VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #16

March 29th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone

VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!
Description: The version of the Colossus I received was the all
VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly publication black version with optional blue or red LED lighting, with the
covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks. controls hidden in a lockable front storage tray. On top of that,
I haven't even gotten to the wire management on the front of
the chassis or the tool-free interior.
The Daily VR-Zone News Description: Featuring the industry's largest 3TB capacity and
Summary - 29 Mar 2011 third-generation SATA 6Gb/s controller interface, the Seagate
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--29- Barracuda XT is also the first product to create a Windows XP-
mar-2011/11460.html safe software solution for overcoming the 2TB barrier.
March 29th, 2011 Consumer Electronics and Software news
Description: Visitors to the New York Times website will now
be charged for access to news articles following the start
of the publication's new strategy yesterday, with monthly
subscriptions ranging from $15 to $35.
In today's news roundup: A guide to turn your Radeon 6950 Description: GIGABYTE has done quite a good job on the
into a Radeon 6970; SilverStone GF06 HTPC chassis gets Aivia M8600. The box packaging is very, very unique with a
reviewed ; New York Times introduces online content paywall cylinder tube that comes apart in 3 pieces - the mouse in its
with monthly subscriptions ranging from $15 to $35; Acer own section, with a bag of goodies (charger, batteries, etc) in
Iconia dual touch-screen notebook, now available for pre- another section.
order; First DLC characters for Mortal Kombat revealed , and
Review of console game WWE All Stars. Description: For those of you that took a look at the AC Ryan
Playon!HD2 1TB and thought to yourself, well that looks great,
Hardware news but I already have a PC full of movies, why do I need one in my
Description: Point of View is a long time specialist for GeForce lounge too? Well, that’s a good question and here to answer
cardsand has recently increased the highly overclocked TGT it is the Mini 2, the storage free, networking content hub that
Editions in the overclocking segment. you’ll soon want in your living room setup.
Description: Swiftech has been a major name in air cooling in Description: Google Inc. is teaming up with MasterCard Inc.
the past and with the Polaris 120 they are solidly throwing their and Citigroup Inc. to embed technology in Android mobile
hat back in the ring. The tower style cooler is a break from their devices that would allow consumers to make purchases by
Helicoid design but the performance shows they have done waving their smartphones in front of a small reader at the
their homework. checkout counter.
Description: ITShootout provides a step by step visual guide Description: Acer's Iconia notebook doesn't have a keyboard
on how to unlock your Radeon HD6950's latent shaders and or trackpad - instead, it features two 14-inch touchscreen
turn it into a fully fledged Radeon HD6970 - a card costing displays. And it's available for pre-order now.
almost twice as much Description: Amazon has just entered the streaming music
Description: The Fractal Design Define XL Full Tower business with the launch of Cloud Player, a music player that
Computer Case is the flagship offering into the U.S. market lets anyone upload their music to Amazon's servers and play
from the Swedish based manufacturer. The Fractal Design them via the web or Android.
Define XL offers some very unique features and a great amount Description: The Choiix Cruiser mouse does exactly what it
of flexibility in a very stylish, yet minimalist design case. is designed to do, which is provide smooth and accurate
Description: SilverStone Technologies launched a successful cursor movements on a wide variety of surfaces. That alone
line of home theater cases back in 2009 with the Grandia series makes it a great choice for traveling laptop users, and the tiny
(GD04 and GD05) and this review is going to cover the new USB receiver and adjustable height round out a well-made,
and improved model, the Grandia GDO6. affordable input device.
Gaming news

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Description: Mortal Kombat isn't in stores for a few more choice for anyone looking to make the most of their high-
weeks, but Netherrealm has already revealed the first two performance system."
characters you'll be able to add to the game's already The 2000MHz kits, and the entire Vengeance family of DDR3
impressive roster as download content. memory, are compatible with all current Intel® and AMD
Description: The game, which is being developed by SOCOM platforms. They will initially be available in the following
studio Slant Six, looks to be quite a departure for the Resident configurations:
Evil series, with 4-player squad shootouts replacing the
Size Speed # of DIMMs Part Number
traditional slow-paced monster scares.
4GB 2000MHz 2 CMZ4GX3M2A2000C
Description: No matter the wrestling video game, it seems 6GB 2000MHz 3 CMZ6GX3M3A2000C
players always want to be WWE Legends like Hulk Hogan
12GB 2000MHz 3 CMZ12GX3M3A2000
and the Ultimate Warrior. This hunger has been satiated in
the past with unlockable characters in the SmackDown vs. Corsair Vengeance memory kits, including the new 2000MHz
Raw series and the standalone (yet lackluster) WWE Legends versions, are available immediately from Corsair's worldwide
of WrestleMania. Now, the big names of yesteryear are back network of resellers and distributors.
alongside some of the current headliners in WWE All Stars.
Description: Today, fans of BioWare's incredible intergalactic About Vengeance Memory
adventure Mass Effect 2 will get another chance to explore
space. A scene from 'Mass Effect 2. The studio has released a
new episode, "Arrival," that is available for download on PC, The Corsair Vengeance family of DDR3 memory provides
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. high performance, aggressive styling, and attractive pricing.
Vengeance memory runs at 1.5V for maximum compatibility
with all Intel and AMD platforms, including the new 2nd
Corsair Releases 2000MHz generation Intel Core™ processor family (Sandy Bridge).
Vengeance DDR3 Memory Kit Vengeance memory is assembled using DRAM ICs specially
selected for performance potential and include heat spreaders
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-releases-2000mhz-vengeance-
for improved performance. Like all Corsair DRAM modules,
ddr3-memory-kit/11745.html
Vengeance memory kits are tested to our exacting standards
March 29th, 2011
and come with a limited lifetime warranty. For more
information on the Vengeance family of high-performance
DDR3 memory, please visit the Corsair web site.

Corsair today announced the availability of 2000MHz
versions of the award-winning Vengeance™ family of DDR3
memory. The new 2000MHz kits are equipped with aluminum
heat spreaders anodized in Jet Black. They join the 1600MHz
Vengeance DDR3 memory kits, which are available in either
Jet Black or Cerulean Blue, and the 1866MHz Vengeance
DDR3 kit, available in Jet Black. Corsair Vengeance memory
kits, including the new 2000MHz versions, are available
immediately from Corsair's worldwide network of resellers
and distributors.
FREMONT, California — March 17, 2011 — Corsair®,
a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance
components to the PC gaming hardware market, today
announced the availability of 2000MHz versions of the award-
winning Vengeance™ family of DDR3 memory.
The new 2000MHz kits are equipped with aluminum heat
spreaders anodized in Jet Black. They join the 1600MHz
Vengeance DDR3 memory kits, which are available in either
Jet Black or Cerulean Blue, and the 1866MHz Vengeance
DDR3 kit, available in Jet Black.
"Our new 2000MHz Vengeance memory is perfect for PC
gamers and enthusiasts, as well as systems integrators who
value the outstanding overclockability of the Vengeance
family, and are looking for even more speed." said Thi La,
Vice President of Memory Products at Corsair. "They're a great

