchscreen,isequippedwith NvidiaTegra2mobileprocessorandrunsGoogleAndroid 3.2Honeycombplatform. Afterlookingattheslurpyteaserpicturewescored,wereally wishwehadashotofthisboard'slandscape.Butfromwhat littlewecanmakeout,theboardseemstobefullyloadedin averyuniqueway. 18

  19. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone uniqueconnectorthatfitstheoptionalspecializedcradle(sold separately).Thecompanyalsoclaimsthatthetabletisthe firstseriestobePlayStationcertified,whichmeansyoucan playoriginalPlaystationgamessuchasCrashBandicootand PinballHeroes(preinstalled)onthe"SonyTablet"S. Today,Sonyhaslaunchedtheirhighly-anticipated"Sony Tablet"Sthatclaimstoofferpowerfulfeaturesanddeliver engagingentertainmentexperiencetoconsumers.The"Sony Tablet"Sfeatures9.4-inchLED-backlitIPStouchscreen, NvidiaTegra2mobileprocessorandGoogleAndroid3.2 Honeycomb.Onusage,thetabletisfastwhenwenavigate acrossthevariousscreensandruntheapplications.The displayalsolooksgoodwhenweplayedsomemovietrailers. Sonyhasincludedvariousoptionalaccessoriesforthe"Sony Tablet"Ssuchasthecradle,ACadapter,LCDscreenprotector, carryingcase,USBadaptercableandBluetoothkeyboard.The "SonyTablet"Swillbeavailablein16GB(S$668)and32GB (S$798)respectivelyinendOctober.The3Gversionsofthe "SonyTablet"Swillbeavailableatalaterdate. TaisukeNakanishi,managingdirectorofSonySouthEast Asia,waspresenttoannouncethecompany'snewtabletdevice andsaidthatSingaporeisthefirstcountryinsoutheastAsia tolaunchthe"SonyTablet"S."TheSonyTabletSisallour innovationspackagedtogetherinyourhands.Itisdesignedto enhanceyourentertainmentexperiencebydefiningtheway youtouch,enjoyandshareyourcontent"Nakanishisaid. The"SonyTablet"Shasauniqueasymmetricdesign;the screenisslopedwhenplacedonaflatsurface.Onthesides ofthetabletaretheUSBandSDmemorycardreader,reset pinhole,volumecontrolsandpowerbutton.Italsohasa 19

  20. October5th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone -theaveragesellingpriceisalsodown,resultinginareduced grossmarginof44%-45%,frompreviousguidanceof47%. WithBulldozer finally shipping,andFXSeriesfinallyreleasing nextmonth,thingsaregoingtogetevenmorechallengingfor theproblematicGloFo32nmprocess.TheBulldozerdieis40% largerthanLlano.Ontheotherhand,Bulldozerisatraditional CPUwithnoextensiveGPUpart. Intelplanningthreenew Thunderboltcontrollers,one settolowerdevicecost Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-planning-three-new-thunderbolt- controllers-one-set-to-lower-device-cost/13664.html October5th,2011 MinoriIida,projectmanager,businessplanningandstrategy division,VAIO&mobilebusinessgroup,consumerproducts andservicesgroup,SonyCorporation,gavethemediaan insighttothevariousfeaturesofthe"SonyTablet"S. AMDrevisesdownQ3 forecasts-yieldissues blamed Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-revises-down-q3-forecasts--yield- issues-blamed/13665.html October5th,2011 Previously,AMDhadexpectedastrongQ32011,drivenby strongdemandforLlano,withrevenuegrowthof10%overQ2. However,AMDhasnowrevisedQ3revenuegrowthtoonly 4%-6%.Themainreasoncitedwasmanufacturingissuesat GlobalFoundries. Previously,AMDhadexpectedastrongQ32011,drivenby strongdemandforLlano,withrevenuegrowthof10%overQ2. However,AMDhasnowrevisedQ3revenuegrowthtoonly 4%-6%.Themainreasoncitedwasmanufacturingissuesat GlobalFoundries. Thepreviousforecastsuggestedrevenuesofapproximately $1.725billion,whiletherevisionpullsdowntherevenue guidancetothe$1.65billionrange.Itisnosurprisethatthe GlobalFoundries32nmprocessissufferingfromyieldissues, withsupplyshortagesforLlanoAPUs.ThetopLlanoSKUfor desktops,A8-3850isoutofstockatmanyretailersaroundthe world,andnotebooksbasedonLlanoarestillhardtocome by,ifnotcompletelynon-existantinseveralpopularmarkets, suchasSouthAsia.ItisclearthatAMDisunabletosatisfythe strongdemandforLlano,leadingtoreducedshipments. Inadditionstoproblemswiththe32nmprocess,45nmsupply hasbeenhitaswell,"duetocomplexitiesrelatedtotheuseof commontoolsacrossbothtechnologynodes".Duetothetop binA8APUsbeingworstaffected-anothersignofpooryields AtIDFearlierthismonthIntelrevealeditsupcomingCactus RidgeThunderboltcontrollers,butitturnsoutthecompanyis abouttolaunchathirdThunderboltcontrolleranditshould arriveaheadofCactusRidge.Theyetunannouncedchipis knownasPortRidgeorL2210andit'salow-costdeviceonly controllerwhichshouldhopefullymakeitmoreappealingfor peripheralmanufacturerstocreateThunderboltdevices. AtIDFearlierthismonthIntelrevealeditsupcomingCactus RidgeThunderboltcontrollers,butitturnsoutthecompanyis abouttolaunchathirdThunderboltcontrolleranditshould arriveaheadofCactusRidge.Theyetunannouncedchipis knownasPortRidgeorL2210andit'salow-costdeviceonly controllerwhichshouldhopefullymakeitmoreappealingfor peripheralmanufacturerstocreateThunderboltdevices. Intel'scurrentThunderboltchipsets,LightRidge(82524EF/ EFL)andEagleRidge(L2510/L2310)willbearoundfora whilelonger,butIntelseeminglywantstoprogresstowards smallerandpresumablycheapersolutionscomenextyear.The twoCactusRidgecontrollers(L3510H/LandL3310)measure 12x12mmcomparedto15x15mmforLightRidgeandthefull size/speedimplementationofEagleRide.Intel'ssmallform factorimplementationofEagleRidge(L2310)isstillgoingto besmallerat8x9mmandthere'scurrentlynoreplacementfor thistoourknowledge. TheL3510H/LversionofCactusRidge(theHandLstands forahigherandlowerpowermodel)issettoreplaceLight Ridgeandhasthesameoverallspec.Likewise,theL3310isset toreplacetheL2510andagainfeaturesthesamespec.Both modelsareexpectedtogointoproductionsometimeinQ1 nextyearandfortheMacfanboysoutthere,thismeansthat theyshouldbereadyintimeforApple'sIvyBridgepowered MacBooks.Theonlychangewe'reawareofbeyondthesmaller chipsizeisthatIntelistryingtopushdownthepowered usedbyCactusRidgecomparedtothecurrentThunderbolt controllersandthecompanyisalsohopingtoreach0Widle powertohelpreducethepowerdraininmobiledevices. 20

  21. October5th,2011 However,thecontrollerthatcaughtourattentionisthetiny 5x6mmPortRidgeorL2210,it'sasinglechannelcontroller thathasbeendesignedspecificallyforlow-costThunderbolt devices.Duetoitssinglechanneldesignitonlysupportstwo lanesofPCIExpress2.0bandwidthanditlackssupportfor pass-throughconnectivity.Thatsaid,thereareplentyofPCI Expressx1devicesthatcouldeasilybeadaptedforuseinan externalenclosurecombinewithPortRidgeandwecansee thisbecomingahugelypopularThunderboltcontrollerfrom Intelifit'spricedaccordinglytoitsfunctionality.PortRidge shouldbeinproductionbeforetheendoftheyear,sohopefully weshouldseearaftofmoreaffordableThunderboltdevices earlynextyear. EarlierthisweektherewasareportwhereIntelsaidthat thecurrentThunderboltportssupportopticalcables,but notmuchofanexplanationastohowthiswouldbe implementedwasmentioned.Foroneamuchmorecomplex (readexpensive)cablewillbeneededaswe'relookingatactive cablesherewherethepowerfromtheThunderboltportwill mostlikelybeusedtopoweranelectricaltoopticalconverter insidethem.ThisallowsforlongercablesandIntelisalso claimingit'llallowforhigherspeeds,butthedownsideis thatthere'snowayofgettingpowerovertheopticalcable andthere'satleastcurrentlynoplansfromIntel'ssideto addadditionalwiringintheopticalcablesthatwouldallow forpower.Assuch,anyThunderboltdeviceconnectedviaan opticalcablewouldberequiredtohaveapowerconnector. Publishedby:VR-Zone fornow,onlytheminiDPconnectorisapproved.Ontop ofthat,Inteldoesn'tallowforanythingbutDisplayPortand PCIExpresssignallingtobe"tunnelled"throughThunderbolt, althoughwe'renotsureifSonyimplementedotherprotocols initspeculiarimplementationofThunderbolt. Onefactthatwasn'tclearisthattheThunderboltspecrequires supportforDP++whichmeansthatcheappassiveadapters fromDisplayPorttoHDMIorDVIcanbeusedwithall Thunderboltequippedcomputers,althoughaspertheDP+ +spec,thesearelimitedtoasingleTMDSlinkwhichmeans thatdisplayswithresolutionsabove2,048x1,152can'tbeused. It'salsoworthpointingoutthatThunderboltonlysupports DisplayPort1.1aandthisiswhydaisychainingofdisplaysisn't possibleondeviceswithaThunderboltport.Theworkaround isabitofahack,asifyouusetheLightRidgeortheupcoming L3510H/LversionofCactusRidge,thenit'spossibletodoa pass-throughworkaroundforthedisplaysignalsoasecond displaycanbeconnected,althoughthisisn'ttheneatestway ofdoingthings. Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowthingswilldeveloparound Thunderbolt.Intelisplayingthingsveryclosetoitschestatthe momentandmuchoftheinformationwepostedherehascost manypeopletheirjobs,ok,sothat'sanexaggeration,butIntel doesn'tseemoverlyhappytosharedetailsofitsThunderbolt technology,justswingbyIntel'swebsiteandyou'llseehow littleinformationthereistobehad.Thebigquestionwhat we'remostlikelygoingtohavetowaittogetananswerto untilIvyBridgelaunchesiswhenthemainstreamPCmakers aregoingtostartofferingsystemswithThunderbolt.Sonygot thingshalfright,asThunderboltisagoodtechnologytousefor notebookdockingsolutions,butsadlySonymissedthepoint offollowingstandardsoncemore.Will2012betheyearof Thunderbolt?Well,we'lljusthavetowaitandsee. Inteldoesn'tseemoverlyhappyaboutSony'speculiar implementationofThunderbolteither,althoughinall fairness,SonynevercalleditThunderbolt.Thereasonfor thisisbecauseIntelhasbeenveryspecificaboutthetype ofconnectorthatcanbeusedforThunderboltandatleast 21

  22. Publishedby:VR-Zone October12th,2011 VR-Zone.com|StufffortheGeeks! Theonlywinnerisconsumerswhichareseeingcheapand cheapermemory,oralternativelyyougetmorememoryfor thesamekindofmoney.Thatsaid;Microsofthasmadesome prettyconvincingclaimsaboutWindows8usinglessmemory thanWindows7,sothequestionisifconsumerPCswillneed morememoryinthefutureornot.Eitherwhichway,itlooks likewe'llbemovingtowardsfasterDRAMoverthenextsix monthsorsowithbothAMDandIntelsupportingfasterand fastermemoryspeeds.Thiswouldofcourserequiremore stringentmanufacturingcontrolattheDRAMmakerstoreach thekindofspeedsthatarecurrentlygenerallyfairlyexclusive foroverclockingmodules. VR-Zone|StufffortheGeeksisabi-weeklypublication coveringthelatestgadgetsandstuffforthegeeks. TaiwaneseDRAMmakers arefeelingthepressurefrom Koreancompetition Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/taiwanese-dram-makers-are-feeling- the-pressure-from-korean-competition/13727.html October12th,2011 AntecSoloIICaseReview Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/antec-solo-ii-case-review/13726.html October12th,2011 We'vereportedonthemovetowards3XnmDRAMproducts byHynixandSamsunginthepastanditnowseemslike theTaiwaneseDRAMmakersarereallystartingtofeelthe pressureastheycannolongercompeteintermsofcost.Ontop ofthat,theTaiwaneseDRAMmanufacturersdon'tgetasmany DRAMchipsetperwaferastheirKoreancompetitorswhich furtherworsenstheircostcompetitiveness. We'vereportedonthemovetowards3XnmDRAMproducts byHynixandSamsunginthepastanditnowseemslike theTaiwaneseDRAMmakersarereallystartingtofeelthe pressureastheycannolongercompeteintermsofcost.Ontop ofthat,theTaiwaneseDRAMmanufacturersdon'tgetasmany DRAMchipsetperwaferastheirKoreancompetitorswhich furtherworsenstheircostcompetitiveness. Digitimesisreportingthatthespotpricefor2GbitDDR3 memory(that's256MBchips)isnowbelowUS$1andthe TaiwaneseDRAMmanufacturersarefearingthatthiswill droptoaslittleas65centsperchiponce3Xnmmanufacturing kicksoffinvolumeearlynextyear.ManyoftheTaiwanese DRMmanufacturershaveonlyfinishedtheirtransitionto 4Xnmthisyearandaren'texpectedtomoveto3Xnmuntil laternextyear. There'snodoubtthattheDRAMindustryhasbecomeyet anothercommodityindustrywhenitcomestocomputer componentsandtobeabletostaycompetitive,alotof investmentsinmanufacturingprocessesareneededbythe DRAMmakers.Thismakesitahighcost/lowreturnrate MostcomputerenthusiastswouldremembertheAntecSolo case;aproductreleasednearly7yearsagowhichfeatureda verysubtle,Spartanappearancecombinedwithalmostevery noisesuppressionsystemavailableatthetime.Thefirst versionoftheSolowasnotveryfancybutitcertainlywasavery effectivecase,whichiswhyittookAntecover6yearstoreplace thedesign.Todaywearegoingtohavealookatthesuccessor oftheoriginalSolo,theSoloII,whichalsoemphasizesonquiet computing.Letusseeifitisaworthyreplacementofthemuch renownedcaseitsupersedes. MostcomputerenthusiastswouldremembertheAntecSolo case;aproductreleasednearly7yearsagowhichfeatureda verysubtle,Spartanappearancecombinedwithalmostevery noisesuppressionsystemavailableatthetime.Thefirst versionoftheSolowasnotveryfancybutitcertainlywasavery effectivecase,whichiswhyittookAntecover6yearstoreplace thedesign.Todaywearegoingtohavealookatthesuccessor oftheoriginalSolo,theSoloII,whichalsoemphasizesonquiet computing.Letusseeifitisaworthyreplacementofthemuch renownedcaseitsupersedes. •Dual-layer1.0mmSECC/polycarbonatetop&side panels •Elegantaesthetics: industryunlessyou'reamarketleader.Assuchwemightsee severalsmallerplayerspulloutoftheDRAMindustrynext year,ormovetomoreprofitablemobileDRAMproductsfor tabletsandsmartphones. Anodizedaluminumfrontbezel Pianoblackexteriorfinish Stylishmatteblackinterior o o o •Dualharddrivemountingsystem: 1

