VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Nov 2011 Issue

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October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
VR-Zone.com Stuff for the Geeks! VR-Zone
Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly
publication covering the latest gadgets and
stuff for the geeks. Exclusive Gigabyte to
include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 with X79
motherboards Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/e
xclusive-gigabyte-to-include-wi-fi- and-bluetooth-
4.0-with-x79-motherboards/13844.html October
31st, 2011 Gigabyte decided to go with a
slightly more sensible solution
Gigabyte has already had leaks with regards to
some of the features of its upcoming X79
motherboards and today we have an exclusive
leak of our own, Gigabyte is going to add
Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n Wi-Fi support to
its X79 motherboards.However,thecompanyistakingad
ifferentand in our opinion better approach than
its competitors when it comes to adding support
for wireless connectivity. Gigabyte has already
had leaks with regards to some of the features
of its upcoming X79 motherboards and today
we have an exclusive leak of our own,
Gigabyte is going to add Bluetooth 4.0 and
802.11n Wi-Fi support to its
X79 motherboards.However,thecompanyistakingadiffer
entand in our opinion better approach than its
competitors when it comes to adding support for
wireless connectivity. Aswe'vealreadyseen,ECS
went for a pair of USB type dongles attherearofits
X79motherboard,althoughseeminglytheWi- Fi part
relies on a PCB antenna connected by hardwired
and rather messy wire to the rear I/O of the
motherboard. Asus
and one that has a bit of future proofing thrown
in for good measure. What you're looking at is a
PCI Express to mini PCI Express adapter which
takes a standard half-size mini PCI Express
card, in this case a card based on Atheros chips.
The unusual thing with this adapter is that it
has a USB pin-header that attaches to the USB
pin-header on the motherboard. This is for the
Bluetooth 4.0 part of the card, while the Wi-Fi
part connects over PCI Express. There's also
a USB port on the card a feature we've
never seen before to which you can attach any
USB device with a standard USB connector, a
neat addition that we're sure plenty of people
will find useful. The Bluetooth part of the card
is compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 HS as well as
the low power Bluetooth 4.0 standard.
For nowveryfewdevicesareavailablethatsupportsBluet
ooth4.0, although the iPhone 4S is one of the
first devices out there that officially supports
the standard. That said, it's not meant to a
standard for syncing files or using Bluetooth
headsets, instead it's meant to connect to low
power sensors or home automation solutions, but
we'll see how things develop.
hasaddedaproprietaryraisercardforitsP9X79Deluxewhi
ch is a custom designed USB setup as far as we
can tell. Both companies are also only offering
Bluetooth 3.0, although this is at least less of
an issue at the moment. 1
2
Published by VR-Zone
October 31st, 2011 We have
one minor gripe with the card, as although you
can swapouttheminiPCIExpresscardforsomethingfaster
inthe future,thewayGigabytedesignedthePCIExpressca
rdmeans that you're stuck using 150Mbps Wi-Fi, as
there are only two antennas.ThistranslatestonoMIMO
supportwhichisneeded to hit Wi-Fi speeds of
300Mbps or more, but hopefully this is something
we'll see in future revisions. The card will ship
with
4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes
the X79-UD5, X79-UD7 and G1.Assassin 2, but we're
hoping that Gigabyte will be selling it on its
own as well, as it's an easy way to add Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth support to any desktop PC. First
Looks Cooler Master Hyper 412 PWM CPU
Cooler (with LGA 2011 support) Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/first-looks-cooler-mas
ter-hyper-412- pwm-cpu-cooler-with-lga-2011-suppor
t-/13843.html October 31st, 2011 View from the
top The Cooler Master Hyper 412 PWM is
one of the first air coolers with native
Socket LGA 2011 screw-type support
to arriveatourtestlabs.Wegiveourreadersaglimpseoft
henew member of our extensive heat sink
collection... The Cooler Master Hyper 412 PWM CPU
Cooler, weighs 538g. Wider fin gaps help
to maximize cooling performance at low fan
speeds 2
3
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
120mm Sleeve Bearing PWM Fan rated at 0.37A, 2000
RPM and 82.9CFM Additional Brackets for
another 120mm fan and provided thermal
paste Bolts, Nuts, Screws
and Universal Bracket Universal 4-corners
screw-type mounting system (better for even
mounting pressure) for all modern Intel and
AMD sockets Shenzhen - The new
hardware and electronics shopping Mecca? Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/shenzhen--the-new-ha
rdware-and- electronics-shopping-mecca-/13842.htm
l 3
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October 31st, 2011 October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone electronics, mobile phone
accessories, or security products, or
batteries, or LED displays, and so
on. GoingtoTokyoorTaipeitofindfancyelectroni
cs?Ifyourlocal electronicsmalldoesn'thavewhatyouwa
nt,ornotattheprice youwant,tryShenzhen'sHuaqiangRo
adfirst-it'slikelymuch cheaper with wide choices,
and just a budget flight away... Huaqiang Road
instead of Akihabara For quite a long time now,
it is Far Eastern cities that have the largest,
glitziest and choicest computer and
electronics shopping malls around. While the
tradition started in US and Europe long before,
it's here now that every major city has a full
fledge 'electronics district' with multiple large
centres covering everything from consumer
electronics to computers and components.
Singapore's combined Sim Lim Square
TowermaylooksmallcomparedtoShanghai'sXujiahuioro
ne of Seoul's multiple 'digital complexes', not
to mention the old champion, Tokyo
Akihabara. However, one particular place is
seemingly bound to overtake them all. Shenzhen,
the 15-million populated centre of
China's electronics industry and of the new
50 million supercity starting from Foshan
and Guangzhou then continuing all the way
to Hong Kong, houses thousands of
companies manufacturing and increasingly
designing everything from ICs, display panels,
flash storage to mainboards, enclosures and of
course whole systems. Being right at the source
means that any shopping for the stuff we want
would be quite direct without too many hops, and
also greater likelihood of finding some unusual
stuff. While Shenzhen and neighbouring
Dongguan city have the electronics factories
and design centres spread across their whole
municipalities, the focal area of electronics
shopping, both end user and channel wise,
is Huaqiang North Road (Huaqiangbeilu), a long
street located in the centre of the city between
the Luohu (Lowu) and Futian CBDs. The main
street, aswellasitsnumerousbackalleysfullofevenmor
eelectronics relatedbazaars,isservedwellbytwometro
lines,oneofwhich connects to both the main Lowu
HK border crossing and the Shenzhen airport,
while the other one, with a station in
the northern part of the street, links to the
Shekou international ferry port with its direct
service to HK Airport departure halls, bypassing
HK immigration and the security. So, no
problems getting there. Theroughlyhalfamileoflengt
hofHuaqiangNorthroadstreet level between these
two metro stations contains about a
dozen electronics malls of different sizes, with
the two largest ones - SEG Plaza and the Huaqiang
Electronic World - being million square-ft sized
gigantic establishments. SEG Plaza, topped up by
a 72 storey 354 m tower. The rest of the malls,
along the main street, as well as another dozen
or so malls in the back alleys, focus more on
specific areas, like only communication 4
5
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
We focused mostly on SEG Plaza and the Huaqiang
Electronic World, as your exploration adventure
should start from there. The lower floors are a
good point to look at first, as it is a heaven
for component seekers. Any kind of PCIe
connector, or memory or FPGA or flash chip, or
funniest wires, batteries, disk drives, even
screws, you could ever think of - have a
look! The higher floors will
normally house the same stuff you'll find
on floors 4, 5 and 6 of Sim Lim Square
in Singapore, or Low Yat Plaza in KL. There are
all the mainboards, cases, monitors,enclosureswit
hPSUsandsuch.You'llfindthesame high end
offerings too, just like here. The difference?