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As for the M11x R3 the CPU line-up will consist of Intel's 17W
ULV processors which are the Core i5-2537M, Core i7-2617M
and 2657M with base clock speeds of 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6GHz
respectively. In this case the 11.6-inch display remains at
1366x768 resolution, but this was expected. Drive options
include a selection of 7,200rpm hard drives and the same
Samsung P810 SSD as on the M14x. Once again the source
doesn't have any details as to what graphics options Dell will
offer, but we should see this model launch within the next
couple of weeks.
Both models should come with an 8-cell 63Whr battery pack
which suggests that the battery life of the M14x won't be
that great, whereas it should be pretty decent for the M11x
considering it's using ULV processors. It looks like mobile
More Alienware M14x details, gamers are going to be spoilt for choice from Dell shortly, as
the company is also said to be launching an 18-inch model
refreshed M11x R3 also which could feature CrossFireX or SLI graphics as per our
expected earlier story from a couple of weeks back.
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/more-alienware-m14x-details-
refreshed-m11x-r3-also-expected/11744.html Knowles Acoustics launches
MEMS joystick for mobile
March 29th, 2011

devices
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/knowles-acoustics-launches-mems-
joystick-for-mobile-devices/11743.html
March 29th, 2011

Dell's Alienware division is getting ready to launch a new 14-
inch gaming notebook according to leaked information posed
on a blog that tend to have accurate details of upcoming Dell
products and among other things predicted the M17x R3. The It's not the world smallest joystick, but we can't imagine
same site is also saying that we can expect Dell to launch the it being far from at 9.8x9.8x1.6mm, but Knowles Acoustics
updated M11x R3 sometime early next month as well. KMJ0401IC MEMS joystick has the potential to simplify and
lower the cost of a wide range of handheld mobile devices that
rely on physical input for navigation. Knowles Acoustics also
Dell's Alienware division is getting ready to launch a new 14- claim that its joystick can help improve battery life by being
inch gaming notebook according to leaked information posed more power efficient than other alternatives.
on a blog that tend to have accurate details of upcoming Dell
products and among other things predicted the M17x R3. The
same site is also saying that we can expect Dell to launch the It's not the world smallest joystick, but we can't imagine
updated M11x R3 sometime early next month as well. it being far from at 9.8x9.8x1.6mm, but Knowles Acoustics
KMJ0401IC MEMS joystick has the potential to simplify and
The M14x is said to come with a selection of second generation lower the cost of a wide range of handheld mobile devices that
Core i processors ranging from the Core i3-2310M all the rely on physical input for navigation. Knowles Acoustics also
way up to the Core i7-2820QM. It will come with a range of claim that its joystick can help improve battery life by being
7,200rpm hard drive options, but also with two choices of more power efficient than other alternatives.
256GB SSDs, one being a Samsung P810 SATA 3Gbps model
and the other being a yet unknown SATA 3Gbps model. Some MEMS or micro electromechanical systems is a type of IC
CPUs will be available with DDR3 1600MHz SO-DIMMs as the fused with mechanical functionality and is most commonly
higher-end Core i7's support this. found in various types of sensors, such as motion sensors.
The advantage of using this technology for a joystick is
Sadly there's no info on the graphics option, although an obviously the fact that you can create a very small, inexpensive
earlier leak suggests that there will be various Radeon HD and simple device. The KMJ0401IC replaces the need for a
67x0M options as well as a potential GeForce GT 555M option. separate controller IC which would be needed if a traditional
The really good news is that Dell will offer the M14x with a analogue joystick was used.
1920x1080 display which is very rare on 14-inch notebooks,
although a cheaper 1366x768 option is also available. Other
features are said to include an UWB HD video streaming
option as well as optional LTE/WiMAX connectivity.

3


being the first to get new smartphones, with Europe coming in
at a close second place.
Unfortunately for Asian HTC fans, it seems that this status quo
is not going to be changed any time soon, especially if the latest
news about the new HTC EVO 3D smartphone is to be taken
into consideration. While most Americans are fully aware of
the fact that they will be able to get their hands on an EVO 3D
"sometime this summer", Europeans were left guessing as to
The KMJ0401IC only draws a tiny 40μA in use, 25μA in idle whether the smartphone will ever make its way over to their
mode and 3μA in sleep mode and Knowles Acoustics claim that shores.
this can help reduce power drain on battery powered devices
by a factor of 25 compared to optical joysticks found on many
smartphones. The joystick allows for 360 degree movement
and variable scroll speeds and is meant to deliver a “true
analog joystick feel”.
As for the types of devices we can expect to see the KMJ0401IC
in, well no firm partners have been announced but Knowles
Acoustics is hoping that it'll make its way into smartphones,
tablets, portable gaming devices and just about anything else
you can think of that would need a small, cheap, reliable
joystick controller in.

HTC EVO 3D heading for Well, the good news (for the Europeans) is that HTC has
Europe? seemingly confirmed that the EVO 3D will eventually be
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/htc-evo-3d-heading-for- available for sale in some European countries. According to
europe-/11737.html various online reports, HTC France spilled the beans about the
March 29th, 2011 HTC EVO 3D's availability by posting in the company's official
Twitter feed that the smartphone will be available in France,
and that it will even be sold under the same name.

Once again, the best toys always find their way into other
places well before they ever show up in most parts of South
East Asia, and it appears that HTC's latest smartphone
is an excellent example of the aforementioned situation.
Apparently, the upcoming HTC EVO 3D has been confirmed
for both an American and European launch, with no mention
about a possible Asia-Pacific launch anytime soon.

The launch date and retail price for the HTC EVO 3D in Europe
has yet to be confirmed, although we'd suppose European
consumers would be able to take comfort in the fact that they
are secure in the knowledge about a certain device having been
confirmed to be (eventually) made available for sale in their
region. That being said, the hardware specifications remain
unchanged, so Europeans can also rest assured that their EVO
3D will be the very same 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon totting,
dual-camera, glasses-free 3D smartphone that is due to start
selling in the US sometime this summer.
For a smartphone OEM that has its roots in Asia, HTC does not At the very least, having some knowledge about product
seem to be interested in giving first dibs to the Asian markets availability is definitely much better than being kept
when it comes to introducing new smartphones. Rather, it is completely in the dark, don't you think?
usually the American markets that score bragging rights for

4


goes into full gear attempting to arrest such troublemakers,
US Government developing the Panic Button, when activated, will not only wipe out your
a Panic Button for mobile personal data such as contact details and messages, but also
send out a message to like-minded activists over various social
phones networks to let others know that someone has gotten into
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/us-government-developing-a-panic- serious trouble with the long arm of the law, and that they face
button-for-mobile-phones/11735.html the possibility of being targeted.
March 29th, 2011
Of course, the feature is still currently under development, but
its potential cannot be denied. After all, there is nothing more
selfless than offering oneself up to law-enforcement agents as
a scapegoat while protecting the larger community by ensuring
that they remain un-harassed to campaign for another day.
At the same time, there is also a very high possibility of the
feature being misused for other not-so-noble purposes, such
Do you fancy owning a mobile phone which comes with a built- as terrorists using it to mask their tracks. But we shall see, no?
in feature that allows users to immediately delete all available
data stored on it, all with the press on a single button? Well,
the good news is that such a feature is currently in the works Aston Martin CPT002
as a joint project by the US Department of State and "a group
of unspecified technology providers". The bad news? You got
luxurious transparent
to be in a real political pinch to be able to use it. touchscreen phone leaked
Picture this situation: you are an activist who happens Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/aston-martin-cpt002-luxurious-
to be involved in staging some rather spectacular political transparent-touchscreen-phone-leaked/11736.html
protests in order to bring about change to a certain regime. March 29th, 2011
Unfortunately for you, the regime's secret police catches wind
of your involvement, and sends down a task force with the
objective to throw you behind bars and confiscate your mobile
phone. Which, ever so conveniently, happens to have the
contact details of countless other activists stored within.
Naturally, the most logical course of action would be to destroy
Aston Martin may be renowned for their luxury cars, especially
most of the data stored in the mobile phone's memory to
in the popular British secret agent 007, James Bond, movies,
protect your fellow activists from coming to harm. However,
but it seems like the car manufacturer is also going to come up
manually going through SMSs and phone book contacts is
with their smartphone, in the form of CPT002.
definitely not the fastest way to get rid of incriminating
data, especially if you are already fighting against time. The
solution? Simple: a US Department of State-developed feature
known as the Panic Button, which is designed to protect an
activist's fellow companions in the event of a crackdown..

