News For May 21st 2010

Kristofer Brozio | May 21, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Happy Friday to you all! Check back later and my review of the Nextar GPS will be posted and be sure to check our YouTube account as well later as I’ll be uploading Quick Look videos of the Kin Two and the Sanyo Mirro.. For now check out all of the news from around the world..

Storage Related:

OCZ Vertex 2 100GB @ PureOverclock

Review URL: http://www.pureoverclock.com/article983.html

“OCZ has an extensive SSD lineup that’s impressed us in the past. Today we look at the SandForce-based OCZ Vertex 2, in what appears to be a promising successor to the popular Vertex. But how fast is it? Oh, it’s fast alright. Looks like there’s a new king on the dragstrip.”

Samsung SATA Blu-ray Player/DVD Burner Combo Drive @ Barry’s Review Blog

Review Link:http://tinyurl.com/23l7ltl

Quote:Sometimes reviews are born out of necessity rather than requirements or desire. After years of reliable service, my old DVD burner in my gaming rig (which I am, ironically about to rebuild) finally gave up the ghost. So it was time for a more up-to-date replacement. Which brings us to the subject of my latest review—the Samsung SATA Blu-ray Player/DVD Burner Combo Drive.

iStarUSA BPU-2535V2 2 x 2.5" SATA Hot-Swap Drive Cage Review

Today for review I’ve got a drive cage from iStarUSA called the BPU-2535V2 that holds two 2.5” SATA hard drives, in the space of a single 3.5” bay. Each bay of the cage locks individually, and you can use either one or both or just swap drives as needed. I swap a lot of drives in and out of my computer for testing and I found this to be a very useful product to have in my computer. So read on to learn more..

Links: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16278&Itemid=1

Crucial RealSSD C300 128GB Solid State Drive
QUOTE: "Last week Crucial released a firmware update that fixed the issues with TRIM and even though Crucial spent many hours testing the software, a compatibility issue popped up with some popular enthusiast motherboards and the firmware update tool, so the new update was pulled from Crucial’s website. With V2 firmware now out of reach for consumers, Crucial is working feverously to get a new update tool ready. At anytime the firmware and new update tool will be released and it appears that Crucial is going to be able to escape heavy criticism from both the tech media and consumers. We will cover this topic more in our next installment of The State of Solid State coming just after Computex.

G.Skill DDR3-1600 CL7 6GB PI Series DDR3 Memory Kit Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1302/1/

"A few weeks back we took a look at G.Skill’s ECO series of DDR3 memory. The kit we reviewed, the G.Skill DDR3-1600C7 ECO Series, were binned for low voltage operation while running high frequencies and tight timings. Today’s kit are the DDR3-1600C7 Pi Series with part number F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI and are part of the PI Series. Counter to the ECO series, the PI Series is marketed towards the other end of the spectrum with performance in mind…"

Unitek USB 3.0 TO SATA ADAPTER Review

Today for review I’ve got an SATA to USB 3.0 adapter from Unitek, it was provided by USBFever.com for our review today. This adapter is like others that utilize USB 2.0 on the market, but this one of course uses the USB 3.0 specification and connection. It’s simple to use, it works and works well… Read on…

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16290&Itemid=1

Crucial Ballistix 4GB Kit DDR3-1600 CL8 BL2KIT25664BN1608 Memory Review
Link: http://www.ocinside.de/html/results/crucial_ballistix_4gb_pc3_12800.html

After the recently tested DDR3 Triple Channel memory kit without heatspreader, a new ocinside.de review of a Dual Channel kit with heatsink and higher clock rates is now published.
The Crucial Ballistix PC3-12800 CL8 4GB DDR3 RAM kit contains two 2GB modules, which just needs a little voltage increasement to operate at DDR3-1600 CL8.
In the current review we will see, how far the memory modules can be overclocked and how the kit performs against other memory modules.

