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MSI Introduces Core 2 Duo-Powered WindBOX III Slim PC

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:23:24 GMT

Need an average PC, but don't have the space for even an SFF unit? Problem, solved. MSI's WindBOX line has been solving this issue for years, and the company's newest is their most powerful yet. The WindBOX III houses an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, and while the box itself remains a familiar design, the fanless approach means that you can strap this onto the rear of your LCD and have a fully-functional PC that you'll never ever hear working. The new WindBOX also supports 1080p media playback and has six USB 2.0 ports,

Apple Debuts New iPod Touch, iPod Nano And iPod Shuffle

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:32:55 GMT

Well, wouldn't you know it. Apple has introduced new iPods at a Fall music event in San Francisco. It's becoming an annual tradition for the market leader in this category, but we have to say that this year's introductions were a bit more spirited than usual. Rather than simply overhauling the iPod touch, which just about everyone expected, the company also stated that the iPod Classic would remain in the family for those that needed the space, the iPod Shuffle has reemerged and the iPod nano has been completely

IBM Introduces World's Fastest Processor: 5.2GHz Enterprise Chip

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:43:04 GMT

Don't blink -- if you do, you may miss IBM's new processor. The company is boldly claiming that the chip within IBM's new zEnterprise clocks in at 5.2GHz, making it the world's fastest microprocessor. We're sure this claim could be challenged on multiple fronts, namely by hardcore overclockers who have seen their own chips operate at much higher speeds with the help of liquid nitrogen. But IBM's new silicon doesn't require any complicated cooling; it's just blisteringly fast. Of course, this 5.2GHz chip won't

Amazon Preps Subscription-based Video Streaming Service

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:31:49 GMT

As Apple prepares to launch an Apple TV - Netflix hookup, beginning next week when the new Apple TV ships, Amazon.com is seen to be working on a new subscription service that would stream TV shows and movies, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. While Amazon.com already has a Video-on-Demand service (first launched in 2006 as Amazon Unbox, as shown below), that service sells individual episodes and movies, some as low as $1.99 apiece. Its new service would be based on a subscription model, similar

Dell Streak Android Tablet Review

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:04:26 GMT

When it comes to Android devices, there are two inevitabilities. The first is that its popularity is unstoppable. Twice as many Android smartphones are sold now than were only two months earlier. The second given is that an onslaught of Android tablets are about to descend upon us. Major manufacturers, such as Asus, LG, Motorola, and Samsung have their devices in the pipeline for later this summer, the fall, or early next year. But Dell says, why wait? The Dell Streak Android tablet is available right now. With

The Return of Windows 7 Family Pack

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:07:11 GMT

The Windows 7 Family Pack returns, or at least it will, starting Oct. 3rd. Microsoft offered a Family Pack bundle (with 3 installations) when Windows 7 launched, but it was a limited-time offer, and in less than two months, supplies had pretty much been sold out. Despite the fact that some other manufacturers (like Apple) make such Family Packs permanent, this will again be a temporary offering. Microsoft's announcement: All summer long we’ve given you some great reasons to purchase a new PC and make the

SanDisk's Sansa Fuze+ Marks Re-Entry Into Saturated MP3 Market

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:25:17 GMT

Is SanDisk back in the portable media player business? It looks like the answer may be "yes!" The company's Sansa line has faltered in recent years, with the last unit to come from it being introduced so long ago that most of you probably don't even remember it. The company's CEO once admitted that no one could "out iPod the iPod," so we just assumed SanDisk gave up trying as Apple continued to gobble up market share. Clearly that's not entirely true. The Sansa Fuze+ is the company's comeback device, but it's

Watch Home Videos on Sony's New Digital Photo Frames

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:05:00 GMT

It's easier than ever to record cheesy videos of your vacation or embarrassing moments on the fly now that even basic point-n-shoot cameras come with the ability to shoot video, so it only makes sense that digital photo frames get on the same page. Thanks to Sony, they now have. Sony this week announced three new S-Frame digital photo frames -- DPF-XR100, DPF-VR100, and DPF-D830 -- equipped to bombard dinner party guests with both photo and video playback. "Our new digital photo frames offer consumers a variety

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty Reviewed

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:09:30 GMT

It's been over 12 years since Starcraft launched, and expectations for the sequel have been quite high*. Well, the highly anticipated sequel, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, is here and we've taken the time to play through the campaign, test various difficulty levels, and tackle both human and the computer's AI in multiplayer. The single-player experience in SC2 is quite a bit different than the multiplayer game; we'll examine the two separately... Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty Reviewed

Stuck with a Dead BFG Card? PNY Comes to the Rescue with Discounted RMA Program!

