New Rosewill Products Announced at CES

Category: Manufacturers, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: January 10, 2012 12:40PM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

Rosewill produces many computer components and peripherals, from computer cases to wireless adapters to keyboards, and has announced several new items at CES 2012. Among the new products are the Ranger and Ranger-M computer cases. The Ranger is a mid-size tower with ATX motherboard support while the Ranger-M is a mini-size tower for MicroATX boards. The full-size brother to the Ranger cases is the Thor V2 and its White Edition. This case design can hold an XL-ATX board with 6 internal 3.5” drives. There is also support for three 230 mm fans; one on the front, top, and side. In case the Thor V2 is not big enough for you, there is the Blackhawk-Ultra Super Tower. At 25” tall and 25.99” deep, this tower supports motherboards ranging from ATX to HPTX. If you need 10 internal 3.5” drive slots, this may be the case for you.

Other products announced are the new Hive power supplies, with 80+ Bronze certification. The three PSUs are 550 W, 650 W and 750 W. The Capstone PSU series achieves 80+ Gold certification with its 450 W, 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W non-modular units, and 650 W and 750 W modular units. The RX-358 U3C is an external HDD enclosure with both USB 3 and eSATA external interfaces. Two wireless adapters, routers, and some laptop accessories have also been announced.

CES Partners with NSF for Eureka Park

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions, Science & Technology
Posted: January 5, 2012 08:44AM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a part of the US government which gives grants and other forms of backing for science and engineering projects. The grantees include universities and small businesses, including some which have spun off from universities. To recognize the importance of these innovative companies, the Consumer Electronics Association, the association that puts together CES, has partnered with NSF and CNET to create Eureka Park, a new TechZone for CES 2012. Initially Eureka Park only had 28 participating companies, all of which were NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grantees, but now there are 94 start-up companies registered to have their own booths at the show starting January 10.

Without a doubt the Eureka Park section of CES will have a rather eclectic mix of technology to demonstrate to the attendees. Transparent, flexible, polymer solar panels; electrofluidic display technology for ereaders; a DIY assistive robot with uses ranging from social therapy to education; an advanced robotic whole arm manipulator; contact lenses to enable near-eye micro-displays to be viewed while keeping a distant background in focus; a social networking system designed to be easily accessible to those without much computer knowledge; and more will be at the show.

Microsoft's Final Keynote at CES

Category: General News, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: December 21, 2011 11:23AM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

Recently posted on the Official Microsoft Blog is the company’s decision to make their 2012 CES keynote their last. Though it will still have a presence at future shows, it will be smaller.

The blog post cites the timing of CES as one of the reasons behind this decision. With twelve months in a year, Microsoft apparently no longer feels it is best to keep announcements to the beginning of January. It also believes its presence in other areas, such as social media and Microsoft retail stores, is strong enough to make announcements there, and at smaller venues than CES.

Get the Batman: Arkham City OnLive Demo Now

Category: Gaming, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: November 23, 2011 05:11AM
Author: edwardquilo

U.S. PC gamers can finally bask in the best-looking version of Batman: Arkham City today, but if you want to try out the game first before buying, get the 30-minute OnLive Instant Demo to get a taste of what it's like to prowl through the thug-infested alleyways of Arkham City. As long as you've got a fast Internet connection, you'll be able to play the short demo after downloading the client and creating an account. While it's awfully short on the gameplay time, you'll get to play as the sexy Catwoman and teach a few muscled goons a lesson or two, using Rocksteady's slick combat system. So for those of you still stuck on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, take a short break and drop by OnLive's website - that Batman: Arkham City demo could be just the thing to get you riled up for the longest night of the Caped Crusader's crime-fighting career.

