Sharkoon Technologies is an international supplier of PC components and peripherals, offering performance at a reasonable price. Sharkoon now introduces the Mobile DAC and the Mobile DAC PD. These are two audio converters that are compatible with the most popular Android-based mobile devices. Both devices deliver a high-resolution audio amplification of sound output for headsets and headphones which have a TRRS connection, and, in addition, they provide quality voice transmission thanks to an integrated microphone input. Therefore, podcasters and streamers will also benefit from the Mobile DACs.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today introduced a new addition to its award-winning lineup of gaming keyboards - HyperX Alloy Origins Core. Featuring HyperX Red mechanical switches, the new keyboard is built for performance and longevity with a shorter actuation point and 80 million click rating.

Alloy Origins Core maximizes desktop real estate with a space-saving tenkeyless layout for ultimate mouse movement. The keyboard features RGB exposed backlit keys for brighter illumination with radiant lighting effects and five adjustable brightness levels to enhance gaming, day or night. For added durability, stability and flexibility, Alloy Origins Core is built with a full aircraft-grade aluminium body and the USB Type-C to USB Type-A keyboard cable is detachable.

NEC today announced the launch of the MultiSync PA311D, a new 31-inch IPS wide color gamut display with a 4K (4096x2160) resolution. "The MultiSync PA311D will take its place as our flagship monitor in the PA Series of professional desktop displays," said Kevin Christopherson, Director of Product Marketing at NEC Display Solutions. "It provides higher resolution, along with better black levels and contrast. Further, the PA311D includes USB-C connectivity with 65 W charging and several new cutting-edge features to meet the color-critical needs of professional graphic designers, photographers and video producers."

Gigabyte, via its AORUS brand, today launched the eGPU to outclass all other. The new AORUS Gaming Box is an eGPU solution that features a watercooled version of NVIDIA's RTX 2080 Ti graphics card - the current cream of the crop when it comes to raytracing performance. Apparently, and despite being an AORUS-branded product, the AORUS Gaming Box hasn't been overclocked - which makes sense, considering the thermal constraints already in place with such solutions. The RTX 2080 Ti inside the new Gaming Box features an AIO cooling solution with a copper baseplate and two 120 mm fans for airflow.

The enclosure also features two removable dust filters for maintenance purposes. Connectivity-wise, we're talking about 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB Type-C, 1x Thunderbolt, 1x Ethernet, 3x DisplayPort and 1x HDMI. No word on pricing or weight of the solution, but it's likely a heavyweight when it comes to taking punches out of your wallet, as are usually any such external solutions.

After introducing a 32" Brilliance monitor some time ago, Phillips is now bringing another lowcost 4K monitor that boasts a very impressive feature/price ratio. The new Brilliance 272P7VUBN monitor cuts the diagonal on the previous release to 27", but maintains most other specs, including the 4K resolution (with the expected increase in pixels per inch to 163) and the same IPS panel. The monitor remains just shy of a HDR 400 rating (350 nits maximum) and keeps the 60 Hz refresh rates and 5 ms response time, but those are features that are well in-line with casual gamers who want to make the move towards a higher, 4K resolution. Besides, the 60 Hz refresh rate is likely the best one to take advantage of with the current crop of graphics cards on the market - at least for the most recent and demanding titles.

The panel features a 178º angle of view and 1.07 billion colors reproduce 122% of the sRGB color gamut as well as 103% of the NTSC color gamut. The Brilliance 272P7VUBN also ships factory-calibrated to a Delta E < 2 accuracy. Height, tilt, and swivel are available, as well as a 90 degree rotation capability. I/O stands at 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0a, 1x USB Type-C (with DP 1.2, 65 W PD, data), as well as a 2-port USB 3.0 hub and 1x 3.5 mm headphone port.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the world's first optical keyboard designed for laptops. Razer was the first to introduce a low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard in 2016 and has now brought next-generation optical switches to the Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop. The low-profile keyboard has been designed for gaming enthusiasts who demand near instant actuation, satisfying tactile feedback, and rapid-fire inputs.