Recently, another concept phone has come up on the web and
the design features a stylish transparent display that looks
elegant.
Aston Martin, a British car maker, is collaborating with
Canadian mobile phone manufacturer Mobiado to launch a
Aston Martin branded phone, model CPT002. The CPT002
concept phone isn't the first to sport a transparent design;
According to a report published by Reuters, the so-called Panic LG has launched the GD900 Crystal in 2009 which offers a
Button was designed primary for use by democratic activists transparent keypad. However, it may well be the first to have
who might be targeted by foreign law-enforcement officials a transparent touchscreen. As a luxury phone, the CPT002 is
over their involvement in various protests or demonstrations. adorned with sapphire crystals, while the sides are made of
When such demonstrations get broken up and the riot police platinum. The internal will hold the battery and SIM card

5


The phone will also function as the key to your Aston Martin rangefinder cameras of the past? Well, it turns out that the
car. It als features various social network apps including short period of disruption caused to Fujifilm's production lines
FaceBook and Twitter, and you can also use the vehicle's GPS have been resolved, and the camera should be making its way
to show your current location, friend's location and places of to US shores soon.
interests on FourSquare. According to an official announcement posted by Fujifilm
More details of the Aston Martin CPT002 concept phone will Japan, the company's production plants and factories were
be revealed in May. indeed affected by the recent earthquake which levelled much
of North East Japan. However, the report also goes on to claim
that Fujifilm has been able to recover its production lines, and
that the manufacturing and assembly of the X100 cameras will
resume, with a shipment slated to arrive in US in the first week
of April.

UPDATED: AMD Radeon HD
6790 Specifications Revealed
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/updated-amd-radeon-hd-6790-
specifications-revealed/11733.html
March 29th, 2011

Fujifilm X100 production to
resume
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/fujifilm-x100-production-to-
resume/11732.html Not long after AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 6790 was first
March 29th, 2011 revealed, Nordichardware is reporting the final specifications
for the HD 6790. It is indeed a Barts derivative, codenamed
Barts LE and it is to the HD 6850 much like the HD 5830
was to the HD 5850. The HD 6790 disables a further 2 SIMDs
from the Barts die, now left with 800 SP and 40 TMU. The
GPU is clocked at 840 MHz, so thus far, it looks much like a
HD 5770. However, the HD 6790 thankfully retains all 256-bit
Did the recently-announced X100 camera from Fujifilm memory bus with surprisingly the same memory bandwidth as
capture your attention? If it did, chances are you might have the HD 6870 - more than twice than the HD 5770. All 32 ROPs
been disappointed to find out that the camera's production are retained too - once again, twice that of the HD 5770. The
would be delayed due to Fujiflim's factories being affected by HD 6790 also features the enhanced Barts architecture with
the recent earthquake in Japan. However, it seems that good improved tessellation, and this along with far superior pixel
things come to those who wait: Fujifilm has released a report fillrate and memory bandwidth are the areas where the HD
claiming that they have been able to resume production of the 6790 will gain a significant advantage over the HD 5770 (and
camera recently. also the GTX 550 Ti).
It's not all rosy however, as the HD 6790 suffers from
one of the same crippling flaws of the HD 5830 - high
power consumption for the performance. As the HD 6790 is
built around salvage dies, it requires a higher voltage than
the regular Barts products to keep its clock speeds high
sufficiently. The result is a 150W power consumption and
requirement for 2x6-pin. For buyers in this segment, that can
be a big decisive factor, and the GTX 550 Ti and even the faster
HD 6850 offers a clear advantage in that regard - requiring
only a single 6-pin PCIe connector. Perhaps moreso than the
HD 5830, this can be a fatal flaw of the HD 6790.
However, the HD 6790 also succeeds in avoiding HD 5830's
biggest flaw - pricing. At $130, the HD 6790 will provide very
impressive bang-for-the-buck.
Does anyone remember the Fujifilm X100 camera? You know,
the recently-launched compact camera that features an APS-
C sensor and bears an uncanny resemblance to the old 35mm

6


The HD 6790 is set to release on March 31st. We can only hope
AMD has worked on the power requirements as apart from
that, the HD 6790 looks like great value for money.

LG Optimus 'Big' surfaces in
online photos
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-optimus-big-surfaces-in-online-
photos/11731.html
March 29th, 2011

Details about the phone are scarce, but the device has been
reportedly dubbed the 'Optimus Big' by netizens due to the
size of its display, especially when placed in comparison with
So LG has got the Optimus One, the Optimus 2X and the most typical smartphones available on the market today.
Optimus Black smartphones to cater to a wide variety of Additional leaked hardware specifications seem to indicate
audiences seeking to purchase a smartphone, along with an that the 'Optimus Big' will utilize a 4.3-inch NOVA display,
Optimus 3D for those who simply have to be ahead of the which puts it near the five-inch Dell Streak in terms of size.
times. That is fine and all, but it seems that these are not
the only Android-based smartphones that LG has in store Last but not least, the Big will reportedly come standard with
for consumers, and leaked pictures appear to indicate that a 1GHz single-core processor and a built-in T-DMB TV tuner,
the Korean OEM has got one more product up its sleeve: a which supposedly allows users to watch broadcast television
smartphone with a larger display. programs on their smartphones.
No other information about the smartphone has been released
yet though, so do check back for updates.