Intel X25-V 40GB Value Performance SATA Solid-State Drive Review

While SSDs are still a fairly new technology, it has certainly come a long way in the last couple of years. The choices in SSDs are increasing and the prices are also decreasing making it possible to own one without a second mortgage. Though SSDs are getting cheaper, they still aren’t cheap, with larger ones still hitting some heavy figures. But even a smaller drive can make your system faster and INTEL has responded with the introduction of their 40GB Value Performance X25-V SATA Solid-State Drive (SSD).

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/intel-x25-v-40gb-value-performance-sata-solid-state-drive-review/

ASUS O!Play Air HDP-R3 Media Player @ PureOverclock

Review URL: http://www.pureoverclock.com/article982.html

“The O!Play Air HDP-R3 HD media player enables users to access all their digital content from various sources for the most convenient multimedia entertainment experience. The O!Play Air HDP-R3 streams a wide variety of audio, photo, and high-definition video formats from PCs, NAS, card readers and other USB or eSATA-connected devices.”

Rosewill USB 3.0 Add-on Card and External Enclosure.
SNIP:USB 3.0, aka SuperSpeed USB, is poised to take over the current USB 2.0 and becomes the de facto standard in the computer peripheral connection. With the theoretical transfer speed 10 times of the speed of the USB 2.0, it is not hard to see why manufacturers are excited with the USB 3.0. The good news is that USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 so your existing peripherals such as printer, digital camera and flash drives will still work. Of course, your devices will still only operate at USB 2.0 speed.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1850

Asus SBC-06D1S-U External Bluray drive:
English link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/22683/asus-sbc06d1su-external-bluray-drive.aspx
Swedish link: http://www.rbmods.se/content/14585/asus-sbc06d1su-extern-bluray-drive.aspx
Quote: Bluray has started taking over the market since late 2009 and more and more Bluray products have entered the market. Asus has kept up with the demand and released an external Bluray player/writer for computers. We are going to test this new model out and see what we can get out of it both noise and quality wise.

Corsair Flash Survivor GTR 32GB USB Flash Drive Review at CCE Reviews
Link:http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/corsair-flash-survivor-gtr-32gb-usb-flash-drive/
Quote: There is no denying that Corsair has made some significant improvements to the Survivor family. The latest GTR spanks the competition in speed and still manages to provide water resistance to a very durable enclosure.

Audio / Video:

Everything USB is pleased to announced our latest review on Creative Sound Blaster Arena Surround Gaming Headset.

Surround sound is a tricky business when it comes to USB headsets. With a siren’s call that promises unadulterated sound and 7.1 performance without the need to dish out for an expensive sound card, these headsets can are often sought after by budget and laptop gamers alike, only to be plagued with in-game compatibility problems. Will Creative’s Sound Blaster Arena Surround be the sub-$100 white knight to free us from our stereo confines? Read my in-depth review of this virtual 7.1 gaming headset to find out.

http://www.everythingusb.com/creative-sound-blaster-arena-gaming-headset-19034.html

Epson PowerLite Presenter Projector/DVD Player Combo Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Epson-PowerLite-Presenter-Projector-DVD-Player-Combo-Review/1002
Summary: Review of the Epson PowerLite Presenter, a 2500-lumen, 1280×800 video projector that comes with a build-in DVD player.
==

Hercules XPS 2.1 40 Slim Speakers Review

Up on the review block today I’ve got a rather inexpensive set of speakers from Hercules called the XPS 2.1 40 Slim. The name comes from the fact that they’re 2.1 of course, 2 speakers and a sub woofer, but also because the satellite speakers are thin and they should fit on most any desk or any other place where space is limited. The cost is about $40, and for that price they are well worth it I think, the sound is very good especially considering the price. Included is an in-line remote for volume control, but it also has a headphone jack on it and an input jack as well so you can hook up an MP3 player or whatever and use the speakers for sound from that device. So read on to learn more..

