Windows 8 Chinese Preview build 8400 leak

A preview version of Windows 8 has been leaked onto the internet. The Chinese Windows 8 preview version, tagged as the “8400 build”, have been making its way around forums and torrent sites. If you have tried out the consumer review version that Microsoft released a while back, then you may notice the app layout of the desktop. Build 8400 reveals relatively small changes to the previous consumer review build.

The 8400 build is reported to have updated Windows Metro 8 apps, boot screen, cursors, wallpapers, and some features that provide for a better experience for multiple monitor users. Currently, there hasn’t been any report of an English Preview version leak yet. Microsoft announced that it will release an official Windows 8 Preview version the first week of June, and they are due to give a keynote at Computex on June 6th—hence, we might find out more about an official release.

Reference: neowin.net, theverge.com

SAPPHIRE ships DisplayPort to Single Link DVI adapter for ATI Eyefinity

SAPPHIRE Press Release

Recognising the demand for a lower cost solution to using the DisplayPort output for a third monitor in ATI Eyefinity mode on its HD 5000 series cards, SAPPHIRE Technology has just introduced a DisplayPort to Single Link DVI adapter.

Eyefinity mode requires the third monitor to be either a DisplayPort (DP) monitor or a monitor connected with an active adapter to synchronise the signals for a DVI or HDMI monitor*. Earlier active DP to Dual Link DVI adapters were considered to be too expensive by many users who did not need ultra high resolution.

SAPPHIRE's new DP to Single Link DVI adapter is an active solution in a short pigtail format with DP plug to DVI female connector that allows users to connect DVI monitors with resolutions of up to 1920 x 1200. Used with a DP equipped SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series graphics card, this enables landscape Eyefinity modes of up to 5760 x 1200, including 5760 x 1080 with widescreen monitors, as well as portrait modes of up to 3600 x 1920.

SAPPHIRE is offering this solution to make Eyefinity more affordable for users with existing DVI monitors, or wishing to match up existing monitor styles.

For more information about Eyefinity, please visit http://www.sapphiretech.com/.

All trademarks acknowledged.

Note: * Except if using SAPPHIRE FleX Edition that directly supports three DVI monitors

ViewSonic announces the ViewPad 10e

Its not easy to stay competitive in the world of tablets and were a little bit perplexed about ViewSonics latest model, the ViewPad 10e. Unlike its previous 10-inch models, the 10e has a 9.7-inch IPS panel with 1024x768 resolution, yes, thats the same as the iPad. The overall specification puts the ViewPad 10e in the affordable section which is at least something.

As you might already have guessed, the ViewPad 10e runs Android and in this case version 2.3/Gingerbread. It has a fairly old 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 based SoC at its core, so its not going to be a performance monster. To this ViewSonic has added 512MB of DDR3 memory and 4GB of internal flash storage. Theres of course also a microSD memory card slot for further storage expansion.

Connectivity options consists of 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, a micro USB port, a mini HDMI port and a 3.5mm headset jack. The HDMI port is limited to 720p output due to the older SoC which lacks the graphics capabilities of more modern ARM based solutions. Theres also a front mounted 1.3Megapixel camera and the tablet has a G-sensor as well as a pair of stereo speakers and a microphone built in. The tablet weighs in at 620g and meastures 242x189x9mm. ViewSonic states that it sports a 5,400mAh battery but there was no mention of battery life in the press release beyond standby time which ViewSonic rates at 200h.

We should mention the fact that it doesnt appear to support the Android Market and instead ViewSonic has added support for the 1Mobile Market. It also comes pre-loaded with the Amazon Kindle app and ViewSonics 3D UI. The ViewPad 10e should launch next month in the UK with other regions set to follow. No word on pricing as yet, but were expecting it to be one of the most affordable devices in its size thats from a brand name manufacturer.

MSI MEGA Player 522

MSI, an emerging innovator in digital entertainment, today unveils its newMEGA Player Series multi-functional portable audio device. As the latestaddition to MSI's successful MSI Stick series, the new MEGA Player Series wasdesigned to give users the best digital entertainment experience. It is a smallplayer that packs a BIG punch! MEGA Player 522 not only has built-in flashmemory, but also provides SD/MMC card slot to be able to upgrade the storagecapacity. Besides, it provides Bluetooth communication module to enable you touse mobile phone with hands-free function. You can upgrade your MEGA Player 522with the latest firmware and enjoy additional up-to-date functions as needed -firmware upgrade files are available on MSIs web site and can be downloadedthrough the included USB cable. MEGA Player 522 is now available in the market.

