The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 25 Feb 2011

Hardware News:

SandForce SF-2000 Series SSD Overview

Description: SandForce DuraClass technology paired to TRIM support in Windows 7 has helped with this concern, but it was their RAISE technology that provides RAID-like protection for single SSD computer systems paired to AES-128 automatic data encryption that put them on top.

Prolimatec?h Super Mega Cooler

Description: The shape of the heat sink inherits the radiator of the Super Mega Megahalems cooler because Prolimatech was not an experiment. Between the aluminum fins are now found scattered copper fins, reducing the weight increased from 790 grams to 155 grams once to 945 grams.

Spire Slimod II Review

Description: Spire are internationally recognised as a premiere producer of cooling technology that specialises in cooling for gaming PCs. But as usual, a name doesnt give you a pass in XSR testing, so lets see how their latest iteration of GPU cooler, the Slimod II stands up.

Corsair Hydro Series H70 CPU Cooler

Description: One of the additions to the Corsair cooling line-up was the original Hydro H50 CPU cooler which provided a near plug-and-play water cooling system for your CPU. Now Corsair is back again with a revamped and beefed up solution called the Hydro H70.

Gigabyte P67A-UD7 Motherboar?d Review

Description: The GIGABYTE P67A-UD7 is not just new in terms of looks, but also sports all the latest innovations from GIGABYTE’s laboratories, including 24-phase power design, Driver MOSFETs and Dynamic Energy Saver 2 technology.

Antec Six Hundred V2 PC Case Review

Description: The Antec 600 v2 is a slight redesign of the original Antec 600 featuring some new attributes like a larger storage hole for cables, front hot-swap 2.5" bay, top mounted "moon roof" window, and a CPU-Backplate cut out for aftermarket cooler installation, like the Antec Kühler 620.

Consumer Electronics and Software News:

Google changes search algorithms

Description: Google made the algorithmic announcement on its blog yesterday and said that the change is significant. However, it is only designed to target low value websites that copy content from other websites.

Mac OS X Lion: A Quick Peek at Its Current State

Description: One of the cooler new features not seen before is AirDrop. Say youre somewhere with no Internet connectivity, dont have a USB key handy, and want to transfer a file to another Mac user in the room. Go into an options page and enable the feature.

Google launches preemptive strike at Office 365

Description: Googles new Cloud Connect collaboration add-in for Microsoft Office strikes at the heart of the Office 365 juggernaut

Plants Vs. Zombies, Fable Coin Golf and more coming to Windows Phone 7

Description: For a six-week period this spring the company will release a series of popular mobile games that have yet to make their way to the platform. The “Must Have Games” sale will include Plants Vs. Zombies, Hydro Thunder Go, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, geoDefense, Doodle Jump and “more,” according to Microsoft’s Major Nelson.

Barnes & Noble updates Nook Android app, promises a Honeycomb version this spring

Description: Okay, so theyre rather minor updates, but our guess is that the Nook Honeycomb app thats being promised for some time this spring will be far more exciting. Yep, its a lot of B&N Android, but while were on the topic, weve got to admit were wondering about the whereabouts of that Nook Color app store, which was announced back in November.

Apple releases FaceTime on Mac App Store for 99 cents

Description: Staff Buyers of Apples new MacBook Pro lineup will get the newly out-of-beta FaceTime for Mac free with a new machine, while existing Mac users can buy the video chat software on the Mac App Store for 99 cents.

Gaming News:

Elder Scrolls V preview up on YouTube

Description: Rockville-based game company Bethesda Softworks has released an in-game preview of the latest installment of its popular Elder Scrolls series of games. The latest installment, called Skyrim, is due Nov. 11.

Mortal Kombat banned in Australia

Description: Although many pundits are predicting a change to Australia’s classification system coming soon, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainments (WBIE) upcoming Mortal Kombat is the latest game to fall victim to Australias outdated classification rules.

MSI launches its H61I-E35 mini-ITX board

If youve been waiting for an affordable mini-ITX board for Intels Sandy Bridge processors, then MSI might have what youve been waiting for in the shape of the H61I-E35 which is its latest LGA-1155 motherboard. It might not be the most feature rich board out there, but this should also allow MSI to keep costs down to that of a very reasonable level.

As the model name gives away, the H61I-E35 is based on the Intel H61 chipset which by default makes it a budget solution as far as Sandy Bridge motherboards are concerned. That said, not everyone needs a board with everything but the kitchen sink and MSI has come up with a board that should appeal to those building a home media server for example.

The board is somewhat limited when it comes to expansion options; although as with all H61 boards it has four SATA 3Gbps ports. It also has two full-size DIMMs unlike some models that rely on SO-DIMMs. The single expansion slot in this case is a PCI Express x1 slot, so dont expect to be able to upgrade the graphics on this board. The only other useful feature on the board is a pair of USB 2.0 headers for a total of four ports.

