News and Links for 4-1-10- April Fools Day

Nothing quirky to say today.. it’s April Fools Day and here’s the news from around the world:

   

Storage Related:

Hardware Canucks is pleased to present our review of the Kingston SSDNow V+ (gen.2) 128GB SSD.  

Article URL: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/28708-kingston-ssdnow-v-gen-2-128gb-ssd-review.html

Quote: In the highly competitive SSD market, there is no end to the number of companies vying for your hard earned dollars.  From no name brands to the who’s who of the computer hardware industry, there are so many products out there it is getting extreme hard for consumers to choose.  With their SSDNow V+ series, Kingston is aiming to please everyone from first time buyers to enthusiasts who are looking for the right combination of price and performance.  But, can the 128GB version of this drive compete in its intended price bracket?

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Cirago USB Hard Drive Dock with Card Reader CDD1000 Review

I’ve looked at many hard drive docks in my time, and most are pretty much the same, just a place to stick your hard drive to transfer files back and forth. Cirago has sent me over their new HDD dock that adds a bit more features to the regular plain dock, theirs has a built-in card reader and two additional USB ports as well. The additional features do make the dock more useful than the plain HDD docks that we’re accustomed to, with this dock you won’t need a card reader and USB hub because it’s all right there for you. Not a bad idea overall, but let’s see how it performs when I compare it to my Thermaltake BlacX Duet HDD dock. Read on…

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15980&Itemid=1

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Synology VS60 Surveillance Station Review  @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/other-products/synology-vs60-surveillance-station/
Quote: "With the price of NAS drives becoming a little more managable and the increased capacities necessary for the backup of everyday work and family photographs increasing, this type of hardware is becoming more proliferant in our homes. However, they arn’t the only additions to your network you can make, with several add-on boxes made available by companies like Synology.

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KINGMAX “Turbo Vaccine” Antivirus (UD-01) Flash Drive @ PCShopTalk
Quote:
"Through all the hundreds, even thousands of flash drives types on the market, Kingmax comes with an interesting looking drive, which has an antivirus on it named "Turbo Vaccine", which does not need to be installed on the computer, it simply runs right from plugging in the drive into a spare USB port. It features both Windows Xp and Vista compatibility, but not Windows 7."
Link: http://www.pcshoptalk.com/content.php?287-KINGMAX-Turbo-Vaccine-Antivirus-UD-01-Flash-Drive

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Addonics NAS2XU2 NAS 2.0 Adapter Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/addonics_nas2xu2_nas_adapter_review/
Article Snippet:
"Today’s review will cover the NAS2XU2 NAS adapter from Addonics, which turns any USB hard drive into a network attached storage device. It’s a small, very portable device that also provides a DHCP server, FTP server, Xbox 360 media server, and more. Time to take it for a test run."

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OCZ Vertex Series 60GB 2.5" SSD review
"The underside of the drive gives us a peek at the Vertex’s Serial ATA 3Gbps interface, with power also provided using the normal Serial ATA power connector of course.  Underneath this outer shell, the Vertex’s PCB contains a single 64MB chip for the drive’s cache, and a handful of MLC (multi-level cell) Samsung NAND flash memory chips which make up the 60GB of storage offered by our sample.  All of this is handled by Indilinx’s "Barefoot" IDX110 controller chip, which uses an ARM controller to handle data between the Serial ATA interface and the flash chips upon the device itself.  This particular controller is designed with enough bandwidth to maximise write speeds, particularly for small writes, while the controller’s firmware is custom designed by OCZ themselves, and in its 1.5 revision (used for this review) TRIM is fully supported under Windows 7 alongside garbage collection routines to ensure that drive performance remains optimal no matter how much usage and punishmen
t the drive goes through."
http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1375&catid=13&Itemid=27

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Kingston SSDNow SNV425-S2 128GB @ PureOverclock

Review URL:  http://www.pureoverclock.com/article945.html

“Today brings both a surprise and a non-surprise. The non-surprise? Kingston has added another SSD to its lineup. The surprise? This drive is the same capacity as competing premium SSDs but retails for about $100 less. So what’s the catch? Well, the catch is that the performance specifications on this Kingston drive aren’t quite as impressive as say, the Indilinx-based drives, for example. However, this Kingston SNV425-S2 does support TRIM out of the box. And costs $100 less. Does curiousity have you interested yet?”

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A-DATA S599 100GB SandForce SF-1200 Solid State Disk
QUOTE: "We managed to get the first review of a SandForce SF-1200 product out before anyone else when the Corsair Force F100 went up just last week. At the time we were planning on the A-DATA S599 arriving before the Corsair drive which came in unannounced and was a great surprise. Two days later the S599 arrived and at the same time Intel let us know that a new driver was on the way that would support RAID TRIM and bring new optimized performance for many SATA products.
A-DATA has been playing the SSD game since the first generation X25-M. Their first product was exactly that, a rebadged Intel drive, but it was just enough to spring them into the market. Since the X25-M the company has released a few Indilinx Barefoot products that allowed A-DATA to skate by, but at CeBIT they put the market on notice that A-DATA would not be just another ‘me too’ solid state drive company."

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Plextor PX-128M1S 128GB SSD Review

"Plextor, best known for manufacturing optical drives, has finally stepped into the SSD market with the PX-128M1S, a 128GB drive that uses multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash memory. The PX-128M1S is a 2.5", SATA 3Gb/s drive, which makes it compatible with most notebooks. It can also be installed into a desktop computer with use of a mounting bracket (not included). With a capacity of 128GB, the Plextor PX-128M1S is well-suited as a boot drive. Unlike 64GB drives which can be a little tight in that regard, you’ll have enough space to install Windows, everyday applications like Microsoft Office."

URL:  http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2510

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GeIL Black Dragon 6GB DDR3-2000 @ PureOverclock

Review URL:  http://www.pureoverclock.com/article944.html

“We are looking at a set of GeIL Black Dragon 6GB DDR3-2000 memory modules that look very unique from what we normally see, sporting no fancy heatspreaders. Going with a different approach, there is a black PCB design, gold printing, and red LEDs make these Black Dragons quite refreshing in a sea of clichéd products that want us to believe that sleek metal casings can justify the high price tags that accompany such things.

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IN WIN Na 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Vortez.co.uk
DESCRIPTION:
"Better known for their computer cases, IN WIN has designed various quality products throughout the years. An aspect that is interesting about this Taiwanese company is that it tries to please both gaming-oriented and fashion-conscious users. It is evident from IN WIN product index (see Link) that some cases focus on an industrial and rugged design whereas others have trendy and stylish tones. These same ideas have been brought to IN WIN’s storage devices. The AMMO, an external 2.5" hard drive enclosure, previously reviewed on Vortez Hardware (see Link) is oriented towards gamers with its evident war theme. On the other end of the spectrum, the Na is IN WIN’s external 3.5" hard drive enclosure with a simple yet attractive design."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=149

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Everything USB is pleased to announce our in-depth review on Corsair Flash Padlock 2 8GB Secure Flash Drive review.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago when Corsair first unveiled their Padlock USB secure flash drive, a secure drive with a nifty keypad to unlock the storage by PIN code without the need for platform-specific software. Too bad the security was bypassed in less than a year by a group of dutch engineers armed with a simple 10K resistor.  Corsair’s not one to take such humiliation lightly, however, and has jumped back into the game with the Flash Padlock 2, now backed by 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Better still, the Padlock 2 is now housed in the same rubber casing as the ever-durable Flash Voyager, meaning it’s practically begging to withstand much more than its fair share of flagrant abuse. So how did this new contender fare in the hands of a crazed reviewer? Read on to find out…
http://www.everythingusb.com/corsair-flash-padlock-2-flash-drive-18671.html

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ADATA S599 SandForce SF-1200 SSD Test @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: ADATA is a finished-goods company with deep roots in the enthusiast system memory market. Like nearly every company that sells DRAM-based products, ADATA has gone the way of the SSD. Promising 280/270 MBps read/write speeds with Windows-7 TRIM support, the ADATA S599 Solid State Drive offers 100GB of high-speed storage capacity. Built from the SandForce SF-1200 SSD processor, Benchmark Reviews tests ACHI speeds and performance with the ADATA S599 against some of the fastest storage devices available.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=484&Itemid=60

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Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Corsair Flash Padlock 2 8GB Review.
Quote: Carrying your personal data around on a USB drive may be convenient, but what happens when you loose it?
Link here

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Audio / Video:

ITShootOut.com have just reviewed the Razer Mako Speakers.
Quote:
"At £250/$375 the Makos are aimed squarely at the enthusiast crowd and, as they are a 2.1 channel set, at users with somewhat limited desk space. Whilst many gamers will baulk at such a steep price tag for a bundle comprising of merely two channels, these speakers’ specifications are top notch, and with no less than 300W of RMS power available they are more than a match for most surround sounds sets. The all-important frequency response specification also speaks volumes about the Mako’s capabilities as it stands at an impressive 25-20,000 Hz."
Link: http://itshootout.com/r-337/razer-mako-speakers-review/

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Arctic Cooling E361-BM

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ArcticCooling/E361

Brief:Arctic Cooling known for their innovative cooling solutions recently launched a new line of in-ears. In this review we will be taking a closer look at their top-of-the-line in-ear dubbed E361-BM. Fitted with a microphone and remote these earphones also double as a headset, both for PC and phone.

