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2007 |
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2006 |
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2005 |
January |
April |
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February |
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March |
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CompUSA to Close 126 U.S. Stores |
Franz: This kind of a WOW to me, I figured that most large retailers of electronic product were doing quite well. Maybe if they wouldn't charge JACKED UP prices for 5 year-old stuff, they would do more business. Just a thought.
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"Based on changing conditions in the consumer retail electronics markets, the company identified the need to close and sell stores with low performance or nonstrategic, old store layouts and locations faced with market saturation," Roman Ross, chief executive officer of CompUSA, said in the statement." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/28/07 @ 10:48:03AM |
Misc |
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Franz: It seams like OCZ is coming out of the woodwork now with all sorts of new products. Now they have introduced a laser gaming mouse that is meant to go head to head with the the bigger mice on the market. Can it compete? Kick ass? Well, read and find out.
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| "During the last CES, they announced that they will be giving us even more. And one of those promised products is the OCZ Equalizer. The Equalizer is a gaming mouse that is aimed at taking down the likes of Razer and Logitech. The Equalizer boasts some pretty interesting features that many a gamer wo..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/28/07 @ 10:14:39AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: This is pretty neat little external HHD holder that actually has room for TWO HHD's. That's a bunch of storage space in one little area. Plus it looks cool, too.
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| "Are you looking to add more storage to your system? How about a
dual hard drive external enclosure with USB support.? The IPC Queen Dual HDD
Enclosure does just that plus letting you add over one terabyte of storage
with supporting drives and an operating system." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/28/07 @ 10:07:07AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I never really liked the Final Fantasy thing, I guess I just like kicking the crap out of stuff without having to wait my turn. Probablu why I sucked at D&D, lol. Anyhow, for those so inclined to enjoy such goodness, here's a review on Final Fantasy XII. Maybe it's the fact that it's named "Final" and yet never ends that gets me.
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| "Final Fantasy XII is nearly a genre reinvention of Resident Evil 4 proportions, but in the end it doesn’t quite make the masterpiece grade. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s not the finest Japanese RPG I’ve played in years. Nor does it mean it’s not a must for those who’ve stuck with the series ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/28/07 @ 09:53:19AM |
Software |
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Franz: I think just about everyone uses Google at least twice a week now, I
know I do at least twice a day if not more. It's always good to know
some short cuts, tricks, and otherwise cool stuff to make Google work
better for you. |
| "Google is a great general-purpose search engine, and is so popular that many people refer to searching for something on the Internet as "Googling". Ubiquitous as it is, many people do not know the full power of what Google offers, or even how to extract every once of granularity from their standar..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/28/07 @ 09:41:43AM |
Software |
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Motherboard Reviews for your Eyeholes!! |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/28/07 @ 09:29:44AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: I've always been a favorite of video cards with these type of air coolers. Not only does it cool the card but it also lowers the temp in you case by exhausting the hot air out the back. SMART.
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| "The latest installment of the GeForce 7900 series card from Inno3D is the iChill 7900GS Arctic Cooling Silencer 6. The iChill 7900GS has a custom Arctic Cooling Silencer 6 heat sink and fan, and that thing is massive. It helps the card stay cool under load and overclock. If you are looking for an en..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/27/07 @ 04:40:06PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Looking for a HTPC case for your next project and you want a quality start? Well check out this review on the Lian Li PC-C30. You can read our review of that case here.
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| "The Lian Li PC-C30 is a down to earth enclosure, without too many bells and whistles to get you all confused. The all aluminum construction of the enclosure is pieced together well, and the center brace really adds to the rigidity of the entire enclosure." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/27/07 @ 04:32:00PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: With all the crap that floats around on the net and some computers, it's nice to know that there are a multitude of ways to stop baddie's from messing with your precious rig.
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| "t last PCs operating under Windows have a security level similar to that used by high performance servers. This technology – known under names that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, such as NX (No eXecute), EVP (Enhanced Virus Protection), XD (eXecute Disable), or DEP (Data Execution Protectio..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/27/07 @ 03:46:20PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I've sorta followed this mod for a while now and it is sure cool to see it done.
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| "The man who gave us Cold Fusion is back again with another awesome mod. This one is inspired by sci-fi, and it's a mash-up of aluminum and acrylic, with some funky design features throw in. Enjoy!" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/27/07 @ 03:28:47PM |
Modding |
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Franz: OK Boddaker, you are officially in trouble for not telling us that you entered the UAL 737 in the Weird and Wonderfull PCs and PC mods write up over at Tom's. Not to mention that you got first in line and the first four pages in last Friday's article. Way to go man.
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| "I wanted to build my dad a case for a birthday/father's day gift. He is a retired United Airlines mechanic, with 35 years of service. I figured it would make a great theme if I were to pay tribute to his long and illustrious career. Since he worked primarily on the Boeing 737s, I designed the case ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/26/07 @ 01:04:07PM |
Modding |
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Franz: Well, I hate to post a review on an Alienware, but in the world of laptops, one needs as much information as they can about what is available since it is hard to build a decent one. I even like the color and the dual SLI video card graphics to boot.
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| "The last time we took a look at an Alienware laptop it was the Area-51 m5550 15.4-inch laptop. The m5550 is more of a mid-range budget system. The Aurora m9700 is on high-end being Alienware's 2nd most expensive laptop they sell. This notebook is built for gaming with dual 256MB Nvidia Geforce Go 7..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/26/07 @ 12:39:37PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I'm sure that reviews for one or both of these sets of RAM have been posted here before, but how about a little comparison of the two done up by the people at bit-tech.
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| "It's hard to justify the more expensive memory considering the tests we've shown - does simply better looking memory warrant the extra cost? Well there’s no doubt the OCZ looks fantastic in a case, providing you have a means of seeing them. You’d think it was secretly stealing the prints right off..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/26/07 @ 12:33:05PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Wow, this little puppy has some go to power when it comes to providing the juice for your hungry machine. Take a look the end of the review, the author lists what it will power at a given time.
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| "The newest member to the Enermax stable is the Infiniti. This series' first member starts off at 720 watts and a higher than average efficiency rating. While these are specs that may excite some people, the Infiniti brings a few other features to the table that are beyond just power and ratings. Re..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/26/07 @ 12:26:48PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Need another toy to play on the net with while you're out and about? Don't really need a lappy to go with you everywhere? Then check out this review one the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet.
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| "The N800 is actually Nokia's second generation internet tablet. The previous model, the 770, is still for sale (for $40 cheaper than the N800). The older model has a slightly larger, has a less elegant design, and lacks the N800's on-board camera as well as its second flash card expansion slot. Th..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/26/07 @ 12:18:51PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Got some eye candy for the Green Team lovers. OCIA takes OCZ's 8800 GTX for a spin, and does a few benches and game trials to see if OCZ has any business being in the Video business.
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| "The OCZ 8800 GTX, like most every manufacturer's offering, is based on the NVIDIA reference design, so don't expect anything new or ground breaking here. But there are a few things that do set the OCZ card apart from others. First, the OCZ 8800 GTX is "binned to perfection" -- this means that ev..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/25/07 @ 08:33:18AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Here is an interesting review for that might want to use a Zalman VF900-CU LED VGA cooler on a ATI Crossfire setup. The article isn't the best written one that I have read but the pictures give a god idea of what clearance issues may arise. And the cooler is pretty cool too.
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| "The Zalman VF900-CU LED has performed as it says on the tin, even at it’s lowest speed it still out performs the Stock cooler by 3 – 5c, add to that at low speed it is almost in audible and you have a great cooler that works Xtremely well (excuse the pun)" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/25/07 @ 08:22:55AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I'm posting the review on this case mainly because it show where NOT to put a huge fan to cool a case. It does have a LCD display and fan controller, but its plain looks ruin the idea for me.
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| "Casetek V.Orpheus is a midi-sized ATX case with a massive 220mm fan
slapped on the side panel and a fully functional fan controller and
temp readout in the front on a large LCD. All this can be had for a
competitive price, so where the catch? We place a high end Core 2
sy..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/25/07 @ 08:04:12AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Man has the HTPC stuff been flying out of the walls lately. Here is a
review on the Zalman HD160XT case, which has a LCD touch screen built
right into the front. |
| "A great amount of consideration was placed in to the look of the Zalman HD160XT Home Theater PC Enclosure. There are so many things that make this the perfect Home Theater Chassis. From the 7" LCD screen, to the buttons and classy finish, Zalman has considered every possible detail." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/25/07 @ 07:56:15AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Mozilla releases security updates |
Franz: I know there are a bunch of us here at Box Gods that use the best internet browser and email client in the world so I figured I'd post this little blurb. Take a read and then hit the update.
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"Due to the security fixes, we strongly recommend that all Firefox users upgrade to these latest releases," Mozilla said in a post on its development site. This update resolves the location.hostname vulnerability and other security and stability issues," Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineering at Mozilla, said in a statement." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/24/07 @ 09:42:54AM |
Software |
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Franz: I seam to remember a certain someone posting about this PSU and of course I'm broke so no I couldn't shell out the cash to get it. Anyhow the guys at Legit Reviews decided to see if it was worth the effort to get it for free.
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| "Last week, I heard that Frys.com had the Ultra Products V Series 500W Power Supplies for $40 with free shipping and a $40 rebate. This would make the power supply free after the rebate and who can pass up free? I got out the credit card and figured that I'd bring ship one to LR and play around wi..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/24/07 @ 08:32:58AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Not to leave the Linux people out, I have an article from Phoronix that does the once over on several of the Ubuntu based systems. Enjoy.
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| "With Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Xubuntu each deploying a different
desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, and Xfce respectively), how do each of
these distributions compare performance-wise? We have taken two systems --
one with dual Intel Clovertown processors and the other an AMD Sempron ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/23/07 @ 10:45:22AM |
Software |
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Franz: Looking for something something to plug that unused ROM drive bay? Need more storage and couple of USB ports? Then check out this review on the Aerocool Infinite Multi-Functional Front Panel.
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| "Today we are going to review the Aerocool Infinite Front Panel device. This little panel has the features of most other front panel devices out there with one small exception. The Infinite boasts a removal 2.5 inch hard drive enclosure. So, not only the ability to read different types of flash media..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/23/07 @ 10:42:05AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/23/07 @ 10:31:26AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: It may be a plan jane looking case, but I like that and when its made out of aluminum, and has a no BS inside as well as a cool ribbed top, it gets even better. And the price isn't that bad either.
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| "We have had the chance to review a number of cases from NZXT in the past, but the Adamas is completely different than anything we had seen in any of the other cases. The Adamas is constructed of heavy gauge aluminum and is rated to hold 300 lbs. The design may be simple but it also it very pleasin..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/23/07 @ 09:54:06AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: With Vista needing 2GB of ram to run well and most games requiring a bunch to be happy as well as the OC crowd crying for ram that performs, fear not. Kingston has heard the call and given us the PC6400CL4 & PC8500CL5 2GB Memory Kits to curb Vista's hunger, the happy pills for your games, and a tissue for OCer's. Read on, I dare you.
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| "hen it comes to high performance memory, Kingston has a name to keep
up in the business. We already took some of the memory kits from
Corsair, Team Group and OCZ for a spin, but Kingston was noticeably
absent. About time we set this right, and we do this today by looking
..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/22/07 @ 09:59:42AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: A.C. Ryan. UV LED Fans. Separate control for the fan and LED's. Enough said.
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| "A.C. Ryan has heard the call, and has introduced their Blackfire fans for your PC. If you're a fan of UV, and a fan of fans, then you might be interested in these whirlwinds of wonder. They have ultraviolet LEDs built right into the fan base, so the blades light up without any external source. They..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/22/07 @ 09:47:04AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Looking for that perfect sounding system for your gaming rig or HTPC? Well, then you need to start with this review about the Razer Barracuda AC-1 Sound Card.
