Technology News

Here we have the XFX GeForce 9800 GTX+ Graphics Card, for those of you who are in the know you will understand that the 9800 GTX+ is just an overclocked version of the 9800 GTX.

For those of you who would like to know a little more about this graphics card, then Tweaktown have done an extensive review on it. Here are some of their final thoughts on what they thought of the XFX GeForce 9800 GTX+.

When pulling the XFX 9800 GTX+ out of the box and seeing the core speed displayed on the front, I wasn’t 100% sure if it was stock or not. Just double checking, though, I quickly realized that it was overclocked. It was disappointing to see that XFX didn’t make a bigger deal about the fact that it was overclocked, even though the shader and memory speeds remained the same.

With the memory and shader still running at stock speeds, we could see that the older 9800 GTX in a highly overclocked form could continue to beat the overclocked core of the 9800 GTX+ on offer from XFX.

For the most part you would probably be better off buying a second hand overclocked 9800 GTX off someone who has upgraded to a GTX 260 or GTX 280 and in the process saving some dollars.

It’s not to say the XFX 9800 GTX+ isn’t a good card, though. Really, their products come down to what NVIDIA offer and the simple fact is that the 9800 GTX+ is pretty boring. It’s really only a step up from the 9800 GT or the 9600 GSO, which are exact replicas of previous generation cards.

Unless you were going to purchase an extremely overclocked 9800 GTX+, we would opt for a second hand 9800 GTX like we just mentioned.

More NVIDIA News

Apple’s range of laptops has been using the Core 2 Duo chip and it has certainly been doing the job very well. However Computer World has asked what Apple will choose to use next once they feel that the Core 2 Duo CPU has outlived itself.

Apple seem to launch new products very quickly, so it will not be that far away until we see a new MacBook and MacBook Pro on the market. Will Apple decide to stick with the trusted Intel Core 2 Duo or will the new laptops demand something different.

As laptops have more features they demand more performance from a processor, the norm for a while now has been a dual core processor, but I believe that laptops will soon need to use the new Quad Core Chips that are being used in many desktops.

Apple will have a tough decision to make though; if they introduce a new chip they know that it will demand more power. The more power the bigger drain on the battery as it demands more cooling, Apple already found that out with the Macbook Air.

So far the Intel Core 2 Duo has done a great job, but for how long can it keep doing that.

What CPU do you think that Apple will use once they do away with the Core 2 Duo?

Other Apple News

Source

It looks as though the days of the Laser Mouse are up as Microsoft is to launch a new type of Mouse next month.

Microsoft is to unveil their latest product line-up on September 9, hold on isn’t that the same date as Apple’s new product line-up.

Microsoft has launched a new tag today with the slogan “Say Goodbye to Laser.” I have to wonder what their next step will be with their Mice range.

It is still not certain if the new Mouse without a Laser will be part of the new product line-up from Microsoft, but it is a safe bet that it is.

I hope that there is someone out there reading this post with a bit of knowledge on this, as I am intrigued to know what Microsoft will be able to use to track the position of a Mouse instead of Laser.

Source

With the release of the Nikon D90 you need a card that will be up for the job, well SanDisk have the perfect card with the 30MBps SDHC. These cards are able to write 39 6MB frames at 4.5 frames per second without even breaking a sweat.

The older cards were 20MBps so these new ones are up 10MBps. SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 30MB/s Edition cards should be ready for shipping some time in September, here we have the suggested retail price for all sizes of the SD card.

The 4GB card is $64.99, 8GB card $109.99 and the 16GB card will cost $179.99. These are all U.S. dollar prices.

These new SanDisk Extreme III 30MBps SDHC cards easily support continues shooting that most of us use with our DSLR cameras like the new Nikon D90.

For more information head over to Crunch Gear

I’m sitting here now about to type this post and I realize something, how ugly and boring my standard keyboard is. That got me to thinking that I need something with a bit of color to help brighten my day.

Crayola are known for their bold colors, so who would have thought that they had the perfect product not only to help brighten up your day but also make your kids experience on a computer more fun.

Here we have the Crayola EZ Type keyboard; I have to say that their aim of making typing fun has hit the mark. Ok I am joking about the part of me using the keyboard, but it is perfect for your children as it helps them gradually integrate to normal keyboard usage.

The bright colors of the keyboard certainly make the Crayola EZ Type keyboard child friendly. Color therapy has always been a great tool for children.

Head over to the Crayola Store for all the details

Well we all know that Samsung were showing off and when they launched back in June 2007 it’s high high-capacity SpinPoint N2 1.8-inch drives, well they have gone one step further this year and have now designed a sexy new credit-card-sized external model in glossy black with a flip-out USB connector.

The specifications stay the same as before an impressive 4200rpm, 27MB/s and 23 MB/s read these specifications are on par with high-end flash drivers.

Unfortunately though this little beauty is only available in China for now, if we look at the pricing we can tell you than the 120GB version is coming in at about RMB 1999 which is about $293, pretty expensive we say compared to say a standard 320GB USB 2.5” drive will set you back around $120 but of course you would not be able to get this drive into your back pocket or wallet.

But of course, if showing off your Samsung credit-card-sized external model is something that makes you tick then we suggest you start checking out flights over to china.

Source: engadget

Psystar the company at the forefront of the law suit with Apple is fighting back and countersuing Apple, most people would have thought a small company would run a mile when faced with the big boys like Apple, but not these guys, they have come back fighting and going to battle it out using Antitrust Acts, saying that Apple’s restrictions and the tying of its OS to its own hardware are anticompetitive.

. The Law suit came about a month ago when Psystar branded an Apple Clone where selling Computers called “OpenMacs” but for a fraction of the price as a Apple Mac, reports from Psystar say they are still open for business and until the courts say otherwise it is business as usual, although since the law suit the “OpenMacs” are not called “OpenComputers”.

Although our money is on Apple winning this case, antitrust accusations are pretty serious business; Microsoft has had similar accusations thrown at them in the past.

It seems that Psystar are arguing that they are not cloning the Mac but cloning the PC and loading with MaxOS, they are also noted to have said that they have not modified the Mac software in anyway.

I guess if we try and make it simple, if you buy a car its basically got the same basic components in all cars to make it run, and then manufacturers upgrade certain parts to improve the cars performance and look, it’s the same with computers they are all basically get them working, then they are modified to improve performance, speed and make the more powerful its even said with the right components and technical know-how anyone can build one.

So the president and co-founder of Pystar Rudy Pedraza argument is that why should consumers pat exorbitant amounts of cash for something that is essentially generic hardware. Apple has argued that they have never authorized Psystar to install, use or sell the Mac OS software on any non-Apple-labeled hardware.

Apple have also accused Psystar of doing harm to their brand by selling inferior products, suggesting that they make noise, bad video signals and break-down, I guess the question we as a consumer need to ask ourselves, is cheap expensive in the long wrong, do we get what we pay for? Or are their generally people out there who can make products half the price of their competitors?

Source: blogs.zdet

NVIDIA needed a decent screen to show of just how good their new NVISION graphics card is. To help show the performance of the new GPU off ViewSonic thought that it would be a perfect time to show of their new ViewSonic 120Hz Computer LCD Prototype.

The new VX2265wm LCD has a 22-inch screen; it uses the same kind of technology used on HDTV’s. It doubles the 60Hz refresh rate than that of most LCD screens on the market.

By offering 120Hz, blurring and ghosting is almost eliminated offering you superb image quality. The end result is an unrivaled gaming experience.

The ViewSonic VX2265wm supports stereoscopic 3D and also comes with dual-link DVI input. This is the perfect solution for those using cards from the NVIDIA range as well as other GPU’S that need the extra bandwidth for extra dimension.

Do not expect anything special from the speakers as they produce just 4 watts of stereo sound.

The ViewSonic VX2265wm LCD computer screen will ship later this year; as yet there are no pricing details.

Source

Announced over the Weekend was LG Electronics are bring out the first Network Storage (NAS) device with an integrated Blu-ray drive to consumers, the devise is meant for small businesses and homes users, The four-bay NAS not only gives you the option to back up data onto Blue-Ray discs but also gives support for hard drives with up to 4TB of storage.

The N4Bi has three USB 2.0 connections as well as a gigabit Ethernet jack, LG also supports up to RAID 5 for joining the drives. But can also set them to RAID 0, 1, or 1+0 in addition to leaving each disk separate.

The N4B1, LG works on a streamlined web-based graphic user interface meant make managing the storage easy without depending on any one operating system. It also keeps track of what files have been downloaded and backed up, so it will only transfer new files when it is doing its routine backup.

There is also a handy catalogue system for when you back-up on a Blue-Ray disco, DVD or CD. You can use the N4B1 with Mac, Linux and Windows, ands it’s looking like you will be able to get your hands on one of these at the beginning of December.

Source: electronista

Western Digital launched a 10,000 RPM hard drive some time ago now; they are now into their fourth generation with the VelociRaptor. When it comes to performance from a hard drive, no one comes close to Western Digital’s Raptor Series.

Hard drives with faster speeds than 10,000 RPM have been out a long time before the Raptor Series, but none have managed to get the same performance figures like WD have.

Tweaktown thought they would take a closer look at the Western Digital VelociRaptor; here is what they thought about the storage device. “Until Western Digital released the VelociRaptor, 2008 was on track to be a year dominated by Solid-State Drive headlines. Western Digital has quickly put a stop to that and released a major roadblock for the adoption of SSDs for enthusiasts.

The Western Digital VelociRaptor is clearly the fastest consumer hard drive available, SSD or traditional platter based period. There are of course a few faster SSDs and SAS drives, but they are far from consumer class and what I am really saying is consumer priced.

When it comes to price, the VelociRaptor retained the same initial MSRP as the third generation 150GB drive, around 300 U.S. Dollars. The New Raptor is available at a number of e-tail locations in the US but at this time the price has yet to slip, so if you are looking to purchase now, the MSRP price is what you are going to pay.

When comparing the VelociRaptor to other enterprise 10K drives, the VelociRaptor really stands out from the crowd. All other 10K drives are based on SAS which requires either an expensive controller card or a motherboard with onboard SAS which is also expensive. Western Digital has really dealed a death blow to high cost 10K drives for small to medium sized businesses.

If I had a major complaint with the VelociRaptor, it would be the way the drive was rolled out with an adaptor bracket that does not comply with traditional standards. Western Digital has done a good job correcting the issue, but to be honest, SOMEONE should have caught this prior to launch.

From the “What Could Have Been” category, I am surprised to see that Western Digital only used 16 MB of cache, the same as the third generation Raptor 150. There have been countless numbers of drives released this past year with 32 MB of cache. I can only dream of the performance of a 32 MB cache VelociRaptor. I think a special edition is in order; sign me up for eight!”