News for May 30th 2010

 

Hey it’s Sunday.. blah.. long weekend here, everyone is off tomorrow, except for me of course, I never get a day off..  check out our YouTube account as I upload a couple more Quick Look video of the LG Rumor Touch and the LG Ally.. I also have the iPod 5th gen coming for review and another GPS as well..for now here’s the news:

 

Storage Related:

Patriot Sector5 DDR3 2000Mhz 4 GB kit Review @ XtremeComputing

Quote: "Today I will be looking at a product from a very well known hardware manufacturer in their field. The company is Patriot and the product I will be looking at is, of course, pc memory and is from their Sector 5 range of performance memory, 4GB of DDR3 2000Mhz."

Review Link: http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/review.php?id=520

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Corsair Survivor GTR 32GB Flash Drive Review @ Vortez.co.uk
DESCRIPTION: "Corsair are a major force in the memory marketplace. They also produce various air and watercooling components as well as a series of very highly reviewed power supplies. Today we’re lucky enough to be taking a look at one of their latest memory products the Survivor GTR tough flash drive."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=171

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Sandforce SSD Firmware Version Confusion @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1312/1/

I have been asked that question numerous times in recent weeks and to be honest it’s a great question. Rumors are going around that OCZ Technologies has a special firmware revision that uncaps random 4K write performance on their Vertex 2 series. Other companies like Corsair offer Sandforce SF-1200 series controllers in their Force series and we didn’t see the performance cap, but we did with Mushkin’s Callisto series. To be honest the firmware situation with Sandforce drives is confusing so we went straight to Sandforce to try to get some answers. If you like SSDs then you should find this to be an interesting read!

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OCIA.net has posted their review of the Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 64GB Solid State Drive. 

"We have looked at quite a few budget and mainstream solid state drives over the past year or so from the likes of OCZ Technology, Patriot Memory and Transcend. At first glance this may seem a bit odd to the casual observer when you consider that none of these companies are known for producing traditional mass storage drives. But as we know, SSDs are comprised of physical memory chips which is exactly what all of these companies specialize in. Even so, it just seemed unnatural to discuss this new storage medium without the presence of storage giants like Western Digital and Seagate. Just over two months ago, however, Western Digital silenced my concerns and introduced their first consumer-grade solid state drive, the SiliconEdge Blue in capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. Today we will be taking a look at the 64GB model and see how it compares to other similarly-priced products."

Direct Link:  http://www.ocia.net/reviews/wdsiliconedge64/page1.shtml

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ioSafe Solo Disaster Proof External Hard Drive Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/ioSafe-Solo-Disaster-Proof-External-Hard-Drive-Review/1011
Summary:We literally set this fire- and water-resistant external hard drive on fire. Will it survive? Check it out!

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Kingston HyperX 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Kit
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/hyperx16004gb_1
Quote:  In this review we will actually be taking a look at two Kingston products. The primary focus will be on a 4GB dual channel DDR3 kit from Kingston’s flagship HyperX series of desktop memory – part number KHX1600C8D3K2/4GX. The other item is Kingston’s HyperX KHX-FAN cooler, a rather simple accessory intend to keep your overclocked memory modules running cool.

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Wintec Industries SolidGO 60GB 2.5" Silver Series SSD w/Mini USB 2.0 Review @ Modsynergy.com

Quote: "Eight months ago I was given my first opportunity to review a Solid State Drive from Wintec Industries.  They were kind enough to allow me to review the laptop-oriented 24GB SolidGO ExpressCard SSD, which I reviewed and found to be very impressive for something so small in size.  Not only was it fast because of its SSD technology, it also was flexible including a USB2.0 port for easy access.

Link: http://www.modsynergy.com/review219.html

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Verbatim 2.5" eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo: The Choice is Yours @ InsideHW

Summary:Large capacity, high-quality aluminium casing, dual interface – all these features result in final price of 115€.
Article link:http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Storage/Verbatim-25-eSATA-USB-20-Combo-The-Choice-is-Yours.html

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Data Robotics Drobo S Review
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Data-Robotics-Drobo-S-Review/

One of Data Robotics’ newer devices is the Drobo S, which is a five-bay DAS device, with eSATA, FireWire 800, and USB 2.0 ports.  Journey on for our full, detailed coverage and performance analysis…

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Audio / Video:

Title: Eagle Arion 2.1 Soundstage Speakers with Dual Subwoofer (ET-AR506-BK 2.1)  Review at CCE Reviews
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/eagle-arion-2-1-soundstage-speakers-with-d
ual-subwoofer/

Quote: Once again I am impressed by speakers from Eagle Tech. The ET-AR506-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers with Dual Subwoofers might be a mouthful but the speakers offer exceptional sound at a great price. The volume control with a headphone jack makes it ideal for desk use and the black with orange highlights make it an attractive package.

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Wicked Audio Earbuds – Wicked Empire – Knight Review  @ DragonSteelMods
Review Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16367&Itemid=1
Review Snipit:
"Up on the review block today I’ve got a set of earbus, but not just any, these are from Wicked Audio. They’ve sent me one of their new line called Wicked Empire which come in different styles, I received the Knight version which has a silver cross on each earbud. These retail for about $30, and I wasn’t expecting much in terms of sound quality, but they truly surprised me, they sound very good, they offer a nice balanced, clear sound for much less than you’d expect them to cost. "

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FaceVsion TouchCam-N1 HD 720p WebCam @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Online video chat is rapidly becoming a standard form of communication. Corporations frequently hold webinars as the most cost efficient form of long-distance communication. Every platform, from in-browser chat programs like Gmail’s to the well-known Skype, is supporting video chat. Webcams are slowly turning into required accessories like keyboard and mice. However, most webcams are cheap and produce horrible image quality. Realizing this many companies have started offering HD webcams. Benchmark Reviews checks out FaceVsion’s new TouchCam-N1 HD VideoCam to see if its 720p video support can offer a new refreshing experience with video chat.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=527&Itemid=73

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Griffin TuneBuds Mobile for iPhone Review @ Virtual-Hideout

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

Quote: “Today I have for review another accessory for the iPhone. However this one will work with many mobile and portable devices like the iPod. The Griffin TuneBuds Mobile headphones are tailored for the Apple iPhone, but not exclusive to it. These were designed to be an in-ear upgraded design over the standard earbuds that come with the iPhone. A standard 3.5mm headphone plug will allow this to work with many devices but the special controls on the wire will allow full control with the iPod and even iPhone.”

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Logitech SqueezeBox Radio @ GeekInvaders.com

DESCRIPTION: “The Squeezebox Radio is the smallest all-in-one music streamer we have come across. It’s one of the best looking too, with Logitech having the ditched the Boom’s partly matte finish for a more classy all over deep gloss. Physically, the Radio bears a strong family resemblance to the Boom, albeit one with the right hand speaker hacked off and with rounded corners.”
ARTICLE URL: http://www.geekinvaders.com/?p=1814

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Dell UltraSharp U2410 Monitor

We asked Dell to send us what they thought was their finest screen in the sub £500 zone and they kindly obliged. Today we are looking at a more expensive model – the £450 UltraSharp U2410 which has moved away from the PVA panel design of the other higher end models in this range to adopt IPS standards.

Read the review over here: http://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/zardon/dell-ultrasharp-u2410-monitor-review-a00/

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Canon VIXIA HF S21 HD Camcorder

A little bit ago I took a look at a Canon camcorder, it was a fairly basic model but it produced decent results. Today for review I’ve got the flagship HD camcorder in the Canon lineup of consumer level products called the HF S21. This camera features a nice large lens with 10X optical zoom, along with 64gigs onboard memory with the ability to add not one, but two SD cards to expand the memory even more. This camera is one that might be in the consumer class, but it’s one that is certainly a prosumer level camera. The cost is a bit high, it’s a bit over $1000, but it’s truly worth every penny if you want the highest possible quality video and still pictures you can get from a consumer level product.

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-canon-vixia-hf-s21-hd-camcorder/

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Mobile / Notebooks Etc:

Entire PowerMat Products Reviewed @ [OC]ModShop

So when I got the opportunity to review the awesome new charging appliances put out by Powermat, I jumped on it. The idea of charging something wirelessly is right up my alley, being the child of Tesla�s thought that I am. So I told the guys over at Powermat to load me up, and I’ll give them a show in return.
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1756

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Asus U30Jc-A1 Review
"Choosing a laptop is rife with compromises. Small and portable, or big and powerful? Cheap and chintzy, or spendy and sleek? Anemic battery miser, or brutal battery devourer? Asus promises the middle ground on all of the above with the U30Jc. It’s one of the first notebooks from Asus to use Nvidia’s Optimus technology for automatically switching between integrated Intel graphics to save battery and discrete Nvidia graphics for power. Neither too big or too cramped, too expensive or too flimsy, too powerful or too weak, Asus has carved out what may be one of the most practical and least objectionable laptops to come through our doors, and a great value to boot."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/asus-u30jc-a1-review/

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MEGATech Reviews – Antec’s Designer Notebook Cooler

Last month, I wrote a piece on how to build the perfect notebook cooler for Futurelooks. Unfortunately, it seems like the product designers at Antec’s California studio didn’t have an opportunity to read it before they produced the Antec Notebook Cooler Designer. Though their latest laptop cooling stand certainly boasts a few desirable features, it falls short in other areas. Let’s have a look at what it has to offer and how it stacks up against other suitable alternatives.

Direct Link:http://www.megatechnews.com/megatech-reviews-antecs-designer-notebook-cooler/

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Hacking the Mio C220 GPS into a Media Player @ [OC]ModShop

So after fiddling around with it for a couple hours and figuring out how to put my own coordinate-oriented Points of Interest in there, I discovered that this was pretty much all the damned thing did. It did the job of a GPS, and did it well, but that was all it did. Not good enough for me. I am the keeper of the multi-tool, and I know from experience that if an electronic does its job well, it can probably do others just as well.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1755

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MeeGo Netbook Performance: It’s Beating Ubuntu & Co @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=14975
Summary: "The last time we ran a performance comparison of different Linux distributions on netbooks was in late November when benchmarking Chromium OS, Moblin, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu Netbook Remix. The results were interesting, but now we have a new set of Linux distributions out there, so we have carried out a new comparison. In particular, we are looking closely at how the MeeGo distribution — which marries Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo projects — is performing now that it has reached version 1.0. Also in the testing mix are Ubuntu Netbook Remix 10.04 LTS, Moblin 2.1, and Fedora 13."

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ASRock ION 330HT-BD 1080P Blu-Ray HTPC System Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1314/1/

   "Packed with some impressive technology, the ION 330HT-BD could be just the HTPC you’ve been looking for. At its heart, it has an Intel Atom 330 1.6GHz CPU. The Atom 330 is a dual core, hyper threaded CPU. While it isn’t a monster performer, it has very low power use and is right at home for use in an HTPC. The other important part of an HTPC is the graphics processor. As the name suggests this an NVIDIA ION chip, which means it capable of DX10 graphics, and full 1080p hardware accelerated video playback. Priced at $509.99 + $6.99 shipping , this is a good solution for someone not familiar with putting a system together but looking to get into a HTPC…"

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Nightly Roundup Of WP7 Apps

Man these things are everywhere!:) Got a few for you tonight. I’m starting with my favorite. It’s called PriceCheck and was written for Imagine Cup 2010.

http://windowsphone.mobilitydigest.com/nightly-roundup-of-wp7-apps/

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The Android Achilles Heel

The Android Operating system is quickly becoming a very popular platform of choice for smartphones… with literally millions flocking to devices built upon it. In fact, research firm Gartner has predicted that 75 million Android phones will be sold in 2012, making it the second most popular mobile OS in the world.

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/android-achilles-heel/

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Review of KIN Two

A couple weeks ago I took a look at the Kin One from Verizon Wireless, today I have the Kin Two which is sort of the same phone, but just a lot bigger. The larger size of the Kin two makes it a much easier phone to use, both with the touch screen and the keyboard, and since it’s larger it accommodates a higher capacity battery and there’s even a better camera as well. So let’s just jump right in..

http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/review-of-kin-two/

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Joby Gorillapod Magnetic

Up for review today I have what I think is a must-have accessory for any level of photographer, the Joby Gorillapod Magnetic. It’s very much like the original Gorillapod, with the exception of the Magnetic part, the feet on this new version of the Gorillapod are magnetic giving it the ability to stick to any metallic surface. It of course has the same flexible legs of the original Gorillapod and it’s touch and well made, a worthy successor to the original for sure.

http://igadgetlife.com/reviews/review-of-joby-gorillapod-magnetic/

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Assorted Stuffs:

Part by Part: Get to Know Your Graphics Card @ InsideHW

Summary: We hope that you’ve got a far better knowledge of what a graphics card consists of after reading this article.
Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Graphics-cards/Part-by-Part-Get-to-Know-Your-Graphics-Card.html

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NVIDIA breaks up with Hardware Secrets
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/174
Here is a snippet:"From time to time some manufacturer breaks the relationship they have with us. Usually this happens because we stand firm defending unbiased reviews and refuse to take down negative reviews and give the manufacturer the privilege of reading a review before it is posted."

