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    PowerColor Wireless Media Center beams HD content erm, wirelessly

    Gadgets Team
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    PowerColor Wireless Media Center beams HD content erm, wirelessly

    The crazy/wonderful/insane tech conference known as COMPUTEX has ended, but we’re still sifting through our photos to give you guys a glimpse of products you can expect in a few months. Case in point: the PowerColor Wireless Media Center. This small device allows users to beam full HD content (including 3D) from a PC to a HDTV without wires, which is useful when those devices are located in different parts of your house. You get to enjoy full 8-channel audio, 1080p at 60Hz with less than 1ms of latency and about 100 feet of range.

    Get the best deals with Gadgets Magazine JUNE issue out NOW!

    Gadgets Team
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    Get the best deals with Gadgets Magazine JUNE issue out NOW!

    Calling all bargain-hunters, deal-makers, and bangers for their buck: the June issue of Gadgets Magazine is out now and willing to help you find some sweet deals to make ushering in the rainy season a wee bit sweeter. Check out the “next big thing” Lauren Young and flip through the pages to find some pretty great bargains while getting your monthly dose of the latest gadgets, gizmos, and lifestyle products.

    So don’t delay. Summer may be over, but the deals definitely are all year round.

     

    Meet Luce, the first solar powered laptop

    Gadgets Team
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    Meet Luce, the first solar powered laptop

    Meet Luce, the double solar panel powered PC, a concept laptop designed by Andrea Ponti. It’s rumored to be able to power continuously under the sun by utilizing two solar panels located on the back of the display and beneath the touch keyboard.

    It’s still unconfirmed whether this model has actually been tested, but Ponti’s concept was shortlisted in Fujitsu’s design competition earlier this year. Whether or not the company will push thru with manufacturing this solar powered laptop is still in the wind.

    As for now, we can only imagine what it would be like to actually own the first fully functional solar powered laptop, which could hopefully lead us to greener pastures in the wasteland of technology. In Ponti’s words,

    Luce is a concept designed to turn maker’s attention to real sustainable production. Wireless devices, powered by nature, completely free of cables, represent the future for a sustainable development focused on user’s real needs.

     

    Source: TheTechJournal

    Pentagon now considers hacking an act of war

    Gadgets Team
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    Pentagon now considers hacking an act of war

    Recent cyber attacks on corporations and the growing use of malicious software to crack government servers and other vital installations have risen in past years. In response, the Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage from another country constitutes as an act of war. This means that the Pentagon could potentially retaliate with traditional military hardware which includes a vast array of weapons at its disposal. Of course, not every cyber attack will have this serious of a retaliation – the Pentagon says that only attacks that could potentially threaten lives, or do as much damage and destruction as a traditional military attack would be liable for retaliation.

    Source: WSJ

    PSN users, your nightmares are over

    Gadgets Team
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    PSN users, your nightmares are over

    After the biggest data breach in history and the subsequent restoration efforts, Sony has finally managed to get the PSN up and running in the US, Asia and Europe. To try and soothe its customers affected by the problems it had to wrangle, Sony has now launched its Welcome Back program, which essentially gives affected gamers free goodies and more importantly, games, to help ease the anguish of not being able to frag your friends during the affected period. You get two different games (out of five selectable ones on the PS3 and four for the PSP) and other nice goodies. You can check out the link below to get the full skinny on what you can expect.

    Source: Playstation Blog

    ECS e-reader spotted sporting Android

    Gadgets Team
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    ECS e-reader spotted sporting Android

    E-readers isn’t the first thing you’d associate with ECS – it’s actually the last thing you’d associate with the prolific motherboard manufacturer. But apparently ECS does e-readers as well, as evidenced by this little thing we saw in COMPUTEX the other day. We didn’t have time for a full shakedown, but according to the specs, it has an 8-inch, 1024 x 768 resolution screen, Marvell PXA 166e processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Android 2.1 and more importantly, about a month’s worth of battery endurance with wireless off. No word on prices and even if it would be available for purchase in the good ol’ PH, but here’s to hoping.

