PC News Zone » Monitors

AOC shows cool portable 16-inch LCD USB

PC News Zone — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:21:00 +0000

If you work from a small laptop on the scoot and need a larger screen than what the computer has by default, there are a few options out there. We went hands-on not long ago with the Lenovo LT1421 14-inch USB powered LCD for instance. Today a unused portable screen that gets power and connectivity from a USB harbour has launched from AOC. The unused display is called the e1649fwu and it has a 16-inch screen with a 15.6-inch viewable image. That makes it the size of your typical pocket book screen. The display will land in October at retail outlets across the country for $139. The display has decent specs considering it is made to be powered for the USB port. The display has 50M:1 dynamic unlikeness ratio and 250cd brightness. It has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 and a 5MS response time so it shouldnâ€™t have issues with ghosting. The display has an integrated Smart Stand that pivots out and stores flush against the back of the monitor when not needed for portability. The display doesnâ€™t hold HDCP so you canâ€™t use it or Blu-ray playback.

New Samsung Series 9 notebooks outed: Core i3, i5 and i7 options

PC News Zone — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 07:36:00 +0000

Samsung has outed a new range of Series 9 notebooks, with three new 13.3-inch models and two new 11.6-inch models, priced from $1,049. The new Series 9 machines keep the styling of the models that began shipping in May, but add in new Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, up to 256GB SSDs and up to 6GB of DDR3 memory. The new 11.6-inchers are the NP900X1B-A02US, with a Core i3-2357M, 2GB of memory and a 64GB SSD, and the NP900X1B-A01US, with the same processor but twice the RAM and storage. They’ll go on sale in August, priced at $1,049 and $1,249 respectively. Samsung’s 13.3-inch versions, meanwhile, are all available from today. The NP900X3A-B01US has a COre i5-2467M processor, 4GB of memory and a 128GB SSD, and retails for $1,349, while the NP900X3A-B02US has the same CPU and RAM but doubles up the SSD for $1,649 in total. Finally, there’s the $2,049 NP900X3A-A05US with a Core i7-2617M processor, 6GB of DDR3 memory and a 256GB SSD. There’s still FastStart, which Samsung reckons will see the Series 9 boot in less than three seconds, along with a casing allegedly twice as strong as aluminum and USB 3.0 connectivity. The displays are also billed as twice as bright as rivals offer.

PS Vita face-tracking demo tips SmartAR gaming [Video]

PC News Zone — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 06:36:59 +0000

Sony has demonstrated the face-recognition and tracking capabilities of the upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld, using the portable consoleâ€™s front-facing camera to track head movement and have on-screen avatars respond accordingly. In the demo, filmed byÂ Siliconera and which you can see after the cut, Sony showed a two-way video chat being held between a pair of animated avatars, the head, mouth, eye and other movements being mapped to those of the gamer.

Although head-tracking has been done before, the system Sony demonstrated was able to track minor details like eye-blinking and eyebrow twitches, for a more lifelike animation. Sony wasnâ€™t saying a video calling app would necessarily be the final use of the technology, 4gamer reports, but that the software was merely a demonstration of the power of the Vitaâ€™s abilities and its potential in augmented reality (AR) gaming.

Rather than using specific glyphs that can be identified and tracked by an AR system, Sonyâ€™sÂ Yoshikatsu Kanemaru suggested that objects and even people could be distinguished by the Vita and have computer-generated graphics overlaid. Itâ€™s a technology that appears to have borrowed from Sonyâ€™s previous SmartAR research, which canÂ intelligently spot unique elements -such as posters, magazines or more complex forms, like body outlines â€“ in the cameraâ€™s frame and then track them accordingly.

Asus unveils new F1A75 series mainboards for AMD FM-1 CPUs

PC News Zone — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:21:02 +0000

Asus has announced a new line of mainboards in the AMD F1A75 family that will support the new AMD processors. The boards use all sorts of AMD tech for performance with support for Dual Graphics Technology to boost 3D graphics performance with an additional HD 60000 video card and the integrated GPU. The board is made to support the new AMD FM-1 socket CPUs and there are several boards in the family. The boards include the F1A75-V EVO, F1A75-V PRO and F1A75-M Pro.