The Wii U Games NOT All From Wii U

Category: Gaming, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 8, 2011 08:28AM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

In the earlier news item The Wii U: Games, I gave links to several videos, including one Nintendo has on its website of third party games coming to, what I call, the Wu. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime stated in a Gametrailers video interview (around the 4:35 mark) that the video of the third party titles does NOT feature videos rendered on the Wu, but on its competitors, the Xbox 360 and PS3. To explain this decision, President Fils-Aime quickly points out that the console is a year away from launch. When asked whether the games will look that good on the Wu, his response is that the graphics quality will be dependent on the developer and that the system will be 1080p. Though no explicit answer was given as to if the Wu will feature graphics at or beyond the current level achieved by the Xbox 360 and PS3, he does state that the new system does utilize the latest technology. He also confirms that a tech demo of the visual capability of the Wu was rendered by an early version of the hardware. Here is a link to that video titled Nature Graphics Demo, by Gametrailers, and I would like to note that there appears to be extra comprehension on it by Gametrailers from when they uploaded it to their site, hence the "Stream" label in their title.

President Fils-Aime also stated that the touchscreen on the Wu controller is single touch, not multitouch, for those of you that wanted to know.

 

The Wii U: Games

Category: Gaming, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 7, 2011 01:09PM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

I suggest you read bp9801's article, Nintendo Announces Wii Successor - Wii U before this one. Also, I'm calling the console the Wu and while I don't know if I am the first to do so, I am certain I won't be the last.

This new console brings from Nintendo its first HD offering, supporting full 1080p HD and multichannel audio. So what exactly is it that we'll be seeing in 1080 vertical lines and 5.1 surround sound? Watching the videos found at Nintendo's E3 website you can see some of the games coming to the console (Wii U Demonstration)

• Chase Mii is a game similar to tag that supports up to four players with Wii Remotes and requires one on the new Wu controller. The Wu controller, with its screen, offers to that player a private look at the world, allowing them to run and hide where the other players, on a TV, cannot screen cheat.
• Battle Mii features three players in the video. Two with Wii Remote attempting to hunt down and shoot the third, on the Wu controller, who is in a ship, and capable of shooting back. Again, this is utilizing the Wu controller screen to give a private perspective of the world.
• Shield Pose currently appears to be a single player game, using only the Wu controller. There are three pirate ships that fire suction cup arrows at you in a specific rythm. Your goal is to raise the Wu controller up and have it aligned with the screen in such a way as to catch the arrows, so they don't hit you, as though it were a shield. This game also demonstrates the motion tracking of the Wu controller as it  would display images not beyond the field of view of the TV screen, and not just a different perspective.

Not on the Nintendo site, though still shown at E3, there is a video where you can see either the Wii titles or Wu versions of New Super Mario Bros, Go, Wii Sports, Wii Fit, a shooter that uses the Wu controller for a rifle scope, a game having you throw Ninja stars by swiping them off of the Wu controller touchscreen, a Legend of Zelda game, most likely a Wu designed build of Skyward Sword. Edit: In a video interview by Gametrailers with Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime, this is referred to as just what a Legend of Zelda game could look like on the Wu (around the 0:25 mark). Comparisons of this video to video of Skyward Sword show a clear difference in art style. Skyward Sword is more a return to the Wind Waker cell-shaded styling, while this Wu demo appears to be of the Twilight Princess styling.

Naturally we'd expect there to be Nintendo games on their upcoming console. At the Nintendo E3 site you can view a Third Party Developer video:

• Darksiders 2
• Dirt
• Aliens Colonial Marines
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online
• Metro: Last Light
• Tekken
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (working title)

It would appear the Wu will not initially suffer from a lack of hardcore titles, as many state the Wii does. Engadget also lists Batman: Arkham City and an Assassin's Creed game as coming to the console, though they were not shown in the video.

UPDATE: The video of the third party titles did not contain video of the games rendered on the Wu. More here: The Wii U Games NOT All From Wii U.

