abit was a famous motherboard brand in the past. After changing hands and renamed as Universal abit, it didn’t pickup the reins. The company no longer manufacture motherboards and changed to multimedia products. It didn’t do very well and shut its operations thereafter.

Although the products were no longer on sale, the site at abit.com.tw was still available for end users to download bios, manuals etc.

On Feb 28 2012, this will all come to an end as the web administrator has posted a message on it’s site indicating that the site will be shut down forever.

It is really unfortunate to see the demise of the site. Anyway, the R&D people are still around, working hard and making better boards for other brands. Who knows you might bump into them in our forums

I have been wondering where there is no WhatsApp, the cross mobile platform messenger on the PC. This is definitely something that I would want so that I can also message to my friends on mobile while i am on the PC.

Don’t fret as there is a way to do that. WhatsApp can be run on an Android emulator. YouWave for Android runs Android apps and app stores on your PC, no phone required. You can also download the usual apps via app stores within youwave.

Instead of running X86 android ISO file etc, youwave is the fastest way to run an Android virtual box on any PC. The best thing about it is that it is based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. There is also support of Simulated SD card functionality – enables game saving, Saved State – enables fast restart and enables multi-player online games.

Other features include Dynamic rotating – phone-like instant response, Volume control buttons and retractable control panel. Check out the youtube video and test it yourself.

Post your comments in our forum thread or below this news. The application can be downloaded from here.

The LG E900 (Optimus 7) was amongst them but the firmware was a bit out of date and so, internet sharing was out of the question.

However, it looks like a new firmware update has been released in Italy for the LG Optimus 7 that enables it to activate the internet sharing feature and also find and connect to hidden wireless networks.

To get into specifics, the firmware for the LG Optimus 7 has been updated from 1.0.13.10 to 1.0.16.10 and the radio from 1.0.13.10 to 1.0.16.10. Although the version bump is not really all the high, at least we now have a new tethering-enabled Windows Phone device.

At this point, we don’t know if only Italy received this firmware update, but in any case, it’s entirely possible that it will be shipped to all other LG Optimus 7 devices around the world as soon as possible.

If the same holds true for all the Windows Phones that require a firmware update to enable tethering, then perhaps a major update for the rest of the devices is imminent.

So far, Microsoft hasn’t made any official statement, but as soon as we know more, we’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, we think it’s only a matter of time until all LG Optimus 7 devices will be update to the new firmware, so be on the lookout.

Source

ChannelnewsAsia reports a first case of iPhone emitting sparks in Singapore. Mr Ong Z.M. was resting at home with his family on Tuesday night when the power supply tripped, putting out all his electrical appliances and plunging his house in darkness.

This happened after his 60-year-old father’s iPhone 4 emitted sparks, smoke and a loud explosive sound while it was being charged.

“I was so freaked out … There was a very loud ‘boom’ and the phone just blacked out. (The phone) was also very hot,” said Mr Ong, 35, who called the MediaCorp Hotline.

According to checks with SingTel, M1 and StarHub, Mr Ong’s experience is believed to be the first such reported case involving an iPhone here. Such cases have been reported overseas recently, with at least one incident linked to phone modification or the use of counterfeit batteries.

In November last year, a Brazilian’s iPhone 4, which was plugged in for an overnight charge, suddenly began sparking and emitting smoke.

Mr Ong, who works in sales, told TODAY that his father is a light user of the one-year-old phone and did not modify it in any way.

According to Mr Ong, SingTel replaced his father’s iPhone 4 for free.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a SingTel spokesperson said customers could get their faulty iPhones replaced if it is a defect covered under the warranty or if the warranty is still valid. However, the spokesperson declined to comment whether it follows up with Apple on iPhone defects.

When contacted, Apple declined to comment on the possible causes of iPhones emitting sparks, smoke and a loud explosive sound while being charged.