  23. October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone PowerDirector10whichisthefirstversionofitsediting softwarethatsupports3Dvideo. 3x3.5"/2.5"usingtraymountswithpreinstalled siliconegrommetsOR 2x3.5"withsuspensionmountcables o o •2xexternal5.25" •1xinternal2.5"(dedicated) •Front-accessibleflip-downdrivecage •RemovablePSUsupportbeam •TopventwithfinemeshforoptimalPSUairintake •Removable,washablefrontfanfilters •Coolingsystem: o siliconegrommetsand2-speedswitch o •EnlargedCPUcutoutforeasyinstallationofCPUcoolers •FrontPorts: Oneofthemajorproblemswiththenew-fangled3Dcameras, beyondthefactthatyoupreferablyneeda3Ddisplayto watchthecontenton,istheissueofeditingthe3Dvideo. CyberLinkisnowcomingtotherescueofconsumerswith PowerDirector10whichisthefirstversionofitsediting softwarethatsupports3Dvideo. Beyondsupportfor3DvideoeditingCyberLinkhasalso tweakedalotofthefeaturesfromPowerDirector9 suchasafurthertweakedTrueVelocityengine(simply calledTrueVelocity2),GPUvideorenderingandfurther enhancementstoitsSmartVideoRenderingTechnology (SVRT).However,thetwofeaturesthatshouldappealthe mostisanimprovedH.264videoencoderwhichCyberLink claimsisover38percentfasterthanitspreviousencoderusing aquadcoreCPUwitheightthreads,withthesecondnew additionbeingOpenCLsupport.TheOpenCLpartiscurrently 1rear120mmTrueQuiet™fanwithpreinstalled 2front120mmfanmounts(optional) onlyusedtoacceleratevariousfiltersandeffects;it'snotpart oftheactualrenderingwhichisstilldoneusingthevarious proprietarytechnologiesfromAMD,IntelandNvidia. TheUIdoesn'tappeartohavebeengivenamajoroverhaul 2xUSB3.0 2xUSB2.0 AudioIn/Out o o o •7expansionslots •Maximumgraphicscardsize:15,0"/381mm •Motherboards:Mini-ITX,microATX,StandardATX •Nopowersupplyincluded •UnitDimensions: o o •PackageDimensions: o o •NetWeight:9,1kg(20,2lbs) •GrossWeight:10,7kg(23,6lbs) CyberLinkannounces PowerDirector10,adds supportfor3Dvideo Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/cyberlink-announces- powerdirector-10-adds-support-for-3d-video/13725.html October12th,2011 Oneofthemajorproblemswiththenew-fangled3Dcameras, beyondthefactthatyoupreferablyneeda3Ddisplayto watchthecontenton,istheissueofeditingthe3Dvideo. CyberLinkisnowcomingtotherescueofconsumerswith sinceversion9andthiscouldbeagoodorabadthing dependingonhowmuchyoulikedtheinterfaceinversion9 inthefirstplace.TheUltraversionofPowerDirector10offers someadditionalfeaturesovertheDeluxeversion,justaswith PowerDirector9.TheUltraversionwillgetyounative64- bitsupport;theoptiontoimportvideodirectlyfromAVCHD camcordersandithastheoptionforFullHDvideopreview. You'llalsohavetosplashoutfortheUltraversionifyouwant tobeabletoedit3Dvideo.CyberLinkdoesatleastsupportall standard3DdisplaysandHDMI1.4aswellasvariousoutput formatsdependingonthedeviceyouwanttoplaybackthe editedvideoon.There'sevenanoptiontoupload3Dvideo directlytoYouTube. PowerDirector10isavailablefordownloadfromCyberLink nowwiththeDeluxeversionsettingyoubackUS$69.95and theUltraversionUS$99.95. Asussettorevampitsrouter line-up Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-set-to-revamp-its-router-line- up/13724.html October12th,2011 WiththemostlydisappointingAMDnewstoday,wefigured we'dpostsomemorepositivenews,well,thatisifyoucare atallaboutrouters.Asusisgettingreadytorevampitsentire routerproductrangeanditseemslikethecompanygotreally fondofits"BlackDiamond"seriesdesignaswe'relookingat nolessthanfivenewmodelsbasedonthesameoveralldesign. 2 440mm(H)x205mm(W)x470mm(D) (17,3"(H)x8,1"(W)x18,5"(D)) 503(H)mmx275mm(W)x550mm(D) (19,8"(H)x10,8"(W)x21,7"(D))

  24. October12th,2011 ThebestnewsofitallisthatAsusisfinallyreadytolaunchthe RT-N66Udualbandrouter,butthedesignhaschangedquite abitsinceitwasfirstshownwaybackatCESinJanuary. WiththemostlydisappointingAMDnewstoday,wefigured we'dpostsomemorepositivenews,well,thatisifyoucare atallaboutrouters.Asusisgettingreadytorevampitsentire routerproductrangeanditseemslikethecompanygotreally fondofits"BlackDiamond"seriesdesignaswe'relookingat nolessthanfivenewmodelsbasedonthesameoveralldesign. ThebestnewsofitallisthatAsusisfinallyreadytolaunchthe RT-N66Udualbandrouter,butthedesignhaschangedquite abitsinceitwasfirstshownwaybackatCESinJanuary. Asus'firstrouterintheBlackDiamondserieswastheRT- N56U,althoughithasveryrecentlybeenjoinedbytheRT- N53whichisAsus'seconddualbandrouter,althoughit'sa muchmorebasicmodelwithonly2x2MIMO,nosimultaneous dualbandandnoUSBconnectivity,althoughit'sabouthalf thepriceoftheRT-N56UanditkeepstheGigabitswitch. Publishedby:VR-Zone USBport(althoughsomespecswe'veseenissuggestingit mighthavetwo)thatsupportsstoragedevicesandprinters.It alsosportsabuiltinFTPserverandsupportsUPnPAV.The RT-N15UwilllikelyreplacethecurrentRT-N16overtime. Finallythetopofthelinemodelisthehighlyanticipated RT-N66UwhichinitiallywasthoughttobeanAsusR.O.G. brandedrouter,butnowthat'sexpectedtobetherumoured RT-N76U.TheRT-N66Uisasimultaneousdualbandrouter withGigabitspeedfortheWANandLANports,three detachableantennasthatareusedforboththe2.4GHzand 5GHzbandsandWi-Fispeedsofupto450Mbpsonboth bands.ItalsosportstwoUSB2.0portswhichcanbeusedwith storagedevicesandprinters.TheroutersportsanewUIwhich wesadlydon'thaveahighenoughresolutionpictureoftopost, butthegenerallayoutanddesignissimilartothatofAsus' UEFI.There'sofcoursesupportforFTPserver,UPnPAVand variousotherfeatures.TheRT-N66Ushouldbebasedona 600MHzSoCpairedupwith32MBofFlashand1GBofDDR2 memoryifinitialspecsprovetobecorrect. StartingatthebottomofthenewmodelswehavetheRT-N10 LXwhichisabasic802.11nsingleantenna150Mbpsrouter withastandard10/100Mbpsswitchandamere4MBofflash and16MBofRAM.MovingupastepwehavetheRT-N12 LXwhichgains2x2MIMOsupportwhichoffers300Mbps connectivityspeeds,butisotherwisenearidenticalinterms offunctionalitytotheRT-N10LX.Bothofthesemodelssit flatandhavefixedexternalantennasunliketheotherBlack Diamondseriesrouters. Inadditiontothenewrouters,AsusisalsolaunchingtheUSB- N53,adualbandUSBdonglewith2x2MIMOantennasfor speedsofupto300Mbpsandit'sbeendesignedtogowith theBlackDiamondseriesofrouters.Asushasstartedtomake someprettyimpressivenetworkkitandouronlyreservation aboutAsus'Wi-Fiproductsisthecomparativelyhighpriceof someofitsproducts,suchastheRT-N56Uwhichisstillone ofthemoreexpensiveconsumerroutersoutthere.Sadlywe don'tknowwhatthenewmodelswillcost,butwe'reexpecting thattheRT-N66UwillbeevenpricierthantheRT-N56U. BlackBerrymakerfacesthird dayoftechnicalwoes Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/blackberry-maker-faces-third-day-of- technical-woes/13723.html NextupwehavetheRT-N15Uandthismodelhasapairof PCBantennasandsupportfor300MbpsMIMOconnectivity. ItalsohasaGigabitswitch,aGigabitWANportandasingle 3

  25. October12th,2011 October12th,2011 ExtensivedelaysanddisruptionsforBlackBerryusersentered intothethirdconsecutivedayasreportsfilteredinoffresh problemssurfacinginAsianmarkets.AccordingtoaWall StreetJournalreport,affectedcountriesincludeJapan,Hong Kong,SingaporeandIndia. ThefirsthintofproblemaroseonMonday,whendisruptions totheBlackBerryserviceanddelaysofuptoseveralhourswere experiencedacrossEurope,theMiddleEast,AfricaandIndia. ThedisruptionswereoriginallydeclaredasfixedonTuesday morningbuthiccupsresurfacedbylunchtime.Theproblems hadalsoapparentlyspreadtoBrazil,ChileandArgentina. RIMhasmorethan70millionsubscribersaroundthe globe,whichitservesviacentralizedservershookedupto aproprietarynetworkwithmobileoperators.Thetechnical issuesarerelatedtotheserversthatitoperates. EarlierstatementsreleasedRIMfailedtoshedmuchlight ontheproblem.Anewstatementfromthebeleaguered companypinnedtheblametoacoreswitchfailurewithin RIM'sinfrastructure."Althoughthesystemisdesignedto failovertoaback-upswitch,thefailoverdidnotfunctionas previouslytested.Asaresult,alargebacklogofdatawas generatedandwearenowworkingtoclearthatbacklogand restorenormalserviceasquicklyaspossible.Weapologizefor anyinconvenienceandwewillcontinuetokeepyouinformed." Ironically,thelatestboutofbadnewsforCanadianphone makerRIMaroseinthesameweekthatthenewAppleiPhone 4SisscheduledtodebutintheU.S.,Canada,Australia,United Kingdom,France,GermanyandJapan. Moreover,thenewversionofiOS5isalsoduetobereleased onWednesday.Amongotherfeatures,iOS5comeswiththe freeiCloudcloudservicethatoffersmorecapabilitiesthanthe non-businessvariantoftheBlackBerryservice.Inaddition, iOS5alsocomeswithabrandnewmessagingservicecalled iMessengerthatcompetesdirectlywithRIM'sownBlackBerry Messengerchatplatform. Personally,I'venotexperiencedanyproblemspasttwodays withmyBlackBerrysmartphoneinSingapore.Giventhat disruptionshaveadirectimpactonBlackBerrysmartphone's corecompetenciessuchasemails,messagingandbrowsing, itiseasytoenvisagethefrustrationthatanyprolonged disruptionwilltrigger. ParallelsDesktop7forMac Review:RunWindowsonyour Macseamlessly Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/parallels-desktop-7-for-mac-review- run-windows-on-your-mac-seamlessly/13711.html Publishedby:VR-Zone October12th,2011 Thereisdualoperatingsystemsetupsavailablebutyou'llbe hardpressedtofindasetupthatallowsforthesimultaneous operationandco-existinginasingleplatform.Parallel's Desktop7forMacallowsaco-existanceofApple'sOS/X andMicrosoft'sWindowsinthesamebox.Sonolonger doyouneedtoworryabouthavingthe"right"operating systemavailable.Whynotjusthavebothandbetteryethave themrunningatthesametime.ParallelsDesktop7forMac empowersyoutohavethebestofbothworlds. IhavebeenastoutMicrosoftWindowsuserforalongtime. ThatisnottosaythatIamcluelessabouttheAppleMac.I haveusedaMacanddidsomegoodworkontheMacPlus backinthedaydoingprettygooddesktoppublishingwork.It wasn’tuntilrecentlythatIboughtaMacBookProformyday- to-daywork.Themainreasonforthechange,Iwon’tcallita switch,becausetheMacworkswellformyphotographyneeds. IespeciallyliketheMacversionofCanon’sDPP(DigitalPhoto Professional)software. IstillworkonmyWindowsbasedCorei7X980desktop systemandanolderCoreDuonotebook.ThereasonI maintainthetwosystemsissimple;thereareapplicationsthat IusewitheaseonWindows.Itwilltakealotofextralearning toeventuallygettothesamelevelofproficiencyontheMac andI’dalsohavetosourceandpurchaseadditionalsoftware. Softwarehascomedowninpricebutitstillcostsmoney.Why doIneedtospendadditionalmoneyforanotherversion. So,alongcomesaproduct,ParallelsDesktopthatpromisesto bringWindowstotheMac.Itissupposedtodothiswellfor thepaltrysumofS$129.IwasalittleskepticalandtruthfullyI hadnotreadthespecificationsorbackgroundoftheprogram. AtfirstIthoughtitwouldbean‘Emulator’orthroughsome fancyprogrammingitwouldjustdualboottheMacBooksince theMacBooksareusingIntelprocessors.Well,theyhavebeen forsometimealready.:)Ididn'tseeanyreasonforittobelike BootCampbecauseBootCampisincludedwiththeMacBook 4