MEGA PLAYER 522 is highly functional and fashionable MP3 player. The GlossRed Painting makes MEGA PLAYER 522 more elegant and more expensive looking likea luxury good.

Major Features of MEGA Player 522:

l USB Storage Disk
l 256 / 512 MB and 1GB flash memory on board
l MP3 / WMA music playback
l Voice Recorder ( .WAV format)
l Language Learning ( AàB buttons)
l FM Radio / Recording Function ( .WAV format )
l Support 15 FM channel memory
l Re-chargeable LiVion Battery (18 hr for w/o Bluetooth model; 12 hr for w/Bluetooth model)
l Stylish OLED display ( 128 x 64 pixels)
l Built in SD / MMC card socket
l Bluetooth Hands-Free Function
l Dual Earphone Jack
l Changeable Color Case

MP3 Player:

The most simple to use, high-fidelity MP3 and WMA player, the MEGA Player 522provides customized sound with 5 EQ modes (Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classic, Pop) andgives the user up to 15-hour of non-stop playing time just using a rechargeablebattery.

Use MEGA Player 522 as a portable USB Mass Storage:

With the flash memory, it can be used as a portable USB Mass Storage and you caneasily share your music, photos and documents with anyone.

FM Radio and FM Recorder:

Records directly from the built-in FM radio, so you will not miss any of yourfavorite programs.

Voice Recording Function:

The built-in microphone allows you to record all the sounds around you. Thisfeature is extremely suitable for recording a meeting, a seminar or a shortnote. It simply acts like your personal secretary.

OLED Module:

Despite its small size, it shows you all the information you will need such asEQ setting, battery status, track duration, and more. The blue DLED Backlight isuseful in dark environment. The screen can display text many different languagesincluding English, Chinese, Spanish, and French.

Language Learning Function (Select the replay section):

You may choose to replay the content of the recorded course, and select asection for continuous replay and learning V it functions like a mini languagelearning device.

Built-in SD/MMC Card Slot

With SD/MMC card slot, you can easily expand the storage capacity of your MP3player via external SD/MMC card. It is an easy and convenient way of upgradingyour storage capacity.

Bluetooth hands-free function (MEGA Player 522BT)

The MEGA PLAYER 522BT is a revolutionary product. It includes a Bluetooth moduleto enable the Bluetooth functions. The Bluetooth functions can be utilized withyour Bluetooth cellular phone after pairing up, such as Voice Call Function &Record the Conversation.

Dual Earphone Jack

The Dual Earphone Jack of MEGA PLAYER 522BT enables you to share music with yoursignificant other or best friend. Enjoy private listening time with someone.

Changeable Color Case

MEGA PLAYER 522BT comes with different funky colored covers. You can easilychange the MEGA PLAYER 522BT into a different color to match your mood oroutfit.

Nikon Unveiled D3000 and D300S digital SLR camera

Tokyo — Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the newest addition to its family of quality DX-format digital SLRs, the D3000. Combining in-camera assistance and supreme ease-of-use with Nikon's renowned technology, the D3000 is the ideal choice for people looking to upgrade from their point-and-shoot camera to a digital SLR.

The D3000 features a new Guide mode — a hassle-free way for less-experienced picture-takers to master the capabilities of digital SLR cameras. Through its intuitive user-friendly interface, Guide mode assists users in choosing shooting modes for a variety of situations and, if they choose, in exploring advanced photographic techniques. From close-ups and landscapes to portraits with soft backgrounds and picture-taking opportunities of fast-moving action, Guide mode eases users into the world of digital SLR photography.

Despite its simple interface, the D3000 delivers exceptional picture quality. Thanks to 10.2 effective megapixels, Nikon's DX-format CCD sensor, exclusive EXPEED image processing system, and compatibility with an extensive selection of legendary NIKKOR lenses, the D3000 produces finely detailed images that can be freely cropped and enlarged while retaining sharpness.

Extending the D3000's excellent performance is Nikon's exclusive Scene Recognition System, Active D-Lighting, continuous shooting up to 3fps, advanced 3D Color Matrix Metering II, and 11-point selectable autofocus. For comfortable viewing when playing back images and retouching photos, the D3000 features a bright 3-inch230k-dot TFT LCD monitor. The large monitor also improves readability of menus thanks to a font size that is 20% larger than that of the D60.

Extensive in-camera image control is available using Nikon's Picture Control System, which allows users to customize key digital image characteristics to suit personal preferences. For additional creative control, the D3000 includes comprehensive in-camera editing functions via its Retouch Menu that enhance photos with a variety of effects — without the need for a computer. Whether it's grabbing point-and-shoot snapshots or exploiting techniques commonly used by more advanced photographers, the D3000 offers an easy, inviting way to experience the world of digital SLR photography and obtain beautiful pictures.

