Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that allows graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) on a single chip to collaborate – boosting processor performance by an average of more than 20 percent.

“Chip manufacturers are now creating processors that have a ‘fused architecture,’ meaning that they include CPUs and GPUs on a single chip,” says Dr. Huiyang Zhou, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who co-authored a paper on the research. “This approach decreases manufacturing costs and makes computers more energy efficient. However, the CPU cores and GPU cores still work almost exclusively on separate functions. They rarely collaborate to execute any given program, so they aren’t as efficient as they could be. That’s the issue we’re trying to resolve.”

On the sidelines of mobile computing's biggest annual international event, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), held in the end of February, Microsoft will hold a special event, titled Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The company sent out invites to the event, to its industry partners. The event will be held on the 29th of this month, and will be a two hour event in late-afternoon (3 PM - 5 PM). The synchrony of this event with MWC speaks volumes about the direction in which Microsoft is steering its OS business. Microsoft clearly wants to go big on operating systems for portable computing devices, and as such is converging this kind of OS with those for more powerful PCs. The convergence will at first be functional (similar UI, some inter-compatibility), and later structural (Windows-on-Windows ARM)?


Sources: Engadget, ZDNet

As if two custom Radeon HD 7970s (the Vortex and LCS models) aren't enough, PowerColor has today revealed another HD 7970 card that goes beyond AMD's reference design. Seen below, this third custom Radeon HD 7970, likely part of the PCS Series, comes equipped with a dual-slot cooler boasting two fans and (at least) three copper heatpipes, and features 2048 Stream Processors, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, CrossFireX support, and five display outputs (dual DVI, dual mini DisplayPort, one HDMI).

PowerColor hasn't said anything about the card's clocks or price tag but hopefully those will be revealed later this month.

After going through a month-long beta stage, Chrome 17 has now been promoted and is available as a Stable release for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Chrome 17 (build 17.0.963.46) features new Extension APIs, updated Omnibox Prerendering, download scanning protection, various tweaks and fixes for about 20 vulnerabilities.

Chrome 17 Stable can be downloaded via this page.

ProView has the last laugh, while Apple gets a taste of its own medicine, in a remarkable turn of events that unfolded in China. Apple and ProView have been locked in a tussle over the brand name "iPad", which the latter claimed Apple dubiously acquired rights to use in 2006, by floating a shell company called IP Application Development and using it to deal with ProView. ProView had no idea it was dealing with Apple at the time (it was not shared that information), or that Apple would go on to use the name for one of its biggest selling products. A Chinese court ruled in favor of ProView. Apple now has to cough up US $38 million in fines, and sit down with ProView to work out a fresh agreement to using the brand name "iPad", or face a sales ban.


Sources: China Daily, Global Times, DailyTech

While Intel and AMD are making efforts to come up with low-power x86 processor platforms to compete with the plethora of ARM processor vendors, manufacturers of the target devices of these low-power x86 processors - tablets, netbooks, and smartphones; note that the architecture simply isn't competitive due to its prices. ARM processors are manufactured by a variety of companies, in a variety of different SoC configurations, and as such the tough competition among these companies ensure ARM processor platforms are comparatively cheaper to low-power x86 ones.

Intel recently debuted its 32 nm "Medfield" Atom processors, with power consumption as low as 11W for the platform. In the second half of 2012, it will launch another line of processors with under 10W power consumption, for high-end smartphones. AMD, on the other hand, will unveil "Hondo", which combines its x86 architecture with Radeon graphics IP, and a power consumption target of less than 5W. In 2013, it plans to launch the "Temash" APU, with power consumption under 2W, and built on the 28 nm process.

Source: DigiTimes

Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components, announces the One, the latest addition to their Gaming Series. The One is an excellent option for mainstream gamers, new PC builders and seasoned system integrators alike, as it provides user-friendly cooling and convenient features at an affordable price.

Performance Cooling Advantages – The One’s cooling system includes top & rear 120 mm exhaust fans with four additional 120 mm fan mounts. Perforated mesh construction yields additional airflow through the front of the chassis.

Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies, announced today it has signed a patent license agreement with NVIDIA.

The agreement covers the use of Rambus patented innovations in a broad range of integrated circuit (IC) products offered by NVIDIA. In addition, the two companies have settled all outstanding claims, including resolution of past use of Rambus' patented innovations. The term of this agreement is five years; other details are confidential.

Japanese cooling expert Scythe expands the product portfolio of fan controllers by a brand new model. Scythe chose a different path when designing the new Kaze Master Flat fan controller. Previously announced fan controller models utilized rotating knobs (potentiometer) as control system. Kaze Master Flat comes with a front panel, which is covering the buttons used for operating the fan controller.

Kaze Master Flat combines both a tidy and clean front panel design with Scythe's usual variety of functions. Hence allows it to match almost every on market PC Chassis. With only one finger tip users are able to open the front panel, which grants access to six buttons used as control system. Four of the buttons are being used to adjust the fan speed of the individual fan channel. The other two located on the both sided of Kaze Master Flat allow shutting down of the alarm signal and activating or deactivating of the built-in VF-Display (Vacuum Fluorescent Display).