All of the boards in the series use the dual intelligent Processors 2 tech with DIGI+ VRM power delivery for precision power adjustment and control. The boards also provide extra DRAM power to increase stability and has a feature packed BIOS. It sounds like the family will be overclocker friendly.

The mainboards also supports SATA 6Gb/s storage interface with RAID 0/1/10 support. The chipset in the boards also supports USB 3.0 natively with no need for a secondary controller. Intel still lacks native support for USB 3.0 and all Intel chipset boards are using a secondary controller for USB 3.0 ports. There is no word on when these boards will land and how much they will cost.

Optimus Top to Bottom: NVIDIA Releases the GeForce GTX 570M and 580M

PC News Zone — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:35:00 +0000

While our recent review of the Alienware M17x R3 proved you could have a gaming notebook that was still capable of halfway decent battery life, the hybrid solution found in that machine was more the exception than the rule. NVIDIA is refreshing their mobile high end, and while that's mostly newsworthy on its own, the big improvement is Optimus support for every part in the GeForce 500M series, from top to bottom. That includes the king of the hill, the (slightly) new GeForce GTX 580M.

The recent refresh of the GeForce GTX 460M into the 560M was a welcome one, bringing Optimus support and higher clocks to what's liable to be their crown prince of budget mobile gaming. The GTX 560M is beginning to materialize in the market, but we were still left with an odd hole in NVIDIA's lineup at the top. That hole has now been filled, and thankfully it's at least a little more than the usual speedbump that goes along with a new moniker these days. Now every part in the 500M series can switch over to Sandy Bridge's integrated graphics while running on the battery, offering the best of both worlds.

	GTX 580M	GTX 485M	GTX 570M	GTX 560M
Stream Processors	384	384	336	192
Texture Address / Filtering	64/64	64/64	56/56	32/32
ROPs	32	32	24	24
Core Clock	620MHz	575MHz	575MHz	775Mhz
Shader Clock	1240MHz	1150MHz	1150MHz	1550MHz
Memory Clock	750MHz (3GHz data rate) GDDR5	750MHz (3GHz data rate) GDDR5	750MHz (3GHz data rate) GDDR5	625MHz (2.5GHz data rate) GDDR5
Memory Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit	192-bit	128/192-bit
Frame Buffer	Up to 2GB	Up to 2GB	1.5GB/3GB	1.5GB/2GB
Transistor Count	1.95B	1.95B	1.95B	1.17B
Manufacturing Process	TSMC 40nm	TSMC 40nm	TSMC 40nm	TSMC 40nm
Optimus	Y	N	Y	Y

NVIDIA's new top dog is the GeForce GTX 580M. Every spec on the press sheets is listed as "up to," but that's really par for the course. While NVIDIA's reps declined to comment on what chips are being used for the GTX 580M, you'll find the specs are a dead giveaway. The 580M seems to be a mobile version of the GF104/114 (more likely GF114), with 384 CUDA cores, with a main clock of 620MHz (yielding 1240MHz on the shader cores). Riding shotgun is a 256-bit memory bus supporting up to 2GB of GDDR5 clocked at an effective 3GHz. Those of you keeping score at home will note that's an improvement of 45MHz on the core (and thus 90MHz on the shaders), with the memory speed remaining constant. All told I'd expect performance in the neighborhood of the desktop GeForce GTX 460 1GB version (or at least, the original NVIDIA spec): not too shabby, but still an incremental improvement on the shipping GTX 485M. The major selling point is, again, Optimus support in the 580M.

On the heels of the GTX 580M is the GeForce GTX 570M. The 470M was a bit of an oddity in that while the 480M and 485M were easy enough to find, the 470M was largely a rarity. While the 580M sees the minor speedbump we've come to expect, the 570M is a major improvement over its seldom-used predecessor. The 570M likely uses the same silicon as the 580M (which is, again, more than likely a GF114), but while the 470M only had 288 CUDA cores, the 570M gets a healthy upgrade to 336. The 470M's 535MHz core clock also sees a boost to 575MHz, with the shaders clocked at 1150MHz. The 570M still retains the 470M's 192-bit memory bus, and will be configured with either 1.5GB or 3GB of GDDR5 clocked at an effective 3GHz, a marked improvement on the 470M's 2.5GHz memory clocks. All told performance should be somewhere between the desktop GeForce GTX 460 768MB and the GTX 460 SE. For mobile gaming, that's still not bad at all, and again it benefits from Optimus support.

NVIDIA also was able to point out specific models of notebooks that will be shipping with these parts. Availability in 17" Clevo notebooks should surprise no one, with the P270WN in particular supporting both 3D Vision and SLI'd GeForce GTX 580M's. Alienware's new M18x (which we have en route for review) will also be supporting the GeForce GTX 580M in SLI. And finally, the MSI GT780R shown above will be shipping with the GeForce GTX 570M.

NVIDIA expects notebooks featuring the new GPUs to be available for order from OEMs today.

Buffalo debuts new MiniStation Plus portable storage solution

PC News Zone — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Buffalo has launched a new portable storage device called the MiniStation Plus. Previously we talked about other MiniStation storage devices and this new offering is similar. The new MiniStation Plus connects to a USB 3.0 port to offer fast storage for whatever the user needs. The storage device is compatible with USB 2.0 ports as well, but using a USB 2.0 port will reduce the performance of the drive. The Plus version of the MiniStation is inside an attractive looking lightweight and shockproof chassis. It will work with a Mac or a PC and offers data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps thanks to the speedy USB 3.0 port. The drive is also USB powered so it needs no external AC adapter. That is great news for mobile users and for desktop users that are tight on AC outlets. The Ministation Plus will encrypt the data stored on it with 256-bit AES encryption and a password will unlock the data you store on the drive. Controlling the MiniStation Plus is done with included Buffalo Tools utility suite for Windows computers. The MiniStation Plus has a 1-year warranty and will ship this month. The 500GB version is $84.99 and a 1TB version is $119.99.

LG’s DM50D HDTV / monitor promotes a passive 3D lifestyle

PC News Zone — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:46:00 +0000

LG is talking up its forthcoming DM50D 3D monitor -- not a lot, mind you, but just enough to get us interested. The company offered up a largely spec-free press release on the forthcoming set, heralding the adoption of passive 3D glasses, "Flicker Free" capabilities borrowed from its Cinema 3D TVline, and double the brightness of conventional 3D sets. The display has a built-in DTV turner, HDMI capabilities for connecting with 3D-capable consoles and the like, and the ability to view images and videos directly from a USB flash drive. It'll be hitting Europe in July, with more of the world getting a crack at it later. Peep the 2D release after the break.

LG TAKES ENTERTAINMENT TO A NEW DIMENSION WITH THE SHARPEST, MOST ADVANCED PERSONAL 3D HDTV YET

Seoul, Jun. 28, 2011 -- LG Electronics (LG) today introduces its next generation DM50D monitor, which includes all the advantages found on LG's game-changing CINEMA 3D TVs in a form factor that fits easily on a desktop. The flicker-free, bright images and lightweight 3D glasses that customers have come to associate with CINEMA 3D can all be found on the DM50D, including Full HDTV. The DM50D is the perfect platform for 3D gaming and movie watching.

"Our consumer research showed that while interest in 3D monitors was high, there were certain misgivings about the cumbersome glasses, reported health concerns and lack of 3D content," said Si-hwan Park, vice president of the monitor division at LG's Home Entertainment Company. "Through CINEMA 3D technology, the DM50D addresses all of these concerns, leaving users free to be completely immersed in the best quality 3D content and gaming on any monitor on the market today."

Like CINEMA 3D TVs, the DM50D monitor is also "Flicker Free" certified by European quality assurance agencies TÜV and Intertek. As well as producing wonderfully smooth 3D images, the lack of flicker and low crosstalk means an end to the dizziness and headaches users could sometimes experience on conventional 3D screens.

The DM50D boasts the ultimate in 3D brightness, more than double that of conventional 3D monitors. What's more, the glasses – also available as a clip-on for corrective glasses wearers – are extremely light, have no batteries and never need to be recharged. This makes them very comfortable to wear even for long work sessions or movie marathons. The DM50D 3D glasses are very affordably priced and are compatible with all of CINEMA 3D products.The DM50D also comes with a built-in 2D to 3D conversion feature so viewers can always watch top-quality 3D content on the fly. The conversion function works whether or not the monitor is connected to a PC and kicks in automatically on games to deliver the ultimate in 3D entertainment.

