Well guys, we are (almost) there once again. It is January and CES 2009 is about to kick off on the 8th of January. We will be there a couple of days early to give you the inside scoop. All the juicy stuff will be posted in form of news here on the front page. We, W1zzard and I, are currently stranded in Cincinnati but should arrive in Las Vegas tomorrow.

Source: TechPowerUp

Today LaCie announced the LaCinema Classic Hard Disk, suited for all fans of digital movies, music, and photography. Designed by award-winning industrial designer Neil Poulton, this attractive multimedia storage device can pack more than 1,000 movies, or 250,000 songs, or 1 million photographs with up to 1 TB (terabyte) of capacity. Weighing a mere 33 ounces, LaCinema Classic is extremely compact – a perfect storage device for entertainment in the home. Customers simply load content from their PC or Mac on the Classic drive and connect it to their TV for instant playback. No configuration required. Users will also enjoy HDMI 1080p upscaling of movies and photos.

Yesterday ATI released two updates to its Catalyst driver package, the one is actually being a whole new driver for Windows 7. The ATI Catalyst preview driver for Windows 7 includes drivers for all Radeon HD 2000, 3000 and 4000 series GPUs plus the ATI Catalyst Control Center with limited features support.
The ATI Catalyst release 8.12 hotfix is said to improve DirectX10 performance in various applications in multi-core CPU systems. It also resolves the BSOD issues using dual ATI Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFire mode.

DOWNLOAD: Windows 7 Preview Driver | ATI Catalyst release 8.12 HOTFIX

Source: AMD Customer Care

Sony today took the wraps off of the world’s lightest 8-inch notebook— the new VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC. About the size of a business envelope and roughly as thin as a cell phone, the VAIO Lifestyle PC weighs just 1.4 pounds and is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or handbag while integrating full-PC features. We already know a little something for VAIO P, but let's do the specs again. It's little, but has a high-resolution, 1600x768, LED backlit 8-inch ultra-wide display with Sony's XBRITE-ECO LCD technology. The foundation of VAIO P is its Intel Atom 1.33GHz processor, 2x1GB DDR2 memory, and a 60GB HDD or up to 128GB worth of SSD storage. The VAIO P also has built-in WAN 3G, Atheros 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, one SD slot, one Memory Stick Duo media slot and a lot more. It includes a real-time GPS, and comes standard with Microsoft Windows Vista Home 32-bit pre-installed. The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC will retail for about $900. It will be available for pre-order in four different colors tomorrow online at Sony, and later next month at all major Sony retailers. The full fact sheet can be viewed here.


Source: Sony

Hiper introduces its brand new S-Series with the first model: S625. This 625 Watts power supply has been certified 80 PLUS Bronze by 80 PLUS Program. The Hiper S625 performs extremely well and exceeds the 80PLUS requirements by far. The new S Series will offer a range of highly reliable and stable performing PSUs with the well-known excellent built quality by Hiper. It comes in Gun Metal with a new logo and packaging design. The Hiper S625 will be available soon and represents best price/performance ratio at probably the lowest RRP of all A-brand 625W PSUs with 80 PLUS Bronze certification: US$ 95 / € 72 / £ 65 (excl. VAT). The new model has also been approved for NVIDIA SLi and comes with a 3 years RTB warranty.

Lian Li Industrial launched today the PC-A03, a Micro-ATX chassis featuring a functional and user friendly design. Standing at 190 x 380 x 450 ( W, H, D), with a removable 120mm blue LED fan in the front and a 80mm blue LED extraction fan in the rear, this is yet another great Lian-Li case. Like its brothers its handcrafted and build with the highest standards. Read the full press release below for more information.

You read it. There are elements in Asia using the GeCube brand name to sell counterfeit graphics cards based on the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series graphics processors. Large inventories of counterfeit GeCube graphics cards have reportedly made it to the market and threten to dilute GeCube's market position and its image as a reputed AMD add-in board partner.

GeCube has released a few guidelines to help consumers spot these counterfeits and report them to the authorities. In the picture below, GeCube points out distict features found on genuine GeCube graphics cards that consumers should inspect at the time of purchase. A list of GeCube graphics cards certified by AMD can be found here. The press statement GeCube issued can be read here.


Sources: Hexus.channel, GeCube

EVGA, having launched its X58 3X SLI motherboard which received raving reviews for its features, performance and price-point, looks to up the ante with a new flagship motherboard based on the Intel X58 platform for the Core i7 processors. While X58 motherboards start at the US $200 point, over a period, there has been a faint seggregation of the motherboards based on the prices and features, starting with a $200~240 range sans SLI support, $250~300 with SLI and >$300 enthusiast-grade range.

EVGA's upcoming motherboard fits into the top-range of motherboards, which finds competition in the likes of ASUS Rampage II Extreme and MSI X58 Eclipse Plus. VR-Zone conducted a detailed preview of this upcoming motherboard dubbed "X58 SLI Classified", with "classified" meaning that its brand name is yet to be announced. Looking at the way EVGA has been branding its flagship motherboards in the past, it could be safe to speculate it that it could be something along the lines of "FTW".

With the official launch of the AMD Dragon platform, AMD lifed whatever NDA restrictions it had over the media to publish reviews of its Phenom II X4 processor, letting proper and final reviews make to the internet. Several tech-enthusiast websites have taken the opportunity. Reviewers put the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition to test.

The Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition is AMD's flagship desktop CPU. With four processing cores clocked at 3.00 GHz, it embeds 2 MB L2 and 6 MB of L3 cache. Based on the AM2+ socket, it supports the DDR2-1066 standard. This processor is especially overclocker friendly with its unlocked FSB multiplier and the overall positive response from the reviewers on its overclocking headroom. Here are some of the reviews at:

bit-tech | Elite Bastards | ExtremeTech | [H] Enthusiast | Hexus | HotHardware | NeoSeeker | TechReport | TweakTown | The Guru of 3D | Tom's Hardware

Empowering consumers to get elite-level computing performance for under $900 U.S. dollars, AMD today launched “Dragon” platform technology for desktop PCs featuring the new AMD Phenom II X4 processor. Even the most demanding users such as enthusiasts and high-end gamers desire affordable systems capable of delivering HD entertainment, graphic-intensive game play at the highest settings their monitors can handle, as well as quick and easy transfer of video entertainment to and from mobile devices. Dragon platform technology provides the power to do it all by combining AMD’s highest-performing CPU, the AMD Phenom II X4 processor, with award winning ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series graphics and AMD 7-Series chipsets. And it’s offered at an incredible value with Dragon-based systems available for up to $1,200 U.S. dollars less than competing systems that deliver comparable performance.

Leading global PC manufacturers HP, Dell and Alienware plan to offer Dragon platform technology-based desktop systems in the first quarter of 2009, with Dell offering immediate availability in its Dell XPS desktop line. “The XPS 625 desktop powered by AMD’s Dragon platform technology features new AMD Phenom II processors to enable a significant boost in speed for enhanced gaming, as well as the flexibility to enable multi-tasking and HD video capabilities free from delays, stalls and lags,” said Arthur Lewis, general manager of Dell Gaming Group. “The XPS 625 gives gamers the unbelievable experience they expect at a price point that won’t break the bank.”

OCZ now has a formidable lineup of solid state drives (SSDs) based on the multi-level cell (MLC) design, top to bottom with the Vertex series on the top with read/write speeds of 200 MB/s and 160 MB/s respectively, aided by a large 64 MB cache; along with the entry-level Solid series offering speeds of 155 MB/s, 90 MB/s.

The company is now looking to fill the price/performance gap between Vertex and Solid series with the introduction of the Apex series SSDs. The new set of SSDs will replace the Core series on the shelves bringing better performance at similar price-points. DailyTech took a few quick snaps of these SSDs in its preliminary coverage of the CES. The Apex series SSDs will come in capacities of 30GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB, and will offer read/write speeds of up to 230 MB/s (read) and 160 MB/s (write). The come with the standard SATA 3.0 Gbps interface. OCZ might be, as with most companies, choosing CES as the occasion to launch these products. The pricing and availability isn't known as of now.


Source: DailyTech

Mad Catz Interactive, a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today the expansion of the Aviator line of flight sticks to include two new models - the Saitek Aviator Flight Stick for Xbox 360 and the Saitek Aviator Flight Stick for PLAYSTATION 3.

Samsung Electronics America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, made official today the launch of their first 22-inch 3D LCD monitor. The SyncMaster 2233RZ comes with special high-tech active shutter glasses that make over 350 games to appear in three dimensions for your eyes. The 3D glasses are also designed so that users can simultaneously wear prescription glasses comfortably. Planned for April launch, the $399 22-inch widescreen 3D LCD boasts 1680x1050 native resolution, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 170/160 (CR>10) horizontal/vertical viewing angles, 3ms GTG response time and Samsung's 120Hz Dual Engine. The Samsung 2233RZ will be compatible with NVIDIA’s new GeForce 3D Vision graphics cards.
“More users are enjoying higher performance games and movies using high-performance graphic boards,” said R.A Atanus, Vice President of Product Marketing at Samsung Electronics’ Information Technology Division. “As entertainment content becomes more available, the need for hardware technology to maintain increasing volumes of software content becomes more important. Combining this new 3D technology with Samsung’s LCD monitor creates an optimal viewing tool – for uses ranging from teaching and using 3D modeling to playing the latest video games.”


Source: Engadget

Despite a tough economy, the gaming industry held strong in 2008 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system recorded the biggest year in Xbox history, with more consoles, games and online entertainment experiences sold than any previous year. It was a year in which life-to-date unit sales of Xbox 360 systems climbed to 28 million consoles worldwide — expanding the product’s lead over Sony PlayStation 3 to more than 8 million units. The Xbox LIVE community also grew to more than 17 million active members, as online consumer spending increased 84 percent from last year. Since the launch of the Xbox 360 three years ago, more than $1 billion has been spent on Xbox LIVE. This amazing growth was fueled by the launch of the New Xbox Experience; the broadest selection of hit games, TV shows, and movies available; and mass-market price points, starting at $199.

According to reports by TechConnect Magazine, the third generation of the SATA interface could be introduced as early as the second quarter of this year. The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO), who have developed the technology, are expected to finalize specifications, with the launch of products sporting the new interface at the same time. The first backwards compatible drives to feature the new interface are expected to be solid state drives (SSD), followed by hard disk drives (HDD) shortly after. The main advancement is doubling the bandwidth from 3Gbps to 6Gbps, but until the official announcement of the final specifications are released, we will not know what further changes are in store.

Source: TechConnect

Now that the market for Intel Core i7 supportive motherboards is well laid out, starting with a ~$200 Gigabyte EX58-UD3R all the way up to a ~$400 ASUS Rampage II Extreme, MSI finds the time ripe to introduce its flagship motherboard based on the Intel X58 chipset with the new LGA 1366 socket, the Eclipse Plus. Featured on MSI's product roadmaps as a then undisclosed model, the Eclipse Plus is a notch above the Eclipse SLI with greater expansion options, with components and features packed with keeping the serious performance enthusiast in mind. The Eclipse Plus will be releasing shortly.

To begin with, the Eclipse Plus features four PCI-Express x16 slots for 4-way ATI CrossfireX or 3-way SLI. Unlike with the Eclipse SLI, where the three PCI-E x16 slots which are directly routed to the X58 northbridge and get arranged as x16, x8, x8 electrically when all three slots are populated, the Eclipse Plus uses NVIDIA BR-03 multiplex chips to provide full-bandwidth x16 connections to the installed graphics cards. The BR-03 not just routes data to the graphics cards but as noted with nForce 780a motherboards, the nForce 200/BR-03 chips perform broadcast functions so the same pieces of data which are meant to be supplied to all member graphics cards of a SLI system are "broadcast" by the BR-03, easing congestions on the PCI-E x16 link that connects it to the Intel X58. The rest of the features are similar to those of the Eclipse SLI as listed in the roadmap slide.


Source: Syndrome OC

Toshiba is taking gaming on the go one step further with the unveiling of its Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q725 laptop. A technically advanced multimedia platform for the gaming and entertainment enthusiast, the Qosmio X305-Q725 blends features built for fidelity and speed, including: a 17-inch diagonal widescreen TruBrite display (1680x1050 resolution), high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX graphics 1GB GDDR3, a variety of Intel Core 2 processors including the 2GHz Core 2 Quad Q9000 quad-core CPU, 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, premium Harman Kardon stereo speakers and much more. Qosmio X305-Q725 also includes hybrid storage option that consists of a primary 64GB solid state drive and a secondary 320GB 7200 rpm SATA HDD. The Qosmio X305-Q725 is available now at a variety of major consumer electronics and computer stores nationwide or directly at Toshiba Direct. The laptop is available in a range of configurations starting from $1,449 and going all the way up to $2,699.99.


Source: Toshiba

DivX marked the introduction and rise to popularity of high-quality video compression standards based around H.264 and MPEG-4. DivX played an important role in propagating MPEG-4 derived standard as licences to not only PC video players but also to DTH TV, and importantly consumer video players with the introduction of DivX CD/DVDs where generic data-CDs holding the .avi files of the actual video could be played back just like standard VCDs and DVDs.