65-Inch Monitor From Champtron

Category: Input Devices, Monitors, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 5, 2011 07:33PM
Author: Birul Walidain

You think a 30-inch touchscreen monitor is big? Check Champtron's 65-inch touchscreen monitor that was shown at Computex 2011. You heard it right, a 65" monitor running a Sharp 1080p panel that is able to recognise two inputs from almost anything, whether that's your finger or a stylus. If you're a professional worker that needs a big space for your career, this monitor will make it that much easier for you. No word yet on the price, but I expect a hefty figure just to own this monitor.

Thecus Announces Lineup for Computex

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: May 15, 2011 07:19AM
Author: Nick Harezga

For those of you that may be lucky enough to attend Computex at the end of the month in Taiwan, Thecus will have plenty for you to see. Thecus is one of the top worldwide providers for NAS solutions, and there are several new products that will be on display. Thecus will be showing of its trio of enterprise NAS solutions that feature Intel Sandy Bridge chips, the 8-bay N8900, 12-bay N12000PRO, and 16-bay N16000PRO. The N8900 features a dual core i3 2120, while the other two house a quad core Xeon E3-1280. The PRO units will provide the first 100% uptime, high availability NAS solution. This will be accomplished through NAS cloning over 10G Ethernet, and is the first NAS to pass the VMWare iSCSI Certification for advanced business SAN setups. Also on display will be the popular XXX series of home NAS, with features such as the Piczza! Photo Server, mobile app access, and Ext4 support. If you find yourself at Computex, be sure to head over the Thecus booth, at location K416.

BlizzCon 2011 Tickets Announced

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: April 14, 2011 02:11PM
Author: Charles Coggins III

Blizzard has announced the dates we can obtain tickets for BlizzCon 2011! This annual event is held in Anaheim, California and takes place in the Anaheim Convention Center. The event will be held on Oct. 21-22. This year Blizzard will also be doing a benefit dinner that is going to be held the night before BlizzCon starts. The benefit dinner is priced at $500 and the tickets will go on sale May 28. The online ticket sales for BlizzCon will be May 21 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time and also May 25 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. I have personally attended BlizzCon twice and obtained my tickets through the online sale and all I can say is "cross your fingers". Last year's first batch of tickets sold out in about 23 minutes but the queue for the tickets was full within 10 seconds. The only bad thing I noticed this year is Blizzard has increased the price yet again on the BlizzCon tickets making it $175 per ticket up from $150 last year.

Hacker to Reveal Crack of SHA-1 Algorithm at Black Hat

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: January 11, 2011 05:03PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Thomas Roth of Germany plans to unveil the method he used to crack the SHA-1 hashing algorithm. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has known the algorithm has flaws and has been working to replace it. The SHA-3 replacement is due to be announced in 2012. Roth accomplished the task using a GPU cluster in the Amazon EC2 cloud. Using the cluster Roth was able to crack all hashes from a file for passwords in 49 minutes using a brute force attack. However, some security experts believe that the lengths he went to were unnecessary and unimpressive. Paul Ducklin of Sophos pointed out that his Macbook Pro had a similar amount of success as the cluster system used by Roth. Ducklin was also quick to point out that the hashes cracked by Roth were for weak passwords using a weak hashing scheme. We will have to wait until the Black Hat conference to find out all the details.

ASUS Unveils Gaming-Related Products at CES 2011

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: January 7, 2011 08:14PM
Author: Dale Shuck

ASUS has been supporting gamers for years now as evidenced by its Republic of Gamers (ROG) line of products. For CES 2011 currently under way in Las Vegas, ASUS' stable of gaming products include motherboards, graphics cards, audio gear, networking devices and gaming desktops.

First up is the ASUS ROG Rampage III Black Edition motherboard. Designed with the benefit of input from the gaming community, the Rampage III features the ROG Thunderbolt, a dedicated card combining a XONAR audio solution with a Killer E2100 Network Processing Unit from Bigfoot Networks.