What's more, the DM50D boasts Full HDTV picture quality with a built-in DTV tuner that supports MPEG4, DVBC, DVBT and other digital TV broadcasting signals. Real surround sound delivers some of the fullest and vivid sound on any monitor and HDMI makes it a cinch to connect the DM50D to 3D games consoles, set-top boxes and more. And USB Quick View HD Play allows for the direct viewing of videos and photos through a USB flash drive even when the PC is off, freeing users from long boot-up times.

LG's DM50D monitor will be available in Europe beginning in July, to be followed by additional markets worldwide.

Razer Transformers collectorâ€™s edition gear isnâ€™t more than meets the eye

PC News Zone — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:58:07 +0000

The gaming geeks over at Razer have been making some of the best computer peripherals like mice and keyboards for gamers for a number of years now. The company has more recently taken to releasing special edition mice rather than completely new designs. The favorite mouse to get the custom collector’s edition touch from Razer is its DeathAdder mouse. In fact, the last time we talked about the DeathAdder it was getting dressed up in Dragon Age II livery.

Razer is back and that DeathAdder mouse is getting dressed up for fans of the Transformers franchise. The mice are for the tie in to the new flick that opens this week in theaters everywhere. The DeathAdder comes in both Autobot and Decepticon versions with the good guy mice in red for Optimus Prime and yellow for Bumblebee. The bad guys are in silver for Megatron and purple for the new baddies that pop out of the dust on the moon.

All of the mice have the same 3.5G sensor and 3500dpi sensitivity. You can pick up any of the four designs for $69.99 each. To complete your Transformers desk swag you can also get a Transformers Vespula dual sided gaming mouse pad with Optimus on one side and Megatron on the other for $44.99. Razer also has a line of laptop sleeve cases in Transformers style for $49.99 each.

23-Inch NEC MultiSync EX231Wp makes desktop displays a little bit greener

pcnz_admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:53:58 +0000

If you remember last year’s EX231W (note the lack of “p”) then you pretty much know all you need to about the company’s latest business-class 23-incher, the EX231Wp. It’s got the same 14.6mm bezel, 250-nit brightness, 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and 1920 x 1080 resolution. It even kept the pair of sensors for measuring ambient light and detecting meatbags sitting in front of it, which allow the screen to adjust its brightness and conserve energy. Really, the only big difference is that NEC has managed to trim the power consumption from an already respectable 31W to just 27W under normal use. The display will start shipping in July for $319 and you’ll find more spec fun in the PR after the break.

NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS ADDS THIN, LIGHTWEIGHT DESKTOP MODEL TO ULTRA-SLIM MULTISYNC EX SERIES
CHICAGO – June 13, 2011
EX231Wp Offers PVA Model with Stunning Contrast Ratio, Incredible Viewing Angles, Slim Depth with LED Backlighting

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the addition of the 23-inch PVA panel MultiSyncÂ® EX231Wp, which joins the 23-inch, TN panel MultiSync EX231W. This sleek desktop monitor offers a premium-grade, performance-driven PVA panel that allows for increased viewing angle, sharp contrast ratio and ease in transporting between different locations. Ideal for multiple monitor setups, the MultiSync EX231Wp is designed for financial and corporate environments, business users on-the-go, small-scale digital signage, small-to-medium-sized business client meetings and presentations.

The MultiSync EX231Wp will be on display in NEC Display Solutions Booth No. 1901 at InfoComm 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL on June 15-17.

The new MultiSync EX231Wp stands out with its true minimalist design. It features an ultra-thin bezel width (14.6mm), depth (14.2mm) and weight (9.3 pounds with stand). The LED backlighting technology allows the MultiSync EX231Wp to consume as little as 27W, making it one of the most power-efficient desktops in its size category. Additionally, the quick-release button enables stand removal and allows simple setup with the photo-frame stand (optional accessory), making the MultiSync EX231Wp an ideal business travel companion. The PVA panel provides customers with greater image quality with full high-definition resolution, high contrast ratio (3000:1 typical, 25,000:1 dynamic), excellent viewing angles (178Â° vertical, 178Â° horizontal) and minimized color shift for crisp text, bright colors and pure imagery.