DivX Inc. announced its seventh installment of the DivX software. Based on the H.264 video compression standard DivX 7 offers playback and creation of compressed video at resolutions of up to HD 1080p. DivX software is available free (for playback and consumption of content based on the DivX and generic MPEG-4 CODECs, while a premium Pro version allows content creation by providing conversion tools. "The release of DivX 7 for Windows marks a true milestone for digital video users everywhere," said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. "Eight years ago, the first DivX video software helped create the market for high-quality video on the PC. We then worked with a global ecosystem of licensees to extend that support beyond the PC to a variety of devices so that consumers all over the world could enjoy their videos anytime and anywhere."

Source: DivX

Mushkin Enhanced, one of the leading manufacturer for High Performance Computer Parts announces the availability of a new son for the “Gold-Series” – the 1000MHz 4GB dual-channel DDR2 kit “996593X2”.
“Our customer and friends were fascinated about our 800MHz Gold-Kit.” Is Steffen Eisenstein, CEO of Mushkin Logistic GmbH pleased. “So we had to come up with something even better, the 1000MHz kit is the logical consequence.”

Intel Corporation today announced preliminary fourth-quarter financial information with revenue of approximately $8.2 billion, down 20 percent sequentially and down 23 percent year over year. Revenue will be lower than the company's previous expectation, provided on Nov. 12, 2008, as a result of further weakness in end demand and inventory reductions by its customers in the global PC supply chain. The preliminary estimate of gross margin for the fourth quarter is at the bottom of the previous expectation of 55 percent, plus or minus a couple of points.

Cisco today announced the Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio system at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. From the world leaders in networking, the Wireless Home Audio system utilizes Wireless-N technology to deliver a rich audio experience to any room in the home. Users can create a party atmosphere with immaculate synchronization when listening to the same song throughout the entire home, or send different music to customized “zones”. The Wireless Home Audio solution also puts millions of songs at your fingertips through integrated Internet services such as Rhapsody, AudioLounge, and RadioTime. An optional Docking Station for iPod enables your content on Apple iPods, including Podcasts, Audio Books, and purchased iTunes content, to be played through any Wireless Home Audio device on the network. Wireless Home Audio products also work great with the newly announced Linksys by Cisco Media Hub that gathers and presents the available media on a network.

Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) is yet another manufacturer that is enhancing its storage line-up, by releasing a new half-terabyte external hard drive, after the start of Consumer Electronics Show 2009. The new 500GB Toshiba USB 2.0 portable external hard drive (model number HDDR500E03X) comes with a glossy black finish and frost white contemporary graphics that will appeal to most customers. Inside the case is a new 500GB ultra-quiet hard drive, with 8MB buffer size and improved acoustics. The drive also ships with NTI Shadow real-time backup software pre-installed. Toshiba’s new 500GB USB 2.0 external HDD is priced at $179.99 (MSRP) and available now at Toshiba Direct and through major retailers and online outlets.


Source: Toshiba

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the immediate availability of the new Crucial.com Netbook Upgrade Center for purchasing DRAM memory, Solid-State Drives (SSDs) and flash memory cards suitable for most netbook products now available in the market. Netbooks, simplified notebooks designed to be affordable, energy efficient, and smaller in size, are growing in popularity with consumers because of their practical price point and no-nonsense capabilities. The Crucial.com Netbook Upgrade Center will help customers optimize the performance of their netbooks with the right upgrades and accessories. The complete line of DRAM, SSD, and flash memory netbook upgrades are now available at Crucial.com, Crucial.UK, or Crucial.EU.

ASUS, world-leading producer of top quality graphic solutions, has today introduced the world’s fastest dual and single GPU graphics cards incorporating the latest generation of NVIDIA GPUs—the GeForce GTX 295 and GeForce GTX 285 chipsets; with the ASUS ENGTX295, ENGTX285 ULTIMATE, and ENGTX285 TOP graphics cards. With an outstanding 3DMark Vantage Extreme Preset score of 9126, the ENGTX295 leads the pack as the world’s fastest graphics card; while the ASUS ENGTX285 ULTIMATE and ENGTX285 TOP deliver 10% and 5% improvements respectively in gaming experiences when compared to reference designed boards. Furthermore, in order to show that ASUS cares for all gamers, both the ASUS ENGTX295 and ENGTX285 Series graphics cards will come bundled with a special coupon to obtain up to $25 or 10% off on a total of 5 games or CUDA applications at the NZONE webpage.

