News

Lenovo debutes in the all-in-one pc market with its new ThinkCentre A70z. The device, intended for business use, runs on a Core 2 Duo or Celeron dual core processor and features a 19-inch 16:10 widescreen LCD panel. Lenovo claims that the system can be booted in 35 seconds.

A DVD player, integrated speakers and an integrated webcam are standard in the system. The harddisk has a maximum capacity of 500 GB and a WiFi module can be opted for as well. This does however increase the cost of the 499 USD the basic ThinkCentre A70z model costs.

The team of the open source mediacenter software XBMC has published a video showing how XBMC runs on an ARM system. The small, energy efficient BeagleBoard runs on a 600 MHz processor and supports OpenGL. The hardware is also compatible ewith HD video output through DVI and WiFi by means of a USB dongle.

By running XBMC on such an ARM system, only limited space is required, and energy consumption significantly drops as well. The hardware needed for these ARMs is also relatively cheap. The mediacenter software does not run flawlessly on the architecture yet, leaving room for improvement with the developers.

After having released models with a capacity of up to 32 GB earlier this year, Silicon Power has now added a 64 GB version to its LuxMini series of USB flashdrives. According to the manufacturer, this LuxMini 920 stands out due to its 200x reading speed, which translates to 30 MB/s.

The writing speed of the drive is specified at up to 20 MB/s. Reliability and lifetime are to be enhanced by respectively ECC and Wear Leveling technology. The device weighs 11 grams and sports a coating that is to protect it against scratches and fingerprints.

Silicon Power provides a lifetime warranty with its LuxMini 920. No information is known regarding pricing and availability.

Thecus has introduced the N8800PRO, a 2U rackmount NAS device that is to find its place in the business market. This successor to the N8800 contains an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of DDR2-800 memory. An internal PCI-e slot is available in which an optional 10 Gbit NIC can be installed.

The device has room for up to eight SATA hard disks and supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD. If eight drives isn't enough: up to eight of Thecus' N8800PRO's can be linked and managed through one main device. iSCSI initiators and thin provisioning are also supported. In terms of file systems, Ext3, XFS and ZFS can be chosen from.

The N8800PRO features a back-up DOM which reprograms the primary DOM when problems are found. The device also has a back up power supply and can be linked to a UPS as well.

Additional information on Thecus' new N8800 PRO NAS can be found on the manufacturer's website.

Apacer enters the market of media players with its AL460. The manufacturer claims that this Full HD media player combines a wide support for various file formats, with a simple control and userfriendliness. Though the exact dimensions remain unknown, the company appears to have kept the size limited due to the absence of a harddisk. The device may not have integrated storage, both of its USB2.0-ports do support FAT32 and NTFS.

Connectivity includes HDMI, composite and component for both audio and video, as well as an RJ-45 connector to add the player to a local network. the AL460 is compatible with both PAL and NTSC, at an aspect ratio of 4:3 or 16:9 and a maximum supported resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Audio options include analog stereo and digital LPCM over HDMI or 'raw'.

A complete overview of the supported filetypes can be found below:

It's still unclear what Apacer's AL460 including remote will cost.

NEC has introduced a new 17-inch monitor, specially designed with energy efficiency in mind. The MultiSync LCD175M-BK is a 17-inch 1280x1024 monitor which features two Eco mode to limit its power consumption. NEC specifies a normal use consumption of 21 Watt. The Eco modes reduce the consumption to respectively 19 and 14 Watt. While plugged, the screen uses 0,4 Watt when turned off.

In the US and Canada, an EPEAT Gold certificate is to prove the monitor's environmental friendliness. The LCD175M-BK also lives up to the Energy Star 5.0 and TCO 5.0 standards. The device, partially built out of recycled plastic, creates a so-called 'carbon footprint' internally.

The LCD175M-BK is designed for business environments and sports a contrastratio of 1000:1, 5 ms response time and a 250 cd/m² brightness. The screen also has two integrated speakers, as well as a heaphone jack.

NEC's new monitor is to be released in the United States later this month, bearing a pricetag of $179 USD.

