Ok…. I haven’t added any news or anything to this site in a few days, it’s been a long week…Â My Mother died Monday night, and we buried her remains today, so I’ve had other things on my mind besides of updating the site.. so here’s a whole lot of news from other sites for you:
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Title: Pogo Sketch @ TestFreaks.com
Review Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/pogo-sketch/
Review Snipit:
” And now for something completely different….. Today we will look at something that is unique from other iPhone/iPod Touch accessory products – a stylus. Did he just say a stylus? Yes, a stylus that can be used with the iPhone 3G, iPod Touch or MacBook track pad as well as all capacitive interfaces. In addition to the Apple devices, the Pogo Sketch also works with the Blackberry Storm. This is the second stylus product from TenOne Design with the first being the Pogo Stylus.”
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Title: Iron Man: Aerial Assault for iPhone / iPod Touch @ TestFreaks
Review Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/iron-man-aerial-assault-for-iphone-ipod-touch/
Review Snipit:
“One of the biggest blockbusters of the 2008 movie season was Iron Man. In an attempt to capitalize on shell head’s newly found popularity, Paramount Digital Entertainment has released Iron Man: Aerial Assault for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This game uses the device’s built in accelerometer to steer Tony Stark’s alter ego through aerial battles. Unfortunately unlike the movie, Iron Man: Aerial Assault will not be a blockbuster hit like its movie namesake. ”
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Title: EyeTV Hybrid @ TestFreaks
Review Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/eyetv-hybrid/
Review Snipit:
“Elgato is a company with years of experience creating software and hardware for Macs to watch and record SDTV and HDTV. With the EyeTV Hybrid they have created a pretty powerful PVR tool in a small package. The EyeTV Hybrid is a USB based TV tuner stick that allows reception and capture of HDTV, Analog and FM radio signals. All you need is to connect an antenna or your TV cable directly into the EyeTV Hybrid to receive HDTV and standard TV in digital (ATSC, Clear QAM) or analog (NTSC) formats and of course, a Mac. ”
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Title: Pocket-Sized Computer and More
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/126
Category: Blog
Here is a snippet:
“Today I will post selected ideas and questions brought by users thru the “comments” sections from my posts that I haven’t addressed yet, like the pocket-sized computer, built-in projectors, heat-pipes to cool down laptops, excessive functions and more.”
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“Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box brings many improvements to an already impressive game, and it’s easily one of the best racing games available on the PC. The game looks and sounds great, and apart from the annoyingly repetitive Guns N’ Roses titles track the music is perfect. Paradise City looks crisp and vibrant, and cars smash, pop, scrape, and deform just as you’d expect from a Burnout game – including awesome particle effects. The weather effects brought in with the Bikes pack look great, with fog, glowing night time neon, and the half-light of dusk all rendered with style. The biggest criticism is that the open ended nature of the game will appeal to some and alienate others. There is no structured challenge system in place, and as you’re free to roam the open world it’s not always obvious what you’re supposed to be doing. Still, more advanced racing fans will love this breath of fresh air.â€
http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=930
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I4U News published a review of the XFX GTX 285 Black Edition Video Card.
Quote from the review:
“Today we are going to look at the new XFX NVIDIA GTX 285 Black Edition video card. This in one of the highest overclocked of the new NVIDIA GTX 285 video card introduced recently. The video card is the second highest performance card in NVIDIA’s line and promises more performance than the GTX 280 that was previously the top dog. Read on for all of the details on the XFX GTX 285 Black Edition.”