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| "In their product material Razer tells us that the AC-1 uses Razer's Fidelity system to bring "optimized audio signals directly from the computer game to the gamer, creating the most realistic gaming environment." The audio card also uses Razer's Enhanced Sonic Perception and 3D Positional Gaming..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/22/07 @ 09:41:41AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Move over DELL, Gateway is coming up fast with a 24" version of their monitor with cool speakers and light up flush mount buttons. AND for $650ish!! Is it worth it? Well, read on.
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| "The FPD2485W specs are impressive on their own. 1920 x 1200 resolution, 1080p support (with HDCP), 1000:1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness, 6 ms response time, and a built-in, four-port USB 2.0 hub. Keep in mind that most people will only need to know the above specs to make a purchasing decisio..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/22/07 @ 09:24:28AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Calling all you lefties out there, I got a treat for you. Logitech has created the ultimate toy for you and your twisted thinking.
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| "The mouse is a pretty good looking device with a silver, grey, and black finish and most excitingly for the left handed user, has lots of sexy curves, something that we’ve previously been starved of when it comes to mouse action. There are seven buttons on its surface, which all fall neatly under th..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/22/07 @ 09:15:09AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I'm not going to lie, I'm a fan of the red side of the house when it comes to Video. So, when I saw this review from Viper Lair in the box this morning, I couldn't help but poor over it for an hour. Say what you will, but having dual video cards no matter which brand, is still cool in my book.
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| "The performance of a single EAX1950 Pro makes it a great bang for your buck video card, coming in at about $183 USD for the non crossfire card and $219 for the Crossfire version you are looking at a nice dual card set up for about $400 plus shipping. Sure your not going to see FPS in the triple digi..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/21/07 @ 09:06:09AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I'm not gonna even say anything smart about this little beauty, the Freecom FSG-3 Storage Gateway. It puts so many things into one nice box that honestly, I want one just clean up wall and desk space. Check it out.
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| "It’s taken over a year but Freecom has finally added wireless capabilities to its neat little FSG-3 Storage Gateway desktop NAS appliance. We first looked at the Storage Gateway back in 2005 and were mightily impressed with the range of features it offered. The WLAN model delivers pretty much the sa..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/21/07 @ 08:57:06AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Well, now that you have one of the coolest keyboards around, the Saitek Eclipse (our reviews here and here) why not match it with their GM3200 Gaming Mouse? As an added bonus, if you read the Review you can apply to win one of two of these mice that Xtreme Computing is giving away. You have to read the review in order to apply and I'm not telling why.
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| "Today we are looking at the world’s first 1st 3200 dpi laser mouse from Saitek, the GM3200. This mouse promises to be excellent with the features of it as well as the weight removal system. The question is will it be any good.”" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/21/07 @ 08:48:30AM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: Wow, I'm liking the sub on this 2.1 PC speaker system from Sony. It looks like the Bazooka box that used to roll around thing trunk of my hoopty.
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| "At first glance the SRS-DZ10s look quite unusual; the tubular shaped subwoofer in particular being a unique component. As a set they are, however, undoubtedly stylish with an exceedingly smart brushed aluminum finish and satellites that are elegant in their simplicity. The unusual design of the sub ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/21/07 @ 08:35:23AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Shoot, I thought Ferrari was getting into the PC cooling business. Here's a top performing Heatsink to cool that hot running CPU of yours.
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| "I will be installing the Ultra-X heatsink in my Intel test system. You can see just how large the Ultra-X is compared to the stock Intel cooling solution. The hardware needed for this install includes the backplate, four spring-loaded thumb-screws and four clear washers. Be extra careful when handli..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/21/07 @ 08:30:45AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: The in-box happened to have a bunch of "TOY" reviews today starting with Panasonic's Milan Seminar recap review. Enjoy.
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| "Last week, Panasonic gathered journalists from all over Europe to a funky hotel in Milan, Italy, to present its complete line-up of 2007 products. Considering the amount of kit that Panasonic produces it’s no wonder that the day was quite intense, consisting of briefing sessions, one after the other..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/20/07 @ 11:23:20AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Take a lot of digital photos? Sick of having to put the card in a camera or a PC, etc. to see the pictures? Maybe your just tired of wasting charges on batteries looking for a picture. Well, then the Epson P-5000 Multimedia Storage Viewer is just for you.
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| "I should imagine that there aren’t many digital photographers around that haven’t run out of space now and then; the dreaded ‘card full’ symbol is enough to make anyone mutter a few expletives under the breath. Fortunately, Epson have come to the rescue with a handy little storage viewer that will f..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/20/07 @ 11:16:21AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Got an Xbox and wish you could use the wireless controllers on your PC? Well, wish no more!! Microsoft has finally given you what you need, so check it out.
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| "Now Microsoft is releasing products that not only allow you to use your Xbox 360 hardware on your PC, but do so with the same ease of its console brother. Microsoft has finally released the Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows, which finally allows your PC to use all of your wireless Xbox 360 peri..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/20/07 @ 11:09:11AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Think it's just another memory stick? Think again, this little toy from Kingston has a little feature called ReadyBoost which is an extension for Vista's Super Fetch feature and can help boost performance.
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| "So, what is ReadyBoost you ask? It acts as an extension of Vista’s SuperFetch feature, which loads frequently used files and programs into the system memory so that they load significantly faster than if they loaded directly from the hard drive. As a result Vista is far better at utilising large mem..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/20/07 @ 10:57:14AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Well, if the iPhone ever gets to the market, the niche that it might have made for itself will probably be full of choices from other companies. Here is another toy from Neonode. And eventhough its not Apple it might actually be cool.