  26. October12th,2011 anditdoestheDual-Bootingverywell.Dualbootinghasa distinctadvantage–itrunsnativelyandusesdriversforthe specifichardware.Thedisadvantageisifyouneedtoaccess theMacandWindowssimultaneously. Norton360version6.0public betanowavailable Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/norton-360-version-6.0-public-beta- now-available/13722.html October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone -NortonInsight–Norton’sexclusivereputation-based securitytechnologyleveragestheanonymoussoftware adoptionpatternsofmillionsofcontributingSymantec userstoautomaticallyidentifyandblockneverbeforeseen malicioussoftware. -SONAR–SONARtechnologymonitorsrunningapplications forsuspiciousbehaviortoquicklydetectanddisable previouslyunknownthreats. -NortonUserExperience–Fromthestreamlinedmainuser interface,Norton360version6.0betaoffersquickaccess toNortonMobileSecurityLite,NortonCybercrimeIndex, NortonOnlineFamilyandwebsiteratingsserviceNortonSafe Web. TheNorton360version6.0betaisavailableforfreepublic downloadnowattheNorton Beta Center. Norton360all-in-onesecuritysuiteclaimstoofferanall rounderprotectionforusersandthecompanyhasannounced theavailabilityoftheNorton360version6.0publicbeta.You candownloadthebetafromtheNortonwebsite,tryitoutand commentandfeedbacktothesecuritycompany. NortonbySymantechasreleasedthepublicbetaofversion 6.0ofitsaward-winningall-in-onesecuritysuiteNorton360. ThebetaisavailableforfreedownloadfromtheNortonbeta website,andincludesthepowerfulcoresecuritytechnology foundinNortonInternetSecurity2012,inadditionto enhancedPCtuneupandbackupcapabilities. Someofthenewprotectionandusabilityimprovements include: -NortonIdentitySafeintheCloud–Protectspersonaland financialinformationfromcybercriminalsandkeepsusers safefromfraudulentwebsites.Newstreamlinedinterface, simplifiedloginexperience,andabilitytostorepasswordsin thecloudmakeaccessibilityeasyfromanycomputer. -NortonManagement–Newweb-basedfunctionalitylets usersmanagetheirNortonproductsfromanywhereinthe world.UserscanremotelyaddNortonproducts,manage securitysettingsandupdatesubscriptions. -DownloadInsightStabilityRatings–Checksevery downloadedfileforsafetybeforeinstallationandnowprovides userswithadditionaldataaboutthepredictedstabilityofthe applicationintheirenvironment. -BandwidthManagement–Limitsnon-criticalNorton updateswhenconnectedtometerednetworkstoavoidusing upmonthlydataallotmentsorcausingoveragefees. AMDBulldozerBlues: Performance,Power,Price... whichwaytofightintothe market? Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-bulldozer-blues-performance- power-price...-which-way-to-fight-into-the-market-/13721.html October12th,2011 ThedesktopBulldozerisfinallyout,andyousawthefirst reviewbyus.What'stheimpactoftheperformance,powerand pricingoftheinitiallaunchpartsontheoverallAMDproduct positioning?WhattodowiththecurrentBulldozercore? Yes,wesawthelaunch,andthelongawaitedBulldozeris finallyout.Theperformanceoftheparthoversaroundthe IntelCorei72500Kmainstream4-coreSandyBridge,andso doestheprice.Thepowerrequirementisabitoverthetop,not atleastduetotheleakagesespeciallyseenwhenoverclocking, butanywaythat'ssomethingthatfuturesteppingscanalso takecareof. Now,whateverthecase,itseemstomethat,whenlookingat thegeneraldesktoporevenworkstationmarket,thegamble thatAMDtookbypairingtwointegercoreswithoneshared FPcore,didn'ttakeoffverywellinthetypicaldesktopor workstationusagescenarios,whereeithertherecanbemany threadsinbenchmarkwantingtheuseofFPunits,orthe 5

  27. October12th,2011 existingOSschedulersdon'tyethandlewelltheasymmetrical schedulingofthreadsoncoreswithFPandwithoutFPatthe time. Also,itseemsthattheinherentcoreexecutionparallelism ontheBulldozer,intermsofinstructionspercycle,isn't reallymuchaheadofitspreviousgenerationPhenomcores either,andthat'swheretheotherproblemofmatchingIntel performance,coreforcore,isarising. OK,enoughcomplaintsonthis-whatcanAMDdowiththe Bulldozercoreasitisnow?First,thecoreseemstobedoing verywell,includingpowerconsumptionwise,onlowerclocks. So,themobileversionsofBulldozer,liketheonecombined withGPUinthe'Trinity'successortoLlano,coulddojust fine.Second,thesamebenefitsapplytoenterpriseservers, especiallythoseinvirtualisedorcloudenvironments,oreven 'throughput'HPCuse,wheremanysmallthreadsrunatthe Publishedby:VR-Zone ShureSE535SpecialEdition earphonestoretailon28 OctoberinJapan Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/shure-se535-special-edition- earphones-to-retail-on-28-october-in-japan/13720.html October12th,2011 TheShureSE535earphoneswerelaunchedlastyearand featuregreataudioqualityaswellasdetachablecableswhich areeasilyreplaceableincasetheybreak.Andbasedonthe popularityoftheSE535,thecompanydecidedtocomeupwith aspecialedition,andinastylishredfinish. sametime,alotofthemwithoutanyFPuse. That'swhyAMDlaunches'Interlagos',adual-die,16coretotal, chip,tobethefirstinitsBulldozerserverlineup.Yes,thecore speedswillbelesser,below3GHz,butthepowerusagewillbe lower,thecoredensityperchipthehighestinX86world,and withenoughsharedmemorybandwidth,allof4DDR3-1600 channelspersocket,tofeedthecoreswell. ShureJapanhasannouncedthattheirnewearphones,SE535 "SpecialEdition"(SE535LTD-J)willbelaunchedon28 October.Theestimatedretailpricewouldbesimilartothe SE535,whichissellingataround49,800yen(US$650).The ShureSE535hasalreadybeenreleasedsincelastyear,and the"SpecialEdition"isslightlydifferentasitcomeswitha shortercablelengthof116cm(tothenormal160cm),stylish redfinish,andsupportwiderfrequencybandforbetteraudio quality.Thecable,whichismadeofdurableKevlarmaterial, isremovablewithasnap-onlockingmechanism,andother specificationsissimilartotheSE535sibling.Theearphones willalsocomebundledwithstereomini-pluginput,silicon earpieceavailableinthreesizes(small,mediumandlarge), yellowfoamsleeves,carryingcase,airplaneadapter,aswellas levelcontroller.TheShureSE535"SpecialEdition"willbein limitedquantitythough,andavailableinAsia. AMDFX-8150CPU OverclockingReview:A BulldozerforGamers? Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-8150-cpu-overclocking-review- a-bulldozer-for-gamers-/13694.html 6 So,youcanhavefourofthosechips,64corestotal,ona singlemainboard,withhalfaterabyteofRAM,andrunalarge databaselookuporevenmassivewebsiteserving.Sincemost ofthetimeisspenthandlingmemoryandI/O,andswitching betweenthreads,corespeedmattersless-stilldoesmatter,of course,butnottothesameextentasusual.And,again,nottoo manythreadsareFPbound,solessissuesaretherefortheFP unitsharing,aslongastheOSthreadschedulershandlethings fine.Therefore,AMDcouldstillhavearunatthismarket, dependingonthepricetheyset. Eitherway,areworkofthearchitecturehastohappen.Three keythingscometomymindrightnow:first,moreparallelism insideeachcore,forhigherinstructionspercycle.Second, returnbacktotheusualstandardcoredesignwithoneFPunit percore.Third,morememorychannelsperdie,obviouslyfour DDR3/DDR4channelsinsteadoftwoDDR3channelswilldo amuchbetterjobfeedingan8-corechip.Let'sseewhatAMD candoaboutthis,assoonastheycan.

  28. October12th,2011 October12th,2011 Zambeziisthefourth-longestriverinAfrica(theonewiththe beautifulVictoriaFalls),andalsothecodenameforthenew FXseriesof"Bulldozer"desktopenthusiastCPUsfromAMD. Aftermonthsofspeculationandspinaboutthelaunchdate andperformancenumbers,thenewprocessorshavefinallyhit theshopsandwebringyouourreviewofthetopoftheline FX-8150.Also,standachancetowinaASUSROGCrosshair VFormula990FXMotherboard(detailsinside). OverviewoftheAMDFXPlatform Publishedby:VR-Zone SuggestedretailpricingisUS$245fortheFX-8150,US$205 fortheFX-8120,US$165fortheFX-6100andUS$115forthe FX-4100.Atthispointoftimeitisnotknownortestedifthe 4/6-coremodelshavedisabledcoreunlockcapabilities. ThenewAMDFXmodelsareonAM3+(942pins)socket, whichretainsmechanicalcompatibilitywitholderAM3 motherboards,providedtheycansupplyenoughpeakcurrent andreceiveaBIOSupdatefromtherespectivevendorsto supportthenewprocessors.Officially,AMDrecommendsthe useofthe990FX/990x/970+SB950chipsets,butwe'veseen motherboardvendorstoutthatthenewprocessorswillwork frommaturemodelslike760Gtothemoremodern890FX. PlatformSpecifications/DieShot: First,tosetyourexpectationsrightfromthestart,thisisa chart/bombshellfromthereviewer'sguideitself: Aswecansee,despitethehypefrompreviouslyleaked marketingslidesandforumtrollsclaimingotherwise,today's AMDFXseriesofprocessorsareNOTdesignedtogoheadto headwithIntel'shigherendSKUslikethei72600korthe6- corei7"Gulftown"990X.Thisisevidentintheperformance testsinthelaterpagesofourreview. Thesearetheproductslaunchingtoday: MuchhavebeensaidaboutthenewBulldozerarchitectureon VR-Zoneandotherwebsitesalreadysowewillwritemorein detailaboutitinalaterarticlethisweek.Fornow,wemove ontowhatourreaderswillbemostinterestedin:overclocking andbenchmarks... 7

  29. October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone AMDFX-8150MemoryScaling Investigation-Feedingthe Bulldozer Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-fx-8150-memory-scaling- investigation--feeding-the-bulldozer/13704.html October12th,2011 Itisoftendebatedthatusingmoreexpensive"enthusiast- grade"memorywillhelpapplicationandgamingperformance. WeusethelatestAMDFX-81508-coreprocessorandASUS ROGCrosshairVFormula990FXtofindoutifthatholdstrue fortheBulldozers... TestSetup •CPU:AMDFX-81508-core/8threadprocessor@ 4.7Ghz(allpowersavingoptionsdisabled) •Motherboard:ASUSROGCrosshairVFormula(BETA 9905 bios made by Shamino-withlatestBDAGESA, unlockshighermemorymultipliersupto2400) •Graphics:AMDRadeon6990(Crossfire)withCatalyst 11.10Preview2(8.901.2.0) •HSF:ThermalrightSilverArrowwith2Fans •SSD:CorsairX128SSD •PSU:CMSilentProM1000W •OS:Windows7x64withSP1 Contenders: •SGD$30ValueRam-1333MHz9-9-9-241T •SGD$50ValueRam-1600MHz9-9-9-241T •SGD$100HighEndKit-1600MHz7-8-7-241T •SGD$180ExtremeLevelKit-2133Mhz7-10-7-271T AIDA64MemoryBandwidth/LatencyTest: wPrime: x264HDBenchmark4.0(videoencoding) 8