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16277&Itemid=1

‘Intel Showcases Wireless Display at DCC’
Throw 1080p Full HD display wirelessly to any device from your Intel based Notebook
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/05/intel-showcases-wireless-dis/

OCIA.net has posted their review of the Ozone Gaming Oxid Headset.

"Less than two months ago I had the opportunity to check out the Strato 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones from Ozone Gaming. If you happened to read that review, you already know that the Strato performed pretty well in every aspect except perhaps the most important: comfort. The Strato headphones use on-ear ear cups which put pressure on the pinna (outer ear) that causes discomfort even after moderate use. After our review, Ozone agreed to send over a different gaming headset for evaluation, the Ozone Oxid. The Oxid are a bit different than the Strato in multiple categories but perhaps the most important is the ear cup design as these use over-the-ear cups. If the Oxid is indeed more comfortable than the Strato and scores high in some of the same areas the Strato did, this could prove to be a quality headset. Read on as we put them to the test."

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

Sleek Audio SA1 Earphones
http://www.topreviewshop.com/sleek_audio_sa1_earphones
Here is a snippet that can be used for the review:
"Sleek Audio has packed a number of features into the SA1 that you normally don’t find on sub-$100 earphones. The first is the tunable acoustics "VQ" system, the second is a Siam rosewood finish for the housings and the third is the seamless Kleer wireless integration. How does the first sub-$100 offering from Sleek Audio compare in the crowded earphones market?"

Arctic Cooling E361-WM In-Ear Phone Review

Arctic Cooling is known for their highly efficient and affordable CPU and VGA heat sinks, but now this cooling giant is introducing a new product on the audio segment, the in-ear ARCTIC SOUND E361 headphones. Let us turn on the music and find out if these will chill my ears.
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=985

Mobile / Notebooks etc:

Marware Eco-Vue for iPad Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Review link: http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Marware_Eco-Vue_iPad/index.shtml

Quote: “Today I have for review the new Eco-Vue case from Marware for the Apple iPad. It’s a leather folio style case designed for maximum protection. The exploding success of the Apple iPad is driving accessory manufacturers to hurry up and get their products on the market. Many of them are rushed and poorly designed. The folio style case is one of the most popular designs on the market with not two being the exact same. It seems they are as unique as fingerprints. Will the Marware Eco-Vue rise above the endless masses of subpar products? Read on to find out.”

Speck ShieldView for iPod Touch/iPhone Review

The exposed faces of the iPhone and iPod Touch are ripe for scratches and smudges. There are numerous screen films to protect these devices and today we will look at the offering from Speck. As a reviewer I have looked at several Speck products and found them to make quality Apple related accessories. Today’s review item keeps this tradition going.

Link:http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16306&Itemid=1

Paradigm SHIFT: MainGear’s Unique Gaming Rig:
http://hothardware.com/articles/Paradigm-SHIFT-MainGears-Unique-Enclosure-GTX-480-SLI-Powerhouse-Reviewed/

Fortunately, MainGear is. While they’ve not been around as long as Alienware or Falcon-Northwest, the company has six solid years of experience in building custom PCs. MainGear recently sent us a high-end system built around its unique SHIFT chassis. When it designed the Shift, Maingear took a standard ATX configuration and literally turned it 90′. Add a hybrid aluminum/steel frame, custom detailing, and a cable mount system that turns what might’ve been a ghettoish kludge into a gorgeous surface, and you’ve got the Shift. It’s a unique blend of style and practicality that manages to improve system

Antec Notebook Cooler Designer Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/antec-notebook-cooler-designer-review/

Quote: “Antec is a company I usually don’t associate with cooling products, when I think of Antec I think of quality cases and power supplies. This year at CES Antec showed us a lot of new cases, but they were very excited about a new notebook cooler that they had developed. The Notebook Cooler Designer is a notebook cooler made for laptops up to 15-inches and features a 110mm fan that blows at a quiet 800RPM. The notebook cooler also has a very stylish design hence the name designer. Let’s take a look and see if the Notebook Cooler Designer is perfect for your laptop."