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| "Boy, is the market for phones different than the market for MP3 players. I was there at the launch of the iPod, and I immediately saw it was a game changer. But it had a massive exposure; there were three other firms in the space — S3, Creative Labs, and Sony — and the iPod only worked on Macs. It t..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/20/07 @ 10:48:25AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Some of these are well known and drooled over, the others not so much. I can really see the benefit in the first one. I'm seriously thinking about buying one and giving it a spin. Be great for LAN's and my coffee related mishaps.
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| "These keyboards feature 104 keys in a standard QWERTY layout, but with a nifty twist of being the most portable keyboard seen to date. Simply roll the unit up when you’re done with it! A great tool for laptop users who miss their full-sized KB when on the road, or LAN party warriors looking to light..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/19/07 @ 10:01:25AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Making a lot of PPT Presentations is a pain, ask anyone. Targus is trying to help the situation a bit with their new Presenter. It comes with a voice recorder and laser pointer along with PPT controls. Jeeze, I could have used one of these in Speech Class.
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| "For the person who makes presentations in a variety of environments, the 2.4Ghz Targus Voice Recording Presenter AMP05US is one of the best, feature-packed presentation devices on the market. It may not have every bell and whistle that you can find, but Targus finds a balance and does an excellent ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/19/07 @ 09:22:37AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Looking for a new RTS game to play? Loved Total Annihilation and wished there was more? Did you know there is a pseudo squeal continuance to TA? Well sort of. Got your interest? Then read on fragger, read on. IGN has a review here as well.
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| "We've been fortunate enough to see two amazing RTS games hit the PC in the space of six months. CoH is intimate and intricate; SupCom is epic and impersonal. It's hard to score one over the other, in gameplay terms, and you really should make sure you play both through. But with dual screens... ma..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/19/07 @ 09:14:14AM |
Software |
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Franz: It must be the year of the Pig, HTPC stuff is just filling the box.
Take this case from NZXT, it can be your HTPC or moonlight as an
upright Gamer. So, build your box, sit back, and enjoy the goodness,
pig. |
| "This week I get a chance to check out one of NZXT's latest offerings in the "Classic" series, the Duet. Aptly named for its ability to function in either a mid-tower or desktop orientation, the Duet looks to give users the benefit of a small footprint case without having to sacrifice on hardware ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/19/07 @ 08:34:10AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Cleaning out the Box - Motherboard Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/19/07 @ 08:27:39AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Huge car collection found in Portugal |
Franz: ***56k sucks bird poo*** Geno found this over the weekend, I'm sure that if it hasn't been in
the news, it probably will be soon. God I what I would give to find
something like this. |
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"A warehouse with 180 cars in the interior has been in Portugal, this permanecio 15 years with the welded doors so that nobody could enter the incredible one." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/19/07 @ 08:15:04AM |
Misc |
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Franz: SAY WOOT FOR FREE STUFF!!!! Newegg is promoting the new movie called Ghost Rider with a big giveaway. I, for one, can't wait until I get a dollar to see it so hit the linky and apply for the goodies!
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| "By day, Johnny Blaze tempts fate with death-defying stunts and by night, a flaming motorcycle carries him as the fabled Ghost Rider, a supernatural agents of vengeance and justice. Enter our "Rev Up to Gear Up" Sweepstakes for a chance to heat up your nights as you race through the Ghost Rider ga..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/16/07 @ 10:27:35AM |
All |
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Franz: Haven't posted a PSU review in couple of days, so how about one about the Ultra X-FinityT 800 Watt that Modders-Inc was so kind enough to give us. Say what you will about Ultra, I like the way they use ribbon wiring instead of loose wires for the power connections.
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| "With systems power consumption becoming more demanding than ever you need a power supply that will deliver the power your system needs. SLI setups, multiple hard drives, and more USB devices require a lot of power to keep them running. Ultra comes to the rescue with it's X-FinityT 800 Watt PSU w/ A..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/16/07 @ 09:02:10AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: If only more case manufactures would include something like this with their cases instead of a bunch of unneeded 5.25" drive bays. It actually reminds me of the HHD bay in the Lian Li PC-A16 that we have reviewed here.
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| "Today we will be looking at something different from the normal from Silverstone and that’s the Silverstone CFP51k, what is the CFP51 you may ask, well it’s a HDD to 5.25 adaptor with a difference. The CFP51 is designed to take up to 4 HDD’s inside while keeping the actual bay usage down to 3. This ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/16/07 @ 08:54:23AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: I think I changed my mind when it comes to wanting a Logitech MX Revolution. Since Firefox is the ONLY browser I use and the fact the mouse has no MIDDLE button would have major impact on how I work the net.
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| "Back then I started with the Microsoft IntelliMouse (a nice mouse for its time), and after that I have always been a Logitech fanboy. Now I've handled the Logitech Dual Optical, the MX900, the MX Revolution and the G7 Gamer mice. "So if you had all mice why is that MX Revo so bad?" you might thin..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/16/07 @ 08:48:23AM |
Hardware |
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Hack lets intruders sneak into home routers |
Franz: Here's a big duh. How many of you have a home network with a router? Ok hands down. Now how many of you have changed password since you've owned the router? Hmmm maybe a good idea to go do it, right?
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"The attack works on any type of home router, but only if the default router password hasn't been changed, Ramzan said. The malicious JavaScript code embedded on the attacker's Web page logs into the router using the default credentials--often as simple as "admin" and "password"--and changes th..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 08:40:20PM |
Hardware/Software |
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EVERYONE MUST READ: CDC tracks peanut butter contamination |
Franz: I'm gonna post this because I know how many of you all eat peanut butter. I'm pretty sure that me and mine had a small bought of sick problems before Christmas which might have been because of this. SO read the article, then go check and see if you can save a hospital trip.