ASUS is also showcasing its HD 6870 DirectCU video card, a DirectX 11-optimized that goes beyond the standard AMD reference design through the use of Super Alloy Power technology, which uses a special alloy formula in critical power delivery components such as chokes, capacitors and MOSFETs. The card promises up to a 15% performance boost and 2.4 times longer lifespan than reference solutions although your mileage may vary. The DirectCU portion of the name means the card is equipped with all-copper pipes in direct contact with the GPU with up to a 20% improvement in cooling performance versus standard reference-design cards.

Also at the show is the ROG Vulcan ANC Gaming Headset, billed as the world’s first gaming headset with Active Noise Cancellation technology. The Vulcan's 85% active noise canceling performance and 30dB passive noise isolation effect allow gamers to enjoy superior audio during those intense gaming sessions. The Vulcan ANC is equipped with large 40mm speaker drivers with enhanced bass EQ that delivers powerful, high-resolution sound with deep impact bass and it also comes with a noise-canceling and omni-directional microphone.

The next portion of the gaming catalog is the RT-N66U Dual-band Gaming Router that works in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz with up to 450Mbps per band simultaneously. For those heavy multitasking chores, the RT-N66U supports up to a massive 300,000 concurrent data sessions — approximately 20 times the capacity of mainstream routers - allowing users to download content while gaming online.

Finally, we have the CG8350 Gaming Desktop which ships with the Intel's second generation ‘Sandy Bridge’ Core i7-2600 processor and uses Turbo Boost 2.0 technology for instant CPU overclocking. On the graphics side, the CG8350 comes with the DirectX 11-compatible ASUS GTX 460 video card. The motherboard in the CG8350 uses 100% solid state capacitors for increased stability, longevity and reliability. In a nod to green-conscious gamers, it comes loaded with ASUS’ exclusive Energy Processing Unit (EPU), a programmable microchip that regulates system-wide energy consumption to save power.

 

Hacker Breaks ATM Security

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: July 29, 2010 07:34PM
Author: Nick Harezga

At the Black Hat security conference, Barnaby Jack demonstrated two ways to get money from an ATM machine. These exploits can be done in person or remotely. One exploit requires a master key and to be at the ATM machine. The other involves connecting remotely to do your dirty work. In the latter method, the remote authentication is bypassed and a rootkit, named Scrooge, is installed. Another tool, Dillinger, allows him to keep track of compromised machines and the people who use them. Criminals can find the vulnerable machines through war-dialling, to find which machines respond. The hack had been discovered last year, but ATM vendors asked Jack to hold off until they were able to patch the vulnerability.

Pwn2Own Claims Several Victims

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: March 25, 2010 04:03PM
Author: Nick Harezga

The Pwn2Own contest, a gathering of hackers and security professionals, has once again descended on Vancouver. Several web browsers had vulnerabilities exposed, with only Google Chrome coming out unscathed. An iPhone hack allowed a team to run their code on the device, giving them access to the SMS system. With that, they were able to see all text messages, even those that had been deleted. Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer 8 all fell victim to the hackers, though sandbox mode in Windows 7 protected the OS from the latter two. Users shouldn't be worried about their systems being compromised as the hackers aren't allowed to disclose the hacks until the vendor has had a chance to fix the vulnerabilities.

Lian Li Unveils 'Spider-like' Chassis

Category: Cases, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: March 11, 2010 12:44AM
Author: Daryn Govender

Lian Li has unveiled a new chassis at CeBIT 2010 which takes PC aesthetics to a new level. The chassis, named the PC-TI looks like a red four-legged spider, but still manages to pack in a mATX motherboard, hard drive, PSU and optical drive! It also includes an on and off switch. Maybe if you're in the market for a show-stopping PC, this will be the right one for you. But it won't be cheap, the PC-T1 will retail for around US$205 and will be available in red and black variants.