Amazon may launch Online
Media 'Locker'
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/amazon-may-launch-online-media-
locker-/11729.html
March 29th, 2011
With smartphones getting more and more popular with each
passing day, it should probably be a given that manufacturers
and OEMs are scrambling to design a wide range of products
which will cater to multiple target market segments. After all,
the concept of a 'one size fits all' design does not always work
when it comes to something as personal as mobile phones: Amazon is intending to introduce a new service that lets users
some people might prefer to have their devices as small as store music and video online and access it from various digital
possible, while others may require a larger display to make the devices, which could come as early as next week. The move
task of handling their smartphones a little easier on the eyes. could well be seen as competing against Google and Apple,
That being said, if you happen to fall into the second group of whereby both are also working on similar offerings.
users as listed above (or if you are just an Android smartphone
aficionado), this bit of information might just be enough to
brighten up your Tuesday. Apparently, LG has a new Optimus
smartphone in the works, and this one is going to feature a
larger display, as shown in the leaked image below, courtesy
of Korean website XportsNews:

Amazon.com is planning to offer a service for users to store
music and video online (not necessarily purchased from
Amazon.com) and access it from various digital devices. The
7


company is currently still ironing out legal issues as well promote their brand in the APAC region. A series of products
as securing content licenses from major record labels and like USB flash drives, memory cards and even HyperX DDR3
movie studios. But if everything works out, the service could memory modules have been announced using Dream Girls as
be launched as early as next week. the advertisement covers. Would you get one?
The online retailer seems to be competing against Apple and
Google, both which are also working on similar offerings,
known as "locker" or "cloud" services. The services would
create an online music or video collection identical to the one
on a user's computer hard drive, and user can choose to access
the collection from anywhere he or she may be.
Amazon has also mentioned that users could also choose to
upload their personal videos via the new service. However,
it is unclear how the company would implement control
over the upload of actual personal video footage from movies
that are ripped from DVD or even Bluray discs without
permission.

While Intel has SNSD,
Kingston has Dream Girls
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/while-intel-has-snsd-kingston-has-
dream-girls/11730.html
March 29th, 2011

It seems more tech companies are getting female celebrities
and models as their brand ambassadors in Asia recently.
During CES, Intel has engaged SNSD, a famous Korean pop
group to promote their brand in Asia and now Kingston too
has also engaged a new girl group known as the Dream Girls to
promote their brand in the APAC region. A series of products
like USB flash drives, memory cards and even HyperX DDR3
memory modules have been announced using Dream Girls as
the advertisement covers. Would you get one?

Additional photos are available here
It seems more tech companies are getting female celebrities
and models as their brand ambassadors in Asia recently.
During CES, Intel has engaged SNSD, a famous Korean pop Below is a press release :
group to promote their brand in Asia and now Kingston too
has also engaged a new girl group known as the Dream Girls to

8


All of us might have dreams since childhood and most of time March 29th, 2011
we can not make it to go after our dreams, due to the lack of
courage and determination. To encourage everyone to pursue
dreams, Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent
world leader in memory products, today announced that
Dream Girls will be the 2011 Kingston brand spokespersons
in APAC region. Partnering with Kingston, in 2011 Dorian
International Entertainment Corporation presents “Dream If you like cute puzzle games, then you probably would want
Girls,” the new girl group in the limelight. The three dream to try out Ilomilo. Developed by SouthEnd Interactive and
girls, Tia Li, Puff Kuo, and Emily Song, have been worked Microsoft Game Studios, this Xbox Live arcade game is also
hard for realizing their dreams since childhood. How they have available on Windows Phone 7 for AT&T customers in US.
done and achieved shows the Kingston spirits, such as being Read on for the full review.
determined to pursue dreams and never giving up. Kingston
considers Dream Girls the best brand spokesperson for 2011
to show the “Only Kingston Can” corporate spirits. A series
of “Dream Girls” special edition products will be launched at
the 2nd quarter of 2011. It is expected to inspire more dream
holders to persist in going after their dreams as well as making
their dreams come true!

Listed by Fortune Magazine as "100 Best Companies to Work
For" for five consecutive years, Kingston was founded by
two dreamers, John Tu and David Sun. They persisted in
their beliefs even when bankruptcy, and eventually led the
enterprise to be the world’s largest independent memory It's a colourful kaldeiscope world of cutesy cubes and cuddly
module manufacturer. Many people are impressed by this characters
successful legend as well as by the Kingston’s image, “Only
Kingston Can”. This game is best summarised in two words: ‘Cute’ and ‘cubes’.
Ilomilo is a puzzle game of sorts where you have to guide cutesy
best friends, Ilo and Milo — no prizes for spotting where the
In 2011, “Kingston + Dream Girls” delivers the below name of the game comes from — to meet each other. These
messages: ‘Safkas’ forever need your help to meet each other. While this
may seem like a simple fable, there is always the hint of a bigger
Pursuing dreams and then realizing dreams;
story and the essence of lost memories.
Don’t wait, just go for your dreams;
But what will steal your breath away is a whimsical, wondrous
Bravely, confidently, passionately; world of many platforms, built out of interlocking cubes
For those who have dreams; that extend into different directions and form all sorts of
dimensions-defying structures. It’s like living in a world made
Only Kingston Can! up of the same rules that govern a rainbow Rubik’s Cube – or
you can think of it as a pastel-lined blanket quilt universe.
“Dream Girls” special edition products include “Dream Girls”
Limited-Edition Album Version USB Flash drives, customized
SD cards, USB drives, memory cards, and etc. It’s time to go
after your dreams with Kingston and Dream Girls now!

For detailed information please visit the Kingston Web site at
www.kingston.com/asia.

Xbox 360 Game Review:
ilomilo
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/xbox-360-game-review-
How to meet up if you see me no up?
ilomilo/11722.html
There are twists and turns aplenty: Both Ilo and Milo often
have to walk all around the cubes to the point of defying gravity
in some cases. That’s right, you get to control both Ilo and Milo
one at a time, as both characters need to make their own way