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:45:00 GMT

At this point, it doesn't even matter who's to blame for BFG's demise, because at the end of the day, you're left holding the bag should your BFG videcoard give up the ghost. The company's days appear numbered, and BFG, which essentially pioneered the concept of Lifetime Warranties in the GPU market, is no longer honoring RMAs for busted cards. Bummer. In case you haven't been following, BFG fell on hard times when it was unable to secure shipments of Nvidia's Fermi products, forcing the company to ditch its

Apple Reveals iOS 4.1 and 4.2; Bug Fixes, Wireless Streaming, Game Center

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:52:58 GMT

It wasn't worthy of a dedicated press release from Apple today, but it's news nonetheless for the 120+ million iOS users in the world. Apple has today announced iOS 4.1, their first major point update since the iPhone 4's antenna debacle. There's no mention of this release further improving reception issues, but instead, it focuses on all new features to coincide with the release of the newly redesigned iPod touch. The main new features in iOS 4.1 are TV show rental support, HD video upload over Wi-Fi, the ability

MSI Launches Most Powerful Fuzion Board to Date

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:25:00 GMT

MSI today added another motherboard to its growing Fuzion lineup, this latest one being the 870A Fuzion Power Edition. More than just fancy nomenclature, this is MSI's most powerful Fuzion board so far with support for AMD's full line of Phenom II, Athlon II, and Sempron processors in AM3 form. The real treat with MSI's Fuzion series is the cross-vendor GPU support. Equipped with two PCi-E x16 Gen2 slots and a Lucid Hydra chip, the 870A Fuzion allows gamers to mix graphics cards from different brands and vendors

Asus Selects Amimon For WHDI Wireless Streaming

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:35:07 GMT

And now, the wireless streaming war really begins. Intel has their Wireless Display technology. There's WDHI. There's Wireless HD. And even HP has a new dongle out with an undisclosed technology underneath. And now, it's Asus' turn. The company responsible for the Eee PC netbook craze has just sided with Amimon, enabling their WiCast Wireless PC to TV product line to come to Asus' product labs. Asus has also elected to join the WDHI Consortium, which signals that this is far from the last wireless WHDI device

Sprint's 4G Predicament

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:47:42 GMT

Sprint has put a lot of money into developing and marketing its 4G network. This 4G network is made possible by the partnership between Sprint and Clearwire. Currently, Sprint has the majority ownership in Clearwire. Clearwire's 4G network is expanding, and the company wants to continue rolling out the service across the country. There's only one problem: the company needs billions of dollars to finish building its nationwide network. A few financing options are possible: Sprint could fund the project itself,

Samsung Reveals Galaxy Tab: 7" Android 2.2 Tablet With Bluetooth 3.0

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:34:49 GMT

At last, the rumors can finally be put to rest. Samsung's Galaxy Tab is real, and it is being revealed in full today at the Berlin-based IFA trade show. For months, rumors have had Samsung preparing an iPad rival, but rather than using Windows, it was said to rely on Google's Android operating system in order to get to market faster. After all, Froyo is available now, while Windows 7 hasn't exactly had time to become accustomed to working on tablets. The new device (model GT-P1000) has a 7" LCD (so a fair bit

Apple Intros New Apple TV And iTunes 10 With "Ping" and AirPlay

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:49:02 GMT

Apple has done it: a new, refreshed Apple TV. Steve Jobs has called the Apple TV a "hobby" for some time, but it sounds like that hobby may be something more now. With the introduction of iOS, it seems that the Apple TV has new life. For the longest time, the Apple TV truly was a sore thumb in the company's lineup, using a completely different UI and software build than any of their other devices. But now, the same UI you're used to on the iPhone and iPod touch will be coming to the revised Apple TV, and it

HP Introduces Mini 5103 And Mini 210 Netbooks

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:23:16 GMT

HP is definitely on a roll. First comes a slew of new notebooks and a Wireless Adapter, and now the company is issuing a pair of new netbooks. Way to round things off, guys! The newly redesigned Mini 210 is a sleeker, slimmer and more powerful Mini than what you're used to, equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, a webcam, microphone, near-full-size keyboard and a dual-core Intel Atom N550 or Atom N455/N475. The unit supports DDR3 memory, measures under 1" thick, weighs 3.1lbs. and comes standard with an inline 6-cell