Hardware Roundup: CES 2010 Edition

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions, Affiliate News
Posted: January 10, 2010 08:25PM
Author: Dale Shuck

CES 2010 is officially over and the amount of coverage this year is overwhelming. Enough so that it deserves its own roundup in addition to all the coverage we've already posted. OverclockersClub was in attendance in full force again this year with a team of 11 and you can checkout all of the OCC coverage beginning with pre-show coverage in our CES 2010 coverage thread. If that isn't enough you can check out our coverage as well as articles from our affiliates. I think most of our staff survived the ordeal and will be back at work and school here in the next day or so. In the meantime check out all the coverage by hitting the links below.

CES 2010 Coverage @ OCC
CES 2010: Thermaltake @ ThinkComputers
CES 2010 Day 3 Coverage: In Win, Altec Lansing, Asus, Zalman and Showstoppers @ Tweaknews
NVIDIA Next Gen Tegra Processor Unveiled At CES 2010 @ HotHardware
CES 2010: CoolIT @ ThinkComputers
NVIDIA GF100 Fermi Video Card Triple SLI Rocket Sled Demo @ Legit Reviews
CES 2010: Cooler Master V6 and V6 GT Heat Sinks @ Legit Reviews
CES 2010 DAY 4 COVERAGE: COOLER MASTER / CHOIXX, ANTEC, XIGMATEK AND MSI @ Tweaknews
CES 2010: Psyko Audio @ ThinkComputers
Intel WiDi Wirless Display Tech Demo at CES2010 @ HotHardware
CES 2010: iBUYPOWER @ ThinkComputers
CES 2010 Day 5 Coverage: Zalman / Thermaltake @ Tweaknews
CES 2010: Moneual Labs @ ThinkComputers
A Peek at Light Peak @ CES 2010 @ PC Perspective
CES 2010: ASUS Waveface Conceptual Products @ PC Perspective
CES 2010: Plextor Launches SSDs and New 24x External Writer with eSATA Dual @ PC Perspective
CES 2010: In-Win showcases rugged PC enclosures for gamers @ PC Perspective
CES 2010: Antec showcases Dark Fleet PC enclosures, high efficiency power @ PC Perspective
CES 2010: EVGA details latest motherboards, graphics cards @ PC Perspective
HardwareHeaven.com's CES 2010 Video Coverage @ HardwareHeaven
CES 2010: The Booth Babes @ ThinkComputers
CES 2010: OCZ Vertex 2, Z-Drive P88 and USB 3.0 SSDs @ Legit Reviews
CES 2010: Silverstone @ ThinkComputers

Intel's 'Light Peak' Can Carry Data up to 100 meters at 10Gbps

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: September 23, 2009 04:20PM
Author: Ben Grantham

While fiber-optic links themselves are nothing new, with Light Peak Intel is aiming at providing a standard that could see just about anything you plug into a PC using just one type of cable. The technology, demonstrated today at IDF, would allow data to be carried at 10 gigabits per second (full duplex) for up to 100 meters, with Intel believing that could jump to 100Gbps in the next decade. Cables using the technology could be used to connect just about anything, from monitors to external drives or any other peripheral you could think of.

It is an ambitious goal to essentially replace all of the connection standards we are familiar with (USB, DVI, HDMI etc.) with a single cable, but Intel are working with the industry in an attempt to get it standardized. The cables themselves are apparently durable ("you can tie a knot in it and it'll still work" according to Intel's Jason Ziller) and could include copper wire to provide power to devices. The components for the technology will reportedly be ready sometime next year, though it may be a bit (or a lot) longer before we see any PCs with Light Peak ports. For now we will have to make do with the impending appearance of USB 3.0.

Blizzcon Sold Out

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: August 9, 2009 07:56PM
Author: JifDaKiwi

Blizzcon, that wondrous convention of everything Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo has sold out. In 8 minutes. Hopefully you've either secured your pass, or entered the various competitions, because if you want to go, and haven't stumped up the $125 to get in then you may well be out of luck. Well, not entirely...

It turns out that Direct TV will be streaming 16 hours of live, pay-per-view goodness across the 2-day extravaganza, and if you have either purchased a ticket, or buy the TV programming, you will receive Grunty, the Murloc Marine - a free in-game companion for WoW.