New Guide mode
In-camera guidance is provided by new Guide mode, which employs an easy-to-use interface that makes it easy for first-time users to select shooting modes. Additionally, after selecting an item in Guide mode, camera settings can be further adjusted in order to obtain optimal results.

Nikon DX-format CCD sensor; 10.2 effective megapixels
At 10.2 effective megapixels, the D3000 produces high-resolution images that enable beautiful enlargements without loss of sharpness. Normal ISO sensitivity is ISO 100 to 1600. For added shooting versatility, a Hi 1 setting increases sensitivity to ISO 3200.

EXPEED image processing system
The D3000 is equipped with Nikon's EXPEED image processing system. EXPEED realizes excellent resolution, long tonal scale, and superb color while also making possible fast processing of the D3000's advanced imaging functions such as Scene Recognition and Active D-Lighting.

Scene Recognition System
This feature improves accuracy for exposure, white balance, and autofocus by analyzing color and illumination over the entire scene milliseconds prior to shooting. It then adjusts the D3000 accordingly for optimal picture quality.

Active D-Lighting
The D3000 incorporates Nikon's Active D-Lighting function to vastly improve details in the shadows and highlights of high-contrast scenes. Like the Scene Recognition System, Active D-Lighting utilizes the 420-pixel RGB sensor to analyze a scene then adjust exposure to achieve images that closely resemble what the human eye sees. During processing, this function also restores details in the highlight and shadow areas of the image that may have been lost.

11-point AF system with Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module
Employing 11-point autofocus driven by Nikon's Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module, the D3000 delivers fast, precise focus over a wide area of the frame. Four versatile AF modes are available: single-point AF for stationary subjects, especially ones that are off-center; dynamic-area AF for moving subjects; auto-area AF when you want the D3000 to automatically determine the proper focus method; and 3D-tracking (11 points) AF for maintaining focus on subjects even if the composition changes.

3-inch LCD monitor
Image playback and viewing menus is now easier than ever thanks to the 3-inch 230k-dot TFT LCD monitor. The large monitor also results in text size that is 20% larger than on previous Nikon digital SLR cameras.

Picture Control System
The Picture Control System of the D3000 gives users the ability to customize key digital image capture characteristics to suit personal preferences. Six settings are available: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, and Landscape.

In-camera photo editing
After shooting, the D3000's photo editing functions allow for in-camera retouching, lessening the need for a computer to enhance or modify images. The D3000 introduces a new Miniature effect under its Retouch Menu that modifies images to look like pictures of miniature models. Each editing function is applied to a copy of the image, with the original left unmodified.

Nikon Integrated Dust Reduction System
Dust reduction is handled by the Nikon Integrated Dust Reduction System. This is a comprehensive solution that reduces generation and accumulation of dust and also provides measures to remove dust. A key element of the solution is the Airflow Control System, which directs dust away from the image sensor. The system also includes an image sensor cleaning function that activates automatically when the D3000 is powered on or off. This vibrates the low-pass filter (located in front of the sensor) to free it from dust.

Superb NIKKOR lenses
The D3000 opens up a wide range of possibilities for dramatic expression thanks to full compatibility with the extensive lineup of NIKKOR AF-S and AF-I lenses. From ultra wide-angle and micro to super telephoto, NIKKOR lenses give users the means to explore their creativity to the fullest.

Source: Nikon

K8 Mobos To Benefit From Cheap Athlon 64 2800+

AMD Athlon™ 64 ProcessorsPrice3400+$ 4173200+$ 2783000+$ 2182800+$ 178

AMD kept up the pressure on Intel by adding the Athlon 64 2800+processor to its 64-bit lineup on March 30. The new chip, available at US$ 178 inquantities of 1,000 units, will help boost demand for K8 motherboards built tosupport AMD’s Athlon 64 processors. Shipments of K8 motherboards now account forless than 5% of all AMD-based boards. The launch of the Athlon 64 2800+ chipwill also help AMD penetrate the mainstream market below US$ 200.

Intel Shipped Out High Performance SSD Drives

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 15, 2008 - Intel Corporation has begun shipping its highest- performing solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel® X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, aimed at server, workstation and storage systems. Unlike mechanical drives, the SSDs contain no moving parts and instead feature 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology. Systems equipped with these drives will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. By reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, SSDs can lower total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by more than five times.

"Hard disk drive performance has not kept pace with Moore's Law," said Kirk Skaugen, general manager, Intel Server Platforms group. "Intel's high-performance SSDs unleash the full performance of the latest Intel Xeon processor-based systems while increasing reliability and lowering the total cost of ownership for a broad range of server and storage workloads."