Buffalo Japan announced a new DriveStation external hard drive with the ability to record TV, the HD-LS1.5U2J. The drive provides 1.5 TB of storage, and can be programmed by a PC to perform scheduled TV recording with the PC turned off. When not recording or serving a PC, the drive enters into a low-power state that cuts power draw by 97%. When connected to PC and idling, the eCOManager software takes over, and spins down the hard drive while keeping other electronics awake. The drive connects to a PC over USB 2.0. Measuring 39 x 189 x 123 mm, the drive weighs about 1 kg. Slated for market release in mid-February, the DriveStation HD-LS1.5U2J will be priced at 18,690 JPY (US $242).


Source: Hermitage Akihabara

One of Europe's biggest retailers of enthusiast PC parts, Caseking.de, has reportedly struck a deal that will see it take over Overclockers UK (OCUK). OCUK has been among Britain's biggest retailers of interest to PC enthusiasts, dealing with performance computer hardware apart from enthusiast parts (cooling, casing, accessories, etc.). This takeover will affect 40 members of staff at OCUK. The value of the final deal has not been disclosed by either side. eTeknix estimates it to be "less than €50 million". The Caseking staff we contacted refused to comment, saying they cannot comment on such internal operations. The deal is said to have been struck in early February, though both companies are keeping mum about it, perhaps waiting for the right moment to make the big announcement.


Source: eTeknix

ATP Electronics, a leading flash memory manufacturer known for its high quality, durable flash and DRAM memory modules, announced the launch of its industrial grade SLC (Single Level Cell) Solid State Drive (SSD). The ATP Velocity SI Pro 2.5" SATA III SSD is ideal for Industrial PC and high end computing devices in which extreme performance and reliability are required. With a stable performance read speed of up to 500 MB/s, a write speed of up to 500 MB/s, and 4K random read IOPS of up to 60, 000, the Velocity SSD SI pro is also the ideal solution for enterprise and industrial grade applications.

Today Logitech, the world's leading manufacturer of mice, unveiled the Logitech Touch Mouse M600, a mouse featuring a touch surface that lets you navigate intuitively with your fingers.

"People are growing accustomed to using fingertip gestures to navigate on their smartphones and tablets," said Todd Walker, brand manager for Logitech. "In fact, for many people these gestures have become second nature. The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 reflects this evolution in how we interact with the digital world and extends to the computer what have become natural, intuitive motions."

Demonstrating its commitment to delivering leading-edge technologies and solutions for enterprise-class servers and storage systems, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that its Ultrastar enterprise-class solid state drive (SSD) family is the industry's first to use 25-nanometer (nm) single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash.

The Ultrastar SSD400S.B family combines Hitachi's proven enterprise hard disk drive (HDD) expertise with Intel's extensive capabilities in developing high-endurance SLC NAND flash memory and advanced SSD technology. The drives also conform to the Trusted Computing Group's Enterprise A Security Subsystem Class encryption specification, helping customers protect sensitive data, and reduce the costs associated with drive retirement and reuse.

AMD may be busy building up hype for its Trinity-generation APUs (accelerated processing units) but it's still churning out new chips, the latest releases being the rather low-profile Athlon II X4 641 and X4 638. Both of these models are made on 32 nm technology, have an FM1 packaging, and boast four 'Stars' x86 cores just like those found in Llano APUs (but unlike Llano, these Athlons don't have integrated graphics).

The Athlon II X4 641 comes with a core clock of 2.8 GHz, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a 100 W TDP, while the Athlon II X4 638 features a 2.7 GHz clock, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a TDP of 65 W. Both CPUs are priced at $81 (pricing is for 1000-unit tray quantities).

Source: CPU World

G.Skill, the worldwide leading high performance memory designer and manufacturer, has announced the brand new Ares series low profile performance DDR3 memory. Featured with low profile heat spreader design (3.2cm in height), G.Skill Ares series DDR3 memory modules are the perfect choices for building high performance PCs with large CPU coolers, small form factor desktop computers or any other systems with more restricted space.

Microsoft is ready with a new limited edition Xbox 360 Kinect system bundle for all you Star Wars fans out there. The bundle includes a copy of Star Wars Kinect, which lets you take advantage of Kinect to slash your lightsaber away. The hardware itself is themed around two of the most lovable characters of the franchise, the console is R2-D2 themed, and the main controller C-3P0. The Kinect module is white colored. The system packs 320 GB of local storage. The special bundle is listed on Amazon for US $449, and is up for pre-orders. It will start shipping on April 3.


Source: Major Nelson

AMD today announced the departure of Emilio Ghilardi as senior vice president and chief sales officer, effective immediately. Rory Read, AMD president and chief executive officer, will serve as interim chief sales officer while the company actively seeks a replacement.

"I'd like to thank Emilio for his contributions to the business and wish him well in his future endeavors," said Read. "Developing relationships with our customers that are grounded in a foundation of trust through consistently delivering on our commitments is critical, and we are making progress toward that goal. AMD enters 2012 with significant momentum, and we are building upon that momentum by embracing the shifts occurring in the industry and marrying market needs with innovative technologies to become a consistent growth engine."

