dsmTechNews

News for February 26th 2009

Posted on the February 26th, 2009 under Everything and Anything, Product Reviews by Kristofer

more news… lots of it…

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Title: Safari 4 Beta – First Look @ TestFreaks

Review Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/safari-4-beta-first-look/

Review Snipit:
“Like every other tech site, we were blind sided by yesterday’s unannounced release of Safari 4 Beta. The latest version of Apple web browser comes in both OS X and Windows flavors and features a redesigned user interface, next generation standards support, the implementation of Cover Flow, history view and much more. ”
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Title: VisTablet Reveiwed @ TestFreaks

Review Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/vistablet/

Review Snipit:
“Today for review I’m taking a look at the VisTabelt, and don’t be fooled by the name it’s not just for Vista, it also works on Macs and Xp. The VisTablet is a well made product that works well and comes in at an attractive price point, overall it’s not a bad choice for a tablet really. ”
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TechwareLabs has published an Explanation of your System Cache. Here’s a clip from the editorial:

Quote: Have you ever wondered what the term Cache means? Join Brad as we explain the ins and outs of the term and how it can help or hurt you in your computer.

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/articles/editorials/system_cache

Title: System Cache Explained at TechwareLabs

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Title – Win a Thermaltake V9 Black Edition Gaming Case  @ eTeknix

Link – http://www.eteknix.com/2009/win-a-thermaltake-v9-black-edition-gaming-case/

Quote – “To be within a chance of winning this case, all you have to do is refer other people to eTeknix. It couldn’t be much simpler than that.
eTeknix is a fairly new site and to show how much we care about our visitors, we are giving you the chance to win this fantastic case, all you simple need to do is refer people to the site, and make sure that they post at least 15 posts (this will be monitored and spam will be deleted)”

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While the performance of the Core i7 920 at stock speeds is very remarkable, it really shines when it comes to overclocking.  I was able to clock this processor  up over 1.5GHz above it stock rated speed and keep the system stable – that’s a 57% overclock!  At these speeds there is nothing from the other camp that can come close to the performance of this “budget” processor. . .

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Whoopty has reviewed the Mionix Alioth 400 mouse mat

Title: Mionix Alioth 400 Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/mouse-mats/mionix-alioth-400/

Quote: “Mouse mats aren’t considered to be the most exciting of review products, as their usually fairly mundane, and with the rather opinionated testing methods, it’s not something every reviewer looks forward to. However, now and again one comes along that really catches your eye, like today. Powerdrive Computers have sent over a new mat from a company called Mionix. This is their Alioth 400. Let’s see if it performs as well as it looks.“

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here’re the Redaktion ocinside.de News from Thursday, February 26, 2009:

The ocinside.de OC-Database currently comprises more than 10,000 PCs
and thousands of processor overclocking results.
Several updates and new CPUs are now added for the immediate selection and comparison.
E.g. the new AMD Phenom II, Intel Atom CPU or the Intel Core i7 processors
are now additionally selectable in the OC database.
The database is updated each night. So when you register your system today,
you can compare it tomorrow with more than 10,000 PCs.

Title:
CPU OverClocking Database Update

Link:
http://www.forum-inside.de/cgi-bin/forum/ocdatabase_e.cgi

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Title: Kingston HyperX PC3-16000 3GB Tri-Channel Memory Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Review link: http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Kingston_HyperX_PC3-1600_3GB_Tri-Channel/index.shtml

Quote: “The new HyperX 2000 MHz Triple Channel 3GB Kit is perfect for extreme gamers that play titles like Command & Conquer, Supreme Commander, or even Farcry 2. It’s also the right amount of memory for XP Pro and Vista 32-bit users who realistically don’t need more than that. 64-bit users will want something a little larger which we hear is already well under way and should arrive very soon. In the meantime, if your I7 is going to be your new extreme gaming system and need the fastest memory available, this is the current memory of choice. This is HyperX at its best!”

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“Painter 11 is the newest edition of Corel’s fantastic painting and illustration software. With more than 40 new and enhanced features, Painter 11 (£264) provides one of the most approachable painting tools available. Painter is actually a raster-based digital art application that simulates as accurately as possible the appearance and behaviour of traditional media associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is intended to be used in real-time by professional digital artists as a functional creative tool, but it’s also great fun for aspiring artists getting involved in digital art. Painter 11 is not revolutionary, but a well-tuned update, yet is still an invaluable artist’s tool. Its target market obviously means it won’t appeal to everyone, especially as it can’t compete with photo editing package such as Paint Shop Pro Photo or Photoshop, but it is brilliant for graphic artists, illustrators and fine artists. The only possible downside is that a digital tablet all but a prerequisite, which means further expense to an already relatively expensive application.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=938

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Quote: ASUS has released images of their Marine Cool concept motherboard which promises increased stability over overclocking prowess.

Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/news.php?/cpu_mainboard/asus_marine_cool_concept_motherboard/1

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“Dell’s Studio Slim is a solid value desktop PC and offers an impressive mix of storage and connectivity. Intel’s Core 2 Quad chips are no second-rate processors, but they’re also no next-generation Core i7. In addition, the 8GB of DDR2 memory isn’t as productive under this system’s 32-bit version of Windows Vista as it would have under the 64-bit edition. But at least you get 500GB of storage space as standard (an above-average amount for the value-PC category) to store your ever-growing range of multimedia, and ATI’s Radeon HD 3450 graphics card is no slouch, either. Sure it’ll struggle with the latest 3D games, but casual gamers have nothing to worry about. Overall, the Studio Slim is above-average value PC for general Windows performance. Just remember to budget for a monitor.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=937

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TITLE: Steelseries Siberia Neckband Headset @ LanOC Reviews

DESCRIPTION: In the past, we have worked with Steelseries with our lan parties and reviews. Considering their focus on creating performance enhancing gaming gear, it’s not a surprise really that we have a close relationship with them. Today I will be looking at their Siberia Neckband headset. With a neckband design being much different than any other headset I have tested I am excited but unsure how it will perform. Although considering past experiences with Steel Series I’m sure it will be a quality product.

ARTICLE URL: http://lanoc.org/reviews/steelseries-siberia-neckband-headset/

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Audio is one of least appreciated aspects of gaming. Will the SteelSeries Siberia Full-Size headset provide the quality needed? Visit the review here: http://techarkade.com/component/content/article/42-peripherals/129-steelseries-siberia-full-size-headset.html?directory=54

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Ninjalane has posted their review of a barebones style motherboard from Sapphire. This is a MicroATX design perfect for the HTPC.

Subject: Sapphire PURE Innovation 780V Motherboard Review @ Ninjalane
URL: http://www.ninjalane.com/display.aspx?docname=sapphire-780v

Quote: In this review we will be looking at the newest MicroATX motherboard from Sapphire called the PURE Innovation 780V. As the name suggests the PURE Innovation 780V is based on the AMD 780V chipset which is a mid-range IGP designed for mainstream use.

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NEW CONTENT (Mobile and Communications) – Sony PRS-505 E-Book Reader

QUOTE: “So, why should you give a damn about these new fangled displays and why haven’t you heard more about them? – Well, they’re a new type of display designed to fill a niche in the market for displays that don’t require constant refreshing, unlike a monitor.

E-ink and e-paper displays have been subtly infiltrating our lives in a much more interesting way as well. Because of their incredibly low power drain, they make great static signs in just about every environment, from supermarket price tags, to mobile phone displays. The reason e-ink displays have been picked up for the e-book reader market is because of their low power consumption ability, the fact that the screen does not need to refresh until you turn a page and also their excellent readability in any lighting conditions.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1764/sony_prs_505_e_book_reader/index.html

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“The Studio XPS 13’s blend of power, poise and portability is more than enough to tempt. Beyond the sterling build and fine design the keyboard is comfortable to type upon – there’s plenty of travel and a soft but positive action to each key – and the display provides even brightness. Colour reproduction isn’t amazing, but the wide viewing angles and crispness is great is everyday use. Plus, should you find that native resolution too limiting you can always hook up a display to the VGA, HDMI or DisplayPort outputs. Our biggest criticism is that the Studio XPS 13’s metallic underside heats up rapidly, which is a problem for our male readers wanting children. This wasn’t enough to put us off and we highly recommend the Studio XPS 13.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=936

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Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU Cooler Review:

Link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/6416/noctua-nhu12p-se1366-cpu-cooler-review.aspx

Quote: We have earlier reviewed several Noctua coolers and they have all been top of the line with very low noise. Now that Intel has released their Core i7 cpu´s we got a sample of a cpu cooler that will work with the new socket also so lets see what type of results we can expect.

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“Safari is a great looking browser that does away with clutter. It’s also very quick at loading Web pages and running Javascripts, but the real gain comes from a set of features that make it easier to monitor and access the Web sites you visit habitually, both through simple keyword searches and a visual timeline. Sadly, while the new browser delivers significant gains it fails to offer a match for one of the most popular features from its competitors – the extensions loved by Firefox users. Apple is keeping quiet about Safari’s security credentials, too, which makes us nervous. Crucial features such as phishing protection are not clear and – unlike Opera – there’s no real-time fraud protection feature to tell you if a site is a phishing site. Apart from that, official plug-in support is still missing. Safari is a worthwhile download, but Apple’s seemingly flippant attitude towards security is a big worry – especially to Windows users. There’s nothing here to challenge Firefox, Chrome or even Opera.”

http://www.itreviewed.co.uk/rev.php?id=935

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Title: Antec Nine Hundred Two Case Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/696
Category: Reviews

Summary:
Antec has just released a new version of their famous Nine Hundred mid-tower case. Let’s see the differences between the two models and if Nine Hundred Two is really a good product.

