The Apple Tablet Cometh

In a little over a week, Apple has invited members of the press to show off its “latest creation.” Chances are that Apple will reveal the iTablet at this event. Chances are that Apple will revolutionize the Tablet segment just like they revolutionized the Smartphone segment when they released the iPhone a few years back.

There is a lot of speculation as to what this Tablet will be capable of. If you look at the App Store and the recent addition of magazines to it such as GQ, you might get a pretty good idea what this Tablet will be capable of. I downloaded GQ on my iPhone and although I enjoyed flipping through the first few pages, I realized that I need a much bigger screen to fully appreciate it.

It also makes good sense financially for both Apple and the publisher- in this case Conde Nast. The cover price for the paper edition of GQ is roughly US$3.00. Through subscriptions, you can get it down to a $1. The digital version requires lesser resources (paper, printing etc.) so technically, it Conde Nast should be able to sell it at an even lower price. Yet, the AppStore lists it $2.99 at the moment which puts $1 in Apple’s pockets and $2 in Conde Nast’s.

So its pretty much a given that this Tablet will act as a newsreader. Another potential feature would be to watch videos on it. Again, the AppStore started selling higher definition videos some time back and the iPhone’s screen is a bit too small to watch anything longer than a music video. Web browsing experience should bring the Tablet on par with your notebook and the Tablet definitely needs to be much thinner and lighter along with offering a much higher battery life to chuck your Macbook Air for browsing.

So if I was to guess, I would say the iTablet or whatever apple calls it will be an extremely thin and light device with a screen size between 10 to 13 inches. I would pick 11 inches with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels to allow 720p videos played back at their native resolution. It should be a full multi-touch device lacking any physical keyboard and will turn on and off instantly like the iPhone.

I cant really say what the interface will look like as unlike the iPhone, you will have plenty of resources to run multiple things at one time. Maybe it will look like OS X’s desktop or the dashboard or maybe it wont. What I do know is that it will look incredible as the user-interface is one thing that Apple is REALLY good at.

We’ll find out all the details next Wednesday. It will be a very long week.

Zotac unleashes the Ultimate LGA1156 Mini-ITX Platform

PR: ZOTAC International, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and mini-PCs, today unveils its latest next-generation high-performance mini-ITX platform – the socket LGA1156 compatible ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi. Loaded with compatibility with the latest processors, memory technology and ATX-equivalent expansion capabilities, the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi is the ultimate platform for users that demand big system performance in a small form factor package.

Support for the latest generation of Intel® Core™ i3, Core™ i5 and Core™ i7 takes the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi to performance levels previously unattainable by the mini-ITX form factor. The ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi supports Intel® QuickPath technology for lightning-fast communications to high-speed dual-channel DDR3 memory for superior bandwidth and quicker memory access that delivers the chart-topping performance enthusiasts and performance-hungry users desire.

“Since Intel® announced its latest generation of Nehalem CPUs, there’s been great demand for a mini-ITX platform for the CPUs, unfortunately the power consumption and heat output of the original Intel® Core™ i7 900 series would’ve been too high for such a small form factor,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International (MCO), Ltd. “With the latest generation of Intel® Core™ i3, Core™ i5 and Core™ i7 processors, greater energy efficiency and improved thermal management, the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi is able to deliver a mini-ITX platform capable of accommodating the new high-performance processors with no compromises.“

Beyond the support for the latest Intel® Core™ i3, Core™ i5 and Core™ i7 processors, the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi supports the powerful Intel® HD Graphics processor integrated in the latest generation of Intel® Core™ processors. When the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi is paired with Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® HD graphics, the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi becomes a powerful home theater PC platform with premium Blu-ray playback capabilities.

Intel® Clear Video HD technology with AVC/H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2 hardware decode delivers smooth video playback of high-definition sources, including Blu-ray, while new xvYCC color and HD sharpness technology delivers crystal clear visuals with stunning precise colors. New dual video decode technology enables the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi to decode Blu-ray picture-in-picture content using the graphics processor, freeing up the CPU for other tasks.

“Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® HD graphics and the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi platform is perfect for home theater PCs no matter what type of video formats the user may watch,” Mr. Berger said. “In addition to top-notch HD video playback capabilities, Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® HD graphics and the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi features technologies that enhance standard definition content such as enhanced DVD upscaling (8×8 polyphase), advanced de-interlacing, sharpness enhancement and noise reduction.”