9


through the mazes to meet each other somewhere in the — graphics cards. Representing Titanium, the cards boasting the
metaphorical, not always literal — middle. moniker were renowned to be popular, hence Nvidia bringing
the name back. The GTX560 is set to succeed the GTX460
Of course, the path to friendship does not run smooth. There
but not replace it based on their differing price points. At
are obstacles like big gaps, strange creatures that block you or
$249/£200, it is meant to fit in between AMD’s HD6870 and
even steal your blocks. You can’t jump over these obstacles,
HD6950.
sadly. However, all is not lost — although you might often be.
Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3 PC3-12800 Memory Kit
Here's a short trailer of the Ilomilo game:-
Review @ Madshrimps
Description: The Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3
The Daily VR-Zone News PC3-12800 BL2KIT25664ST1608OB memory kit comes with
two interesting features: fully customizable lighting system,
Summary - 28 Mar 2011 along with thermal sensors that can be monitored via the
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news-summary--28- M.O.D. software utility.
mar-2011/11726.html
Thermalright Shaman VGA Cooler Review @ Tweaknews
March 29th, 2011
Description: Thermalright has continued their success with
the Shaman. This oversized aftermarket cooler has taken the
performance charts by storm and easily claimed the top spot in
our VGA testing and it is evident that Thermalright's Shaman
is aimed directly at power hungry that produce equal amounts
of heat.
In today's news roundup: Intel's latest line of SSDs, known as Swiftech Polaris 120 High Performance CPU Cooler Review
the 320 series, get reviewed; Crucial's m4 SSD, which has been Description: It looks like a few things have changed over at
touted to be one of the most highly anticipated SSD launches Swiftech since the last time I visited their site and had the
for 2011, get a little preview; Dell releases new notebooks pleasure of testing, and still using to this day, the H20-320
in the US with a Spanish keyboard; Gateway has announced kit they introduced back in November of last year. A couple of
a new line of entry-level notebooks based off AMD's Fusion weeks ago I started getting correspondence of this new cooler
(Brazos) platform; The Sony vs Hotz drama gets a new twist in the works from Swiftech, and to my first surprise, it’s an air
in the form of Hotz's defense counsel claiming that much cooler. Now I’m not positive you all remember the MCX series
of Sony's evidence against him are factually inaccurate, and of air coolers from a few years ago. While the idea was very
Valve's Steam service might eventually be extended to the different, and the thinking was outside of the box in its design,
mobile platform, especially for iOS and Android. the cooler had limited success, and I don’t remember it being
Hardware news highly recommended as were the other leaders in that day of
air cooling.
Enermax T.B. Fan-Series Review on Technic3D (German)
Description: (Machine Translation) The Enermax T.B. Fan Xigmatek Durin D982 Review @Hi Tech Legion
Series arrived Technic3D. Seven 80,- 120,- and 140mm Fans Description: Weighing in at only 200gr, the Xigmatek Durin
for your Case or CPU-Cooling can you see in the following D982 is certainly no heavyweight, but small size certainly
Review on Technic3D. The new Fan Series better than the doesn’t stop the Durin from packing a punch. The Xigmatek
Silence or Apollish? Durin D982 is a low profile Heat Pipe Direct Touch CPU
cooler, which is a very unusual combination. With two 8mm
Intel 320 Series 300GB SSD Review w/ 25nm Flash @ Legit
pipes directly touching the CPU and running through a 90mm
Reviews
aluminum fin array, the Durin D982 is capable of heat
Description: As a follow-up to their very successful X25-M
dissipation typically reserved for larger coolers.
series of drives, Intel has launched their 320 Series drives
which feature a host of new features while being driven by their Consumer Electronics and Software news
own proprietary controller. With the SATA 3Gbps SSD market Apple Announces June 6 Start Date for WWDC 2011
being so crowded, can Intel tempt consumers to look their Description: Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers
way? See the outcome of the testing and judge for yourself. Conference will be held beginning June 6 this year at Moscone
Crucial m4 256GB SATA 6G SSD Preview and Next Gen 2x0+ West in San Francisco. While Apple makes no mention of it
GB Shootout in its press release, the company typically unveils its annual
Description: The Crucial m4 needs little introduction since it is iPhone hardware refresh at the keynote for WWDC.
one of the two most anticipated SSDs of 2011. The truth is that Fujitsu AH572 15.6" 3D laptop now shipping for $1,399
most of you are planning on skipping the next handful of pages Description: Fujitsu's Lifebook AH572 3D laptop is now
to get right to the benchmarks. Don't do that! Take everything shipping in the US for $1,399. The AH572 has a 15.6" passive
you've already read about the Micron C400 / Crucial m4 and 3D display (it comes bundled with one pair of polarized
toss it out of your mind, because mumble - mumble - mumble glasses) and also a dual-lens 3D camera and a 3D blu-ray
isn't exactly accurate. Let me explain with swollen tongue. drive. Other specs include Core i5-2410 (2.3Ghz) processor
Inno3D GTX560 Ti 1GB OC Review @ Vortez and an Intel HD 3000 graphics GPU. It runs Windows 7 Home
Description: Some may remember Nvidia first using "Ti" on Premium 64bit.
the GeForce 2 cards until its demise on their 4th generations of
10


Dell freshens up Inspiron M5030 with Spanish-language
keyboard, claims it's first of its kind in US NVIDIA Releases 267.91 WHQL
Description: The Athlon-powered M5030 from Dell hardly Drivers for GeForce GTX 590
looked like a machine that would be bearing an "industry first" Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-releases-267.91-whql-drivers-
label when it launched in September of last year, but now it's for-geforce-gtx-590/11728.html
doing exactly that thanks to an intriguing new mod from its March 29th, 2011
maker. The 15.6-incher is being released with its keyboard
and Windows 7 installation customized in Spanish, neither of
which would be unusual were it not for the fact that it's going
to be on sale in the US. It's not exactly a vast overhaul, as only
a couple of physical keys are swapped out and switching Win 7
into and out of Spanish mode can be done in the time it takes
to click a mouse...
NVIDIA has released a new driver today specifically for
Gateway's New Notebooks for the Extreme Budget: 15.6" with GeForce GTX 590 but not much information has been
AMD Fusion revealed. However, we suspect that it might somehow relate to
Description: Gateway announced this past Moday that they're the recent incidents of their flagship cards going up in smoke.
releasing to the market a trio of value-oriented desktop (well, NVIDIA has urged their partners to dump their few days old
really nettop) replacement notebooks built around AMD's driver CD loaded with version 267.84 with this updated 267.92
Fusion platform. Brazos has been a big hit with OEMs as WHQL.
nearly every major manufacturer is producing machines based
around it, particularly the extremely popular E-350 APU.
MobileMe to become cheaper
Description: It remains to be seen whether Apple would
experience more people flocking to their MobileMe service if it
were free, and perhaps Apple is testing this ground by lowering
the current $99 price point to just $20 annually, at least
according to the latest rumors concerning the cloud-based
service. MobileMe will not stream songs like other services,
instead, it will perform back-ups of individual songs that have
been downloaded from iTunes, which means on paper, they
can be downloaded again in the future for free to individual
iDevices without having to go through the synchronization
process.
NVIDIA has released a new driver today specifically for
Gaming news GeForce GTX 590 but not much information has been
Sony v. Hotz: mismatched serial numbers and sealed manuals revealed. However, we suspect that it might somehow relate to
Description: The case of Sony Computer Entertainment LLC the recent incidents of their flagship cards going up in smoke.
vs. George Hotz et al is the gift that keeps on giving when NVIDIA has urged their partners to dump their few days old
it comes to bizarre filings and odd claims. Hotz's attorneys driver CD loaded with version 267.84 with this updated 267.92
claim that he couldn't have known that Sony Computer WHQL.
Entertainment of America existed, since the manuals for his Here's the drivers information :
new PlayStation 3 remained sealed and the box only mentions
This driver adds support for the new GeForce GTX 590 dual-
Japan.
GPU graphics card, including support for Quad SLI when
Valve's Steam Coming to Apple iOS and Android? paired with a second GeForce GTX 590 card. For 3D Vision
Description: The company is reportedly looking at possibilities support, you will also need to install the NVIDIA 3D Vision
in extending Steam to the iOS and Android platforms. A Controller Driver v266.21.
gaming service like Steam has done wonders on the PC and
Mac; and with mobile gaming already having solid ground on
the phones, PMPs and tablets, it seems only natural. Other
Some Nintendo 3DS users face 'black screen of death' crashes
Description: Early Nintendo 3DS buyers in the US and Europe Installs HD Audio driver version 1.1.13.1
have reported encountering sometimes serious crashing bugs.
Nicknamed the "black screen of death" for the error message Installs PhysX System Software to version 9.10.0514
it brings, it simply says that an "error has occurred" and forces Users without US English operating systems can select their
a hard reset. Some have only had it happen periodically, but language and download the International driver here.
others have been caught in a permanent loop that gives them
no choice but to swap out the 3DS for a replacement.