To the excitement of audiophiles and music enthusiasts worldwide, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is hosting world famous recording legends Bill Schnee and Doug Sax at its Technical Audio Devices (TAD) suite in the Venetian Sands during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), January 8 ' 11, 2009. Longtime collaborators, Schnee and Sax are showcasing their new high resolution recordings to be issued on a music-only format utilizing Blu-ray Disc technology, giving consumers an unprecedented opportunity to experience digital music that rivals 2-channel analog sound. With this unique partnership, Pioneer demonstrates its commitment to consistently offer consumers high performance entertainment that replicates the true intentions of creative professionals.

Cooler Master has a new flagship CPU air-cooler in the making: the V10. This V8 successor with its peculiar design and size is sure to catch some attention. With the way in which the V8 was designed, it became clear than Cooler Master has a new direction with its product design, and that they looked to give their CPU coolers a somewhat industrial look. Measuring 236.5 x 129 x 161.3mm, this definitely is a large cooler and could have problems fitting in all cases.

Its peculiarity lies in its aluminum fin arrays, three in number. While two of them propagate vertically, the third one propagates horizontally, along the plane of the motherboard. A 120mm fan pushes air through two of those arrays, while a second 120mm fan blows air onto the third array. Ideally, this third array should hang above the memory modules to provide active cooling, that is, if the modules aren't tall enough. A total of four heat-pipes convey heat to the fins. The two PWM-controlled fans spin at speeds between 800 and 2400 rpm, while the noise levels are maintained around 17 dBA. The V10 will be announced during the ongoing CES event, and will be priced around 100~150€ according to French website Case&Cooling.


Source: Case&Cooling.fr

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today announced the new, fully redesigned LinkStation Pro. As the answer to all your storage and sharing needs, this high performance NAS device allows iPhone owners to access their photos, videos, files, etc., via Buffalo's unique Web Access 2.0 feature. Web Access allows users to access data via a web browser from any computer.

As the latest addition to the award-winning LinkStation line of consumer NAS devices, the new LinkStation Pro comes equipped with a new, stylish chassis and faster processor for quick and easy file transfers and backups. With Web Access 2.0, iPhone users can conveniently download content stored on their home or office LinkStation Pro right to their iPhone, anytime, anywhere.

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today unveiled a chic new design for the MiniStation Cobalt. Offering a feature-rich storage solution in a stylish, lightweight package, the MiniStation Cobalt is designed for mobility. With a simple, easy-to-use user interface, storing, protecting and transporting digital images, music and other files becomes a snap! Offered in three distinct colors, Blue Onyx, Pearl White and Ruby Red, the MiniStation Cobalt safeguards your digital assets and provides the peace of mind that only Buffalo's years of engineering excellence can provide.

Designed for the active professional, Buffalo's new portable storage solutions for PC and Macs includes easy-to-use backup and sync software, a robust shock resistant design as well as Buffalo's SecureLockMobile software to prevent unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.

DisplayLink unviled today that Samsung's new 22-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2243QW monitor is the third model to feature the company's proprietary technology. The new monitor makes it possible for busy office workers and business professionals to use a simple USB cable to extend their desktop and visual workspace, boosting usability and flexibility. Up to six displays can be easily connected and powered off of one PC. There’s no need for additional graphics cards or complex software installation. The Samsung 2243QW has a 1680x1050 16:10 resolution, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 5-millisecond response time. In addition to the built-in USB hub used for DisplayLink-enabled connections, the 2243QW features traditional VGA (15-pin D-sub) and DVI-D inputs. The monitor is compatible with both Mac and Windows systems, and comes with a pivot function that allows it to operate in either portrait or landscape mode. The Samsung SyncMaster 2243QW is available now through Samsung's official resellers and distribution channels for $399.99 USD.


Source: DisplayLink, Engadget

AMD added two new low-power Athlons introduced primarily to gain leverage with the nettop segment Intel has been dominating in. The two models, Athlon 2650e and dual-core Athlon 3250e are derived from the K8 micro-architecture which still holds certain technological advantages over competitive platforms from Intel in that segment.

The Athlon 2650e is comes with a clock-speed of 1.60 GHz, 512KB of cache and a rated TDP of 15W, while the dual-core Athlon 3250e ends up with better power efficincy being clocked at 1.50 GHz, with a TDP of 22W. Both processors use the AM2 socket and support DDR2 memory. They are expected to be priced under $50.