Samsung NB30 Netbook Review at CCE Reviews
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/samsung-nb30-netbook/

Quote: So, here we are at the end. Is the NB30 a decent netbook? Well, yes. Is it a pretty damn good netbook? Yes as well. As far as netbooks go, the NB30 is exactly as I would expect: Intel Atom, 10″ screen, light, small, and it’s packing some serious battery life. What separated the Samsung NB30 from being just another netbook is the protective finish, free fall sensor and semi- water resistance which as I said before, just make a lot of sense. Samsung also gets big points for the keyboard and screen.

HTC HD Mini

URL: http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/review-htc-hd-mini/

Snippet: “As a component of an enterprise IT structure, HTC’s HD mini should slot in easily with the suite of existing devices. Its small size may appeal to those who don’t like the idea of carrying a large smartphone. However, the trade-off of a small screen needs to be considered carefully. Stubby fingers and poor eyesight are two reasons it may not be practical. And with Windows Phone 7 due to launch before the end of the year, businesses may consider it prudent to wait and see what that has to offer.”

Zotac ZBox HD-ID11 and Next Gen ION:
http://hothardware.com/articles/Zotac-ZBox-HDID11-and-Next-Gen-ION/

Today we’re going to be looking at a product that incorporates not only Intel’s new generation of dual-core Atom D510 processor but also NVIDIA’s latest Ion graphics core into what could very well be a capable machine for a myriad of small form-factor computing requirements, including possibly taking residence in your living room entertainment center. The Zotac Zbox is here. It’s a little over 7 inches square and a little over 1.5-inches thick but don’t let its diminutive size fool you…

This latest Eee PC defies convention, with AMD guts and no operating system in the box. Is it the perfect ultraportable for Linux geeks, or does it fall short?
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18883

Asus EeeBox EB1501 Review
"Like the netbook, the nettop PC has a cute look to it that makes it easy to envision sitting anywhere from sitting on a desk to next to an HDTV. Asus, the manufacturer that inadvertently started the netbook craze, is betting that there is some longer-term viability to these diminutive PCs. The Asus Eee Box 1501 is one of the few nettops that doubles as a DVD player, but it’s the way it handles all other video that makes it a bit of a conflicted device."
Link to the review: http://www.digitaltrends.com/desktop-computer-reviews/asus-eeebox-eb1501-review/

Cooler Master Notepal ErgoStand Review
Summary: Laptops have become a necessity even for overclockers and benchers – to tabulate results, record live benching video or even chat with buddies on the forums while taking your CPU to the max. For me, it has become a way of life. Mobility was a necessity during school and having a notebook computer allows for complete flexibility. Despite that, my laptop remained powered on resting on my desk almost exclusively. While a hard, flat surface is preferable to a bed, lap or carpeted floor, it is by no means the ideal environment for a notebook, especially when it’s on 24/7.
SOURCE: http://www.overclockers.com/cooler-master-notepal-ergostand/

HP Pavilion All-in-One 200-5020 Desktop PC

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-hp-pavilion-all-in-one-200-5020-desktop-pc/

Today for review I have a first, at least for me, it’s a desktop PC yes, but it’s an all-in-one style meaning that there’s no ‘tower’ section like a regular computer might have, the kind most of us are accustomed to. An all-in-one PC is a fairly new style of PC meant to save space and actually save you some money too. This type of PC has everything built-into the monitor itself, and then you have your keyboard and mouse and that’s it. The PC I have today is from HP and it’s the new Pavilion All-In-One 200-5020 that features the Intel E5400 Dual Core Processor, along with 4 gigs of ram, a 500 gig hard drive that’s all basically encased inside of a 21.5” HD 1080P LCD monitor. Yes it’s not exactly a high spec machine, but it’s not meant to be, it’s meant to be a moderately priced PC with a good set of features, and it is.

