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Killing Floor Update Released
Tripwire Interactive have released a substantial update for Killing Floor, the cooperative survival horror first-person shooter video game. There are a number of bug fixes from all areas of the game,...
Categories: Network
Steam Weekend Deal Detailed & 2K Huge Game Pack Announced
This week's Steam weekend deal is 50% off Fallout 3. Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. The game allows the player to freely explorer a post nuclear war waste...
Categories: Network
Techconnect Review Round-up 2/7/09
CPU & Motherboard
- ASRock X58 Extreme Intel X58+ICH10R Core i7 Mainboard @ OCWorkbench
- Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H (AMD 790GX) @ HardwareZone
- EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified Motherboard @ HotHardware
- GIGABYTE MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 Motherboard @ TweakTown
- Biostar TA790GX XE @ TrustedReviews
Storage
- OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD @ Hexus
- Kingston SSDNow M-Series SSD Upgrade Kit @ TweakTown
- Iomega eGo 320GB pocket external hard drive @ RegHardware
Graphics cards
- Sapphire Toxic HD 4890 Vapor-X @ Guru3D
- Sparkle GeForce GTX 275 Video Card @ Legit Reviews
- Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 @ Ultimate Hardware
Enclosures & PSUs
- OCZ FATAL1TY 550w PSU @ Tech-Reviews
- NZXT Khaos â Aluminum Full Tower @ Techware Labs
- Maxcube Amoris 6010 case @ Overclockers Club
- Corsair CX400W Power Supply @ Hardware Secrets
- Thermaltake V9 case @ AMDZone
- NZXT Panzerbox Mid Tower Case @ Hardware Canucks
- ThermalTake VF7001BNS DH101 enclosure @ OC Online
- In Win Matrix HTPC Case @ HitTech Legion
- Antec CP-850w PSU @ XSReviews
- Enermax Liberty Eco 620W Power Supply @ [H] Enthusiast
Displays
- Samsung UE40B7000 @ TechRadar
Cooling and modding
- Nexus TDD-9000 Liquid Cooling Pad Laptop Cooler and CoolIT Domino A.L.C Watercooling Kit
- Kingwin XT-1264 HTC Cooler @ OCIA
- Evercool Buffalo CPU cooler @ Pure OC
Peripherals
- Jetart MP2000 Multi-Functional Pad @ Hardware Bistro
- Rosewill RM-8500 mouse @ Bjorn3d
PCs
- Lenovo ThinkPad T500 Laptop @ DriverHeaven
- HP Pavilion dv2-1030ea @ TechRadar
- Acer Aspire Timeline 5810T-354G32Mn @ TrustedReviews
- Toshiba NB200 @ RegHardware
Photo and video cameras
- Sony HDR-TG7 camcorder, Canon IXUS 95 IS and Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD @ TechRadar
- Ricoh CX1 @ TrustedReviews
Sound
- Radius Atomic Bass Earphones for iPhone @ ThinkComputers
- Maximo iM-590 iMetal Earphones @ techPowerUp
- Soundmatters SLIMstage 40 slimline speaker @ TechRadar
- Crystal Audio SSB-1 Surround Soundbar and Teufel Concept E 400 and Decoder Station 5 @ TrustedReviews
Other
- Panasonic DMP-B15 Blu-Ray player and Samsung HT-BD7200 Blu-Ray home cinema @ TechRadar
- ASRock X58 Extreme Intel X58+ICH10R Core i7 Mainboard @ OCWorkbench
- Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H (AMD 790GX) @ HardwareZone
- EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified Motherboard @ HotHardware
- GIGABYTE MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 Motherboard @ TweakTown
- Biostar TA790GX XE @ TrustedReviews
Storage
- OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD @ Hexus
- Kingston SSDNow M-Series SSD Upgrade Kit @ TweakTown
- Iomega eGo 320GB pocket external hard drive @ RegHardware
Graphics cards
- Sapphire Toxic HD 4890 Vapor-X @ Guru3D
- Sparkle GeForce GTX 275 Video Card @ Legit Reviews
- Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 @ Ultimate Hardware
Enclosures & PSUs
- OCZ FATAL1TY 550w PSU @ Tech-Reviews
- NZXT Khaos â Aluminum Full Tower @ Techware Labs
- Maxcube Amoris 6010 case @ Overclockers Club
- Corsair CX400W Power Supply @ Hardware Secrets
- Thermaltake V9 case @ AMDZone
- NZXT Panzerbox Mid Tower Case @ Hardware Canucks
- ThermalTake VF7001BNS DH101 enclosure @ OC Online
- In Win Matrix HTPC Case @ HitTech Legion
- Antec CP-850w PSU @ XSReviews
- Enermax Liberty Eco 620W Power Supply @ [H] Enthusiast
Displays
- Samsung UE40B7000 @ TechRadar
Cooling and modding
- Nexus TDD-9000 Liquid Cooling Pad Laptop Cooler and CoolIT Domino A.L.C Watercooling Kit