    Review: Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101

    Gadgets Team
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    Review: Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101

    Try as others might, there really hasn’t been a true Android tablet that could go toe to toe with Apple’s iPad. Sure, there’s the Motorola Xoom, but the Xoom was a horrible release – bugs heaped upon bugs, plus an $800 price tag that didn’t even come close to being as competitive as the iPad’s $499 sticker price. Android tablets that run version 2.3 or earlier doesn’t count either, because those devices don’t even bring a fraction of the user experience that’s needed to compete realistically with the iPad.

    That’s until the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 came along.

    The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is the first Android tablet in the market that can realistically go up against Apple’s entrenched iPad. It has the right price, the right amount of features, is easy to use and has enough innovative features of its own to entice customers away from the clutches of the fruity one.

    Let’s get all the technical data out of the way first. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is a 10.1-inch Android Honeycomb tablet that’s powered by NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor.

    Like the Motorola Xoom, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 has few hardware buttons, and aside from the power/lock button and the volume rocker, the sides of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 are devoid of buttons.

    The right side houses the HDMI port, headphone jack and microSD card slot, while the bottom holds the power/data port.

    The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is powered by Google’s Honeycomb tablet OS, which is definitely different than Android on your smartphones. The screen to screen transition is smooth and you get that nice border-line effect when you swipe from one screen to the next. Navigation is done via the back, home and multi-task buttons on the lower right side, while battery status, time, wireless connectivity and other information (such as mail notification) are located on the lower right.

    You can access the main screen via the grid icon on the upper right marked apps, and you can quickly customize the number of apps on your different home screens (you get five) by pressing the plus button on the side of the app button.

    Another nice feature of Honeycomb is its ability to multitask like crazy. You can press the multitask button and you can easily go to the previous programs you had open before.

    The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101’s large screen size make it a natural choice for reading books and comics, and its overall weight doesn’t make it hard for you to lift it up to your face while laying down. The on-screen keyboard is easy to use and worked well enough in practice.

    Unlike most tablets, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 can take a keyboard accessory which also pulls dual duty as an additional battery, extending the quoted 9.5 hour battery life to 16 hours.

    With the keyboard attached, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 resembles a netbook – complete with a touchpad for navigation. The dock also has an SD card reader and a USB port. The keyboard dock allowed me type long articles fairly easily as the keys have enough travel and the keyboard in general is extremely comfortable to use.

    There were a couple of games installed on the device I reviewed which really showed off the power of the Tegra processor. Samurai Vengeance was a fairly demanding game graphics-wise, but the device handled it with ease, and I never really felt it was struggling with the graphics even with multiple enemies on the screen. Additionally, with the Honeycomb 3.1 update in the winds (I’m in Taiwan as I write this and I’ve received the update already) it’s now possible to connect a USB game controller to the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 and use that to play games.

    Probably the only complaint I have with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is the scarcity of apps on the Android Market. Sure, there are apps in there that were ported from the Android marketplace, but I would have preferred a bit more apps created solely for Tablets. While there was a dedicated ereader for the device, there wasn’t a native comic book app – an odd complaint, but I know more than a few people who bought their iPads with the sole purpose of using them as comic book readers. There’s also no orientation lock, or none that I could see right away, and the constant auto-rotation of the device while lying down when I was browsing the internet got a bit annoying, to say the least.

    Those are really small complaints, and in the end the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is a solid tablet and the first real contender to Apple’s iPad. Its ability to take a keyboard and act more or less like a traditional netbook puts it in a class of its own when it comes to versatility. The Eee Pad Transformer will be available this month, and will retail for 22,995 (32GB) (16GB) for the keyboard-less version, and 29,995 (32GB) (16GB) with the keyboard.

     

    What’s Hot:

    Has a proper tablet OS

    Has an option to take a keyboard that acts as a secondary battery

    Powerful Tegra 2 processor allows graphically demanding games to be played

     

    What’s Not:

    Needs more apps developed specifically for tablets

    Needs a native comic book reader

    No obvious orientation lock

     

    Bottomline:

    There are not enough superlatives in the world to express my feelings with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101. It’s the first, real contender to the iPad and it’s probably the Android tablet you’ve been waiting for.