Premium audio output is supported by the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi, enabling users to send raw Dolby® TrueHD and DTS®-HD Master Audio audio tracks from high-definition Blu-ray movies to an audio receiver over HDMI. High-definition 7.1-channel analog audio outputs are also available on the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi for top-notch analog audio quality.

For users that demand greater graphics power and want to take advantage of NVIDIA® CUDA™ and PhysX® technology, the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi features a full-speed PCI Express x16 slot for compatibility with the latest graphics cards.

“Combining the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi with a ZOTAC GeForce® series graphics card, users can have the best performance available from the processor and graphics processor that’ll take on anything you can throw at it including the most demanding games, applications and high-definition video playback,” Mr. Berger said.

Topping off the features and capabilities of the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi are six SATA 3.0Gb/s ports, one eSATA 3.0Gb/s, digital optical S/PDIF output, plenty of USB 2.0 ports and integrated 802.11n WiFi. The integrated 802.11n WiFi features dual-stream technology for wireless network transfers at speeds up to 300Mb/s – triple that of standard 100Mb/s wired networking – for wired performance without the wires.

It’s time to play with the ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi.
General details

New ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi
Intel® H55 Express chipset
Intel® Core™ i3, Core™ i5, Core™ i7 compatible
LGA1156 socket
Intel® QuickPath bus
Intel® Clear Video HD technology
HDMI x.v.Color, xvYCC Color & Deep Color technologies
Video de-interlacing, sharpness detail and noise reduction technologies
Hardware MPEG2, VC-1 & H.264/AVC decode
Dual-video decode for Blu-ray picture-in-picture
High-quality 8×8 polyphase DVD upscaling
PCI Express 2.0 x16 expansion
Dual-link DVI output (up to 2560×1600)
HDMI output
HDCP compliant
6 SATA 3.0 Gb/s + 1 eSATA
Gigabit Ethernet
Onboard 802.11n (300Mb/s) WiFi
Microsoft® DirectX® 10 with Shader Model 4.0 compatible
OpenGL® 2.1 compatible
Mini-ITX form factor

Kingston Technology Launches 24GB HyperX Kits

PR: Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping the largest Kingston HyperX® DDR3 memory kits to date. Users of the Intel Core i7 and X58 platforms can now take their systems to the memory extreme with Kingston’s 1600MHz 24GB HyperX kit made up of six 4GB modules. For Core i5, P55 chipset enthusiasts, Kingston has released a 1600MHz kit 16GB kit of four 4GB modules to take full advantage of dual-channel performance.

“We are pleased to make available the largest HyperX memory kits ever for the prosumers, multimedia pro or super enthusiast who wants everything,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston®. “Users working with the latest operating systems like Windows 7 can keep multiple programs open, run memory intensive video or photo applications, or run numerous virtual machines using 24GB or 16GB of DDR3 HyperX memory and create more efficiency and performance gains than ever before.”

The 1600MHz triple- and dual-channel kits are intended for use on the best motherboards on the market from top makers such as Asus and Gigabyte.

Kingston HyperX DDR3 Kit Specifications
KHX1600C9D3K6/24GX 24GB 1600MHz (CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65v) kit of six optimized for Core i7 XMP

KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX 16GB 1600MHz (CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65v) kit of 4 optimized for Core i5 XMP

Kingston HyperX memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free 24/7 technical support. For detailed information please visit the Kingston Web site at http://www.kingston.com/meroot

Transcend Introduces Super-slim Multi-card Reader with Three USB Ports

PR: Transcend Information, Inc. a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today launched its new RDP7 multi-card reader that features an integrated USB hub. With the addition of USB 2.0 ports, this high-speed 3-slot card reader can accommodate up to three USB peripherals in addition to reading most memory card formats available on the market.

The new RDP7 multi-card reader sports a stylish, handy design with clearly labeled slots and a bright LED for indicating card insertion and data transfer. Measuring just 88mm X 54mm X 10.6mm, the RDP7 takes up relatively little desk space and is extremely easy to carry around.