Integrated features of the MultiSync EX231Wp include the human sensor, which detects user activity in front of the monitor and reduces its power up to 94% with inactivity. Users have the ability to adjust the inactivity length and sensor settings. Similarly, the monitor’s built-in ambient light sensor detects external light sources, white display area and adjusts the display’s brightness accordingly. The USB port on top of the display enables the quick connection of a webcam or speaker for video conferencing, as well as easy thumb drive access.

“The ultra-slim MultiSync EX231Wp was created to give business users more functionality with the ability to easily implement web conferencing, small-scale digital signage, portability in between meetings and simple multi-screen setup,” said Lynn Gu, Product Manager for NEC Display Solutions. “We anticipate our customers traveling with their MultiSync EX231Wp to client meetings or using a mount solution to tile multiple monitors together. The unique capabilities this product presents are unlike anything else in our IT desktop lineup.”

The MultiSync EX231Wp includes the following features:

23-inch, 16:9, PVA panel with LED backlighting
1920 x 1080 full HD resolution
250 cd/mÂ² brightness
3,000:1 typical contrast ratio (25,000:1 dynamic)
27-watt power consumption
Advanced connectivity with DisplayPort and DVI-I inputs
USB port
Fully adjustable stand with 110mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel and pivot
Quick-release stand
Touch-sensitive On Screen Display (OSDÂ®) controls
Ambient light sensor
Human sensor
ECO Modeâ„¢, carbon footprint meter and cost meter
Intelligent Power Management (IPM) system and off timer
Dynamic Video Mode enhances video and images with real-time optimization of brightness, color and contrast (standard, text, movie, game and photo)
External power supply via mini AC adaptor
ENERGY STAR 5.0 and TCO 5.2 compliance
EPEAT Gold compliance
Windows 7 and Windows Vistaâ„¢ certified
Optional accessories include photo frame stand and carrying bag (July availability)

The MultiSync EX231Wp ships with a 3-year limited parts and labor warranty and will be available in July 2011 at an estimated street price of $319.

About NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc.
Headquartered in Itasca, Ill., NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., is a leading designer and provider of innovative desktop LCD monitors, commercial- and professional-grade large-screen LCD displays, a diverse line of multimedia and digital cinema projectors, and integrated display solutions. NEC Display Solutions develops leading-edge visual technology and customer-focused solutions for a wide variety of markets, including enterprise, healthcare, education and digital signage. For additional information about NEC Display Solutions of America monitors, consumers can call (866) NEC-MORE, or visit the website at www.necdisplay.com. For digital images, please visit http://www.necdisplay.com/products/digitalmedialibrary/.

About VUKUNET
VUKUNET, from NEC Display Solutions of America, is the engine that powers the digital out-of-home advertising business. VUKUNET is the only universal ad serving platform that drives ads to any digital out-of-home network, regardless of content management system. VUKUNET makes the buying, flighting and reporting of digital out-of-home ad campaigns easy. For additional information about VUKUNET, visit www.vukunet.com or call (877) 805-VUKU. For VUKUNET logos and digital images, please visit http://www.vukunet.com/pressresources.aspx.

Hannspree debuts new AIO PC SN22A1

pcnz_admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:11:55 +0000

Hannspree has a line of interesting products that it peddles in the UK for fans of computers. I always get a kick out of digital photo frames and computer displays that are inside stuffed animals or look like sports balls. The latest product to land for Hannspree is a new AIO computer called the SN22A1. This computer is a 21.5-inch screen unit that crams all the hardware inside the monitor for style and to take up less space.

The screen uses LED backlighting for power efficiency and it supports multitouch capability. The machine comes loaded with some interesting multitouch apps. The processor under the hood is a dual-core Intel D510 at 1.66GHz. The computer has 3GB of DDRII RAM and a 320GB HDD. An integrated optical drive is included along with a memory card reader, four USB ports, and the OS is Windows Home Premium Standard.

The machine also has WiFi and Bluetooth for connectivity and an integrated 1.3MP webcam. The stand the screen has is very slim and can be tilted for comfort from 10-degrees to 55-degrees. The AIO supports full 1080p resolution and has both HDMI and VGA inputs. The email Hanspree sent around shows the price of the machine to be Â£349.99 with VAT, but the Hanspree website lists the machine at Â£399.99 including VAT.