The Intel X25-E increases server, workstation and storage system performance by 100 times* over hard disk drives as measured in Input/Output Per Second (IOPS), today's key storage performance metric. A storage model which includes SSDs can also lower energy costs by up to five times, an added benefit for businesses focused on electricity savings. "Solid-state drive technology will change the economics of enterprise data centers," said John Fowler, executive vice president, Systems Group, Sun Microsystems. "SSDs, along with our systems and Solaris ZFS with hybrid storage pools, are important components of the Open Storage initiative. Sun expects to offer enterprise storage solutions that will exploit the breakthrough performance of Intel's High Performance Solid-State Drives and deliver significant performance gains while consuming a fraction of the energy of traditional spinning disk arrays."

The product was designed for intense computing workloads which benefit primarily from high random read and write performance, as measured in IOPS. Key technical performance specifications of the 32 GB Intel X-25E SATA SSD include 35,000 IOPS (4KB Random Read), 3,300 IOPS (4KB Random Write) and 75 microsecond read latency. This performance, combined with low active power of 2.4 watts, delivers up to 14,000 IOPS per watt for optimal performance/power output. The product also achieves up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) sequential read speeds and up to 170 MB/s sequential write speeds, all in a compact 2.5-inch form factor.

Intel achieves this breakthrough performance through innovations such as 10-channel NAND architecture with Native Command Queuing, proprietary controller and firmware efficient in advanced wear-leveling and low write amplification. The 32GB X25-E is capable of writing up to 4 petabytes (PB) of data over three-year period (3.7 TB/day), and double that for the 64GB version - delivering outstanding data reliability.

The 32GB capacity drive is in production and priced at $695 for quantities up to 1,000. The 64GB version is expected to sample in the fourth quarter with production estimated for the first quarter of 2009. For more information go to www.intel.com/go/ssd.

JCI offering visitor SIM cards for tourists in Japan

JCI is seeking to ease the pain of foreign tourists stranded with no means of communication, by offering a new rental SIM card available from airports across Japan.

1GB! Cool, now I can download the latest episode of Dexter...

Dubbed the “VISITOR SIM”, the cards will be available from the airport post office. Users who sign up for the service will be able to pick up a VISITOR SIM from any airport post office for a postal fee of 210 yen. It gives travelers the advantage of having instant access to their cell the second they step off the plane.

At present, participating airports are: Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chuubu(Central Japan International Airport), Kansai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Naha (Okinawa).

Cmon, get in there..GET IN THERE! Grrr!!

Compatibility with various phones has yet to be announced, so if you’re planning on travelling to the far east and can’t bear to go ten minutes without your cell phone, make sure your phone is of the unlocked variants.

One more thing: If you take your iPad, I don’t think they will be happy about you cutting the SIM card in half.

Press release: http://www.j-com.co.jp/news/release/1228.html

Intel Native 2MB L2 Conroe Merom In Feb '07

The existing E6300 and E6400 has 4MB L2 onboard but half of its cache disabled so costs are naturally higher since the transistors are there. Intel will therefore release native 2MB L2 Conroe and Merom (Santa Rosa Platform - 800FSB/Socket P) in Feb 2007 which sport smaller die size (~30% smaller) as well as fewer capacitors on the package. It will lower their production cost to compete against AMD upcoming 65nm native 1MB L2 and 512KB L2 processors. The native 2MB L2 Conroe includes Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz), E6400 (2.13GHz), Xeon 3040 (1.86GHz) and Xeon 3050 (2.13GHz). The stepping will change from B2 to L2 and has new SSPEC and MM, and CPUID will change from 6F6 to 6F2. A BIOS update is needed to recognize the CPUs properly.

Kingmax quot;Super Speed quot; SD Cards

Capturing the "picture-perfect" moment usually lies in a splitsecond, but many Secure Digital Cards (SD Cards) on the market today oftencannot help you capture these moments because of slow read-write speeds. Notonly is it difficult to realize the full potential of an SD card, you may missthe opportunity to record some of your finest memories. Kingmax "Super Speed" SDCards will help you overcome these obstacles and will absolutely be the mostreliable and top quality solution for all types of consumer applications.