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CyberPower and ThinkComputers System Giveaway! @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/cyberpower-and-thinkcomputers-system-giveaway/

Quote: “That’s right we are giving a full system away! Our friends at CyberPower PC were nice enough to provide us with a complete system to give away to one lucky ThinkComputers reader. If you didn’t know CyberPower is a great place to get a custom made PC. They have systems starting at under $500! So anyone can afford a system from them! We took a look at their Gamer Xtreme 2000 Core i5 Gaming System not that long ago. The system they will be providing for us to give away features the new Intel “K” LGA 1156 unlocked processor which will be released June 1st, an Intel Solid State Driv e and ASUS’s P7P55D-E Pro motherboard. Read on to see the full specs of the system we are giving away and find out how you can win it!"

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Gaming Related:

Alan Wake Xbox 360 Review
QUOTE: "Despite being announced in 2005, Alan Wake has remained one of the most wanted games and this is a credit to the quality Remedy produced with the first two Max Payne games. Originally an open world game, Alan Wake changed to be a more narrative driven, linear game during development and is better for it. The wait was definitely worth it as Alan Wake comes out of the shadows to become one of the best Xbox 360 games ever made.

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Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse Review
Teaser: Razer offers a new gaming mouse. The Imperator is a high-end-modell, which should be better than the Mamba. We took a look.
Link: http://www.tweakpc.de/hardware/tests/maus/razer_imperator/s01.php

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Intel Core Coverage:

Intel has unlocked a pair of affordable CPUs, making overclocking dead simple.  Join us as we welcome the K series to the 4GHz+ club.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18988/

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Intel’s Core i5-655K & i7-875K Unlocked Processors @ Techgage

Link: http://techgage.com/article/intels_core_i5-655k_i7-875k_unlocked_processors/

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Intel Core i7 875K: worth the wait as we hit 4.8

Read the article over here: http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/faith/intel-core-i7-875k-worth-the-wait-as-we-hit-4-8/

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Intel Core i7-875K and i5-655K Processor Review

Review Link: http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/hardware/2068_1.html

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Intel Core i7-875K 2.93GHz Unlocked Quad-Core Processor Reviews @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1313/1/

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Intel Core i7-875K (Socket 1156) Unlocked CPU
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Intel Core i7-875K and i5-655K Unlocked Processors:
http://hothardware.com/articles/Intel-Core-i7875K-and-i5655K-Unlocked-Processors/

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Hardware Canucks is pleased to present our review of the new Intel Core i5-655K & Core i7-875K Unlocked Processors.

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Intel Core i7-875K & Core i5-655K Processors Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/979/pg1/intel-core-i7-875k-and-core-i5-655k-processors-introduction.html

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Intel Core i7 875K & i5-655K CPU’s

Read the review over here: http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/zardon/intel-core-i7-875k-and-i5-655k-processors-review/

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Quick Links:

ASUS RADEON 5870 Matrix 2GB Review

Asrock X58 Extreme 3 Motherboard @ Rbmods

Thermaltake Frío Overclocking CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Galaxy and Palit GeForce GTX 470s in SLI Overclocked

Update for Nvidia Removes Hybrid PhysX Blockage

GMC H-80 @ techPowerUp

NZXT Vulcan Crafted Series Enthusiast m-ATX Case

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition PC Case Review

Thermaltake Element V Big-Tower Review on Technic3D

AMD Athlon II – 610e X4 CPU @ TechwareLabs

Asus Crosshair 4 Extreme,Rampage Gene III Preview at Asus NL HQ @ Madshrimps

OC3D: MSI 890GXM-G65 Review

Nexus VCT-9000 @ PureOverclock

Cooler Master HAF-X Full Tower Case Video Review @ Hardware Canucks

Arctic Cooling Fusion 550RF PSU Review @ BayReviews.com

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

GeForce 257.15 Beta: Video shows PhysX with ATI cards

Gigabyte Odin Plus 700 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

iXBT Labs Review: Zotac GeForce GTX 470 1280MB Graphics Card

Lian-Li Armorsuit PC-P50R Dragon Case @ Benchmark Reviews