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Xilence unveils new SSD docks for 5.25-inch drive bays

Charles Gantt | Storage | Oct 21, 2013 4:46 PM CDT

Today, Xilence announced the return of their prized SSD/HHD docking chassis for 5.25-inch drive bays. The docks have been designed to fit two 2.5-inch SSDs into a single 5.25-inch drive bay and provide hot swap connectivity. Additionally, the SSD Dock provides an additional two USB 3.0 front ports when the 19-pin plug is connected to a motherboard-based USB 3.0 headers.

"We had a very good feedback in the past regarding the internal removable storage media device and decided to sale it also in new portfolio because of the customer feedback," said Michael Albes, chairman of Xilence. The SSD docks are ideal for those who are running older systems that lack 2.5-inch drive housing, or for those who might need extra storage space.

Features

Continue reading: Xilence unveils new SSD docks for 5.25-inch drive bays (full post)

Infinity Ward exec says Call of Duty players are not Gamers

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Oct 21, 2013 2:42 PM CDT

Call of Duty players generally get a bad rap and are often called out for their fanboy-like behavior anytime anyone writes an article about Call of Duty. It appears that Infinity Ward, the developers of Call of Duty: Ghosts are taking a stab at their franchise's fans as well.

During a recent interview, Infinity Ward executive producer Mark Rubin basically said that he does not look at Call of Duty players as hardcore gamers at all. "It's kind of a weird, ironic thing to say; They aren't hardcore gamers, or even gamers, but they play Call of Duty every night. And those guys are going to continue to play regardless of platform," Rubin said. "So I think not only will we continue to engage with that existing player base, but we'll take next gen and see how far we can go with it."

Rubin also thinks that the upcoming next-gen consoles will not do much in the way of strengthening the Call of Duty franchise, and says that the consoles will not have much of an impact on the games players either. "Regardless of platform - people's gaming habits aren't going to change just because there's a new platform," he said. "We have an enormous amount of players who are more in the casual game space, but they play a lot.

Continue reading: Infinity Ward exec says Call of Duty players are not Gamers (full post)

Preorders open for the Pirate3D Buccaneer 3D Printer on November 1st

Charles Gantt | | Oct 21, 2013 1:36 PM CDT

This morning Pirate 3D announced that it would be opening pre-orders for its Buccaneer 3D printer beginning on November 1st 2013. This pre-order campaign launches a few months after the company successfully raised $1.4 million during a Kickstarter campaign that ran from late May and ended on June 29th.

"This is the last chance to get your hands on the Buccaneer for US$497 before it hits the shelves. Our manufacturing capacity is limited, and we encourage people to subscribe to the waiting list on pirate3d.com to get their units faster," said Chief Executive Pirate (a.k.a. CEO) Roger Chang. "We were amazed by the enthusiastic support when we debuted the Buccaneer on Kickstarter. Our goal of US$100,000 was reached in less than 10 minutes. Our team has put a lot of engineering prowess into the Buccaneer to ensure its reliability and ease of use. Precision of all its mechanisms is simply impeccable. We couldn't be more excited about bringing The Buccaneer to the market,"

Pricing for the pre-ordered units will be set at $697 with discounts being offered for educational institutions, and large volume orders. The Buccaneer 3D printer is a fused filament, additive deposition style printer that can be operated wirelessly via a PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. We should be receiving a unit in for review in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to TweakTown for all of your 3D Printing news!

Continue reading: Preorders open for the Pirate3D Buccaneer 3D Printer on November 1st (full post)

LeakedTT: Nokia's NFC supported Guru music player surfaces in photo

Charles Gantt | Audio | Oct 21, 2013 10:00 AM CDT

Tomorrow during Nokia World, the company is expected to unveil several new mobile devices including the all new Lumia 1520 phablet, Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet, and several budget friendly Asha devices. What was not expected however, was the Nokia Guru, a iPod Shuffle-like music player with NFC capabilities.

TweakTown's favorite leakster @evleaks posted a photo this morning via his Twitter account which shows off the new Guru music player in a very Lumia blue color. At the moment, the only solid piece of information we have on the Guru is that it will feature NFC connectivity, a 3.5mm headphone jack, volume buttons and a microUSB port for charging and possible data syncing.

What is unclear is whether this device stores MP3 files, or if it is just a streaming device for the Lumia line of phones. My bet is on the latter if you are wondering. A streaming device such as this only makes sense as the MP3 player as we know it is dieing and is being replaced by bulky smartphones which always have an issue with cord length when placed in a pocket. This device could pair with your phone, and mount easily on your arm or shirt for a workout experience where one does not fight headphone cords constantly.

Continue reading: LeakedTT: Nokia's NFC supported Guru music player surfaces in photo (full post)

Lenovo is considering buying BlackBerry as a whole

Charles Gantt | Business, Financial & Legal | Oct 18, 2013 7:30 PM CDT

If a new report is correct, BlackBerry's knight in shining armor could be coming out of the far east. A new report from Digital Trends is suggesting that Lenovo is seriously considering purchasing BlackBerry as a whole. This deal would provide Lenovo a cheap and easy entry point into the US smartphone market, something it has been eyeballing for sometime now.

While Fairfax Financial has experienced issues securing the $4.7 billion it would need to purchase the company, Lenovo would have no such issues and could offer up cash on very short notice. The only thing standing in the way of the deal would be BlackBerry's co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fredin who are also considering buying the company. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Lenovo has signed a nondisclosure agreement that allows them to look at BlackBerry's books, so this offer could be more serious than originally thought.

Continue reading: Lenovo is considering buying BlackBerry as a whole (full post)

NVIDIA announces 2013 holiday game bundles, includes Shield discount

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Oct 18, 2013 6:32 PM CDT

NVIDIA has announced its holiday game bundle packages for its mid to high-end video cards. The announcement came during the company's Montreal game showcase and this years bundle is going to be a tough one to beat. Unlike its current bundle which features Batman: Arkham Origins as the standalone bundled game, the new bundles will feature more games and a big discount on NVIDIA's Shield.

This fall, those who purchase an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, GTX 780, or GTX Titan will receive 3 game bundle of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Additionally, this package includes a $100 discount on an NVIDIA Shield handheld gaming device. Those who purchase a GeForce GTX 660, GTX 660Ti, GTX 670, GTX 680, or GTX 760 will receive Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Splinter Cell: Blacklist with $50 off Shield.

Continue reading: NVIDIA announces 2013 holiday game bundles, includes Shield discount (full post)

Archos unveils new Titanium line of Android smartphones

Charles Gantt | Mobile Devices | Oct 18, 2013 5:32 PM CDT

Today Archos added four new smartphones to its Platinum line of mobile devices. Each of the new smartphones run Android 4.2.2 and feature a MediaTek dual-core 1.3GHZ processor and 512MB of RAM. Continuing with the low-end phone theme, the devices house just 4GB of internal storage which can be augmented by a microSD card.

Each of the four phones feature a 5-megapixel rear camera and the obligatory LED flash. Wi-Fi, FM Radio and Bluetooth are available as well, but 4G LTE connectivity is missing from the list. The major difference between phones is in their screen size. The 40 Titanium features a 4-inch, 400x800 display, while the 45 Titanium boast a 854x480-pixel 4.5-inch screen. As you could guess, the 50 Titanium houses a 5-inch, 960x540 resolution screen. The flagship is the 5.3-inch 53 Titanium model which has a resolution of 854x480.

Continue reading: Archos unveils new Titanium line of Android smartphones (full post)

Lenovo unveils the IdeaPad A10, its first Android-based laptop

Charles Gantt | Laptops | Oct 18, 2013 4:32 PM CDT

Today Lenovo announced the all new IdeaPad A10, the companies first ultra-portable, dual-mode laptop to run Android 4.2. The A10 holds to its description of being ultra-portable too, the laptop weighs in at less than 2.5-pounds and measures just 17.3mm thick. Lenovo says that the new A10 was designed with users on the go in mind and that its new dual-mode feature will greatly enhance the user experience.

"With the recent explosive growth in Android-based, smart connected devices, customers are relying more on Android apps for both work and play. Why should they be required to switch and duplicate to use their laptop? Lenovo's A10 brings ultra-portability and dual-mode benefits to Android users at a reasonable price," said Bai Peng, vice president and general manager, notebook business unit, Lenovo Business Group. "Thin and light, with multiple modes and user-inspired innovations for an outstanding user experience ? the A10 is uniquely Lenovo."