Many things are cheaper, especially things like
enclosures and, yes, monitors. A miniITX casing
with PSU here will cost you some 30 singapore
dollars cash and carry, while a 24-inch
1610 format (!) Samsung LED-backlit super slim
LCD monitor will go for around S 250 or so. For
the parts such as memories 5
6
Published by VR-Zone October 31st,
2011 Thought you've seen it all about
ASRock's X79 lineup with the X79 Extreme7?
Think again, it seems ASRock
has another, more feature-rich socket LGA2011
motherboard in the works, which will top off
the first wave of ASRock's motherboards
compatible with Core i7 "Sandy
Bridge-E" LGA2011 processors, the ASrock X79
Extreme9. This board is packed to the brim with
connectivity options, a meatier VRM, and better
memory expansion compared to the
Extreme7. Thought you've seen it all about
ASRock's X79 lineup with the X79 Extreme7?
Think again, it seems ASRock
has another, more feature-rich socket LGA2011
motherboard in the works, which will top off
the first wave of ASRock's motherboards
compatible with Core i7 "Sandy
Bridge-E" LGA2011 processors, the ASrock X79
Extreme9. This board is packed to the brim with
connectivity options, a meatier VRM, and better
memory expansion compared to the
Extreme7. The ASRock X79
Extreme9 uses strong digital PWM power circuitry
that draws power from two 8-pin EPS
connectors. The CPU is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM
slots, unlike six on the Extreme7. This ensures
that each of the four DDR3 memory channels can
seat up to two DIMMs. PCI-Express
expansion includes five PCI-Express 3.0 x16
slots, and an x1 slot. On one of these
slots the bundled ASRock "Game Blaster"
(if we're reading it right) daughterboard is to
be installed. The "Game Blaster" daughterboard
holds high-grade Sound Core 7.1 channel audio,
and a gaming-grade network controller. We're
not entirely sure if the NIC and audio
controllers are made by Killer and Creative,
respectively, like on the ASUS ROG Thunderbolt.
October 31st, 2011 and disks, usually the price
will be slightly lower than here, but there were
cases where, on the first inquiry, some
vendors will try to play too smart with high
prices. Note that a little bitofhagglingisexpected
anyway,butonlythatmuchliterally - little bit
as in able to squeeze prices by maybe 10
on average. Electronics is quite a challenging
business to make high margins anyway...
Eitherway,SEGPl
azaandtheHuaqiangElectronicWorldwill pretty much
take you most of one day - the other day
should be there to check the smaller malls and
their oddity of things on offer. The places are
so huge, there is so much on offer, and with very
special offers for things you'd never think you
could find - whether it's a super custom
cellphone enhancement, or an odd chip from days
gone by, or parts for your own home radar - this
is the next mecca for electronics
afficionados. ASRock X79 Extreme9 Tops Off Lineup
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/asrock-x79-ext
reme9-tops-off- lineup/13841.html 6
7
October 31st, 2011 There is
plenty of SATA connectivity thanks to the use of
as many as three Marvell-made 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s
controllers tosupplementtheX79PCH.TheX79itselfgive
souttwoSATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports.
There are as many as four USB 3.0 controllers,
giving out eight ports (four on the
rear panel,fourbyheaders).Apartfromthenetworkconne
ctionon theGameBlastercard,thereisonenetworkconnec
tionlocalto this board, apart from Firewire, USB
2.0, and eSATA 6 Gbps. Expect the ASRock X79
Extreme9 to be counted among the costliest socket
LGA2011 motherboards. Microsoft Windows 7
Ultimate DSP Limited Pack Nanami Edition retails
4 November in Japan Source http//vr-zone.com/art
icles/microsoft-windows-7-ultimate-dsp- limited-pa
ck-nanami-edition-retails-4-november-in-japan/1384
0.html October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone Micros
oft in Japan will be retailing the Windows 7
Ultimate DSP Limited Pack Nanami Edition that
comes bundled with a Microsoft Touch Mouse. The
limited edition Touch Mouse features a modern
design with subtle tones and white and is
designed by renowned illustrator, designer,
art director and artist, Deanne Cheuk. On
top of that, this edition also comes with
Madobe Nanami, the special character created
to promote Windows 7, who will provide video
guides, as well as Windows 7 themes, three
desktop wallpapers and 24 original sounds. The
Windows 7 Ultimate DSP Limited Pack
Nanami Edition is scheduled to retail on 4
November. Pricing has not been established at
press time. HP announces TouchSmart620 3D
Edition PC and 2311gt 3D LCD monitor
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/hp-announces-
touchsmart620-3d- edition-pc-and-2311gt-3d-lcd-mo
nitor/13839.html October 31st, 2011 Microsoft
in Japan will be launching a special limited
pack Nanami edition of the Windows 7 Ultimate
DSP. Aside from
the operating system, the bundle will include the
Microsoft Touch Mouse for use with Windows 7, and
some additional content. Read on.