Mr. Ghilardi joined AMD from Hewlett Packard in 2008.

Back in the 1990's, when the software industry knew the 32-bit x86 address-space limitation was closing in, they geared up for transition to another machine architecture, then came AMD64 and EM64T, which allowed an x86 processor to perform in both 64-bit and 32-bit modes. Microsoft didn't want users of its 64-bit Windows to be deprived of using software coded for 32-bit Windows, which was infinitely more in number than 64-bit software. Hence it developed what is known as Windows-on-Windows 64 (WOW64), a translation layer that interfaces 32-bit software and drivers to the 64-bit OS and drivers. With its next major Windows version, Windows 8, Microsoft wants to give the ARM architecture a big push, with a Windows 8 version for ARM computing devices (such as tablets and netbooks). Guess what?

A latest bulletin at MSDN hints at the possibility of Microsoft working on a x86-to-ARM translation layer, which allows you to run desktop windows (Win32) software on Windows 8 ARM, effectively "Windows-on-Windows ARM". Without specifically pointing out the ability to run Win32 software on ARM, the bulletin mentions the ability to run non-metro applications (native Windows) on SoC (system-on-a-chip) architectures. It could also just be a reference to Intel's single-chip SoCs such as Medfield, which are x86-based. If Microsoft pulls off a "WOWARM", it could spell terrible news to Intel, because something such as the hypothetical WOWARM is all that stands between ARM and high-performance desktop PCs. In a market that only has two other competitors (AMD and VIA), dozens more could join in overnight, including NVIDIA's karmic entry after being shunned off an x86 license.

Sources: ZDNet, Engadget

Eurocom, a developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable Notebooks, high performance Mobile Workstations and Mobile Servers, introduced the EUROCOM Panther 4.0 Mobile Workstation, Mobile Server and Gaming Station powered by Intel’s newest line of 6 core, 12 thread, 130W desktop Intel Core i7-3960X Processor Extreme edition based on the Intel X79 Express Chipset Sandy Bridge-E architecture.

EUROCOM PANTHER 4.0 provides workstation-calibre performance, powerful graphics capabilities and high performance storage with four physical storage drives, two being SATA 600, two being SATA 300 and RAID 0/1/5/10. Super powerful Intel Core i7, i7 Extreme and next generation Intel Xeon processors are supported for high-end computing wherever work takes place.

Physicists have discovered a new method of recording data on hard drives that could potentially make mechanical hard drives hundreds of times faster (in terms of performance). Heat holds the key. A hard disk drive is a magnetic storage device, which, unlike magnetic tapes, allows random access. Its recording surfaces consist of hundreds of billions of tiny portions that can be magnetized in a particular polar direction to represent 0s or 1s. To create meaningful arrangements of these portions (bytes), the recording heads apply an external magnetic field to flip their polarities.

A team of researchers led by Thomas Ostler at the University of York, UK concluded that the process of flipping the polarities of these tiny portions can be greatly expedited using short bursts of heat. It has been believed that heat could only assist in remagnetization, when used in conjunction with a magnetic field. Research shows that this can also be achieved using a very, very precise amount of heat generated by beaming a fine laser for less than a trillionth of a second, which momentarily raises its temperature by 800 °C. The results of this study was published here.

Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer today unveils the Elite 361 rotatable chassis. A formidable Mini-Tower contender, Elite 361 focuses on versatility and expandability within a compact enclosure.

Touting a modern minimalist design, Elite 361 is engineered to be accommodating in space restricted work zones. Given its unique structure and airflow design, Elite 361 can be placed either horizontally or vertically within a space. A rotatable Cooler Master logo and four user attachable rubber feet assist in making these transitions. Front panel ports are positioned to be easily accessible in either orientation.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, and workstations, has updated the TITAN 17 high performance desktop replacement solution with all new aesthetic features while still maintaining top of the line performance for PC gamers who want to harness desktop-like power wherever they go and creative professionals that can work on site with no loss in productivity.

The TITAN 17 features support for both the latest Intel Core i7-3930K and the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. With fast, intelligent multi-core technology that accelerates performance to match your workload, it delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance. For both gamers and demanding users, the Titan 17 capitalizes on a dramatic leap forward in processing technology to provide all the power you need for even the most advanced games and applications.

Announced one month ago, the Solution PC chassis made by Cougar is set to become available in European stores next week. Pictured below, this case measures 198 (W) x 425 (H) x 484 (D) mm, and features an all-black paint job, a front I/O panel with USB 2.0 (x 1) and USB 3.0 (x 1) ports, three exposed 5.25-inch bays and six internal 3.5-inch bays (all with tool-free mounting systems), two pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubing and a single 120 mm fan (found at the rear).

Cougar's Solution will cost 55 Euro.

Security software maker Symantec confirmed to the press that the group of hackers that obtained source code of its pcAnywhere software were holding it to ransom. The group claims to be linked to Anonymous. The group allegedly demanded US $50,000 from Symantec in return for destroying the source code it stole, on failing to pay it, the group threatened it would leak the source code to the public, which would expose the software to malware writers and competitors.

