News for Friday October 22nd 2010

Kristofer Brozio | October 22, 2010 | Google and Android, Xbox | 2 Comments

Happy Friday guys! It’s time for the news again. Over on the Mobility Digest YouTube account I’ve posted a quick look a the new Pantech Laser for AT&T, along with a couple unboxings as well of products coming up for review. So read the news, and hop on over to the YouTube account and check out the latest videos and everything we’ve got posted there..

Storage Related:

iStarUSA 4-Bay Trayless eSATA RAID Box – v7AGE420-ES @ Computing on Demand
URL: http://computingondemand.com/istarusa-4-bay-trayless-esata-raid-box-v7age420-es

iStarUSA is a company that I have become a big fan of over the years. They manufacture products that are higher than standard quality and pay attention to the people buying and using their products. iStartUSA has released a 4-Bay trayless RAID box and at first glance, it is sexy. The need for affordable and easy storage solutions is a quest that many of us have been on; let’s see if the v7AGE420-ES can compete.

Zalman ZM-MH200 U3 Dual Hard Drive Docking Station Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/zalman_zm-mh200_u3_docking_station/
Article Snippet:
"With the ZM-MH200 U3, Zalman successfully combines the convenience of a hard drive dock with the usefulness of RAID. All it takes is the flip of some dip switches and you have an instant JBOD, RAID 0, or RAID 1 array that is accessible externally."

OCZ RevoDrive 120GB PCIe SSD Review @ HardwareHeaven.com
"Today’s review product is the more consumer friendly evolution of the Z-Drive; the RevoDrive takes the idea of SSDs built on a PCB, combined in RAID and connected to the system via PCIe at a more affordable price. We will be putting the RevoDrive up against one of the top performing SSDs on the market, Crucial’s SATA 6GB/s based C300 256GB to find out how the two compare in a selection of synthetic and real world tests."

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1052/pg1/ocz-revodrive-120gb-pcie-ssd-review-introduction.html

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB External Hard Drive
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/goflex15tb_1
Quote: If your portable storage needs insist that you have plenty of disk space, without taking up too much physical space, the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB external hard drive is worth considering. 1.5TB is definitely an ample amount of storage, and having it available in such a compact size while requiring just the one cable for both data and power is definitely convenient.

Mushkin Ridgeback 4GB DDR3 1333 CL7 Memory Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-1160,1-mushkin-ridgeback-4gb-ddr3-1333-cl7-speicherkit-im-test.htm

Translation Link: http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http%3a%2F%2fwww.technic3d.com%2Farticle-1160%2C1-mushkin-ridgeback-4gb-ddr3-1333-cl7-speicherkit-im-test.htm&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

Quote: "The Mushkin Ridgeback 4GB DDR3 1333 CL7 Memory-Kit arrived Technic3D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclocking against the OCZ Platinum, G.Skill Trident and Corsair GT Memory Kits on Windows 64 Bit and the Gigabyte X58 Extreme Mainboard. You can see 2.057MHz (1,65V) with 7-8-10-27 (1T) and more in the following Review."

We’ve just got hold of the OCZ IBIS 160Gb SSD – Retail Box. What OCZ has done is to slap 2 x Sandforce controlled 80Gb SSDs (PCBs) and configured then in RAID 0 mode using a Silicon Image RAID controller. These PCBs are then housed in a 3.5" inch anodised Aluminum casing, and features OCZ’s new HSDL (High Speed Data Link) interface. This new interface basically eliminates the existing I/O bottlenecks and take SSD technology to new levels of performance, with a max read speed up to 740MB/s and max write speed up to 690MB/s.

Check out the rest of the article here … http://www.funkykit.com/pc-tech/5189-exclusive-ocz-ibis-160gb-ssd-with-hsdl.html

Audio / Video:

Swann RemoteCam DVR-410 Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/other-products/swann-remotecam-dvr-410/

Quote: "One of the advantages of being quite a long running review site (check out our 5 year anniversary in January) is that often times you don’t need to contact companies to get products to review; they come to you. However this doesn’t just limit itself to your usual reviewing fare of memory, HDDs, graphics cards and CPUs; we also get to take a look at some interesting gadgets too.
Today is one such device. Swann Security Remote Cam DVR-410 is the name, and stealthy video and picture taking is its game. Let’s try this bad boy out."