Around the back youll find a pair of PS/2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a D-sub and HDMI port and finally three audio jacks. We feel like MSI could at least have added another pair of USB 2.0 ports around the back, low cost board or not. Something we noticed in passing is that MSI seems to have replaced its H67 mini-ITX board which was shown back at IDF last year with the H61I-E35 as the two carries the same MSI model number. This is a shame, as the H67 model featured angled SATA ports as well as a mini PCI Express slot at the bottom of the PCB which wouldve made it a more suitable home server solution.

That said, Intels 1k pricing puts the H61 at US$13 less than the H67 chipset which is a huge difference not only for the motherboard maker, but also for the retail price. The H61I-E35 is listed for about €66 (S$120) which makes it the cheapest LGA-1155 mini-ITX board weve seen so far, but only by a small margin of about S$5.50 compared to Intels own DH61DL board which offers USB 3.0 connectivity and a mini PCI Express slot as an added bonus, although it only has three SATA ports and a DVI port instead of HDMI.

Source: MSI

OCZ Unveils Highly Efficient Silencer 910W PSU

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and PC components, today unveiled the new Silencer 910 power supply from PC Power & Cooling. The Silencer line has proven itself as one of the most trusted PSU series on the market over the past twenty years, built for absolute stability and reliability for high end enthusiast systems, and the newest addition to our legendary Silencer series completes the family of ultra-quiet highly reliable and efficient PSUs which now range from 370W to the new 910W (1KW peak). Featuring an industry-leading 80+ Silver Certification, the Silencer 910 offers one of the highest efficiencies on the market combined with a power output to meet the demands of the most component-heavy systems. Where ultimate power meets top efficiency, the robust Silencer 910 is the ideal solution for today’s high-end gaming systems and professional workstations.

Designed to offer consumers a combination of legendary PSU architecture and the ultimate in quiet power management, the Silencer 910 is the optimal power solution for gamers and enthusiasts with multiple power-hungry drives and video cards. The Silencer delivers 910 Watts of continuous power and 1KW at its peak, and offers a temperature rating of 50C, twice that of the industry standard. Garnering an 80+ Silver Certification, the Silencer 910 is one of the highest efficiency PSUs on the market for energy and cost savings at 88% efficiency typical load.

Next-generation platforms and high-performance graphics cards are essential components for modern gaming and enthusiast system builds. Tested and qualified under NVIDIA’s renowned certification program, the rock solid Silencer 910 edition not only meets a high standard of quality, but guarantees superior compatibly with the latest graphic cards to provide sufficient output to even the most demanding GPUs and cutting-edge platforms. Featuring rock-solid, super-clean DC output, a powerful Single Rail +12VDC (74A), and complete array of connectors including quad PCI-Express, 24-pin, dual 8-pin, and 4/8-pin motherboard connectors, this PSU can power an array of high end components.

With a history of over 20 years building long-lasting, investment-grade PSUs, PC Power built the Silencer 910 using the highest quality components and circuitry to provide one of the highest MTBF ratings on the market at over 100,000 hours. The Silencer 910 offers the industry's most powerful yet versatile design on the market, backed by an industry-leading 5-Year warranty commitment and the in-depth knowledge of PC Power & Cooling technical support.

Tenq P07 Ubuntu tablet specification and pricing unveiled

According to online sources, the Tenq P07 is powered by 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 1 or 2GB DDR3 memory and 16 or 32GB SSD drive, It will also feature a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen display, 1.3-megapixel web camera and connectivity options include two USB 2.0, HDMI output, 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and optional 3G.

It has a sleek finish andd the boot time is quite fast. The tablet's touchscreen is also very responsive. No confirmed date as to when the Ubuntu tablet will go on retail, though the price is expected to start at US$400 for the 16GB with Wi-Fi. The 3G option will be selling at US$450.

Source: Gizchina

Sony Ericsson Unveils Elm Smartphone

Sony Ericsson had announced the Sony Ericsson Elm, thenew addition to the company’s GreenHeart portfolio. Themobile phone provides users with an expanded range of products to make an educated green choice without compromising on design or functionality.

The Sony Ericsson Elm phone will be shipped with a GreenHeart personal handsfree; the Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-60J, which is a step towards reaching the 100 per cent GreenHeart accessory goal.

Features include:
- Quality voice – noise shield, clear voice and intelligent volume adaptation
- Natural fit – human curvature and ergonomic keypad fits in the palm of a hand
- Feel secure – back up your personal information online at Sonyericsson.com
- Social networking the easy way – easily switch to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter
- 5-megapixel autofocus camera – snap friends and family and upload images to blogs and websites
- Essential guide – Google search and Google Maps, Wisepilot, turn-by-turn navigation with AGPS and 10 days free weather forecast with Accuweather
- Media player – get a rich media experience
- Supports UMTS HSPA 2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900.

Available in Metal Black and Pearly Rose, the Sony Ericsson Elm phone will be available in Singapore from 20 March 2010 at a recommended retail price of S$398 without contract.