Symantec has apparently been in negotiations with the hacker group over preventing the leak, it even agreed to pay the group its "ransom", provided it could do so in monthly installments. The group declined, and the negotiations fell through. A transcript of this email conversation was posted on Pastebin (can be accessed here). The hackers claimed to have posted the source code of pcAnywhere (in a 2.3 GB RAR archive), on a popular bit-torrent site. In our opinion, extorting money is very un-Anonymous. Anonymous, being the self-proclaimed hacktivist group that it is, would post the source code "just for the lulz", without even getting into negotiations with Symantec.


Source: Hexus.net

In its CeBIT invitation circular, Patriot Memory unveiled names of three new client SSD product lines, which it will launch in Hanover. These include new high-performance client SSD lines, the Wildfire Pro, and Wildfire SE; and a new mainstream client SSD line called Magma. With no other details, we're left to only speculate. Patriot's flagship SandForce SF-2281 driven Wildfire series features among some of the highest performing SATA 6 Gb/s client SSDs. The Wildfire Pro and SE, in all probability, could be higher-performing parts, with higher sequential speeds, and random access performance. With Magma, Patriot could design a client SSD using a controller of another make than SandForce; probably Marvell, or even OCZ-Indilinx.

Gaming peripherals major Roccat Studios released a teaser picture of its latest gaming mouse, the Roccat Savu. This mouse is designed to strike a functional balance between that makes it fit for various gaming styles (FPS thru RPG), and a size-balance that makes it perfect for various gripping styles. Entry-level gaming mice already accomplish some of that, but Roccat probably sensed that as you move up the price ladder, gaming mice tend to get more specialized in size and style. The Savu probably converges high-end features (such as a high-resolution sensor, high-quality switches, weight/balance adjustments?) with an balanced design. Roccat will unveil its newest rodent at CeBIT (early March).

Spatial View Inc., a pioneer in stereo 3D content delivery and auto-stereoscopic display technologies, today announced that the 3DeeScreen, a lens that enables a person with a standard 15.6" laptop to view 3D content without glasses, is available for purchase.

Once the 3DeeScreen is snapped onto a laptop display, and the software is installed, viewers can watch 3D videos and photos with the included software and Blu-ray movies using third party players. The playback uses eye-tracking software to automatically track the user's viewing position and adjust the 3D image projection to maintain optimal viewing quality, reducing the possibility of crosstalk and ghosting.

Adobe is working on a new sandboxed version of the Flash Player browser plugin for Firefox. The move will make it tougher to compromise a system's security using malicious Shockwave Flash objects. The new plugin for Firefox (and other browsers like Opera, which rely on the common Netscape Plugin Wrapper model of browser plugins), will work essentially similar to the Flash Player Google Chrome ships with, which works in a "Protected Mode". When "sandboxed" Shockwave Flash objects in webpages will work as separate processes, with much lower privileges than the actual user, the user's machine environment will be kept abstract to it. Adobe has already redesigned the browser plugin of its Reader X (PDF viewer) to work this way, and hasn't seen a significant successful exploit since November, last year.


Source: Adobe Asset Blog

Zalman unveiled a trio of entry-thru-mid range PSUs for gaming PC builds, the 500W ZM500-GT, the 600W ZM600-GT, and the 700W ZM700-GT. The three feature uneventful fixed cabling, but offer 80 Plus efficiency. These PSUs feature two-forward switching circuit designs, are ATX v2.3 compliant, and conform to ErP 2010 Lot 6 power-draw standards (<1W standby power).

The ZM500-GT features a dual +12V rail design (each rail 18A), while the ZM500-GT and ZM600-GT feature quad +12V rail (each 18A) design. Internally, the GT series PSUs feature +5Vsb green IC, active PFC, and a secondary protection IC. The units are cooled by a 120 mm temperature-controlled fan. The ZM500-GT is 80 Plus compliant, while the ZM600-GT and ZM700-GT are 80 Plus Bronze compliant. According to the source, the ZM500-GT will be priced around $80, the ZM600-GT around $100, and the ZM700-GT around $125.


Source: Overclockers Ukraine

Amulet Hotkey takes the proven data center grade server platform of the Dell PowerEdge M-Series Blade Servers and reconfigures it as a high-performance graphics workstation, building in custom components to provide superior, high-end desktop graphics and PC-over-IP (PCoIP) hardware. The M610X blade, is the first PCoIP workstation blade focused on providing the computing and graphics performance required by state of the art 3D design and CAD/CAM software. This PCoIP multi-monitor blade architecture was pioneered by Amulet Hotkey in 2009 when it brought the first DXM600 quad-head workstation blade to market. As one of the longest standing UK-based Dell OEM Solutions Partners, it is the only PCoIP solutions provider to offer a true tier-one blade platform. The DXM610X joins a growing range of PCoIP and VMware blade solutions that include the DXM610, DXM710 and M910.

Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, power supply, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, offers a very special gift to celebrate its twenty years of existence. Read the text below for more info; this gift only applies to European countries.