The laptop features a 10.1-inch 1366x768 resolution display which can be flipped 300 degrees to enter "stand mode" allowing for a comfortable viewing angle when watching video content. The A10 is powered by an RK3188, a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor which gives the device the power it needs to function as a productivity device as well as an entertainment hub.

Continue reading: Lenovo unveils the IdeaPad A10, its first Android-based laptop (full post)

ROCCAT releases its new Ryos mechanical gaming keyboard

Charles Gantt | Peripherals | Oct 18, 2013 3:36 PM CDT

Earlier this week Roccat releases its highly acclaimed Ryos mechanical gaming keyboard to the US market. Roccat says that the Ryos sets a new standard for Gaming Keyboards and features some innovative features you will only find on the Ryos. ROCCAT has released three varying models including the Ryos MK, Ryos MK Glow, and Ryos MK Pro.

"PC gamers all over the world have been wishing for ROCCAT to come up with a mechanical keyboard - and finally here it is" says René Korte, ROCCAT founder and CEO. "Congratulations to everyone who has been waiting patiently, you are now able to get the most advanced mechanical keyboard on the market".

The Ryos MK is the first board in the series, and features Cherry MX switches. The MK is powered by an ARM Cortex processor which makes the device super responsive. Featuring 2MB of flash memory, the Ryos MK can store over 500 Macros and ROCCAT Easy-Shift[+] and ROCCAT Talk are onboard as well.

Continue reading: ROCCAT releases its new Ryos mechanical gaming keyboard (full post)

Apple issues recall on 2012 MacBook Air notebooks due to SSD failure

Charles Gantt | Laptops | Oct 18, 2013 2:36 PM CDT

Today Apple issued a recall on all MacBook Air models sold between June 2012 and June 2013 that have a 64GB or 128GB SSD inside. These smaller SSDs were manufactured by Toshiba and have a defect from the factory that could cause users to lose all of their data. MackBook Air's with 256GB SSDs are not affected as their SSD was manufactured by Samsung.

Continue reading: Apple issues recall on 2012 MacBook Air notebooks due to SSD failure (full post)

NVIDIA shows off 4K Surround technology, a huge 6480x3840 resolution

Anthony Garreffa | Displays | Oct 18, 2013 2:08 PM CDT

NVIDIA Editors' Day 2013 - If you thought current generation consoles barely being able to render their games at 720p, and most PC gamers enjoying 1080p, then 4K is a big leap. But what about three 4K displays? That would result in NVIDIA 4K Surround, something the company was showing off in Montreal, Canada.

4K Surround runs triple 4K displays obviously, pushing out a retina-busting 6480x3840, which requires some serious GPU horsepower to even provide 30FPS or so. NVIDIA was running Assassin's Creed on the triple ASUS 4K displays, which was absolutely, jaw droppingly beautiful. What do you think? This type of setup is purely for the 1%, but those 1% would have a beautiful experience.

Continue reading: NVIDIA shows off 4K Surround technology, a huge 6480x3840 resolution (full post)

GTA V sales cause a 27% rise in overall gaming spending

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Oct 18, 2013 1:41 PM CDT

A new report out from CNET says that during the month of September total game spending in the physical channel topped $1.08 billion, and a considerable chunk of that was due to sales of Grand Theft Auto V. The report says that spending was up 27-percent in the US which was directly related to GTA V earning $848 million just days after launch.

Overall, total game software spending was up 53-percent year over year at $754 million, but hardware spending was down 13-percent. This drop was expected as consumers prepare for Microsoft and Sony to release their next-gen consoles later this fall. Nintendo did see its 3DS handheld console claim the top hardware spot for the fifth month in a row however and for the first time in 32 months, Sony's Playstation 3 edged out Microsoft,s Xbox 360 in number of units sold.

Continue reading: GTA V sales cause a 27% rise in overall gaming spending (full post)

NVIDIA G-Sync will solve your v-sync woes

Anthony Garreffa | Displays | Oct 18, 2013 10:36 AM CDT

NVIDIA Editors' Day 2013 - NVIDIA has just solved an issue that has plagued the world for over 40 years: vertical sync and tearing. This is a big problem that effects all products, no matter the monitor or the GPU, introducing... NVIDIA G-Sync.

