Best computer news

Until Jobs gives the nod to USB 3.0, we probably won’t see any Mac with the 5Gbps interface anytime soon. But this doesn’t stop innovations by third party manufacturers like CalDigit. This AV specialist company has engineered a speedy USB 3.0 drive – obviously to be way ahead of its time, at least in the Mac peripheral market. Having said that, the CalDigit AV USB 3.0 Drive (up to 2TB) is made for video editing in mind.

The latest benchmark numbers for the CalDigit AV reveal that the drive doesn’t disappoint with a top sustained write speed of 149MB/s. Also impressive is the unit’s FireWire 800 performance, hitting 85MB/s. The only USB 3.0 drive that compares favorably is the Seagate GoFlex Desk 3TB, which we recorded close to 160MB/s write speed. Keep in mind the CalDigit is designed exclusively for Mac Pro and MacBook Pro 17″ as you need to upgrade to USB 3.0 with appropriate adapters. Snow Leopard however doesn’t yet support USB 3.0 so CalDigit took the liberty to develop the industry’s first driver especially for its SuperSpeed ExpressCard and PCI Express.
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This is certainly a sign USB 3.0 train is finally picking up steam. Sony Japan has just announced their prestige line of notebooks will come with USB 3.0 support. These desktop-replacement full HD VAIO laptops come with possibly almost everything you can hope for with the exception of 3D and SSD. The more expensive model ($2,970) will have Core i7-740QM, GeForce GT 425M 1GB graphics card while the lower end laptop ($2,140) will only carry a Core i5-460M and GeForce 310M 512MB. Both share 4GB RAM, the same Blu-ray reader, 500GB 2.5″ drive and a dual HDTV tuner as well as a 16.4″ full HD LCD.

In the connectivity department, both laptops will feature not one but two USB 3.0 ports – likely powered by none other than Renesas / NEC. There’s also one eSATA-hijacked USB 2.0 port; HDMI interface; SDXC card slot; a Memory Stick Duo slot; and Bluetooth 3.0+HS. Since most laptop components including trackpad, keyboard and webcam nowadays piggyback on USB bus, it would be interesting to see if the integrated SDXC reader will also take advantage of the SuperSpeed interface. While there’s no international pricing for these VAIOs, it’s obviously the worldwide USB 3.0 revolution has started even without Intel.
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While “gaming mice” usually steal most of the limelight, there is a very good argument to be made that your keyboard plays just as big a role in the success of your gaming endeavors. Logitech and their G-series keyboards are one such great example of what a gaming keyboard should act and feel like. Today I am going to look at the all new Logitech G510 Gaming Keyboard. Is it as good as the original G15, or will it fall short of perfection? Read on for my full review.
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As the iPad gains in popularity, one of its biggest annoyances is readily addressed by Kensington. The aptly-named PowerBolt Duo car charger has two USB ports for charging 2 devices, one full power 2.1A port and one 1A port. The iPad is currently the only device we’re aware of that requires the 2 amp power in order to charge. iPad users will certainly be delighted that they can charge both their iPad and iPhone or iPod at the same time.

The iPad is certainly gaining popularity, and the second coming of the tablet is just around the corner. While the power consumption of the iPad was initially seen as excessive, the new larger multifunction devices will require more power or will not be able to charge with USB. Requiring more power from our sources is a actually a small sacrifice for the survival of all of the micro-USB charging cables and connection accessories. Perhaps the slew of larger more power hungry devices will shepherd the adoption of the USB 3.0 standard as it generally has plenty of power to handle the more mature devices we see arriving. The Kensington PowerBolt Duo car charger fits snugly in your car cigarette lighter socket and the $29.99 asking price should fit snugly within anyone’s budget. Get yours ordered now from their online store.
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Archos, maker of tablet based multimedia players, has added a new unbelievably affordable version of its audio/video players. The Archos 32 Internet Tablet is built around their usual touchscreen handheld hardware with an Android 2.2 OS core. Their media playing software dominates the devices providing playback of all the favorite mobile formats of audio and most of the choice video varieties as well on its 400×240 screen. Comparing well with the rest of their lineup, the Archos 32 boasts 44 hours of audio playback and about 10 of video on a full charge. The Archos 32 also has many of the fun options of Android life like Internet access, email and some social media apps. Archos has a scaled down version of the App Market with mostly Archos apps, but that may change over time.

