MSI MOA Qualifiers Now Open

The MOA 2009 qualifiers are now open with Phase I selection scheduled to last from June 29 through July 19. The first round is open to all overclockers in the US, Canada and Mexico. The top 10 teams will move on to Phase II which runs July 25 through August 2nd. The top two scores earn teams the right to go to the Grand Final in Beijing as guests of MSI. The clock is ticking so head on over to the MOA web site and get your scores in. Who knows, maybe we'll be cheering for one of OCC's own in Beijing this year!

OCZ Extends Specific SSD Warranties

After recent news of OCZ releasing an OLED gaming keyboard, the company had made a somewhat quiet announcement, revealing that it is extending the warranties on its Vertex and Summit solid state drives. Currently the company offers a two year warranty on both products, but will now be offering three years of a warranty for the storage drives. Some users are rumoring that OCZ has found a problem in the products, and is extending the warranty to calm down the overwhelming number of people that will be making claims to the company in the future. But the rumor is false, according to OCZ, as the company has stated that the warranty time has been extended for the sole purpose of appealing more to consumers stuck between purchasing a traditional hard drive and a solid state drive.

Lenovo Laptop Roadmap Leaked

A new roadmap showing Lenovo's laptop lineups through March 2010 has been leaked. The roadmap shows the R, SL, SLc, X, T, and W laptop lines. The next laptop scheduled for release is the T400s which is scheduled for July. Following the T400s are the SL410 and the SL510, both of which are slated for August. Perhaps the most interesting section of the roadmap is January 2010. It displays eleven new laptops that will use Intel's new Calpella platform. Since these roadmaps have not been confirmed by Lenovo, they are subject to change. However, they should provide a pretty good idea of what is coming in the near future from Lenovo.

Intel Shows Off New Brandings

While the i7 name stunned a large number of people who first saw it, Intel is continuing the trend with the already announced i5 processors, and now, with the i3 processors. These new names mark the ongoing process of titles that the company is coming up with for its new processor lineups. The i5 chips will follow the mid-range area and probably take over most of the Core 2 Duo platform, while the i3 processors will be used for lower-end computers. Arrandale will fall under the i3 platform, while the Clarkfield mobile processors will be labeled with the i7 branding. Intel will also be cutting names such as Centrino, along with Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad in its recent naming scheme, though the Celeron, Pentium, and Atom names will be staying in the product lineup for the semiconductor company.

SAMSUNG Introduces the R720

The R720, which is the successor to the popular R710, has just been announced by SAMSUNG to the general public. The 17.3-inch laptop will feature an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650, stereo speakers with some form of integrated subwoofer, a numeric keypad next to the keyboard, and Windows Vista Home Premium. Also with the notebook is four USB 2.0 ports, as well as the screen being a LED-backlit panel. SAMSUNG is not releasing any pricing numbers, when it will be released, or how large the hard drive will be, but hopefully those pieces of information will be available soon at a later date.

NVIDIA Wants More DirectX

While claiming that it would wait until DirectX 11 to upgrade its cards from DirectX 10, NVIDIA is now announcing that it will be producing new 40nm desktop graphics cards that will support DirectX 10.1. ATI has already had cards on the market that support this version of the Microsoft standard for some time, and NVIDIA has been stating that the minor revisions did not concern them, though they are now supporting it. Oddly enough, DirectX 11 is set to be used in Windows 7, and while still in the Release Candidate form, it is right around the corner in terms of its release date. The green team still obviously plans to support the new revision of the standard that will be used in the new operating system, though all together, it seems odd for NVIDIA to wait so late in the game to start supporting DirectX 10.1.

Another Company Set to Make and Sell Mac Clones

A company set to open its doors on June 1, Quo Computer, will be selling Mac clones. This puts them in the same situation as Psystar, the company which did the same and was sued by Apple and recently declared bankruptcy. Quo says they will try to mimic the Apple computers as closely as possible, and will be offering three desktop systems. Quo hopes to succeed where Psystar failed by opening a physical store location in Los Angeles, instead of limiting themselves to online sales. The founder of the company expects to be sued by Apple, which makes you wonder why they would even try.