Ballmer and Otellini to Deliver CES Keynotes

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: July 29, 2009 02:12PM
Author: Ben Grantham

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced today that Steve Ballmer and Paul Otellini will both be delivering keynote addresses at next year's International CES in Las Vegas. Ballmer, CEO at Microsoft since 2000, will be reprising the role he played at CES this year (where the Windows 7 Beta announcement was made) by delivering the opening keynote on January 6th at 6:30pm. Paul Otellini became Intel's fifth CEO in 2005 and also fills the position of company President. He will be delivering Intel's keynote the following day, January 7th at 4:30pm.

Both should have plenty to talk about, carrying the large product portfolios they do. By then we should also have a good gauge of consumer reaction to the Windows 7 launch and be anticipating Intel's new processor introductions for 2010.

Free BlizzCon Entry - Thanks Kingston

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: July 26, 2009 06:57PM
Author: JifDaKiwi

Kingston is running a competition to give 10 lucky winners tickets to BlizzCon 09.  If you are going to be in or around Anaheim, CA on the 21st or 22nd of August, and you’ve got nothing better to do, then this one is for you.  Even better, the competition is free to enter, so what are you waiting for?  Enter here!

New 'iPhone 3G S' Unveiled at WWDC

Category: Gadgets, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 9, 2009 01:12AM
Author: Daryn Govender

Apple has announced the new iPhone at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. The 'iPhone 3G S' (the "S" stands for Speed) comes with many improvements and additions to the original iPhone. These include a claimed 2x-3.6x increase in speed when compared to its predecessor, 'updated' 3D graphics, a 3 mega-pixel camera capable of 30fps VGA video recording with built-in editing, voice control compatibility, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 3G Internet tethering via Bluetooth or USB, and comes bundled with the iPhone OS 3.0. The iPhone OS 3.0 brings an array of improvements for users including MMS capability, copy and paste support, spotlight search, landscape email, notes, keyboard and messaging, to name a few. The battery life has also improved with a quoted up to 5 hours talk-time on 3G and up to 9 hours internet use on Wi-Fi. The iPhone 3G S will retail at US$199 (16GB) and US$299 (32GB) on a two-year AT&T rate plan and will come in black and white models. The new gadget will be available in less than a fortnight in the USA and in over 80 countries by August.

More images of the iPhone 3G S can be viewed here.

SilverStone 1500W PSU with 85% Efficiency Sighted at Computex

Category: Power Supplies, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 3, 2009 01:19AM
Author: Daryn Govender

Many manufacturers showcase their upcoming products at Computex and among the wave of new products spotted is the SilverStone Strider ST1500 PSU. The ST1500 has an extraordinary power rating of 1500W although it can rise to 1600W under optimal conditions. The Strider is modular and includes four 8 pin PCIe connectors, eight 6 pin PCIe connectors, 12 SATA connectors, a 24 pin and 8 pin motherboard and CPU connector respectively and a handful of molex connectors. Eight 12V rails (25A each) provide plenty of power for hungry systems. It is worthy to note that the Strider has attained the 80PLUS Silver Certification according to SilverStone. One 135mm fan cools the unit, although that seems under-done to me. The ST1500 measures 8.7" x 5.9" x 3.4" or 220mm x 150mm x 86mm (WxHxD). The Strider will retail for around $US450, although I'm not sure who would actually need 1500W of power from an in-case PSU.

A picture of the Strider over at Hexus.net can be viewed here.