Source

To all our readers, OCWorkbench team wishes all readers a Happy Lunar New Year, may all your wishes be fulfilled.
Help us fulfilled that too by participating in our forums today at http://forums.ocworkbench.com

If you are having issues with fussy images or signal problem, you are not alone. This afternoon’s thunderstorm has probably damage some signalling equipment likely to be signal booster.

According to the technical support officer at 1633, the problem is mainly in the North and Western parts of Singapore.

Areas affected include Sixth Avenue, Eng Neo Ave, Bukit Batok Central, Upp Serangoon etc.

HTC releases new firmware update for HTC trophy 7

The new version os 7.10.8107.79

- Fixes on screen keyboard issue to prevent the keyboard from disappearing during typing
- Fixes Gmail Sync issue
- Fixes a location access issue. With this fix, the Me feature in the People Hub sends anonymous infomation about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers to Microsoft only if you agree to allow the Check in Function to access and use location information.
- Revokes digital certificates from Digicert Sdn Bhd to address an encrption issue.
- Fixes an email issue related to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. With this fix, when you reply to or forward a message, the original message is now included in your response.
- Fixes a voicemail notification issue.

Wintel-based tablet PCs may be priced around 599 to 899 USD as both Intel and Microsoft are unwilling to drop their hardware and and sofrware costs. The impact would be pushing end consumers to buy cheaper tablets powered by other processors and OS.

The reason for not lowering the price is understandable. If tablets are priced too competitively, it will impact the sales of notebooks. Currently, plans for the new tablets will be powered by Intel Clover Trial-W and Windows 8 as the OS.

If Intel doesn’t reduce the pricing of their processors, manufacturers can choose ARM solutions from Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instrument’s (TI’s) for their upcoming Windows 8 tablet PC to reduce their costs.

The ease of use of Windows 8 OS opens another revenue for tablet makers. It will compete head to head with iPad 3 (to be launched in March 2012) and current slate of tablets upgraded to run the Android 4.0.

Source

If you own an earlier version of the HP Envy 14 beats edition based on the Intel Core i5 processor, you would have experience the battery indicator issue. This is a well known problem since year end 2010 when the product was released.

In the past, no matter how you charge the battery, Windows 7 64 bits edition will always report a battery life of 1 hr 3 mins. Although most end users aren’t that perturbed with the error as there are third party application BatteryBar that can report the a more accurate value of 3hrs 3 mins.

To correct this issue, HP has just released a BIOS update for the HP Envy 14 beats edition dated DEC 16 2011 which you can download from this page.

I have also update the BIOS on my HP Envy and now it reports the correct battery charge level.  After a full charge, the system reports 2 hrs 50 mins battery power which is quite close to what the software Batterybar reports 3 hrs 3 mins.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-100908-1&cc=sg&dlc=en&lc=en&os=4063&product=4294187&sw_lang=

Details and specifications

File name:		sp55493.exe [1/1, 3.98M]
System requirements:		Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise 64 Edition Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic 64 Edition Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Edition Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Edition Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Edition
Released:		2011-12-16
Version:		F.26
Compatibility:		Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)
Fix/Enhancement:		- Fixes an issue where the battery charge level is not displayed correctly.

HP Envy 14 Spectre sighted at HP Chinese New Year lunch event in Singapore.

This lightweight 14″ Ultrabook was released at CES last week in Las Vegas. Today we see it at the HP event.

Although specifications are sketchy, we checked out the system information of the notebook and found it to be quite similar to the HP Folio13 except the larger screen and comes with Beats Audio. It has a battery life of up to 9 hrs.

The model on display is powered by a 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5-2467M processor with 4GB of RAM running Windows 7 64 bits edition

The HP ENVY14 Spectre, its expected availability is in March 2012.

Below are pictures of the notebook.

HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275
Bluetooth 17 Jan 2011

Almost every brand has laser printers that do scanning. Whether one brand or model scans better is usually very subjective. HP leads the market with a unique design Laserjet printer for Home and Small business. The HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 allows scanning of 3D Objects!

Instead of the usual scanner flat bed design, it uses camera and provide a “stage” for the object to be scanned, or rather filmed. It uses a camera with high quality lens and high resolution censor on the hinged arm to take snap shots of the object.