    Buymeter: 9

    Edit: Apparently the prices and specs we were initially given were incorrect, the review has been updated to reflect this.

    AOC Razor Monitors: The Power to Transform

    Gadgets Team
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    AOC Razor Monitors: The Power to Transform

    Taking inspiration from the beloved Marvel X-men and their mutant abilities to transform and redefine the way they live, AOC now gives us a more “highly-evolved” way of viewing our world.

    Imagine vivid colorful images gliding on your monitor screens in mirror-like clarity, sans the blur from yesteryears. You’ll clearly see how each X-Men transforms into their alter-ego. Suddenly, Mystique turns to her blue self and Prof. Charles summons the other mutants with his mind. Altogether, the characters you’ve once read in Marvel comic-books spring to life.

    But this powerful imagery and transformation can only be achieved with state-of-the-art gadgetry like AOC’s Razor LED monitors.

    The 43-series or Razor LEDs are available in a range of practical screen sizes, from 18.5” to 23-inches. All models are equipped with multiple power saving features for reduced environmental impact, whilst the LED backlight contains no toxic mercury, unlike traditional LCD monitors that present a disposal hazard.

    The 51-Series, on the other hand, offers an exciting blend of cutting-edge style and new technologies that will thrill all people who see them. Whether your first choice is elegantly traditional or strikingly alternative, the 51-Series has the technology to inspire those with sharp eyes and environmental awareness.

    Meanwhile, futuristic technology is more than just an impression as the 53-X sport a cutting-edge IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel; a superior type of screen that offers consistent image appearance and colours across the entire display, even from extreme viewing angles. Contrast ratio is ultra high at 50,000,000:1 (DCR). These latest ultra-slim LED monitors have unique smart bases containing all the input connectors and control electronics, allowing the entire display panel to measure just 9.6mm thin!The 53-Series is an award-winning line with its i2353Ph model. It received the “iF design award China 2010” for its 9.2mm display panel with metal front bezel.

    The ultra-slim Razor LED monitor by AOC is a first of its class, akin to the first class of mutants who banded in the film X-Men First Class. As prequel to the saga, X-Men First Class unveils the epic beginning of the X-Men series. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, they were discovering their powers for the first time, and worked together to prevent an impending nuclear war. In the process, a serious rift opened between them, beginning the conflict between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor Xavier’s X-Men.

    So when you’re confronted with the query, “Which side will you be in the end?”, fret not! As long as you’re on the AOC camp, then, like the X-men, you’re on the winning side. First class, that is!

    AOC and leading global film distributor Twentieth Century Fox International have banded together to promote the highly-anticipated release of the movie X-Men: First Class this month of June.

    Headquartered in Taipei, AOC is a leader in display technology for monitors and TVs, backed by over 6 decades of design and manufacturing experience. AOC has earned a reputation for selling user-friendly, technologically-advanced displays, with every aspect of AOC’s business focusing on the development of products that fit seamlessly into consumers’ digital lifestyles.

    In the Philippines, AOCmonitors are distributed by EA Global Supply Chain Solutions, Inc.

    For more information aboutAOC and its products, simply visit their Web site www.aoc.com.

    We sit down with Intel’s Shmuel (Mooly) Eden and talk tablets, smartphones and the future of netbooks

    Gadgets Team
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    We sit down with Intel’s Shmuel (Mooly) Eden and talk tablets, smartphones and the future of netbooks

    We managed to have sit down with Intel’s corporate vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group (PCCG), Shmuel (Mooly) Eden. We had a lot of burning questions on the heels of Intel’s entry into the tablet market, and what he thought of the current state of netbooks and their future in a world where tablets are becoming more and more of a threat to a category that Intel helped create.

    John: Now that Intel has Atom powered tablets running Honeycomb and MeeGo, is this now your main push? Will you be abandoning netbooks altogether?