Digital cameras are rapidly following the path of mobilephones, where "everybody has one". In addition to the standard functions of acamera, digital cameras now support the DV format and are now entering themainstream. Mobile phones, PDAs and other mobile devices are also adapting tothe internal functions of digital cameras. High resolution digital cameraproducts are gaining in popularity, and consumers are now more discriminatingabout SD cards when it comes to read-write speeds and capacity. In order tosatisfy demands for a high level of quality in SD cards by users around theworld, Kingmax Digital Inc. has combined the semiconductor craftsmanship of itsTinyBGA memory module packaging technology with its exclusively developed UniqueProprietary PIP™(Product In Package) Patented Package Technology, in addition toutilizing its specialized stacking technology. In 2003, Kingmax introduced itsunique line of "Super Speed" SD Cards (fastest transmission speed of 10MB/sec),all of which are waterproof and resistant to high temperatures and high pressureand whose release has brought enthusiasm and discussion worldwide.

Kingmax SD Card features:

Compliant with the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI)portable device requirements
Fast data transfer rate up to 10MB/sec
Full Plug-N-Play compatible
Form factor: 32mm x 24mm x 1.4mm
Card capacity up to 512MB
Low power consumption to maximize battery life in small portable devices
5-Year Warranty

Kingmax provides global consumers with the highest quality choices, with acomplete line of high speed SD memory digital storage card products in thefollowing capacities: 32MB, 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, and 512MB.

Intel updates WiDi drivers, adds 1080p support, HDCP protection

If youve got a recent Intel powered notebook with an Intel network card in it, theres a big chance that you have WiDi support in your notebook without even knowing about it. That said, youd need a little box that hooks up to your TV to take advantage of video streaming over Wi-Fi, but so far HDCP protected content hasnt been possible to stream. Well, that was until today when Intel launched new drivers which solved that problem.

As a technology, WiDi is pretty cool as it uses standard Wi-Fi technology to stream video up to 1080p resolution; depending on the box on the receiving end as first generation WiDi boxes are limited to 720p. The new drivers do not only add support for HDCP 2.0 content from DVD and Blu-ray discs, but also from copy protected online content. Guess what? That ties in nicely with Intels Intel Insider video streaming service which allows you to download and stream HD video over the internet, well, at least as long as you live in the right country.

The new drivers also add better support for Intels new HD graphics 3000 series and H.264 hardware encoding. Its worth noting that you need a CPU with Intel HD graphics 3000 to be able to stream certain content which Intel simply refers to as “premium content” which we presume is anything with HDCP encryption. For the full details of what hardware and software you need to make all this work, hit the link below.

Source: Intel

Intel updates LGA1366 Core i7 900 pricing

To accommodate the Core i7 990X, the 980X must drop in price. However, this price drop hasnt really shown in e-tail, yet, but the price is expected to stabilize at around $900-$950. It is the Core i7 970 which undergoes a massive cut from $880 to $583, making Intel six-core CPUs that much more affordable. (relatively)

The 3.2 GHz Core i7 960, which is a quad-core CPU, drops from $583 to a much more affordable $294. Of course, it is no match for the similarly priced Core i7 2600, except you cant really get a motherboard to use it with.

The 990X and these price updates are likely to be the last hurrah for the extremely successful Nehalem generation, with the Sandy Bridge E processors incoming, replacing the LGA1366 platform with LGA2011.

Source: Intel

Below is the bulk pricing not retail price, just to serve as a reference.

Processors ModelSpecsOld PriceNew Price% ChangeCore i7-990X Extreme Edition3.46GHz, 6C/12T, 12M Cache, LGA1366-$990-Core i7-980X Extreme Edition3.33GHz, 6C/12T, 12M Cache, LGA1366$990$990-Core i7-9753.33GHz, 4C/8T, 8M Cache, LGA1366$990$990-Core i7-9703.2GHz, 6C/12T, 12M Cache, LGA1366$845$555(34%)Core i7-2600K3.4GHz, 4C/8T, 8M Cache, LGA1155$305$305-Core i7-26003.4GHz, 4C/8T, 8M Cache, LGA1155$285$285-Core i7-9603.2GHz, 4C/8T, 8M Cache, LGA1366$555$285(49%)Core i7-9503.06GHz, 4C/8T, 8M Cache, LGA1366$285$285-Core i7-9302.80GHz, 4C/8T, 8M Cache, LGA1366$285$285-

Microsoft Delays Office 2007

Microsoft announced today that along with Windows Vista, the next version of Office -- Office 2007 -- will also be delayed. Originally slated for release during the holiday season of this year, both Office and Vista are being pushed back to early 2007. According to Microsoft, Office was pushed back to co-launch with Windows Vista. The date currently set for release is sometime in January but no official day has been set.

Office 2007 is herald to be a true next-generation of the Office suite. Previously, releases of Office have only come with minor upgrades and in most cases many customers have complained that the price of every new version of Office does not warrant what's delivered. Office 2007 however, is expected to bring an entirely new working environment. New user interface, new file formats and new a core design -- Office 2007 will be integrating with Vista as well as support Microsoft's suite of Live products.