The new optical laptop switch harnesses the power of light to instantly capture key actuations. Under every key, an infrared light beam is used to detect when a key is pressed (actuation), allowing for much greater precision and speed versus conventional laptop keyboards. The result is a groundbreaking keyboard with an actuation point of only 1 mm at 55 g of actuation force with 50% more travel, allowing players to input more commands in less time in the heat of battle.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced its first Qi-compatible HyperX PulsefireTM Dart wireless gaming mouse and Qi-certified HyperX ChargePlay Base wireless charger. Both products offer wireless charging convenience to the world of gaming expanding wireless flexibility and convenience.

The HyperX Pulsefire Dart wireless gaming mouse offers up to 50 hours of battery life on a single charge and comfortable padded leatherette side-grips. Pulsefire Dart delivers pinpoint accuracy with its Pixart 3389 sensor and native DPI settings up to 16,000 DPI. The mouse also provides three preset DPI settings - 800, 1600 and 3200 DPI - with LED indicators. The left and right buttons use Omron switches for exceptional click feel, response and consistency and are rated up to 50 million clicks.

Shuttle Inc., the global leader in small form factor computer technology, today announces its newest addition to the Nano PC solution: NC10U series. Powered by the new Intel Whiskey Lake ULV platform, the NC10U series is a palm-sized, 4K capable and low-power PC perfect for a variety of applications including home, office, and digital signage.

The NC10U series comes with a selection of Intel's 8th Generation ULV processors ranging from Celeron, Core i3, Core i5 to Core i7 and supports for dual-channel memory with up to 32 GB of DDR4. With an 8th Gen technology, the system reduces power consumption while delivering significant performance improvement. The NC10U series features HDMI 2.0a and DisplayPort connections to support dual-screen displays for increased productivity and efficiency. Plus with the availability with HDMI 2.0a, the NC10U series gives a smooth playback of 4K content and 4K HDR videos as well.

USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, today announced the publication of the USB4 specification, a major update to deliver the next-generation USB architecture that complements and builds upon the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. The USB4 architecture is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification recently contributed by Intel Corporation to the USB Promoter Group. It doubles the maximum aggregate bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.

The development of the USB4 specification was first announced in March 2019 by the USB Promoter Group. It is now officially published by USB-IF and available for download here.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is releasing a new compact and durable KM360 tenkeyless mechanical keyboard for professionals and gaming enthusiasts with a MSRP of $49.99 USD, featuring long-lasting Cherry MX mechanical key-switches, wear-proof ABS double injection keycaps, and a solid brushed aluminium top-plate. Designed with a detachable USB Type-C cable, white LED backlighting, and available in a white or black version, the KM360 mechanical keyboard is the perfect daily workhorse keyboard for the office and for gaming.

The KM360 mechanical keyboard is outfitted with Cherry MX Red linear key-switches (and Cherry MX Black for the space key) for its reliability and consistency in professional and gaming use cases with quick 2 mm key actuation and 50 million keystroke rating. Taking durability a step further, the KM360 keyboard is equipped with ABS double injection keycaps, meaning that the lettering on each keycap will not fade or wear from long term use and will feel smoother than traditional printed or laser-etched keycaps. Furthermore, the KM360 is designed with a solid aluminium top-plate for extra stability and easy cleaning.

LG Electronics (LG) today introduced a new 27-inch UltraFineTM 5K Display (model 27MD5KL) which, along with the company's 24-inch UltraFine 4K Display (model 24MD4KL), gives consumers two high-quality monitors that are designed specifically for the latest Apple products.

