Razer introduces new 17-inch gaming beast known as the Blade Pro

Trace Hagan | Laptops | May 30, 2013 7:37 PM CDT

Razer took to the stage today in San Fransisco to unveil two new gaming systems, the first of which is their new Blade Pro. The Blade Pro is "designed for work and play" and Razer is placing a bit of emphasis on billing these machines for the working professional, specifically graphics designers and the like.

The Blade Pro weighs in at 6.5 pounds, which Razer claims makes it the most portable 17-inch gaming laptop in its class. It's powered by a still-unannounced 47W TDP Intel Haswell chip, which is the most powerful CPU ever fitted into a Razer system. It's 10 watts higher in TDP than the previous Razer Blade.

It's graphics are provided by NVIDIA's new GTX 765M GPU, which we covered earlier today. Between the GPU and CPU, the Blade Pro is packing quite a bit of power--and heat--into its chassis. The system comes with 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L RAM and a 128GB SSD, which can be upgraded to 256GB or 512GB. The Blade Pro goes on sale June 3 and starts at $2,299.

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Crysis 3: The Lost Island multiplayer DLC coming June 4

Trace Hagan | Gaming | May 30, 2013 6:03 PM CDT

Crysis 3 is getting its first DLC pack in the form of The Lost Island, a new multiplayer DLC pack that brings four new maps, two new gameplay modes, and an unspecified number of new weapons. The DLC will be available for the PLayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on June 4 for just $14.99, or 1,200 Microsoft Points, if you use Xbox.

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli:

The gameplay in the Crysis series has always been deeply connected to the unique environments in which the action takes place. By transporting players out of the Liberty Dome and into the Lost Island setting, we're not only returning to Crysis' spiritual roots, but also introducing fresh ways to play that provide Crysis 3 fans with genuinely game-changing new tactical options, game modes and weapons.

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Palit announces GeForce GTX 770 JetStream 2GB with triple fan cooler

Charles Gantt | Video Cards & GPUs | May 30, 2013 2:04 PM CDT

This morning, Palit released its version of the GeForce GTX 770 and unlike other GPU manufacturers, Palit chose to toss away the reference design cooler and add their own JetStream cooler into the mix. The result is said to be a 10 percent gain in overclockability as well as some snazzy good looks!

The Palit GeForce GTX 770 JetStream 2GB ships with a 10 percent higher core clock, which Palit says equates to 10 percent higher gaming performance. Like other video cards in Palit's JetStream line, the GTX 770 comes equipped with the company's signature JetStream 80mm,90mm,80mm triple fan bank that cools the GPU by 15 Celsius lower, and is 9dB quieter than the reference design.

Palit attributes these performance gains to several upgraded features on the GTX770 JetStream 2GB. These include:

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Motorola CEO confirms the X Phone is real, says it will be made in the US

Trace Hagan | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | May 29, 2013 6:47 PM CDT

Motorola's CEO, Dennis Woodside, has confirmed that the rumored X Phone is real. He adds that the device will be made right here in the United States. The device will be Motorola's flagship device and is called the Moto X. It will make use of an OLED screen.

The device will be built-in Texas in a 480,000-square-foot facility currently making Nokia devices. Woodside cheerfully announced that the Moto X will be the first smartphone to be built-in the United States. He added that breakability and battery life are two main focuses for the device.

Woodside had the phone in his pocket while doing the interview, but refused to show it. Android's Sundar Pinchai has seen the device, but Woodside said that Motorola is the same as any Android vendor. "We're hiring out of Google, but once you come to Motorola you give up your Google badge. It really is separate."

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ReportTT: Apple looking to Pegatron to produce low-cost iPhone

Trace Hagan | Business, Financial & Legal | May 29, 2013 6:02 PM CDT

Apple is reportedly looking towards Pegatron to produce their rumored low-cost iPhone. The Wall Street Journal reports that Pegatron will be the primary producer of a new low-cost iPhone as Apple looks to diversify its supply chain. Up until 2011, Foxconn was responsible for all iPhone production.