Seeing the popularity of 3D technology, PC
giant HP has recently unveiled their latest
consumer portfolio which claim to offer
immersive 3D experience to consumers. The
HP TouchSmart 620 3D Edition PC features an
intuitive and ergonomic design with active
shutter 3D glasses, while the HP 2311gt 3D LCD
monitor provides improved brightness and
a flicker-free 3D picture. HP TouchSmart620 3D
Edition PC 7
8
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
Cyberlinks PowerDVD, users can convert
their existing 2D content such as photos and
videos into 3D content while the TriDef Ignition
Game Player displays 2D games in 3D. The HP
2311gt 3D LCD monitor is available now in APJ
from a starting price of around US299. Sandy
Bridge-E and X79 available for
(pre-)order Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/s
andy-bridge-e-and-x79-available-for- pre-order/13
837.html October 31st, 2011 The new HP
TouchSmart620 3D Edition PC offers an all-in- one
hub of fun and entertainment. Users can create
their own 3DvideosandpictureswiththeTouchSmartsbu
ilt-inwebcam
and share them with family and friends online or
via the 23- inch diagonal high definition
display. With the TriDef Ignition Game Player,
it allows users to enjoy playing their
favorite games in 3D. The TouchSmart620 3D
Edition features an intuitive and ergonomic
design, can swivel up to 180-degrees and
reclines up to 60-degrees, and allows users
to adjust the displays position for
comfortable viewing of 3D content with the Active
Shutter 3D Glasses. In addition to exclusive HP
features like LinkUp Technology and Beats
Audio, the HP TouchSmart620 3D Edition also
offers the latest version of the company's
proprietary TouchSmart software, premium graphics
and processors. The HP TouchSmart620 3D
Edition PC is expected to be available from
mid November in APJ from a starting price
of around US1,399. HP 2311gt 3D LCD
monitor The HP 2311gt 3D
LCD monitor can deliver enhanced
3D experience in an ultra-slim 23-inch
diagonal LED backlit display.ItfeaturesFilmPatte
rnedRetarder(FPR)technology, which offers a
display with improved brightness and a
flicker- free 3D picture. Bundled with two pairs
of passive 3D glasses, users will also enjoy
software from Cyberlink and TriDef as well as a
3D movie trailer for the upcoming animated film
? Puss in Boots from DreamWorks Animation SKG
Inc. With
With just over two weeks to the launch, Intel's
Sandy Bridge- E processors are starting to
appear in listings with online retailers
around the globe. What's even more
interesting is that you can pick up X79 boards
at least in some countries today, with
several models being available for
pre-order, including Intel's own two
models. With just over two weeks to the launch,
Intel's Sandy Bridge- E processors are
starting to appear in listings with
online retailers around the globe. What's
even more interesting is that you can pick up
X79 boards at least in some countries today,
with several models being available for
pre-order, including Intel's own two
models. Let's start with
the CPU's, although we have a feeling that
the prices are a little bit off, as the
Core i7-3930K is listed for a steep 5,800 RMB
(US912/S1,135) in China, 481.19
(US 776/S695)intheUKandforbetween5,000and6,000SE
K (US784-940/S975-1,169) in Sweden, a CPU that
should in factretailforaroundUS583unlessIntel'sru
mouredlistprice is going to be a lot higher than
anticipated. It's worth taking into account
things like VAT here, but that only makes the 8
9
October 31st, 2011 cheapestpricesendupsomewhereclo
setoIntel'sexpectedlist price.
The Core i7-3960X is listed at 7,800
RMB (US1,226/S 1,525) in China, 854.39
(US1,379/S1,715) in the UK and between
8,800 and 11,000 SEK (US1,380-1,725/S 1,
715-2,145) in Sweden which means that the Core
i7-3960X is at least in most cases a lot closer
to the rumoured list price which we're still
expecting to be over US999 which has
been Intel's standard price point for its Extreme
Edition models in the past.
We only found the quad core Core
i7-3820 listed in China for 3,500 RMB
(US550/S685), a CPU which should
be retailing closer to US300. We're hearing
rumours that the Core i7-3820 has been delayed
further and it shouldn't arrive until the middle
of Q1 next year now. As for the Core i7-3930K and
3960X, we're hearing that Intel will offer a very
limited amount of CPU's in the tens of thousands,
although we can't disclose the exact figure we've
been told. The reason for this is that the
current consumer SKU's are C2 stepping chips
and Intel is already working on a C3 stepping,
but we're hearing
Published by VR-Zone thattheonesworthhavingwill
betheDsteppingmodelswhich should have all the
kinks worked out, but they're not likely
to arrive until much later next year. Corsair
TX550M Power Supply Review Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-tx550m-power-s
upply- review/13836.html October 31st,
2011 It appears that the latest TX-M
series which Corsair released a few weeks ago
will be a great success for the company, as
the market demand of the new units is very high
and enthusiasts seemtoembracetheideaofhighperforma
nce,partlymodular power supplies. It was only a
few weeks ago that we had a look at the TX750M
750W unit, which offered great overall performance
and quality for the price. Today we are
going to examine and review the performance of
the TX550M, the weakest and most affordable power
supply ofthe series, which also comes only in the
M (modular) variant. It appears that the latest
TX-M series which Corsair released a few weeks
ago will be a great success for the company, as
the market demand of the new units is very high
and enthusiasts seemtoembracetheideaofhighperforma
nce,partlymodular power supplies. It was only a
few weeks ago that we had a look at the TX750M
750W unit, which offered great overall performance
and quality for the price. Today we are
going to examine and review the performance of
the TX550M, the weakest and most affordable power
supply ofthe series, which also comes only in the
M (modular) variant. Manufacturers features
and specifications Conforms to
the latest ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 standards,
and is backward compatible with the ATX12V
2.2 and ATX12V 2.01 standards A
dedicated single 12V rail offers simple
configuration andmaximumcompatibilitywiththelatest
graphicscardsand other components An
ultra-quiet, 140mm double ball-bearing fan
delivers excellentairflowwithexceptionallylownoise
levelsbyvarying fan speed in response to
temperature Complies with
the European Union ErP Directive (2009/125/EC)
so the power consumption of the
whole system, in either standby or off
mode, can be less than 1W when used with
a properly configured, ErP-compliant motherboar
d 80 PLUS Bronze certified, delivering
up to 85 energy efficiency under real-world load
conditions 9
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October 31st, 2011 Active Power
Factor Correction (PFC) with PF value of 0.99
Published by VR-Zone While MasterCard's
contactless payment system was rolled out
years ago, it was only earlier this year that the
company
announced the inclusion of SIM-based systems.

Universal AC input from 90264V
In a prepared statement, Andrew Bocking,
Vice President, Handheld Software Product
Management at RIM said, "NFC technology
is making smartphones even smarter and the
MasterCard certification is a significant
step forward in helping transform the way
we use mobile devices for payments. We
are working proactively with our
carrier partners, banks, retailers and other
industry players and we areexcitedtopushtheboundar
iesofhowNFCcanenablenew mobile experiences for
BlackBerry smartphone users around the
world." The Bold 9900 and Curve 9360
are two of the latest smartphones from
RIM that runs on the BlackBerry 7
OS, incorporating built-in NFC hardware. This
means that a
Over-voltage, under-voltage,
over-current, and short circuit protection
provide maximum safety for your
critical system components
High-quality capacitors provide
uncompromised performance and reliability
A five year warranty and lifetime access
to Corsair's legendary technical support and
customer service Safety Approvals
cTUVus, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick
separate radio antenna will transmit the
requisite payment detailswirelesslytoahigh-speedr
eaderatcheckout. TheNFC radio can be switched off
if desired. The certification from Mastercard
will be a shot in the arm for NFC projects around
the world. Interest in NFC is increasing, and
mobile devices have been tipped to spur adoption
given the ubiquity of phones in both
developing and developed countries. In
Singapore, IDA and seven companies will
invest S40 million into NFC to eventually allow
banks and card issuers to connect via a common
infrastructure, as reported by Channel News Asia
just last week. The report mentioned
selected models from Nokia, Samsung and RIM.
