Archive for ◊ July, 2010 ◊

Apple iPhone 4 Does Video Chat, Shoots 720p HD Movies & More
Friday, July 30th, 2010 | Author: Grace

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To no one’s surprise, Apple iPhone 4 looks exactly like the one obtained by Gizmodo in mid-April. Today’s announcement by Steve Jobs just confirms almost every feature you may find on the new phone. The iPhone 4 is slightly thinner yet contains a battery boosting better run time (7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of video and 10 hours WiFi browsing). The phone has an stainless steel border going around outside; the material doubles as an antenna.

Besides the cosmetic changes, the iPhone quattro receives both major and minor upgrades, including a new speedy Apple A4 processor; a much shaper screen (960 x 640; 326 ppi); a 720p HD video recorder; 802.11n; a front facing camera for video conferencing over WiFi; LED flash; and a second mic for noise cancellation. We would have to say they are mostly incremental improvements, and aren’t close to revolutionary. We would have to say the real focus is on the iAds platform which is in fact the real cash cow since you virtually have unlimited amount of inventory if the apps sales continue to skyrocket.

As for pricing, Apple iPhone 4 32GB will retail for $299 and 16GB for $199. A cheaper $99 version of iPhone 3GS along with the other new models will again be available thru AT&T (USA) starting on June 24th. Other countries also receiving the iPhone 4 at the end of the month.

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ASUS CineVibe Gaming Headset
Friday, July 30th, 2010 | Author: Grace

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Asus today enters the gaming headset market with the CineVibe Rumble Feedback USB headset. Always innovating, Asus has added a rumble effect to this gaming headset. This is a more private version of the Buttkicker home theater device or the rumble effects found on many console game controllers. The USB headset is driver-less of course and works on either PC or Apple computers. The rumble vibrations are tuned to low frequency sounds and not with game related events so this technically isn’t a force feedback system, but its potential for sound enhancement is exciting.
Vortez didn’t find the effect that exhilarating. He notes the addition of the low frequency transformation into vibration altered the somewhat average sound of the headset. While the novelty of the sensation would certainly distract from less than stellar sound, most serious gamers will opt for the higher quality circumaural experience found with larger ear cups like the Logitech G35 or those focusing on surround audio like the Razer Megalodon. Anyone who spends a significant amount of time gaming will know that headphones that press on the ear can’t be tolerated for long sessions. We’ll hope Asus tries again with this concept but with a larger version with some configurable drivers and game support.

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Lexar Echo SE Easily Backs up your Entire Netbook
Friday, July 30th, 2010 | Author: Grace

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Lexar Echo SE was first announced along with the Echo ZE nano-sized USB “naildrive” back in January. Now Lexar comes up with 128GB version that is reportedly 15% shorter than other similar offerings. Lexar touts the mega-sized Echo SE 128GB as a secure backup solution for notebooks and notebooks alike. The backup is handled primarily by onboard Dmailer that includes targeted file backup so the software does continuous incremental backup to reduce wasted space and at the same time allows retrieval of previous file versions.
The files are safeguarded by 128-bit AES software encryption. Unique to the Lexar is the cross-platform compatibility. You will be able to restore or back up files on either a PC or Mac. Lexar Echo SE however won’t break any speed record, with read speed topping at 28MB/s and read at 10MB/s.

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AMD Hudson Chipset to Get USB 3.0?
Friday, July 30th, 2010 | Author: Grace

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As Intel evidently won’t be offering USB 3.0 as chipset integrated feature until 2012, AMD is taking the opportunity to slap its nemesis in the face by integrating USB 3.0 into its upcoming mobile PC platform. The said platform is code-named Hudson D1 which serves as the southbridge chip for Ontario and Llano APUs – AMD’s CPU/GPU fusion. It is slated to ship in Q4 2010, and will primarily target at thin-notebooks and notebooks.
Rumor has it that AMD is in talks with NEC to license its proven USB 3.0 chipset in order to save R&D money into developing its own solution. NEC seems like an ideal partner as the fab manufacturer has the capacity to ramp up production as soon as orders are received. The talk comes at a time when Intel at last released xHCI spec 1.0 which finalizes the details of the register-level interface for host controller driver in software. The move by AMD will undoubtedly drive the cost per unit even lower to perhaps under $2, and will likely create an incentive for more first-tier manufacturers to adopt SuperSpeed USB.

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