One of our most popular cases the last few years has without a doubt been the HAF X. As most people know, HAF stands for ‘High Air Flow’ and this case totally lives up to this name. With dual 200mm top fans, a front 230mm red LED on/off fan and an additional 200mm fan with dedicated air duct for VGA card cooling this massive case will keep any system running cool. As a special gift to Cooler Master’s loyal customers, we will reduce the price from €159,- to €139.

Verbatim Europe has now started delivering the SATA 6.0 Gbps solid state drives it announced last month. These SSDs have a 2.5-inch form factor, a SandForce SF-2281 controller, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips, TRIM support, and deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 550 MB/s and 510 MB/s, respectively.

Verbatim's 120 GB and 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gbps drives are backed by a two-year warranty and cost 199 Euro and 399 Euro, respectively.

Although the current generation of "Ultrabooks" don't really conform to a rigid specification apart from being really slim, unlike the next-generation Ivy Bridge-based ones which will have to conform to a specification laid down by Intel, the name "Ultrabooks" (short for ultra-portable/slim notebooks) has stuck. With Intel's newest processing platform just a couple of months away, notebooks manufacturers are reportedly lowering prices of current-generation Ultrabooks.

The move to lower prices of Ultrabooks is simply to clear inventories and pave the way for the next-generation. The prices will be cut significantly. Acer's Ultrabook S3 already saw its price drop to US $799 from $999; while HP's Ultrabooks will see prices cut by as much as 25 percent. Price of Lenovo's Ultrabook will go down by up to 21 percent. In short, every $999-ish Ultrabook will see its price go down to $749-799.


Source: DigiTimes

Following reports that Kingston is reducing prices of its NAND flash-based products by up to 15%, SanDisk too is reportedly preparing price-cuts of its own. Unlike Kingston, SanDisk's entire product portfolio is connected with NAND flash memory, it is the world's largest vendor of memory cards, and also has a vast lineup of USB flash drives. SanDisk will lower its prices just enough to maintain competitiveness with Kingston's products. The company maintains that initiating a price-cutting strategy is intended to boost sales volume and maintain the company's leading market share. According to DRAMeXchange, major NAND flash vendors are initiating price cuts to clear inventories, to make way for flash memory built on newer fabrication technologies.


Source: DigiTimes

Major Japanese OEM Mouse Computer announced a trio of high-end desktop PCs that are built specifically around Intel's SSD 520 solid-state drives, launched a little earlier this week. These include the MDV-ASG8310B-SSD, the MDV-ASG8250B, and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD and MDV-ASG8250B are both driven by Intel Core i7-2700K processor, based on Intel Z68 motherboard, with 8 GB (2x 4 GB) memory; while the former features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics, the latter has GeForce GTX 560. The MDV-AGG9320S-SSD is driven by six-core Intel Core i7-3930K processor, with 16 GB (4x 4 GB) memory, and GeForce GTX 570 graphics.

All three are built into the same chassis, featuring the same 23-inch full-HD display and peripherals. All three feature Intel's newly-launched SSD 520 solid-state drive with 120 GB capacity, the SSD is configured to hold the OS and program files, while all three further feature a slower 1 TB hard drive that handles documents and storage. DVD-RW, gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 7 Home Premium x64 make for the rest of the commonalities. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD is priced at 99,750 JPY (US $1,300); the MDV-ASG8250B at 109,830 JPY ($1,432); and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD at 159,600 JPY ($2,081).


Source: Hermitage Akihabara

AMD today launched the AMD FirePro V3900, which enables best-in-class workstation experiences at an entry-level price point. By leveraging AMD's latest graphics features, including AMD Eyefinity technology, the AMD FirePro V3900 provides up to 95% better application performance than the competition. The AMD FirePro V3900 will be available in select workstation systems today and will be sold for USD$119 MSRP at select online resellers.

"The AMD FirePro V3900 is the most powerful entry-level professional graphics card on the market today," says Sandeep Gupte, general manager of Professional Graphics, AMD. "Armed with advanced multi-display capability of AMD Eyefinity technology, extensive certifications for professional applications and blazing fast performance, it offers best-in-class value for our technical and business customers."

The future is here, and AVADirect is readily expanding its offerings with hardware to prepare for it. For those who need ultimate performance on the go, AVADirect can feed your need for mobile speed with the Clevo P270WM. Based off of the Intel X79 chipset and Sandy Bridge-E processors, end-users can expect performance increases as much as 35-50 percent while keeping current and ahead of the curve for their much needed productivity, efficiency, and entertainment. Promising new features give the Clevo P270WM a name and reputation that is surely to leave a lasting impression for those who have it at their fingertips. The industry rookie, relative to age rather than experience, has no limits to its depth of functionality.

The P270WM's design shapes the ground we stand on by creating new standards for mobile desktop replacements. The revolutionary X79-fueled P270WM, being the successor of the world renowned Clevo X7200, supports all of the functionality provided by its older brother. Three 9.5 inch hard drives, with optional RAID, two USB 3.0 ports, SLI support, HD LED screen, HDMI 1.4a support, and the recently re-designed express card slot for third-party expansion are still key features of the newly offered Clevo P270WM Gaming Notebook.