Sanyo Mirro SCP3810 -Boost Mobile

Today I’ve got another cell phone for review, the Sanyo Mirro which is a pre-paid phone on the Boost Mobile network which is part of Sprint basically. The Mirro is your basic flip phone, but it’s well made and I’ve found that the Boost Mobile network is very reliable and works well, at least for phone calls. The data usage on the network is a bit slow, and the browser doesn’t exactly render web pages that great. The phone itself is easy to use, and call quality is excellent along with battery life. Read on to learn more…

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-sanyo-mirro-scp3810-boost-mobile/

Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go USB Modem

Today for review I’ve got the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go USB Modem that works on the Virgin Mobile wireless network offering you the ability to stay connected quickly and easily by just plugging in what resembles USB thumbdrive into you laptop or netbook. It’s very simple to use, it’s plug and play really, and the Modem doubles as a microSD card reader so you can transport data with you or even read the card from you phone. The speeds I got are decent, but not blazingly fast, then again I’m accustomed to 20/30 FIOS, so pretty much everything seems slow to me, but they’re what you’d expect from a wireless cell phone provider in terms of speed. So read on to learn more..

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-virgin-mobile-broadband2go-usb-modem/

Pantech Impact

Today for review I’ve got another phone from Pantech for AT&T called the Impact. This phone is very unique and I’ve grown fond of it, it’s a candy bar style phone but with a twist, it opens sideways to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The front of the Impact looks rather plain until you press a button and then the display lights up along with the number buttons which are touch sensitive. Call quality is decent, battery life though isn’t that great, and the camera is rather poor for being a 2mp camera. So read on to learn more…

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-pantech-impact/

Assorted Stuffs:

Stuart Hughes’ Solid Gold iPad

If you’re in to ostentatious displays of wealth – and aren’t burdened by anything as old-fashioned as taste or common sense – or simply don’t think that Apple’s iPad is quite expensive enough, check out the gold-plated and diamond-encrusted edition from Stuart Hughes.

Channel Expo 2010 @ Vortez.co.uk
DESCRIPTION:
"The Channel Expo is an annual event targeted primarily at IT resellers, retailers and system builders. This year, it was being held at the National Hall, Olympia in London lasting two days, the 12-13th May. The Expo is host to over 100 companies ranging from hardware manufacturers to software and security providers, as well as vendors and distributors hoping to get the attention of the public. Of course, here at Vortez we are more interested in the hardware manufacturers and this year’s show didn’t disappoint."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=167

NZXT Johnny Hue Interview @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/editorial/hardware/NZXT-Johnny-Hue-Interview/
Quote: "NZXT are known as one of the most creative case design firms in the world, but nobody really knows how the designing process works. Fortunately for those wondering about this, today XSR has sat down with co-founder and one of the case designers at NZXT, Johnny Hue, to ask him what is involved with the case designing process and how he got into this field."

How to Optimize Windows 7 on Your Netbook @ InsideHW

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/How-to-Optimize-Windows-7-on-Your-Netbook.html

“Bridging the gap between tiny and not too functional smartphones and sizeable notebook computers, netbooks have suddenly turned interesting to those that needed full multimedia capabilities of a PC in a smaller packaging. It’s been nearly three years since the first netbooks appeared, with 60 million being sold since. Modest hardware, the need for the best autonomy possible and a lower price of the final product all cried for the familiar (and cheap) Windows XP. Although it’s more than capable to satisfy the needs of users, the ten-year-old XP is, nevertheless, an ugly detail on the screens of modern netbooks. Microsoft became aware of that, and decided to offer netbook users a special version of Windows 7, optimized for their PCs…”

A Look at Valve’s Mac Steam Client @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/a_look_at_valves_mac_steam_client/
Quote: With the release of Valve’s Steam client for the Mac last week, Apple gamers all over found themselves with renewed hope that their gaming lives were about to get a lot better. We’ve been using the client since launch and have lots to say about it, so join us in figuring out if Valve’s latest release has lived up to all the hype.