G-Sync is a module that is baked into the monitor, with NVIDIA partnering up with ASUS, BenQ, Philips and ViewSonic, who will build G-Sync-capable monitors. This way the GPU drives the monitor timing, removing all stutter, lag and tearing. It's an incredible sounding new technology and you can bet your bottom dollar we're going to be all over this at TweakTown, especially me, a resolution and frame rate fan who loves to live on the bleeding edge.

NVIDIA, you've impressed me with this technology, kudos! We have some videos coming up, but they're large and the Wi-Fi here in the hotel isn't that great when a hundred other press members are uploading videos too. Hold your hats because there's some impressive stuff coming!

Continue reading: NVIDIA G-Sync will solve your v-sync woes (full post)

DICE unveils some Battlefield 4 fixes that popped during the beta

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Oct 17, 2013 7:55 PM CDT

Many users who participated in the Battle Field 4 online beta experienced a number of issues ranging from minor bugs to major performance issues. While DICE and EA got a lot of flack for this,the purpose of the beta was to allow EA to test the servers, and discover bugs and glitches that exist across a wide range of systems.

Today EA and DICE have said that the beta provided a wealth of information and that they have already implemented a number a of fixes. Some of the fixes include performance and stability on multi-core systems. Other fixes take care of loading screen freezing issues, keybinding glitches, and even layout changes for console versions of the game.

"CPU usage could sometimes skyrocket for dual, quad and six-core processors," DICE's Vincent Vukovic admitted in a post to the official blog last night. "We identified some of the reasons and released three patches with fixes that went live during the beta, to address the problems. This was a true beta, and as such all the crash reports that were generated during this period will actually help us make a better game.," he added. "PC players may have experienced trouble in the beta getting the game running at a good frame rate. Rest assured that we're using the information we received to optimize the performance for the launch of the game."

Continue reading: DICE unveils some Battlefield 4 fixes that popped during the beta (full post)

Sixense says that its STEM system will support the Raspberry Pi

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Oct 17, 2013 7:13 PM CDT

Twelve days before Sixense successfully completed their STEM System Kickstarter campaign the company announced that the motion controller system would fully support the Raspberry Pi. I think that everyone knows by now that I am a bonafide Raspberry Pi enthusiast, so this announcement really caught my attention.

Today I got the chance to sit down with Sixense CEO Amir Rubin, and Scott Duensing to chat about the STEM System and how they have made the device compatible with the Raspberry Pi. Scott Duensing, the engineer behind the integration said that making the Sixense SDK compatible with the Raspberry Pi was important because it provided an affordable, highly accurate motion tracking system that developers can use to create amazing things with the Pi.

Ruben told me that the company will release the SDK early on and that anyone with a Raspberry Pi and a Razer Hydra can begin developing for the STEM system. Since the STEM system works off of the Hydra SDK, applications built by independent developers will work with STEM on day one. Ruben and Duensing both want to involve the maker / hacker community in the development of applications for STEM using the Raspberry Pi, and said that they would like feedback from the community as soon as possible.

Continue reading: Sixense says that its STEM system will support the Raspberry Pi (full post)

isoHUNT to close its doors forever as part of lawsuit settlement

Charles Gantt | Internet & Websites | Oct 17, 2013 5:15 PM CDT

It appears that Hollywood has won one of its larger battles in the "war on bittorrent." Long time torrent search engine, isoHunt, will be closing its site forever as the result of a pre-trial settlement. The settlement includes an agreement that sees isoHunt paying $110 million in damages to Hollywood studios.

This settlement ended what has been an ongoing battle over the last seven years between isoHunt founder Gary Fung, and was filed on grounds that the website enticed internet users to torrent movies and TV shows. The settlement comes after a ruling against isoHunt back in March of this year, where the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that there was ample evidence that Fung offered his service with the intent to promote piracy.

Chris Dodd, chairman of the MPAA, said in a statement that the settlement "sends a strong message that those who build businesses around encouraging, enabling and helping others to commit copyright infringement are themselves infringers, and will be held accountable for their actions."

Continue reading: isoHUNT to close its doors forever as part of lawsuit settlement (full post)

Panasonic unveils the Lumix GM1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera

Charles Gantt | Cameras, Printers & Scanners | Oct 17, 2013 4:13 PM CDT

Today Panasonic launched its latest addition to the famous Lumix line of digital cameras. The Lumix GM1 is a retro-styled compact mirrorless four thirds camera that features a 16-megapixel Digital Live MOS imaging sensor. The GM1 features a maximum ISO of 25,600 and can handle shutter speeds from 1/16,000th all the way up to 60 seconds.