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"Nearly 300 people in 39 states have fallen ill since August, and federal health investigators said they strongly suspect Peter Pan peanut butter and certain batches of Wal-Mart's Great Value house brand — both manufactured by ConAgra Foods Inc." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 06:29:23PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Thank god, finally someone did a big compairo/contrasto on the GeForce
8800 series graphics cards. I've been trying to hold out and now I can
dump the in box of 8800 reviews. WOOT If you can't make up your mind
which one you want then definitely give this one a read. |
| "As daunting as the selection of GeForce 8800 series graphics cards may be, choice is a good thing. To help you wade through the options, we've rounded up a collection of GeForce 8800 series cards from BFG Tech, EVGA, Foxconn, MSI, OCZ, PNY, and XFX to see how they stack up. Read on to see which car..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 04:44:25PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Got another MMORPG review from Trusted Reviews. Looks pretty neat from my perspective, but I like to say I don't know what I'm talking about. Have a look if you're a RPG fool.
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| "‘Bigger’ and ‘more’ are very much the themes here. The world itself – Telon – consists of three huge, completely explorable continents, modelled after European, Asian and Middle Eastern settings. You also get a huge range of character races and classes and some enormous skill trees to start off with..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 04:30:04PM |
Software |
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Franz: The guys at bit-tech have a review on a shuttle fighter from Aopen. Does it measure up, fall short, or kick tail? Well read on and find out.
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| "AOpen has added some cool finishing touches to its SFF chassis, like the plastic washers on the thumbscrews so you don't scratch the paint, and the foam across the front and inside so everything transports without breaking or scratching amongst other things. However, we can't help but feel that AO..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 04:23:38PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: SO bye-bye Miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryyyy. Them good ole' boys where drinkin' whiskey and rye singin' "This'll be the day that I die........." Good little column read about the way music has changed over the years.
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| "Good music requires an involved listener to appreciate it. Technologically and demographically driven changes in listening habits have driven down the quality and intensity of listening. And good old music industry greed continues to drive talent out of the music business. Celebrate the musicians wh..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 11:23:30AM |
Misc |
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Franz: If you like me, you're not quite ready for a dedicated server sitting the corner and yet you don't have enough storage. What you need is a NAS or a Network Attached Storage system, like this one from Thecus.
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| "With support for up to five 750GB SATA I/II drives, the Thecus N5200 RouStor is a feature-rich network attached storage device. techFEAR runs the N5200 through the paces and sees how it holds up." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 11:11:50AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: WOOHOOO More free stuff, you just have to post 15 times and you're in for the drawing.
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| "When it comes to performing well in today’s current games the XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX edition graphics card is no slouch. In some cases, it was very near the class leading 8800 GTX, which speaks volumes about the kind of gaming experience you can expect. I was more than a little skeptical whe..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/15/07 @ 10:51:24AM |
Misc |
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Franz: The guys over a ThinkGaming.org scored some new Battlefield 2142 screenshots for the new expansion called Northern Strike. Looks pretty cool in my book; now if I can get off my butt and go get it.
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| "EA was nice enough to send us over 10 screenshots for their upcoming expansion to Battlefield 2142 entitled Northern Strike. The screens showcase some of the vehicles and units in the game.”" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/14/07 @ 09:24:10AM |
Software |
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Franz: C2D support, nForce6, 3 PCI-EX X 16 slots, passive heat pipe cooling, the list goes on. abit sure hit the nail on the head with their new IN9 32x Max motherboard.
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| "abit are most definitely back, especially after the triumphant return of the "Max" servies in the AW9D max. This time they have come out, guns blazing with an nForce 6 series offering high-end SLI enthusiast performance. We take a long look..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/14/07 @ 09:15:06AM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: Now, don't get any ideas about making dirty videos and sending them to your girl/boy friend. Although you could, and in the dark too. And this little puppy even has a motion sensor, so if you're really trying to catch the car key gremlins, this camera might help you out.
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| "Since the internet was created, it’s brought people closer. Then broadband came along and opened the door to streaming video and webcams. Today I have the MSI StarCam which includes a microphone meaning it should contain everything for you to chat, wave or dance to your long distance buddies." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/14/07 @ 08:57:09AM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: I remember having to use a nasty old PC plug in extension box back in the day, especially the pain and the FUGLY-ness that I had to deal with. Well, in steps Logysis with their version, and I must say that I really like it. Yeah I know, no one uses them any more, but this bad boy has enough features to make you want one all over again.
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| "Logisys has come up with a device that may appear to be quite simple when you first look at it, but after using it for a few day you realize how handy it actually is. The device I am referring to is their new Logisys PC Extension Station ™, here is a device that measures 21.5" L X 4.5" H X 9" Hi..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/14/07 @ 08:47:54AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Looking for a new HD supported video card for your HTPC? Check out this Review on the 7600GS from GIGABYTE. It even has passive cooling for the ultimate in silence.
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| "The 7600GS from GIGABYTE is an interesting video card. Unfortunately, the card came bare with no bundle or accessories, and I had no HDMI capable monitor to test it with. With the proliferation of video cards on the market today supporting only the DVI-I and D-Sub adapter, HDMI at the moment is a ni..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/13/07 @ 11:27:42AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Good lappy for less than a grand? And there's five of them? Now this one I gotta see.
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| "Value laptops don’t always have to mean you end up with a hunk of junk and a blinking cursor staring back at you. Great notebook computers exist out there for under $1,000, having become more and more of a reality as prices on components like processors, RAM and hard drives continue to fall. While n..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/13/07 @ 11:12:10AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I believe the reason many of the world's computer users and gamers don't run LINUX is because of the lack of support for Windows programs and systems. Well, thanks to Intel and Novell, that mountain of problems might have just been reduced to a small pile of pebbles. It even sounds a bit Half-Life-ish. I guess we will just have wait and see what happens.
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| "Novell and Intel Corporation today announced the availability of paravirtualized network and block device drivers that will allow Microsoft* Windows* Server 2000/2003/XP to run unmodified in Xen* virtual environments on SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 10 from Novell®, operating on Intel-based server p..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/13/07 @ 10:54:33AM |
Software |
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Franz: Need an external HHD enclosure? Check out this review about the Akasa Integral Fusion. It's got a bunch of good stuff on the inside and good slim looks on the outside.