Source: TechConnect Magazine

Today LaCie unveils the 2big Quadra, a new two-bay RAID solution with up to 3TB of capacity for high speed-demanding applications, as well as for backup and storage use. With four RAID modes including RAID 0 and RAID 1, and a convenient hot-swap feature, it offers optimal performance and data protection. Developed for maximum speed, the 2big’s native RAID controller preserves computer resources and provides professional workstations with lightning-fast data transfers, which reach up to 165MB/s through eSATA 3Gbits/s in RAID 0. It also integrates perfectly with most applications that demand high speed, such as photo and pre-press processing or audio/video projects, including HDV post-production.

ASUS is preparing the industry's first notebook with a 512 GB solid-state drive (SSD). The ASUS S121 comes in an ultrathin form-factor while carrying hardware that puts it in the grey-area between netbooks and UMPCs.

The S121 comes with a 12-inch LCD screen with a compact yet rugged chassis. It is powered by an Intel Atom processor running at 1.33 GHz and 512 MB of RAM. Its storage is care of a rather massive 512 GB SSD. Its availability and price isn't known at this point, though we suspect that with the exclusiveness built around this product coupled with ASUS categorizing it outside its ULPC/netbook lineup, it will carry a rather high price tag.


Source: TechConnect Magazine

The Foundry Company (TFC), AMD's manufacturing division spun-off along with investment from the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) had to go through a series of negotiations to acquire clearence from the investors and the governments under whom AMD operates, to get the new company operational. It is a complicated process since it involes a lot of foreign investment.

A major milestone for TFC is the clearence it got from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a US Government body that studies the possible implications of foreign investment on national security. TFC will control all of AMD's manufacturing assets including upcoming facilities in the US. AMD officially becomes fab-less though TFC will have commitments towards serving AMD as its foundry partner. AMD will hold a 34.2% stake in TFC while 65.8% of it will be held by ATIC.

Source: TFC New Global Foundry

MSI today unveiled the EX625 performance notebook. MSI EX625 features Cinema Pro Technology, which offers consumers the finest movie viewing experience. With a simple touch of the exclusive Cinema Pro button; you may immediately switch to Movie Mode. The quality on screen will be more detailed, the richness in sound and the subwoofer as well as Dolby sound will be activated, providing the finest sensory of the theaters. Furthermore, the embedded high performance subwoofer design can create shocking effects.

Combing Color Film Print Technology with ocean wave patterns in design, the EX625 has been injected with a brand new texture to personal notebook computers. The most advanced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 graphics card with GDDR3 512MB VRAM, for a more fluid, more detailed, more realistic 3D high-definition viewing experience. In the other hand, EX625 selects the brand new ECO Engine Technology, the outstanding and unique power saving function by MSI Notebook, as the power management function to extend the battery running time while performing different tasks.

Even though the EeePC is selling like hot cakes, nothing is stopping ASUS from developing more and more Eee-branded products. Their latest creation is called Eee Keyboard - a full-sized keyboard with built-in computer that includes wireless and Ethernet network, single speaker, built-in mic, and a 5-inch touchscreen display. The whole system weighs in less than 2 pounds and can connect to an external display. ASUS Eee Keyboard is still only a prototype, but who knows.


Source: Engadget

Samsung Electronics announced today at the Storage Visions 2009 Conference that it has developed a 100GB single-level cell (SLC) solid state drive for use in servers for applications such as video on demand, streaming media content delivery, internet data centers, virtualization and on-line transaction processing. As an alternative to traditional 15K rpm hard disk drives (HDDs), the new performance-optimized 100GB Enterprise SSD can process IOPS (input/output per second) more than 10 times faster than the fastest 15K rpm SAS HDD available. Designed to remove the system performance bottleneck in enterprise storage applications, the high-performance 2.5-inch enterprise drive reads data sequentially at 230 megabytes per second and writes sequentially at 180 MB/s. The 100GB SSD’s advanced performance is attributed to a sophisticated 8-channel controller, improved NAND flash and special drive firmware, all developed by Samsung. The drive also consumes only 1.9 watts of power in seek mode and 0.6 watts in idle mode, reducing power and heat loads to minimum. Samsung intends to start mass producing the 100GB SS805 drive in the first quarter of 2009.

Source: Network World

BFG Technologies, known as a leading supplier of premium power supplies and 3D graphics cards, is excited to announce its first line of complete gaming and multimedia PCs, called Phobos. These sleek hand-built, high performance machines were designed with the "Graduated Gamer" i