Here is a snippet:
“Antec has just released a new version of their famous Nine Hundred mid-tower case, called Nine Hundred Two. This is not the first time Antec is revamping one of their products: recently they launched NSK 4480 II, a new version of their NSK 4480 case. Let’s see the differences between the two models and if Nine Hundred Two is really a good product.”

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Article Name: Sapphire Radeon HD4850 X2 2Gb Video Card Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/sapphire_radeon_hd4850_x2/

Article Snippet:

“So did Sapphire fill a niche void and provide a card to the consumer that wanted a dual core card without the killer huge price? You bet. This card at around US$275-$300 at the time of this review is a great deal and will have anyone enjoying the latest games with higher resolutions and quality settings while still providing decent framerates. Although this is no HD4870 X2 killer by any means, it does hold it own when it comes to your performance dollar.”

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Body Of Lies Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Quote

“A movie that changes my perception of something in real life doesn’t come along very often. Miracle at St. Anna came along. I’m not a history buff nor am I aware of what being judged by my race is like, and I never will. The thing is, this movie shines a light on both of these things for me. Even if it’s in the Spike Lee universe and a film version of reality, it’s all based in some truth.”

Article Link – http://www.ascully.com/blu-ray-reviews/body-of-lies/

Podcast link – http://www.ascully.com/after-the-show-58-body-of-lies-blu-ray-review/

Article Title – Body Of Lies Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

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7 Intel Core i7 X58 Motherboards Tested and Compared

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NEW CONTENT (Digital Lounge) – Get Smart HD Movie Review

QUOTE: “Get Smart is the 2008 remake of the 1960’s comedy series created by comic legend Mel Brooks, with Steve Carrell taking over the iconic role of Maxwell Smart and Anna Hathaway as Agent 99. Smart is little more than a desk jockey at the U.S. Government spy agency, CONTROL; but when old rival KAOS obtains the identities of CONTROL’s operatives globally and starts killing them off, Max is promoted to field agent and paired with Agent 99 to discover how KAOS has obtained nuclear weapons and stop them detonating any.

With production values that rival the Jason Bourne or James Bond franchises, Get Smart is a very competent action comedy film, littering the film with a nice amount of comedy and action that gives a friendly tip of the hat to the original series.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1765/get_smart_hd_movie_review/index.html
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Today we’ve got a detailed look at the latest revision of the Asus line of Eee PC 1000 series netbooks – the Asus Eee PC 1000HE.  Asus continues to refine their hugely successful 10” netbook family.

Here’s a snip:

The fit and finish, build quality and overall allure of this machine isn’t all that different versus its closely related family members. And, as you can certainly tell from the model number, Asus didn’t intend for it to be any huge departure from the norm. In fact, the 1000HE leads you on to believe that this is simply an Extended version (in terms of battery life, not cargo room) of the existing 1000H. In many ways, that’s absolutely true, but as you’ll see when venturing through the pages ahead, there were enough tweaks made to give even existing Eee owners a reason to pay attention.

Direct Link:

http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-Eee-PC-1000HE-Netbook/

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TITLE: XCM Sniper 3.0 Plus @ LanOC Reviews

DESCRIPTION: The PC vs. Console argument has been an ongoing battle. With new consoles focusing on online play the issue mainly comes down to controls in FPR and RTS games. Diehard PC gamers have a hard time playing those games with a controller, and console gamers don’t see the need for a keyboard and mouse. Until recently, if you wanted to play console games you had to use a normal controller. XCM recently released their Sniper 3.0 Plus, an adapter to be able to use a mouse and keyboard on your favorite console games. Well considering or focus on gaming and gaming gear I had to get my hands on the Sniper 3.0 Plus. As a PC FPS gamer, I could not wait to jump in and see how well I could do on console games with my preferred input device.

ARTICLE URL: http://lanoc.org/reviews/xcm-sniper-30-plus/

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Title: Zotac GTX 285 Infinity Pictures on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/news-3856-erste-bilder-der-zotac-infinity-gtx285.htm

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TechwareLabs has published a review of the Atrio Earbuds by FutureSonics. Here’s a clip from the review:

Quote: Tired of those flimsy earbuds that came with your iPod? Wish you could hear those lows a little clearer? Now you can. Join Ian as we take a look at the Atrio brand Earbuds by FutureSonics. With replaceable tips to fit any ear, will these earbuds be right for you?

LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/audio/futuresonics_atrio_earbuds

Title: TechwareLabs Reviews the Atrio Earbuds by FutureSonics

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NEW CONTENT (Visual) – PowerColor Radeon HD 4830 Graphics Card

QUOTE: “Today we have PowerColors version of the card. To date we’ve only had one HD 4830 come through the door and that card managed to set the bar high for the model. You have to wonder, is PowerColor going to come within arm’s reach of the bar, or hop straight over it?

There’s ultimately only one way to find out, so let’s have a look at what the company has done with the package before we have a closer look at the card and then its performance. From there we will wrap it all up and hopefully the PowerColor card can offer us something that we didn’t get from the MSI one which managed to impress.”

For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1763/powercolor_radeon_hd_4830_graphics_card/index.html

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