Overclocked GTX 260 Introduced By GIGABYTE

Other manufacturers have released many versions of the GTX 260, as it is one of the most popular graphics options available right now on the market since the GeForce 9800 model. GIGABYTE, maker of mostly motherboards and other computer hardware, is currently announcing its own overclocked NVIDIA GTX 260 graphics card. Though the card will actually use the reference cooler, the company is equipping the NVIDIA GPU with a blue PCB that will come with 2oz. of copper, as well as Japanese solid capacitors. This allows the card to be classified under the Ultra Durable VGA specification from the company. Even though the product is being announced by GIGABYTE at the moment, a release date is not yet known, and neither is a price point.

Psystar Files Bankruptcy

The popular contender to Apple, though its legality was obviously questioned because of the license agreements that follow the Mac operating system, Psystar is now reported to be filing for bankruptcy. Though Apple has a suit filed against the company already due to their production of systems that run the Macintosh operating systems. While they are nice systems and are also more expandable than Apple made computers, not many people supported the company with purchases. Now, it has to file Chapter 11 from its low revenue gains over the time that it has been selling its Mac systems, and will be going down as a company.

NVIDIA Complains About Intel Atom Chip Pricing

NVIDIA and Intel hardly appear to be best buddies, at least if the recent history of license disputes and claims that the GPU is essentially the future of computing are to be believed. It therefore doesn't come as much of a surprise that NVIDIA CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang has been calling the pricing of Intel's Atom CPUs "pretty unfair". The argument is that the Atom CPU, which NVIDIA uses in its Ion platform, costs $45 as a stand alone item, but once you purchase it combined with an Intel northbridge and southbridge (the parts the Ion platform replaces) that price drops to just $25. While on the surface that does seem to be a pretty major price discrepancy, it may be somewhat understandable when you consider that the Atom three-chip package (with the CPU itself generally soldered to the motherboard) has become a ubiquitous part of many netbooks and similar systems. That means it has been shipping in large volumes. I'll leave it up to you to decide if the price difference is a fair one (after the recent EU fine, it may be easy to accuse Intel of similar practises elsewhere). An Intel spokesman responded to the claims with the following statement:

We compete fairly. We do not force bundles on any computer makers and customers can purchase Atom individually or as part of the bundle. If you want to purchase the chip set, obviously there is better pricing.

Could Apple Be Coming to a Wal-Mart Near You?

Wal-Mart has been expanding the technology section in its stores with high definition televisions and Blu-Ray to hopefully pick up some of the Circuit City crowd. But are there other motives at work here? Someone at Barclays Capital believes so. It is believed that Wal-Mart is hoping to bring more Apple products within its walls, specifically Mac computers. Wal-Mart currently sells iPods and iPhones, and Best Buy is an already an authorized Apple retailer so it is definitely a possibility. Despite the fact that being carried by Wal-Mart would have the potential to greatly expand the reach of Macs, it seems unlikely that a company that features discounted prices would carry such expensive computers. Compromise would likely have to occur between the two parties, and Apple hasn't been one to reduce prices over the years.

HP Recalls Notebook Batteries

After a few reports of lithium-ion batteries overheating and producing flames or some amount of fire, Hewlett-Packard is recalling various batteries that it has in its laptops. These models of batteries include those that were made between August 2007 and March of last year. The reports were filed with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, so while this issue is not too wide spread in terms of incidents, the threat is surely there. View the link above for more information on what batteries have been affected with this recall, concerning only HP model notebook batteries at the moment.

Della Helps Women Choose

Dell has released a new portion of its website named Della. This area is designed to help women choose the right netbook for them. The site is geared toward selling the Dell Mini line of netbooks. Dell offers both a 10 inch and a 12 inch version. The Della website is loaded with information about the Dell Mini. Four sections, Products, Featured Artist, Tech Tips, and Giving, make up the main portion of the page. These sections detail the Mini in an effort to sell it to the women the website is attempting to draw in. The site is not directed at people proficient with computers; the Tech Tips section mentions using the Mini to read ebooks, count calories, find recipes, stay organized, etc. These are not Tech Tips that a normal computer user would give, but Dell seems to think these will sell the Mini to the women viewing the site.