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| "With the Akasa Integral fusion you have a good all rounder, not only is it a external enclosure, it also is a one touch backup device, add to that a card reader and the fact you can use the backup button when the PC is off to back up any cards in the reader makes it a slight cut above the rest" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/12/07 @ 12:15:19PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: I knew it, those RIAA people lost their minds when it came to piracy being the main reason why CD sales are down. This little study followed a the music buying habits of people in Germany and America, and found that most people are not buying music for the same reason I don't. Not because I'm stealing it, but because there is only so times I can stand hearing about how much bling you have, how many girls you've $&@#ed, and which type of firearm you will point in my general direction if I get in your way. I think, collectively, the music industry can use some new "talent" if it wants to sell music. Booo HOOO
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| "The study matched an extensive sample of music downloads to American music sales data in order to search for causality between illicit downloading and album sales. Analyzing data from the final four months of 2002, the researchers estimated that P2P affected no more than 0.7% of sales in that timefr..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/12/07 @ 11:57:11AM |
Misc |
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Franz: This a perfect HTPC keyboard; it has blue-tooth wireless, built in touch mouse, and it's constructed like a lappy keypad.
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| "Today I have the KeySonic ACK-540RF which is the abbreviated way of saying wireless keyboard and mouse. Small in size and wireless in nature, the 540RF should make for interesting testing." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/12/07 @ 11:31:29AM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Case Reivews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/12/07 @ 11:11:47AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Geno: Virgin airlines CEO Dick Branson has offered $25m for a commercially viable way to scrub carbon from our atmosphere. Of course the OTHER Green team right away suggested scrubbing Virgin Galactic, and closing down his airlines. A few even suggested he cut down to smoking just one pound of bud per week. I almost feel for the guy though as it seems tree huggers are never happy--He is after all at least trying to get the ball rolling...You think he and Al Gore ever just spark one and kick back?
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| "British tycoon Richard Branson dangled a $25 million prize before the world's top scientists Friday seeking to spur research into devising ways to suck greenhouse gases out of the air. Former Vice President Al Gore lent his support to the challenge, which came a week after a landmark report by the..." |
Posted by: Geno on 2/11/07 @ 04:25:01AM |
All |
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Geno: Jobs hasn't even finished stuffing his huge ego back into his stuffed shirt from the MAC World pre pre launch of the iPhone and the first phone that will be competing with it is being announced--from Samsung no less. It will offer the same touch screen style interface touted on the iPhone with the added bonus of vibratory touch zones that impart a tactile "feel" to buttons. For those users that are not confused by more then one button, it will also feature a slide out qwerty style mini keyboard. It also ups the mega pixels for the built in camera to 5. Did I mention it is from a company that has more then zero experience building cell phones? Samsung Baby!
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| "The F700 comes will come with a handful of pre-installed software as well, including a full HTML browser and VibeTonz technology, which reportedly helps make the touch screen feel more like a traditional button-mapped interface and uses the phone's vibration feature to provide feedback on mobile ap..." |
Posted by: Geno on 2/11/07 @ 04:01:47AM |
All |
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Franz: I guess I have a thing for plain jane all aluminum tower cases. The simple lines, the brushed finish, the dual hood scoop like air intakes on either side, and the holey crap popup door that hides the interface ports. Ahhh, so nice.
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| "With the TJ09 Silverstone is focusing on airflow to dissipate the heat of Dual/Quad core processors and especially high end VGA cards. Their design is classic elegant with functional and clean looks. This is a high end product made for high end systems, can it keep a Core 2 / Geforce 8800 GTX cool e..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/10/07 @ 07:19:13PM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: I don't know about you, but I'm a major fan (pun intended) of cool, moving lights. Especially if they talk to me, know what I mean? Plus there is no cooler thing than a spinning sign that you can control, or at least tells me if my rig is chilling. Oh yeah and it's a fan too.
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| "Would you like to know how cool your computer is running at a glance? Well with the b-Cool fans you can do just that. With the b-Cool fans you not only get a cooling fan, you get a temperature sensor/display. The b-Cool 120 will show you the air temp, RPM of the fan, and also tell you its status (Co..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/10/07 @ 07:05:25PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: How many Keyboard-Mouse combos are their out there? Well, here's another one from Ione. This one however, has over 40 extra multi-media keys (and the biggest Delete key I've ever seen) and a honest to Charlie optical gaming mouse with adjustable DPI.
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| "The Gemini R-16 isn’t the thinnest keyboard I’ve seen but it isn’t fat and chunky either as you can tell by the picture above using the tilt position making this keyboard quite comfortable to use but it would have been nice for them to include a wrist rest to support your wrist when typing." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/10/07 @ 06:55:07PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Ok, since when do CPU heatsinks fall into the Chipset cooling area? Oh, wait that IS a Chipset heatsink. Check out this review for the Noctua NC-U6 Chipset Cooler, the thing is huge. If you need a place to get one, then look right here.
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| "A product that does what it says it will always impresses me. While the cooling performance of Noctua's NC-U6 is what the end user ultimately wants in a product like this, one can't ignore the other things that it brings to the table. The simple, clever and effective mounting solutions just make t..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/10/07 @ 06:33:30PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Here's a good once over if you're looking for a Wireless Networking Tutorial. I'm always getting asked about the how's and why's so have a look.
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| "More and more people are willing to assemble their own wireless network. With a wireless network set at your home or office, you will be able to share files, use the printer and access the Internet without the need of connecting a network cable to your computers. This is great if you have desktop co..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/10/07 @ 06:24:45PM |
Misc |
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Franz: How about a Switech Apogee on a Kentsfield? Sound interesting? Well then read on. Of course, if you want pimp out your Apogee, you can get the UV acrylic mounting plates here.