  30. October12th,2011 Crysis21.9Ultra(DirectX11) Publishedby:VR-Zone Companiesaregenerallyplaguedwithdelayswhenitcomes tolaunchingproducts,butAMD'sCPUbusinesshashada terribleyearwhenitcomestodelays.ThenewFX-seriesof CPUshavefinallylaunchedandtheanticipationofwhatAMD willbringtothetabletogiveIntelarunforitsmoneyis high.AlthoughthisisonlyaquicklookatthingsfromAMD's perspective,we'llhavereviewsupofthenewCPUsaswell whereyoucanmakeamuchmoreeducateddecisioniftheFX- seriesisforyou. AMDbriefedusabouttheFX-seriesofCPUsatitsTFE eventlastweekanditwasafairlyquickrundownofitsnew processors.Let'scuttothechaseandhavealookatthenew modelstostartwith.Asyoucanseefromthediagrambelow, we'relookingatatotalofsevennewmodels,althoughonly threeofthemwillbeavailableasoftoday.Atthetopwehave theFX-8150whichisfollowedbytheFX-8120andFX-8100. TheFX-8100won'tbeavailableatlaunch;insteadthesixcore FX-6100willbeoneofthethreelaunchmodels. Left4Dead2(DirectX9) Thethreequadcoresaresomewhatpeculiar,asintheFX-4170 forstartersonlyhasasingleturbofrequencyasyoucansee fromthetableabove.Thisisduetothealreadyhighclock speedofthechipanditpeaksoutat4.3GHz.TheFX-B4150is partofAMD'sBusinessseriesofCPUsandassuchit'sunlikely thatit'llbeavailabletoconsumers.FinallytheFX-4100isthe mostbasicmodelfornow. It'sworthnotingthattherearesomedifferencesbetweenthe models,withtheFX-8100,FX-6100andFX-4100havinga 200MHzslowerchipsetinterconnect.The95Wversionofthe FX-8120won'tbeavailableinretailboxforthetimebeingat least,asAMDistargetingsystemintegratorswiththispartas theydon'tlike125WTDPCPUs.WithregardtoCPUTurbo CoreandCPUMaxTurbointhetable,thefirstoptioniswith allcoresenabledwhereastheMaxTurboiswithhalfofthe coresinsleepmode.Allmodelshave8MBofL3cacheand 1MBofL2cachepercore.AlloftheFXCPUsareofcourse multiplierunlocked,althoughthat125WTDPmightholdback theoverclockingpotentialalittlebitwhenitcomestoair coolers. Thatsaid,theBulldozerarchitectureisquitedifferentfrom AMD'straditionalmulti-coreCPUsandassuchwe'relooking atpairsofcoresin"Bulldozermodules"whereeachpairis connectedto2MBofsharedL2cacheandasharedFPU.We'll havetowaitandseehowwellthisworksoutinrealworld applications,butAMDseemstothinkthisisthewayforward foritsCPUsandAPUs. 9 Conclusion We'llletourreadersmaketheconclusionsinthecomments sectionbelow:) AMDfinallylaunchesitsFX processors Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-finally-launches-its-fx- processors/13718.html October12th,2011 Companiesaregenerallyplaguedwithdelayswhenitcomes tolaunchingproducts,butAMD'sCPUbusinesshashada terribleyearwhenitcomestodelays.ThenewFX-seriesof CPUshavefinallylaunchedandtheanticipationofwhatAMD willbringtothetabletogiveIntelarunforitsmoneyis high.AlthoughthisisonlyaquicklookatthingsfromAMD's perspective,we'llhavereviewsupofthenewCPUsaswell whereyoucanmakeamuchmoreeducateddecisioniftheFX- seriesisforyou.

  31. October12th,2011 AMDismakingsomeinterestingcomparisonswhenitcomes toperformance,asit'sonlypitchingitshigh-endFX-8150as aCore-i52500Kbeater,whereastheyfigureitplayspretty evenlywithIntel'sCorei7-2600Kwithsomebenchmarkwins andsomebenchmarklosses.Ofcoursethiswilldependquitea lotonthebenchmarkinquestionandaccordingtoAMD'sown internalteststheFX-8150doesn'treallystandoutinmostof thetestsandit'squitebadlybeateninothers. ResearchinMotionunveils BlackBerryTag Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/research-in-motion-unveils-blackberry- tag/13719.html October12th,2011 Blackberrymaker,ResearchinMotion,hasunveiledthe BlackBerryTagthatletsyouexchangemultimediacontent andcontactinfowithyourfriendsbysimplytappingtheir BlackBerrydevicestogether,vianearfieldcommunication (NFC)technology. Publishedby:VR-Zone ResearchinMotionhasannouncedtheBlackBerryTag,which allowuserstosharecontactinformation,documents,URLs, photosandothermultimediacontenteasilybysimply tappingtheirBlackBerrysmartphonestogether.Thisisdone viaNearFieldCommunications(NFC)technologyincluded intherecentlylaunchedBlackBerryBold9900/9930and BlackBerryCurve9350/9360/9370smartphones,andwill alsoenablefriendstoinstantlyaddoneanotherascontacts onBBM(BlackBerryMessenger).TheBlackBerryTagwill beincorporatedinthenextBlackBerry7OSupdate.The companyhasalsoannouncedplanstoexposeBlackBerryTag throughAPIsontheBlackBerryplatform,allowingsoftware developerstotakeadvantageof"taptoshare"functionality fromwithintheirownapplications. AsuslaunchestheZenbook UX21andUX31 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-launches-the-zenbook-ux21-and- ux31/13717.html October12th,2011 It'sbeenoverfourmonthssinceAsusfirstshowedoffits UltrabookbackatComputex,butthecompanyhasfinally launchedtheUX21andUX31undertheslightlyoddZenbook name.Presumablyithassomethingtodowiththelow noiselevelsofUltrabooks,butwe'renotsureit'sthemost memorablenameAsuscould'vegonefor. It'sbeenoverfourmonthssinceAsusfirstshowedoffits UltrabookbackatComputex,butthecompanyhasfinally launchedtheUX21andUX31undertheslightlyoddZenbook name.Presumablyithassomethingtodowiththelow noiselevelsofUltrabooks,butwe'renotsureit'sthemost memorablenameAsuscould'vegonefor. There'slittledoubtthatAsusispinningalotonitsUltrabooks asthecompanyhadalauncheventinNewYorkwithits chairmanJonneyShihonlocation.It'srareofAsustohave 10

  32. October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone majorproductlaunchesoutsideofTaiwanandalthough weknowthere'salauncheventinTaiwanlatertoday,it's seeminglyafairlysmalleventcomparedtotheNewYork launch.Anyhow,AsuswillofferfivedifferentSKUsintotal, twofortheUX21andthreefortheUX31. IntheUSpricingstartatUS$999forthebaseUX21model withthebaseUX31comingitatUS$1,099.Thehigher-end UX21comesinatUS$1,199,withtheUX31witha256GB SSDwillsetyoubackUS$1,349andfinallythetopofthe rangeUX31willcostUS$1,499.It'sprettyclearthatAsushas priceditsZenbookstobecompetitivelypricedagainstApple's MacBookAirproductswiththe13.3-inchmodelscomingitat slightlylessandthe11.6-inchmodelscominginatthesame pricepoints. ViewSonicannouncesthe ViewPad10e Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/viewsonic-announces-the- viewpad-10e/13716.html October12th,2011 It'snoteasytostaycompetitiveintheworldoftabletsand we'realittlebitperplexedaboutViewSonic'slatestmodel,the ViewPad10e.Unlikeitsprevious10-inchmodels,the10ehas a9.7-inchIPSpanelwith1024x768resolution,yes,that'sthe sameastheiPad.TheoverallspecificationputstheViewPad 10eintheaffordablesectionwhichisatleastsomething. It'snoteasytostaycompetitiveintheworldoftabletsand we'realittlebitperplexedaboutViewSonic'slatestmodel,the ViewPad10e.Unlikeitsprevious10-inchmodels,the10ehas a9.7-inchIPSpanelwith1024x768resolution,yes,that'sthe sameastheiPad.TheoverallspecificationputstheViewPad 10eintheaffordablesectionwhichisatleastsomething. Asyoumightalreadyhaveguessed,theViewPad10eruns Androidandinthiscaseversion2.3/Gingerbread.Ithasa fairlyold1GHzARMCortexA8basedSoCatitscore,soit's notgoingtobeaperformancemonster.TothisViewSonic hasadded512MBofDDR3memoryand4GBofinternalflash storage.There'sofcoursealsoamicroSDmemorycardslotfor furtherstorageexpansion. StartingwiththeUX21commonfeaturesincludean11.6- inchdisplaywith1366x768resolution,4GBof1333MHz DDR3memory(non-upgradable),a128GBSATA6GbpsSSD, 802.11b/g/nWi-Fi,Bluetooth4.0,a0.3Megapixelwebcam, oneUSB2.0port,oneUSB3.0port,amicroHDMIport,a custom"mini"VGAport,asingleaudiojackforaheadsetand a35Whrbatterythat'ssaidtobegoodforjustover5hofusage orsevendaysstandby.TheOnlydifferencewespottedforthe UX21seriesistheCPUwhichcomesinachoiceofaCore i5-2467Mwhichisclockedat1.6GHzandcanturboto2.3GHz, oraCorei7-2677Mwithastockclockof1.8GHzoraturbo clockor2.9GHz.Althoughnotmentionedinthepressrelease, AsusisalsolistingaCorei3-2367Mmodelonitswebsiteand thisisa1.4GHzCPUwithoutturbo. TheUX31isslightlydifferentandalthoughthebasicfeatures arethesameastheUX21,herewe'reofcourselookingat alarger13.3-inchscreenwhichwe'regladtoseeoffersa resolutionof1600x900pixels.Theonlyadditionalfeature hereisanSDcardreader,althoughtheUX31alsohasa larger50WhrbatterywhichaccordingtoAsusshouldlastfor over7horgiveyou10daysofstandbypower.Twomodels arekittedoutwithaCorei5-2557MCPUwhichstartsat 1.7GHzbutwhichwillturboto2.7GHz,soslightlybeefier CPUperformanceherecomparedtotheUX21.Themorebasic modelwithhavethesame128GBSSDwhilethemiddlemodel getsboostedto256GB.Finallythetopoftherangemodelhas thesameCorei7-2677MastheUX21,butcombinedwiththe 256GBSSDoption. 11

  33. October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone silentgraphicsprocessorcoolingsolutiontoridethe"silent" bandwagon.TheuseofcoolerandquieterDDR3memory couldalsohavearoleinkeepingthecardlight. HISunveileditslatestmid-rangegraphicscard,theRadeon HD6670iSilence4.ThecardemploysaZalman-made silentgraphicsprocessorcoolingsolutiontoridethe"silent" bandwagon.TheuseofcoolerandquieterDDR3memory couldalsohavearoleinkeepingthecardlight. Connectivityoptionsconsistsof802.11b/g/nWi-Fi,Bluetooth 3.0,amicroUSBport,aminiHDMIportanda3.5mm headsetjack.TheHDMIportislimitedto720poutputdue totheolderSoCwhichlacksthegraphicscapabilitiesofmore modernARMbasedsolutions.There'salsoafrontmounted 1.3MegapixelcameraandthetablethasaG-sensoraswellas apairofstereospeakersandamicrophonebuiltin.Thetablet weighsinat620gandmeastures242x189x9mm.ViewSonic statesthatitsportsa5,400mAhbatterybuttherewasno mentionofbatterylifeinthepressreleasebeyondstandby timewhichViewSonicratesat200h. Weshouldmentionthefactthatitdoesn'tappeartosupport theAndroidMarketandinsteadViewSonichasaddedsupport forthe1MobileMarket.Italsocomespre-loadedwiththe AmazonKindleappandViewSonic's3DUI.TheViewPad10e shouldlaunchnextmonthintheUKwithotherregionssetto follow.Nowordonpricingasyet,butwe'reexpectingittobe oneofthemostaffordabledevicesinitssizethat'sfromabrand namemanufacturer. HISRollsOutNewSilentHD 6670GraphicsCard Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/his-rolls-out-new-silent-hd-6670- graphics-card/13715.html October12th,2011 HISunveileditslatestmid-rangegraphicscard,theRadeon HD6670iSilence4.ThecardemploysaZalman-made Tobeginwith,HISoptedforaZalmanVNF100GPUcooler. ItconsistsofaGPUbasefromwhichheatisconveyedto themainheatsinkoverthreeheatpipes.Theheatsinkhovers overthereverse(solder)sideofthePCBinsteadofobverse (component),it'sagiventhatinmostsetups,thereverseside facesthetop,andsoplacingtheheatsinkherewouldhelpwith convectionalcooling. TheheatsinkcoolsonlytheGPU,theAMD-brandedDDR3 memorychipsdrawverylittlepower(comparedtoGDDR5), andcanmaketowithnoadditionalcooling,soisthesimple VRMthatusesconventionalup-downMOSFETconfiguration. TheRadeonHD6670isbasedonthe40nanometer"Turks" siliconbyAMD,itisDirectX11compliant,andpacks480 streamprocessors,anda128-bitwidememoryinterface.The HISHD6670iSilence4reliesentirelyonthemotherboardfor 12