 

Corsair Enters the Chassis Market with the Obsidian Series 800D

Category: Cases, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 2, 2009 01:21AM
Author: Daryn Govender

Corsair has announced its entry to the chassis market at Computex 2009 with the launch of the Corsair Obsidian Series 800D case. The new chassis is designed to last many years of upgrades and will satisfy demanding PC builders, according to Corsair. The Obisidian Series 800D is built with black brushed steel and an aluminum faceplate. Features include four hot-swap drive bays, a removable CPU backplate, separate heat chambers to reduce heat build-up, cable routing holes and tool-free drive installation. The 800D supports ATX, Extended ATX and Micro ATX motherboards along with up to five 5.25" and six 3.5" drives. Space for seven expansion slots and one vent allow plenty of space for expansion cards. To keep the case cool four 140mm fans are included and the ability to mount three extra 120mm fans is available. The front I/O panel includes four USB ports, one Firewire port and one headphone and microphone port respectively. For maximum cooling a pre-drilled area at the top of the case can support a single, dual or triple radiator (or three 120mm fans). The Obsidian 800D measures 24"x 24"x 9" or 609mm X 609mm X 229mm (HxLxW). The Obsidian Series 800D will be available for purchase in early July for around US$299, backed by a two year warranty. Corsair is well known for its PSU, memory and cooling products so I think it'll be interesting to see how it fares in a new market.

Android OS and Qualcomm 1GHz CPU in Eee PC Sighted at Computex

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: June 1, 2009 02:08AM
Author: Daryn Govender

An Eee PC with a twist has been spotted at a Qualcomm press conference in Computex Taipei, according to sources. The prototype Eee netbook has shunned the typical offerings from Microsoft's Windows XP OS and Intel's Atom CPU in favour of the upcoming Android OS from Google and Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform including a 1GHz CPU. The CPU is capable of 720p playback and 1080p is in the pipeline for future models. The company behind the CPU and platform is relatively unknown in the shadow of giants Intel and AMD, but Qualcomm has been around for over 20 years and has a product line ranging from satellite phones to tracking devices. The Eee PC variant is not available for sale yet but Qualcomm said it is working with 15 Taiwanese companies to create products using its chipset and CPU technology. It looks as though Qualcomm is pushing into the netbook market at first and who knows?...desktop and laptop products could be to come!

A video of the Qualcomm Eee prototype filmed by TweakTown can be viewed here.

CES 2009 Audited Attendance Numbers Released

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: May 28, 2009 06:20PM
Author: Dale Shuck

The Consumer Electronics Association has released final attendance numbers for the CES 2009 show. The results were audited by Veris, an independent firm, and show 113,085 attended the show this year (just remember 11 of those attendees were representing OCC!). VERIS only counts attendees one time, even though the show stretches over a four-day period. In spite of all the gloomy predictions about attendance and companies bailing out this year, CES still managed a strong showing in light of the economic situation. CEA produces the show each year and they do keep a fairly tight rein over who can attend, so in spite of the drop from the 141,000+ who showed up in 2008, 46% of the trade professionals who attended this year were senior-level executives which matches last year's numbers. So while the attendance numbers were down, the CEA is doing a good job of keeping the show relevant and reaching the right market audience. It's not too early to think about CES 2010 happening January 7-10 next year.

Cooler Master Ready for Computex 2009

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: May 27, 2009 07:24PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Cooler Master is all set for Computex 2009 next week for a full lineup of products to display. We've already seen some of these here at OCC as we've had the opportunity to several including the HAF 932 and HAF 922 cases. CM plans to have a live demo featuring the HAF 932 stuffed with four graphics cards to showcase its cooling capabilities. Up till now, the CM Storm product line has consisted of the CM Storm Sniper and Scout cases which will also be on display this year. However, Cooler Master hasn't been idle since the CM Storm line was announced last year and plans to unveil the Sentinel gaming mouse featuring an ergonomic shape, adjustable sensitivity levels and the ability to store gaming profiles in its onboard memory. The term 'mousepad' is so passe, even 'gaming surface' is dated; 'tactical surface' sounds much more suited to FPS-style gaming and Cooler Master will be unveiling a full range of CM Storm Battle Pads.