According to the report, which cites people familiar with the matter, Apple is making the shift in order to reduce risk. They note the issues Foxconn had with the iPhone 5, including scratches on the metal casings. Apple will also be producing more product lines and product, meaning they'll need more capacity.

Analysts also believe Pegatron is willing to accept lower profit margins while attempting to gain Apple's business, meaning higher profit for Apple.

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All PlayStation 4 games will be required to support Remote Play with PS Vita

Trace Hagan | Gaming | May 29, 2013 4:32 PM CDT

Sony's Shuhei Yoshida, President of Worldwide Sutdios at Sony Computer Entertainment, has confirmed that all PlayStation 4 games will be required to support the Remote Play feature with the PlayStation Vita. This should be good news for the PlayStation Vita, which has suffered from slow sales.

The requirement was confirmed via a tweet by Yoshia, who added some details to the requirement: "It's true [they will be required to support Remote Play] unless the game requires specific hardware like the camera. It will be great to play PS4 games on PS Vita."

One of the main causes for slow PS Vita sales is its small library of games. By forcing Remote Play upon all PlayStation 4 games, Sony is effectively expanding the library of the Vita to include all the new PlayStation 4 games. We'll still have to see just how well its implemented, but what we've seen so far looks promising.

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Google Glass to get porn app from adult Android app maker MiKandi

Charles Gantt | Wearable Computing & Fashion | May 29, 2013 12:32 PM CDT

In an interview with ZDnet journalist Violet Blue, adult app maker MiKandi confirmed rumors that it is working on an adult app for Google's Project Glass. MiKandi has recently grown to become the largest adult app developer for Android and features its creations on its own app store, the MiKandi Store.

"Google Glass Porn has been making its rounds, and while studios are intrigued, no one seems to be doing anything about it, we picked up our Glass and, yup, we're making content for it," said Jennifer McEwen, co-founder of MiKandi "As far as I know, we're one of the few, if not the only, adult companies with the device right now. So far, it's really fun!"

She went on to say:

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Spotify rolls out new Discover page to aid in finding new music

Charles Gantt | Software & Apps | May 29, 2013 11:31 AM CDT

We first saw Spotify's Discover service back in December and now the music streaming giant has began rolling out the music discovery page to its users. The new page allows users to "Discover and Sample" new music, something that was previously hard to do.

"With the Discover page, we're making good on our promise of helping you choose what to listen to when faced with millions of songs," Spotify Chief Product Officer Gustav Söderström said in a statement. "We've made your listening experience more personal, more social, and more current."

The new Discover Page will include the following features:

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LeakedTT: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 specs surface, pricing may be cheaper than previously thought

Charles Gantt | Video Cards & GPUs | May 29, 2013 5:42 AM CDT

Things are looking good for NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 770 this morning as new specifications and pricing information has leaked. The GTX 770 appears to be identical to the GTX 680 in hardware but will feature higher clocks and faster memory frequency. The leak comes from retailers located in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in the form of photographs taken of the sales sheet on a monitor.

The chip is said to be clocked at 1046MHz and will feature a massive 7GHz memory clock. If these specifications are true, then the GTX 770 will be the highest clocked GPU ever made, albeit with a power draw of 230 watts. The card will feature the same cooling solution used on the GTX 780 and GTX TITAN. Combining the speed with good looks and topping things off with a pricing point of $400 makes the GTX 770 the best bang for your buck GPU on the market.

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Silicon Power unveils new portable hard drive dubbed Stream S03

Charles Gantt | Storage | May 29, 2013 5:29 AM CDT

This morning storage company Silicon Power released its latest portable hard drive, the Stream S03. The new portable hard drive features design cues that were inspired by how folded pages may look in a book.

The Stream S03 features a matte finish which does well to hide fingerprints and stains while still maintaining the sleek and stylish streamlined design the Stream series is known for. In addition, the portable storage device utilizes rounded corners that allow users to handle the device with ease.

Located on the "page fold" corner is the LED status light which turns red when a USB 2.0 port is used and Blue when connected to USB 3.0. The Stream S03 is available in 500GB and 1TB capacities and features a free backup utility as well as a three-year warranty.

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