This presumably includes the Bold 9900 and
Curve 9360.
C orsair T5 50 M AC 1000-240V INPUT
12A 50/60Hz DC 5V
3.3V OUTPUT MAX 25A
25A CURRENT MAX 140W
540W COMBINED WATTAGE TOTAL POWER
5Vsb 3A
12V 45A 9.6W
-12V 0.8A 15W
550W _at_ 50C ambient
temperature BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Curve
9360 NFC smartphones gain MasterCard PayPass cert
Lexmark extends workgroup product line with new
colour laser MFPs Source http//vr-zone.com/artic
les/lexmark-extends-workgroup-product- line-with-n
ew-colour-laser-mfps/13834.html October 31st, 2011
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/blackberry-bol
d-9900-and- curve-9360-nfc-smartphones-gain-master
card-paypass-cert/13835.html October 31st,
2011 Lexmark has introduced two new colour laser
multifunction printers (MFPs) targeted at
the rapidly growing SMEs and
mid-sized workgroup segment. The
company says the Lexmark X548de and
X548dte colour laser MFPs delivers various
high performance capabilities and advanced
security features representative of more costly
devices in the market, but with a smaller
footprint and at an affordable price point.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry
Curve 9360 have become the first
SIM-based smartphones to earn the
MasterCard PayPass certification. This
means that MasterCard is confident that the
two mobile devices meet its functionality,
interoperability and security requirements to
be certified as PayPass-approved devices. Issuing
banks are hence allowed to assign a PayPass
account to the SIM cards used in the two
smartphones to work with the NFC-based, or near
field communication, payment system. 10
11
Published by VR-Zone October 31st,
2011 ECS (Elitegroup Computer
Systems) is a Taiwanese electronics
firm synonymous with entry level offerings
or being the motherboard OEM for brands like HP
and IBM. In our labs today is their latest
offering the X79R-AX Black Extreme. Boasting
a whopping 12 SATA ports, dual LAN/ eSATA,
Bluetooth/Wireless LAN connectivity and four
PCIe x16 slots for multi-GPU extravagance, we see
if it has what it takes to be the X79 motherboard
of choice. Box Front View - with a cloth string
carrying handle to take it from the
shops BoxBehind-thisisone
ofthemostcolourfulandvibrantboxes we have in our
lab
October 31st, 2011 Lexmark has
introduced two new colour laser
multifunction printers (MFPs) targeted at the
rapidly growing SMEs and mid-sized
workgroup segment. The company says
the Lexmark X548de and X548dte colour laser MFPs
delivers various high performance capabilities
and advanced security features representative of
more costly devices in the market, but with a
smaller footprint and at an affordable price
point. "The introduction of the X548 smart
MFPs strengthens Lexmark's position in a
strategic growth area for our company -
workgroup colour laser devices," said
Marty Canning, Lexmark executive vice president
and president of Imaging Solutions and
Services"We are committed to driving innovative,
disruptive A4 technology with smart
devices, customisable with industry-leading
software and tailored solutions, to make our
business customers more productive." Both colour
laser printers come with a large 7-inch
colour touch screen that allows for
intuitive navigation to access work?ow
solutions and shortcuts. Moreover,
pre-loaded applications can be customised with
tailored workflows based on unique business
needs. Advanced scanning capabilities includes
the ability to scan to e-mail, scan to FTP, scan
to fax, scan to network as well as scanning to a
flash drive plugged into a front USB port.
The duplex automatic document feeder allows for
duplex colour- scanning with a 50-sheet input
capacity. On the security front, both laser
printers support a variety of userauthenticationan
dauthorizationcontrols,whilesecurity- audit
logging helps tracks and identi?es security
risks. A step up from the Lexmark X548de base
model, the Lexmark X548dte adds an internal hard
disk drive which enables extra
features, as well as a 650-sheet Duo
Drawer for additional media handling
capabilities. Sensitive data on the hard
disk drive of the X548dte is protected by means
of advanced hard disk encryption. The Lexmark
X548de (SG2,449) and Lexmark
X548dte (SG3,059) are available for sale
from authorised Lexmark business partners.
All prices above exclude GST and
other prevailing taxes. First Looks ECS
X79R-AX Black Extreme - The Feature Filled X79
Dark Horse Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/fir
st-looks-ecs-x79r-ax-black-extreme-- the-feature-f
illed-x79-dark-horse/13832.html 11
12
Published by VR-Zone
October 31st, 2011 ECS X79R-AX Black Extreme
Motherboard Front View - passive cooling and
no flamboyant heatpipes.
Find out more on the next page...
MSI GT780R Gaming Notebook Review - Taking the
battlefield on the road Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/msi-gt780r-gaming-note
book-review-- taking-the-battlefield-on-the-road/1
3794.html October 31st, 2011 The MSI
GT780R was first seen at Computex 2011, and is a
17- inch full HD gaming powerhouse, equipped with
Intel Sandy Bridge Quad Core, Nvidia GTX560M for
graphics, impressive 1.5 terabytes of speedy
RAID-0 storage and multi-colour LED backlighted
SteelSeries keyboard. We check out the
firepower of this mobile tank and take it for a
spin in Battlefield 3! Front of Box
Motherboard Back View I/O
Panel (A nifty clear CMOS button, 2 eSATA 6gbps
from
a ASMedia ASM1061, Bluetooth V2.1EDR/150Mbps
Wifi from Atheros AR9271L, 4 SuperSpeed USB
3.0 from a Ti TUSB7340, 2 Gigabit LAN
Ports from Realtek RTL8111E controllers and
7.12 channel audio from a Realtek
ALC892) Laptop
Specifications 12
13
Published by VR-Zone
October 31st, 2011 Manual
s, Warranty and Driver CD
7600mAh, 87Wh Lithum Ion Battery
Exterior of the MSI GT780R 17-inch 1920x1080
(169) LED Display Brus
hed Metal Cover
150W Power Adapter by Delta Electronics LED
indicators for charging, harddisk activity and
others 13
14
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
Excellent Dynaudio Speakers on both sides,
Hotkeys and a Large Power Button 2USB2.0ont
heRightSide.OurreviewunitcamewithaDVD Super Multi
drive From left to right
Kensington lock, Charger Hole,
Gigabit Ethernet Port, Analog VGA, eSATA and HDMI
port Obligatory Stickers From left to
right a large vent for cooling, 2 USB 3.0
ports, Card Reader, 1 USB 2.0 port and 7.1
channel audio ports 30fps_at_720p
Camera with a Array Mic Shortened Right-Shift
Key mashed together with the arrow keys -
don't like this. We'd rather they do away
with the numpad and have larger keys 14
15
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
With the Usual WASD/Space/Ctrl/Shift
keyboard game assignment, the touchpad can get
accidentally actuated by the user's hand.