    Shmuel: No, we are not abandoning the category, we are doing two things in parallel. First of all, we’re putting a huge amount of effort to catch up and be relevant in the tablet space. It’s a fact that Apple is running the space using an ARM solution, we believe that now that we are putting more effort on the ARM architecture we will have a solution which will be compelling. In parallel we are trying to continue the work on the netbook. The netbook is changing. It’s very interesting – Asus recently launched a netbook that’s priced at $199, and that’s totally different question. We never really tested the market’s elasticity. I believed when we started the netbook was aimed only at emerging markets, but then the netbook also went to the mature markets and I believe with the new price point there will be another opportunity to see where we are.

    John: There’s a lot of people that are saying that the netbook is past its prime, that the tablets will kill the netbook. Do you think there’s space for both to co-exist?

    Shmuel: I believe so for one reason, but only the future may tell. If Asus comes with a netbook that’s only $199, I don’t think there’s a touch tablet that can match $199. What can you match up with a netbook that’s only $199? A tablet that costs $499? So it’s left to be seen, the market will be dynamic and we’ll be seeing many form factors – by the way, how would you call a netbook with a touchscreen? (he gestures to the Eee Pad Transformer I brought to the interview)

    John: A hybrid device, I guess.

    And I believe we’ll be seeing many, many more hybrid devices. Left to be seen, I believe that the category itself, of the netbook, and I believe we spoke about it in our previous financial announcements. It’s left to be seen if it’s still relevant – some say the netbook disappeared but there’s still some OEM that still have plans for it – only the future will tell. But we’ll try to support both, and we’ll see how the category will adapt.

    John: Intel will also be going into the mobile space. How much catching up will you have to do, because Qualcomm is already there and Nvidia is already making its mark with its Tegra 2 processor?

    Now we are jumping into the third category. It’s a fact, and I’ll not hide it – we’re behind in some categories, but then we are leading in some categories. In smartphones the fact that we’re behind is true – there are many smartphones and I’m not there. I do have great teams of architects that are working around the clock; I have a great processor technology that the competition doesn’t have, and there’s no reason to believe that I won’t be able to close the gap. We have the UMG (ultra mobile group) which are focusing 100% of their time in order to make phones that I believe you will see soon. With the tablets, you’ll see some things and we’re working to improve our tablets as well.  We’ve got all intention to be very relevant in the traditional desktop and servers and we’ll definitely be very relevant in tablets and phones, and we don’t see any reason to believe we will not to be successful over there.

     

    Meet the Zoom R8, a hybrid portastudio

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Meet the Zoom R8, a hybrid portastudio

    I still own a 4track cassette recorder because I love its lo-fi sound and ultraportability, but perhaps it would be useful to pick up a digital portastudio as well.

    Meet the Zoom R8, the company’s newest portable recorder that also functions as an audio interface and control surface. Simply writing about its capabilities in a nutshell already has me interested, so let’s take a look at what the “Total Music Production Solution” has to offer.

    First off, it definitely looks suave and portable, which is advertised as small enough to fit in a guitar case. This means that it can also be stuffed inside your laptop bag, guaranteeing an ultraportable recording rig that you can take anywhere you go.

    The Zoom R8 can record 2 tracks simultaneously at up to 24-bit 48kHz with a maximum of 8-track playback. When used as an audio interface, it provides users with 2 ins+2 outs, and conveniently connects to the computer via USB.  The R8 can also be used as a control surface (8 mini-faders + 1 master fader), allowing you to have a hands on approach to mixing on your DAW.

    If you’re not fascinated yet, this little monster is also an 8-voice sampler, looper and drum machine. It is equipped with mini pads that can be played in real-time and it can also be used to trigger recorded patterns.

    Wait, that’s not all. Users who pick up this gadget will also get Zoom’s classic chromatic tuner and metronome. Pair that up with time stretching and over 140 DSP effects, and the R8 might be one of the most promising ultraportable workstations to hit the market.

    Oh, and it can run on 4 AA batteries as well.