LG's UltraFine displays deliver amazing image quality when connected to a Mac or iPad Pro. Designed to enhance productivity, the LG UltraFine 5K delivers powerful all-around performance and the latest connectivity options. With Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C support, the monitor is an ideal companion for the latest Mac notebooks and desktops, as well as iPad Pro. LG's 5K monitor allows users to configure a versatile Mac workstation with video, audio and data transfer through a single cable. And thanks to 94 watts of power, the UltraFine 5K can also charge any USB-C compliant host such as Mac or iPad.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced that it has released version 2.0 of the DisplayPort (DP) audio/video standard. DP 2.0 is the first major update to the DisplayPort standard since March 2016, and provides up to a 3X increase in data bandwidth performance compared to the previous version of DisplayPort (DP 1.4a), as well as new capabilities to address the future performance requirements of traditional displays. These include beyond 8K resolutions, higher refresh rates and high dynamic range (HDR) support at higher resolutions, improved support for multiple display configurations, as well as improved user experience with augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) displays, including support for 4K-and-beyond VR resolutions.

The advantages of DP 2.0 are enjoyed across both the native DP connector as well as the USB Type-C connector, which carries the DP audio/video signal through DisplayPort Alt Mode. DP 2.0 is backward compatible with previous versions of DisplayPort and incorporates all of the key features of DP 1.4a, including support for visually lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC) with Forward Error Correction (FEC), HDR metadata transport, and other advanced features. The increased video bandwidth performance of DP 2.0 carried over the USB-C connector enables simultaneous higher-speed USB data transfer without compromising display performance. DP 2.0 leverages the Thunderbolt 3 physical interface (PHY) layer while maintaining the flexibility of DP protocol in order to boost the data bandwidth and promote convergence across industry-leading IO standards.

AnandTech, who spoke with the USB Promoter Group at Computex, have shared that the new protocol is expected to manifest in physical, consumer products by the end of 2020. The specification for the next-generation bus is currently on version 0.7, with the USB Promoter Group expecting it to be finalized by this Summer. Then it's just a matter of manufacturers developing new products powered by the latest protocol.

USB 4.0 borrows heavily from Intel's thunderbolt 3 technology - which, if you'll remember, was made available as an open specification very recently. Intel's contribution of the Thunderbolt 3 protocol will enable USB 4.0 to achieve speeds of up to 40 Gbps with multiple data and display protocols being able to share available bandwidth. Additionally, USB 4.0 will make use of USB Type-C's interface, ensuring backwards compatibility not only with it, but also USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3. Due to the many improvements in data transfer speeds and ability to stream multiple data and display protocols, the USB Promoter Group is looking at the possibility of changing USB's trademark logo for the next generation interface, alongside a revised branding scheme.

VORTEXGEAR, or simply Vortex for convenience, is another keyboard company that goes the path of atypical form factors, similar to Mistel Keyboard whom the company often collaborates with. Vortex especially gained popularity with the enthusiast keyboard market thanks to their 60% form factor Poker keyboard lineup, with the current iteration being the Poker 3, or Pok3r. At Computex, Vortex showed off a low profile Pok3r using the relatively new Cherry MX Low Profile switches, and the Red RGB variant in particular.

The Pok3r Ultra Slim will come with different keycap options to choose from, with some colors seen in the images below. As with the standard Pok3r, it features near-complete programmability with onboard macro support and three layers to work with. The keyboard will use an anodized CNC-machined aluminium case, with a detachable USB Type-C cable as well. Expect pricing to be similar to the standard Pok3r when this comes out later this year. Read past the break for more new keyboards from Vortex!

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and high-performance storage solutions is pleased to invite everyone to experience the next-generation of COLORFUL products at COMPUTEX 2019 happening in Taipei, Taiwan this coming May 28 - June 1, 2019. COLORFUL will be holding a showcase of its greatest products on the show floor including its most coveted, limited edition graphics card as well as other special releases including its latest motherboards, memory and storage products, amongst others. COMPUTEX 2019 will be held in Taipei, Taiwan at May 28 - June 1, 2019. Please visit COLORFUL at booth M1112.

Manli Technology Group Limited, one of the major Graphics Cards and other components manufacturers, today announced the superior ultimate edition of Gallardo series graphics solution - Manli GeForce RTXTM 2080 Ti & RTXTM 2080 Gallardo, addition of the latest valued software - Turbo Engine and LED Lighting Control. Two lightning flash across cooling cover, and flashing with stunning LED lights. Meanwhile, it is equipped with 5 composite copper heatpipes, and triple 90 mm fans to ensure working in a silent and cool condition.

