Tech News December 2005

Ultra Products Fan Commander Review @ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Snip: ” I really like just about everything about the Ultra Fan Commander as a whole. It’s a refreshingly high quality product that works well, and looks better, particularly in combination with the Ultra Titanium fans.”

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Shure E2g Gaming Earphones @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
“It was only a matter of time before Shure entered the world of gaming earphones. After all, gaming is a rapidly growing market segment and it only makes sense to cater to such enthusiasts. Has Shure done anything extraordinary to differentiate itself from the rest of the crowd? Let’s find out…”

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Futurelooks Holiday 2005: Mobile Techie Gift Guide
Furioustech :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
The mobile techie is a very difficult target for the holiday shopper. Things that you think are thoughtful may not always please the minimalist and functional desires of our portaging friends. This guide includes some thoughtful, tried and tested gifts that should garner a second look from your mobile techie this season.

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PCMech: Spybot Search & Destroy
PC Mechanic :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
This is another handy spyware program that it is a definite addition to any arsenal. I’ve been using it along with Ad-Aware for my spyware catching needs, and the combined power of the two does a great job in keeping my system clean. So today, let’s take a look at Spybot and see how it stacks up.

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The Pros and Cons of Broadband Internet Phone Service @ BonaFideReviews
Bona Fide Reviews :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
“VOIP is quickly becoming more reliable and receiving wider acceptance. In fact, phone companies are already taking advantage of the technology to provide cheaper long distance rates. Like any emerging technology, however, there are kinks in the system that are still being worked out.”

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[GeekExtreme] Steelpad Steel Sound 5H-USB headset @ Geekextreme.com
Geek Extreme :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
“One application where I could see these headphones being almost essential is gaming laptops. Anyone who owns a beastly Alienware or Dell XPS gaming laptop should put a pair of these Steel Sound’s on the top of their holiday wishlist. Seriously. Do it. Now.”

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3dGameMan Giveaway/Contest 24: Cooler Master Cavalier 1 Case and more
3dgameman :: Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Cooler Master and 3dGameMan team up to bring you Giveaway/Contest 24: Cooler Master Cavalier 1 Case and more

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Shuttle XPC SD11G5 Small Formfactor PC Review
PCStats :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

“In this review, PCSTATS will be testing a bare bones small form factor PC that Shuttle Inc. has produced. As you’ll see, low noise operation is a priority, but not at the expense of computing performance. To reach this happy equilibrium, the Shuttle XPC SD11G5 is powered by a mobile Intel Pentium M processor (not included). Technically speaking, the Shuttle XPC SD11G5 SFF PC is based around the Intel 915GM and Intel ICH6M chipsets, and it supports socket 479 Intel Celeron M and Pentium M processors that operate with a 400MHz or 533MHz Front Side Bus (FSB). Owing to the small size of small form factor PCs, there just two DDR-2 memory slots within the Shuttle XPC SD11G5, so it can support a maximum of 2GB of unbuffered 240-pin DDR2-667 memory.”

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CompactFlash Card Roundup: 1GB Models
PCStats :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
“Buying the right CF card for your digital camera can be difficult, well mostly confusing since there are size, type and speed considerations to wrap your head around first. Size and type are pretty straightforward. Most consumers should buy the largest capacity CompactFlash memory card within their means so they do not have to swap memory cards out constantly. There are two types of CompactFlash memory cards: Type I and Type II. The only difference between them is the height of the card. Type I CF cards are 3.3mm thick while Type II stands 5mm high. Some cameras are not compatible with Type II CF media, so this question comes down to knowing what your camera supports.”

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Helix v1.7 @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
Summary: “Helix, a Linux distribution made by e-Fense and designed for incident response and computer forensics analysis has released their version 1.7. Bundled in this latest Knoppix-based distribution is a revamped GUI, as addition to its bootable capabilities it offers a few utilities that can be accessed when already in side of Microsoft Windows, while the Linux portion of the distribution itself has been updates to the 2.6.14 kernel with numerous other enhancements. Some of the mother miscellaneous packages include Autopsy v2.06, Sleuthkith v2.03, ClamAV v0.87.1-1, and EnCase Linen.”