Fortunately, MSI has included a nifty
touchpad disable button Pictures of LG
Prada K2 leaked Source http//vr-zone.com/artic
les/pictures-of-lg-prada-k2- leaked/13830.html O
ctober 31st, 2011 The collaboration
between LG and Prada started in 2006 with the
first LG Prada (KE850) launched in 2007. And in
2009 in Singapore, we saw the LG Prada II
(KF900). And it looks like the time has come
once more as pictures of the new LG Prada K2
have been leaked online. Provided
Software to change keyboard lighting colors
and intensity. 15
16
October 31st, 2011 The LG
Prada K2 sports a slim body with a candybar
form factor design. It has a 4.3-inch TFT
touchscreen display and incorporates NOVA display
technology that offers over 1000 nits of
brightness. The 1.3-megapixel camera is located
above the display, while below it are
touchsensitive keys. LG Prada series of phones
are known to only incorporate their
own proprietaryOS,sodon'texpectittoberunningAndroi
d4.0Ice Cream Sandwich though. The backlit power
button, USB port, a headphone jack are on the
top, while the volume controls are on the left of
the phone. The rear holds the 8-megapixel camera
with LED flash, and is probably capable of
1080p full high definition video recording and a
loudspeaker on the bottom. The LG Prada K2 claims
to be powered by dual-core processor and supports
HSPA connectivity. AMD's next-gen GPUs to
ship in 2011 Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/a
md-s-next-gen-gpus-to-ship- in-2011/13829.html Oct
ober 31st, 2011 At their last conference
call for Q2 2011, AMD revealed that 28nm GPUs
were on track for 2011. Moving forward to the
Q3 2011financialreport,AMDstillplansplanstoshipfor
revenue the first next-gen GPUs by the end of the
year. At their last conference call for Q2 2011,
AMD revealed that 28nm GPUs were on track for
2011. Moving forward to the Q3 2011financialreport
,AMDstillplansplanstoshipforrevenue the first
next-gen GPUs by the end of the year. Of course,
while shipping for revenue does not
necessarily translate to retail availability,
it does mean AMD will be shipping next-gen
chips to their AIB partners some time in Q4 2011.
If all goes well, we will see AMD's first Radeon
HD 7000 products in either late 2011 or more
likely early 2012.
Published by VR-Zone AMD's Graphics segment
revenues increased by 10 over Q2 2011, and 4
over Q2 2010 to 403 million. AMD's
overall results were better than the forecast
revisions suggested. Belkin announces
new wireless routers Source http//vr-zone.com/ar
ticles/belkin-announces-new-wireless- routers/1382
8.html October 31st, 2011 Belkin has
announced their new wireless routers which
come in the form of N150, N300, N600 Dual-Band
and N750 Dual- Band. The routers claim to
incoporate MultiBeam technology thatcandeliverfast
speedsandfullercoverageforPCs,tablets, smartphones
, TVs, and gaming consoles. Engine
ered with MultiBeam technology for maximum
speed andcoverage,thenewBelkinroutersN150,N300,N60
0Dual- Band (DB) and N750 Dual-band support the
proliferation of wireless devices, from
smartphones and tablets to Internet TVs and
gaming consoles. The exclusive technology
also claims to offer higher throughput
at longer distances, enabling users to
connect multiple devices easily. The Belkin N600
DB and N750 DB routers also feature
dual-band channels to eliminate interference and
optimize performance for bandwidth-intensive
applications such as high-definition video
streaming. The router chassis was
specifically designed to support the latest
MultiBeam antennas and maximize the MIMO
sphere andabsolutecoveragedistance.Whiletraditiona
lrouterstend to provide a donut-shaped coverage
pattern flat and wide the new Belkin routers
come in an apple-like shape to provide more
coverage, power and speed for all online
activities. Each router features Belkins Easy
Setup, a simple process for getting the router
out of the box and online in three easy
steps, and pre-configured encryption settings
for built-in wireless security. Pricing and
Availability The Belkin N750 DB, N600 DB, N300
and N150 routers are commerciallyavailablenowinSin
gaporeatmajorretailerslike Best Denki, Courts,
Harvey Norma, Challenger, Mustafa, IT Malls and
Gain City. 16
17
October 31st, 2011 Belkin N750 DB Wireless Dual
Band N Router - S229 - Wireless speeds of
up to 300Mbps (2.4GHz) 450Mbps (5GHz) -
Simultaneous dual-band operating on 2.4GHz
and 5GHz bands - Two USB ports for more media
sharing or wireless printing - Self-Healing App
automatically resolves potential
network problems - Video mover App for
wireless streaming of video
content throughout the house - Print Zone App
allows you to print from anywhere in the home -
Memory Safe App automatically backs up
files to your external hard drive - Easy Setup
and preset security N600 DB Wireless Dual Band N
Router - S149 - Wireless speeds of up to
300Mbps (2.4GHz) 300Mbps (5GHz) -
Simultaneous dual-band operating on 2.4GHz
and 5GHz bands - One USB port for wireless
printing or storage - Self-Healing App to
automatically resolve potential
network problems - Video Mover App for
wireless streaming of video
content throughout the house - Print Zone App
allows you to print from anywhere in the home -
Memory Safe App automatically backs up
files to your external hard drive - Easy Setup
and preset security Belkin N600 DB Wireless
Dual-Band N Modem Router - S 169 - Built-in
ADSL2 modem - Same features as Wireless
Router Belkin N300 Wireless N Router - S59 -
Wireless speeds of up to 300 Mbps - Easy Setup
and preset security - Self-Healing App to detect
network problems Belkin N150 Wireless Router -
S45 - Wireless speeds of up to 150 Mbps -
Wireless coverage at twice the speed of G
technology
Published by VR-Zone - Easy Setup and preset
security Belkin N150 Wireless USB Adapter -
S27 - Wireless speeds of up to
150Mbps -Backward-compatiblewith802.11a/gdevicesa
t54Mbpsand 802.11b products at 11 Mbps Belkin
N300 Wireless USB Adapter - S36 - Wireless
speeds of up to 300Mbps -Backward-compatiblewith8
02.11a/gdevicesat54Mbpsand 802.11b products at 11
Mbps Belkin N600 Wireless USB Adapter - S54 -
The fastest dual-band speeds for video streaming
and online gaming of up to 300Mbps -Backward-comp
atiblewith802.11a/gdevicesat54Mbpsand 802.11b
products at 11 Mbps ARM gives us a glimpse
of what to come Source http//vr-zone.com/article
s/arm-gives-us-a-glimpse-of-what-to- come/13826.ht
ml October 31st, 2011 Although ARM has already
announced its next gen Cortex- A15 core based
on the ARMv7 architecture some time
ago, the company has now unveiled some details of
its upcoming ARMv8architecture.Thebiggestandpossib
lymostimportant change, depending on how
things move forward in the universeofARMpo
wereddevices,is64-bitsupportinARMv8. Although
ARM has already announced its next gen
Cortex- A15 core based on the ARMv7
architecture some time ago, the company has
now unveiled some details of its
upcoming ARMv8architecture.Thebiggestandpossiblymo
stimportant change, depending on how
things move forward in the universeofARMpo
wereddevices,is64-bitsupportinARMv8. The ARMv8
architecture is a major step forward for
ARM, at least when it comes to making
processors that aren't necessarily the most
power frugal chips out there. With a clear
move towards more ARM powered devices outside of
the phone space, ARM needs to up its game and
offer competitive processor cores on more
than one level. With Windows 8 adding ARM
support and maybe even more importantly,
the server market starting to show interest
in ARM powered servers, being able to
address more than 4GB of RAM. However,
ARM already supports virtual memory addresses
of 40-bit or larger and that gives the
ARMv7 architecture the option to support up to