When Intel launched the new firmware for its X25-M SSD's a few weeks back, it was rapidly withdrawn due to a severe bug. The new 02HA firmware was to add the TRIM functionality, available in Windows 7 and the latest Linux kernels. Shamefully, for some 64-bits users of Windows 7, updating their SSD's led to corrupt data or unrecognized drives.

Intel's NAND flash group now reports that the problem has been reproduced and that finding a solution has high priority. The company has requested some of its users to send in their SSD's for analysis. Intel recommends owners of the 34nm SSD's to keep the current firmware and wait for a new version to be released.

Transcend has introduced a new external DVD-burner. The TS8XDVDRW sports dimensions of 156 x 142 x 22,5 mm and weighs 375 grams. The device is connected through USB 2.0-connector, which is also used to power the burner. The TS8XDVDRW has a glossy white finish, and is compatible with Windows 7. The device burns DVD±R(W)’s at 8x speed and CD-R(W)'s at 24x. The burner also supports DVD±R DL and DVD-RAM media.

Transcend bundles the TS8XDVDRW with the CyberLink Power2Go software. The device sports a recommended price of 57 euro.

Last year, the American company Psystar drew attention by pre-installing Mac OS X software on non-Apple hardware. Despite Apple's legal action, the 'hackintosh' company has expanded its activities: Psystar recently released software which allows consumers to install Mac OS X on their computers.

The so-called Rebel EFI software is to eun on all systems equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core i7 or Xeon Nehalem processor. After downloading and burning the ISO, the computer needs to be booted from the disc, after which the screen instructions need to be followed. (Mac OS X installation discs are required). Rebel EFI supports the latest version of the OS X Snow Leopard operating system.

The 'hackintosh' concept which allows Mac OS X to be installed on a regular pc exploits the fact modern Apple computers use the same x86-architecture as PC's. Despite Apple's installation protection, Psystar has found a method to bypass the security protocol. The company sells this knowledge in the form of Rebel EFI, at a 50 USD pricetag. A free trial version can also be downloaded.

QNAP expands its Turbo NAS line-up with the TS-110, a compact NAS-device with room for a single 3,5" SATA harddisk. The TS-110 is equipped with an 800 MHz Marvell processor and 256 MB DDR2 memory. Three USB 2.0 ports are available to expand the capacity, share printers, or create back ups. Gigabit LAN is also supported.

The TS-110 features an iSCSI Target service with Thin Provisioning, S.M.A.R.T., email- and sms-notifications, as well as the option to block IP's. Apart from the conventional FTP, AFP and SMB servers, a UPnP / DLNA media server with TwonkyMedia functionality is available, which allows communication with consoles such as the Playstation 3 and Xbox360. The NAS can also be used as a downloading device for the QGet program, which supports downloads through torrents, HTTP and FTP. Lastly, the TS-110 is also capable of making centralized backups of other network computers.

The TS-110 runs version 3 of QNAP's firmware, which allows up to eight virtual iSCSI disks to be made. The ext4 file system supports large volumes and files. SNMP-support has also been added. Configuring the NAS is done through an AJAX interface, which is compatible with the conventional webbrowsers.

The QNAP TS-110 is to be released later this month. Information regarding price has not yet been released.

Acer reports that consumers may experience power adaptor overheating issues with two Aspire notebooks. The manufacturer states that the problem is caused by an incorrect BIOS version and can be resolved by simply upgrading the BIOS.

The following models may be affected, sporting production dates ranging from April 2009 to June 2009.

• Aspire 5738 (AS5738G)
• Aspire 5738Z (AS5738ZG)

Users of the notebook can check whether a BIOS update is required on Acer's website. Contrary to earlier callback actions of the company, this time around the problem isn't hardware-based, which means the systems do not have to be returned to Acer.

AMD admits that the new ATI Radeon HD 5000 series of graphics cards is lacking in availability. The recently introduced 5700 and 5800 cards use TSMC-made 40nm GPU's.

AMD states there's room for improvement when it comes to the yields of this production process. Combined with the huge demand for the new DirectX 11 cards, it results in a huge availability problem. AMD expects that the process will be improved in the coming weeks, allowing waiting customers to be served.

Following competitor ASUS, notebook manufacturer Acer has announced a new model equipped with a 3D screen. The Aspire 5738DG, as the machine is called, features Acer's Gemstone finish and uses a 15,6" 'CineCrystal HD' screen with a 1366x768 pixel resolution. The system is powered by a 2,2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor that is supported by 4GB of memory. The notebook uses a Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics card with 512 MB of dedicated memory. Data can be stored on the 320 GB hard disk, and the system also sports an 8x DVD-burner.

The 3D screen works in combination with a bundled pair of 3D-glasses that are to add depth to games, video, photos and applications. Acer's Aspire 5738DG notebook is equipped with a cardreader, Gbit LAN, WiFi, integrated webcam, multi-touch touchpad and a 6-cell 4400 mAh battery. The laptop is to be released within a week, bearing a recommended pricetag of $780. This price includes a 64-bits installation of Windows 7 Home Premium.

Acer claims a 3D experience on the 15,6 inch Aspire 5738DG notebook

Earlier this month, nVidia introduced its first 40 nm desktop graphics cards, the GeForce G210 and GT220. nVidia has granted permission to its partners to alter these two entry-level cards as they see fit. Yeston, a primarily Asian-oriented manufacturer, has gone a little further than simply changing the cooler on the GT220.

Yeston has re-designed the entire PCB and increased the amount of coppre layers from four to six. The company also integrated a more powerful 3+1 phase power design to simplify overclocking. The memory has also been altered: the GT220 card uses 512 MB of Samsung 1 ns GDDR3 chips with an effective clock frequency of 2000 MHz, compared to a reference clock speed of just under 1600 MHz. The empty contacts on the back of the card suggest a 1 GB model may also be planned.

One of the drawbacks of these modifications is that the PCI-Express slot alone is no longer enough to power the card. As a result, a PCI-Express powerconnector has been soldered onto the PCB. The other connectors include DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort.

It's clear that Yeston's GeForce GT220 graphics card is meant for the budget market and is developed to optimally use the performance of the graphics chip and memory. It's still unclear whether a similar card will be released on the European market.

Nexas has launched a new version of its LOW-7000 'low-profile' CPU-cooler. In comparison to the old version, which was introduced in September of last year, the heatpipes in the new design are in direct contact with the processor, allowing excess heat to be dissipated by the 6 mm thick heatpipes more easily. The heatsink consists of a number of aluminum fins that are to remove heat from the CPU. The 120 mm fan rotates at speeds ranging from 500 to 2000 rpm, while maintaining a sound production of under 24 dBA.

The new LOW-7000 can be recognized by the 'R2' suffix and comes with brackets for Intel's sockets LGA 775, 1156 and 1366, as well as AMD's AM2(+) and AM3. The latest revision of the LOW-7000 is to be released shortly at a still-undisclosed price.

Nexus introduces new version LOW-7000 CPU-cooler

An interesting new feature in Windows 7 is the improved support for multi-touch monitors. Several brands are responding to this by introducing affordable multi-touch screens for the regular consumer market. Dell has completed the SX2210T, a 21,5" screen with a 1920x1080 pixel resolution and a 2 ms response time. The screen has a black border which features a built-in 2 megapixel webcam.

Dell's new multi-touch monitor sports a contrastratio of 1.000:1 (50.000:1 dynamically) and a maximum brightness of 220 cd/m². The SX2210T is equipped with VGA, DVI and HDMI connectors and comes with three years of warranty. Dell has specified a $469 USD pricetag for this Full HD multi-touch monitor.

Dell SX2210T monitor with multi-touch functionality

The 21,5'' Full HD monitor is held upright by a silver-coloured stand

Apple recently launched an update for the Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iMac and Mac Mini, branded Performance Update 1.0. The update is to resolve issues experienced by users after upgrading to larger hard disks or SSD's by explicitly enabling the entire SATA 3.0 Gbit/s bandwidth. The integrated hard disks are of an older generation and therefore limited to the first SATA 1.5 Gbit/s standard. This limitation has led several users to experience malfunctioning systems after upgrading to a newer hard disk.

The Performance Update 1.0 is compatible with both OS X Leopard 10.5.8 and OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.1 and applies to the following systems:

• MacBook Air (mid 2009)
• MacBook Air (late 2008)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, mid 2009)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, early 2009)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, mid 2009)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2,53 GHz, mid 2009)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, late 2008)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, mid 2009)
• MacBook (13-inch, early 2009)
• MacBook (13-inch, mid 2009)
• MacBook (13-inch, aluminum, late 2008)
• iMac (24-inch, early 2009)
• iMac (20-inch, mid 2009)
• iMac (20-inch, early 2009)
• Mac Mini (early 2009)

Early adopters have already left positive comments on Apple's forum, stating that problems have now been solved.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro; one of the models that potentially experiences hard disk problems

MSI's Wind Box DE200 was already shown a few months ago, but the company only just now released additional information on the device, as well as stating that the Wind Box DE200 and DC200 will be launched shortly. Both devices feature dimensions of 283 x 178 x 40 mm (D*H*W) and are powered by the 1,6 GHz Intel Atom 230 processor. They're equipped with 1 GB of DDR2 memory and a 160 GB hard disk. The chassis sports a 6-in-1 cardreader, two USB 2.0 ports and the conventional LAN and WiFi functionality are also present.

The DC200 contains an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics chip, combined with a D-Sub connector. The faster DE200 is equipped with an ATI Radeon HD 4350 card, sporting both a D-Sub and HDMI-connector. Both systems are predominantly meant for text-editing and other light applications.

MSI's new Wind Box systems will feature Microsoft's Windows XP pre-installed. The Wind Box DC200 is to cost $250 USD, while the DE200 will have a $300 USD pricetag.

MSI reports that in Europe, a different version of the DE200 will be released. This system will be equipped with a 320 GB hard disk, 2 GB of memory, an Intel Atom N330 processor and ATI's Radeon HD 4330 graphics card.

Memorex has added two new compact camcorders to its product line-up. The MyVideo VGA and MyVideo HD are capable of both filming and taking pictures and Memorex states that the devices are ideal to record special events, as well as everyday stills.

The MyVideo VGA sports 2 GB of integrated memory, capable of storing up to two hours of video. When recording in the highest resolution, up to one hour can be stored. The battery lasts up to five hours. Stationary images are recorded at a 640 x 480 pixel resolution, known as 0,3 megapixel. Zooming is limited to 2x digital.

Memorex' MyVideo HD is the more luxurious version of the VGA model and comes with 4 GB storage capacity, enough for up to one hour of HD footage. The picture-unit of the MyVideo HD is capable of shooting five megapixel images. Zooming has also been enhanced to 3x digital.

Both MyVideo editions come with an integrated 2-inch color screen to display the recorded footage. A/V-cabling, as well as an HDMI-cable with the MyVideo HD are bundled to allow for direct playback on a television. Data transfer is done through USB 2.0.

Bundled with image editing software and carrying pouch, the MyVideo VGA and MyVideo HD will be released in both piano gloss black and pearl white versions at a recommended price of respectively US $99,99 and $129,99.

Origin Storage has expanded its Data Locker series with two new external hard disks. The external drives with a capacity of 750 GB and 1 TB have dimensions of 80 x 130 x 23 mm (W*D*H) and are connected by means of a USB 2.0 interface. The disks can be secured with a PIN code, to be entered on a pressure-sensitive LCD screen. The drives can also be erased at the push of a button and feature hardware-based malware protection. To properly secure data, the Data Locker Pro series uses a 128-bit AES encryption; the Data Locker Entrerprise features a 256-bit AES encryption. These security protocols make the drives perfectly suited for professional and military application.

The 750 GB and 1 TB Data Locker Pro AES external hard disks are to be released soon, sporting recommended pricetags of respectively $580 USD and $770 USD.

The external hard disks are secured by means ofa PIN code.