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X-Micro DisGo
Overclockers Online :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
Quote: The X-Micro DisGo has certainly taken advantage of the Toshiba 1.8″ hard drives by creating a truly portable hard drive solution. It opens the door to large amounts data in a relatively package. While the options for devices like 4 GB thumb drives do exist and are another popular option, 4 GB is not enough to transfer a full DVD’s worth or data, let alone a dual layer one. Top that off with performance generally exceeding that of USB thumb drives and equivalent to external hard drive solutions, the X-Micro is a great solution for those who just want to be on the cutting edge of technology.

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Evercool Nighthawk Universal VGA Cooler @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

Quote: “Evercool, great name for a company that makes cooling products huh? Most likely you have heard of them, and there is a chance that you own something of theirs or someone who does. Evercool is sort of known for making interesting looking products. A lot of their products are made to resemble something other than what it actually is intended for, like their Neon Crab memory cooler for instance. Well today I have another of Evercool’s themed products, The VC-F117 Nighthawk Universal VGA Cooler.”

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My space is your space: Myspace.com @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
You know, I’ve been writing articles on the Internet for over 2 years now and it never seems to amaze me how slow I am to pick up on new phenomena that keep springing up on the World Wide Web. Just as I hear about some really cool website/web concept, I am then told about a new one that everyone else already knows about. Well, this time I feel like a total recluse. I’ve been walking around in my own head-space not realizing that one of the most popular sites in the world, Myspace.com is where much of the human community is getting together to share ‘space’, or if you want to look at it another way, to share life.

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NeuNeo HVD2085 High Definition DVD Player @ Bytesector
Bytesector :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
“In the past, we’ve had the opportunity to review two HD DVD players from NeuNeo, and today, we get to play with another, the NeuNeo HVD2085. This new HD DVD player has been completely redesigned and the remote has been improved on as well. Better yet, the player provides the same great visual quality and support for various resolutions and playback formats. This HD DVD player also accommodates up scaling to 1080p just like its previous HVD208 model. In this review, we will revisit some of the interesting and unique features NeuNeo has delivered on and discuss what is new with this latest model.”

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NeuNeo HVD2085 High Definition DVD Player @ Bytesector
Bytesector :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
In the past, we’ve had the opportunity to review two HD DVD players from NeuNeo, and today, we get to play with another, the NeuNeo HVD2085. This new HD DVD player has been completely redesigned and the remote has been improved on as well. Better yet, the player provides the same great visual quality and support for various resolutions and playback formats. This HD DVD player also accommodates up scaling to 1080p just like its previous HVD208 model. In this review, we will revisit some of the interesting and unique features NeuNeo has delivered on and discuss what is new with this latest model.”

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Artic Silver ArtiClean review @ DH
Driver Heaven :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
“So you’ve bought yourself some Arctic Silver 5, and you want to replace the current thermal paste you’re using. But how do you clean it off? There are several methods around, from using methylated spirits to rubbing alcohol, but the Arctic Silver company has created a two-part solution, ArctiClean, designed to completely remove all traces of thermal pads and transfer compounds from the CPU and heatsink. This product is the subject of my review today.”

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Razer Diamondback (Salamander Red) at CaseModGod.com
Case Mod God :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

Summary: Razer has lately been garnering a lot of attention in the world of gaming. Their promotions have included encouraging their consumers to get tattooed with their logo, an impressive booth at this year’s QuakeCon, and they’ve collected a number of sparkling reviews from many of the foremost sources of gaming information. Do their products live up to the hype, though? We’ll find out if the Razer Diamondback does, at least, in our review.

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Multi-tasking Concepts: A Tale of Two Threads
PC Mechanic :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
Chances are, you’ve probably heard about the new dual core processors. The corporate giants, Intel and AMD, have shifted their emphasis on multitasking using dual core as the primary driving force. However, the concept of computer multi-tasking has been with us for quite a while and it is not limited to dual-core. Multi-processor systems in servers and high-end workstations as well as Intel’s coveted Hyper Threading Technology have been with us for many years. Three technologies, one concept/goal. You may wonder, what’s the difference?

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OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Gold GX XTC Dual Channel Memory Kit Review
OCIA :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

” After opening the package, the first thing you notice about the memory is the fit and finish of the heat spreaders. It is flawless and almost looks too good to stick inside a closed computer case. The heat spreaders have a polished gold mirrored finish on the outside edges with a large OCZ “Z” logo in the middle. The centers of the heat spreaders have a round honeycomb perforation finished in polished silver.”