- Kingwin XT-1264 HTC Cooler @ OCIA
- Evercool Buffalo CPU cooler @ Pure OC
Peripherals
- Jetart MP2000 Multi-Functional Pad @ Hardware Bistro
- Rosewill RM-8500 mouse @ Bjorn3d
PCs
- Lenovo ThinkPad T500 Laptop @ DriverHeaven
- HP Pavilion dv2-1030ea @ TechRadar
- Acer Aspire Timeline 5810T-354G32Mn @ TrustedReviews
- Toshiba NB200 @ RegHardware
Photo and video cameras
- Sony HDR-TG7 camcorder, Canon IXUS 95 IS and Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD @ TechRadar
- Ricoh CX1 @ TrustedReviews
Sound
- Radius Atomic Bass Earphones for iPhone @ ThinkComputers
- Maximo iM-590 iMetal Earphones @ techPowerUp
- Soundmatters SLIMstage 40 slimline speaker @ TechRadar
- Crystal Audio SSB-1 Surround Soundbar and Teufel Concept E 400 and Decoder Station 5 @ TrustedReviews
Other
- Panasonic DMP-B15 Blu-Ray player and Samsung HT-BD7200 Blu-Ray home cinema @ TechRadar
Categories: Network
Mozilla plans Firefox 3.5.1 release for later this month
With Firefox 3.5 out and closing in on 8 million downloads, Mozilla is forging ahead with development and is already working on the first update for the new browser release. Known as Firefox 3.5.1, the upcoming patch will fix at least three topcrashes (frequently observed crashes) and bugs which were very close to delaying the actual 3.5 release.
According to this week's Mozilla status meeting, Firefox 3.5 will arrive in mid- to late July, most likely at the end of the month.
According to this week's Mozilla status meeting, Firefox 3.5 will arrive in mid- to late July, most likely at the end of the month.
Categories: Network
Lower cost ultra-thin laptops have build problems, says analyst
The new ultra-portable laptop segment is something that Intel, together with an increasing number of manufacturers, are betting on these days, yet despite the support, it's apparently off to a rather rocky start. According to Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman, the cheaper (under $1,200) super-thin portable PCs that have begun coming out, are already showing their design weakness as their plastic back covers are cracking, giving users and companies a serious headache.
Given their price restrictions, the new laptops use plastic and not metal like Apple's MacBook Air for their casing, and there's only so much plastic can withstand, especially when used in such thin machines. Freedman says that ODMs (original design manufacturers) have already expressed their concerns and are advising their customers to order metal enclosures for their ultra-thin laptops. If the voice of the ODMs is heard then we should see a lot more full/partial metal 'slims' coming out in the future, which is good, but will also require us to pay a bit more for them. But you can't have it all, right?
Given their price restrictions, the new laptops use plastic and not metal like Apple's MacBook Air for their casing, and there's only so much plastic can withstand, especially when used in such thin machines. Freedman says that ODMs (original design manufacturers) have already expressed their concerns and are advising their customers to order metal enclosures for their ultra-thin laptops. If the voice of the ODMs is heard then we should see a lot more full/partial metal 'slims' coming out in the future, which is good, but will also require us to pay a bit more for them. But you can't have it all, right?
Categories: Network
Green House readies full line-up of 1.8-, 2.5-inch PATA SSDs
Already preparing some new SATA models, Green House has today announced that it will also release quite a few solid state drives that make use of the old and grey PATA interface. Coming in 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch form factors, he PATA drives will be available with either SLC (single-level cell) or MLC (multi-level cell), the former category including 16, 32, and 64GB models, while the latter will go from 16 to 128GB.
According to Green House, the upcoming SSDs have a MTBF (mean time before failure) of over 2 million hours, have a maximum power consumption of 1.5W and provide read and write speeds of up to 65 (SLC) | 60 (MLC) MB/s and 55 | 35 MB/s (for the 1.8-inch drives), and 70 (SLC) | 60 (MLC) MB/s and 60 / 40 MB/s (for the 2.5-inch versions). No word on pricing yet.