Full Review:
http://www.i4u.com/full-review-517.html
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“Like its predecessors, the Core and Solid series, OCZ continues to make SSDs as an alternative to traditional hard drives in consumer-targeted mobile applications. The Vertex series will not replace any of the company’s existing series of SSD’s but will complement them at the higher end of the performance spectrum. Ideal for laptops and desktops alike, the Vertex is a premium choice for energy-efficient mobile computing to extend battery life, increase access time, and provide a durable alternative to conventional hard disc drives with shock resistance. The downside is still cost versus capacity: the range starts at just 30GB (£99) and maxes out at 250GB (£599). Compared to a regular hard disk drive – which can be purchased for under £100 with a capacity of at least 1TB – you’ll have to think long and hard about justifying the outlandish expense. If you’re building a cutting-edge super computer or are just a performance junkie wanting unmatched response and speed, get your credit card ready.â€
http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=929
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TechwareLabs has published a review of the Glacialtech Altair A381 Media Center PC Case. Here’s a clip from the review:
Quote: Chris has a look at one of the nicest looking and most sleek Media Center PC cases we have tested. The Glacialtech Altair A381 comes with a built in VFD, front panel buttons, and even a remote control to round out the package. Ultimately the Altair A381 allows you to watch your favorite movies without ever leaving your couch. Click to see the Altair close up.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/cases/Glacialtech-AltairA381
Title: TechwareLabs Reviews the Glacialtech Altair A381 Media Center PC Case
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Quote: Equipped with Patriot ACC (Aluminum Copper Composite) technology, these modules are designed for maximum performance and stability under extreme overclocking conditions.
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TITLE: OCZ Vertex 120GB SATA SSD OCZSSD2-1VTX120G @ Benchmark Reviews
DESCRIPTION: Lower power consumption and heat output are the least impressive benefits of Solid State Drives. The real payoff is in the practically instant response time and high-performance throughput. Once SSDs could outperform their HDD counterpart, it was all about price and capacity. Adding up to 64MB of Elpida DRAM to the buffer has permanently solved stuttering problems, making raw performance the last bottleneck. An Indilinx ’Barefoot’ internal controller commands the bank of Samsung K9HCG08U1M DRAM modules, allowing the OCZ Vertex Series SSD to offer an impressive capacity with unmatched performance. Benchmark Reviews tests the reaction time and bandwidth performance for the OCZSSD2-1VTX120G against over two dozen other products in this article.
ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=299&Itemid=60
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NEW CONTENT (Audio) – ASUS Travelite HS-1000W Wireless Headset
QUOTE: “Hot on the trail of their very impressive new Xonar sound cards, ASUS have just sent me some wireless headphones. Up until this point I was not aware that ASUS were in the headphone business, but with so many users, particularly gamers, needing a personal audio solution and also taking into account the trend towards wireless devices, it makes sense to see an offering in this category by arguably one of the largest manufacturers in the game.
Offering an easily accessible retail price and a simple software-free installation, it will be interesting to see what ASUS have come up with in what will be my first ever headphones review for TweakTown.”
For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1756/asus_travelite_hs_1000w_wireless_headset/index.html
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InsideHW.com has reviewed HP Compaq 6730b. Here is a quote from this review:
“It seems that difference between “B†and “S†series of HP notebooks was never more distinctive then in recent period at least when it comes to quilt quality. HP Compaq 6735s didn’t impress us but HP 6730b is worthy to represent its famous manufacturer. Big difference between those two series can be noticed after first contact. Chassis of HP Compaq 6730b is very stiff and whole notebook looks like robust and reliable piece of hardware thanks to roll-cage that is reinforced by magnesium alloy…â€
Article link:
http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/HP-Compaq-6730b.html
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Title: Rosewill Performance 650 W Power Supply Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/694
Category: Reviews
Summary:
Performance 650 W (also called RP650-2) is a new power supply from Rosewill. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver 650 W? Let’s see.
Here is a snippet:
“Performance 650 W (also called RP650-2) is a new power supply from Rosewill, featuring a 120-mm fan, active PFC, two auxiliary cables for video cards and labeled as having a 730 W peak power. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver 650 W? Let’s see.”
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Hiyatek HY-HB-8700 USB-hub Review:
Link: http://www.rbmods.com/Articles/Hiyatek/7port_usb2_hub/1.php
Quote: Hiyatek is one of the many manufacturers of USB-peripherals. Their products range includes USB-hubs, USB-mobile racks, notebook coolers, thermal panels and other USB-related products. This time we got an opportunity to have a look at their 7-port USB hub.