Gigabyte introduced a new value socket AM3+ motherboard designed for AMD FX processors, the 970A-DS3. Based on the AMD 970 + SB950 chipset, this board is a product of some clever cost-balancing by its designers, which will spice-up both its specs-sheet, and price-tag, compared to the 970A-UD3. To begin with, the 970A-DS3 uses a much lighter component loadout compared to the UD3. The 970A-UD3's Ultra Durable 3 Classic component loadout makes way for Ultra Durable 4 Classic on the 970A-DS3, which includes a better weaved fiberglass PCB that's better resistant to humidity; features high ESD-resistance ICs located in key circuits; anti-surge ICs that prevent installed processors and memory from getting fried if something goes terribly wrong with the VRM; and of course low-RDS (on) MOSFETs and 100% solid-state capacitor design.

The CPU is powered by a simple 5-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866+ MHz memory. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (wired to the 970), one PCIe 2.0 x16 (electrical 2.0 x4, wired to the SB950), three PCIe x1, and two legacy PCI. Gigabyte didn't cheap-out on the southbridge (by opting for SB710), and so we have a full-fledged SB950, complete with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports supporting RAID5. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the rear-panel, driven by an Etron EJ168 controller. The audio is driven by Realtek ALC887, wired to just a 5.1-channel analog output cluster, apart from the front-panel header. Gigabit Ethernet driven by Realtek 8111E tops it up. Gigabyte included its DualBIOS (AwardBIOS) with the board. Expect this one to be priced around US $100 (or below), making it a nice buy for single-GPU budget gaming-PC builds.

IPC and JEDEC have released the C revision of IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033, Handling, Packing, Shipping and Use of Moisture/Reflow and/or Process Sensitive Components. With an expanded scope, the document now covers the handling, packing and shipping of non-IC electronic components that have been classified per EIA/IPC/JEDEC J-STD-075, Classification of Non-IC Electronic Components for Assembly Processes. J-STD-033C effectively provides guidance for this category of electronic components that has not been covered by any standard in the past.

IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033C provides surface mount device (SMD) manufacturers and users with standardized methods for handling, packing, shipping and use of moisture/reflow sensitive SMDs. These methods help avoid damage from moisture absorption and exposure to solder reflow temperatures that can result in yield and reliability degradation. Use of the standard helps achieve safe and damage-free reflow with the dry-packing process and provides a minimum shelf life of 12 months from the seal date when using sealed dry bags.

Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD produced using Intel compute-quality 25-nanometer (nm) NAND memory process technology. Aimed at delivering world-class performance for even the most demanding PC enthusiasts, gamers, professionals or small-medium businesses (SMBs), the Intel SSD 520 has fast throughput performance, new security features and unmatched reliability to meet even the most intensive user requirements.

Any consumer application requiring high throughput and bandwidth, low latencies and accelerated speed will benefit from the Intel SSD 520. Software developers, architects, accountants, engineers, musicians, media creators and artists are just some of the professionals that will find that the Intel SSD 520's full package of features can make a dramatic impact on their productivity. With faster performance for graphic renderings, compiling, data transfers and system boot-ups, users can speed through multi-tasking or once-cumbersome application wait times with an Intel SSD 520 Series.

Here are the first pictures of MSI's Z77A-GD55 motherboard. The GD55 is a notch below the GD65 in terms of its feature-set, and will likely hold a cost-benefit sweetspot. The motherboard is designed to support today's "Sandy Bridge", and tomorrow's "Ivy Bridge" Core processors in the LGA1155 package, and is based on Intel's Z77 "Panther Point" chipset. The CPU is powered by a lighter 9-phase VRM compared to the 12-phase VRM on the GD65. It retains the expansion slot layout of its elder brother, consisting of two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), four PCIe x1, and one PCIe 2.0 x4 (physical x16).

The Z77A-GD55 has two fewer SATA 6 Gb/s ports compared to the GD65, all its internal ports are wired to the PCH. That's two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. There are no eSATA ports. Further, there are no third-party USB 3.0 controllers, either. All four of the USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via front-panel header) are wired to the PCH. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of its connectivity.

ORIGIN PC announced today the exclusive availability of their new FROSTBYTE 360 liquid cooling system. With the FROSTBYTE 360 ORIGIN's professional overclocking teams are reaching speeds up to 5.2 GHz allowing them to routinely set new benchmark records and stay on top of the competition. Featuring silent pumps, a high efficiency triple 120 mm radiator, and zero maintenance, the FROSTBYTE 360 liquid cooling system allows for extreme overclocking in a more affordable solution. The award winning ORIGIN PC GENESIS configured with the FROSTBYTE 360 starts at $1,599.

Toshiba launched the Satellite U840 Ultrabook in Singapore. This 14-inch Ultrabook is Toshiba's first. It is 19.9 mm thin, and weighs as low as 1.59 kg. It uses an aluminum body with a silvery brushed-metal finish. The metal body also adds rigidity. It is driven by 2nd generation Core ULV "Sandy Bridge" processor, backed by DDR3 memory, and storage options that include either 128 GB SSD or a HybridHDD that has a 16 GB SSD subunit that caches hot data on the rest of the drive.