It will be interesting to see how Dell's new marketing methods turn out as time progresses.

European Union Expected to Fine Intel

Intel is likely to be hit with a large fine from the European Union on Wednesday. The fine would be the culmination of a 10 year investigation into Intel for alleged anti-competitive behavior. Intel has long been accused of using its influence to try to shut AMD out of the processor market. The fine will supposedly top the $1.36 billion fine that was handed down against Microsoft for antitrust violations. Intel has already been hit with fines and regulations by Japan and South Korea, and is currently embroiled in a lawsuit in America.

MSI Releases New Syren Series Products

Gaming seems to be a strong market for manufacturers, including companies such as Razer, SteelSeries, and even other manufacturers like EVGA, BFG, ASUS, and MSI. All of these companies have some type of gaming products on the market, and MSI is just one of the many manufacturers to release a new series of gaming devices and peripherals recently, known as the Syren Series. The company has put forth a new sound card with X-Fi, dubbed the SyrenSound X-Fi, that can run though PCI-E x1, deliver support for 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems, and deliver a signal-to-noise of 104 db. A new headset, named the SyrenPhone Gaming, features a 2.5mm cable, a gold plated connector, and controls that can easily be reached by the user. MSI also unleashed a set of USB portable speakers that feature a power of 2 watts RMS and can be stored in a traveling pouch for more portable systems such as netbooks.

Rumors Point To Cheaper Macbooks and iMacs

According to rumors swirling around the industry, cheaper Macbooks and iMacs are on the way. These tips come from sources that have been accurate in the past when it comes to matters of pricing Apple products. The source goes as far as to say that the more affordable Macs could be seen as early as Spring. This certainly seems like a good idea with the state of the economy and the rise in popularity and availability of netbooks. You have to wonder when Apple will finally get into the market, and how much more their netbook would cost.

Rumors Now Suggest Single PCB GTX 295

Time after time, rumors constantly seem to pop up regarding different manufacturers, mainly NVIDIA and ATI. Gamers usually rejoice when they read these speculations, even if some turn out to be not true in the end. One of the latest rumors to hit the mill is that the green company will be releasing a new single PCB designed GTX 295. If they do in fact release this product into the market, it will use the same clock speeds, so performance will not see any improvement over the current design. It will be based on the P658 blueprint, so it will measure in at a total of 11-inches long. Price wise the card is supposed to stay the same, and because of this, many people are questioning if the single PCB design will replace its older one.

NVIDIA Disproves Intel Core i7 Claims

Between all system builders, controversy usually plays out in picking the right components for a build. One of the most important parts in a system is the central processing unit, and another is the graphics card. Obviously the motherboard also plays a key role in the overall system performance, but a good CPU and graphics processing unit usually secures the deal. Since the release of the Core i7 processors, Intel has been claiming that gaming performance could increase by up to eighty percent over other Intel processors, which is one hefty claim. NVIDIA, being a GPU company, sees the processor as a core piece of hardware, but did not believe the claims that Intel was making with its latest processor. After a little more research, the green team came to find out that these statement of performance improvement were based on 3D Mark Vantage CPU scores, which tests pretty much the processor and not too much else. This is how Intel got its remarkable number of eighty percent. NVIDIA ran some tests itself, with a E8400, a Core i7 965, a GeForce GTS 250, and a GeForce GTX 260. What they found was that upgrading a graphics card, allowed the games tested to perform faster than a CPU upgrade alone. The hitch though is that the tests were completed at a resolution of 1920 x 1200, which is ran by mainly the GPU. So while the Core i7 doesn't really help all that much in gaming performance according to the graphics card manufacturer, small gains may be noticed at lower resolutions, where the graphics processing unit is not relied upon as much; as claimed by NVIDIA.