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Microsoft Zune 30GB Media Player
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/zune30gb_1
Quote:  I have been using the Microsoft Zune for a little over a month now, and I am really enjoying it. I would not recommend it for those who want a super portable media player, but if you want to transport a fairly large collection of audio and video files with you, this 30GB unit can accommodate you nicely. I see it as a good choice for use at work, with a home stereo, or in a car.

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OCIA.net has posted their review of the Ozone Strato 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones. 

"According to their about us page, Ozone was created by a group of gamers that were fed up with the current offering of peripherals targeted specifically to gamers. This group set out to produce cost-efficient gaming gear that delivers function and performance without sacrificing quality and style. Today we will be taking a look at one of their flagship gaming audio products, the Strato 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones."

Direct Link:  http://www.ocia.net/reviews/ozonestrato/page1.shtml

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Mobile / Laptops / Netbooks:

Scosche solCHAT II Solar Powered Bluetooth Speakerphone Review

I had the opportunity to try out the first Scosche solCHAT solar-powered Bluetooth speakerphone a while ago and was generally pleased with what it had to offer. The second-generation Scosche solCHAT II (CBHSOL2) takes on the exact same form factor, but it comes with a few minor upgrades worth noting.

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/scosche-solchat-ii-solar-powered-bluetooth-speakerphone-review/

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MEGATech Reviews: CoolerMaster NotePal ErgoStand Notebook Cooler

It’s not enough for a notebook stand to simply prop up your laptop anymore; we want it to be an effective cooling pad and we want it to have some extra features to boot. The CoolerMaster  NotePal ErgoStand, despite a somewhat awkward name, seems to fit the bill quite well.

Direct Link:http://www.megatechnews.com/megatech-reviews-coolermaster-notepal-ergostand-notebook-cooler/

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3 iPod Nano 5th Gen Cases Reviewed

Today for review we’ve got three cases for the iPod nano 5th generation from USBFever.com. We’ve got a clear plastic case, a rubber case and an armband style case for the active lifestyle. So read on to learn more..

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15975&Itemid=1

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InsideHW.com has reviewed Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand.
Summary: With the price about the same as the NotePal Ax model, and the handy feature of elevation adjustment, as well as the 4-port USB hub, we can freely say that Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand is a very good buy indeed.
Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/Cooler-Master-NotePal-ErgoStand-Cools-and-Lifts.html

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Samsung 15.6" R580 Multimedia Notebook:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Samsung-156-R580-Multimedia-Notebook-Review

Taking all that into consideration, we have to commend Samsung on the launch of their R80 series. These machines were just introduced this month, and we have managed to grab one of the first R580 notebooks to leave the production line…

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Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/cooler-master-notepal-ergostand-review/

Quote: “Lately these days many people are purchasing a notebook cooler when they purchase a new laptop. This is because many laptops still get very hot and many notebook coolers also act as a stand for their laptop. Today we will be taking a look at the NotePal ErgoStand from Cooler Master, which not only is a notebook cooler it acts as a notebook stand as well with 5 adjustable viewing angles. It also features a large 140mm fan, 4-port USB hub and a great ergonomic design. Let’s take a look…"

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‘LG Chocolate’s battery life more sour than sweet’
LG’s BL40 Chocolate may look stunning with its full cinema screen but the battery life lets it down.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/lg-chocolates-battery-life-more-sour-than-sweet/

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Apple’s iPhone 4G: What We Know about the "iPhone HD"
"Steve Jobs just can’t seem to catch a day of rest. With the allegedly world-changing Apple iPad now less than a week out from launch, Apple astrologers with eyes gazing skyward have allegedly caught focus of Apple’s next world-changing product launch: The iPhone 4G. Though still hazy, details that make a startling amount of sense have started to pile up. Have these Internet street preachers really foretold the fourth coming of the Jesus Phone?"
Link to the feature: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apples-iphone-4g-what-we-know-about-the-iphone-hd/

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‘Will Xperia X10 recapture some glory for Sony Ericsson?’
Sony Ericsson’s Android-powered Xperia X10 is rumored to hit the Middle East soon. Can it recapture some of the company’s glory after they’ve been trying to find their way in recent years with a variety of questionable smartphones?
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/04/will-xperia-x10-recapture-some-glory-for-sony-ericsson/

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ASUS UL50Vf Notebook Review – NVIDIA Optimus Takes the Stage @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1255/1/