  34. October12th,2011 power,itlacksadditionalCrossFirebridgeinterfaces.Display outputsincludeoneeachofDVI,HDMI1.4a(with7.1channel HDaudio),andD-Sub(VGA). Pricingandavailabilityarestillunknown. Pioneersettothrillmoviefans withnew3DBlu-rayplayers Publishedby:VR-Zone LogitechannouncesUltimate Ears350and350viin Singapore Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/logitech-announces-ultimate-ears-350- and-350vi-in-singapore/13713.html October12th,2011 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/pioneer-set-to-thrill-movie-fans-with- new-3d-blu-ray-players/13714.html October12th,2011 WiththenewLogitechUltimateEars350and350vi,you canenjoynoise-free,superiorqualityaudioofyourfavorite songs.TheUltimateEars350viisslightlydifferentfromthe UltimateEars350asitcomeswitharemotecontrolandbuilt- inmicrophone.Bothearphonesareavailablenow. ThenewLogitechUltimateEars350and350viaredesignedby thesameengineerswhocreatestagemonitorsforyour favoritemusicians.Bothnoise-isolatingearphonesclaimto ensuresuperioracousticsandextrabassregardlessofthe genreofsongsyouarelisteningto.Incorporatingsweat- resistantanddurabledesign,theearphonesareidealforuse evenduringoutdooractivities.TheUltimateEars350vihas theadditionalremotecontrolwithbuilt-inmicrophone,and bothearphonescomewithfivepairsofearcushionstofit differentearsizes,andapocket-readyhardcasetoprotectthe earphoneswhenyouareonthego. ESETlaunchesNOD32 Antivirus5andSmartSecurity 5 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/eset-launches-nod32-antivirus-5-and- smart-security-5/13712.html Moviefanswouldlovethenewline-upofPioneerBlu-ray players-BDP-140,BDP-440andBDP-LX55-whichclaimto supportadditionalpopularvideoandmusicplaybackformats, optimizedHDMIconnectivityandadvancednetworking features.Ontopofthat,allthreemodelsarecapableof3D playbackandboastcinema-qualityexperience. PioneerhasunveiledthreenewBlu-raydiscplayersin Singapore-theBDP-140,BDP-440andBDP-LX55-thatclaim todeliverexceptionalvisualandaudiocinematicperformance inthecomfortofyourhome.Theplayerssupportawide rangeofvideoandmusicplaybackformatsincludingFLAC (BDP-LX55only),MKV,DivX,PlusHD,WMV,WMAand MP3playbackaswellasphotoslideshowswithitsJPEG viewer;HDMIoutputtodisplaysinhighdefinition;and thesenewmodelsarecapableoffull3Dmovieplaybackwith remarkablyclear,crispimagesandsuperiorsound. EnabledwithconnectivitytolocalnetworksandtheInternet, thePioneerplayerscanconnecttoawirelesshomenetwork viaanoptionalwirelessnetworkadapterAS-WL200.On topofthat,theseplayersareequippedwithPicasaViewing capabilitiessothatyoucanenjoyyourfavoritephotoalbums besideswatchingYouTubevideos.Thenewplayersarealso DLNAcertified,whichallowsyoutoplaybackaudio,videoand photocontentstoredonacompatiblenetworkPCormedia server. ThePioneerBDP-140isnowavailableatauthorizedPioneer retailoutletsatasuggestedretailpriceofS$299whilethe BDP-LX55andBDP-440willbeavailablefromendOctober onwards.Pricingdetailsnotreleasedatpresstime. 13

  35. October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone October12th,2011 Thismorning,ITsecuritycompanyESEThasannouncedthe launchoftheirlatestSmartSecurity5andNOD32Antivirus5 inAsiaPacific,includingSingapore.Bothproductsoffernew andimprovedfeaturesincludingESETLiveGrid,acloud- basedreputationandprotectiontechnology'removableMedia Controlwithgranualarcontrolofexternaldevices;aswellas GamerMode. EvaMarkova,chiefoperatingofficerofESETAsiaPacific,was attheeventtogiveanintroductionofthecompany,fromthe historytothecompany'sgrowthandproductrecognitionin themarket. ESEThaslaunchedtheirnewSmartSecurity5and NOD32Antivirus5whichclaimtoofferadvanceddetection technologyandmulti-layeredsecurityfeaturesforthehome users.TheESETSmartSecurity5offersvariousnew featuresincludingLiveGrid(Cloud-poweredReputation)that candeliveroptimizedreal-timeprotectionagainstinternet threatsandsocialmediaexploits;ParentalControlthatcan protectchildrenfrompotentiallyoffensivewebcontentby blockingvariouswebsitecategories;andAdvancedHIPS Functionalityforuserswhowanttocustomizethebehaviorof thesystemindetaillikespecifyingrulesforthesystemregistry, activeprocessesandprograms.TheESETNOD32Antivirus 5alsocomeswithfeatureslikeitsSmartSecurity5sibling, aswellasGamerModethatletsuserfocusontheironline sessionsorimportantworktasks;EnhancedMediaControl thatcanautomaticallyscanallUSBflashdrives,memory cardsandCDs/DVDs;andSmartDetectionthatcandetect malwareusingadvancedheuristicdetectiontechnologyto protectagainstunknownthreats. RetailPrice ESETNOD32Antivirus5:S$29–1-yearlicense;S$45–2- yearlicense PavelLuka,chieftechnologyofficerofESET,talkedaboutthe company'sreal-timeadaptivescanningtechnology,malware trends,andtheupcomingproductsnextyear. CiscorefreshesLinksysE- Serieswirelessrouters, launchesnewX-Series Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/cisco-refreshes-linksys-e-series- wireless-routers-launches-new-x-series/13710.html October12th,2011 ESETSmartSecurity5:S$39–1-yearlicense;S$59–2-year license Consumerslookingtoupgradetheirhomewirelessnetwork maywanttotakealookattherefreshedLinksysE-series wirelessroutersaswellasthenewrangeofLinksysX-series modemrouters.AccordingtoCisco,thenewproductsare characterizedbyhighperformanceandsetsnewbenchmarks 14

  36. October12th,2011 forspeed,wirelessrangeandease-of-use.Nottomention thesleekindustrialdesignsthatcombinesaestheticsand advancedfunctionality. Inapreparedstatement,UlrikeTegtmeier,VicePresident, International,CiscoHomeNetworkingBusinessUnit,said, "Thehomenetworkisnowacomplexmixofvariousdevices connectingtooneplatform,andconsumersaredemanding reliabilityandspeedtomeettheirdigitallifestyleneeds. Beyondthesmartphoneandpersonalcomputer,devicesthat areconnectedtothehomenetworkincludeTVs,Blu-Ray players,gameconsolesandset-topboxes.Theincreasingly sophisticatedrequirementsofconsumerstodayunderscore theimportanceofwirelessconnectivityforanext-generation homeentertainmentexperience." LinksysE-serieswirelessrouters TheimprovedLinksysE-serieswirelessroutersprovidespeeds ofupto450Mbpsonthehighest-endmodel.Selectedmodels alsoincorporateSpeedBoostexternalpoweramplifiersto maintainsignalstrengthoveragreaterdistance.Inaddition, virtualUSBtechnologymakesitpossibletoconnectUSB printers,storageandotherUSB-baseddevicestothenetwork. TherefreshedE-seriesfamilyisshowninthetablebelow. LinksysX-seriesmodemrouters TheLinksysX-seriesfamilyofmodelroutersaredesignedto workwithbothDSLandcablebroadbandconnections.The flexibilitymeansthatusersarefreetoswitchbetweencable andDSLbroadbandwhenmovingtoanewhomeortoenjoy betterdealsfromanotherserviceprovider.TheLinksysX2000 Wireless-NADSL2+ModemRouteriscurrentlyavailableat S$139andsupportsupto300MbpswirelesswithEthernet Publishedby:VR-Zone ADATAStartsShippingXM-13 mSATASSD Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/adata-starts-shipping-xm-13-msata- ssd/13709.html October12th,2011 ADATAstartedshippingitsXM13familyofSandforce-driven solidstatedrives(SSDs)inthemSATAform-factor.The XM13wasspottedatthisyear'sComputextradeshow,held inJune,inTaiwan.ADATAispromisingcapacitiesand speedscomparabletoSSDsinthe2.5-inchform-factor,and endurancethatmakesitfitforSSDcachingonmotherboards withmSATAslotsandSSD-cachingtechnologiessuchasIntel SmartResponse. ADATAstartedshippingitsXM13familyofSandforce-driven solidstatedrives(SSDs)inthemSATAform-factor.TheXM13 wasspottedatthisyear'sComputextradeshow,heldinJune, inTaiwan.ADATAispromisingspeedscomparabletolarger SSDsinthe2.5-inchform-factor,andendurancethatmakes itfitforSSDcachingonmotherboardswithmSATAslotsand technologiessuchasIntelSmartResponse. ADATAXM13isavailableincapacitiesof30GBand60 GB.AttheheartofADATAXM13isSandforceSF-1200 controller,wiredtofourIntel-madeMLCNANDflashchips. ThecontrollersupportsSATA3Gbpsinterface.ADATAis advertisingsequentialtransferratesofupto280MB/sreads and260MB/swrites.Randomread/writethroughputfigure givenoutis12,500IOPS.WithaMTBFis1.2millionhours, andshockresistenceof1500G/0.5mstheXM13istoutedtobe extremelydurable. ports.TheLinksysX3000AdvancedWireless-NADSL2+ ModemRouter,whichcostsS$179andcomeswithGigabit Ethernetports,willbeavailableend-November. AllproductswillbesoldatChallengerSuperstore, HarveyNorman,BestDenki,Courts,SouthAsiaComputer, InforcomTechnologies,Fuwell,AGenuineTechnology, CybermindComputerHouse,CyberactiveTechnology, Bizgram,Videopro,GainCityandHaiXinRui. 15

  37. October12th,2011 ADATAXM1330GBispricedintheUS$70to$80range,and the60GBvariantinthe$125to$135range. IntelChartsOutSSDRoadmap for2012 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-charts-out-ssd-roadmap- for-2012/13708.html October12th,2011 Intelhasplansforthesolidstatedrive(SSD)marketthat lookdeepinto2012.Itisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatthe companywantstogiveitsSSDportfoliothebreakneckproduct cycleitsprocessorlineupenjoys,thatofgenerationleapsevery yearorso.Lookinginto2012,weseenewmodelstargeting prettymucheverymajormarketsegment. Intelhasplansforthesolidstatedrive(SSD)marketthat lookdeepinto2012.Itisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatthe companywantstogiveitsSSDportfoliothebreakneckproduct cycleitsprocessorlineupenjoys,thatofgenerationleapsevery yearorso.Lookinginto2012,weseenewmodelstargeting prettymucheverymarketsegment. Tobeginwith,Intelwillenter2012calendaryearwithmany oftheproductsitintroducedveryrecently,someithasn't evendoneyet.TheseincludetheSSD520"Cherryville",SSD Publishedby:VR-Zone 710"Lyndonville",SSD720"Ramsdale",and"HawleyCreek" mSATASSDs.Severalofthesewilllaunchwithinthefourth quarterof2011.Intelwillthenallowtheseproductstoleadthe portfoliofortheremainderof2011andthefirstquarterof2012 (i.e.tilltheendofMarch2012). Inthesecondquarterof2012,Intelwilllaunch"Ramsdale MLC".Simplyput,thisisavariantof"Ramsdale"IntelSSD 720seriesPCIExpressSSDs,whichuses25nmMLC-HET NANDflashmemoryinsteadofSLCNANDflashfoundon thestandard"Ramsdale".MLC-HETallowsInteltodouble capacities,whileofferingcomparableendurancetoSLC,and muchhigherpricepergigabyte.Itdoes,however,comeatthe costofslightlylowerthroughput.Hence,RamsdaleMLCisn't reallyareplacement,butmoreofanexpansionofthe700 SeriesPCIExpressfamily. Aroundthesametime,Intelwilllaunch"KingCrest",a successorofSSD520"Cherryville"family.Thisismost definitelyasuccessor,sinceituses25nmMLC-HETNAND flashinsteadofregular25nmNANDflashfoundonSSD 520.Wedon'texpectanyleapsintermsofcapacities,but endurance,sequentialdata-rates,andthroughputcanbe expectedtogoup.LiketheSSD520,"KingCrest"comesinthe 2.5-inchform-factorwithSATA6Gbpsinterface. Somereallybigchangesarereservedforthethirdquarter of2012.Here,wefindanewproducttakingshape, codenamed"Taylorsville".ThisoneisslatedtosucceedSSD 710"Lyndonville",withsignificantincreasesincapacities. "Taylorsville"willbeavailableincapacitiesof800GB,400 GB,and200GB.LikeSSD710,itwillmakeuseofMLC- HETNANDflash,the2.5-inchform-factor,andSATA6Gbps interface. Finally,thereis"LincolnCrest",asuccessorofSSD320series. ThesedriveswillmarkthetransitionofIntel'smainstream- thru-valueSSDstotheSATA6Gbpsinterface.Itwillmake useofMLC-HETNANDflash,andhencewillbealotmore durable,andspeedycomparedtoSSD320series. ASRockX79Extreme7Full Board-ShotsSurface Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-x79-extreme7-full-board-shots- surface/13707.html October12th,2011 HerearesomeofthefirstpressshotsofASRock'selusive X79Extreme7,whichwebroketotheworldlastmonthwith ateaserpicture.Thepicturesrevealabeastthatmoreor lessmeetsourexpectationsfromahigh-endsocketLGA2011 motherboard,andconfirmsmuchofthefeature-setwe guesstimatedwiththehelpofthatteaserpic. HerearesomeofthefirstpressshotsofASRock'selusive X79Extreme7,whichwebroketotheworldlastmonthwith ateaser picture.Thepicturesrevealabeastthatmoreor lessmeetsourexpectationsfromahigh-endsocketLGA2011 16