Apple Back In Fortune Top 100, Netbook Rumors Continue

It has been a good while since Apple has found itself holding a top 100 place on the Fortune 500 list, which ranks America's largest corporations (that was 67th back in 1994), but it managed to jump 32 places and take 71st spot for 2009. The position boost is somewhat thanks to companies above Apple turning in poor performances, but a healthy revenue increase of around 35% to over $32 billion helped to secure that place. Naturally, some of Apple's larger competitors rank considerably higher on the list, with HP coming in 9th, Dell 33rd and Microsoft 35th. However, if recent research rings true, Apple appears to be besting other suppliers such as Dell and HP on customer satisfaction, scoring a healthy 80% in a customer experience index (HP clocked in at 64% and Dell at 58%). With the continuing rise (or should that be reprise?) of Apple as a major player in the industry, rumors continue to circulate about it entering a quickly growing sector; that of the netbook. Foxconn is the latest name to be banded about as a possible supplier for such a machine.

Westmere Samples Get Shipped

Intel, one of the worlds largest computer processor manufacturers, is now shipping out samples of its Westmere microprocessor to around thirty different desktop and laptop system makers. These companies who receive samples will test the chips, to see if they work correctly with their own products, as well as try and find bugs in the chips that are being used in the testing process. This new processor is based on the Nehalem architecture, used in the Core i7 chips as well as the Xeon 5500 server chips. Eventually, Intel is planning to take itself down the line and spend a good deal of money, around $7 billion, on making its products by using a 32nm manufacturing process. Westmere microprocessors will be used with this process, since the roadmap for the company was recently revamped back in February of this year.

CompUSA Back From the Grave?

Over a year ago CompUSA went under, closing all stores. Many thought that was the last they would hear that name. But now it's starting anew with a different marketing plan. In fact, 30 retail outlets are now sporting the CompUSA name, trying for a comeback. CompUSA's hope lies within their new online price matching system, a way to directly compete with online retailers such as Amazon and NewEgg. I think this is a step in the right direction for any electronics retailer; whether CompUSA will revive or just dwindle away again is now just a matter of time - and the success of its new strategy.

Intel Redesigns Chip Logos

Following its plan to further simplify the labeling and image scheme for its processors, Intel is now coming through with new designs for its chips. The new logos feature a slightly changed variation of the current logo that Intel places on its products, but now also shows the die in the upper right corner, as well as the brand and the modifier. Along with this new labeling will come a star system, where the processor manufacturer will label its chips in terms of performance, from one star being the slowest, all the way up to five stars which indicates the most performance. Both of these changes, Intel thinks, will help in the customer purchasing process all together. Businesses are also being affected though, since chips in corporate and enterprise systems will be getting relabeled with the new badging as well.

Acer Sucessfully Combines Ion With Atom

Acer is the first PC manufacturer to roll out a PC that takes advantage of both Intel's Atom processor as well as Nvidia's Ion graphics. The AspireRevo is Acer's attempt at bridging the gap between Atom powered PC's and the more modern traditional PC's. Size wise it is not to much bigger than a laptop and has been described as resembling a hardcover book. Gianpiero Morbello, vice president of marketing for Acer states that, "The AspireRevo...is perfectly suited for the living room, because Nvidia Ion provides a brilliant graphics experience with digital photos, watching video, and playing family-friendly games." The Atom and Ion pair gives the AspireRevo the ability to run Windows Vista Home Premium, play 1080p video with true-fidelity 7.1 audio, DirectX 10 compatibility as well as the ability to use Nvidia's CUDA technology. Pricing is not yet available but look for the AspireRevo in the very near future.

AMD Takes More Writedowns

In a recent filing with the SEC, AMD has revealed that it may still be feeling the pain of the ATI acquisition, which isn't helped by the current economic situation. At the beginning of the restructuring plan, AMD laid off 600 employees and took a $70 million restructuring charge. AMD has added to that, and will take an additional $50 million charge for the first quarter of 2009. AMD also revealed that it could face more restructuring costs in the future, and much of this could come in the form of consolidation and closures among facilities. AMD hopes to be out of its current mess by the beginning of the 2010 fiscal year.

No More Sun for IBM

On Sunday, IBM withdrew its $7 million offer to Sun Microsystems. This was after Sun's board complained at a plan introduced by IBM for a reduced offer. Had the deal gone through, IBM would have been the main supplier of high-end Unix servers. This could have presented legal problems in the form of anti-trust lawsuits, as well as contracts with IBM competitors. This caused IBM to reduce the offer from $9.55 a share to $9.40 a share. Sun then countered by saying it wouldn't abide by its exclusive negotiating agreement with IBM. IBM countered by saying the deal was off. The two companies had been haggling over details for a while: IBM felt that senior employees had too high of pay, relatively, and that too many employees were getting the pay; Sun was most concerned about making sure IBM couldn't just up and walk away from the deal. Whether or not removing the deal from the table is a tactic by IBM to get Sun to agree to their demands is unclear at the moment. However, if Sun's share prices drop below its Friday closing price of $8.49, expect major investors to push the company back into negotiations to seal the deal.

New Microsoft Ad Targets Price of Apple Computers

The advertising war between Microsoft and Apple continues. The newest campaign from Microsoft points out what everyone already knows, Macs cost more than PCs. In this particular commercial, a camera crew follows around Lauren, who is looking for a laptop to fit her needs. The first stop is the Apple Store where the only computer in her price range has a 13-inch screen; the only problem is that she wants a 17-inch screen. After a trip to another store, she settles on an HP that fits all of her requirements for only $700. This commercial should help Microsoft at a time when most people are trying to cut spending across the board.

iPhone Sells Record Numbers

The launch of the iPhone started a race between all mobile cellular companies to provide consumers with more features than ever in their products. While this battle was already going on, Apple only took it into another level with the release of their phone. The electronics manufacturer is stating the it has sold at least 17 million iPhones since the launch of the original device as well as the iPhone 3G. The vice president of the company has also said that the numbers beat Apple's target sales by a large margin of 10 million. The application store itself has a grand total of over 25,000 different apps, with a download number exceeding 800 million. All of the statistics show how the iPhone has made its way into the market at an astonishing rate overall

Falling Chip Sales Make For A Bad Fourth Quarter

Despite having several companies gain revenue during the fourth quarter of 2008, overall the chip industry is finally being affected by the bad economy. Companies like STMicroelectronics, Qualcomm, NEC, Broadcom, Panasonic, Sharp, Rohm, Marvell Technology, MediaTek and Fujitsu saw their overall revenue for the fourth quarter go up, while other major companies such as Sony and Samsung found that with the rest of the economy in a decline, fewer consumers were prepared to buy high priced goods from big brands. Being on the top doesn't mean anything in the current climate, with these giant companies now struggling to keep up with sales from last year.

In fact, the entire semi-conductor industry did worse in 2008 than it has in the past, with a staggering 5.2% decrease! Estimates in November from market research firm iSuppli only expected a 2% decrease from 2007. The market as a whole lost nearly 21.5% of its revenue going from the third quarter to the fourth. If this trend continues, we may see the prices of even basic computer parts going up to compensate for the costs to get the needed semi-conductors.

Lenovo Reveals New Green Desktops

While Lenovo has seen some popularity in their line of notebooks, they have been also somewhat in the game regarding their desktop systems. The company is officially introducing a new set of green desktops, known as the ThinkCentre A58 and M58e. These new products are aimed mostly at budgets users as well as businesses, since the products will contain up to 4GB of RAM, a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad processor, onboard graphics, up to 1TB of hard drive storage space, and optional Blu-Ray compatibility. Either model, the ThinkCentre A58 and the M58e will start selling for a set price tag of $399 sometime in the next month, though enthusiast users will not be interested.

AMD "March AMDness" Bundle Deals

An email hit our inbox not long ago from AMD to let us know about some bundle deals that are being offered at various online retailers. The deals focus on Phenom II processors, which can be paired up with AMD motherboards or graphics cards for a bit of a discount. The Phenom II already offers good value for money, so this should sweeten the deal a little should you be looking at putting together a new system. The offers are currently running at Newegg, Mwave, ZipZoomfly, Canada Computers, NCIX, Memory Express and ECS. We are told that both Amazon and Tiger Direct will also be offering these bundle deals soon. If you hadn't got it already (but I'm sure you did, right?) AMDness is of course a play on MADness.