Phillips announced the latest in their Brilliance line of PC monitors. The 329P9H monitor features a 31.5" diagonal with a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. The panel is of the IPS type, and a fairly basic one at that when it comes to features gamers expect: a 60 Hz refresh rate and 5 ms response times aren't the most attractive for serious gaming - but then again, this monitor isn't really being marketed for serious gaming. And there's life in the PC world besides that one.

For those users that still think this monitor is interesting, the anti-glare coating and 350 nits of brightness should be interesting propositions for a more work-inspired usage scenario. The 178º angle of view and 1.07 billion colors join a wider than usual color gamut, covering 108% of the sRGB, 90% of the NTSC CIE1976, or 87% of the Adobe RGB color spaces to serve creative professionals' (or just color-correct amateurs) a precise environment. The Brilliance 329P9H also ships factory-calibrated to a Delta E < 2 accuracy. Height, tilt, and swivel are available, as well as a 90 degree rotation capability. I/O stands at 1x DisplayPort 1.2 input, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 output, 2x HDMI 2.0a, 1x USB Type-C (with DP 1.2, 65 W PD, data), as well as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub (one supports fast charging) and one Ethernet, GbE port. The recommended price for the Philips 329PH9 stands at £809, so MSRP in the US should land around the $899 mark.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced the new Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD. The Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD features a stylish brushed aluminum finish and comes in a conveniently small, slim size that makes it easy to slip in your pocket and go. It's the perfect companion to accompany you across any terrain as it's drop-, shock-, vibration-resistant and comes with DataVault Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption to help protect your essential files against corruption, loss, and deletion. Primed for power, the SL100 Pro has superior performance on the go, with speeds up 950 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write making it up to 2x faster than the SL1003. It also features a USB Type-C port that enables the users to store and share quickly with USB 3.1 speeds.

"We are proud to announce the Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD, which is sleek, compact, and provides superior SSD-level performance at a competitive price. With professional photographers and videographers in mind, we created an SSD solution so they could travel at ease knowing their content is secure when compared with traditional hard drives," said Joel Boquiren, Director of Global Marketing.

Intel is well on its way to making the innovation delivered with Thunderbolt 3 available to everyone. Today, Intel announced that it contributed the Intel Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group, enabling other chip makers to build Thunderbolt compatible silicon, royalty-free. In addition, the USB Promoter Group announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt protocol. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols will increase compatibility among USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people connect their devices.

"Releasing the Thunderbolt protocol specification is a significant milestone for making today's simplest and most versatile port available to everyone. This, in combination with the integration of Thunderbolt 3 into upcoming Intel processors is a win-win for the industry and consumers," said Jason Ziller, general manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel.

While we just recently covered the USB 3.2 specification. The USB Promoter Group has today announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, a major update to deliver the next generation USB architecture that compliments and builds on the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. The USB4 architecture is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification recently contributed by Intel Corporation. It doubles the bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.

The new USB4 architecture defines a method to share a single high-speed link with multiple end device types dynamically that best serves the transfer of data by type and application. As the USB Type-C connector has evolved into the role as the external display port of many host products, the USB4 specification provides the host the ability to optimally scale allocations for display data flow. Even as the USB4 specification introduces a new underlying protocol, compatibility with existing USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3 hosts and devices is supported; the resulting connection scales to the best mutual capability of the devices being connected. "The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution," said Brad Saunders, USB Promoter Group Chairman. "The USB4 solution specifically tailors bus operation to further enhance this experience by optimizing the blend of data and display over a single connection and enabling the further doubling of performance."