Funky Kit Review: X-Mini Max II Capsule Speakers

"Today we look at X-Mini’s bigger brother… the X-Mini Max II Capsule speakers. They come in an egg-shape design with a magnetic base, which holds the two separate speaker units together. Basically, the X-Mini Max II is the "Stereo" equivalent of the X-Mini, which is original based on a single capsule speaker."

Read the rest of the review here … http://www.funkykit.com/component/content/article/56-accessories/4831-review-x-mini-max-ii-capsule-speakers.html

Diamond HD Mini Media Player Review @ MissingRemote.com

DESCRIPTION: Have you ever been on the road and wanted easy access to your content on that hotel TV or that projector at work and didn’t want to mess around hooking up your laptop? Want something ultra-portable,low cost and just works? The Diamond HD Mini Media Player (MP700) just might be that player you are looking for.

ARTICLE URL: http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5232&Itemid=1

Quick Review: AKAI AD173X HD Set Top with DVD and PVR

QUOTE: "The AD173X looks to be a bit of jack of all trades. The question is, can it be the master of any of them? The AD173X is a HD Set Top Box with PVR functionality and DVD support. Feature wise it doesn’t look too bad. We’ve got a Full HD TV Tuner; with the help of some USB storage we’ve got PVR function which lets us pause live TV and record shows. There’s a full EPG making scheduling shows and viewing what’s on easy.
Opening up the package, you’ve got the player itself along with remote, composite cables, paperwork and surprisingly a HDMI cable, too. Pulling the AD173X out of the box, there’s nothing too flashy about the device on a whole and while I would describe the overall look of the unit as quite plain, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing as it can sit in a cabinet with complete innocence."

Zen X-Fi Style 8GB Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/other-products/creative-zen-x-fi-style-8gb/

Quote: "While the word MP3 player was hijacked with the popularisation of iPods, in the same way that band-aids hijacked the term plaster in the US, it is a misconception that either of these markets is solely occupied by one brand. One constant throughout the entire MP3 and Media player game has been Creative, makers of speakers, sound cards and more.
Today we take a look at a member of their latest generation of portable media players, the Creative Zen X-Fi Style 8gb. Quite a mouthful, but the device itself is compact and clean looking. Let’s see how it holds up under the XSR microscope."

Arctic Sound P311 Headphones @ Pro-Clockers

Review link: http://pro-clockers.com/audio/1690-arctic-sound-p311-headphones-.html

As Big Brother cracks down on cell phone usage while driving, along with their claims that texting and driving is hazardous to everyone else on the road, I’ve started to look into Bluetooth options. Specifically something that I can use with both my phone and iPod. I’ve tried the little earpieces over the years, but the sound quality for music isn’t there. I gave the wired ear buds with a MIC a try, but the wires always got in the way or got tangled up in my pocket. So when I saw that ARCTIC Sound had the P311 available I thought I would give them a try.

Mobile Related:

In his latest blog post, TR’s Cyril Kowaliski takes a look back at how netbooks reshaped the laptop market. He concludes that netbooks have done their job and are now stagnating, making it time to move on. He predicts that slates will deliver the final coup de grace that pushes netbooks into irrelevance.
http://techreport.com/discussions.x/19846

New MacBook Air Becoming Even More Flash @ eTeknix.com

Link: http://www.eteknix.com/news/new-macbook-air-becoming-even-more-flash-258/

Quote: After hints for some time that a new redesigned MacBook Air was on the way, last night Steve Jobs – CEO at Apple, revealed the companies lightest and thinnest MacBook to date.
The new Air is to come in two variants. The smaller 11.6" features a 1366 x 768 LED backed screen – remember that to get this resolution with the current Air you need a minimum of the 15" screen, so there’s another vast improvement straight off, and the bigger brother of the two will size in at 13.3" packing a 1440×900 resolution out of its ultra thin LED screen.
Its not just the screen that is amazingly thin. Both models are no more than 1.7cm thick when closed and to beat that, they’re only 0.3cm at the thinnest point! They’re also light as a feather, the 11" is only a mere 1.06Kg and the 13" just tips the scales at 1.32Kg.

Luxa2 H4 iPad holder:
English link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/27916/luxa2-h4-ipad-holder.aspx
Swedish link: http://www.rbmods.se/content/15139/luxa-h4-ipad-hllare.aspx
Quote: Using an iPad can be quite annoying sometimes since it’s relatively big, it tends to get heavy after awhile. However Luxa2 has come to the rescue and found a solution for this" They have released the H4 iPad holder that allows you to twist and turn the holder the way you want it, this will allow you to use it for when you do pretty much anything with the iPad.