  38. October12th,2011 motherboard,andconfirmsmuchofthefeature-setwe guesstimatedwiththehelpofthatteaserpic. Publishedby:VR-Zone s.8+2channelHDaudioiscareofaRealtekALC889codec, therearesixUSB3.0portsinall(twoontherearpanel,fourvia internalheaders),FireWire,twogigabitEthernetconnections, andanumberofUSB2.0ports. TheboardusesUEFIfirmware.Weexpectthesetupprogram toberichinoverclockingoptionsthattakeadvantageofthe awesome(onpaper)VRMdeployedonthisboard. TheASRockX79Extreme7isexpectedtobeapartofthe company'sfirstwaveofsocketLGA2011motherboards,due forNovember2011. SonySingaporeintroduces newHD-EG5andHD-EG5U externalharddrives Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-singapore-introduces-new-hd- eg5-and-hd-eg5u-external-hard-drives/13706.html October12th,2011 You'vegottohandittoASRock,they'vemanagedtogive thisboardtherightamountofhigh-end"polish"towoo enthusiastswitheventhedeepestpockets.TheX79Extreme7 hasabustlinglandscape.PowerisdeliveredtotheCPUusing a16-phaseVRMthatuseshigh-gradechokesandPoscap capacitors.Thememorylookstobepoweredbya4-phase VRMarrangedinsetsoftwooneithersidesofthesocket. AnoddityhereisASRock'schoiceofsixDDR3DIMMslotsfor aplatformwithfourmemorychannels.AmongchannelsA,B, C,andD,channelsBandDhavetwoDIMMslots.Souserswith fourmemorymodulestospareshouldpopulatethesixslotsas "1-0-1---1-0-1",inwhichthemiddleslotineachofthetwosets ofDIMMslotsisleftblank.Assumingthisboardsupports16 GBmoduledensities,atotalof96GBofmemoryissupported. ExpansionslotsincludefivePCI-Expressx16,amongwhich twoareelectricalGen.3.0x16capable,fourareGen3.0x8 capable,andoneisGen2.0x4capable,dependingonhowthe slotsarepopulatedwithadd-oncards.ASRockdidn'tleaveout legacyPCI,incaseyoudon'twanttoletgoofyourawesome PCIsoundcardsuchastheX-merideanorX-FiElitePro. Intermsofstorageconnectivity,therearefourSATA6Gb/ sports,atotalofsevenSATA3Gb/s,andoneeSATA3Gb/ Sonyiswell-knownformostelectronicsproducts,butthisis probablythefirsttimewehaveheardthecompanyannounced newexternalharddisks.Availableinstylishblack,pinkand silverflavors,theSonyexternalharddisksfeatureadvanced technologiesandsmartA/Vfeaturesthatletsyouaccessdata safelyandconveniently. Sonyhasunveiledtheirlatestexternalharddriveswhichoffer usersgreateaseofuseandsaferdatastorageandbackup. ThenewSonyHD-EG5andHD-EG5Uarethecompany'sfirst everexternalharddrives,availableinaslimandstylishblack, silverandpinkcase,andweighsjust220gthatmakesthem idealforcarryingwherevertheygo.ThenewdrivesareUSB 3.0compatibleandusepre-loadedDataTransferAccelerator softwaretoacceleratetransferspeedsuptothreetimesfaster comparedtodatatransferwithoutthissoftware,thusmaking themoneofthefastest2.5-inchharddrivesonthemarket.The softwarealsoclaimstoboosttransferspeedswhenconnected toaUSB2.0port,uptotwotimesfasterthanwithoutusing thesoftware. WiththePasswordProtectionManagersoftware,youcanlock allorpartofthedriveusingadvancedAES256-bitencryption, soonlypassword-holderswillhaveaccesstoprotected data.TheBackupManageralsoletsuserssetupautomatic backupsonanyPC,andsavestimebyintelligentlyrecognising andbackinguponlydatathathasbeenaddedormodified. TheFAT32formattersoftwareisalsoincludedforusersto converttheirdrivesforusewithFAT32compatiblehardware. OwnersofSonyHandycamcamcordersandPlayStation3 gameconsolewillappreciatetheAVLinkfeaturesofthe HD-EG5U,whichmakesplaybackofAVCHDvideoona PlayStation3quickandpainless.Usersjustneedtoconnect thedrivetotheHandycamwithaUSBadaptercable,copythe 17

  39. October12th,2011 video,thenhookupthedrivetothePlayStation3toviewthe videosusingSony’sFilmysoftware,withoutaPC. TheSonyexternalharddrivesarecurrentlyavailablein 500GBcapacity,whichissufficienttostoreyour documents,videos,holidayphotographsetc.TheSonyHD- EG5andHD-EG5UharddriveswillbeavailableinAsiaPacific fromNovember2011. DellannouncesInspironOne 2320all-in-onedesktopPCfor homeusers Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/dell-announces-inspiron-one-2320-all- in-one-desktop-pc-for-home-users/13705.html Publishedby:VR-Zone accessingcontent.Itmeasuresjust68mmthinandcomeswith built-inWi-FiandHDwebcamforuserswhowanttodovideo conferencingwithfriendsorfamily. TheInspironOne2320isavailablebeginningtoday onwww.dell.com/sg/p/inspiron-one-2320/pdstartingatS $1,099withanIntelPentiumprocessor.TheInspironOne 2320willalsobeavailableinselectedretaillocationsacross Singapore. TechnicalInformation -Processors:IntelPentiumDualCore,IntelCorei3,2nd generationIntelCorei5andi7 -Display:23-inchWLEDwith1920x1080(FullHD) resolutionstandard(TouchOptional) October12th,2011 -Memory:4GBDDR3Memory(standard)upto8GBDDR3 Memory -HDWebcam -Optionalremote -HardDriveoptions:500GBSATA3.5-inch(standard),upto 2TBSATA3.5-inch -Graphics:On-processorgraphics(standard)uptonVidia GeForceGT525Mdiscretegraphics -8:1MediaCardReader -OpticalDriveOptions:DVD+/-RW(standard)uptoBluRay Combo -Wirelesskeyboardandmouse -Audio:IntegratedHDAudiow/SRSandJBL-branded speakers -Dimensions:Width567mm,Height397mm,Depth68mm Touchand66.5mmnon-touchscreen RomaniawinsMSIMaster OverclockingArena2011 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/romania-wins-msi-master- overclocking-arena-2011/13703.html October12th,2011 Professionalleveloverclockinghasbecomeaverycompetitive sport,mindyou,it'sonlyreallycompetitivewithinthe communityitselfbutthathasn'tstoppedthemotherboard manufacturerstohostcompetitionsfortheworld'sbest overclockers.FridaysawthefourthannualMSIMaster 18 DellSingaporehasannouncedtheirnewInspironOne2320 all-in-onedesktop,designedforhomeusers.Thesleekand stylishfull-featuredPCcomeswitha23-inchfullhigh definitiondisplayandIntelsecondgenerationCoreiprocessor optionsforsuperbcomputingperformance. Today,DellintroducedtheirnewInspironOne2320, whichclaimstobetheultimateall-in-onedesktopthat candeliversuperbentertainmentexperiencefortheentire family.Initssleekandstylishexterior,theInspironOne 2320featuresaspace-savingdesignthatfitsneatlyintight spacessuchasthekitchen,oronadeskinthehomeoffice. ItisavailablewithvariousIntelPentiumdualcore,Corei3, i5ori7processoroptions,andoptionaldiscretegraphicsfor greatcomputingandmultimediaperformance.Thedesktop alsocomeswith23-inchfullhigh-definition(1080p)display thatletsyouenjoyyourfavoritemovies,orhooktoyourgame consoleviaHDMI,andyoucanalsochoosetowatchTVwith theoptionalbuilt-inTVtuner.Userswholiketotouchand type,theInspironOne2320isalsoavailablewithamulti- touchdisplayoption,offeringasimple,intuitiveexperiencefor

  40. October12th,2011 OverclockingArenafinalinTaipeiwithcompetitorsfrom allovertheplanetcompetetobecometheworldchampion, oratleasttheworldchampionusingMSImotherboardsto overclockwith. Professionalleveloverclockinghasbecomeaverycompetitive sport,mindyou,it'sonlyreallycompetitivewithinthe communityitselfbutthathasn'tstoppedthemotherboard manufacturerstohostcompetitionsfortheworld'sbest overclockers.FridaysawthefourthannualMSIMaster OverclockingArenafinalinTaipeiwithcompetitorsfrom allovertheplanetcompetetobecometheworldchampion, oratleasttheworldchampionusingMSImotherboardsto overclockwith. Sixteenteamsfromallovertheworldwerecompetingagainst eachother,althoughthisyearSingaporedidn'thaveanyone representingthematthefinals.It'salwaysalotofspeculation astowhowillwinthesecompetitions,butit'sdifficultto predictasalotofitcomesdowntothekit.It'snotrare thatmotherboardsorgraphicscardsfailduetotheextreme temperaturesandasfarasthe3Dbenchmarksareconcerned theretendtobeissueswiththememorynotclockingequally highonthevariousgraphicscards.However,theonething thatcaneasilypreventateamfromwinningistheCPUand althoughtheCPU'shavebeenpre-tested,theyusuallydon't alloverclocktothesamespeed.Thecomponentsaregiven basedonalotterywhereeachteamgetstopickanumberwith correspondstoeitheraCPUoranentiresetup. Publishedby:VR-Zone Beyondthecompetitionitself,MSIwasalsohostingvarious littleshowstogowiththeeventaswellasaPCbuilding competitionforstudentstogetherwiththelocalPCDIY magazine.Thesponsors–Intel,Kingston,Thermaltakeand WesternDigital–werealsoattendingtheeventandwere showingoffsomeoftheirproductsandgivingawayfrom freebies.Weshotashortvideoattheeventthatgivesyou anideaofwhatwasgoingonandyoucancheckoutsome additionalpicturesfromtheeventonthenextpage. Formoredetailedinformation,checkouttheMSI MOA website SonyEricssonannounces XperiaarcSandXperianeoV inSingapore Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-ericsson-announces-xperia-arc-s- and-xperia-neo-v-in-singapore/13702.html October12th,2011 SonyEricssonhasannouncedtheavailabilityoftheXperia arcSandXperianeoVinSingapore.TheXperiaarcSisthe improvedversionofitspopularXperiaarcsibling,features anupgraded1.4Ghzprocessorandboasts25%fastercamera startupand20%fasterwebpagerendering.TheXperianeo Vsportsa3.7-inchdisplayandcomeswithallthefeatureslike GoogleTalkwithVideoChatandenhancedFacebook. ThebenchmarksthistimearoundwasSuperPI32M, 3DMark11andgoodold3DMark2001SE.Evenbeforethe competitionhadstarted,lastyear'swinnerofGigabyte'sGO OCcompetition,matosefromRomaniawastippedofftobethe winnerwithhisteammateMonstru.Thatsaid,boththeGreek teamwithStelarsandAristidis(whichcamesecond)andthe SwedishteamconsistingofElmorandME4ME(whichcame third)weretippedtobeamongthetopteamsandalthough thisissortofspoilingthings,it'showthingsplayedoutatthe endoftheday,muchofthankstotheluckofthedraw.That said,therewereotherteamsthattooktheleadfromtimeto timeanditwasonlyinthelastminutesofthecompetitionthat itwasclearthatRomaniawouldwinMOA. 19

  41. October12th,2011 Today,SonyEricssonhasintroducedtwonewphonesin Singapore,theXperiaarcSandXperianeoV,whichclaim todeliversuperbentertainmentexperiencestoconsumers. SonyEricssonXperiaarcS WinneroftheEISAaward“EuropeanCameraPhone 2011-2012”,theSonyEricssonXperiaarcSincorporates variousSonytechnologiesincluding3Dsweeppanorama; 4.2-inchRealitydisplaywithmobileBRAVIAEngine;8.1- megapixelcamerawithhighdefinitionvideocapability;and Sony’sExmorRmobileimagesensorthatcanenhancestill imagesandvideosevenunderlowlightconditions.Itis alsofasterthantheXperiaarcsibling,withitsfast1.4GHz processor,including25%fastercamerastartup,and20% fasterwebpagerendering. KeyfeaturesofXperiaarcS: -upgraded1.4Ghzprocessor -4.2-inchRealitydisplaywithMobileBRAVIAEngine -25%fastercamerastartupand20%fasterwebpage renderingcomparedtoXperiaarc -8.1mpcamerawithHDvideocapabilityandSony’saward winningExmorR -LatestAndroidplatformGingerbread2.3 SonyEricssonXperianeoV TheSonyEricssonXperianeoVisoneofthefirstXperia smartphonestolaunchwiththenew2.3.4Gingerbread upgradeandincludesallthefeatureslikeGoogleTalk withVideoChatandenhancedFacebookinsideXperia functionality.Thesmartphonealsofeaturestheworld’sfirst 3DsweeppanoramafunctionalitypoweredbySonywhere imagescanbecapturedandthenviewedin3Donthe3DTV viaHDMIoutput. KeyfeaturesofXperianeoV: -3.7”RealitydisplaywithMobileBRAVIAEngine -Gestureinputmakingtextingabreeze -UpdatedFacebookinsideXperiafunctionalityforenhanced like,shareofmediaandapps Publishedby:VR-Zone TheSonyEricssonXperiaarcSisnowavailableinSingapore inPureWhite,MidnightBlueandSakuraPink,ata recommendedretailpriceofS$788withoutcontract;theSony EricssonXperianeoVcomesinWhiteandBlueGradientata recommendedretailpriceofS$468withoutcontract. Playyour2Dgamein3Don Optimus3DwithLG's3Dgame converter Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/play-your-2d-game-in-3d-on- optimus-3d-with-lg-s-3d-game-converter/13701.html October12th,2011 AtIFA2011tradefairinBerlin,LGunveiledtheir proprietary3DGameConverterthatallowssmartphoneusers totransformOpenGL-based2Dgamesinto3Dandvice versa.Well,thecompanyhasannouncedthatthe3DGame Converterfeatureisnowavailablefordownload. LGKoreahasannouncedthatitsexclusive3DGame ConverterisnowavailablefordownloadforLGOptimus 3Dsmartphones.IncludedinthefirstMaintenanceRelease (MR),thesoftwarewillbeavailableinEuropebeginningthis monthandrolled-outtootherregionsoverthenextseveral weeks.The3DGameConverteristhefirstsoftwareengine thatallowssmartphoneuserstotransformOpenGL-based2D gamesinto3Dandviceversaanytime. Afterinstallation,userssimplyneedtoactivatethe3DGame Converterapplication.Theonlyrequirementisthatthe2D gameisbasedonOpenGLandrunsinlandscapemode.Users canalsomanuallyadjust3Ddepthandvisionsettingsfor 20