     

    For the unending list of the Zoom R8’s features and specs: http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/r8

     

    Source: CreateDigitalMusic and Zoom

    Strong Q1 for Bosch Philippines: Power tools business grows 49%, excellent prospects for Bosch Communication Center

    Belle Alba
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    Strong Q1 for Bosch Philippines: Power tools business grows 49%, excellent prospects for Bosch Communication Center

    Now celebrating its 125th year, the Bosch Group, a supplier of innovative technologies and services in automotive, industrial, consumer goods and building technology, revealed that it achieved annual sales of 47.3-B euros in 2010, the highest ever in its long history.  The global upswing in sales revenue is expected to continue in 2011.

    In the Philippines, Bosch posted strong Q1 performance, with the power tools business growing by a dramatic 49%, and the automotive aftermarket revenues growing by 19%.  Bosch’s local portfolio now includes thermotechnology (heating systems) and automotive original equipment (OE) in addition to drives and controls (hydraulics), packaging technology and security sytems.

    Bosch Philippines president Joseph Hong noted that:  “Diversification through innovative products as well as business lines and our expanded local presence contributed to the very positive development.”

    The newly established Bosch Communication Center is expected to have a stronger presence in the BPO market.  It currently serves both internal and external clients and is proficient in all major Asian languages.  It out-performed targets during its first year of operation.  Plans are underway to expand its sales organization, increase voice service coverage for English-speaking markets, and offer more back office solutions for finance and accounting, as well as IT, travel and tourism.

    (L-R): William Go, country sales director; Joseph Hong, managing director; Steffen Rittner, Bosch Communications Center managing director.

    Asus Asus WAVI Xtion brings body controls to PC users, looks suspiciously like a Kinect

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Asus Asus WAVI Xtion brings body controls to PC users, looks suspiciously like a Kinect

    Probably the easiest and best way to describe the WAVI Xtion from Asus is to imagine Microsoft’s Kinect, but for the PC. The kit allows users to use their body to control their computer, and gives them a semblance of natural interaction – you can turn a page on an Ebook on the screen for example, or rotate a picture using both of your hands. There’s even an app portal in place so you can buy games and apps for it, and will ship with a couple of games, including MayaFit, Beat Booster, and DanceWall. We’ve embedded a video of an Asus rep playing with one of the games on the show floor.

    ECS’ Black series of motherboards changes color when it gets hot under the collar

    Gadgets Team
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    ECS’ Black series of motherboards changes color when it gets hot under the collar

    Motherboards are the foundation of any good system, and like any piece of circuitry, they’re adversely affected by too much heat. Thermal sensors usually take care of that little issue, but it never hurts to get another, visual reference when your board is about to reach critical mass. Enter ECS’ Black Series of motherboards – the A990FXM-A for AMD fans and the P67H2-A for Intel lovers.

    Both of these boards feature ECS’ QoolTech IV technology, which among other things has Thermochromic tech built-in that changes the color of one of the heatsinks to tell you if you’re pushing your board too far.

    Project Kal-El spotted at Computex, blows our minds

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    Project Kal-El spotted at Computex, blows our minds

    We had hoped that Project Kal-El, NVIDIA’s next gen Tegra super-chip would make an appearance at COMPUTEX, and boy it did not disappoint. For those of you not in the know, Kal-El is the world’s first quad-core mobile processor that has a 12-core NVIDIA GPU that supports 3D stereo yet is still able to have enough battery endurance to be used in a tablet. The demo tablet that housed Kal-El was running a tech demo called “Glowball” that showed off the graphical prowess of the processor. We’ve embedded a video of actual demo running on the tablet.

     

    Massive dual GPU PowerColor 6870 and 6970 spotted, we got piccies

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Massive dual GPU PowerColor 6870 and 6970 spotted, we got piccies

    We mosied onto PowerColor’s booth yesterday, and what did we see waiting for us? Two dual-GPU cards of course. Seems like PowerColor likes doing things by twos, as a dual GPU 6870 and 6970 were both on display. Both will sport dual fan cooler designs, and both will definitely be aimed at enthusiasts.

    What’s interesting is that the PowerColor rep mentioned that while the two cards will sport dual-GPUs, the projected power draw wouldn’t be much more than a NVIDIA 580. No word on availability yet, which is well and good – as it gives you more time to pad your wallet.

     

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