According to Green House, the upcoming SSDs have a MTBF (mean time before failure) of over 2 million hours, have a maximum power consumption of 1.5W and provide read and write speeds of up to 65 (SLC) | 60 (MLC) MB/s and 55 | 35 MB/s (for the 1.8-inch drives), and 70 (SLC) | 60 (MLC) MB/s and 60 / 40 MB/s (for the 2.5-inch versions). No word on pricing yet.
Categories: Network
Sony and Sharp still can't agree on LCD plant plan
What begun in February last year with high hopes of riches and LCD, the joint venture between Sony and Sharp, is now a panel-less relationship in which both parties involved are beating around the bush. When they signed the agreement forming the venture, both companies set up a plan to built a top-notch $3.52 billion LCD panel manufacturing plant and set April 2009 as the date it would kick off production. Fast forward until today and the facility's construction has been delayed, with the new goal being to have it done and operational in October, 2010.
Sharp, which would own about 66% of the plant was hoping to reach an agreement with Sony regarding the plant's funding by the end of Q2 (June 30th) but that deadline has passed and nothing has been signed yet. The problem is apparently Sony, who's not too keen on spending much cash, especially after posting a $1 billion loss for the financial year ended this past March. Still, with LG and others looking to increase their LCD panel manufacturing capacity, the Japanese heavyweight (Sony) may want to reconsider as the grim economic period won't last forever.
Sharp, which would own about 66% of the plant was hoping to reach an agreement with Sony regarding the plant's funding by the end of Q2 (June 30th) but that deadline has passed and nothing has been signed yet. The problem is apparently Sony, who's not too keen on spending much cash, especially after posting a $1 billion loss for the financial year ended this past March. Still, with LG and others looking to increase their LCD panel manufacturing capacity, the Japanese heavyweight (Sony) may want to reconsider as the grim economic period won't last forever.
Categories: Network
A-Data unveils the 64GB Xupreme flash drive
Introduced in November (2008), the XPG Xupreme family of flash drives is receiving its first update with the introduction of a model with 64GB of storage space. The new high capacity drive measures 66 (L) x 19 (W) x 10 (H) mm, weights 15 grams, features an aluminum casing and has a USB 2.0/1.1 connection interface.
The 64GB Xupreme supports Windows ReadyBoost, is 'true' Plug and Play, and delivers read speeds of up to 30 MB/s. The drive should become available in the next few week with a price tag of around 150 Euro.
The 64GB Xupreme supports Windows ReadyBoost, is 'true' Plug and Play, and delivers read speeds of up to 30 MB/s. The drive should become available in the next few week with a price tag of around 150 Euro.
Categories: Network
Arctic Cooling to deliver the MX-3 thermal compound
Arctic Cooling is currently gearing up to introduce the successor of the almost famed Arctic MX-2 thermal compound, the Arctic MX-3. The new paste contains carbon microparticles which enable it to have a high thermal conductivity (8.2 W/mK), it features low thermal resistance, is non-capacitive and non-corrosive, and will ship in a 4g syringe.
The metal-free MX-3 is expected to start selling later this month for $12.25 / 8.95 Euro. For a bit more creamy info on the MX-3 check out this page.
The metal-free MX-3 is expected to start selling later this month for $12.25 / 8.95 Euro. For a bit more creamy info on the MX-3 check out this page.
Categories: Network
MSI provides almost full scoop on X400 ultra-portable
The fourth member of the X-Slim family of laptops, the 14-inch X400 has now been PR-ed by MSI to keep us craving while the ultra-portable makes it into stores. The slim new laptop measures 349 x 234 x 24.5 mm and weights as low as 1.5kg, features a 14-inch display with a top resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, comes with Windows Vista Premium pre-installed, and is equipped with an Intel ULV processor, 2GB of RAM, GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics and a 320 or 500GB hard drive.
The X400 also packs a 1.3 megapixel camera, has Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi, a 2-in-1 card reader, and either a 4- or 8-cell battery providing up to 4 or 9 hours of operation, respectively. Still to pricing details, unfortunately.
The X400 also packs a 1.3 megapixel camera, has Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi, a 2-in-1 card reader, and either a 4- or 8-cell battery providing up to 4 or 9 hours of operation, respectively. Still to pricing details, unfortunately.
Categories: Network
Dell mislabels monitor at $15, gets orders for 140,000 units
Somebody working at Dell is in big trouble as the US-based company got a major headache from an error on the Taiwanese version of its website that saw a 19-inch monitor being priced at $15 instead of $148. News of this 'offer you can't refuse' got out really quickly and so over 26,000 customers placed orders for almost 140,000 monitors before the price was changed.