The technology takes 6 shots of the 3D object with flashes from different angles and three in ambient light conditions with different exposure levels and recombines them into a single high resolution images with an incredible depth of focus.

With the Pro M275, business can save money as studio shooting is never cheap. Although it can do a good job, it is restricted to the stage, which is slightly bigger than the size of an A4 paper. You can also easily create nice flyers with real 3D objects.

On top of that, the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 allows one to upload images of documents and objects directly to the web for storage, management and sharing. It can scan direct to Google Docs or Box.net.

Below is a demonstration of the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275. The 3D object is presented in 2D without much loss in details.

Video

The HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 is priced at SGD 729 and will be available in Singapore from Feb 2012.

Discuss

M1 Press Release 

Results for the year ended 31 December 2011
Net profit increased 4.5% to S$164.1 million,
well placed to capture growth opportunities in data

SINGAPORE, 16 January 2012 – M1 Limited (M1) today announced the unaudited group financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011. Net profit after tax increased 4.5% to S$164.1 million.

Operating revenue grew 8.8% to S$1,064.9 million, driven by higher service revenue and handset sales. Service revenue grew 2.4% to S$750.5 million, benefiting from growth in mobile customer base, as well as higher contribution from fixed services.

Revenue from non-voice services rose by 3.7 percentage points to make up 35.6% of service revenue, driven by continued growth in smartphone customer base. This customer base now accounts for about 67% of total postpaid customers.

The total mobile customer base grew by 104,000 in 2011 to reach 2.015 million customers as at 31 December 2011. Monthly postpaid churn in 2011 improved to 1.3%, compared to 1.4% in the previous year. As at end of 2011, M1 had 44,000 fixed services customers and out of which, 22,000 were fibre customers.

“The coverage of the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN) is expected to be nationwide by mid-year and take-up of fibre services is likely to gain momentum. With our newly launched NGNBN active network and soon to be completed nationwide LTE network, M1 is well placed to capture data growth in both the fixed and mobile segments.”

“Based on the current economic outlook and our state of readiness to address the growth segments, we are likely to maintain stable performance for the year 2012,” said Ms Karen Kooi, Chief Executive Officer of M1.

The Board of Directors has recommended a final tax-exempt dividend of 7.9 cents per share, taking full year payout to 80% of net profit after tax for 2011.

Corbell and MSI showcase latest X79 Big Bang-XPower II at annual Roadshow held at GV-Vivocity

Last Friday, MSI and it’s local distributor Corbell Technologies showcased their latest flagship X79 board the Big Bang-XPower II board and AMD Radeon 7970 cards at their annual road show at GV-Vivocity.

The Big Bang-XPowerII is a Intel LGA2011 board for the Sandy Bridge-E processor. Powered by the Intel X79 chipset, itt features a 7 PCIe lanes in total with 4 PCI Express gen3 x16 slots, PCI_E1 supports up to PCIE x16 speed, PCI_E5 supports up to PCIE x16 speed when PCI_E3 is empty, or supports x8 speed when PCI_E3 is occupied, PCI_E3 & PCI_E7 support up to PCIE x8 speed, 3 PCI Express gen2 x16 slots and PCI_E2, PCU_E4 & PCI_E6 support up to PCIE x1 speed. It supports both  Quad SLI or QUad CrossFire.

It has 8 DIMM slots supporting up to 8 DIMMs of DDR3-1066 to DDR3-2400 (OC) with a max of 128MB of RAM.

Not only that, it has 4 SATA II ports (X79), 2 SATA III ports (X79) and 4 SATA III by ASMedia chipset. There are also 5 USB 3.0 ports, 4 rear and 1 front supported by NEC D720200 chipsets.Audio is supported by Realtek ALC892, LAN by Intel 82579V and 82574L. 1394 is supported by VIA VT6315N chipset.