Those who were hoping to hop onto an entire new platform of Microsoft software will have to wait just a bit longer.

Kingston releases HyperX 3K SF-2281 powered Solid State Drive

Kingston has just launched a new SSD to market under its HyperX family dubbed the HyperX 3K. Aimed at enthusiasts and gamers on a budget, the HyperX 3K is an MLC based drive using a second-gen SandForce SF-2281 controller together with a SATA 6Gb/s interface to produce impressive sequential read and write performance of up to 555MB/s and 510MB/s respectively.

The drives maximum random read and write IOPS sits at 85K read and 74K write. Other features of the HyperX 3K include SandForces DuraClass technology which promises improved endurance and lifespan, support for SMART, TRIM and Garbage Collection and a classy black aluminum outer casing.

Kingston is shipping the HyperX 3K in capacities of 90GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB with e-tail pricing ranging from US $139.99 to US $709.99. It will be offered as a standalone drive or as part of an upgrade kit (working out to about US $10 more than the standalone option).

Meizu To Launch M8 mini One In August

Meizu are working on developing the M8 prototypes right now and scheduled torelease it in August this year. There will be 8GB and 16GB versions whenlaunched. Stay tuned for more information.

LG Intros New PC Monitors with IPS Panel, MHL Connectivity

LG Display introduced the IPS7 series of premium desktop PC monitors. The series was given a worldwide launch. The monitors embed IPS LED-backlit LCD panels, with MHL (mobile high-definition link) feature, letting you plug it to smartphones, tablets, and cameras.

The IPS7 series make use of LGs Cinema Screen design, a USP of which is extremely thin bezels around the panel. In this case, as low as 1.2 mm-thin. LG is one of the most popular in-plane switching (IPS) LCD panel makers, and is quick to deploy its IP in these monitors, which results in horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 178°. The panel is LED-illuminated, and that helps reduce its thickness (exterior) to14.1 mm.

The IPS7 series from LG is being launched with two models, the 23-inch IPS237L, and the 27-inch IPS277L. Both models feature 1920 x 1080 pixels native resolution, 5 ms response time, mega contrast-ratio, and 250 cd/m² brightness. Its feature-set includes hardware colour-calibration, an aggressive power-saving mode, and 6-axis control. Apart from MHL, the display supports standard HDMI using an adapter cable.

Commenting on the launch, J.J. Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the IT Business Unit of the LG Home Entertainment Company, said"by combining CINEMA SCREEN Design and MHL functionality with the industrys leading IPS technology, the IPS7 series is able to offer stunning design and performance," adding "with the rapid growth in the number of mobile smart devices such as smartphones and tablets, the availability of content has greatly expanded. LGs IPS7 expands the user experience, enabling viewers to take full advantage of this content-rich environment."

Since this is a worldwide launch, LG did not reveal pricing, as it varies greatly between markets.

Ivy Bridge desktop Core i3 CPUs won't arrive until Q3

Intel is doing its best to stretch the introduction of new Ivy Bridge processors for as long as possible throughout the year, or at least so it seems as details have reached us indicating that its Core i3 Ivy Bridge processors wont arrive until Q3. Some had hoped for an introduction in June, but its now guaranteed not to happen until July at the earliest.

Intel will have a handful of Core i3 desktop models when the company decides its time to launch them. Top to bottom we have the 3.4GHz Core i3-3240, the 3GHz Core i3-3240T, the 3.3GHz Core i3-3225, the 3.3GHz Core i3-3220 and the 2.8GHz Core i3-3220T. All five models sport 3MB of shared L3 cache, two cores and hyper threading.

The standard models are rated at a 55W TDP with the T models being intended for all-in-one systems and as such are rated at 35W TDP. With the exception for the Core i3-3225 which sports Intel HD graphics 4000, the other four models all features Intel HD graphics 2500. Intel will apparently add support for AES to the new Core i3 models as well, something the company ought to have done a long time ago, as these are the CPUs with the least processing power and this is where having accelerated encryption would have a bigger impact on overall system performance.

No word in pricing yet, but we would expect the Ivy Bridge Core i3 models to be close in terms of cost to their Sandy Bridge counterparts. As for a more exact launch window, well, thats going to have to wait until Intel decides that its time to share such information and the company is most likely a lot more focused on the Core i7 and Core i5 desktop and mobile launches which should take place on the 29th of April as well as the 3rd of June, with various desktop and mobile CPUs being launched on both occasions.

