Reebok and mc10 partner up to build head impact sensing CheckLight, helps diagnose concussions

Charles Gantt | Wearable Computing & Fashion | Jan 11, 2013 8:51 AM CST

Head trauma in sports has always been a major concern in impact sports. In 2012 we saw the NFL take a lot of heat over its current and former players experiencing multiple concussions. Reebok and mc10 have developed a wearable head impact detector that makes it easy for medical staff to see where the impact took place.

Reebok and mc10 partner up to build head impact sensing CheckLight, helps diagnose concussions | TweakTown.com

Called CheckLight, the device resembles a skull cap and is worn on the head under protective hear such as helmets. The sensor itself is actually an array of flexible force sensors that are connected to a micro controller that illuminates three indicator LEDs. One LED is a battery indicator, one flashes yellow if the impact was mild, and the third flashes red for severe blows.

Verizon, Intel and Ridell all have similar systems in the R&D phase, but CheckLight is the first to hit the market. What sets it apart from the rest is that coaches, training staff and even other players can get somewhat of an indication whether or not a player has suffered a serious hit and needs to be taken out of the game.

Continue reading: Reebok and mc10 partner up to build head impact sensing CheckLight, helps diagnose concussions (full post)

Three new designs from Silverstone based on the same internal layout and are about to offer braided cabling

Chad Sebring | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Jan 11, 2013 7:35 AM CST

CES 2013 - Meeting with Tony in the Silverstone suite I was introduced o tree future chassis designs. The chassis in this image is the RV04, yes this is the new Raven! The front of the chassis pulls air through the side, and forces it through this inverted ATX chassis interior. They have had many users say that the typical ninety degree rotated interior wasn't what they wanted, so Silverstone now offers this internal layout for the new revision.

Three new designs from Silverstone based on the same internal layout and are about to offer braided cabling 01

Right next to the Raven is the new FT04, or Fortress series of cases. This chassis keeps the same exact interior, this time plus sound dampening material. The front uses a rolled aluminum front bezel reminiscent of the TJ11 uni-body design with rounded edges.

Right next to the Raven is the new FT04, or Fortress series of cases. This chassis keeps the same exact interior, this time plus sound dampening material. The front uses a rolled aluminum front bezel reminiscent of the TJ11 uni-body design with rounded edges.

Continue reading: Three new designs from Silverstone based on the same internal layout and are about to offer braided cabling (full post)

Zalman enters the all-in-one cooling game, also offers something new in air cooling

Chad Sebring | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Jan 11, 2013 6:35 AM CST

CES 2013 - Since AIOs are so popular these days, Zalman is jumping into the game and is now offering their own trio of LQ series coolers. In the image you can see the thick radiator, LQ320, and they are also offering smaller ones including the LQ315 and LQ310. After having it explained that the LQ320 has more surface area than an H100i, I for one an eager to get to test one, or all of these when I return home from CES.

Zalman enters the all-in-one cooling game, also offers something new in air cooling 01

If you want an AIO, but ant to step away from the standard offerings, Zalman is also offering this AIO billed as the CI Water Cooler. Essentially using one of their air coolers to send the liquid through its 8mm heat pipes, this unique take on an AIO will appeal to those who are looking to use something that the average Joe may pass on.

In the air cooling market Zalman is offering a passive cooler called the Cube. This cooler is comprised of six radiator sections, and while huge, promises to offer good thermal results with absolute silence. It also has the ability to take on a 92mm fan for those situations, such as overclocking, where its passive nature may need a little additional help.

Continue reading: Zalman enters the all-in-one cooling game, also offers something new in air cooling (full post)

Zalman offers a trio of cases at CES 2013 to fit every need!

Chad Sebring | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Jan 11, 2013 6:29 AM CST

CES 2013 - Starting off with the new gaming flagship chassis from Zalman, the MS800 Plus should suit most people's needs. This chassis offering things like removable covers on the front covers that can be done from the outside, fan controller, and a great mix of style and feature set.

Zalman offers a trio of cases at CES 2013 to fit every need!  01

Moving into Mid-tower chassis design, Zalman offers the Z12 Plus. This resembles the larger MS800, but still has a front finish all of its own. Again you have the option of a windowed side panel, dust filters, and a similar layout, but the fan controls on this smaller chassis have been changed to slider switch.

The last chassis I want to discuss is a complete departure from the first two cases. The Z11 is much more aggressive externally, and while chunky and wide-bodied, all of the angles, bump outs and the extended window all have an intended purpose. He sides are extended t allow air flow to pass the HDD rack and allowing the fans at the front t produce good results even if all of the bays are full. As for the extended side window, it not only matches the rest of the design, but offers an additional 20mm of spacing to allow for much tower coolers to reside inside.

Continue reading: Zalman offers a trio of cases at CES 2013 to fit every need! (full post)

Google throws $200 million into the wind, the Texas wind project that is

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Jan 11, 2013 2:31 AM CST

There's a wind project in Texas that is capable of generating an astounding 161 megawatts of energy, enough to power 60,000 average homes across the US. Search and mobile giant Google have now invested $200 million in the project.

Google throws $200 million into the wind, the Texas wind project that is | TweakTown.com

Google have injected the investment into the Spinning Spur Wind Project in Oldham Country, Texas, which is run by EDF Renewable Energy. This new $200 million investment is the 11th investment the search giant has made in renewable energy since just 2010. With all of Google's investments, their total output across their invested facilities is now a crazy 2 gigawatts of energy.

The Spinning Star facility begun construction in February 2012, and was opened for commercial operation in December last year. The Spinning Star facility features 70 Siemens 2.3 megawatt turbines, and the energy it generates will be pumped into a utility company named SPS, which provides for the Texas and New Mexico areas. Kojo Ako-Asare, Senior Manager of Google Corporate Finance has said:

Continue reading: Google throws $200 million into the wind, the Texas wind project that is (full post)

For the first time in five years, PC sales drop in Q4 2012

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Jan 11, 2013 1:31 AM CST

It's not like you or I did not see this coming in this smart device heavy world, but PC sales are now dropping according to new data from analysis firm IDC. IDC's latest data from Q4 2012 "marked the first time in more than five years that the PC market has seen a year-on-year decline during the holiday season".

For the first time in five years, PC sales drop in Q4 2012 | TweakTown.com

The analysis firm said that although Windows 8 has launched, worldwide PC shipments reached 90 million units which is 6.4% lower than what they reached last year. Jay Chou, Senior Research Analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker said in a statement:

Although the third quarter was focused on the clearing of Windows 7 inventory, preliminary research indicates the clearance did not significantly boost the uptake of Windows 8 systems in Q4. Lost in the shuffle to promote a touch-centric PC, vendors have not forcefully stressed other features that promote a more secure, reliable, and efficient user experience. As Windows 8 matures, and other corresponding variables such as Ultrabook pricing continue to drop, hopefully the PC market can see a reset in both messaging and demand in 2013.

Continue reading: For the first time in five years, PC sales drop in Q4 2012 (full post)

Beats Audio to release new music streaming service later this year

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Jan 11, 2013 12:38 AM CST

Thanks to Beats Audio's acquisition of music subscription service MOG, we should expect an iTunes-like music service to be launched from the company. Currently going under the codename of Daisy, the company announced the service on Thursday and have chosen Ian Rogers to oversee "the direction, vision and strategy for project 'Daisy' and the talented team developing the service.

Beats Audio to release new music streaming service later this year | TweakTown.com

Beats Audio have also announced that Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails fame, has been appointed Chief Creative Officer. CEO and co-founder of Beats Audio, Jimmy Iovine, has said:

What's missing from the digital music landscape is a cultural context. We need to bring an emotional connection back to the act of music discovery. With Trent and now Ian we have the right team in place to do it.

Continue reading: Beats Audio to release new music streaming service later this year (full post)

Lian Li had a train, a lot of anodized aluminum, and a chassis almost large enough to live in!

Chad Sebring | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Jan 10, 2013 11:57 PM CST

CES 2013 - Arriving to Lian Li's booth on the floor, there was a few sections of track allowing the PC-CK101 to run back and forth to attract everyone to their booth, or at least make them stop so that the representatives could then show off some of the new trends and creations.

Lian Li had a train, a lot of anodized aluminum, and a chassis almost large enough to live in!  01

On the tiny side of chassis design, there was this PC-Q27 which is a mini-ITX chassis that is intended to be a show piece as you have this chassis running your HTPC. While the design is atypical to most, the sleek design, slight curve to the chassis, and the large window in such a small chassis makes me think many people may be looking to add this chassis to their living room!

Using this view of the new PC-V850 as an example, you will notice that Lian Li is also thinking outside of the box with this new motherboard tray concept. Instead of blocking off the entire back side of the chassis, they are now offering mounting bars. This not only saves on cost without needing so much aluminum, but also will offer better cooling for the motherboard since there isn't a large plate to trap the heat. This is not the only chassis to take on this new concept; in fact, this is a design feature I see Lian Li is going to use much more as time progresses.

Continue reading: Lian Li had a train, a lot of anodized aluminum, and a chassis almost large enough to live in! (full post)

Western Digital shows off new hybrid SSD at CES 2013, known as SSHD

Anthony Garreffa | Storage | Jan 10, 2013 11:34 PM CST

CES 2013 - Western Digital have unveiled something quite interesting at CES this year, where they've shown off some new hybrid solid state technology known as SSHD. The new tech features the speed of a decent SSD, but the capacity that a mechanical HDD would feature.

Western Digital shows off new hybrid SSD at CES 2013, known as SSHD | TweakTown.com

WD says that the solid state storage will continue to be much more expensive than traditional drives for the foreseeable future. This makes WD change gears and work on hybrid drives in the meantime, until we get to a point where pricing drops to more "competitive" levels in regards to flash storage. The demo that took place at CES saw the drive loading a bunch of applications to measure just how long it takes to load.

The Tech Report reported that it took 81 seconds to complete the task using a standard drive, and just 51 seconds on a normal SSD. On WD's hybrid SSHD, it took only 55 seconds - less than 10% longer than a normal SSD, but much faster than a traditional mechanical-based HDD. WD says that the incoming writes from the host system aren't stored on the NAND, with the caching system being controlled by the firmware and host-based software drivers.

Continue reading: Western Digital shows off new hybrid SSD at CES 2013, known as SSHD (full post)

InWin borrows from Ducati to inspire the new D-Frame as well as showing some other goodies

Chad Sebring | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Jan 10, 2013 11:10 PM CST

CES 2013 - As I checked the show floor, I met up with InWin to have a look at what they are going to offer this year. After some discussion, and of course a bunch of images, I got into some of the finer details of what was shown and what will soon be on the pages of TweakTown.

InWin borrows from Ducati to inspire the new D-Frame as well as showing some other goodies 01

First on the table is a white version of the GR One. We have already seen and reviewed this chassis, but as with all manufacturers, white is the obvious revision choice to start with.

Second in the line-up is the H-Frame which I have not seen up close and personal, well at least until now, and I finally got to see what all of the review and forum hype was all about.

Continue reading: InWin borrows from Ducati to inspire the new D-Frame as well as showing some other goodies (full post)