Similar to the X79-GD45 we reviewed before, this board uses military class components. DrMOS II, SFC, Hi-c CAP and Solid CAP are just some of the features of this board that ensure longer lifespan and stability.

Other features of this board include PCI Gen 3 support that has up to 32GB/s of bandwidth , 2X more than PCIe 2.0. When matched with PCIe 3.0 graphics card, it is able to take advantage of the extra bandwidth for better performance.

Other featuers include ClickBIOS II, OC GenieII, Gaming Device port, Super Charger, Active Phase Switching (power saving), Winki 3 (linux based OS during bootup), Instant OC, V Check points, Direct OC etc.

In the demo system, the board is paired up with 4 NVIDIA card running in Quad SLI mode.

Core i7-3960X
MSI BigBang XPower II
G.Skill RigjawsZ 2133C9 4GBx4
MSI N580GTX TFII/OC in 4 way SLI
Thortech Thunderbolt Plus 1200W gold PSU
Xigmatek Colosseum Heatsink

Do you overclock? How about underclock to save the earth ?

One of our readers posted his experience underclocking his Core i3 2100 on MSI Z68 board to 0.975v. See how low the temperatures have gone down.

http://forums.ocworkbench.com/showthread.php?p=492192#post492192

Kingston Adds HyperX Red, New Look for LoVo

• Limited Edition Red Modules Come to HyperX
• HyperX LoVo Gets Design Change

Hsinchu, Taiwan – January 11, 2012 – Kingston, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the launch of HyperX Red Limited Edition Memory and a new look for HyperX LoVo low-voltage modules. These memory modules have a new look and are designed for PC modders, system builders and entry-level gamers looking to push the performance envelope.

HyperX Red Limited Edition has a sleek and aggressive look that provides a stylish accent to any motherboard or desktop computer in which it is installed. HyperX Red is Intel XMP ready and is available in 8GB kits and 4GB single modules at 1600MHz and 1333MHz, in both 1.65v and 1.5v. With the ease of installation and HyperX reliability, these new modules meet the needs of consumers and gamers alike who seek higher performance via faster speeds and larger capacities.

Kingston has also redesigned the look of its HyperX LoVo low-voltage modules. The new streamlined HyperX LoVo will remain in its standard green color but with a heatspreader similar to the HyperX Genesis. HyperX LoVo consumes less power and reduces heat thus requiring less fan speed to create a cool and quiet machine. Running at 1600MHz at 1.35v or 1333MHz at 1.25v, it is perfect for Intel’s mini-ITX ‘Apple Glen’ motherboards, AMD’s Llano platform and “always on” home theater PCs or home media servers. HyperX LoVo is available in 8GB and 4GB kits of two.

“The enthusiast community knows the HyperX brand is synonymous with high speed, high quality and stylish design,” said Ann Bai, DRAM Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “The new HyperX Red and the updated look of LoVo are great additions to our HyperX family. We have high-performance memory solutions to meet the specific needs of everyone from the entry-level gamer to the seasoned professional.”

Kingston HyperX memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free technical support. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/uk/memory/hyperX

Sony will be launching its much-anticipated 3G model of the “Sony Tablet” S on 13th January, bringing a whole new world of convenience and portability to the popular Android™ 3.2 tablet.

Be blown away by features such as vibrant colours and vivid image quality with Sony’s amazing TruBlack™ display, the smooth and smart ergonomic design which makes consuming entertainment a comfortable breeze and the ease of controlling your media devices with the built-in infra-red Universal Remote. In addition, one unique feature of the “Sony Tablet” S is that it allows you to “throw” your personal video, music clips or photos to home entertainment devices, making content even more shareable than previously possible.

The 3G model of the “Sony Tablet” S will be available in a 16GB version, and will retail for S$798 from 13th January at all Sony Stores and authorised outlets.

With effect from 13th January, the 16GB and 32GB WiFi models of the “Sony Tablet” S will also be revised to S$618 and S$748 respectively.

The highly acclaimed Sky News HD edition will be available on Starhub Cable TV soon. It will be on Channel 757 and is available on Starhub HD and HD Hubstation set top box from 17 Jan 2012. It will be part of the HD upsize if you subscribe to the News group.

ASUS Launches ROG Rampage IV GENE X79 mATX Gaming Board

The power of Intel® Socket LGA 2011/X79 Express Chipset CPUs joins game-optimized sound, better online performance, and digital power

Singapore (January 16, 2012) ― Rampage IV GENE continues the legacy of Republic of Gamers motherboards by delivering gamers with enhanced performance that places a premium on fidelity and speed. SupremeFX III™ EMI-shielded audio guarantees better in-game sound, Intel® Ethernet LAN and ROG GameFirst technology boost online multiplayer performance, while ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II digital voltage regulation promotes improved overclocking. The board further uses Black Metallic capacitors and NexFET™ Power Block MOSFETs for added durability and heat resistance. Unlike budget micro ATX boards, it supports 2-way NVIDIA® SLI™ and AMD CrossFireX™.

SupremeFX III™ audio

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) remains a detriment to quality sound, causing distortion and loss unless properly mitigated. Rampage IV GENE uses a custom PCB “red line” layout which physically isolates SupremeFX III™ hardware from the rest of the motherboard to eliminate interference and generate clearer, more precise, and deeper audio. Better sound helps competitive gamers with improved positioning and spatial awareness, in addition to promoting greater immersion. SupremeFX III™ comes with its own steel shield, a 1500uF capacitor for stable audio power delivery, plus gold-plated audio jacks. The setup has been tested to 110dB SNR, ensuring lossless performance. EAX® Advanced HD 5.0, Creative® Alchemy, and THX® TruStudio™ PRO are all fully supported. Rampage IV GENE comes bundled with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 suite, providing the finest game audio of any micro ATX board, with realistic sound effect reproduction, lifelike music, and theater-grade movie sound.

Lag-resistant online gaming and multi-GPU support

Intel® Ethernet reduces CPU utilization by as much as 35% when processing online activity compared to systems using standard LAN, which combats latency and boosts packet transmission. Better network performance presents an edge for gamers, with the overwhelming importance of global online multiplayer gaming requiring faster connections for a smooth and competitive experience. ROG-exclusive GameFirst contributes to achieving this goal, working as a connection supervisor to prioritize bandwidth availability and ensure games receive sufficient resources, even when downloading occurs in the background. To further accommodate gamers, Rampage IV GENE supports PCI Express 3.0 and 2-way SLI™/CrossFireX™ for increased future proofing and flexibility.

Greater overclocking through improved endurance and stability

Rampage IV GENE ships with the exclusive ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II design, consisting of digital voltage regulators for refined tuning and higher power efficiency. Gamers can adjust voltages in more precise increments, which aids in overclocking. Supporting this, Black Metallic capacitors and NexFET™ Power Block MOSFETs easily surpass the capabilities of generic parts. They resist heat better, last up to five times longer, and can take up to 20% higher temperatures than generic components, culminating in a highly durable and long lasting board that reduces the likelihood of instability even when running high intensity applications.

First X79 board officially certified by the USB-IF

In addition to its many advantages, the Rampage IV GENE has also secured the honor of being the first Intel® X79-based motherboard formally authorized and certified USB 3.0-ready by the USB Implementers Forum. Certification speaks of the extensive testing and compatibility assurance ASUS puts into every board from early development to shipping. Always committed to advancing technology and giving consumers the best performance possible, ASUS has gone further and self-developed USB 3.0 Boost to accelerate data speeds beyond reference requirements. The multi-mode design of USB 3.0 Boost increases device connectivity for both the traditional BOT protocol and the newer UASP, and its inclusion on ROG boards offers gamers even better value than before.

Complete range of X79 gaming boards

The release of Rampage IV GENE follows the previous launch of Rampage IV Extreme and Rampage IV Formula Intel® Socket LGA 2011/X79 Express Chipset-based models. The three maintain ROG leadership in the gaming and overclocking motherboard segments, providing consumers with superior performance and the finest quality in a vibrant PC gaming scene where technical excellence is critical.

ASUS introduces the Eee Pad Transformer Prime with NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-Core Processor and Google® Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ASUS today held a press event in Singapore to launch the world’s first tablet featuring the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor – the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime. This is also the world’s first tablet to be unveiled with Google® Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is available from today over the air.

Developed with NVIDIA® and Google®, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime and its innovative exclusive mobile dock presents a harmony of beauty and strength. In addition to having superior multimedia performance, the Transformer Prime also boasts enhanced features that include audio powered by ASUS SonicMaster technology, an 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash, and an 18-hour* rated battery life when combined with the mobile dock. All of these are housed in an ultra slim 8.3mm metallic spun finish chassis that weighs just 586g.

Multimedia enjoyment in style

Featuring an incredibly slim form factor, the Transformer Prime is a svelte 8.3mm thin and the only metallic tablet that weighs in at a mere 586g. It brandishes a metallic spun finish design made of aluminum for a secure yet extremely comfortable grip. It comes in two gorgeous colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold. The Transformer Prime features the ASUS exclusive SonicMaster technology, which is renowned for crisp and acoustically accurate audio. It produces crystal clear sound with a wide sound range, increased sound fidelity, and distinct vocal enhancements not found on any other tablet in the market. The Eee Pad Transformer already boasts a wide 178° viewing angle IPS display, with scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass, but the Transformer Prime goes further, upgraded with a brighter Super IPS+ screen that enhances the brightness of the screen for a better outdoor reading experience.

Ultra performance

The Transformer Prime is the world’s first tablet to feature NVIDIA’s next-generation quad-core Tegra® 3 processor, creating a new breed of high powered tablet devices. With the quad-core CPU and 12-core GeForce® GPU, the Transformer Prime delivers the best and fastest experience for tablet-based multitasking, web browsing, as well as Full HD video playback and gaming. On its own, the Transformer Prime has a battery life of up to 12 hours*, but when combined with the mobile dock, it lasts up to an incredible 18 hours* as the dock recharges the tablet.

Prime meets Ice Cream Sandwich

Google® Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brings a plethora of enhancements, and when combined with the design of the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, brings the user experience to new heights. The new camera UI offers better sharing, a new panorama mode, as well as live effects and backgrounds that can be applied in videos. Basic photo editing is now also built into the system, which allows for simple photo touchups. With offline browsing, users can save web pages and view them later without an Internet connection, making it convenient for travelers. While on the road without access to a Wi-Fi network, users can use the new Wi-Fi Direct feature to directly transfer files between Wi-Fi enabled devices. Other enhancements include the new default Roboto font, with a typeface that is easy to read. Users can now also access the Transformer Prime’s camera directly from the lock-screen. Finally, among various other UI changes, users can easily create folders on the home screen by dragging one app on top of another.

Unrivaled visual acuity

A 1.2MP front camera allows for video conferencing while an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash takes clear and sharp photos thanks to a large F2.4 aperture, back illuminated CMOS sensor, touch-to-focus depth of field and low light noise reduction. A first for any tablet, the 8MP camera on the Transformer Prime also has the ability to take full 1080p HD video.

Expandability and cloud services

The Transformer Prime is offered in both 32GB and 64GB models. It features a micro SD card slot, 3.5mm combo audio jack and micro HDMI port so sharing both what’s inside and on screen is quick and easy. However, the feature that gives the Transformer Prime its name is the mobile dock, which gives new meaning to the term versatility. The innovative and convenient design seamlessly provides the user with a keyboard and touchpad, along with limitless expandability options via the USB port and SD card slot. The preinstalled SuperNote application is able to take, draw or record notes; while Polaris® Office is great for productivity as it gives users the ability to read and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint (MS Office 97-2007 version compatible) files. In addition, ASUS is offering 8GB of free cloud storage for life via ASUS WebStorage, so users have access to their files via the cloud no matter where they are.

Price

Eee Pad Transformer Prime + Docknig station SGD 899 (GST included) up SGD 1098

Eee Pad Transformer Prime (Tablet Only) SGD 759 (GST included) up SGD 899

Docking Station SGD 199 (GST included).

– GIGABYTE Unveils Next Gen Motherboard Digital Power Engine at CES 2012 –

– Demonstrates New GIGABYTE 3D Power Design, 3D BIOS, and Other Exclusive Future Motherboard Technologies –

Las Vegas, USA, January, 10th 2012 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced its participation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas where it is debuting a number of new and exciting motherboard technologies that will be central to it’s motherboard design in 2012 and beyond. International media and customers will get a sneak peak ofGIGABYTE’s new technologies at their suite in The Venetian Hotel,Las Vegas, from January 10-13.

3D Power: Frequency, Voltage and Phase Control

GIGABYTE is showing forthcoming 7 series motherboards featuring the very latest in CPU power delivery with GIGABYTE’s unique Digital Power Engine called 3D Power. Offering digital control over all the main onboard power zones, this new digital PWM design allows users to manipulate and monitor the power provided to 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ and Next Gen processors for the LGA 1155 socket.

“We are very excited about the new technologies that will feature on our 7 series motherboards, and are confident that our customers will find them, together with the performance and feature improvements on Intel’s future platform, extremely appealing,” commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. “Product development and debugging for the new features is progressing really well, and we expect to have a full range of products available globally by launch day.”

GIGABYTE 3D BIOS (Dual UEFI)

Visitors to CES 2012 will be able to see the 2nd iteration of GIGABYTE’s revolutionary 3D BIOS that is based on GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™

technology. 3D BIOS offers two distinct modes of interaction in a BIOS environment, 3D Mode and Advanced Mode, that re-draw the traditional

BIOS user experience with a far more intuitive and graphical interface.

G1.Sniper 3 Debuts with Dual LAN

The G1.Killer gaming motherboard series continues to evolve with two new GIGABYTE 7 series models planned for launch later this year. The

G1.Sniper 3 motherboard features onboard Creative gaming audio together with a dual LAN configuration of Intel®Gigabit and Killer™ Game

Networking controllers. Visitors toLas Vegas will also be among the first to see the G1.Sniper M3, a gaming motherboard with signature G1.Killer

DNA in a compact Micro-ATX form factor.

GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 (ATX) and G1.Sniper M3 (Micro ATX) Gaming Motherboards

Powering the Personal Cloud: Bluetooth 4.0/Wi-Fi PCIe Card

Selected GIGABYTE motherboards will come with an exclusive PCIe expansion card that offers support for the latest Bluetooth 4.0 (Smart Ready) and Wi-Fi connectivity standards. With the growing availability of affordable or free remote PC operation software, such asSplashtop and VLC Remote, GIGABYTE believes that now is the time to explore and enjoy the home cloud: a personal cloud within the secure environment of a home network where the performance and functionality of desktop PCs can be utilized and controlled by portable cloud devices. With this in mind GIGABYTE has introduced their CloudStation utility that will help future GIGABYTE Apps to communicate, share resources and control desktop PC systems.

Onboard mSATA Support

Most ATX form factor GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards will enjoy an onboard mSATA connector that, together with GIGABYTE’s EZ Smart Response technology, will allow users to simply and cost effectively enjoy better responsiveness from their PCs. mSATA solid state drives have been made popular by the rapid growth of tablet PCs, and provide a cheaper solution for smart chaching because they are available in smaller capacities than traditional SSDs.

Small Business Solutions

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard with Onboard mSATA Connector

Setting its sights on the small business market, GIGABYTE will demonstrate the B75M-D3H motherboard that represents a new product range featuring the ability to monitor and manage PC health, installed software, data

backup, energy saving and connectivity. This allows system integrators to add value to their products by

offering these services to small businesses. Key features and selling points for these models will be

manageability, affordability and GIGABYTE’s Ultra Durable design quality.