You would have thought that the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) would have learned their lesson the first time around with the rebranding of USB standards; however, that doesn't seem to be the case. At MWC 2019, they announced that the USB 3.2 standard would include the previous USB 3.0 and 3.1 specifications, but with a twist. USB 3.0, which has a data rate of 5Gbps, had already been rebranded as USB 3.1 Gen 1, will now once again be rebranded as USB 3.2 Gen 1. Meanwhile, USB 3.1 Gen 2 with a data rate of 10Gbps will be renamed USB 3.2 Gen 2. Finally, the new kid on the block which has a data rate of 20Gbps will be officially named USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

While there is a reason for these names, the fact remains that it doesn't do consumers any favors. USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 gets its name from the two high-speed 10Gbps channels it uses to achieve the new data rate. Keep in mind that previous USB standards only allowed for one channel, and only USB Type-C connectors allow for dual channels. This, as you may have guessed by now, means USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 is only usable via USB Type-C connectors. To try and reduce confusion, USB-IF has suggested that vendors use marketing terms on top of the current naming scheme to help consumers understand what is what in the world of USB. USB 3.0 USB 3.1 Gen 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 will be marketed as SuperSpeed USB, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 will be marketed as SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps as per our sources. Finally, the newest standard will use SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps as its marketing term, not that it will do much if implementation of the new standard will take as long as it took for USB 3.2 Gen 2 and the Type-C connector.

Transcend Information Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, today announced the release of a new series of USB Type-C portable SSDs, including the ESD230C, ESD240C, and ESD250C. These drives can be used with devices equipped with USB Type-C or USB Type-A interfaces, and are fast, light, and portable. Featuring impressive storage capacity, each model sports a different kind of elegance, meaning users can choose the one that fits their own fashion sense.

The all-new ESD230C, ESD240C, and ESD250C SSDs are equipped with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 compatible interface with UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), providing transfer speeds of up to 520MB/s, meaning that even 4K resolution videos transfer in an instant. The SSDs are compatible with desktops, laptops, on-the-go mobile devices, as well as gaming consoles. They provide the perfect expansion with their large capacities and speedy file-transfer capabilities.

Years after year, MSI dominates the memory frequency record to show the strength on overclocking performance. Just in the beginning of 2019, MSI's in-house overclocker, Toppc, pushes the DDR4 speeds to 5.6GHz, setting another barrier using Kingston memory and the MSI Z390I GAMING EDGE AC motherboard by liquid nitrogen cooling. Undoubtedly, this is a revolutionary breakthrough for the Intel 9th generation processors for the first time. This world record not only shows MSI's dominant position on performance for Intel 9th generation processors by using MSI MPG Z390I GAMING EDGE AC and MSI's unique and patented DDR4 Boost technology, but also reveals team-up power with Kingston DDR4 memory.

More information on the record can be found here.

Making its debut at CES 2019, the all-new ROG Zephyrus S GX701 takes hardcore gaming to the next level with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs with Max-Q design and 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor plus the GX701 doubles down on the display. It expands the 144Hz refresh rate screen to 17 inches, frames it with super-narrow bezels and adds NVIDIA G-SYNC and Optimus technology for the best gaming experience. The panel is Pantone Validated for serious content creation work before playing the latest blockbuster games.

Even with these upgrades and a much larger screen, the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 maintains an impressively slender profile and surprisingly compact footprint. It's more immersive, powerful, and versatile than any Zephyrus before without sacrificing the portability that defines the family.

USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, today announced the launch of its USB Type-C Authentication Program, marking an important milestone for the optional USB security protocol. The USB Type-C Authentication specification defines cryptographic-based authentication for USB Type-C chargers and devices.

USB Type-C Authentication empowers host systems to protect against non-compliant USB chargers and to mitigate risks from malicious firmware/hardware in USB devices attempting to exploit a USB connection. Using this protocol, host systems can confirm the authenticity of a USB device, USB cable or USB charger, including such product aspects as the capabilities and certification status. All of this happens right at the moment a connection is made - before inappropriate power or data can be transferred.

"USB-IF is excited to launch the USB Type-C Authentication Program, providing OEMs with the flexibility to implement a security framework that best fits their specific product requirements," said USB-IF President and COO Jeff Ravencraft. "As the USB Type-C ecosystem continues to grow, companies can further provide the security that consumers have come to expect from certified USB devices."