Second generation iPad to be introduced with a second dock port @ eTeknix.com

Link: http://www.eteknix.com/news/second-generation-ipad-introduced-second-dock-port-254/

Quote: After many rumours of a second iPad being in the pipelines, it has been revealed that a trademark submission has been made to the European Trademarks and Designs Office by Cupertino for a second 30-pin docking port to be placed on the side of the iPad. This new feature will allow users to dock the iPad into a more natural horizontal position rather than the portrait only dock on the current release.
This seems to be another piece of ingenuity from the mastermind behind most of Apples success stories Jonathan Ives, who along with Apple CEO Steve Jobs are said the have signed the submission to the European offices.

Samsung Fascinate Cell Phone Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Samsung-Fascinate-Cell-Phone-Review/1113
Summary: Review of the Samsung Fascinate Galaxy S smart phone, which is based on the Android 2.1 operating system and offered in the US by Verizon.

Toshiba Satellite A665: Notebook in 3D @ InsideHW

Excellent finish, pleasant and functional design, remarkable hardware components, 3D capabilities, Windows Media Centre support, 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium, TV tuner with RC…
Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/Toshiba-Satellite-A665-Notebook-in-3D.html

Assorted Stuffs:

The 2011 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid Video Review

The 2011 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid is an interesting take on the whole hybrid concept. It may still be part gas and part electric with its 1.5L, 16 valve, SOHC, iVTEC® 4-cylinder engine with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), but when attached to a 6 speed close ratio manual transmission (optional CVT and flappy paddles) plus some unmistakably sporty looks, there is nothing boring about this $23,000 CAD ($19,000 US) hybrid. It even bears an uncanny resemblance to the original Honda CRX.

Direct Link: http://www.futurelooks.com/the-2011-honda-cr-z-sport-hybrid-video-review/

‘Razer interview at GITEX’
Discussion about Razer’s latest StarCraft II products and new Xbox 360 controller.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/10/razer-interview-at-gitex/

Pro Football Pick ‘Em Week 7 – Win Just Cause 2 for the PC
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/item_29274
Quote: Are you ready for some football? The Pro Football Pick ‘Em contest for NFL week seven has a Steam product key for the Eidos game "Just Cause 2" up for grabs.

Chome gets version 7 update @ eTeknix.com

Link: http://www.eteknix.com/news/chome-gets-version-7-update-255/

Quote: Just over a month ago, the Chrome devlopment team promised regular updates with regards to their fantastic browser. They haven’t let anyone down and have been true to their word by releasing Chrome version 7 to the stable channel.

The Performance Impact Of Ubuntu’s Wubi Windows Installer @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=15369
Summary: "Being developed since 2007 and integrated in Ubuntu since 2008 with their Ubuntu 8.04 LTS release has been Wubi, the Windows-based Ubuntu Installer. While most Linux users tend to install Ubuntu using the LiveCD or the alternate CD installer, by using Wubi you can setup a full desktop from within Microsoft Windows. Wubi places Ubuntu into a disk image still residing on the Windows partition, thereby making it easy to install and remove without risking any problems of messing up your drive’s partitions. While Wubi may lower the barrier for entry to trying out an Ubuntu Linux desktop, it does not come without some performance penalties associated to using the loop-mounted device stored on the Microsoft file-system."

Tech Tip of the Week: Time-Saving AutoHotKey Scripts
http://www.techspot.com/guides/327-time-saving-autohotkey-scripts/
Many of you are probably already familiar with AutoHotKey. This small and free utility lets you automate tasks and make your PC work exactly the way you want it to. The program is driven by a custom scripting language that’s easy to understand — even for someone with little or no programming experience.

How Linux Benchmarking Will Change With Iveland & OpenBenchmarking.org @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=15360
Summary: "Phoronix Test Suite 3.0 (codenamed "Iveland") has been under heavy development for more than a month and there is still at least three more months left of work before this major release will be christened. Today though it is time to publicly share the first details (aside from those that learned about it in the Augustiner tent at Oktoberfest) for one of the new components to be making up a critical piece of the Phoronix Test Suite 3.0 platform: OpenBenchmarking.org."

‘Fujitsu Siemens Interview’
The desktop/laptop form-factor is here to stay
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/10/fujitsu-siemens-interview/

, ‘Cisco interview at GITEX’
Introducing the new Cisco E series routers and Flip player.
The Full Article can be viewed at
http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/10/cisco-interview-at-gitex/