Toshiba's proprietary Hi-Speed Start technology works to reduce start-up time. The 14-inch display offers "HD resolution", we're guessing it's 1600 x 900 pixels. Network connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, and Bluetooth. The lone display output is a full-size HDMI. Other connectivity includes USB 3.0, and USB 2.0. The SleepCharge technology allows you to charge your smartphone even with the notebook powered down. Slated for later this Q1, 2012, the Satellite U840 is priced at SGD $1,399 (US $1,125).


Source: VR-Zone

Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand with expertise in PC power and thermal solutions, carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle" and continues to drive toward the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience" in all segment of the market. This January [they probably mean February], Thermaltake is expanding both Toughpower and SMART PSU product line, by adding Toughpower 550 W, 650 W and 750 W 80Plus Gold certified as well as SMART 750 W and 850 W 80Plus Bronze certified PSUs to fulfill mainstream users' and enthusiasts' requirement.

Rambus Inc., one of the world's premier technology licensing companies, today announced it has acquired privately-held Unity Semiconductor, an innovative memory technology company for an aggregate of $35 million in cash. As part of this acquisition, the Unity team members have joined Rambus to continue developing innovations and solutions for next-generation non-volatile memory. This acquisition will expand the breadth of Rambus' breakthrough memory technologies and will open up new markets for licensing. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the acquisition and it has closed.

May good fortune come to you in the Year of Dragon 2012! Team Group Inc. presents Team C121 Lucky Dragon USB Disk to make another auspicious and lucky year! C121 Lucky Dragon integrates chic technology and Chinese totems and adopts the brilliant one-finger push-based mechanism. It is compact and attractive as a popular 3C product in 2012, specially crafted to create unique personal styles for personal use or as gifts.

Team C121 Lucky Dragon is compact with push-based mechanism to prevent cap loss and to ensure outstanding protection and simple operation. The item is compatible with USB 2.0 transfer interface, offering 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities to choose from. Meanwhile, it supports hot plug and plug-and-play, also compatible with USB 1.1 transfer interface to store and read information anytime, anywhere. In addition, its brilliant and user friendly strap holes to allow users to easily connect with other everyday mobile belongings to increase its convenience. Team C121 is the best assistant for carrying documents and running multi-media or digital photos.

Announced back in October, Raidmax's Seiran mid-tower chassis has now finally made its way into European stores. Coming in three color versions - black, red and white, this case measures 490 (L) x 205 (W) x 485 (H) mm and features ATX and micro ATX motherboard support, a front I/O panel with USB 2.0 (x 2), USB 3.0 (x 1) and audio (x 2) ports, and a built-in fan controller.

Raidmax's creation also has six internal 3.5-inch bays, tool-free drive mounting systems, three pre-drilled holes for watercooling tubing, and two 120 mm fans - one equipped with LEDs (red LEDs for the black and red versions, blue LEDs for the white model) in front and one without lights at the back.

The Seiran bears a recommended price tag of 69.90 Euro but it can already be found on sale @ 62 Euro.

In a significant development, AMD reportedly disclosed at the Financial Analyst Day event that it has begun manufacturing its "Trinity" accelerated processing units (APUs) at IBM's foundries. With the creation of Global Foundries, AMD went fabless, relying on Global Foundries (its former manufacturing division) and the likes of TSMC to manufacture its products. Till date, Global Foundries has handled manufacture of most of AMD's CPU products, and socket FM1 APUs, while BGA APUs and chipset have been manufactured at TSMC.

What makes AMD's partnership with IBM for manufacturing a significant development is the fact that IBM can handle high-volume production, and has a proven track-record with semiconductor manufacturing process R&D, it also holds a wide range of silicon fabrication IP, rivaled only by Intel. Chips manufactured at IBM will only add to the volumes created by Global Foundries, Big Blue won't completely replace it as AMD's foundry partner. The ability to ship in greater volumes plays a significant role in scoring design wins, apart from pure performance of the product. For example, Lenovo would want to be absolutely sure you can ship in large quantities before designing a major product around your chip.

Source: Xbit Labs

Singapore-based company Artivision Technologies has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary ArtiMedia Pte signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with chip titan Intel Corp. This MOU will allow Artimedia's front-end in-video advertising platform and back-end advertisement serving technology to be incorporated into Intel's Software Development Kit (SDK) that has Intel's "Wi-Fi Direct" technology (Wi-Fi Direct enables mobile and other devices to connect directly with each other and to transfer and share content like images, pictures and videos).

A definitive agreement between Intel and Artimedia is expected to be inked once "the first working SDK with Artimedia's front-end and back-end technology is deployed on a demo mobile device." The final agreement will cover the license fee per installation in each Intel platform, an equally-split revenue sharing model and a non-competition commitment. Moreover, Intel Capital will be given the first opportunity to invest in Artimedia.