11


SSD technology. Whether it's a consumer or corporate IT
looking to upgrade from a hard disk drive, or an enterprise
seeking to deploy SSDs in their data centers, the new Intel SSD
3rd Gen Intel SSD 320 Series 320 Series will continue to build on our reputation of high
Launched quality and dependability over the life of the SSD."
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/3rd-gen-intel-ssd-320-series-
launched/11727.html
The Intel SSD 320 is the next generation of Intel's client
March 29th, 2011
product line for use on desktop and notebook PCs. It is
targeted for mainstream consumers, corporate IT or PC
enthusiasts who would like a substantial performance boost
over conventional mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs). An
SSD is more rugged, uses less power and reduces the HDD
bottleneck to speed PC processes such as boot up and the
opening of files and favorite applications. In fact, an upgrade
Intel announced today third-generation SSD the Intel Solid- from an HDD to an Intel SSD can give users one of the single-
State Drive 320 Series. Based on 25-nm NAND flash memory, best performance boosts, providing an up to 66 percent gain
the Intel SSD 320 replaces and builds on its high-performing in overall system responsiveness.1
Intel X25-M SATA SSD. The Intel SSD 320 Series comes in
40GB, 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 300GB and 600GB versions.
Intel SSD 320 produces up to 39,500 IOPS random reads and The Intel SSD 320 Series comes in 40 gigabyte (GB), 80GB,
23,000 IOPS random writes, 220 MB/s sequential writes and 120GB, 160GB and new higher capacity 300GB and 600GB
270 MB/s sequential reads. Intel SSD 320 prices, based on versions. It uses the 3 gigabit-per-second (3gbps) SATA II
1,000-unit quantities, are as follows: 40GB at $89; 80GB at interface to support an SSD upgrade for the more than 1 billion
$159; 120GB at $209; 160GB at $289; 300GB at $529 and SATA II PCs installed throughout the world. Continuing to
600GB at $1,069. offer high-performing random read and write speeds, which
most affect a user's daily computing experience, the Intel
SSD 320 produces up to 39,500 input/output operations per
second (IOPS) random reads and 23,000 IOPS random writes
on its highest-capacity drives. In addition, the company has
more than doubled sequential write speeds from its second
generation to 220 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) sequential
writes and still maintains one of the highest read throughputs
at up to 270 MB/s sequential reads. This greatly improves a
user's multitasking capabilities. For example, a user can easily
play background music or download a video, while working on
a document with no perceivable slow down.

Already one of the most solid-performing SSDs over time, Intel
continues to raise the bar on SSD reliability in the way it has
architected its third generation, using proprietary firmware
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 28, 2011 – Intel Corporation
and controller, to further demonstrate that not all solid-state
announced today its highly anticipated third-generation solid-
drives are created equal. In this rendition, Intel creatively uses
state drive (SSD) the Intel® Solid-State Drive 320 Series
spare area to deploy added redundancies that will help keep
(Intel® SSD 320 Series). Based on its industry-leading 25-
user data protected, even in the event of a power loss. It also
nanometer (nm) NAND flash memory, the Intel SSD 320
includes 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard capabilities
replaces and builds on its high-performing Intel® X25-
on every drive, to help protect personal data in the event of
M SATA SSD. Delivering more performance and uniquely
theft or loss.
architected reliability features, the new Intel SSD 320 offers
new higher capacity models, while taking advantage of cost
benefits from its#25nm process with an up to 30 percent price "Solid-state drives continue to be one of the hottest trends in
reduction over its current generation. computing," said Bernard Luthi, vice president of marketing,
Web management and customer service at leading e-retailer
Newegg.com. "Intel remains a top brand because of its
"Intel designed new quality and reliability features into our
consistent performance and extremely low return rate. We are
SSDs to take advantage of the latest 25nm silicon, so we could
sure customers will welcome the new higher capacity drives,
deliver cost advantages to our customers," said Pete Hazen,
and now is a great time for consumers to upgrade their PC to
director of marketing for the Intel Non-Volatile Memory
a fast new SSD."
(NVM) Solutions Group. "Intel's third generation of SSDs adds
enhanced data security features, power-loss management and
innovative data redundancy features to once again advance

12


Kingston Advises SSDNow
V100 Users To Upgrade
Firmware
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/kingston-advises-ssdnow-v100-users-
to-upgrade-firmware/11725.html
March 29th, 2011

Kingston has learned that a small percentage of their SSDNow
Intel SSD 320 prices, based on 1,000-unit quantities, are as V100 sold in the past has experienced a technical issue
follows: 40GB at $89; 80GB at $159; 120GB at $209; 160GB at on the firmware. Kingston strongly recommends that a
$289; 300GB at $529 and 600GB at $1,069. Check retailers/ firmware update be applied to all SSDNow V100 drives
e-tailers for consumer pricing. All models include a limited 3- to prevent possible data loss. The firmware update can
year warranty from Intel. be downloaded from www.kingston.com/support/ssdnow/
v100_firmware.asp

"With recent announcements, we have expanded our SSD
product line and now offer both consumers and computer
OEMs more SSD choices," said Tom Rampone, vice president
and general manager, Intel NVM Solutions Group. "We see the
Intel SSD 320 as a solid advancement to our SSD roadmap,
and will continue to upgrade and refresh our SSD product line
as we add more enterprise options for our business customers
throughout the year."

Another benefit for Intel SSD purchasers is the Intel® SSD
Toolbox with Intel® SSD Optimizer, a free utility which
provides Microsoft Windows* users with a powerful set
of management, information and diagnostic tools to help Kingston has learned that a small percentage of their SSDNow
maintain the health and out-of-box performance of the drive. V100 sold in the past has experienced a technical issue on
To help ease the installation process, all Intel SSD users can the firmware. Kingston strongly recommends that a firmware
download the free Intel® Data Migration Software to help update be applied to all SSDNow V100 drives to prevent
clone the entire content of a previous storage drive (SSD or possible data loss. The firmware update can be downloaded
HDD) to any Intel SSD. from their dedicated support page: www.kingston.com/
support/ssdnow/v100_firmware.asp

Intel SSDs can be purchased in the United States from such
retailers as Best Buy or Fry's Electronics, plus a variety of Description of issue:
resellers, retailers or Internet e-tailers such as Newegg.com or We have discovered a technical issue with our
Amazon.com worldwide. To download the multimedia press SSDNow V100 which could result in drive failure.
kit go to Intel® Solid-State Drives (SSD). A special enterprise While we have observed this issue in only a small
addendum for data center customers and more information percentage of drives, Kingston strongly recommends
on Intel SSDs can be found at www.intel.com/go/ssd. Follow that a firmware update be applied to all V100 drives
Intel SSDs on Twitter: @intelssd, Facebook: Intel Solid State to prevent possible failure.
Drive (Official) or communities.intel.com.
Customers can also contact their customer service hotline at
800-8861042 (toll free) or more information.

Affected Part Numbers are:

SV100S2/64GZ, SV100S2D/64GZ, SV100S2N/64GZ
SV100S2/128GZ, SV100S2D/128GZ, SV100S2N/128GZ

13


SV100S2/256GZ, SV100S2N/256GZ, SV100S2N/256GZ Due to Intel’s chipset problem the new ThinkPad Edge models
got delayed after having been initially announced back at CES
in January, but the E420s has gone on sale in the US today
It is important to note that none of Kingston’s other SSDNow with the smaller, lighter E220s model expected to follow early
products -- with part numbers beginning with SNE, SNM, SS, next month. The E420s will come with a selection of Core i3,
SNV, SNVP and SVP -- are affected by this potential issue. i5 and i7 processors while the E220s will feature a selection of
ULV Core i5 and i7 processors.
Lenovo finally launches the As the name suggests, the E420s is a 14-inch model, although
at 1.88kg it’s as light as most 13.3-inch notebooks if only a
ThinkPad Edge E420s, E220s smidgen wider at 349x236x31.2mm (WxDxH) at its thickest
coming soon part. That’s pretty impressive if you take into account that
the E420s has a built in slot-loaded optical drive, as well as
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lenovo-finally-launches-the-thinkpad-
a space for both a 2.5-inch hard drive and a mSATA SSD.
edge-e420s-e220s-coming-soon/11724.html
Lenovo is offering configurations in some markets where you
March 29th, 2011
can get an 80GB mSATA SSD as well as a hard drive fitted for
a combination of speed and storage space.