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“Powered by a 369MHz ARM processor and 128MB of SDRAM, the E63 is a great addition to Nokia’s range and is perfect for anyone not wanting HSDPA or gadgets such as GPS, but preferring a focused e-mail device which can handle some entertainment if need be. Given the success of the E71, we see no reason why the E63 should be any different, potentially swaying users who don’t fancy learning a BlackBerry operating system or the E71’s higher price. While it doesn’t have the all-round feature set and finesse of the E71 (it looks less serious), the E63 delivers an almost identical experience so is therefore excellent value for money.â€
http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=928
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We have just posted a new article at HotHardware, in which we evaluate the features, performance, and value of the Smooth Creations LANShark Gaming Rig. Smooth Creations offers three different base configuration levels of the LANShark: Standard, Pro and Extreme. We received the LANShark Extreme for analysis in our labs. The “Extreme” configured LANShark is the most tricked out version offered by Smooth Creations.  It is without a doubt an extremely impressive looking, custom painted system, complemented by equally impressive hardware components, including an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 processor, a Western Digital Velociraptor hard drive, a Diamond Radeon HD 4870 X2 video card, 8GB of Kingston HyperX memory, and a complete watercooling system. Come on by the site and check it out…
Smooth Creations LANShark Extreme Gaming Rig:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Smooth-Creations-LANShark-Extreme-Gaming-Rig/
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iXBT Labs Review: Graphics Card + CPU, Part 5
Excerpt:
“We proceed with a series of practical articles, in which we analyze sufficiency of various CPU+GPU combinations for games, trying to keep our test conditions as close to popular realia as possible. We hope that such articles will come in handy to readers willing to reasonably distribute their budget between a graphics card and a processor.”
Article: http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/video/video-cpu-power-game-3-p1.html
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JoeB has reviewed the Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1 sound card.
Title: Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1 Review @ XSReviews
Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/audio-cards/auzentech-x-fi-forte-71/
Quote: “The combination of Creative chip and Auzentech PCB magic was been a success before with the likes of the X-Fi Prelude 7.1. That card fitted a normal PCI slot but today we have its successor which slots into the PCI-e instead. I give you the Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1; can this card carry on the success of its predecessor and even go further in terms of sound quality and performance? Time to find out.“
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The ModXStream Pro series is 80 PLUS certified, and it comes with a three-year guarantee. 80 PLUS certificate has become a standard and if the PSU you’re planning to buy doesn’t have it, we recommend that you keep looking elsewhere. For a PSU to be 80 PLUS certified, it must be 80% efficient in 20%, 50% and 100% workload scenarios. OCZ state that the new models will result in 82% efficiency under typical workloads.
Read the rest of the review here … http://www.cpu3d.com/review/7106-1/ocz-modxstream-pro-500w-psu/introduction.html
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TechwareLabs has published a review of the NEXTAR I4-BC GPS. Here’s a clip from the review:
Quote: With more and more people driving places, it is important for you to know where you are going. Today, RTM takes a look at the Nexus attempt to get you from point A to point B in style. Will RTM get where he wants to go, or will he end up 200 miles away in Georgia at five in the morning, unaware of how he got that far?
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/misc/nextar_i4bc_gps
Title: TechwareLabs Reviews the NEXTAR I4-BC GPS
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OCIA.net has posted their review of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Processor. Below is a direct quote from the review:
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“The original Dawn of War and its subsequent standalone expansions established the series as one of the industry’s leading RTS franchises. Dawn of War II helps to redefine RTS gaming, delivering brutal frontline action and tactics, and allowing you to get straight to the action with immensely fast-paced gameplay and a full co-op campaign, all in gory detail. Value for money is assured by the campaign, which offers a good 30 gameplay hours, and you can then play Skirmish mode where the three other races are opened up – including the elusive Tyranids. As a Games for Windows – Live game, it is also one of the few PC games to use the Achievements system from the Xbox 360, and is the first widely released, PC-exclusive game to use them. RTS gaming doesn’t get any better than this.â€