Dell, like other manufacturers, has has mislabeling issues before but never was such a large number of orders made so it's logical that it won't honor them, at least not at $15 a pop. Unfortunately for Dell, the Taiwanese Consumer Protection Commission came into play after receiving hundreds of complaints and requested that the company compensate the customers that placed orders for the monitor. In case it doesn't the Commission said it would take legal action against Dell.
Dell has stated that it will provide compensation to buyers but that will likely be in the form of a discount (which surely won't be of 90%).
Dell, like other manufacturers, has has mislabeling issues before but never was such a large number of orders made so it's logical that it won't honor them, at least not at $15 a pop. Unfortunately for Dell, the Taiwanese Consumer Protection Commission came into play after receiving hundreds of complaints and requested that the company compensate the customers that placed orders for the monitor. In case it doesn't the Commission said it would take legal action against Dell.
Dell has stated that it will provide compensation to buyers but that will likely be in the form of a discount (which surely won't be of 90%).
Categories: Network
Google rolls out Gmail labels improvements
In the hopes of increasing the use of labels within its email service, Google has now introduced a number of changes to Gmail that specifically target its labeling toolkit. Right from the start users will see that labels have moved to the left of the inbox above the chat list, and no longer have their own section - this makes for easier navigation. Another update enables users to control which labels are shown, leaving the rest "hidden" under the 'more' link so only the most important/frequently used labels are there for an easy view.
Last but definitely not least, Google has added the ability to drag mails onto labels or vice versa to labels and archives messages in one step. Drag and drop also works for moving labels into the "more" menu to hide them. Encore.
Last but definitely not least, Google has added the ability to drag mails onto labels or vice versa to labels and archives messages in one step. Drag and drop also works for moving labels into the "more" menu to hide them. Encore.
Categories: Network
New Star Wars character flash drives have big heads, little storage
If Fanboys happened to rekindle your love (read obsession) for Star Wars then look away as a new series of flash drives with some of the characters in the sci-fi phenomenon are now up for pre-order. Boasting just 2GB in storage space, the 3-inches tall Darth Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett and Stormtrooper drives compensate by having some large, bobblehead-like heads. You gotta love that.
Available here, the flash drives cost $24.99 but be wary, they will only start shipping in October. And no, you can't use the Force to get one sooner.
Available here, the flash drives cost $24.99 but be wary, they will only start shipping in October. And no, you can't use the Force to get one sooner.
Categories: Network
Facebook providing simpler privacy settings
Well-known social network Facebook has started to roll out some changes to its service which are aimed to simplify the privacy settings available to users while also giving them more control over what they want to share and with whom. Available to a 'small fraction' (about 40,000 people) of the network's members for testing, the updates include the introduction of a single page for privacy options with more standardize settings, no overlapping choices, and combined profile fields.
Also new is the Transition Tool, which, as stated by Chris Kelly, Facebook Chief Privacy Officer, "will enable you to make available those parts of your profile that you feel comfortable sharing in order to facilitate better connection. You will have the choice of being as open or as limited in the sharing of this information as you want."
Following the testing period, which could take a few weeks, the new options and the Transition Tool will become available to all Facebook users. Patience.
Also new is the Transition Tool, which, as stated by Chris Kelly, Facebook Chief Privacy Officer, "will enable you to make available those parts of your profile that you feel comfortable sharing in order to facilitate better connection. You will have the choice of being as open or as limited in the sharing of this information as you want."
Following the testing period, which could take a few weeks, the new options and the Transition Tool will become available to all Facebook users. Patience.
Categories: Network
Wolfenstein minimum PC requirements revealed
Through a post on the game's forums, id Software's Peter Sokal has provided the PC gamer community with the minimum system requirements of the upcoming Wolfenstein episode. The World War II shooter wh...
Categories: Network
Silicon Motion's controllers ready to support Micron's 34nm NAND
Silicon Motion Technology has proudly announced that its latest flash controllers have been validated by Micron and are ready to work with its new 34nm-manufactured NAND memory chips. The 34nm-supporting parts are the SM2682/SM2682LT SD controllers, the SM2232/SM2234 CF controllers, the SM2235/SM2242 SSD controllers, and the SM3251/SM3252 USB flash drive controllers.
"Micron is a leader in 3x nm flash technology and we are excited that Silicon Motion has passed through Micron's validation process," said Wallace Kou, President and CEO of Silicon Motion. "With this validation, we can offer the most advanced SD, microSD, CF, SSD and UFD controllers to support high capacity products using leading edge Micron MLC flash memory. Our controllers will allow customers to benefit from lower cost, next generation, 16Gb and 32Gb MLC 34nm NAND flash for a variety of device formats and platforms."
For get the full scoop on the capabilities of Silicon Motion's controllers check out the company's website.
"Micron is a leader in 3x nm flash technology and we are excited that Silicon Motion has passed through Micron's validation process," said Wallace Kou, President and CEO of Silicon Motion. "With this validation, we can offer the most advanced SD, microSD, CF, SSD and UFD controllers to support high capacity products using leading edge Micron MLC flash memory. Our controllers will allow customers to benefit from lower cost, next generation, 16Gb and 32Gb MLC 34nm NAND flash for a variety of device formats and platforms."
For get the full scoop on the capabilities of Silicon Motion's controllers check out the company's website.
Categories: Network
EVGA makes the X58 SLI Micro motherboard official
More than five weeks have passed since it was first revealed but the X58 SLI Micro motherboard has finally been officially announced by EVGA. The new microATX offer has a lovely black PCB, comes powered by the X58 and ICH10R chips and features nothing but solid capacitors, support for LGA1366 Core i7 processors, six DDR3-1600+ memory slots, and two PCI-Express x16 slots for SLI or CrossFireX setups.
The board also packs six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, 7.1 channel audio, Gigabit Ethernet, EZ Voltage points, and is bundled with the E-LEET tuning software. The X58 SLI Micro is not yet available but when it will (in maybe a week or so), it will cost $200.
The board also packs six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, 7.1 channel audio, Gigabit Ethernet, EZ Voltage points, and is bundled with the E-LEET tuning software. The X58 SLI Micro is not yet available but when it will (in maybe a week or so), it will cost $200.
Categories: Network
YouTube ups video upload limit to 2GB
The still unprofitable but huge video sharing website, YouTube, is now welcoming more content as the limit for uploads has been raised from 1GB to 2GB. With this move YouTube is encouraging uploads of more high definition videos (the 10-minute length limit is still active) so get shooting/recording.
In addition to doubling the file size limit, the site got a few changes to enable users to share links directly to the HD versions of their videos, and embed the HD content. For the first task simply append &hd=1 to the end of the video's URL, while for the second just choose the 'play in HD' option via the customize button on the video page. Sweet.
In addition to doubling the file size limit, the site got a few changes to enable users to share links directly to the HD versions of their videos, and embed the HD content. For the first task simply append &hd=1 to the end of the video's URL, while for the second just choose the 'play in HD' option via the customize button on the video page. Sweet.
Categories: Network
Microsoft kills off the Butterfly program
Another chapter in the MS book has come to an end as Windows Live Butterfly, previously known as MSN Butterfly, a program that got together some of the most active testers of Microsoft services/products, has been shut down. According to the Redmond company, its decision to crush Butterfly like a bug is for the best, as it would enable testers to become more involved in the Windows Live community, with one of their options being to join the Most Valuable Professional program.
It's likely that Microsoft will want to keep most of the individuals that have participated in the Butterfly program close so they'll probably be getting MVP invites, if they haven't already.
It's likely that Microsoft will want to keep most of the individuals that have participated in the Butterfly program close so they'll probably be getting MVP invites, if they haven't already.
Categories: Network
iBuyPower unveils the liquid-cooled Paladin XLC gaming systems
iBuyPower is feeling the heat from this cruel summer and seeing as how CPUs suffer even more in this period, it has introduced a new series of Paladin gaming PCs that come equipped with Asetek's 240mm radiator liquid cooling solution. Starting off at $1,399, the Paladin XLC rigs are enclosed in a Cooler Master HAF 922/932, and come equipped with a Core i7 (920, 950 or 975 EE) processor, up to 12GB of RAM, an Asus or EVGA X58 motherboard, up to three GeForce GTX 285 in SLI, and up to 1TB of storage space.
"PC Cooling is a fairly simple concept, the cooler a system runs the better and longer it will perform," said Darren Su, Vice President of iBuyPower. "The Paladin XLC systems were designed with advanced cooling systems to increase component lifespan, allow for higher clock speeds, and ensure a better gaming experience for our customers."
The new systems come with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed and are backed by a one-year warranty. To check out iBuyPower's PC offer visit iBuyPower.com.
"PC Cooling is a fairly simple concept, the cooler a system runs the better and longer it will perform," said Darren Su, Vice President of iBuyPower. "The Paladin XLC systems were designed with advanced cooling systems to increase component lifespan, allow for higher clock speeds, and ensure a better gaming experience for our customers."
The new systems come with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed and are backed by a one-year warranty. To check out iBuyPower's PC offer visit iBuyPower.com.
Categories: Network