As far as notebooks go, Lenovo’s ThinkPad range is
considered the most reliable and hard wearing out there, but
far from the best looking notebooks. The ThinkPad Edge tried
to change this perception but didn’t really go far enough. Now
Lenovo has announced its latest addition to the ThinkPad
Edge series, the E420s and the soon to launch E220s and the
company has taken things to the next level in business casual
notebooks.

In the US it appears that the E420s will only be available with
As far as notebooks go, Lenovo’s ThinkPad range is considered Intel’s integrated HD 3000 series graphics, but we noticed that
the most reliable and hard wearing out there, but far from the in Taiwan Lenovo will offer it with switchable graphics in the
best looking notebooks. The ThinkPad Edge tried to change shape of an AMD Radeon HD 6630M with 2GB of dedicated
this perception but didn’t really go far enough. Now Lenovo graphics memory. As for other markets we’ll just have to wait
has announced its latest addition to the ThinkPad Edge series, and see until Lenovo introduces the E420s as Lenovo always
the E420s and the soon to launch E220s and the company has tend to offer different SKUs in various markets.
taken things to the next level in business casual notebooks.

Other features include up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, 802.11a/
b/g/n, WiMAX option, Bluetooth 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI
and D-sub connectivity, a standard USB 2.0 port, an always
powered USB 2.0 port and an eSATAp (powered eSATA/
USB combo) port, a memory card reader, a biometric security
fingerprint scanner, a combo headphone/mic jack and a 720p
capable webcam. The only really disappointing feature is the
comparatively small 4-cell 48.8Whr battery pack, although
Lenovo claims that it’s good for up to 5.4h of usage.

Rumour: AMD Radeon HD 6790
releasing March 31st
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-amd-radeon-hd-6790-
releasing-march-31st/11723.html

14


March 29th, 2011

The release of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 550 Ti prompted
several rumours regarding AMD's response. DonanimHaber
is now reporting that AMD is all prepared to release a direct
competitor - Radeon HD 6790 - later this week, on March 31st.
The Radeon HD 6790 will be taking on the GeForce GTX
550 Ti, potentially replacing the now ancient HD 5770.
Considering the GTX 550 Ti only barely edged out the HD 5770 At look at the rear
on average, a tweaked and overclocked Juniper chip was much
rumoured. However, the Radeon HD 6790 is said to be a Barts
card, a heavily crippled and underclocked version of the HD
6850. If that is so, perhaps a HD 6830 nomenclature will be
more accurate?
Very little else is known about the HD 6790, except the price
- $130. With performance almost certainly well ahead of the
GTX 550 Ti, and such an aggressive pricing, the HD 6790 may
turn out to be an excellent value. If this is true, NVIDIA will be
forced to sharply cut GTX 550 Ti prices in order to compete.

Crysis 2 PC Review
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/crysis-2-pc-review/11713.html In the box, we find the manual and the disc
March 29th, 2011
If you purchased the game with the word “Limited Edition”
on it, there is a special key to unlock some lovely bonuses
such as in-game dog-tags, weapon attachment, skins and you
begin on the multi-player at level 5. Installation of the game
is straightforward though I did encounter a problem with the
installer.
Crysis. The game that made mainstream rigs come to a
cripple back in 2007. Its lush graphics and physics that boast The installer forces some kind of detection mechanism on your
"realism" remains as a visual and performance benchmark for C drive for free space, it will not proceed if it has less than 9GB
today's games and hardware. We find out if Crysis 2 is worth of space. Not really a good thing for folks who partition their
the bang for the buck for the hardcore gamer in you. drives and allocate limited space for their operating system.
Do bear in mind however, you are still able to choose where
you can install the game after the initial detection.
After installation, you will be prompted with a one-time
activation with your serial key before you enter the game. You
will then need another one-time activation for multi-player in-
game.
And finally, get ready to rock and bust some alien butts.

A look at the front of the box

15


Story
Apple posts job openings
Crysis began as a sci-fiction first person shooter developed
by Crytek, the story took place in 2020 in Lingshan islands for iOS mapping application
where a team of supersoldiers equipped with a Nanosuits were
ordered to save a team of archaeologists. The team, led by
developers
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-posts-job-openings-for-ios-
Prophet, uncovered an alien structure and this was where it
mapping-application-developers/11718.html
began.
March 29th, 2011
Moving forward to 2023 in Crysis 2, the developers took a bold
step forward and puts the player right in the thick of urban
warfare and alien invasion right at The Big Apple.
A huge contrast to the predecessor’s jungle warfare. Well, it seems like the whole 'Apple vs Google' saga is about
The aliens have returned and they bring with them a full scale to enter the next stage, especially after both companies have
invasion bent on destroying mankind and all that we stand for. been reported to be attempting to foil each other's business
New York City is in shambles, its populace almost decimated acquisitions through various methods. And with Apple posting
and buildings in ruin. To put things in a better perspective, a of job openings for iOS map application developers, could this
plague is spreading amid the survivors and the town is under be a sign that the Cupertino company is attempting to break
a brutal military scrutiny, CELL, a funded private military away from its reliance on Google's various online services,
company under the control and part of Crynet Systems. especially Google Maps?

You are "Alcatraz", a soldier who will inherit the strength,
speed and stealth of the Nanosuit from the original game’s
"Prophet". You will play the last stand against the fury and
might of the alien invasion force and CELL, both who are
happy to put you down.

Do you happen to have experience in developing apps for
the iOS platform? Or more specifically, apps that deal with
digital maps? If so, you might want to head down to Apple's
website and try our luck out at employment opportunities: this
is because the Cupertino giant has postedtwo job openings for
an iOS mapping application developer and software engineer.
Both openings feature identical descriptions: essentially,
the company's iOS map team is seeking out software
engineers who are not only proactive and hardworking,
but are also equipped with "excellent skills in object-
oriented software design and programming", with real-world
experience developing sophisticated user interfaces being
another pre-requisite. The job description also goes on to state
Crysis 2 did a great job in portraying a city under a mass- that the candidate must also possess excellent communication
scale invasion and hats off for Richard Morgan who does the skills, as he or she will be required to liaise with Apple's human
storyboard for the game. Plenty of small details in the story interface team to ensure consistency in the delivery of new
were given the attention it deserve and the right to keeps the features.
adrenaline pumping and to keep going.
Needless to say, the job openings have fueled speculations
Plot development is gradual with a few twists that lead to an that this is Apple's latest attempt to break away from its
unexpected ending, I will not say what but my advice is to dependence on Google's online service, a claim which does
keep exploring in the game. Several plot details were unveiled have some degree of credibility to it. After all, Apple has
even in enemy’s radio communication chatter or tell-tale signs recently acquired a couple of companies which specialize in
on the walls. The story is long unlike some popular first- the creation and implementation of digital maps on mobile
person shooters and once you completed the game, you would consumer devices, and chances are that Apple will want to
want to recall some awesome firefight scenes that you had make use of the acquired technology to build a suitable
experienced. alternative to Google's mapping service.
Furthermore, Apple is already well behind the curve in the
the launch trailer for Crysis 2 implementation of digital maps on mobile devices such as
smartphones, considering that its iPhone is not known to
be able to function like a GPS navigational device, a feature
which is available in certain Android-based smartphones. And

