t-break: Tech @ Its Fastest » Spotlight

Sony Ericsson Live WT19i Review

Nick Rego — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:37:30 +0000

Long before the dawn of mp3 players crammed with hundreds of songs, there was the humble CD player, and before that the cassette player, or the Walkman to be precise. There was nothing quite like donning those huge headphones with the silver band and bopping along the street like you didn’t have a care in the world. So when the Sony Ericsson WT19i Walkman phone landed on my desk, I was eager to swap out my phone for a few days and see just how this little gem would hold up.

Specifications & Design
At first glance the WT19i looks quite innocent with its non-flashy white looks and matte backing. The phone is nearly the same size as my current phone which is a Blackberry 9800, but feels much lighter due to the absence of a physical keyboard. Even though its mostly encased in hard plastic, the phone doesn’t feel cheap at all, though I’m sure that after a few accidental drops the plastic will give way in certain places.

Measuring 106 x 56.5 x 14.2 mm and weighing less than 120g, the phone is easy to slip into your pocket and forget about. At the front of the phone is the forward-facing camera and three buttons – Back, Home, and Menu, with the power button at the top of the device along with a dedicated button to launch the Walkman feature of the phone. The right side sports the volume rocker and dedicated camera button, while a micro-USB connector is on the left for recharging the device as well as connecting it to your PC. At the back of the phone is the 5 Megapixel camera and flash, as well as two tiny speakers for audio, which I’ll touch upon later. A Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 1GHz processor powers the device, with 512MB RAM and 1GB ROM. Under the back cover is a slot for your SIM card as well as for microSD storage up to 32GB. Finally, the screen is a 3.2” 320×480 LCD which is fine for general usage, but becomes difficult to use when browsing the web.

Software
The phone bundles with Android 2.3 and features a UI designed by Sony Ericsson. Each corner of the phone’s screen can be used to launch a particular app shortcut such as email or SMS, and even the main app list has been tweaked a bit. In addition to the stock Android apps, the phone bundles with its own brand of programs – the Timescape app is something we’ve seen in other Sony Ericsson phones, and provides you with a ‘stream’ of information such as your messages, emails, tweets, and Facebook alerts. You can also download more apps via a “Get Apps” program, but most of these just link back to the Android Market, so you’re better off just using the Market app directly.

It feels a bit awkward using an older version of Android having being recently spoiled by Ice Cream Sandwich, but it’s more or less a fairly pain-free experience navigating through the menus and launching apps. Typing on the other hand is a bit of a challenge – in portrait mode the phone provides a predictive text input which for the most part works well despite the small screen, but it’s the annoying autocorrect that too frequently changes your words into something else. Thankfully you can rotate the phone horizontally to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard which makes things a lot easier.

OCZ RevoDrive 3 120GB SSD Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:04:03 +0000

While PC enthusiasts go gaga over the latest consumer grade SATA III SSDs, when it comes to bleeding edge performance there is another type of SSD that is in a different league all together. PCIe drives reign supreme when it comes to SSD performance, as they are not limited by the bandwidth capacity of SATA III (6Gbps). Today I’ll be looking at the OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCIe 120GB SSD.

Given the price and form factor of the RevoDrive 3, it’s clear that this is an enterprise level SSD. Still, there are many enthusiasts and professionals working on high-end machines that will find the RevoDrive 3 right up their alley.

The basic anatomy of the RevoDrive 3 isn’t so far off from a regular SSD, but some tweaks give it the beastly performance OCZ claims it to have. First off there’s the SAS 6Gbps to PCIe 2.0 x4 bridge that provides full 2Gbps bandwidth compared to 750Mbps through SATA III.

The SAS chipset is said to be from Marvell with custom drivers, allowing TRIM support, SMART data readouts and firmware update through the SSD Toolbox. OCZ calls it the SuperScale storage accelerator with the new Virtualized Controller Architecture 2.0 (VCA 2.0). This basically allows the processor to send real-time I/O commands simultaneously to the two SandForce 2281 controllers.

Furthermore, the sixteen 8GB NAND chips would have given a total of 128GB of storage, but actual usable space is limited to 111GB (rated is 120GB). The extra space allows for better garbage collection, which coupled with the VCA 2.0 allows OCZ to claim that data integrity is near 100%. Time will tell if this claim holds true, though.

Before we move onto the benchmarks, let’s take a look at the packaging. Coming in a rather large box, the RevoDrive 3 comes in a rather solid box. Packed inside the safe cushions is the RevoDrive 3 itself, with the drivers CD as well.

Installation is simply plugging the RevoDrive 3 into any PCIe 2.0 or 3.0 slot you have on your motherboard, and downloading the drivers directly from OCZ. Without the drivers Windows 7 won’t recognize the drive, nor will it be bootable if you’re planning to install Windows 7 on it.

ASUS Rampage IV Gene Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:30:21 +0000

As soon as Intel launched the new Sandy Bridge-E processors, you knew ASUS would bring out the big guns for the X79 platform. And sure enough, both the Rampage IV Formula and Rampage IV Extreme were one of the best performing motherboards we have tested.

Of course, not everyone wants to have a massive tower for their gaming rig, but for the power hungry user who wants high-end performance in a small package, ASUS has the Rampage IV Gene mATX motherboard.

Looking at the features list and the basic layout, the Rampage IV Gene looks like a cut down version of the Rampage IV Formula. Included with the Rampage IV Gene are similar accessories as well.

First off we have the ROG sticker and the door hanger, followed by the instruction manuals and drivers and utilities CD. A very handy sticker chart is also available for you to label all your cables inside the case. Then there are six SATA cables, one ROG Connect cable, an SLI bridge, and a set of Q-connectors. And bringing it home is the rear I/O panel cover.

HTC Rhyme Review

Mohannad Alchalabi — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:34:21 +0000

I often find that phones catered to females are useless. They’re usually underpowered, based on an old design or colored pink to make it look feminine and that’s all. It’s as if phone manufacturers think that all girls like the color pink and just wish they had a pink phone to carry around. Luckily HTC have done the smart thing and introduced a phone and bundle that might actually be useful and doesn’t look like it’s made for Barbie.

The HTC Rhyme’s design is one that everyone should be familiar with. It doesn’t deviate much from other HTC phones in terms of design except for the coloring scheme. The HTC Rhyme comes in Clearwater, Hourglass and Plum colors and the sample phone I received I can only guess is Clearwater. The whole phone is colored in pastels or shades of blue and brushed metal which definitely make it light on the eyes. It doesn’t look too feminine though but I can’t say the same for the Plum colored one.

The 3.7 inch screen dominates the front with sensors, an LED indicator, the earpiece and front camera at the top and capacitive buttons at the bottom. The screen is surrounded by brushed metal that continues onto the back where the HTC logo is etched. The back has the camera, flash and speaker bunched together along with three metal pins for connecting with the included dock.

On the left you have the covered microUSB connector, on the right is the volume button and at the top there’s the power/unlock button and 3.5mm audio connector. The battery compartment is at the bottom, open it and you get access to the Sim and microSD cards, both are hot-swappable. The battery is non-removable so forget about bringing a spare. Build quality is excellent as is expected from HTC. The phone feels solid with almost zero creaks or squeaks apart from those coming from the battery compartment. Overall the phone feels sturdy and built with quality and longevity in mind.

Now I did initially mention that phones catered to females are often underpowered and this might be considered one of them when you look at the range of higher end phones out today. The Rhyme comes with a single core 1 GHz Scorpion processor with the Adreno 205 bundled GPU. Compared to the dual core powerhouses out today, the HTC Rhyme’s CPU might appear to struggle with a modern operating system but it runs everything with very little stuttering. As mentioned earlier the Rhyme has a 3.7 inch screen, it’s an S-LCD which doesn’t quite cut it with the likes of AMOLED, Retina and qHD displays out there but it’s certainly better than the average LCD on cheaper phones and the 480×800 resolution has been seen on phones with larger screens.