Quote:    "ASUS is really stepping up to the plate by taking one of their best-selling notebooks that offers advanced power savings and adding to it even more advanced artificial intelligence that is NVIDIA Optimus. NVIDIA Optimus takes the worry and task of manually switching between integrated and discrete graphics away from the user and handles it on-the-fly. This is a perfect match for the average user that just wants results when necessary and wants the extra battery life. With these users in mind, the UL50Vf is a perfect match with NVIDIA Optimus and GeForce G210m graphics…"

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Assorted Stuffs:

Win an Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gaming PC! @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/win_an_intel_core_i7-980x_extreme_edition_gaming_pc/
Quote: You’ve read our review, so by now you should know just how exciting Intel’s new Gulftown-based processors are. So how about a chance at winning a gaming PC complete with the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition? Until April 16, you’ll have the chance to win such a PC, and entering couldn’t be much easier! Read on, and good luck!

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Zotac Interview with Simon Greer @ HardwareHeaven.com
"Simon Greer Vice President of Sales for EMEAI talks to HardwareHeaven about the GTX 480, ZBOX and the ION platform."

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/interviews.php?interviewid=25

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WinX DVD Ripper Platinum 5.9
Review  Link : http://www.bayreviews.com/computers/3381-winx-dvd-ripper-platinum-59
Quote : "I don’t usually rip DVD’s but when I got the chance to try out the WinX DVD Ripper Platinum software, I just couldn’t resist. It is a very light weight tool that you can use to copy or rip almost any DVD movie to many popular formats like AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, 3GP (Blackberry and others), iPod/iPad, PSP and more. It is pretty easy to use and the ripping is fast too."

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Mac OS X 10.6.2 vs. Ubuntu 10.04 Performance @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=14723
Summary: "While we are just weeks away from delivering the most comprehensive Mac OS X vs. Windows 7 vs. Linux benchmarks, and Apple is on the heels of releasing the major Mac OS X 10.6.3 update, for those impatient ones today we have published an extensive set of tests comparing the performance of Mac OS X 10.6.2 against a development build of Ubuntu 10.04. This is our first time exploring how Canonical’s Lucid Lynx can compete with Apple’s Snow Leopard."

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Internet cafés might spy to help combat terrorism

If you are using public Wi-Fi in London any time soon then you had better be on your guard, the administrator of the Wi-Fi service may be watching you.

Apparently British police have asked all those who offer public web access in the UK capital to voluntarily keep an eye on what their customers are up to and to check what sort of things they are downloading, and of course to report any suspicious activity.

Read more at GeekWithLaptop.com

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Win yet another Dell XPS 16 Laptop with Dell Outlet & OC3D.
Quote: Following the success of last months competition Dell Outlet are giving OC3D readers yet another chance to win an awesome XPS 16 Laptop.
Link here

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Quick Links:

Wii Games Releases for April 2010 @ Wii digest

Thermaltake PWB 100 @ Bjorn3D

Xigmatek Utgard Review

Thermaltake Contac 29 CPU Cooler Review

Ozone Ground Level Mouse Pads @ LanOC Reviews

Gigabyte Ghost Xtreme GM-M8000X Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews

Logitech Gaming Mouse G500 @ Barry’s Review Blog

Steel Series Xai @ LanOC Reviews

Noctua NH-D14 Review at Overclockers Online

ASRock P55DE3 (P55 Express) Motherboard

Gigabyte 790XT-USB3 @ Bjorn3D

Thermaltake SpinQ Six Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Sapphire HD5770 Crossfire Review

Catalyst vs. Mesa Performance With Ubuntu 10.04 @ Phoronix

FSP Group Zen 400 Watt Fanless Silent Power Supply Review @ Tweaknews

Antec Truepower New 750W Power Supply Review @ ThinkComputers.org

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 Video Card Overclocked

AMD Athlon-II X2-255 AM3 Processor @ Benchmark Reviews

Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD7 LGA 1156 Motherboard Review @ Hardware Canucks

NVIDIA GeForce GTX480 Video Card Review

Sapphire TOXIC HD5850 2GB DDR5 Video Card Review

Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 400 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Fractal Design Define R2 Midi-Tower Review on Technic3D

GPU WARS! NVIDIA GTX 480 vs ATI RADEON HD 5870! VGA Card Battle!

In Win Maelstrom Case Review @ Verdis Reviews

Thermalright Venomous X Review

Steel Series Kinzu @ LanOC Reviews

Noctua NH-D14 Heatpipe Cooler Review @ XtremeComputing

Lamptron FC5 Fan Controller Review @ Hardware Canucks

Steel Series 4HD @ LanOC Reviews

NVIDIA Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

Micro Cool Banchetto 101 @ High Tech Reviews

Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 – GF100 Has Landed @ Techgage