  42. October12th,2011 theoptimumexperience.Changingbetween3Dand2Disas simpleasflickingthe3DHotKeyswitchatanytime. LGplanstoofferanothersoftwareupgradetoenhancethe Optimus3Dwithnewfeaturesincluding,butnotlimitedto: -3DVideoEditorforcreatingandediting3Dmoviesrighton thedevice; -2Dviewingof3Dvideosinasingle-screenmode; -DolbyMobileforbest-in-classsoundquality; -Automatic2Dvideostabilization The3DGameConvertercanbeautomaticallyinstalledviaWi- Fibycheckingforsoftwareupdatesdirectlyonthephone’s settingsmenu.Theupdateisalsoavailablebyconnecting thedevicetoaPCandrunningtheLGMobileSupportTool Software.Usersareadvisedtochecktheircarriers’websites fordatesofavailability. Corsairannouncesnewliquid coolers,gamingcasesand SSDdrives. Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-announces-new-liquid-coolers- gaming-cases-and-ssd-drives./13700.html October12th,2011 Corsair'smediadepartmentisonfiretoday,announcingthe releaseofnolessthan6brandnewproducts.Thecompany announcedtwonewliquidCPUcoolers,anewgamingcasein twocolorsandseveralnewSSDdrives,vastlyenrichingtheir totalproductsline-up. Publishedby:VR-Zone ThefirstproductwhichCorsairannouncedistheH40liquid CPUcooler,asimpleandeffectivecoolingsolutionforhigh- poweredCPUs.Thekitincludesa2000RPMfanandretails for59.99$USD. WhilealmostidenticaltotheolderH70cooler,thenew H70COREcoolerutilizesa38mmthickradiatorand,unlike allotherliquidcoolingproductswhichCorsaircurrently produces,itdoesnotcomewithanycoolingfan,allowingthe userstochooseany120mmfan(s)theywant.TheH70CORE retailsfor89.99$USD. 21

  43. October12th,2011 Corsairhadagoodline-upofhighspeedSSDsbutnevertheless thecompanydecidedtoaddsomemore.TheForceGTseries hasbeenexpandedwiththeadditionofamassive480GB drive,abletodeliverreadspeedsofupto555MB/sandwrite speedsofupto525MB/s.Aninterestingproductnodoubt, althoughthe999.99$USDpricetagmeansthatthedrivecosts itsweightinPlatinum-literaly.Aslightlycheaper480GB versionoftheForce3SSDseries,retailingat799$USD,has alsobeenreleased. Publishedby:VR-Zone Lastbutnotleast,CorsairhasreleasedthenewCarbide500R gamingcaseinsilverandblack.The500RCarbidecombines goodcoolingoptionswithagenerousamountofinternal volumeandacompetitivepricetag,withthecaseretailing from139.99$USD. IsthistheSamsungNexus Primespecs? Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/is-this-the-samsung-nexus-prime- specs-/13699.html October12th,2011 GoogleandSamsungaretogetherexpectedtoannouncewhat iscurrentlycodenamedtheNexusPrimeonthe12thof Octoberandnowdetailedspecificationofwhatispurportedly thenewhandset.Thenewhandsetwillfeatureacurvedscreen andSamsunghasalreadyreleasedateaservideothatshows littleelsebutthecurve. GoogleandSamsungaretogetherexpectedtoannouncewhat iscurrentlycodenamedtheNexusPrimeonthe12thof Octoberandnowdetailedspecificationofwhatispurportedly thenewhandset.Thenewhandsetwillfeatureacurvedscreen andSamsunghasalreadyreleasedateaservideothatshows littleelsebutthecurve. IfyourecalltheNexusS,Google'smostrecentownbrand handsetwasmadeinco-operationwithSamsungandit's nearlyayearsincethatwasannouncedandwithGoogle gearingupforyetanothermajorrevisionofAndroid,it'stime foranewdevicetogowithit.Thescreenissaidtomeasure 4.65-inchesandit'saSuperAMOLEDHDdisplaywitha resolutionof1280x720.We'renotquitesureitfitsonthe phonecategoryanymorewithascreenthissize,butitseems tobetheonlyinnovativefeaturetodothesedayswithregards totheexternalappearanceofthehandsets. We'realittlebitperplexedaboutthechoiceofprocessor,as therumoursuggeststhattheNexusPrimewillsporta1.2GHz dualcoreTIOMAP4460SoC.Nowthiswouldn'tbethefirst timeSamsungwoulduseanOMAPchipinoneofitsdevices, buttheNexusSisusingaSamsungHummingbirdSoCand wewould'veexpectedGoogletocontinuethattrend,butalas itseemslikethatisn'tthecase.We'realsocuriousaboutthe clockspeed,astheOMAP4460ismeanttorunat1.5GHz,but it'spossiblethatSamsunghadtoclockitdownduetothethin 9mmprofileofthehandset. TheOMAP4460sportsPowerVRSGX540graphicsthat shouldbeclockedaround384MHzandtheSoCsupportsdual channelLPDDR2memoryofwhichSamsunghasapparently fitted1GB.It'salsosaidtofeature32GBofstorage,much likesomeofitsGalaxySIImodels.Otherfeaturesincludea fairlyunimpressive5Megapixelcamerathatcanshoot1080p HDvideo,afrontmounted1.3Megapixelcameraforvideo calls,802.11a/b/g/nWi-Fi(2.4/5GHz)andNFCsupport.In 22

  44. October12th,2011 termsofnetworkconnectivityit'ssaidtobeofferedeitherwith HSDPAorLTEdependingonthenetwork,sothisonecould beabittricky.Thebatteryismeanttobeapowerful1,750mAh unit. Beyondthefactthatthissoundslikeoneimpressivehandset,it willofcourseberunningIceCreamSandwich,orAndroid4.0 asit'sexpectedtobeknownas.It'llberunningabogstandard versionoftheOSwithoutanySamsungtweaks.Thesource isalsosuggestingthatanewfeatureinIceCreamSandwich istheoptiontomeasurethedatausage(i.e.downloaded andsentdata)foreachandeveryapp.Well,it'snotlong now,sohopefullytherealdealwillbesomewhatsimilar totherumouredspecs,althoughwe'dreallyexpectamore impressivecameraonadevicewhichisotherwiseonthe cuttingedge. Update:AccordingtoGSMArenathespecsarequitedifferent andweshouldinsteadbelookingata1.5GHzdualcore SamsungExynos,althoughforsomeunknownreasonGSM ArenatalksaboutPowerVRSGX543MP2graphicswhich doesn'tmatchthespecoftheExynosSoCandyoucan'teasily chopandchangethegraphicsinanintegratedchip.The camerashouldbe8Megapixelsorinotherwordsinlinewith theGalaxySII.Thebatteryisalsosaidtobe2,050mAhinstead of1,750mAh. Judgingbythevideo,there'salsoa"connector"foracharging dock,muchaspertheHTCRhyme,somethingwedidn'tpay attentiontoatfirst. BitFenixAnnouncesSingapore Availability Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/bitfenix-announces-singapore- availability/13698.html October12th,2011 BitFenixispleasedtoannounceapartnershipwithTech DynamictobringBitFenixproductsintothehandsofgamers inSingapore.BitFenixproductsinSingaporewillinitiallybe availablefromthesequalityretailers:Tradepac,BellSystems, PCTHEMES,Castronic,BestBargain. (BitFenixDesignLab,October5,2011)–Singapore–one oftheworld'smostbustlingeconomiesandhometosome ofthemostavidgamersaround.Today,BitFenixispleased toannounceapartnershipwithTechDynamictobring BitFenixproductsintothehandsofgamersinSingapore. Throughthispartnership,gamersinSingaporewillbeable tofinallypurchaseandenjoyBitFenixproductswhichhave beenmakingwavesinthehardwarecommunitysincetheir introduction. Publishedby:VR-Zone "It'sbeenalongtimecoming,butBitFenixproductsarenow availableforsaleinSingapore,"saysDavidJarlestedt,BitFenix ProductManager."Ourpartnershipwithdistributionpartner TechDynamicwillensurethatgamerslivinginSingaporewill finallybeabletogetaholdofBitFenixproductsandseewhat thebuzzisallabout." "TechDynamicaimstoprovidethebestqualityandvalueto itscustomers,"saysElizabethHong,TechDynamicBusiness DevelopmentManager."We'reproudtointroduceBitFenix's welldesignedproductstothelocalcommunity." BitFenixproductsinSingaporewillinitiallybeavailablefrom thesequalityretailers: 1)TradepacPteLtd 1RochorCanalRoad#05-18 SimLimSquare Singapore188504 Tel:63373376Fax:63373374 sales@tradepac.com.sg www.tradepac.com.sg 2)BellSystems 1RochorCanalRoad#05-68 SimLimSquare Singapore188504 Tel:63393925Fax:63363987 sales@bellsystems.com.sg www.bellsystems.com.sg 3)PcThemesTechnologyPteLtd 1RochorCanalRoad#04-19 SimLimSquare Singapore188504 Tel:63398339Fax:63399540 pcthemes@yahoo.com.sg 4)Cashtronic 1RochorCanalRoad#06-73 SimLimSquare Singapore188504 Tel:63339578 5)BestBargainComputers 23

  45. Publishedby:VR-Zone October12th,2011 1RochorCanalRoad#05-02 SimLimSquare Singapore188504 Tel:63349143 info@best-bargain-computers.com https://www.best-bargain-computers.com/ FormoreinformationonTechDynamic,visittheirwebsite: http://tech-dynamic.com. Formoreinformation www.bitfenix.com. Whatthecompanydidtalkaboutwasalittlebitaboutthe futureofitsCPUs,althoughasyoucansee,theroadmapsare hardlywhatyou'dcalldetailed.AMDmentioneditsPiledriver on BitFenix, go to: http:// corewhichshouldarrivenextyear,firstinTrinitywhich replacesLlanoandlateroninitsnextgenerationdesktopCPU. WeshouldpointoutthatAMDisnotplanninganyfuture mobileCPUs,onlyAPUs,althoughthisishardlysurprising. AMDisexpectingabout10percentperformanceboostoverall fromthePiledrivercore,althoughthisisseeminglyjustan estimationasthispointintime. AMDwasalsokeentopointoutthatitsworkinghardto promoteopenstandards,specificallyOpenCLinthiscase asthecompanybelievesitoffersthebestcross-platform compatibility,scalabilityandofcoursetheabilitytotake advantageoftheGPUforcomputationaltasks.Tothat extentAMDhaslaunchedacoupleofOpenCLprograming handbooksontopofgoingaroundandpromotingOpenCL toitspartners.AMDwasmentioningafewproductsin itspresentationsuchasAdobeFlashPlayer11,Microsoft Silverlight5,variousDVD/Blu-rayplaybackapplicationsand somevideoeditingapplicationsofwhichthemostwell-known oneisSonyVegasPro. AMDTFE2011report Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-tfe-2011-report/13697.html October12th,2011 YesterdayweattendedAMD'sTechnicalForumand Exhibition,orTFEasit'ssimplycalledandthiswasthe 7thtimeAMDheldtheeventinTaipei.AlthoughAMDdidn't' talktoomuchaboutitsfutureproducts,therewereacoupleof glimpsesofnewtechnologyandtherewasalsoanNDApress briefingfortheupcomingFX-processorsfromAMD,butsadly wecan'ttellyouaboutit,yet. YesterdayweattendedAMD'sTechnicalForumand Exhibition,orTFEasit'ssimplycalledandthiswasthe 7thtimeAMDheldtheeventinTaipei.AlthoughAMDdidn't' talktoomuchaboutitsfutureproducts,therewereacoupleof glimpsesofnewtechnologyandtherewasalsoanNDApress briefingfortheupcomingFX-processorsfromAMD,butsadly wecan'ttellyouaboutit,yet. Atlastyear'sTFEAMDhadinvitedmediafromalloverthe worldforapressbriefingonitsthenupcoming6000-series ofGPUs,butthisyearitwasafairlylowkeyeventforthe mediawithonlyselectmediafromafewAsiancountriesbeing onlocation.Thatsaid,theeventisn'tintendedforthemedia, butratherforAMD'spartnersandwesawrepresentativesfor bothnotebook,motherboardandgraphicscardmanufacturers attheshow.Theafternoonconsistedofvariouspresentations frombothAMDandsomeofitscomponentspartnersrelating tohowtomakebettercomponentsorsystemsbasedonAMD technology. 24