The phone comes with 4GB of internal storage but only about 1GB may be used but HTC have generously included an 8GB microSD card in the bundle. It also comes with 768MB of RAM. The dimensions are 119 x 60.8 x 10.85 mm and it weighs only 130 grams. The phone feels slimmer though as it tapers at the back near the edges. The HTC Rhyme comes with a 5mpx camera with auto focus and an LED flash that is capable of taking videos at 720p. It also has a front facing VGA camera for video calls. The phone comes with Android 2.3.5 with HTC’s new Sense 3.5 slapped on top and a video of Sense 3.5 is available below. Running SunSpider, the Rhyme got a score of 3661.5ms which is well under the 3424.8ms the Xperia Active got despite the similar internal specs.

AMD A8-3870K Black Edition Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:53:16 +0000

Late last year I reviewed the AMD A8-3850 APU, which the first high-end Llano based offering from AMD, giving desktop users a taste of how successfully integrated graphics can work with a quad-core processor. And while the performance in multi-threaded applications was decent, as were the onboard graphics, the chip still felt somewhat lacking compared to the direct competition, which is the Intel Core i3-2100.

So today I’ll be looking at the new flagship APU from AMD, the Llano A8-3870K. Apart from having a 100MHz increase over the A8-3850, the ace up the A8-3870K is the fact that it has unlocked core multiplier. Of course, given that the Llano APUs aren’t being targeted towards the hardcore gamer, you won’t find high-end motherboards geared towards overclocking. As such, currently overclocking the A8-3870K is only possible on those motherboards who have an updated BIOS which supports switching the multiplier.

Outside of the unlocked multiplier, the A8-3870K has the same HD 6550D GPU with 400 Radeon cores running at 600MHz speed as the A8-3850. Now one of the coolest things about the Llano APUs is that they are targeted mostly towards HTPC users and the extremely budget conscious gamer who doesn’t want to play Battlefield 3 at Ultra high settings. As such, if the built-in HD 6550D GPU isn’t enough, you can pair it with an AMD Radeon HD 6670 graphics card for asymmetrical CrossFire where both the Llano APU’s integrated HD 6550D and the discrete HD 6670 work in tandem.

Monster Clarity HD Model One Speakers Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:26:53 +0000

With the Monster brand name, people have two things in mind: great quality and great (as in, not really) price. And the Clarity HD Model One speakers certainly live up to that legacy.

As the name suggests, the Clarity HD Model One were designed for clear sound reproduction across all spectrums, with the idea to make any genre sound good. Apart from great acoustics, though, Monster also designed the Clarity HD Model One to have easy connectivity with a myriad of personal and professional audio devices, as well as ease of use.

So let’s start things off with the packaging and see what we get inside the box. Apart from the two speakers, there are two power cables with different socket pins. The power brick is built inside the right speaker itself, so all you need is one thin wire plugged into an electrical outlet. The left speaker draws power and audio source from the right one, so there’s a thick DIN cable that’s roughly 15 feet long.

Then there are 5 iPod, iPod Touch and iPhone compatible brackets that allow you to connect your choice of iOS device easily on top of the right speaker. Finally we have the miniscule remote control which is mostly useful for just powering on/off the Model One, apart from volume control. The playback controls only come into effect when you have an iOS device connected to it, though.

The bookshelf sized Model One measures 16 x 9 inches, and weighs about 5 kgs each. However, the speakers actually felt lighter than that, thanks to the perfectly placed inlay handles on top. Apart from just requiring two cables, the handles make the Clarity HD Model One the most portable bookshelf speakers on the market.

Now as far as connectivity and controls go, the Model One have it all covered. As mentioned earlier, the top of the right speaker has the Apple connector dock, which is used to connect any iPod and iPhone for music playback. The power and main volume control are just in front of the Apple dock.