If you have ever considered a video player outside of an iPod touch, then you are already familiar with Archos. Unfortunately until today, all video players were well beyond what most folks were willing to pay, easily passing $400 at the minimum. Besides being a very enticing media player, at $149 this is likely the cheapest you can get your hands on an Android device. We can see throngs of mobile app developers clamoring to get their hands on them. At this price point, the underground development community is likely to embrace this handheld. That being said, you shouldn’t have to wait very long for some home brew applications to arrive and enhance these wonderful gadgets without having to sell your soul to Apple.
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Besides the increased bandwidth, USB 3.0 brings an extra helping of power to help manufacturers like Jargy provide us with great new mobile devices. The bus-powered USB 3.0 2.5″ RAID Box is a great example of things to come. It’s nothing new in that it’s a RAID enclosure (like the recently announced LaCie 2Big) built for laptop class hard drives but it hass been cut loose of its shackles and can now run solely on USB 3.0 power. The opportunity for slick uses is exploding with the availability of SSD drives for speed and stability. You could make an ultra stable portable drive in the RAID-1 (mirror) configuration or a super fast RAID-0 (striped) drive.

While the striped configuration is less durable, the addition of SSD shock resistance should more than cancel out the added risk of failure. This might make a great way to shuttle VHDs from home to work and vice-versa. This might also eliminate your need for a laptop altogether and let you reduce the load in your carry-on bag. Filling this up with Sandforce-enabled SSDs may also be the only way you will get to fully use the 5Gbps bandwidth of USB 3.0. Even the fastest SATA drives are only able to handle ‘most’ of the full pipe. Made in Taiwan, you will probably need to start checking sites like Brando for availability which is unknown at this time.
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While most peripherals are designed for “serious business”, others rebel in their geeky novelty. One such company which revels in their geeky gaming allure is Dream Cheeky. Their latest toy the I.O.C. Missile Launcher looks to take what worked from previous models and build upon them with upgraded power! Does the Dream Cheeky I.O.C. USB Missile Launcher now have what it takes to help you win your next office “cube wars” NERF battle? Read on for the full review.
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Built upon the Zboard, the SteelSeries Shift isn’t just another gaming keyboard with zillions of programmable macro keys. It successfully distinguishes itself from the others with its revolutionary interchangeable game keysets. In a nut shell, the Shift allows you to swap out the standard keyset with one tailor-made for your game – that is, if SteelSeries licenses the right from the publisher. The original Zboard already has a large fan following; you can find themed keysets for triple A titles including Aion, Battlefield 1942, Doom 3, StarCraft 2 and World of Warcraft. Having said that, it makes sense for SteelSeries to make a successor.

Besides the interchangeable keysets, the SteelSeries Shift is now much more solid which now can endure up to 15 million keystrokes per key. The company thoughtfully fine-tuned some keys requiring you to use less force than other keys. The media controls for example will require you to apply more pressure on them. Should you want to customize the macros yourself, the Shift has 3 layers of on-the-fly macros which you can record onto the keyboard itself. At the same time, the Shift can even record your timing of the keystrokes. Last but not least are the USB audio and 2-port USB hub. The SteelSeries Shift is available now for $89.99.
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There’s a growing trend in USB gaming headsets which have an inherent advantage of controlling user experience with their on-board sound processor. This year, there are already quite a few true digital headsets including Logitech G930, Razer Banshee, Creative Sound Blaster Arena and SteelSeries 7H-USB. Other non-traditional players are jumping into the bandwagon. ThermalTake now joins the ranks of surround gaming headsets that are targeted towards hardcore FPS, RTS & MMORPG gamers.

ThermalTake’s division Tt eSPORTS’ SHOCK ONE gaming headset has two boxy and angular circumaural ear-cups that provide a good seal. At the same time, the cans should be large enough that our ears won’t feel like they are being crushed. The ear-pad cushion (an extra pair included) are made of Protein leather with good ventilation and nose isolation. The SHOCK ONE sports two 400mm drivers so the headset can only do virtual surround sound. ThermalTake claims its headset has passed DTS 5.1-channel certification. So, this headset should be adequate for movies as well as games. Last but not least are the in-line remote control and what looks to be a very polished software that allows you to setup multiple profiles for different game requirements.
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When it comes to PC gaming, you really are only as good as your gear. Logitech understands this key concept and continues to produce some of the best gaming peripherals out there. Their latest G700 wireless gaming mouse, with an amazing THIRTEEN buttons, looks to continue this tradition of excellence. Let’s take a close look and see if it actually IS as good as it looks! Read on for the full review.
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