  46. October12th,2011 AMDalsotalkedaboutgraphicsandshowedoffoneofits 28nmmobileRadeonHD7000chipsandtheyalsohada livedemoofitplayingDragonAge2,althoughtherewasno mentionofwhichspecificmodelitwas,orthespecifications ofthetestsystembutthegameplayedandlookedasyou'd expectitto.Apologiesforthelackofaclose-upofthechip, butitwasn'tshownforverylong.AMDdidalsoshowablock diagramofthecomputeunitofthe7000-seriesGPUs,which wedidsnapashotof.AMDreconsit'llbefirstwith28nm GPU's,butasNividiahasasyettoannounceanythingwith regardstoits28nm,we'lljusthavetowaitandseewho'llbe first. AMDwasalsokeentopointoutthatitsPowerTunetechnology allowsitsgraphicscardtoautomagicallyoverclockwhile stayingwithinthepowerandthermalenvelopethecardshave beendesignedfor,althoughifanapplicationorbenchmarkis Publishedby:VR-Zone Lastbutnotleastwealsohaveacoupleofvideosfrom theevent,thefirstoneshowsAMD'snewfivescreenwide Eyefinitysetupwhichisapparentlyabletodisplay10million pixelsifyouhavetherightresolutiondisplays.Thesecond videoshowsMSI'sAMDpoweredtabletrunningtheWindows 8previewcodeandAMDisofcoursetalkingaboutthebenefits ofFusionhereandhowtheGPUcanhelpmakeforasmoother experience. That'sallfornow,butwewillhavesomemoredetailsabout theupcomingFX-processorsnextweek,socheckbackwithus thenforsomethoughtsfromAMDaboutitsnewplatform. HTClaunchesSensationXE withBeatsAudio,Rhymeand Radar Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/htc-launches-sensation-xe-with-beats- audio-rhyme-and-radar/13693.html October12th,2011 HTChadaregionaleventthisafternoontolaunchtheir HTCSensationXEwithBeatsAudio,HTCRhymeandHTC Radar,whichwasshowcasedatlastweek'sWindowsPhone7.5 (Mango)event.Ontopofthat,thecompanyalsoshowcased theHTCExplorer,thoughthephonewouldonlybeavailable inselectedcountriesinAsia. HTC Sensation XE runontheGPUthatdrawsalotofpowerandassuchcreates additionalhead,theGPUwillthrottlebacktopreventitscards fromfailing. 25

  47. October12th,2011 HTCacquiredamajoritystakeinBeatsAudiobyDr.Dre, andtoday,thecompanyunveiledtheirnewsmartphonewith theBeatsAudiotechnologythatclaimstodeliverstudio qualitysound.TheHTCSensationXEisequippedwitha1.5 GHzdual-coreprocessor,4GBinternalmemoryand1730mAh lithium-ionbattery,and4.3-inchtouchscreenwith540x960 qHDresolution.YoucanalsopluginyourcustommadeBeats Publishedby:VR-Zone TheHTCRhymehasanelegantexteriordesign,claimstooffer arefreshedHTCSenseexperienceandcomeswitharange ofintegratedaccessoriessuchasthedockingstation,light? emittingcube,sportsarmband,headphones,headsetand carspeaker.Whendocked,thedockingstationrechargesthe phonebatterywhileturningthephoneintoanalarmclockand musiccenter. headsettoenjoysuperbaudioexperience. TheHTCRhymedocksseamlesslyviathethreeround Attherearisan8-megapixelcolourcamerawithautofocus anddualLEDflash.Itcanalsocapturevideoinfullhigh definition1080p.TheHTCSensationXEwithBeatsAudiowill beavailableatallmobileoperatorsandauthorizedretailersat asuggestedretailpriceofS$868byendQ42011. HTC Rhyme connectorsbelowthe5-megapixelrearcamera.Thephone featuresa3.7-inchWVGAsuperLCDdisplay,1GHz processor,andweighsjust130g.TheHTCRhymewillcome bundledwiththedockingstation,tangle-freeheadphones andHTCRhymeCharm,andwillbeavailableatallmobile operatorsandauthorizedretailersatasuggestedretailpriceof S$699byendQ42011inclearwatercolour. HTC Explorer 26

  48. October12th,2011 Publishedby:VR-Zone YoumusthavereadaboutthedeathofSteveJobs,aged56by now,whichwereportedonearliertoday.Astatementfrom hisfamilysaidthatJobspassedawaypeacefullysurrounded byhisfamily.YoucanalsoreadAppleCEOTimCook'semail toApplyemployeesonthenewsofSteveJobs'demisehere.As expected,reactionsaroundtheworldhavebeenswift,topped withapalpablesenseoflossfromfriendsandcompetitors alike.PublicfiguresandluminariessuchasObama,Gates, ZuckerberghavereactedtoJobs'passingaway,aswiththose inthecreativeindustryintheformofDisneyandPixarexecs. TheHTCExplorerhasaslower600MHzprocessorcompared totheHTCRhymeandHTCSensationXE,thoughitdidn't reallyfeeltooslowwhenwebrowsedthehomepages andnavigatethemenu.Itisalsosmaller,witha3.2-inch touchscreen(320x480HVGA),andcomeswithBluetooth3.0, Wi-Fi802.11b/g/nandinternalGPSantenna. Attherearisthe3-megapixelcamerawithfixedfocusing. Thereisn'tLEDflashwhichmeansyouwouldprobably notwanttotakepicturesindim-litenvironment.TheHTC ExplorerisavailableinselectedcountriesinAsia,and apparently,notavailableinSingaporethough. Whattheworldhastosay aboutSteveJobs Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/what-the-world-has-to-say-about- steve-jobs/13692.html October12th,2011 YoumusthavereadaboutthedeathofSteveJobs,aged56by now,whichwereportedonearliertoday.Astatement from his familysaidthatJobspassedawaypeacefullysurrounded byhisfamily.YoucanalsoreadAppleCEOTimCook'semail toApplyemployeesonthenewsofSteveJobs'demisehere. Asexpected,reactionsaroundtheworldhavebeenswift, toppedwithapalpablesenseoflossfromfriendsand competitorsalike.Publicfiguresandluminariessuch asObama, Gates, Zuckerberg have reacted to Jobs' passing away,aswiththoseinthecreativeindustryintheform ofDisney and Pixar execs. Muchremainsunknownabouttheeventsleadingtohisdeath, givenJobs'strongpenchantforprivacyforhimselfandhis family.However,reportsfilteringinindicatedthatthelikely cause of death as pancreatic cancer,whichishardlysurprising givenJobs'longbattlewithpancreaticcancer,subsequent surgeryandeventuallivertransplant.Onthatfront,at leastonereporthasquestionedwhether Job's unorthodox treatment for his pancreatic cancer actually shortened his life -thoughthatissurelyamootissueatthisstage. Andinthefinesttraditionoftherivetingreal-timecoverage popularizedbyApple'slegendaryproductlaunches,atleast onepublicationhasputtogetheralive blogofthemedia coveragesurroundingJobs'death.Forsure,themanwillbe dearlymissedbyfamily,friends,colleagues-andmillionsof fansaroundtheglobe. Fornow,I'vescourgedtheNetforsomeofthetopstoriesabout themanandhisachievements. •Anin-deptharticlebyBusinessWeekaboutJobsand hislifeworkinbuildingthemostvaluabletechnology company[Link] •AnanalysisbytheLATimesofhowSteveJobs'genius paidoffmassivelyforApplestockholders[Link] •Aninspiringandthought-provokinglistofSteveJobs' BestQuotes,compiledbytheWallStreetJournal[Link] 27

  49. October12th,2011 •MorequotesfromSteveJobs,aswellascircumstances behindthembyEngadget[Link] •Atimelineofsomekeydatesfromtheman'slifeandwork [Link] •Atouching,personalaccountbyMossbergontheSteve Jobsheknew[Link] •GoogleCEOLarryPageonSteveJobs[Link] •AlistofSteveJobs'greatesttechcontributions[Link] Publishedby:VR-Zone 1997tooverseethecreationofoneinnovativedigitaldevice afteranother—theiPod,theiPhoneandtheiPad-and ledtheculturaltransformationofhowmusic,moviesand mobilecommunicationsshouldbeexperiencedinthistime andage.In2007,Jobswasnamedthemostpowerfulperson inbusinessbyFortuneMagazine,andlaternamedtheCEOof thedecadebyFortuneMagazinein2009.InSeptember2011, JobswasrankedNo.17onForbes:TheWorld'sMostPowerful People. RestinpeaceSteve,you'llbedearlymissed. Appleco-founderSteveJobs passedaway,aged56 Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-co-founder-steve-jobs-passed- away-aged-56/13691.html October12th,2011 ThetechnologyworldwokeuptosadnewsthatAppleco- founder,ex-CEO,SteveJobshaspassedaway.Hewasaged56. Jobshashadalongbattlewithpancreaticcancer,andstepped downasCEOinAugustthisyear.Anditwasonlyyesterday, thecompanylaunchedtheirnewiPhone4S. ItisasaddayforthetechnologyworldasApple'svisionaryand co-founderSteveJobshasdiedonWednesday,aged56.The deathwasannouncedbythecompanywhichJobsandhishigh schoolfriendStephenWozniakstartedin1976. Jobshashadalongbattlewithpancreaticcancerand underwentsurgeryin2004.Healsoreceivedalivertransplant in2009andhadtakenthreemedicalleavesofabsenceas Apple'schiefexecutiveofficer.JobssteppeddowninAugust thisyear,thoughhetookoveraselectedchairmanposition intheboardofdirectors,andstillinvolvedinthecompany's affairs. EightyearsafterfoundingApple,Jobshasledtheteam thatdesignedtheMacintoshcomputer,abreakthroughin makingpersonalcomputerseasiertouse.Aftera12-year separationfromthecompany,promptedbyabitterfalling- outwithhischiefexecutive,JohnSculley,hereturnedin 28

  50. Publishedby:VR-Zone October17th,2011 VR-Zone.com|StufffortheGeeks! andVRmodules,whilethecompanyclaimsthatthiscooleris virtuallysilent. Lenovobecomessecond largestPCmaker,Asusenters fifthplace Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/lenovo-becomes-second-largest-pc- maker-asus-enters-fifth-place/13755.html October17th,2011 VR-Zone|StufffortheGeeksisabi-weeklypublication coveringthelatestgadgetsandstuffforthegeeks. ArcticCoolingannouncesthe AcceleroMonoPLUS,anew VGAcooler Source:http://vr-zone.com/articles/arctic-cooling-announces-the-accelero- mono-plus-a-new-vga-cooler/13756.html October17th,2011 DespitealltheconcernsaboutthePCindustryandthegeneral downturnoncemoreintheeconomy,itlookslikethePC industryisgoingstrong,well,atleastmostlyso.Accordingto thelatestdatafromGartnerandIDC,thePCindustrygrewby between3.2and3.6percentinthethirdquarterthisyearand althoughthisisn'tmuch,wereallyneedtotakeacloserlookat thenumberstoseewhat'sgoingon. DespitealltheconcernsaboutthePCindustryandthegeneral downturnoncemoreintheeconomy,itlookslikethePC industryisgoingstrong,well,atleastmostlyso.Accordingto thelatestdatafromGartnerandIDC,thePCindustrygrewby between3.2and3.6percentinthethirdquarterthisyearand althoughthisisn'tmuch,wereallyneedtotakeacloserlookat thenumberstoseewhat'sgoingon. ThebigchangesintheindustryinvolvesLenovotakingover Dell'snumbertwospotandAsusmovingupintothetopfive PCmakers,oustingToshiba.AssuchHPremainsatthetop spot,withDellinthirdfollowedbyAcerinfourth.Butthe importantthinghereistolookatthegrownbetweenthethird quarterofthisyearandlastyear. HereweseeHPwitha5.3percentgrowth,slightlybetterthan theaverage,whereasLenovohasamassivegrowthof36.1 percentwithAsuscloselybehindwitha30.2percentgrowth. However,Delldeclinedby1.6percentandinthecaseofAcer, weseeamassivedropof20.6percent.Thisisbadnewsfor Dell,butjudgingbyallofAcersproblemthisyear,itwasn't unexpectedthatthecompanywouldbelosingmarketshare, butover20percentdropisdisastrous. Intermsofactualmarketshare,HPholds18.1percentofthe market,upfrom17.8percent,Lenovo13.7percent,upfrom 10.4percent,Dell12percent,downfrom12.6percent,Acer 10percent,downfrom13.1percentandAsus6.5percent,up 1 AfewweeksagoArcticCooling,thewellknownmanufacturer fromSwitzerland,releasedtwonewVGAcoolers;thepowerful AcceleroTwinTurbo6990andthepassiveAcceleroS1PLUS. TodaythecompanyannouncedyetanotherVGAcooler,the AcceleroMonoPlus. ArcticcoolingdesignedtheAcceleroMonoPluswithaunique mountingplatedesign,meaningthatthecoolerisdesigned formaximumcompatibilityoverawiderangeofgraphic cards.The120mmPWMcontrolledfancombinedwiththe5 heatpipesgiveanamplecoolingcapacityofupto200W.The designofthecooleralsoimprovesthecoolingoftheRAM

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