16


being 'behind the curve' is a position which innovation-centric
companies like Apple are known to loathe being situated in.
Of course, there is also a possibility that these job openings
are nothing more than the typical recruitment drives, and that
the rumour mill is reading too much into what might just be a
mundane move from Apple. But we shall wait and see.
That being said, what do you think? Could this be a sign that
major things are about to take place in the way future versions
of iOS will handle digital maps?
Source: Apple via ZDNet

Lenovo announces new According to Lenovo, the new ThinkCentre M91 and M91p
ThinkCentre desktop PCs for desktop PCs for businesses are available in three form factors:
tower,small form factor and eco small form factor. This
businesses means that users can choose between the aforementioned
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lenovo-announces-new-thinkcentre- form factors in order to ensure that their PCs come in sizes
desktop-pcs-for-businesses/11715.html that maximize the amount of real estate available in an office
March 29th, 2011 cubicle.
In addition to offering customizable form factors, Lenovo
claims that the new ThinkCentre M91 and M91p desktop PCs,
being the fastest ThinkCentre PCs ever, have the capability to
speed up daily tasks, due to the usage of Intel's Core i3, i5
and i7 processors (pre-Sandy Bridge), while vPro technology
allows various security feature to be hard programmed into
Most people will probably get on fine with their office work the processors themselves. Further performance boosts to the
on a simple desktop PC that comes equipped with a dual-core PCs come in the form of support for up to 16GB of memory, as
processor and decent amounts of RAM. However, for those well as the inclusion of SATA III and USB 3.0 technology, both
who work in environments which demands that only the latest, of which are capable of data read/write speeds significantly
greatest and fastest PCs be used at all times, Lenovo might just greater than that of their predecessors.
have the answer for your office computing needs. How would
support for SATA3, USB 3.0 and multiple displays sound like Those who crave expandability in the form of external storage
for an office PC? devices will probably feel right at home with the new M91 and
M91p, as both desktop PCs come standard with eight USB
ports. Alternatively, users who need their PCs to come bundled
with more options for upgrades can also choose to customize
their machines to come with an additional hard disk, two PCI
slots and an eSATA port.
Last but not least, customers will also have the option to
What is the average hardware configuration of a PC commonly upgrade the M91 and M91p's graphics processing capabilities
found in an office environment? For the most part, a dual-core by opting for a discreet graphics card which is capable of
processor, probably up to 2GB of memory and onboard Intel supporting up to four discreet displays, instead of using the
graphics would probably sound a lot like a typical office PC processor's built-in GPU core
issued to employees in order to facilitate the accomplishment
of various standard tasks such as word processing, handling The ThinkCentre M91 and M91p desktops (tower and
emails and the occasional image editing. small form factor) will be available on April 11 through
business partners and www.lenovo.com/sg. Models for the
However, not all careers are created equal, and it goes without ThinkCentre M91 and M91p desktops will start at S$1,035.
saying that for certain jobs, a PC with the aforementioned
hardware specifications just will not cut it. And if your job
requires that all employees be fitted out with nothing but the LG Optimus Pad Android tablet
best, fastest and most powerful PCs that money can buy, you
might want to start making friends with the staff at the IT to retail in Japan end March
department, and in the process suggest that they upgrade your Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-optimus-pad-android-tablet-to-
PC to one of Lenovo's recently launched ThinkCentre PCs: the retail-in-japan-end-march/11717.html
M91 or the M91p.

17


March 29th, 2011 DRAMs are not the only products facing shortages: USB 3.0
controllers have also been affected as well.

It looks like the highly anticipated LG Optimus Pad will be on
the shelves in Japan this Thursday, 31 March. The 8.9-inch
Android tablet is one of the latest tablet devices this year that
is powered by Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) mobile operating
system.

With Intel's Light Peak (aka Thunderbolt) still in the early
phase of its product life, it should come as little surprise
that users who seek a high-speed data transfer interface
for external device are turning back to the trusty USB 3.0
specification for their needs. After all, USB 3.0 still offers a
huge performance increase over that of USB 2.0, and is well
suited to handle most data transfer-related tasks until Light
Peak eventually becomes mainstream.
Unfortunately, the latest developments in Japan might mean
that users may have to start paying more for consumer
NTT DoCoMo have announced the preorders for the LG electronic devices fitted with USB 3.0 ports, USB 3.0 controller
Optimus Pad L-06C in mid-March, and the company will be cards or motherboards with USB 3.0 capabilities. This is
selling the product and the end of this month, which is this because NEC is reporting that it is currently dealing with tight
Thursday. The Optimus Pad will be selling at 60,000 yen supplies of its first-generation USB 3.0 controllers, and that
(approximately S$926.56) on contract - two payments of the shortage might result in a complete dry up of stock.
30,000 yen. For consumers with constraint budget, they can
opt for the 12-month (6650 yen) or 24-month (3325 yen) According to Chinese technology website Inpai.com.cn, NEC is
installments. claiming that the uPD720200 line of USB 3.0 controllers were
already in short supply before the earthquake struck due to it
The LG Optimus Pad features an 8.9-inch TFT LCD being widely used in most modern motherboards, especially
touchscreen display (1280x768) and runs Android 3.0 in boards marked with the B3 stepping. With the earthquake
Honeycomb operating system. Powered by 1GHz NVIDIA also affecting NEC's product lines, it is estimated that existing
Tegra 2 dual-core processor, the tablet comes with dual 5- supplies for the uPD720200 USB 3.0 controller might only be
megapixel camera sensors that can capture 3D images and able to last till May this year.
videos, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth (HID compatible).
To address the problem, NEC has requested that motherboard
No word as to when the LG Optimus Pad will be available manufacturers start adopting its second-generation USB 3.0
in Singapore yet, but with the tablet selling soon in Japan, it controllers, which are currently undergoing tests and are
should be fairly soon. expected to be released for sale in a month's time. Fortunately,
it would seem that NEC's third-generation controllers will
USB 3.0 controllers: a victim not be affected due to the fact that they are only for volume
production by September, which is approximately five months
of the Great Tohoku Kanto from now - and five months is (hopefully) sufficient enough for
Japan to recover from the immediate effects of the earthquake.
Earthquake
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/usb-3.0-controllers-a-victim-of-the-
great-tohoku-kanto-earthquake/11714.html Google releases security
March 29th, 2011
update for Chrome, modifies
existing logo
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/google-releases-security-update-for-
chrome-modifies-existing-logo/11712.html
March 29th, 2011
Remember how we posted news about various hardware
reportedly in short supply as a result of factories either
shutting down or operating at less than optimal productivity?
Well, the latest information we have seems to suggest that
18

VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #16

VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #16

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VR-Zone Technology News | Stuff for the Geeks! Issue #16