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| "Swiftech has done what many didn't think was possible by releasing a block that out performs their Storm block at a much lower price point. By increasing real-estate of the pin matrix they have optimized the block especially for the Intel Quad Core processors and it's easy to see in our test numbe..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/9/07 @ 11:23:44AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Take a look at this case from X-Gene; it's a take on the cube style SFF but with a pop top twist.
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| "“This must be the year of the HTPC or Small Form Factor case. Company after company are producing these smaller enclosures to fill the niche and doing so under the $100 price tag. Well, X-Gene offers two styles of HTPC enclosures. One is a mid-size unit, while the other is a Mini HTPC enclosure. The..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/9/07 @ 10:24:12AM |
HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: I'm not the one to post a store bought premod, but this system is something else. Just check out the WC and you'll see what I mean.
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| "Despite the fact there are very few people who will really consider this PC for purchase, we feel that Vadim does fill a certain market niche incredibly well. If you are in the market for an ultra high-end PC and have appreciably deep pockets, but don’t have the skill of our modding forum gurus th..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/9/07 @ 10:08:07AM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: Here's an ok look at three of the big hitters when it comes to OS's.
While not the best comparison, it does give an idea about how they
stack up. |
| "Suffice it to say, unless you have a relatively new system in hand or you are looking to upgrade your system, don't even pick up the MS Vista box; leave it on the shelf. MS Windows XP Professional is still a very viable OS, and apparently, outperforms or maintains pace with Vista in almost every ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/9/07 @ 09:45:21AM |
Software |
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Asus Motherboard Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/9/07 @ 09:24:32AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: What is better than that old crappy lappy that you've been hauling around for the last 10 years? Why a brand new Vista-fied Vaio that's what.
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| "For what it's worth the C-series certainly achieves its basic goal: being distinctive. We've got quite a number of notebooks in the office at the moment, and when sat next to others the C2SL certainly cuts a striking figure. The combination of the coloured outer casing and the shiny silver VAIO ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/8/07 @ 04:23:10PM |
Misc |
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Franz: I saw one of these the other day at Wally-World. I REALLY wanted it until I saw the price tag. Anyone want to donate to a good cause?
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| "If you’re willing to spend just above £50 on a mouse, and anyone who spends a lot of time on the PC should do, then Logitech's MX Revolution is a serious contender for your cash. Great features, brilliant design and a quality finish make it a great investment and one that will keep paying you bac..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/8/07 @ 04:16:56PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Here's look into another new MMORPG, if that is your way to play, take a look.
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| "From what I have seen so far, Vanguard Saga of Heroes is turning out to be an MMO that is very reminiscent of the old classics, such as Asheron’s Call and Everquest. Taking the best from each, but learning from the shortcomings of them, and doing their best to improve upon them, Vanguard has done a ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/8/07 @ 04:09:35PM |
Software |
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Franz: While the name leaves a lot to be desired, the front end on this case actually looks pretty cool. Sort of like an old muscle car grill turned on it's side.
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| "The construction is simple, clean, and presents good air flow despite its size. At its current $60.00 average, the price is pretty close to the cost per feature ratio. A couple quick changes would make it a really good deal not to mention improve its appearance." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/8/07 @ 03:58:45PM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Random PSU Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/8/07 @ 03:51:58PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: ALL I can say = OOOOOooooooooo Preettyyy!!! I want a copy, and the computer to run it.
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| "So having played for a good few hours now, we're eagerly awaiting the final code to see how it plays for real. Our current build requires a pretty monster PC to run smoothly, and we're hoping that this will not be the case in the final version, as tweaks and polish make the game more efficient. ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/7/07 @ 08:54:59AM |
Software |
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8800 GTX Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/7/07 @ 08:48:21AM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Got Skype? Well then you need to check out the USRobotics USB Telephone Adapter. It makes good use of all your phones, including the one you carry in your pocket.
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| "There are plenty of Skype accessories hitting the market that let you use your home phone for free or dirt-cheap Skype Out phone calls. The USRobotics USB Telephone Adapter (USR9620) is different. It's the only adapter intelligent enough to forward Skype calls to your mobile phone for when you'r..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/7/07 @ 08:40:52AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Finally, a TT Orb that I would put in my rig, because it's Ruby RED.
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| "“Thermaltake's Orb series of CPU Coolers have always been very popular. I remember when the first Orb's came out a few years ago, everyone I knew wanted one. Well Thermaltake continues the Orb series with the Ruby Orb. We will be testing the Ruby Orb on our AM2 system and see how it performs again..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/7/07 @ 08:33:45AM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: If your are one of those people that like to carry just about every file you have and most of your music selection with you, check out this review on Seagate's 160GB portable HDD.
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| "Whether or not Seagate's drive fits your needs is down to personal preference. If the drive suits your portable data storage needs, and both the warranty and software aren't much of a concern to you, there aren't many 2.5" portable solutions better than this on the market today." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/5/07 @ 04:17:44PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Nothing like a modular PSU that comes to the hunt loaded for bear and delivers the performance needed for some of your watt hungry rigs.
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| "Overclock3D have been given an exclusive chance to take a look at Enermax's latest PSU. Combining the features and stability of the Galaxy along with the size of the Liberty, will this PSU be able to impress?" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/5/07 @ 04:11:33PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Take a look at this mATX motherboard from Asus, they seem to be trying to work out something useful for the HTPC side of the house.
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| "The ASUS M2NPV-VM motherboard is an interesting board in many respects. The board is targeted towards the digital consumer with features like HDTV Out and the standard features of ASUS motherboards, making this board an excellent choice for the Home Theater enthusiast." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/5/07 @ 04:00:57PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: For those with the need for a new gaming case and willing to spend the money, the Aurora is certainly worth a look. The blue accents and the light projector are cool, too.
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| "My favorite part of the case would have to be the cable management system. Very few case manufacturers take this into account but with a very few clips and some thought to their end users, Gigabyte had made my (and your) job of building a clean looking machine quite a bit easier. The "Light Beam Pr..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/5/07 @ 03:54:07PM |
Hardware/Modding |
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Franz: Looking to build a new HTPC? Check out this mATX motherboard from Abit; it's loaded with features and even handle a round or two of play time.