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Making Personal Family Video Guide @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
Low-cost, easy-to-use video hardware/software production tools like the ADS Tech Instant DVD family are becoming mainstream products. People are finding personal satisfaction in being able to quickly edit out unwanted scenes, and add titles, effects and background music to their videos. But what really drives them back to the video production solution night after night are the oohhs, aahhs, laughter and tears of the friends and family who watch their movies again and again. Let’s look at some real examples.

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Overclock Software and Tools roundup
OCIA :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
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On ocinside.de is a new roundup with dozens of small Tools and programs to tune the PC hardware. Beside important current programs to change the CPU multiplier or FSB there’re also some selected older Shareware and Freeware Tools, which will help to overclock the PC hardware. The overview contains direct Downloads or links to the developers, a small description and the size of the respective software.

Vantec AVOX Jukebox Multimedia Player
Big Bruin :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

Quote: Vantec has been around for over 10 years; most would be familiar with their extensive line of cooling products, but they have much more than that in their stable. A quick browse of their site will reveal a multitude of peripherals, PSUs, accessories and storage solutions. In this case we have the AVOX Jukebox Model AVX-100TX that is touted as a storage device, but also as a portable audio/video player.

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Mozilla Firefox 1.5 tweak guide
Tech Spot :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
Mozilla Firefox is a great Internet browser, applauded by users and critics alike for its features, performance, usability, customisation and security. Firefox 1.5 builds on Firefox 1.x by adding an integrated auto-update system, improved pop-up blocker and improved standards support, not to mention thousands of bug fixes.

This updated guide will take you through all that Firefox 1.5 has to offer covering the options menu, about:config preferences, CSS, extensions and more.

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OCZ PC-3200 Gold Voltage eXtreme Dual Channel DDR Memory Review Posted
Tech ARP :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

Quote – ” Overclockers love playing with voltages, clock speeds and timings to get the maximum out of their memory modules. The OCZ PC-3200 Gold Voltage eXtreme modules allow them to do just that with its incredible overclockability and affinity for high voltages. Check out our review of these incredible DDR memory modules! ”

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HEXUS.reviews :: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS Preview
Hexus :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

While it’d be nice to see NVIDIA filling out the performance range with 7-series GeForce products, since the GPU at the basis of those will be that bit better performance and carry slightly better IQ features, the 6800 GS is a fine last-gasp for the NV4x GPU range that’ll keep many a gamer happy in front of the PC this holiday season.

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[Phoronix] Swiftech H20-220 APEX Ultra
Phoronix :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

Summary: “Swiftech has come out with a new revision to their H20-APEX water cooling kit and is named the APEX Ultra with its Apogee waterblock and new MCRES-Micro reservoir. For today’s review, we are experimenting with the new H20-220 kit that is designed for high-end usage and had no problems pushing the CPU past the 4GHz marker.”

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Gigabyte GV-3D1-68GT Dual-GPU Videocard Review
PCStats :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

“The Gigabyte GV-3D1-68GT videocard comes packing 512MB of GDDR3 memory (256MB exclusively for each core), and conforms to the PCI Express x16 formfactor. With two GPUs the card is able to support up to four monitors simultaneously; two DVI and two analog! Make no mistake, the Gigabyte GV-3D1-68GT is aimed directly at the hardcore gamer – both in terms of its performance goals and price.”

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Intel Yonah Launch Date Confirmed @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
“The launch venue is expected to be India. However, we are not able to confirm if there are going to be more simultaneous launches or if this is going to be an exclusive launch. Knowing that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2006) will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada around the same timeframe, it makes sense for Intel to do a simultaneous launch in the U.S. as well.”

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Corsair PC4000 DDR500 TWINX2048-4000PT 2Gig Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ Tweaknews.net
Tweaknews :: Sunday, December 11, 2005

“This two gigabyte kit from Corsair again is just a perfect example of a quality product. It is relatively inexpensive, performs well and is rock solid stable. As for the 3-8-4-4 timings, if you overclocking at all, don’t even bother considering it a disadvantage.”

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X-Micro Video MP3 400 – Convenient Movie and Audio Playback
TweakTown :: Sunday, December 11, 2005
QUOTE: “The Video MP3 400 is exactly what its name implies. It is a portable MP3 player that is nice and small in size and also has the ability to handle video files. With so many of this type product flooding the market, we’re going to look at some of the features and try to help you decide whether it would be worthy of your hard-earned cash.”

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