Sony Unveils New Bloggie Camera

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:42:49 GMT

Sony added to its pocket video camera offerings by announcing the new Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20 and MHS-TS10). These new cameras are capable of capturing 1920x1080p high definition MP4 video and 12.8-megapixel photos. The difference between the two models is embedded memory, with 8GB (MHS-TS20) or 4GB (MHS-TS10) options. The cameras can store approximately four hours of HD movie recording. The Bloggie Touch features a 3-inch capacitive touch screen as well as “touch and flick” recording controls and

Sony Adds Touch To Entire Reader Family

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:54:41 GMT

Sony revamped its line of Reader digital books and introduced the new Reader Pocket Edition, Reader Touch Edition and the wireless Reader Daily Edition. The new generation of Readers has been restyled and is now lighter and smaller in comparison to previous generations. All of the new Readers also have touch screens and E Ink Pearl electronic paper displays. Other new features for the line include content zoom, adjustable contrast and brightness control, and automatic multiple page creation. Among

HP And Hynix Team To Bring SSD-Killing Memristor To Market

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:53:09 GMT

HP and Hynix. Two names we know well in the computing industry, but two that are rarely mentioned in the same sentence, at least in the world of consumerdom. But now, the two companies are joining forces in order to advance the memristor and bring it to market in next-generation memory modules. The two have agreed on a joint development agreement which will bring memristor, a new circuit element first intentionally demonstrated in HP Labs, to market in future memory products. Both companies will have a hand

New Xbox 360 Controller Offers "Transforming D-Pad"

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:07:34 GMT

Well, here's something rather interesting. Microsoft is introducing new Xbox-related hardware! No, it's not another Xbox 360, not even a slimmer-than-slim one. It's a new...controller. Yeah, a controller. We can't remember the last time a gaming company introduced a new controller in the middle of a console's life, but that's exactly what Microsoft has done here. The most interesting thing is that the "old" Xbox 360 controller never seemed to be flawed. We rarely heard complaints about it, aside from a jokester

Motorola Warns Over Leaked Droid X Froyo Update

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:49:56 GMT

Can't wait for a Froyo build for your device? Just remember, if you flash your device with a leaked ROM, you may not have an upgrade path to the released build. That's what Motorola is warning Droid X owners. In their support forums, Motorola says: WARNING: Do NOT load the leaked 2.2 upgrade that has been floating around on the Internets. There is currently no upgrade path from that load to the official 2.2 load that will be released by early September. This could make it more difficult to upgrade to the official

Microsoft Launches Arc Mouse: Most Wildly Designed Mouse Ever

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:23:46 GMT

We're beginning to think that 2010 is the year of new mice. Or should we say, unconventional mice. First was Swiftpoint with their finger-based notebook mouse, and now there's Microsoft with their Arc Touch Mouse. The design on this one is totally new, and even old-school mouse users will probably need a few moments just to wrap their head around what's going on here. It's the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort, featuring a capacitive touch scroll strip allowing you to swiftly

Telcel Exec Says iPhone 4 HW Revision Coming

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:12:46 GMT

Telcel started selling the iPhone 4 on their network last Friday, August 27th. Buyers might want to hold off, however: the carrier also said that Apple will be releasing a hardware revision after September to address the well-known "Antennagate" issues. The report comes via CanalMX, which spoke to Marco Quatorze, Director of Value Added Services of Telcel. He said that initially, the hardware would be identical to the U.S. model. However, he added that after Sept. 30th, there would a hardware revision to fix

TomTom Tricks Out Sony's Xplod Nav Systems with Maps, HD Traffic

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:25:00 GMT

Tom and Jerry. Starsky and Hutch. Mulder and Scully. Abbott and Costello. Batman and Robin. Bill and Ted (who went on an excellent adventure). Take your pick on which duo is your favorite, and while you're at it, add TomTom and Sony to the mix. The two companies just announced a new collaboration effort that will shuffle TomTom's navigation technology and services into Sony's Xplod AV Navigation Systems. "We are delighted that Sony has selected TomTom as their navigation services supplier in Europe," says Giles