Intel Plans to Launch Xeon MP 7300 Series on Sep 2

Intel plans to lower Xeon DP (Clovertown QuadCore) processors pricing on July29th, introduce 2 new processors, X5365 and L5335 on Aug 12th and launch thequad core Tigerton Xeon MP 7300 series on Sept 2nd.

Intel WiDi to get cheaper, better and maybe inside TVs

Its hard not to get a bit frustrated with Intel and its many proprietary technologies, although at least a few things seems to be changing slowly but surely when it comes to WiDi, Intels video streaming technology over Wi-Fi. Weve managed to dig up a fair bit of news as to what to expect in 2012 from WiDi and some things are being improved while others remain the same.

For starters Intel has decided to take advantage of Wi-Fi Direct for the discover, pairing and connect part of WiDi which should make it easier for its partners that built the receivers. Intel will also be supporting Wi-Fi Display, but only for basic features. If you want to be able to play back 1080p video, especially copy protected content, then you need full-on WiDi support on the receiving end. This year Intel is also adding support for 3D video and 24fps video such as certain Blu-ray discs. It will also be possible to set up an extended display over WiDi, something that could actually be quite handy in certain situations.

One interesting thing is that Intel is planning on offering WiDi support on desktops, a feature we can see at least a few people wanting. That said, if you were hoping for WiDi support in the upcoming Windows 8 tablets, then it looks like youre out of luck, as this isnt likely to happen this year at least. Beyond the small adapters youve had to connect to your TV so far to get WiDi support, Intel is apparently hoping to get its technology into TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players (really?) and various other devices of which some will simply be able to have a piece of software loaded to enable WiDi support.

Were still not sold on Intels WiDi technology, mostly because so few notebooks in the grand scheme of things are sold with Intel Wi-Fi cards that support WiDi and this is one of the biggest failings of the technology. We fully understand Intels argument here, but many notebook vendors would simply not put Intel Wi-Fi cards in their notebooks due to the cost difference compared to the many other options available to them. Still, if more Wi-Fi enabled devices will start to support WiDi theres a chance that things will change, but were hoping for a more open standard to take over what Intel has started.

Intel To Demo Quad Core Clovertown

Intel is going to show off functional quad-core Clovertown on Friday at ananalyst meeting. Since the final silicon is more or less two Woodcrests on anMCM, speed and stability should be pretty good for a chip that isn't due out foranother 12 months. AMD has shown four ways as early as last October behind veryclosed doors, but this will be the first public showing.

Ed's Note : Clovertown contains 4MB cache and there is anotherQuad-core from Intel known as Whitefield containing 16MB cache.

Microsoft's IE web browser mildly regains usage share

With the likes of Mozillas FireFox and Googles Chrome web browsers dominating the show these days its hard to imagine Internet Explorer ever gaining popularity again, but the latest numbers from Net applications do in fact reflect increased usage momentum when focusing on Marchs usage share data.

This web analytics firm saw IEs usage share climb from 51.9% to 53.8% in the month of March, while surprisingly both FireFox and Chrome saw minor shrinkage in the same period; from 21.8% to 20.6% and 19.1% to 18.6% respectively.

Alongside IE, Apples Safari web browser also saw a jump in usage share, albeit only minor going from 4.97% to 5.07%.

With the above said, IE is still far from being as successful as it used to be. Even when only going back 12 months to March 2011 where its usage share was 58.4% it is clear that overall it has been on the decline, but since December of last year when it hit its lowest point due to Googles Chrome picking up the pace, Microsofts Internet Explorer has been slowly and quietly increasing again.

Theres no doubt when looking at IE9 vs. IE8 Microsoft has notably improved upon its browser with a cleaner user interface, a solid amount of standards support, better security and decently fast rendering, but I think I speak for most of us here in saying once you make the leap away to the alternatives (primarily Chrome or Firefox) theres no going back.

J amp;W's nano ITX Cedar Trail motherboard announced

Its easy to forget the smaller motherboard makers and J&W is often forgotten until theres a tradeshow or something similar where the company is showing off its often rather unusual motherboards. This time around though, details of a pair of Atom D2x00 nano ITX motherboards has been revealed by the company and it looks like a really interesting solution for those wanting a super tiny computer.

The board models in question are the ITX-IC5N1010 and ITX-IC7N1011. Both boards measure a mere 120x120mm and sport a1.86GHz Atom D2500 and a 2.13GHz Atom D2700 respectively. Feature wise theyre packed to the brim, at least in as much as you pack such a small board to the brim. At the rear we have a power connector, an HDMI port, a USB 2.0 port, a Gigabit Ethernet jack and a pair of audio jacks. Around the front is a card reader, a pair of USB 2.0 ports and the option for an IR receiver. Theres also an optional 3G SIM card slot that both models can be equipped with.

Taking a closer look at the PCB itself, we find a lonely, single SATA 3Gbps connector, a combined mSATA/mini PCI Express, pin headers for a VGA port, a serial port, a PS/2 port, LVDS and a single USB 2.0 port. Flip the board over and theres a single SO-DIMM slot for DDR3 memory at the bottom of the board. No word on pricing and as this is an OEM only product; its unlikely that well ever see it in the retail channel, which in our opinion is a real shame.

Source: J&W

LGA775 Prescott Celeron Pricing

Processor ModelProcessor Model NumberProcessor SpeedJun '04Q3 '04Pentium 4
(LGA775 Prescott)5703.8Ghz$ 6405603.6Ghz$ 640$ 4205503.4Ghz$ 420$ 2805403.2Ghz$ 280$ 2205303.0Ghz$ 220$ 178Celeron
(533Mhz FSB, 256KB)5202.8Ghz$ 180$ 165 (July)3352.8Ghz$ 1173302.66Ghz$ 903252.53Ghz$ 80

LG V720 27-inch All-in-One Pictured

LG posted some of the first pictures of its upcoming V720 27-inch all-in-one (AIO) on the web. The AIO packs LGs popular Cinema Screen IPS LED 3D-capable display, with the latest PC hardware, including "Ivy Bridge" CPU and "Kepler" GPU.

Pictured above (if you look closely enough), the display of the LG V720 is separated from the logic portion, which is located on the base. This arrangement allows the screen to have slim bezels. The display is internally wired to the logic portion, although it can take external input by HDMI. The display features 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, and supports stereoscopic 3D, with a native 2D-to-3D converter.

The LG V720 is available in two variants, the V720-D.AE50K, and the V720-U.AE30K. TheV720-U.AE30K is driven by Intel Core i3-2370M "Sandy Bridge" dual-core processor clocked at 2.40 GHz, with 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1333 MHz memory, 750 GB HDD, slot-in DVD Super-Multi drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M GPU with 1 GB dedicated memory

TheV720-D.AE50K, on the other hand [pay attention!], is driven by Intel Core i5-3210M "Ivy Bridge" quad-core processor clocked at 2.50 GHz, with 8 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory, 750 GB HDD with 16 GB cache-SSD, DVD Super-Multi drive, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 M graphics with 1 GB dedicated memory. Features common between the two variants include USB 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi networking, 4-in-1 card reader, and a TV tuner. Pricing and availability information is not available.

Intel SSD 520 Cherryville Launches This November, Curtains for SSD 510

Alittle earlierthis month, we revealed key details of Intels next enthusiast solid state drive series, the SSD 520, codenamed Cherryville. In the older article talked about its specifications to great lengths. Fresh tips from our sources suggests to important bits of information, its launch date and market positioning.


The SSD 520 "Cherryville" family is slated for this November, the 4th of November to be precise. That is when one can expect market-availability. The second important bit of information is that SSD 520 is poised to displace the SSD 510 "Elmcrest" series, thats currently out in the market, available at 120 GB and 250 GB capacities.

SSD 520 series, according to fresh information, is built around the idea of providing more capacity choices to the consumer, higher throughput, and lower latencies, compared to SSD 510 series. The new SSD 520 series will be available in capacities as high as 480 GB and as low as 60 GB; provide trasfer rates of 520 MB/s sequential read, 500 MB/s sequential writes (compared to 500/315 MB/s on SSD 510), and 40,000 IOPS read/write 4K random access throughput.

In related news, we hear the codename of the successor to SSD 520 "Cherryville" is codenamed "King Crest", and is slated for the second quarter of 2012.

Intel Xeon DP CPUs Pricing Updated

Xeon DP X5470 and L5430 based on quad core Harpertown will cost $ 1386 and$ 562 respectively while X5470 based on dual core Wolfdale will cost $ 1172 atlaunch in Q3 '08.

iPhone '4G' Exposed, Unofficially (Updated with video)

It has been an exciting weekend thus far for Apple fans at least, aspictures of asupposedly 'iphone4G' surfaces on the web.

Folks at Engadget seems to have hit the spot in confirming that this is indeed the iPhone 4G based on leaked shots. Well, while some stuff can't be trusted 100% but if this is to be true, we will get to see the following on the next-gen iPhone - a higherres screen, a front-facing camera, a higher resolution camerawith flash, and accepts MicroSIM cards.

The keyword for this picture is Aluminium.


Update 1: It seems that there is more to this piece of news. Apparently, folks from Gizmodo have mentioned the phone was lost, an actual unit from Apple and they want it back.



Now, there is even a video from Gizmodo