A scamster has managed to pull off a fake "Intel Core i7-990X" processor. An unsuspecting buyer paid hundreds of dollars for a Core i7-990X six-core LGA1366 processor, only to end up with a badly-done fake. The fake chip is a worthless LGA775 Pentium, on which the IHS markings of a Core i7-990X have been etched. Intel and AMD put tiny windows on their retail processor boxes so buyers could see these markings before breaking open the company seal. At least in the case of Intel's product boxes, the windows aren't big enough to let you see the entire CPU package. In case of this chip, the buyer couldn't have spotted that the chip was an LGA775 (and not LGA1366), and couldn't spot the 3D hologram and serial number sticker that's found on the obverse side of the package, under the IHS. The thread where this fake was reported can be read here.


Source: CPU World

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the appointment of D. Mark Durcan as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. Mr. Durcan will also serve as a Director on Micron's Board of Directors. The appointments come after the company reported that Steven R. Appleton, longtime Micron Chairman and CEO, passed away in a Feb. 3 airplane accident in Boise.

The Board of Directors also announced the appointment of Director Robert E. Switz as Chairman of the Board and Mark W. Adams as President. Mr. Switz has served as a Director since 2006 and is the former Chairman and CEO of ADC Telecommunications. He has previously served as chair of the Micron Board's Audit and Governance committees. Mr. Adams joined the company in 2006 and served most recently as Vice President of Worldwide Sales.

Donya Japan unveiled a new value mechanical gaming keyboard, the N-YKB-F2139L. Although the manufacturer of the switches is not known, it appears similar to those made by ALPS Electronics. The keyboard has a standard 109-key QWERTY layout with English and Japanese hybrid keyset. The keyboard includes special orange-colored replacement keys for the W, A, S, D, and arrow keys. These keys have rubberized surfaces with bumps that improve tactile location and comfort in extended gaming sessions. The keyboard measures 465 x 165 x 35 mm (WxDxH), weighing 1 kg (mechanical keyboards tend to weigh more, 1 kg is Kosher). The keyboard uses USB interface with electronics that increase NKRO. The cable is 1.3 meters long. The N-YKB-F2139L is priced at 4,999 JPY (US $65.2).

As notebooks get slimmer with the advent of Intel's Ultrabook specification, designers will be faced with hurdles when it comes to choosing the right materials that give their products the sturdiness of conventional notebooks, while not adding to the weight much. ABS plastic might not cut it anymore, and designers might be forced to follow the footsteps of Apple, by designing chassis similar to its Apple Unibody, which is milled out of a single block of aluminum, and offers better structural rigidity and heat dissipation compared to ABS, at those extremely compact dimensions.

Major notebook ODM Quanta Computer is making large scale purchases of CNC machines to gear up for an influx of designs (mostly Ultrabook), that employ metal uni-bodies. Quanta is a contract-manufacturer to some of the biggest notebook brands. With the increasing labor costs in China possibly set to affect ODMs' 3-5% gross margins, ODMs are becoming more aggressive about controlling their costs, and vertical integration has become a major tactic to help reduce costs. What this means to the end-user is that a good proportion of Ultrabooks will employ metal uni-bodies.


Source: DigiTimes

Memory industry major Kingston is working towards reducing prices of its products that are based on NAND flash memory. This includes a large chunk of Kingston's product portfolio, as the only products excluded would be DRAM. NAND flash-based products include memory cards, USB flash drives, and SSDs. Kingston will reportedly cut prices by as much as 15 percent. Responding to a DigiTimes report, Kingston said that it is adjusting its NAND flash product pricing to coordinate with the rest of the industry to shift towards more advanced processes, and that it wants to enhance its presence in the NAND flash market. In other words, Kingston is clearing its inventory to make way for newer, more advanced technology.


Source: DigiTimes

PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) hits shelves this month and GameStop (NYSE: GME) is giving consumers a first glimpse at the highly anticipated new handheld system. More than 3,300 U.S. GameStop stores now have playable demo units that provide a first-hand look at PS Vita's exciting new technology. In addition to the five-inch OLED multi-touch screen, front and rear touch pads, dual analog sticks, dual cameras and six-axis motion sensing system, players can experience a variety of games, including:

Creative Technology Ltd today announced the new Creative HN-900 headphones, which utilize active noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise by up to 85 percent. The Creative HN-900 headphones also feature an in-line microphone and switch for convenient one-click voice communication on the iPhone, and 40 mm Neodymium drivers and gold-plated plugs for outstanding audio playback. Dual-mode usage allows active noise-cancellation for up to 40 hours by a single AAA alkaline battery or in passive mode without power.

Creative today also introduced the Aurvana X-Fi 2 Noise-Canceling Headphones, which utilize active noise cancellation to reduce ambient noise by up to 90 percent, and feature X-Fi audio technology for improved sound quality and a virtual surround sound effect that is ideal for watching in-flight entertainment.

Don't worry if you just installed Firefox 10.0 cause there's a new Foxxy browser craving your attention, the Firefox 11.0 beta. This fresh build comes with an updated migration tool that can also import Chrome bookmarks, history, and cookies, and features add-on syncing capabilities, redesigned media controls for HTML5 video, and support for the CSS text-size-adjust property and the outerHTML property.

Firefox 11.0 also brings some goodies for devs like the Page Inspector 3D View, the new Style Editor tool, SPDY Support and more.

To download the Firefox 11.0 beta (for Windows, Mac OS or Linux) see this page.