Cooler Master will have a lineup of cooling products including the Hyper TX3 and Hyper 212 Plus, the first LGA1156 and LGA1156/1366 compatible coolers in its product stable, featuring direct contact heat-pipes, dual fan cooling and new PWM fans. CM has also decided to experiment with "Freezing a Soda" using its V10 Hybrid TEC cooler. Cooler Master is entering the notebook power supply market with the introduction of the SNA95 power adapter, recepient of this year's Computex Taipei Design and Innovation Award 2009.

Microsoft Preps First JavaOne Keynote

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: May 23, 2009 08:00PM
Author: Brentt Moore

Even though Sun and Microsoft have had their share of disputes in the past with using Java , the two companies are now teaming up to have Microsoft give a keynote at the JavaOne conference. The conference, which will be held in San Francisco next month, has been visited by Microsoft for the last couple of years, but will now have the company be on the stage this time presenting. Sun and Microsoft are both wanting to interoperate Java with the .NET programming environment. The vice president of strategic and emerging business development, Dan'l Lewin, will be making the announcement of how they plan to do this at the JavaOne meeting.

Macworld Moving to February Next Year

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: March 31, 2009 01:52PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Macworld will be moving to February in 2010, a change from its current January time slot. In the past, the dates for Macworld have fallen on similar dates with the Consumer Electronics Show. Many reporters were forced to choose, while others spent hours on planes so they could attend both. In 2007, the trade shows fell on the same days, and Apple announced the iPhone while many reporters were still at CES. Macworld will be open on Saturday as well this year, allowing those who normally wouldn't be able to attend due to work to experience it. However, with the announcement from Apple that it will no longer be presenting at Macworld, how relevant is the Expo?

Coolermaster To Demo 20 Core PC At CeBit

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: February 25, 2009 05:17PM
Author: Ben Grantham

That title might be a little misleading, as the twenty cores in question belong to five Core 2 Quad Q9400 processors running on mini-ITX motherboards. What is impressive is that these still fit inside one case (even if it does happen to be the spacious ATCS 840) and are powered with a single power supply. The PSU in question is Coolmaster's own M1000W, which powers along the five systems, as well as equal numbers of optical and hard drives. You can also throw 5 water pumps and a radiator into that mix. Possibly the most impressive thing about the setup is the cable management job required to get all of that kit into one chassis while still pulling off a neat appearance.

Sapphire Set To Show Off New Products At CeBit

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: February 25, 2009 04:59PM
Author: Ben Grantham

CeBit in Hannover, Germany is now less than a week away, so we can expect news starting to come through about what we can expect manufacturers to be showing on the show floor. Sapphire will be best known around these parts for its range of graphics products, so it comes as no surprise that there will be a variety of models on display. These will include the new Vapor-X series of cards, which make use of vapor chamber cooling technology first seen on ATOMIC and TOXIC edition cards last year. The Vapor-X cards will offer the improved cooling while being more affordable than existing pre-overclocked editions. Two HD 4870 cards (1GB or 2GB of DDR5) and a HD 4850 (512MB GDDR3) built on Sapphire designed PCBs will be available. Sapphire also notes that its HD 4850 X2 has now entered volume production, enabling a decrease in price for both 1GB and 2GB versions. Also at the show will be the HD 4670 Ultimate Edition, which OCC reviewed last week.

Apart from graphics solutions, Sapphire will also have some new mainboards on show, including an AMD 790GX based board, the Sapphire Pure CrossFire 790GX. If that wasn't enough it seems that Sapphire is also getting into the PSU marketplace with its new FirePSU units. The first of these is a 625W version, though there are also plans to introduce 1050W and 1250W gaming editions soon. If you happen to be around Hannover, then you can catch Sapphire at CeBit from 3-8th March at booth C45 E6 in Hall 20

CES Attendance Down

Category: Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: January 12, 2009 06:29PM
Author: ClayMeow

Although OCC's attendance at CES increased this year, overall attendance for CES 2009 was down 22 percent from last year. In preliminary numbers released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 110,000 people attended CES this year compared to 141,150 last year. However, the final numbers won't be released for another three months.