Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Samsung's Google Chromebook gets the iFixit teardown


Samsung's Google Chromebook gets an interesting teardown from the usual suspects at iFixit. iFixit have some quite good things to say about Samsung's first outing into the Chromebook world saying it fixes a lot of the mistakes Google's own Cr-48 made.

Highlights of the teardown are surprising; the Series 5 features an improved Atom N570 processor which sports 512K more L2 cache than Google's Cr-48's Atom N455. Samsung uses a large integrated lithium-polymer battery which is good for 8.1 Amp-hours at 7.4 V. The Atom processor and NM10 graphics chip produce so little heat that no cooling fins are used at the fan's exhaust (!).

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel

Microsoft are calling all racing enthusiasts by releasing a new wireless gaming peripheral in the form of the Wireless Speed Wheel for the Xbox 360. The Wireless Speed Wheel launches in October and is a completely wireless controller, controlled intuitively with precise steering, standard controller buttons/triggers and haptic feedback with rumble. The device is compatible with all racing games right out of the box (with some limited functionality in games).


It will have a pricing of AUD$59.95 RRP and will ship to retailers worldwide beginning September 26, 2011. It includes trigger buttons for gas and break, with the rumble function providing immersion beyond current controllers. The new Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel balances the realism of a real wheel with the feel and ease-of-use of a controller for great user edge in game play.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Apacer AL830 HD Media Player adds snap on modular storage

Apacer was showing its range of memory and SSDs, but one really cool thing we spotted was their AL830 HD media player.

The AL830 is by no means a new product, but what we saw at this year's Computex was a near finished design that adds modular storage to the device. An optional matching device can simply be attached by SATA like connectors. This shouldn't come as too much as a surprise since Apacer is primarily a storage outfit and added additional storage in this fashion makes perfect logical sense.
 
On the back of the media player to get a fair selection of connectors including YPbPr output, AV output, optical audio output, HDMI output, LAN, USB 2.0 input and of course AC power input.
The AL820 looks rather capable and we look forward to getting in a sample for review soon. I bet Anthony cannot wait to put it through its paces.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Kingston drop the HyperX name into the SSD line with SandForce


Computex Taipei 2011 - I'm a huge fan of the HyperX name and with the success Kingston has had with it in the memory market, it comes as no surprise they've dropped their new SandForce SF-2281 controlled SSD drive under it.

Kingston hit the SSD market hard and fast and has done a fantastic job of offering a good price scale when it comes to the line-up, thanks to a large variant of controllers and sizes being offered. Now the company is able to separate the men from the boys though by dropping the HyperX name down and letting people know if you're after the fastest, this is what you want.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Asetek announce availability of 240mm Super Cooler


Asetek has announced the availability of their limited edition 240mm super cooler, dubbed "WaterChill 2011C", pre-orders for the WaterChill 2011C will begin on July 1st, 2011. The cooler is a 120x240mm, 4-fan ChillControl-enabled powerhouse. Their words, pretty awesome choice so I stuck with it. The 2011C uses the best of Asetek's liquid CPU cooling tech, featuring a brand new 1.5-inch thick 120x240mm radiator and no less than four fans in a push-pull configuration; this allows the 2011C to put the competition on ice, geddit? On top of this, the low-profile pump is fitted with third-generation Asetek coldplate technology and supports interactive fan control technology for all four fans. A USB connection on the pump enables precise user control of the fans and lighting effects through Asetek's ChillControl software application.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

ASUS are ready to unleash new Republic of Gamers-branded products

ASUS are set to raise the bar with their Republic of Gamers line with a bunch of new products. Take a deep breath right about now... because you're going to need it! First up, we have the ASUS ROG G74Sx 3D Gaming notebook. This notebook is a high-performance notebook for gamers on the go, it features clean, angular lines that of which nothing less than a damn stealth fighter jet has, and the power to match thanks to Intel's amazing Sandy Bridge architecture.

Intel's Ivy Bridge detailed, 22nm tech, ultra-thin and light laptops to come


COMPUTEX Taipei 2011: Tick, tock. Intel has teased the world with their Ivy Bridge-based technology, building upon their 2nd generation Intel Core technology, Ivy Bridge is expected to find its way into systems in the first half of 2012. Laptops that are powered by Ivy Bridge will bring improved power efficiency, smart visual performance, increased responsiveness and enhanced security. Ivy Bridge will also be the first high-volume chip based on Intel's 22nm manufacturing technology that uses a revolutionary 3D transistor design dubbed Tri-Gate which was announced last month.

 
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