Combining a versatile multi-card reader with a useful 3-port USB hub, the dual-purpose RDP7 not only bridges the gap between PCs and memory card-equipped electronic gadgets like mobile phones, digital cameras or MP3 players, but also allows users to connect multiple peripherals, such as a USB mouse, flash drive, webcam or printer to their computer. Fully hot-pluggable and USB powered, the RDP7 requires no external power source and features a built-in USB cable that snaps conveniently into its chassis for extra portable convenience.
Fully USB 2.0 compliant, the RDP7 guarantees incredible speed and compatibility even when reading high-speed memory cards. The multi-card reader accepts today’s most popular memory cards, including SD, SDHC, microSDHC, microSD, TransFlash, MMC, MMCplus, RS-MMC, MMCmobile, MS, MS PRO, MS Duo, MS PRO Duo, MS PRO-HG Duo and M2. With an adapter, the RDP7 can also support MMCmicro, miniSD and miniSDHC cards.

All Transcend card readers come with a free download of Photo Recovery Tool, and the RDP7 is no exception. This useful software features a quick and easy user interface that shows thumbnail previews of recoverable data. With Transcend’s Photo Recovery Tool, lost, deleted or formatted files are just a click away! Currently available in black or white, the RDP7 is the ideal choice for accessing data stored on memory cards as well as USB devices.

TweakTowns Digital Lounge Blu-ray Awards 2009

QUOTE: “Well, another year, another batch of awesome new releases. 2009 was the first full year where it had no rival in the form of HD-DVD, saw the emergence of BD live portals from almost every major distributor, saw some controversies (Warner Bros lack of lossless audio on some releases, Universals botched Gladiator video transfer), and most importantly, the solidification of the format. Now, Mums and Dads know what Blu-ray is and what it can do for them.

So, at the start of 2010, I thought it was high time to award the releases of 2009 and the distributors that produced them.”

Epson WorkForce 1100 Printer Review

“Although all-in-one printers that can copy, scan and print have become the most popular segment of printers, there are many other types of printers currently available. One of these specialty types of printers, called wide-format, has the often useful ability to print on large sizes of paper. Epson’s WorkForce 1100 is a new wide-format printer. This specialty type of printer has to be especially heavy duty. So we set out to find out if this WorkForce is a workhorse or a wimp.”

Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/903

Is There A Tablet Computer In Your Future

Quote:
“If you read the news sites or visit many tech blogs, it seems that the newest computer gadget threatening to invade the market is the tablet computer. This year’s CES showed that many different models are slated (so to say) to be launched in this calendar year 2010. ”

Main site link: http://www.testfreaks.com

Intel Turbo Boost Technology – Trapping The Unwary

Quote : Many reviewers and hardware enthusiasts have either migrated to the Intel Core i7 and Core i5 platforms, or are in the process of doing so. Unfortunately, this upgrade is not without its pitfalls for the unwary. When it comes to the Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors, the biggest pitfall you have to watch out for is the Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

Most of us would have heard of this innocuous-sounding feature. Unfortunately, it is this passing familiarity that causes most of us to virtually forget all about it. Even as seasoned reviewers and hardware enthusiasts, we were once caught with our pants down and we have no doubt that many other reviewers and hardware enthusiasts too would have made similar mistakes. It is even possible that many are still unaware of the problems that Intel Turbo Mode can cause.

Mushkin DDR3-1600 7-9-7-24 Blackline Memory Review

“If however you are like me and enjoy overclocking every bit of kit you can ever lay your grubby paws on then the Mushkin kit is definitely a good buy. I don’t often get to play with mid-range memory kits, in fact it has been a while since my boards have seen under DDR3-2000C7, but I was impressed by these Mushkin Blackline modules. It was especially a lot of fun when I loosened up tRCD and the kit really began to scale, each notch up was a blast and I enjoyed the sensation of exploring what I felt was uncharted territory. Lately it has felt like all I do when overclocking is plug in pre-tested values for memory speeds and timings, this was a breath of fresh air for me…”

CES 2010: OCZ

Quote: For the year of 2010 the main concentration of the memory companies has been the SSD (Solid State Drive). In fact the responses to solid state memory products has been so positive that even the major companies are starting to develop interesting product solutions for both the consumer market and the enterprise market. OCZ Technologies, one of the industry giants has also adopted the change towards solid state and this time around is introducing many improvements to already existing SSD products as well presents new revolutionary products which generate speeds that quite frankly may just seem ungodly.

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/ces-2010-ocz/

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