1TB of RAM. Even so, a move towards 64-bit
is going to be a must as operating
systems, especially the ones from Microsoft,
looks 17
18
October 31st, 2011 set to move to 64-bit only in
the future, as there simply is no need to have
separate 32-bit and 64-bit versions of
Windows these days. Native 64-bit support
should also offer better performance than
virtual memory addressing, as the
latter adds a performance hit. Another
reason for 64-bit support is as mentioned,
servers and with today's virtualized
server environments, having 64-bit memory support
is going to be a must for ARM if they want to
compete with the big boys. ARM will of course
continue to use its current technology
and further enhance them in the ARMv8 and we'll
see improved versions of TrustZone,
virtualization and NEON advanced SIMD. What
isn't mentioned are any additional
features beyond the 64-bit addition to the
ARMv8 architecture, but dependingonwhereARMandit
spartnerswanttotakethings, we'll most likely
see a big change when it comes to
power efficiency and thermals, at least for
high-end cores that will endupbothconsumerdevicesa
ndservers.Inasmuchaswe're expecting new
low-power solutions for phones and
tablets, ARM and its partners are clearly taking
the game to Intel and something is going to have
to change if they want to compete on equal
terms. That said, we doubt that we'll see power
hungry processors based on ARM's technology,
at least not compared to x86 based
processors. There is a fine line
between enough performance and power efficiency
and ARM is likely to have to cross that line to
stay competitive in the long term. The easy way
to get more performance, at least in some
scenarios is to add more cores and this is
reasonably easy to do with ARM based technology,
especially if you use multiple chips which are
smaller and run cooler than x86 processors.
More cores are great, except as AMD showed
with its Bulldozer basedFXseriesofconsumerCPU's,
havingmorecoresdoesn't alwaystranslatetorealworldp
erformancegains.Ontheother hand, we're not
expecting to see a huge influx in cores when
it comes to consumer processor designs from ARM,
instead the company is going to have to come up
with some new, clever ways of doing things. Of
course, moving to new manufacturing
technologies will help ARM and its partners to
keep the power envelope down, fornowatleast,butthe
nextstepbeyond28nmisgoingtotake a while, at least
if the move from 40nm to 28nm is anything to go
by. Yes, the foundries have roadmaps, but it's
worth taking into consideration that TSMC has
decided to cut its capex for the next year or so
with yet another global downturn being expected.
This implies that we might have to live with
28nm chips for a bit longer than originally
though. Then again, ARM is only expecting to
disclose its first processors based on the ARMv8
architecture sometime next year and doesn't
expect its partners to have any prototypes
ready until 2014 which right now is an awfully
long time away for a new processor technology.
Published by VR-Zone Sony and Ericsson part
ways, remain friends Source http//vr-zone.com/ar
ticles/sony-and-ericsson-part-ways-remain- friends
/13825.html October 31st, 2011 In a
not entirely unexpected move, Sony
is set to buy out Ericsson from the
joint Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
AB joint venture for a not
insignificant 1.05 billion and will turn
Sony Ericsson into a wholly- owned subsidiary
that will fall under its network-connected consume
r electronics division. The two companies
remain friendly though, the deal also includes an
IP cross-licensing agreement and they'll also
create a joint wireless connectivity initiative.
In a not entirely unexpected
move, Sony is set to buy out
Ericsson from the joint Sony Ericsson
Mobile Communications AB joint venture for a
not insignificant 1.05 billion and will
turn Sony Ericsson into a wholly- owned
subsidiary that will fall under its
network-connected consumer electronics
division. The two companies remain friendly
though, the deal also includes an IP
cross-licensing agreement and they'll also create
a joint wireless connectivity initiative. It's
been 10 years since Sony and Ericsson decided to
team up and create Sony Ericsson and between then
and now, the mobile device market has changed and
is still changing at a rapid pace. Sony Ericsson
has sadly gone from third position to a 10th
position when it comes to mobile handset
market share or from 8.5 percent to 1.7 percent
of the global market share. Back in 2008 Sony
Ericsson said that their goal was to become the
third biggest mobile handset maker within
the next five year, but instead the company
dropped from fifth to 10th position since
then. Last year the company went out and said
that they wanted to be number one in Android
handsets and although as with Motorola, it seems
like Android has been a saviour to a degree for
Sony Ericsson, it's clear that the company is far
from the marketleader.It'seasytopointfingersastowh
atwentwrong, but some of it has been Sony's
unwillingness to use some of its brand names,
most significantly the Playstation brand for Sony
Ericsson products, at least until it's generally
been too little too late. The Playstation phone
didn't exactly take the world with a storm, but
in all fairness some of Sony Ericsson's other
Xperia handsets aren't half bad. The new Sony
mobile handset division which has yet to get
an official name although all future handsets
will only carry the Sony brand has a tough job
ahead of it. Currently a lot of its RD is
located in Sweden, although it's expected that
this division will be closed down over time with
most, if not all of it being moved to Japan. With
tough competition from both the big Korean
handset manufacturers, especially Samsung, 18
19
October 31st, 2011 as well as HTC and let's not
forget Apple, it's clear that Sony is going to
have to come up with some pretty
impressive hardware and get it out in the
market in a timely fashion. With what
happened in Japan earlier this year, most of
Sony Ericsson's handsets were delayed, some
by as much as six months and in an industry
that's moving in leaps and bounds onalmostamonthly
basiswhenitcomestonewhandsets,this is the kind of
thing that just isn't allowed to happen. As for
Ericsson, well, they'll go on their merry
way and continue to build the network
infrastructure which is its core competence
these days and the company is also
busy doing various projects involving digital
content delivery which ties in nicely with
its network infrastructure business. As for
ST Ericsson, Ericsson's joint venture to develop
various device end solutions with
STMicroelectronics for handsets and wireless
modems, well, it's likely to take a potential
hit from the split from Sony, although it
should be said that none of Sony Ericsson's
handsets used the ST Ericsson ARM processors, at
least not to our knowledge. That said,
we'd expect this business venture to continue to
develop modem technology for handsets, especially
as we slowly continue to move towards more LTE
enabled devices where ST Ericsson has some
potentially strong solutions. Thepressreleasedoesn
'tgointoanydetailsabouttheIPcross- licensing
deal, except to mention that it involves five
essential patent families. This should involve
baseband technology for 2G, 3G and 4G
networks, as well as other handset
related technology that Ericsson holds patents
for. With regards to the wireless connectivity
initiative the press release simply reads
"Ericsson and Sony will work to drive and develop
the market's adoption of connectivity across
multiple platforms" which really doesn't explain
what the two companies will be doing together.
The deal is expected to close in January
2012 pending the usual regulatory and shareholder
approval. AMD reports Q3 2011 results Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/amd-reports-q3-2011- r
esults/13824.html October 31st, 2011 Last
month AMD revised its Q3 forecasts, much to the
disdain of its shareholders, with AMD's stocks
taking a nosedive. As it turns out, the forecast
revisions, which suggested revenues of 1.65B
were off the mark. AMD has instead reported
revenues of 1.69 billion and net income of 110
million. Last month AMD revised its Q3 forecasts,
much to the disdain of its shareholders, with
AMD's stocks taking a nosedive. As it turns out,
the forecast revisions, which suggested revenues
of 1.65B and earnings of 80 million were off
the mark. AMD has instead reported revenues of
1.69 billion and net income of 110
million. AMD's new CEO Rory Read announced a
strong 35 increase in mobile business, with
double digit growth in emerging
Published by VR-Zone Looking forward to Q4, AMD
expects a 3 2 increase in revenue. AMD's
shares rose by 5.05 in after hours shortly after
the results were announced, and an immense 14 in
the last 24 hours. More next-gen GPU codenames
revealed Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/more-
next-gen-gpu-codenames- revealed/13823.html Octobe
r 31st, 2011 There have been no shortage of
code name / branding leaks for next-gen GPUs in
the last few weeks. To add to the list,
not surprisingly, GK104 is in the works. This
chip will form the basis for N14E mobile Quadro
GPUs. On the AMD side, the already reported
Tahiti desktop GPU will also arrive in Woody and
Buzz workstation variants. There have been no
shortage of code name / branding leaks for
next-gen GPUs in the last few weeks. To add to
the list, not surprisingly, GK104 is in the
works. This chip will form the basis for N14E
mobile Quadro GPUs. On the AMD side, the already
reported Tahiti desktop GPU will also arrive in
Woody and Buzz workstation variants. As a recap,
leaked drivers have already mentioned GeForce 600
and AMD Radeon HD 7000 families. We know a
bunch of AMD codenames, ranging from islands
(desktop GPUs), locales in London (mobile GPUs)
and Chinese monuments. We are also aware of
GK107, which is already sampling, and will
feature in N13P-LP, N13P-GS, N13P-GT and
N13E-GE GeForce mobile SKUs and N14P-Q1 and
N14P-Q3 mobile Quadros. GK104 is expected to
be the successor to GF114, serving as performance
GPUs on desktops and flagship GPUs on
mobile SKUs. On the mobile side, GK104 could
power the successors to GTX 570M/580M, most
likely codenamed under the N13E series. On the
mobile workstation front, GK104 will feature
in N14E-Q1,N14E-Q3andN14E-Q5mobileQuadroSKUs.These
Quadro GPUs will play one segment higher than
the GK107 based N14P Quadro. On the AMD front,
there's no scarcity of codenames, with the most
often mentioned being Tahiti. Tahiti will release
on the desktop as Tahiti XT and Tahiti Pro, and
also as Tahiti Woody and Tahiti Buzz on
workstations under the AMD FirePro brand. Wh
ile leaked code names and brandings have provided
much fodderfortherumourmillinthelastfewweeks,littl
eisknown about the GPUs themselves.
marketslikeChinaandIndia.However,AMD'sQ3wasmarred
by yield issues for Llano, being unable to
meet the strong demand. 19
20
October 31st, 2011 Logitech unveils G105 Call of
Duty Modern Warfare 3 official gaming
keyboard Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/logit
ech-unveils-g105-call-of-duty- modern-warfare-3-of
ficial-gaming-keyboard/13822.html October 31st,
2011
Published by VR-Zone - Multi-key input so you
can use up to five keys at once to perform
multiple and more complex actions without
the interference or ghosting that can occur with
other keyboards. Beats By Dr.Dre and
Monster launch new Heartbeats by Lady Gaga
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/beats-by-dr.d
re-and-monster-launch- new-heartbeats-by-lady-gag
a/13821.html October 31st, 2011 Logitech has
introduced the G105 which claims to be
the official gaming keyboard for the
upcoming Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 first
person shooter. It features military- style,
night-vision blue LED backlighting, six
programmable G-keys with three mode states with
each providing up to 18
possible macro combinations per game.
It was two years ago when
we first saw the
Monster "Heartbeats by Lady Gaga" became
available in Singapore. Well, it looks like
Beats by Dr. Dre and Monster have jointly
unveiled the new Heartbeats in-ear
headphones, designed by the pop
singer-songwriter herself. The
Logitech Gaming Keyboard G105, which claims
to be the official keyboard of Call of
Duty Modern Warfare 3,
features night-vision blue LED backlighting.
It also has six programmable G-keys with
three mode states each provide up to 18
possible macro combinations per game.You can
also choose to record new macros on the fly,
perform multiple and more complex actions without
interference or ghosting. The Logitech Gaming
Keyboard G105 is available now at all authorised
Logitech resellers at a suggested retail
price of S69. The G105 model that is
available in Singapore will only come with
blue LED backlighting. The company has not
confirmed if the keyboard with green LED
backlighting and Call of Duty branding will be
made available locally. - Long-life,
night-vision blue LED backlighting so you
can easily locate the keys you need even in the
dark. The military style, night-vision green
backlight can be set to two different brightness
levels or turned off completely. - Six
Programmable G-keys each with three mode states,
let you configure up to 18 unique functions per
game, including single key presses or complex
macros. Use the MR key to record new macros
on the fly.
Beats by Dr. Dre and Monster have
announced the latest addition to the line
of Beats by Dr. Dre
headphones, Heartbeats by Lady Gaga, an updated
version of the popular in-ear headphones.
Designed by Lady Gaga, the uniquely styled
in-ear headphones were inspired by leather and
studs and feature ultra-crisp sonic
technology from the Beats by Dr. Dre
products. The new Heartbeats by Lady Gaga
are a reflection of the pop queen high-end
sense of style and commitment to provide
fans with the best music listening experience
. The Heartbeats by Lady Gaga feature
all-new, lightweight design, six sets of eat
tips, tangle-free cable, hard-carrying case
and ControlTalk, which enables iPhone and iPod
music playback control as well as hands-free
calls with iPhone and many smartphones. The
Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Heartbeats Headphones
retails for S259 and is available at
Audio House, Alpha Audio, Best Denki, Courts,
DG Lifestyle Store, Epicentre, Farle Innovation,
Gadget World, Harvey Norman, 20
21
October 31st, 2011 HMV, i Studio, iP Case,
Macshop, Nubox, Orange Comm, Stereo and all
Two Bros outlets. Key Features Gagas Signature
Touch - Sound that transcends ordinary headphone
and a fashion- forward style design by Gaga
herself. Updated Design and Style - Newly
improved design offers smaller and lighter shape
for a better in-ear fit and thinner tangle-free
cord. High Performance Sound -Accuratespeakerdesig
ndeliversthedetailsoftodayshottest music with
extreme clarity and deep bass. A Fit for Every
Wearer - Multiple ear-tip sizes, so you can find
a perfect fit for your ears. This custom-fit
seals in your music and help cut
out unwanted noise. Built-in Mic for Hands-Free
Calls and Online Chats -ControlTalkenablesiPhonean
diPodmusicplaybackcontrol aswellashands-freecallsw
ithiPhoneandmanysmartphones. It even works with
online voice or video chats. Microsoft launches
limited edition Arc Touch Mouse and Touch
Mouse Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/microsof
t-launches-limited-edition- arc-touch-mouse-and-to
uch-mouse/13820.html October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone This holiday season,
two limited editions of the Arc Touch Mouse
will be made available in white and red.
The new designs will also come with unique
patterns on the silicone "tail" portion of the
mouse The red edition will sport
a diamond pattern, while the white edition
will come with a maze-like pattern. Arc
Touch Mouse in the new designs will be available
at an estimated retail price of S89 at all major
IT retailers from end October 2011. Touch
Mouse The Touch Mouse is a
multitouch device designed exclusively for
Windows 7 to support clicking, flicking,
scrolling and swiping getures. Originally
available in black, a white Artist Edition with a
calligraphy-like motif designed by New York-
based art director, illustrator and artist
Deanne Cheuk will be exclusive to Challenger
stores. It is available as of today at
an estimated retail price of S99, while stocks
lasts. The original black edition is also
available at all major IT retailers at
S99. Racking your brains on the perfect gifts to
buy for your loved
onesthisupcomingChristmasseason?Microsofthaslaunch
ed limited editions of its Microsoft Arc
Touch Mouse and the Microsoft Touch Mouse that
may just be the perfect gift. In addition,
Microsoft says that every purchase of the Arc
Touch Mouse, Explorer Touch Mouse and Touch Mouse
from today till 31st December 2011 will come
with a free exclusive PC accessory
pouch. Arc Touch Mouse The company's
fastest-selling premium peripheral in
local history, the slim Arc Touch Mouse snaps
into an arc shape for use,andflattenfortheultimate
inportability-nomorehaving todealwiththeadded"bump
"ofamouseinyourlaptopbag. A touch control strip
allows for controlled scrolling or
hyperfast scrolling by flicking on it.
As with the original Arc Touch Mouse and Touch
Mouse, both limited edition mice also comes
with BlueTrack technology thatallowsittotrackonm
oresurfacesthanconventionallaser and optical
mice. First Looks ASUS P9X79 Pro Deluxe -
Mainstream Boards, High End Features Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/first-looks-asus-p9x79
-pro--deluxe-- mainstream-boards-high-end-features
/13814.html October 31st, 2011 Completing
our three part Asus X79 Motherboard
series roundup is the mainstream P9X79 Pro
and P9X79 Deluxe. Like the Sabertooth X79 and
the ROG Rampage IV Extreme, 21
22
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
both boards did not compromise on implementing
full 8 slots of DDR3 memory expansion, and
every inch of their PCB is packed with
quality components for lasting reliability
and unhinged performance. P9X79Profrontview(8DIMMs
foramaximumof64GB,PCIe 3.0 x16 slots) Two
SATA 6Gbps ports (white) and 4 SATA
6Gbpss ports(blue) from the X79 chipset. Like
the Sabertooth X79, A Marvell 9128
provides two additional 6Gbps ports
(grey) and supports pairing a mechanical
harddrive with a solid state drive for SSD
caching, a useful features as the X79 chipset
doesn't support Intel SRT as seen on Z68
motherboards. P9X79 Deluxe - no you
are not seeing double. The Deluxe has an almost
identical board layout but has an additional
Realtek
Gigabit controller and BT GO! 3.0 with Wi-Fi
connectivity.
The PORT80 debug display and power/reset buttons
- these
life-saving features should be a must-have on
any DIY retail motherboard. All ASUS X79 boards
also have 64Mbit of UEFI Flash ROM, which is a
requirement for the next generation Intel Ivy
Bridge-E platform. Some minor
PCIe switching and multiplexing going on
here I/O Panel of the P9X79 Pro (Intel
82579V Gigabit LAN, two powered eSATA
(eSATAp) from an ASMedia ASM1061 controller,
four USB 3.0 ports from a pair of
ASMedia ASM1042 controllers, although two of
the rear ports share bandwidth with the two front
ports courtesy of a VLI VL810 USB 3.0 hub and
finally audio from a Realtek ALC898
audio codec. The BIOS reset button can also be
used to update the BIOS using a USB thumbdrive
without booting the PC. 22
23
October 31st, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
Digi EPU (VRM) for the memory and another for
the CPU. Both boards have 8222 power phase
design CPU socket area. We noticed that the
whole family of ASUS X79 boards share almost
the same layout over here, which could
explain why they could implement the full
8 slots of DIMMs even on their lower end
SKUs. Accessories of the P9X79 Pro
RIM delays PlayBook OS update to 2012 Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/rim-delays-playbook-os
-update- to-2012/13819.html
MemOK! boot-time watchd