Behind the right speaker we find the majority of connection ports. There’s a standard 3.5mm input jack, a pair of stereo RCA inputs, and finally ¼” TRS connectors to directly plug in your musical instruments.

Move to the top and you’ll see the port for the optional Streamcast Bluetooth adapter, which has a built-in AAC decoder and is aptX compliant as well. While not available for sale right now, the Streamcast Bluetooth adapter will allow superior Bluetooth audio playback from devices up to 30ft away.

Just above the wireless adapter is the High Frequency dial which allows us to switch the 1-inch dome tweeters’ response from -2db to neutral to +2db. For the most part I was happy with just the neutral setup, but for movie watching I would recommend -2db as the high frequencies don’t interfere with vocal tracks.

AMD HD 7950 Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:00:50 +0000

Often times AMD and Nvidia release their flagship GPUs with the launch of a new series of graphics card, but it’s the one under the newly crowned king that people most look forward to, the price/performance champion of the people. And in between all the festivities, we usually tend to overlook the middle sibling, the one who sits smack in the middle of the mid-range champion and the performance king. Today marks the launch of one such card, the AMD HD 7950.

The AMD HD 7950 is basically a cut down version of the HD 7970 released a month back. Clocked slightly lower than the 7970 and 256 lesser Stream units, the HD 7950 is made from the same wafer, with 384-bit bandwidth and 4.3 billion transistors and GCN architecture on a 28nm process. Our test units were all 3GB variants, although there will be 1.5GB HD 7950s coming out later, potentially costing $50 to $60 less than the 3GB versions.

Going by those specs and price, AMD has put the HD 7950 squarely against the current Nvidia champ, the GTX 580. And given that the 3GB price of the HD 7950 matches 1.5GB GTX 580s, expect a price drop very soon on the GTX 580.

So let’s take a look at our test cards today, both of which have custom cooling solutions and are factory overclocked to boot.

ASUS UX31 Zenbook Review

Taimoor Hafeez — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:20:27 +0000

Now that Ultrabooks have finally flooded the region, it’s easy to go out and pick up something you like. But don’t let first looks fool you, as every ultrabook looks extremely tempting, and a very budget oriented alternative to Apple’s famous MacBook Air laptops.

In the past we have covered the Acer Aspire S3 as well as the Toshiba Portege Z830, so today I’ll be looking at how the highest-end offering from ASUS stacks up against the rest of the ultrabooks. The Zenbook comes in a very simple case, with a basic assortment of supplies. You get the standard power adapter, with three different plug styles (great for when you’re travelling abroad) and a very sleek looking case sleeve.

This is the first ultrabook I have used with a Core i7 processor, and as such was worried about heat and noise, but the Zenbook pleasantly surprised me there. More on that later, though, let’s take a look at the Zenbook in all its glory.

Zotac ZBOX ID-80 Plus HTPC Review

Abbas Jaffar Ali — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:26:43 +0000

I’ve been reviewing these little HTPC boxes from Zotac for a while now and every few months, a new model lands on our desk. These pizza box shaped computers are targeted towards the home theater enthusiast and, honestly, if the model from last year played full HD 1080p movies just fine, is there a need for a a newer model? Thats what we’re here to find out today with the Zotac Zbox ID-80 Plus.

Packaged in the very familiar box that we have seen with most Zbox PCs of late, the ID-80 comes with the usual power charger and VESA mounting kit that can be attached to the back of your PC to completely hide the computer. Also finally included is an iR receiver and remote- something I’ve been asking Zotac to do through my reviews for quite a while. One thing that I would like them to change is to provide all the drivers and applications on a USB key instead of a CD as some of the Z-BOX PCs, including this one, don’t have an optical drive.

Coming to the design, the ZBOX ID-80 looks pretty much like most of the older ZBOX models that I have reviewed- which is not abad thing. The square shaped flat PC is fairly simple looking with a shiny black finish. The look for ZBOX is getting a bit old but I can understand why Zotac hasn’t focused much on the looks because it comes with a VESA mounting kit which means that it might even be totally hidden from the user.