Not only is the Lumix GM1 a formidable still camera, the shooter is also capable of some impressive video capture as well. Video capabilities include full HD 1920x1080 at 60i and 50i that is encoded in AVCHD and MP4. A mechanical shutter means that the camera is also capable of high burst mode shots up to five frames per second, while the electronic shutter is good for up to 40 frames per second.

A 3-inch touchscreen LCD is located on the back to aid in ensuring that you get the perfect shot every time. MSRP is set at $750 for the Lumix GM1 with a 12-32mm kit lens. Having been a DSLR guy for many years now, micro four thirds cameras are starting to appeal to me more every day. While I will never give up my DSLR, I would like to own one of these little cameras for every day snapping.

Continue reading: Panasonic unveils the Lumix GM1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera (full post)

ADATA releases the ultra-thin DashDrive Elite SE720 external SSD

Charles Gantt | Storage | Oct 17, 2013 11:50 AM CDT

ADATA has just unveiled a new external SSD drive that is as fast as it looks. The all new DashDrive HE720 is a stainless steel wrapped external storage device that features the one of the company's ultra-fast SSDs that has been paired up with a super-speed USB 3.0 interface.

ADATA says that the new DashDrive HE720 is capable of read speeds up to 400MB/sec and write speeds in the 300MB/sec range. Measuring in at only 8.9mm thick, the HE720 is considered to be ultra-portable. The external drive supports ADATA's One Touch Backup software and allows for quick and portable backup and synchronization of the data that is most important to the customer. The DashDrive HE720 is available in capacities of 128GB and 256GB but pricing was not given at the time of this writing.

Continue reading: ADATA releases the ultra-thin DashDrive Elite SE720 external SSD (full post)

NVIDIA technology supercharges Batman: Arkham Origins

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 17, 2013 11:17 AM CDT

NVIDIA Editors' Day 2013 - Warner Bros. took the stage at the NVIDIA Editors' Day in Montreal, Canada, where we got a sneak peek into the unreleased Batman: Arkham Origins. Arkham Origins is the next tale in the Batman gaming saga, where it provides gamers with a look at the early, more raw Batman.

NVIDIA technology powers Batman: Arkham Origins, and for someone like me who didn't think the in-game tech from NVIDIA would make a difference, believe me when I say it does, it really does. The video above shows you just how impressive the snow effects in the game are, where it will be thicker in some parts, such as a roof, and thinner in other parts. As Batman walks through it, it will leave footprints and as he fights in the game, it will dynamically shift the snow around.

It was a truly impressive demo to check out, and it is now firmly placed at a must-have for me when it launches.

Continue reading: NVIDIA technology supercharges Batman: Arkham Origins (full post)

Acer debuts 8-inch Iconia W4 tablet, Windows 8.1 and Intel inside

Charles Gantt | Mobile Devices | Oct 17, 2013 9:44 AM CDT

Acer has just unveiled a new tablet that features Windows 8.1. The all new 8-inch Iconia W4 features an extremely sharp 1280x800-pixel IPS display that is built with Zero Air Gap technology, which lends the panel enhanced clarity and brightness. Acer has also forgone the typical Qualcomm or NVIDIA chips we see in so many tablets, and has opted for an Intel Atom processor instead.

Acer says that they designed the Iconia W4 fit comfortably in ones hand while still featuring enough display real estate to keep everyone happy. Acer is targeting the active and professional user markets, and says that the new Iconia W4 represents a Windows-based tablet that is not only easy to carry, but can handle the multitasking needed for someone with a busy schedule.

The 8-inch 1280x800 resolution IPS display is viewable up up to 170 degrees, and features a 16:10 ratio for wonderful widescreen video experiences. The Iconia W4 houses a 2-megapixel front facing camera while a 5-megapixel rear shooter handles 720p video at up to 60 frames per second, or 1080p at 30 frames per second. Acer says that this camera provides exceptional image quality and an easy to use interface.

Continue reading: Acer debuts 8-inch Iconia W4 tablet, Windows 8.1 and Intel inside (full post)

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