ASUS EAH4850 with 1GB

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Asus unveiled the world’s first 1GB onboard memory version of the latest ATI Radeon HD 4850 GPU with the ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/1G.

The ASUS EAH4850 will come bundled with Alone in the Dark. Read more

Posted on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:24:55 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Diamond Radeon HD 4850 Now Available

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Earlier this week NVIDIA beat AMD/ATI to the punch by announced its 9800 GTX+ video cards right before AMD announced its new HD 4850. AMD turned the tables a bit by not only introducing the HD 4850, but making it available to purchase right now. You can get the Diamond HD 4850 video card at Newegg for $199.99.

The HD 4850 has 512MB of GDDR3 memory with a 256-bit memory interface. The card supports DirectX 10.1 and CrossFireX. AMD packs 480 stream processors into the card, significantly more than the 9800 GTX+. Though NVIDIA claims the GTX+ performs better. Read more

Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

WOW Launches Ergonomic Vertical Mouse Called WOW-PEN Joy

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

WOW Technology has launched a new vertical mouse designed to reduce pressure on the wrist during long hours of computer usage. The mouse is called the WOW-PEN Joy. The device is based on new technology used for the first time to significantly reduce the soreness of the wrist during long hours of mouse usage and to ward off and reduce the effects of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The Joy is a USB mouse and measures 72mm W x 102mm D x 85mm H and weighs 130g. It has five default buttons and a resolution of 800 dpi matching most standard mice. The Joy will work on all operating systems including OS X, Windows and Linux. Pricing for the WOW-PEN Joy is $30 in the US. Read more

Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

ASUS DisplayLink Certified LCDs Shipping in July

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

ASUS announced today that its DisplayLink LCDs will be available in July. The DisplayLink certified VW223B is a 22-inch LCD with a 1680x1050 resolution, 3000:1 contrast ratio and a 5MS response time. The display also features a built-in USB hub for connection of six additional monitors thanks to the integrated DisplayLink DL-160 chip.

Asus will also have a VW202B DisplayLink certified LCD available the same month. The VW202B is a 20.1-inch LCD with the same 1680x1050 resolution. It lacks the USB hub of the large display, and has slightly less viewing angles but shares the other features of the VW223B LCD. Pricing information is unknown at this time. Read more

Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:55:09 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Mtron Next Gen 260MB/s SSD Controller Tech Introduced

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Mtron has unveiled its new SSD controller technology that will allow 260MB/s SSD drives to come to market. Mtron says it will be launching new SSDs in early 2009 utilizing the new controller. Products using this controller will be twice as fast as current generation SSD drives.

The controller technology uses 8-channels to provide a maximum read speed of 260MB/s and a maximum write speed of 240MB/s. According to Mtron these drives will be more than twice as fast as any other SSDs on the market. Mtron also unveiled new SSD drives using current technology for the aviation, military and medical industries. Read more

Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:59:48 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Samsung Adds to TruDirect Portable DVD Writer Line

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Samsung has added to its TruDirect line with the addition of a new portable DVD writer that also provides DVD title creation. The new drive is called the TruDirect SE-T084M. the drive weighs less than one pound and works without a power cord.

The drive allows users to connect a digital video camera to the PC and press play on the camera. A TruDirect icon will pop up allowing the press of a record button and the TruDirect SE-T084M does the rest. Samsung says that the drive can create a DVD of 4.1GB in only 30 minutes. Supported formats include 8X DVD+R and DVD-R writing, 6X DVD+R and -R Dual Layer writing, and 5X DVD-RAM writing. The drive will be available in July 2008 for $149. The image here is via Krunker. Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Samsung P400 Projector is Small and Portable

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Samsung announced its latest portable projector called the P400 Pocket Images aimed at the business user. The projector is small, but if you plan to carry it in your pocket, they better be big pockets—it measures 5” W x 3.7” D x 2” H and weighs 1.9 pounds.

The P400 uses LEDs rather than a projector lamp giving a lifespan of 30,000 hours. The resolution is 800 x 600 and the contrast ratio is 1000:1. By using LEDs the projector gives up brightness with only 150 lumens. It can project an image of 30” to 40” in a well lit office though. Inputs include RGB, composite, S-Video, and audio in. The image here is via CNET. Pricing for the P400 is $749. Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Samsung Announces CX Series Displays for Commercial Use

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Samsung has a new line of LCD HDTV displays intended for use in commercial settings. The line is called the CX series and includes features like a digital tuner, HDMI, integrated speakers and integrated network PCs. The displays also feature anti burn-in technology.

The 400CX has a resolution of 1366 x 768 and the 400CXn has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The 460CX and 460CXn both sport 3000:1 contrast ratios and 8ms response times. Samsung’s press release on the displays has some obvious errors so no more details are available at this time. Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:40:42 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

NVIDIA Sneaks a new 9800 GTX+ GPU into the Mix

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

NVIDIA announced a new GPU today called the GeForce 9800 GTX+ that promise a new price/performance bar in the GeForce family. The 9800 GTX+ uses the G92-based 9800 GTX and offers more value for gamers. The 9800 GTX+ will sell for $229 and the original 9800 GTX will move to $199.

The GTX+ will have a processor clock of 1836MHz and a graphics clock of 738 MHz. The card will also support PhysX, CUDA, and Folding@Home. Both 2-way and 3-way SLI are supported. NVIDIA says that the driver to enable PhysX on GeForce cards is coming in July. Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:40:02 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

NEC Introduces a Pair of New Projectors

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

NEC introduced a pair of new projectors today called the NP905 and NP901W. NEC says that the two projectors are for installations and are network-compatible. The NP905 has 3000 lumens of brightness and the NP901W has 2000 lumens.

Both are compatible with Windows Network Projector functionality from Windows Vista. Remote desktop connections can be made to the projectors from a wired or wireless network. Complete control of the host computer can be done from the projectors by connecting a USB mouse and keyboard to the projector’s USB port. Both projectors will be available in July of 2008 at $1999.99 for the NP905 and $1299.99 for the NP901W. Read more

Posted on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

WiQuest First to Ship Wireless USB Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound Drivers

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

WiQuest Communications has become the first company to ship Wireless USB software drivers to support Stereo and 5.1 surround sound audio for Windows XP and Vista in release 1.4. The new features allow users to get CD quality audio in both stereo and surround sound.

The sound quality is promised to be as good with the wireless USB drivers as wired speakers provide. WiQuest is now the only Wireless USB solutions provider to ship advanced audio drivers for Windows Isochronous USB audio. Read more

Posted on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:50:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun