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

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.

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

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.

Ivy Bridge is apparently on track for an early Q2 release so it’s no surprise that we’re starting to see 7-series motherboards at CES. Although Ivy Bridge should be backwards compatible with supported 6-series Sandy Bridge boards, you do get some features from moving to a 7-series board. For starters there’s native USB 3.0 (many 6-series boards provided it through a 3rd party controller) as well as guaranteed PCIe 3.0 support on the slots that branch off of the CPU.

MSI showed us two Z77 boards, the Z77A-GD80 and the Z77-GD65. The GD80 is unique because it will actually ship with Thunderbolt support. The controller hasn’t been placed on the board yet, nor has the Thunderbolt port, but the design is nearly complete. MSI doesn’t have an estimate on pricing yet but I’m hearing that the Thunderbolt controller should add another $20 – $30 on average to any design.

Source

Four Screens Are Better than One with Lenovo’s New “Personal Cloud” Vision
Latest Product Development Links Gadgets in Pockets, Briefcases and Home

CES 2012, Las Vegas – January 8, 2012: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY), the world’s number two PC company, is flexing its innovation muscle at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and beyond, to create a seamless digital experience for its customers across multiple devices, be it PCs, tablets, smartphones or Smart TVs. Lenovo recently unveiled its “Personal Cloud” vision, marking the transformation of the company from a “personal computer” manufacturer to a “personal cloud solution” provider that integrates hardware, software and cloud computing together. The Company’s direction is evident in a variety of new products, including the IdeaTab S2, Smartphone S2 and K91 smart TV.

“Lenovo is breaking down the barriers of device differentiation and weaving together hardware, software and cloud services that are connected, experiential and dynamic,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president and president, Mobile Internet and Digital Home business group. “We understand our users need more than just the traditional keyboard and screen for a truly satisfying digital experience. Our Personal Cloud vision integrates all devices, from tablets to TVs, for a comprehensive mobile Internet experience anytime, anywhere.”

IdeaTab S2 10 Struts New Specs and Multimedia Prowess
Thinner than its predecessors, the IdeaTab S2 10-inch is just one-third of an inch thin and, at a feather-light 1.1lbs, is one of the lightest 10-inch tablets available today. IdeaTab S2 features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8960 dual core CPU and Android 4.0 operating systems to offer a better multimedia experience. Running Lenovo Mondrian UI, the user-friendly IdeaTab S2 10” displays customized content and includes easy access to the Lenovo App Shop and the Android Market for thousands of useful apps, such as Amazon Kindle, ooVoo, Angry bird and mSpot. Its detachable design, combined with a light keyboard dock, can deliver an incredible 20 hours of battery life, which is great for both entertainment and productivity.

S2 Smartphone Boasts Security and Photography Creds
The S2 smartphone includes the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon technology and Android 2.3 operating system. The device includes a unique Kernel-level security system to protect personal data, prevent phishing, and control network and SMS traffic. Users can also take advantage of its 8MP super camera to capture amazing panoramic photos on the go. S2 is also ready for the Cloud, and instantly syncs photos, music, videos and personal information with a dedicated online storage space for easy sharing across multiple devices.

K91—the World’s First Smart TV to Run Android 4.0 OS
As the world’s first smart TV powered by QualComm’s 8060 Snapdragon dual core CPU, the K91 is also the world’s first smart TV running the Android 4.0 operating system – which will revolutionize technology in the living room. Its smart “Sandwich” UI unites three major smart TV functions, including Video On Demand (VOD), Internet applications and traditional TV programs. The online HD VOD is tailored to an individual consumer’s viewing history, and delivers the best picture and audio quality with 3D FPR technology delivering flicker-free video on a full HD IPS panel at 240hz with SRS TruSurround. Internet applications include thousands of choices from the Android Market and Lenovo Store, including console games. Additional smart TV features include voice control with natural language processing and speech recognition technology, allowing viewers to use voice commands to control the remote. Video interaction is even possible with the built-in 5MP webcam, which integrates face recognition technology for security benefits and advanced parental control. With cloud support, consumers can access their favorite songs and videos with ease, share files between the TV and their tablet, smartphone or PC, and even control the TV via tablet and smartphone.

The IdeaTab S2 tablet, S2 smartphone and K91 smart TV are available immediately in China. Lenovo will be releasing these products worldwide at a later date. More information on these products is available at www.lenovo.com

Source

OCZ Technology and Marvell to Debut Next Generation PCI Express Z-Drive R5 Solid State Solution at Storage Visions 2012

Enterprise PCIe SSD Utilizes OCZ and Marvell Jointly-Developed Kilimanjaro Platform to Deliver Unparalleled Performance and Versatility for Server and Enterprise Storage Clients

SAN JOSE, CA – Jan. 6, 2012 – OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, and Marvell (Nasdaq:MRVL), a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today unveiled the industry’s fastest and most versatile PCI Express (PCIe) storage system, the Z-Drive R5. The increased performance, reliability, and endurance of the Z-Drive R5 is designed to take PCIe-based solid state storage to the next level for enterprise environments.

The Z-Drive R5 features a jointly developed “Kilimanjaro” OCZ and Marvell native PCIe to NAND flash controller platform, allowing for completely scalable performance and redundancy while eliminating the need for a separate storage controller, thus reducing the cost to deploy high performance solid state storage systems in the data center.

The native PCIe Z-Drive R5 offers an intelligent, hardware-meets-software managed solution designed to dramatically accelerate database, enterprise, and virtualization applications. Combining high-performance architecture with OCZ managed software, the Z-Drive R5 provides second-to-none performance, flexibility, durability, and enhanced reliability features, allowing datacenters to rely on a PCIe-based SSD as their primary Tier 0/1 storage solution and a viable end-to-end SAN replacement.

The Z-Drive R5 is ideal for demanding computing environments and features:

- Incredible bandwidth capabilities and maximum transactional performance
- High capacities up to 12TB
- Ideal for all enterprise data types with both compressible and non-compressible files as well as large data sets
- Complete storage subsystem management with OCZ Virtualized Controller Architecture™ 3.0 software functions
- Compatible with VMware ESXi and ESX, Linux, Windows Server 2008, and OS X to support a wide range of systems and servers
- Complete power fail protection option for maximum data integrity
- Full height and half height sizes, ideal for space constrained 1U servers and multi-node rackmount servers
- MLC, eMLC, and SLC NAND Flash options

“We are continually pushing the envelope to deliver innovative PCIe SSDs to address challenges that our clients face when processing and managing ever growing amounts of complex data sets,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. “The Z-Drive R5, leverages the powerful Kilimanjaro platform to deliver superior performance, greater capacity, and an enhanced hardware and software feature-set that is unmatched in the industry. This best-of-breed next generation native solution enables clients to eliminate I/O bottlenecks for even the most data intensive server and enterprise storage applications.”

“Marvell is excited to work with OCZ on this native PCIe to NAND flash controller platform, based on our 88NV9145 silicon,” said Alan Armstrong, vice president of Marketing for the Storage Business Group at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. “We believe the PCIe SSD market will rapidly shift to a native PCIe to NAND architecture, and the Kilimanjaro platform represents OCZ and Marvell’s strong collaboration in bringing this highly scalable architecture to market.”

The Z-Drive R5 will debut at Storage Visions 2012 in the OCZ booth (No. 13) and will also be showcased at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the Marvell booth (No. 30542) located in the South Hall 3 on the upper level.

Below is the retail price of the variou brand of AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics card. You can get them from Sim Lim Square.

Asus 7970 3GB – $928
MSI 7970 3GB – $928
PowerColor 7970 3GB – $888
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Apple will ship the so-called “iPad 3″ with a full HD display in March and then “iPad 4″ – named so by its component suppliers – with killer applications in October, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The iPad 3 will come with a QXGA (1,536×2,048 pixels) display and longer battery life although its other hardware specifications may not be so amazing as expected, said the sources. But Apple will take the advantage of the iPad 3 launch to slash the price of its iPad 2 to US$399, the sources claimed.

The March launch of iPad 3 as well as the price cutting for iPad 2 will enable Apple to fend off competition from non-iPad vendors including Sony, Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics, who currently price their tablet PCs at US$359 or above, commented the sources.

However, the competition in the segment may continue to heat up in the second quarter of 2012 as Google reportedly may also launch an own-brand tablet PC in April, competing with Kindle Fire in the entry-level segment, noted the sources.

But a true battle for market share will arrive in the second half of the year when Apple ships its iPad 4 in October, about the time when Microsoft releases its Window 8 and Intel unveils its Clover Trail-W platform, the sources commented.

The 9.7-inch iPad 4 is expected to come with much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications so as to compete with an array of Android-, Wintel- or WoA (Windows on ARM)-based tablet PCs to be released in the fourth quarter, said the sources.

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Australia SC magazine reports that hackers have broken into the National University of Singapore and made available 36000 student and staff usernames, domain information and hashed passwords public.

The Univeristy’s head of IT security, Yong Fong Lian, said the affected accounts were local and provided “access to a server which does not contain any sensitive information”.

“We have performed investigation and confirmed that hackers infiltrated into the system exploiting an application security loophole. This system is a departmental server containing public data.”

“We would like to highlight that the leaked passwords are for local accounts that allow access to the departmental server only. They are not NUSNET accounts and passwords.”

The university has reset affected passwords.

A hacker from an online group calling themselves Team Intra used a SQL vulnerability to grab a database containing the information.

The hackers alleged they were spurred on after an error message generated by probes of the website stated:”If you’re trying to use the SQL error message to dig for juicy information, get lost.”

“I made it my personal goal to get in and r*pe their sorry asses for the message,” the hackers said.

SC Magazine informed the university about the hack.

The university is renowned for research in the fields of engineering, life sciences and biomedicine.

Update: Comments below indicate the database may have been accessed earlier as passwords were already posted to a cracking forum

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