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| "Abit is here to try something different, something that HTPC enthusiasts have been waiting for a long time: a GOOD micro ATX motherboard. One that truly has everything we need on a motherboard, and nothing we don't. One with digital audio output onboard. One with DVI video output. Oh yeah, overcl..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/5/07 @ 03:45:52PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: What do crazy Linux people do when it snows like mad? They take the rig outside and overclock it of course!!
|
| "Over the weekend a blizzard has hit Michigan causing sub-zero temperatures, inches of snow, and zealous winds. This winter weather has caused the closing of shopping centers and community activities; public
transportation systems and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport have also come ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/4/07 @ 10:18:11AM |
Misc |
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Franz: Wait a minute, I thought I ordered a 1100 watt PSU not a briefcase!! What the heck!! Well, crap I wonder what's inside?
|
| "Surely at some point there has to be stopping point, exactly how much power does a home computer user, or even an extreme PC enthusiast really need? If the answer is more power then the TurboJet TG1100-U95 is the solution . This thing is rock solid and oozes quality and performance from every angl..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/3/07 @ 06:29:41PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: In the market for a new set of head phones? Check out these fromSteelSound, they look like they came straight of a chopper cockpit.
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| "“Here at ThinkComputers we have already taken a look at the SteelSound 3H and 5H headsets. The 3H being on the low-end side and the 5H being on the high-end. Today we will be taking a look at the 4H, which is the mid-range headset in the series. SteelSound has always made good headsets so let's see..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/3/07 @ 06:22:40PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Since I posted a review on FOXCON's 7950GT, how about a review on EVGA's 8800 GTS in dual SLI. If Scotty had these babies running, he wouldn't need any more power.
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| "I knew these cards were going to be powerhouses, but I wasn't quite ready for some of the performance I've experienced. If the GTS is this powerful, the GTX must tear the space-time continuum. EVGA has got a very solid package on their hands here." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/2/07 @ 07:14:37PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: These speakers are sure dead sexy looking and with media controls and
a LCD display, they sure bring the hotness. Might have just found a replacement for that little black dress.
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| "The Z-10 speakers ooze quality, and at the price you’ll be paying for two speakers ($150 at review time), they better. The first thing we noticed was that the box was as heavy as many 2.1 speaker setups, a good sign that we’ll be getting quality electronics and probably good bass. The packaging is..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/2/07 @ 06:54:54PM |
Misc |
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Box Load of Cooling Goodness |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/2/07 @ 06:30:18PM |
Hardware/Modding/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: If your are looking for a decent set of ram to feed that hungry Vista you just bought, check out this review. It even overclocks well.
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| "Using the 3.0x memory ratio, we find a little more headroom when slightly relaxing the timings to 4-5-5-8. Still using 2.3v, this brings the modules up to 501Mhz or DDR1002, impressive. The system is completely stable at these settings, able to pass four 32M Super Pi runs in a row." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/2/07 @ 05:42:18PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: Well the 7950GT has been out for a while, but we always like to read a good review about hardware that makes for good droolage. This card is no slouch when it comes to specs and the price is oh so nice.
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| "First of all, it is one of the highest factory-overclocked 7950 GTs out there. Secondly, they used a custom heatsink/fan unit, doing away with the noisy nvidia reference cooler. It comes fully equipped with 512MB GDDR3 memory, and has HDCP support. There are even a few other tricks up its sleeve. Al..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/2/07 @ 05:06:14PM |
Hardware |
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Franz: Everyone likes free stuff right? Well, here's some free stuff. The catch? You have to win it.
|
| "This month our partners at XFX have decided to be the main sponsor in this months contest. The contest will run from February 1st until February 29."
1st prize is an XFX Fatality 7600GT Silent
2nd prize is a Fanatic Head$shot mouse/gamepad combo." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/2/07 @ 04:40:57PM |
Hardware |
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Power Supply Reviews |
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Posted by: Franz on 2/1/07 @ 06:50:25PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: I'm not a WoW fan by any means but this chapter seams to at least have some pretty cool scenery, and as usual, plenty of play time for those with nothing better to do but wield swords and cast magic spells.
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| "If you’ve resisted the urge to join the Burning Crusade up to this point, then you probably want to know whether it’s worth a) buying it and reviving that lapsed subscription or b) using it as an excuse to play WoW for the first time. Well, the answer to both is a qualified ‘yes.’" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/1/07 @ 05:31:27PM |
Software |
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Franz: I put this up for you artistic people, in case any of the Box Gods crew wanted to show off some skill and make Modders Inc. a nice new logo and win some goodies.
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| "What we are looking at is a logo, not a replacement for the current top graphic, well not yet. The logo will be used for stuff like link banners, business cards, and other items. The contest is not based on talent alone. If we see an idea that we like it may win." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/1/07 @ 04:52:02PM |
Misc |
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Franz: Not to be confused with the E6000 series of Intel C2D, the E4300 is one of the next in line for the chip maker and the guys a bit-tech.net give it the run around.
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| "Although the E4300 probably won’t reach the high speeds we’ve seen achieved using an E6300, it can achieve its maximum overclock with much cheaper components. There’s no need for a motherboard capable of front side bus speeds in excess of 400MHz and there’s no need for anything more than DDR2-667 ..." |
Posted by: Franz on 2/1/07 @ 04:37:14PM |
Hardware/HTPC-SFF |
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Franz: I'm just gonna let the quote for the article speak for itself.
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| "“With the thousands of products being shown at CES what better way to show them off than with a beautiful woman! Ever wondered what it is like to be a booth babe? Well we were able to sit down with Kat Garrow, a 19 year old booth babe and she was able to answer some of our questions...”" |
Posted by: Franz on 2/1/07 @ 04:21:30PM |
Misc |
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| May, 2013 |
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