On the front side, you have audio ports along with an SD card reader, a USB port and the power button with Wi-Fi and Hard Drive LEDs. The top side has another USB 2.0 port while the back features connectors for power, a Wi-Fi antenna, wired LAN, two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports as well as HDMI, DVI and Optical S/PDIF outputs.

HP Educational Truck Tour

Nick Rego — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:01:14 +0000

As I walk through the parking lot of Dubai Academic City towards the massive HP truck that’s now drawing a crowd of people to it, I can’t help but play a Transformers-type tune in my head. This massive truck has come all the way from Europe, and is part of an exciting initiative by HP to showcase some of their latest product offerings as well as promote their plans for revolutionizing both the corporate and educational environment.

I’m guided around the inside of the truck by Afroz Nawaf, Marketing Specialist PSG Commercial and Value from HP, and my first audience is with HP’s consumer line. From petite netbooks to sleek notebooks and desktops, HP had an impressive range of consumer tech to show off. I noticed that a good number of their laptops now come equipped with ‘Beats by Dr. Dre’ audio technology built in, so regardless of what kind of headphones you plug in you still get amazing sound quality and crisp audio.

Further down the consumer line was the HP 2311gt, a PC monitor capable of displaying both 2D and 3D content seamlessly. The monitor and combined software are able to instantly transform movies and even photos into 3D, and when paired with the supplied 3D glasses makes for an affordable 3D experience for home users. There was also the HP TouchSmart 520 PC, which was a much sleeker looking version of the TouchSmart 610 PC that we have in the office. The bundled TouchSmart software also sported better navigation as I swiped through the various screens, and I loved how the background wallpaper had elements in it that move around as I swiped. With wireless keyboard and mouse, integrated webcam and Beats technology, this would be the perfect all-in-one PC for those interested in a slightly different computing experience.

My tour then shifted gears to their corporate offerings, with the likes of the HP Elitebook 8760W leading the pack for mobile workstation computing. With a gorgeous display and plenty of power under the hood, this little beast would be a no-brainer for anyone looking for power computing on the go. I then turned my attention to a video demo of the HP Z800 workstation – an absolute behemoth of a machine capable of handling some serious computing challenges. Nawaf casually comments that the machine is used by the likes of Dreamworks to handle complex rendering projects, and can be fitted with up to 192Gb of RAM and 10TB of disk space. I quiver a bit and resist the urge to hug him when he says that he’ll try to send over one of these machines to our office.

My final stop is with Ziyad Al Rayes, Education Sector Manager for Middle East. I cannot help but smile when I talk to Al Rayes, simply because he’s so passionate when he describes HP’s latest initiative to streamline the IT infrastructure in both the corporate and education sectors. Al Rayes explains that with HP’s refresh initiative, even older PCs are able to power up and run the latest version of Windows and other software that would otherwise require a PC upgrade. Through its thin client series HP hopes that larger organizations will realize the benefit of introducing such technologies, as they are much easier to deploy and administer than traditional PC environments. Al Rayes also talks about how the education sector can stand to benefits from HP’s Virtualised Classroom environment – a central HP server can deliver a desktop experience anywhere on campus through client virtualisation, while the HP Multiseat Computing model allows one PC to be shared with up to ten students, expanding and simplifying as required for a truly plug and play experience. This kind of classroom model is perfect for areas or institutions that don’t necessarily have the resources to fit an entire computer lab with PCs, given that for the most part PC computing in schools or universities aren’t very demanding (with the exception of specialty apps such as CAD etc.). A recent success story was with SABIS in Lebanon, which turned to HP for a flexible and cost-effective thin client solution for its labs and exam halls.

Clearly HP has some very focused goals for the year ahead, so we’re keen to see how the company plays out the rest of 2012. Check out some images from the event below: