New ASUS P7P55D-E And P7P55D Feature Native USB 3.0

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Asus announced a range of enhanced motherboards that deliver true USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s data throughput performance.
The ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D-E Series motherboard has onboard support while the ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D Series utilizes the ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion card to deliver the latest USB and SATA data transfer capabilities.

Equipped with the Intel P55 Express chipset, the P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series supports the latest LGA 1156 socket for Intel Core i7/Core i5 Processors. Additionally, they also feature exclusive Hybrid Technology—Hybrid Processor, Hybrid Phase, and Hybrid OS—to give users intelligent performance enhancement, active cooling, and rapid online access. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:31:22 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Belkin Recalls SurgeMaster Surge Protectors

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Belkin makes all sorts of accessories and peripherals for computers and other electronic devices. Today Belkin and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have issued a recall of several models of Belkin's Surgemaster surge protectors due to the risk of electric shock.

The recall covers about 68,700 surge protectors sold by Belkin. The problem is that the molding of the plastic 360-degree rotating plug can crack or detach posing a shock hazard. Belkin reports that it has received seven consumer complaints about the cracking, but no injuries were reported. Read more

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Samsung Launches New Line of HDTV monitors

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Samsung has unveiled its new line of HD monitors that include the 933HD+ and the 2333HD LCD monitors. The screens sell for $249.99 and $329.99 respectively. The 933HS is a 19-inch LCD and the 2333HD is a 23-inch unit.

Both screens have the features of TV sets with integrated digital tuners, connectivity for cable and satellite boxes and two HDMI connections depending on the model. Both screens have similar specs including 10000:1 contrast ratio and 16:9 widescreen formats. Response time for both screens is 5ms. Read more

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Kingston Offers new SSD Desktop Upgrade Solution

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Kingston has announced its latest desktop SSD upgrade kit. The new kit is a bargain and is designed to be a boot drive for the OS. The SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive is the latest edition to the family of drives and is available for as low as $84.49 after rebates at Newegg.com.

The full retail price of the drive isn't much more than the discounted price after rebates. The 40Gb boot drive sells for $115 and will ship on November 9th. The drive has a sequential read speed of 170MB/sec and 40MB/sec write speeds. The drive uses a 2.5-inch form factor. Read more

Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Mitsubishi Electric Announces New 12.1-inch TFT-LCD

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Mitsubishi Electric has announced that it will be selling a new TFT-LCD panel module internationally. The new screen is 12.1-inches in size and has XGA resolution with full color. The big selling point of the screen is that it is 10% smaller with a reduced frame width.

The screen is model number AA121XL01 and has up to 1000 cd/m2 brightness and longer backlight life thanks to white LEDs. The new features of the screen will reduce the size and weight of the device. The product will be available starting February 1, 2010 and will ship globally at 52,500 yen or equivalent. Read more

Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Kingston Makes 40 GB SSD

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Solid state drive technology is moving forward pretty quickly these days. 16 and 32 GB SSDs are fairly common now, and Kingston's just introduced a new, low cost 40 GB SSD. This drive isn't intended for storage, however. The idea, as Electronista states, is to put your operating system and key apps on the SSD, and have a second, normal hard drive for actual storage.

Solid state drives are much, much faster than traditional spindle HDs. The Kingston 40 GB has a 170 MB/s read speed and a 40 MB/s write speed. That's around four times faster than a traditional hard drive. Loading your OS and major apps onto an SSD will speed your machine up substantially.

Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:15:34 CDT | by Robert Evans

Tilera Unveils 100-core Processor

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

When most of us think about processors, we think Intel and AMD. A third name is now offering up an interesting processor and the company is called Tilera. The firm has announced a new CPU that has way more cores than offerings from AMD or Intel can muster.

The new Tilera Tile-GX processors are aimed at the server market and boast 100-cores inside the single processor. The chips are targeted specifically at servers that execute web-related functions like indexing, search, and video search. Read more

Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Shure Unveils New USB Mics for PC Users

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Shure unveiled a pair of new USB microphones called the PG27USB and the PG42USB side condenser microphones. Both of the mics are shipping now. The mics are designed to complement the Shure line of pro mics and home recording products.

Both mics connect directly to a PC via a USB port with plug and play performance. The cardioid condenser mics have built-in headphone monitoring and zero latency with a mix control. This allows the user to hear what they are recording on the go and make adjustments. Read more

Posted on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x LCD Wins TCO Certified Edge Designation

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

The Lenovo L2251x Wide desktop LCD screen has become the first product to be awarded the TCO Certified Edge designation. The logo certifies the product for excellence in combining green features and high performance design elements. The LCD also features recycled packaging materials and a proximity sensor to save energy.

TCO says that the logo is available to those whose products already meet worldwide TC Certified criteria for environment and usability in IT design. The Lenovo screen uses arsenic free glass and is mercury free and low halogen. Read more

Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Cooler Master Unveils NA 65 and NA 90 Notebook Power Adapters

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

Cooler Master is definitely known for its line of computer cases and other computer accessories. The company isn’t really super well known outside of the chassis realm for other products for notebooks. Cooler Master has debuted its new universal notebook power adapters called the NA 65 and NA 90.

The new adapters have passed the US EPA's Energystar requirements and are up to 90% efficient. Both of the power adapters come with nine different tips to make it compatible with most notebooks and to ensure that the user will be able to power and charge their notebooks. Read more

Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:28:36 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

New AMD Athlon II Processors Unveiled

Topic: Hardware & Peripherals

AMD announced several new AMD Athlon II processors today that are supposed to offer outstanding performance and low power consumption, while enabling sleek desktop PC designs and attractive price points.

In addition to the standard power processors, the full AMD Athlon II processor family now delivers high-performance, low-power dual-, triple- and quad-core processors to meet a range of computing needs. This variety and value enables OEMs and system builders to develop compelling PC solutions that address the market shift to power efficient, innovative PC designs optimized for Windows 7. Read more

Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr