Rain Computer's Nimbus M2 Workstation Available Now

"Making it rain" has never seemed so appropriate. Rain Computers has just introduced their new multimedia workstation, the Nimbus M2. It's detailed as a "powerhouse" for audio and video production, which -- we guess -- could end up making you enough cash to seriously make it rain. This is the follow-up to the original Nimbus, replete with a 6-core processor, NVIDIA Quadro 600 Workstation Video Card and 8GB or 16GB of memory right out of the box.

The Nimbus M2 is built, in part, on the success of the Phenom II X6 6-Core processor developed by AMD, as well as 32GB of memory, an external HDD bay and a new cooling system developed by NZXT that combines modular cooling fans with advanced acoustic insulation. And, like all Rain computers, Nimbus M2 is available with RainCare Encompass Creative Computer Support. A free 30 day trial of RainCare Encompass is always included to help new users transition smoothly and then get down to work. Nimbus M2 Multimedia Workstation is available now starting at $1599 through the Rain Custom Shop at RainComputers.com as well as through select Rain Authorized Dealers like American Musical Supply (AMS), Best Buy and the famous B&H Photo in New York.

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Steampunk Pumpkins for the Upcoming Halloween

No doubt, it’s the right time to build several unique arts for the upcoming Halloween. If you like this kind of steampunk style, the following steampunk pumpkins should be able to inspired you.

 

These cool steampunk Halloween pumpkins are created by Yamiguru, an artist living in Pasadena. As we can see from the images, each steampunk pumpkin features those iconic elements taken by various steampunk arts such as brass or silver coating, gears, prominent rivets, spooky lights, goggles and more, and the integrated handle allows you to conveniently show the incredible pumpkin off to your friends. How do you feel about the idea? Fortunately, the maker has published the making steps on the Internet. So if you want to create a steampunk pumpkin, jump to Yamiguru’s instructables page for more details.

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Sports Tracker ships Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor

Sports Tracker is now shipping its Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor, a chest-worn unit that pairs with a smartphone app for viewing stats in real-time as well as storing your data on the company website or sharing it with others through social media.



The heart rate monitor works via a Bluetooth belt that you must first wet before wrapping around your chest (under your shirt). Wetting the back of the monitor ensures that the electrodes read your heart rate properly. Once connected, grab your smartphone and choose "settings" and then "heart rate belt" on the Sports Tracker app. Once it finds the heart rate belt, click "connect" and then enter the pin code "0000" to begin tracking data. Once you see your heart rate on your phone, you are ready to go.

The system has an extended range of up to 20 meters (65.6-feet), so can store the phone in a back pocket, back-pack, or on an armband. Charges is via USB and the unit is claimed to be good for 40 hours of use on one charge.

As you run, your heart rate is tracked along with additional data such as speed, distance, time, number of steps, elevation, and even the musical playlist you were listening to while exercising. If you take photos along the route with your phone, they are automatically geo-tagged and show up on your map once you sync the device to the Sports Tracker website.
After you're finished exercising, you can view all of the data from your smartphone. When you return home, you can sync it to the Sports Tracker website, and view the data on the big screen, as well as share it with others on Facebook or Twitter.

The Sports Tracker app doesn't do anything mind-blowingly different to similar apps on the market like Nike+ and Run Keeper, but after testing the app and exploring the beautiful interface Sports Tracker uses, I'd say the difference is just how well it does them,

The Sports Tracker heart rate monitor costs EUR69.90 and the free app is available on iPhone, Android or Nokia Symbian platforms.

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Gigabyte Shows Off G1.Assassin 2 X79 Express-Based Motherboard

Although we’re still a while away from the official launch of Intel’s X79 Express chipset and next-gen Sandy Bridge-E processors, Gigabyte has decided to show off their latest G1-Killer motherboard, the GIGABYTE G1.Assassin 2.

“Today we have a special treat for those of you who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our forthcoming X79 series motherboards, with a glimpse of the GIGABYTE G1. Assassin 2 in all its glory; the first G1-Killer series board to support Intel Core processors for the 2011 socket.

As with all GIGABYTE G1-Killer motherboards, the emphasis is on serious gaming performance, with onboard audio and networking processors that ensure you’re getting the ultimate 3D gaming experience. Bigfoot Networks’ Killer E2100 platform is again present and correct on the G1.Assassin 2 to make sure your pings are as low as possible and provide advanced network and application management. And as you’d expect, there’s the onboard Creative Soundblaster X-Fi digital audio processor, providing HD audio fidelity akin to that of a high-end discrete add-in sound card.

Surely the most eye-catching feature on the G1.Assassin 2 is the revised and updated ‘Locked and Loaded’ heatsink array. After all, what’s the point of assembling one of the deadliest and fiercest 3D gaming rigs ever, if doesn’t actually look the part?”

 

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Camera drone built for Red Epic

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<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91543" height="204" src="http://cdn2.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/german-effects.jpg" title="german-effects" width="400" />&nbsp;</div>
<span id="intelliTxt">&nbsp;The world of cinematography has certainly come a long, long way since silent movies that turned out to be hits, with stalwarts such as Charlie Chaplin making us split our sides in the process. How about the Three Stooges that had plenty of eye poking done without causing any blindness? Well, fast forward to today and the kind of special effects that you see on Hollywood would never have been envisioned a few decades ago.<br /><br />The kind of equipment used, too, probably cost many times my net worth. Well, German VFX company OMStudios figured out a creative way of using Red Epic’s super camera by installing it on a flying drone – a custom Octocopter so to speak, in order to record airborne videos in resolutions of up to 5k.<br /><br />Sounds like fun, but you’d best master how to fly this drone as crashing would probably cause you to hear two breaking sounds – one of the Red Epic camera, while the other is that of you heart. Don’t you think that it would be less foolhardy to just rent a crane to get that special shot from above?</span>

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BioShock Themed Computer Case Mod

BioShock undoubtedly is a successful steampunk styled FPS video game, while the following computer case mod also successfully inherits the steampunk elements from BioShock. If you’re curious, let’s go on checking.

BioShock Centrum, a Hungarian BioShock fansite first introduced the awesome BioShock themed computer case mod created by artist Mórocz Gergõ. As we can see from the images, the case mod features a kind of depressing and decadent color tone and subtle details originated from Rapture, the underwater city in BioShock video game, including a Fontaine Futuristics logo, Rapture emblem, fantastic orange light and more. But we have no idea whether the lights will flash unsteadily just as it does in the game. After the break, check out the rest images about the BioShock themed computer case mod.

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ViewSonic V3D231 Joins 3D Display Lineup

ViewSonic is expanding its 3D display lineup with the addition of the new V3D231 LED monitor. This 23-inch 3D-Ready LED monitor touts a video response time of 2ms and supports a native resolution of 1920x1080. The monitor also has a 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and integrated SRS Premium Sound audio speakers. One pair of polarized 3D glasses and one pair of clip-on polarized lenses are included with the monitor. In terms of connectivity, the V3D231 offers VGA, DVI-D and HDMI 1.4a inputs. The V3D231 is available for an estimated price of $349.

ViewSonic Introduces New Ultra-fast 3D LED Display

ViewSonic continues 3D display leadership with new V3D231 LED monitor

WALNUT, Calif. – October 17, 2011 – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today expanded its 3D display leadership, announcing the immediate availability of its V3D231 LED monitor.
This 23-inch3D-Ready LED monitor features an ultra-fast 2ms video response time, making it perfect for enjoying a crystal clear 3D gaming and video experience. Paired with a native 1920x1080 full HD resolution and 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, users can expect great color accuracy and picture detail, making for unsurpassed 3D image quality.

Delivering an immersive multimedia entertainment experience, the V3D231 offers integrated SRS Premium Sound® audio speakers, in addition to the included polarized 3D glasses. Add VGA, DVI-D and HDMI 1.4a inputs and consumers can enjoy vast connectivity options, including directly connecting to content on their Blu-ray® 3D player or PS3 gaming console. To ensure all users have access to a plethora of 3D content, ViewSonic’s V3D231 monitor also includes a TriDef 3D software suite. With this software, users can easily convert and view their 2D PC images in life-like 3D, in addition to playing over 500 PC-based video games in amazing 3D quality.

“The V3D231 is the perfect 3D monitor for consumers in search of hi-def entertainment in a true 3D format,” said Erik Willey, LCD monitor and PC product marketing manager, ViewSonic. “Due to its Frame Patterned Retarder technology, the V3D231 enables consumers to view amazing 3D images without the need for expensive 3D glasses. By putting polarized 3D glasses and access to 3D content in consumers’ hands, ViewSonic is broadening the reach of 3D entertainment for 3D gaming, movies and education at a competitive price point.”

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Nvidia Eyes Server Market With Future Tegra CPUs

AMD's Bulldozer has grabbed CPU headlines since its debut several weeks ago but it's far from the only company eyeing the evolving chip market. Nvidia has been fairly closemouthed about its ongoing effort to develop a mainstream ARM-based CPU (dubbed Project Denver), but the company is still hard at work on its own processors. The first Denver chips are aimed at the traditional Tegra family, but the head of Nvidia's Tesla division, Steve Scott, says the company has plans for that market as well. ""There are some things we are doing that are particularly nice for our purposes. It will likely go into the Tesla line at some point," Scott said.


Nvidia has stated that it prefers ARM to x86 for reasons of efficiency. ""The ARM instruction set is more power efficient than x86. That's why there are people looking to build ARM-based servers. That's why we like ARM in phones, because you get more performance per watt, more performance per square millimeter," Scott said.

The company many not be talking details yet, but it's not hard to picture what sort of Tegra-Tesla hybrid Nvidia might build. The efficiency and small die size advantages of ARM mean the company could conceivably design a Tesla GPU with an ARM CPU core baked into it. The OS scheduler and general compute functions would run on the ARM cores, while all the computational heavy lifting takes place on the GPU side of the equation.

One of the major advantages to this type of approach is scalability. Once it nails down the CPU side of the equation, Nvidia could ramp the size and capability of the associated GPU configuration to its heart content, with only relatively minor updates to the CPU. The 'Companion Core' in Kal-El could even be thought of as a variation on this theme. With Kal-El, NV embedded a small island of high-performing "G" transistors in the midst of a low power design. TSMC doesn't offer a design that allows the reverse, but NV is clearly experimenting with combining chip functionality and advanced manufacturing techniques.

The major hurdles facing Nvidia in the server room are related to ARM's limited performance relative to CPUs from AMD/Intel, and the fact that the vast majority of server software is written for x86 products. In this case, NV's chip is likely a considerable departure from other ARM products. While it remains based on the ARM instruction set, Nvidia has claimed its upcoming CPU will be 64-bit (all current ARM products, including the upcoming Cortex A-15, are 32-bit parts).

We expect Project Denver will eventually debut in several favors. A tablet/netbook-class part will consist of a chip configuration more analogous to modern-day Tegra 2, with a CPU and GPU on a single die. Eventually we'll likely see Tesla parts that include an ARM core, with said processor likely being on-package but off-die. Nvidia could conceivably integrate the ARM core directly into the GPU, but doing so would mean fabbing separate Tesla GPUs or burning out the CPU silicon when selling the chips in the enthusiast market.

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Touch Gloves for Smartphones and Tablets

Winter is coming. Apparently it’s the right time to introduce a pair of practical gloves that are friendly to your smartphones or tablets. If you feel the same, let’s go on checking Touch Gloves.

This is a pair of touch screen-friendly gloves designed for those who use smartphones and tablets in winter. Each glove measures 21.5 x 12 x 0.5cm, and is made of acrylic material, polyurethane and conductive fiber. As we can see from the images, the positions of pointing fingers, middle fingers and thumbs on the gloves comes with different color, of course, not only that, the white parts features special conductive fiber in order that you can conveniently operate your iPhone 4, iPad 2, and other smartphones and tablets without removing the touch gloves from your hands.

Touch Gloves are available in 5 colors, including black, gray, navy, purple and turquoise, each pair is priced at $16.5 USD. If you’re interested, jump to Strapya World for more details. Additionally, you need other options, you might like to check Quirky Digits glove pin.

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Nikon DSLR Lens Styled Portable Speaker

You have taken thousands of photos with your Nikon camera? How do you feel about the DSLR camera? Great? Then maybe the Nikon DSLR lens styled portable speaker can catch your eyes.

This is a unique DSLR lens styled portable speaker that measures 110 x 85 x 160mm and weights 165g. As we can see from the images, the portable speaker is shaped as a Nikon AF-S 55-200mm 1:4-5.6GED lens, and the built-in 5.0 stereo loudspeakers can deliver you loud sound. The integrated 3.5 mm audio jack allows you to connect the portable speaker system with any music player with 3.5mm audio jack. Even you have no music player, the integrated card slot makes the portable speaker double as a MP3 player. Apart from that, the portable USB speaker is powered by built-in rechargeable battery or USB port.

The Nikon DSLR lens styled portable speaker is priced between $20 to $40.

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Intel Release User Friendly SSD Toolbox 3.0

Intel today made available version 3.0 of its Solid State Drive Toolbox software designed to help Intel SSD owners optimize and keep their drives running in tip-top shape as if just unboxed. This new version makes it easier than ever to update firmware, run diagnostics, and perform optimizations right from within Windows with a redesigned and streamlined user interface.

This free utility also includes a system tuner that makes system configuration recommendations geared towards squeezing the most performance out of your SSD. It does this by detecting and determining if things like SuperFetch/Prefetch should be disabled, and whether or not to turn off ready/boost, defragmenter, or DIPM, all of which are services designed to make mechanical hard drives run faster, but could potentially have a negative impact on SSD performance.

"Super easy and elegant, the Intel Solid-State Drive Toolbox helps usersembark on the road to the faster performance of SSDs without having to dealwith the complexities of the drive," Intel said in a statement. "It makes it easier for consumers to makethe technology leap as SSDs become more mainstream. Intel SSD owners candownload the new toolbox free at www.intel.com/go/ssdtoolbox.

The new Toolbox is now available in 11 languages as well.

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WikiSensor app turns an iPhone into a peripheral-free radiation detector

The WikiSense app and some black tape turns an iPhone 4 into a radiation detector

Earlier this month, we reported on the Scosche RDTX-Pro that connects via a dock connector to turn an iPhone or iPod touch into a radiation detector. That device is set to go on sale in Japan from next month but if you're not in Japan or just don't want to shell out extra cash on any peripheral hardware, then the WikiSensor app might be worth a look - it won't be as accurate, but the only extra bit of kit you'll need is some opaque black tape.


To convert your iPhone into a radiation detector all you need to do is install the WikiSense app and stick some opaque black tape - electrician's tape should do the trick - over the iPhone's front-facing camera. Since the CMOS sensors used in smartphone cameras like the iPhone's don't just pick up visible light but also high frequency waves from radioactive sources, such as gamma and X-rays, covering the lens means only those waves make it through to the sensor. Once activated, the application then counts the number of impacts the sensor receives and translates that into a value in microsieverts per hour.

The makers of the app admit it won't give a precise reading, but rather an approximate one that should be validated by more professional tools if a reading above five microsieverts per hour is detected.
The team behind the app plans to develop a tool that uses data gathered from various users to generate a map showing radiation levels in different locations - hence the wiki prefix. With the ultimate vision of developing a platform that uses a network of devices - particularly smartphones - as a sensor network to measure various aspects of environmental quality, the company also has plans to develop apps to measure Wi-Fi waves, relay antenna waves, magnetic fields, earthquakes, greenhouse gases, UVA/UVB light, oxygen and temperature.

The WikiSensor app has only been calibrated for use with the iPhone 4 and is available now for US$99 from the iTunes App Store.

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Polar Ice cups helps you pause and think of the environment

Have you watched the documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”? Well, I must say that viewing it certainly jolted some folks into action to help clean up the earth. As for Japan’s Atsuhiro Hayashi, he decided to take a different direction – by offering silicone ice cube “molds with a message” which will create a solitary frozen cube at a time. The white one will result in a polar bear, while the black one aptly churns out a pair of penguins.


These ice cubes will probably look so nice, you might think of it as an affront to see them melt. Why not let them bob about gently in your favorite beverage, with the inevitable coming as they melt into oblivion, letting you pause for a moment and wonder whether you have done all you can to make sure our earth will still be able to sustain such life in the arctic and antarctic?

These ice cube cups won’t come cheap though, but then again at the moment, going green had never been affordable. The Polar Ice environmental ice cube cups will retail for $31.30 for each set.

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Samsung Ships 830 SSD Drives

Samsung's new line of advanced internal solid state drives (SSDs), the SSD 830 series, is now available. The Samsung SSD 830 Series utilize a high-performance Serial ATA Revision 3.0 interface which doubles the data bandwidth of its predecessor, the SSD 470 series. With this new interface, the drives can offer random read speeds up to 80,000 IOPS and sequential read and write speeds up to 520 MB/s & 400 MB/s respectively. The drives also use 20-nanometer-class toggle DDR NAND chips which enable data transfer rates up to 133 Mbps. The SSD 830 series are available in capacities of 64 GB ($129.99), 128 GB ($229.99), 256 GB ($429.99) and 512 GB ($849.99).

Samsung 830 SSD Drive Now Available – The PC Transformation Begins Today

The Samsung 830 SSD also includes full versions of Norton Ghost and Batman:
Arkham City (with 128 GB or higher models)

The Samsung SSD 830 Series incorporates a high-performance Serial ATA Revision 3.0 interface, doubling the data bandwidth of Samsung’s previous SSD product, the SSD 470 series. As a result, the drives boast superior random read speeds (up to 80,000 IOPS) and faster sequential read and write speeds (up to 520 MB/s & 400 MB/s respectively).

Further, the drives utilize 20-nanometer-class toggle DDR (double-data rate) NAND chips which enable data transfer rates up to 133 megabits per second (Mbps)—more than three times faster than conventional (66 Mbps) single-data-rate (SDR) NAND chips. Samsung’s unique triple-core MCX controller, which excels in multi-tasking, provides superior throughput under heavy input/output (IO) loads, allowing for more consistent performance on a wider variety of tasks.

“Since Samsung manufactures all components of the 830 SSD, we are able to deliver amazing performance and enhanced reliability,” explained Reid Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Mobile Entertainment, Samsung Electronics America. “In addition, the drives feature an absolutely beautiful design that anyone will want to show off.”
To verify that Samsung’s 830 SSD delivered amazing benefits to the key audience of PC gamers, Samsung arranged for the research firm Hit Detection, led by former Newsweek senior writer N’Gai Croal, to test the 830 SSD side by side with HDDs on 30 different games.

“I expected a speed boost on systems utilizing the 830 SSD, but I was stunned at just how much of a benefit Samsung was able to achieve,” Croal stated. “System boot, game launch and saved game loads are all noticeably quicker. This means gamers can jump into their games faster than ever before. On some titles, we even noticed a more fluid experience, likely because of how quickly the game assets were streaming in.” Detailed findings will be available in a white paper to be released shortly.

In addition to the blazing performance, the Samsung SSD 830 series boasts a stylish exterior, delivering precision engineering inside and out. The new drives come in a brushed metal enclosure, highlighted by a deep black tone, which effectively embodies Samsung’s legendary SSD performance and reliability.

Samsung also provides a full upgrade kit along with each 830 series model, for a superior user experience and a safe and easy upgrade solution. The included Norton Ghost software eliminates the need to reinstall applications, manually move data, and reconfigure user settings, reducing the time it takes to upgrade to an SSD by up to 75 percent. The desktop bundle also includes a bracket for installing the 2.5" drive in a 3.5" bay, all required cables, and detailed instructions. Notebook upgrade kits include a USB to SATA adapter cable and a drive spacer to ensure a perfect fit.
The new SSD series builds on the success of the acclaimed 470 Series SSD. Samsung, the world’s leading memory manufacturer, has created proprietary firmware – the brains of the drive – to deliver exceptional performance. Samsung also engineers all of its components in-house, unique among SSD manufacturers.

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ASUS Unveils X79 Motherboard Lineup

ASUS has revealed details about its upcoming lineup of Intel X79-based motherboards, and they’re looking mighty fine.
Essentially every member of the ASUS motherboard family is getting an X79 version, from entry to mainstream boards to workstations to high-end enthusiast boards. These include the P9X79 Series, WS Series, TUF Series, and RoG Rampage IV Extreme.

All of the boards enjoy an updated UEFI with increased granular controls and a variety of minor spruce-ups that make it even easier to navigate.

The P9X79 boards (pictured left) feature ASUS’ latest Digi+ Power and Digi+ DRAM technology for precise control over tuning, Dual Intelligent Processors 3 architecture, SSD caching, and USB BIOS Flashback for easy BIOS flashing without the need for a video card, CPU, or HDD.

The TUF Sabertooth X79 (pictured right) features Thermal Armor and Digi+ Power capabilities to maximize performance and stability, in addition to Thermal Radar technology that places 12 sensors all over the board that help automatically (or manually) adjust fan speeds for optimal cooling.

The new RoG Rampage IV Extreme board (pictured below) is an overclocker's dream; it’s loaded with impressive OC tools that are still under NDA.

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Nvidia Eyes Server Market With Future Tegra CPUs

AMD's Bulldozer has grabbed CPU headlines since its debut several weeks ago but it's far from the only company eyeing the evolving chip market. Nvidia has been fairly closemouthed about its ongoing effort to develop a mainstream ARM-based CPU (dubbed Project Denver), but the company is still hard at work on its own processors. The first Denver chips are aimed at the traditional Tegra family, but the head of Nvidia's Tesla division, Steve Scott, says the company has plans for that market as well. ""There are some things we are doing that are particularly nice for our purposes. It will likely go into the Tesla line at some point," Scott said.


Nvidia has stated that it prefers ARM to x86 for reasons of efficiency. ""The ARM instruction set is more power efficient than x86. That's why there are people looking to build ARM-based servers. That's why we like ARM in phones, because you get more performance per watt, more performance per square millimeter," Scott said.

The company many not be talking details yet, but it's not hard to picture what sort of Tegra-Tesla hybrid Nvidia might build. The efficiency and small die size advantages of ARM mean the company could conceivably design a Tesla GPU with an ARM CPU core baked into it. The OS scheduler and general compute functions would run on the ARM cores, while all the computational heavy lifting takes place on the GPU side of the equation.

One of the major advantages to this type of approach is scalability. Once it nails down the CPU side of the equation, Nvidia could ramp the size and capability of the associated GPU configuration to its heart content, with only relatively minor updates to the CPU. The 'Companion Core' in Kal-El could even be thought of as a variation on this theme. With Kal-El, NV embedded a small island of high-performing "G" transistors in the midst of a low power design. TSMC doesn't offer a design that allows the reverse, but NV is clearly experimenting with combining chip functionality and advanced manufacturing techniques.

The major hurdles facing Nvidia in the server room are related to ARM's limited performance relative to CPUs from AMD/Intel, and the fact that the vast majority of server software is written for x86 products. In this case, NV's chip is likely a considerable departure from other ARM products. While it remains based on the ARM instruction set, Nvidia has claimed its upcoming CPU will be 64-bit (all current ARM products, including the upcoming Cortex A-15, are 32-bit parts).

We expect Project Denver will eventually debut in several favors. A tablet/netbook-class part will consist of a chip configuration more analogous to modern-day Tegra 2, with a CPU and GPU on a single die. Eventually we'll likely see Tesla parts that include an ARM core, with said processor likely being on-package but off-die. Nvidia could conceivably integrate the ARM core directly into the GPU, but doing so would mean fabbing separate Tesla GPUs or burning out the CPU silicon when selling the chips in the enthusiast market.

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Apple TV project said to be led by Jeff Robbin

Yesterday we reported on rumors that an Apple TV was indeed in the works. This flurry of news surrounding a television set built by Apple seems to have stemmed from a quote from the recently released biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. The quote suggested that Steve Jobs may have finally come up with an Apple TV, and the rumor suggested that prototypes of the product were already in the works.



Now more news surrounding the device have started to surface, this time seemingly adding a bit more credibility to the entire affair. The previous rumors have cited anonymous sources and faceless corporations, but now it looks like if this recent rumor is to be believed, we now know who will be behind the Apple TV, and it will be none other than Jeff Robbin.

For those unfamiliar, Jeff Robbin was the man who helped to create the iPod in addition to the iTunes media store. Given his involve with the iTunes media store, his purported guidance behind Apple’s rumored TV effort does make a bit of sense. Naturally Apple has declined to comment about this issue, and with all rumors it is best taken with a grain of salt.

However knowing Apple’s eye for designing their products, regardless whether people think it’s overpriced and underpowered, we have to admit that the appeal of an Apple design TV set is definitely there.

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Pioneer releases PotterNavi GPS system for bicycles

Cyclists in Japan will be pleased to hear that Pioneer will be launching the PotterNavi, which is a GPS gadget designed for cyclists in mind, and for those who use bicycles as their main mode of transportation, which is not uncommon in countries like Japan and China.



Apart from just GPS, the PotterNavi will also come with an ANT+ sensor, which can be mounted on the rear wheel of your bicycle and thus provide more information, such as the speed you’re traveling at and cadence, which sounds awfully a lot like the Garmin ANT+ addon for the iPhone we reported on earlier. For those who cycle for fitness, the ANT+ sensor will also provide you with details such as a calorie counter.
The PotterNavi will come with a dedicated bike cradle, and will sport a 2.4” VGA screen and a 3G module that will provide maps on demand. It also features an IPX5 certified waterproof body which is great for those who may cycle in rough terrain and is expected to retail in Japan come February of 2012 for ¥40,000 ($527).

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Logitech AirPlay speakers outed by Amazon UK

Oops, it looks like Amazon UK may have let slip details of an upcoming set of Logitech speakers even before the company has gone ahead and made an official announcement. The page has since been taken down (feel free to try and access the page), probably thanks to all the buzz surrounding the purported leak which alerted Amazon UK to that little slip up.

Not much is known about the speakers, apart from its Air Speaker name and the fact that it will be using the AirPlay protocol, while providing a hidden dock which can be revealed to dock iOS devices. Pricing was not revealed as well, so apart from a name and some vague marketing fluff (below), we guess the cat wasn’t totally let out of the bag.

• The Logitech Air Speaker with Apple AirPlay technology uses your home Wi-Fi network to stream uncompressed audio from your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or laptop.
• Once you’re set up, any iOS device or computer on your Wi-Fi network is instantly connected. So you can stream tunes from your iPad , your friends’ iPhones or your girlfriend’s laptop no pairing required.
• For years, we’ve been building some of your favorite and best sounding speakers and iPod docks. And now, we’ve crafted an AirPlay speaker that looks great in any room and delivers a big soundstage with impressively detailed, stereo sound.
• Your Air Speaker even includes an Apple Dock Connector in a hideaway drawer. Use it to charge your iPad or iPhone when it’s low on power. Or use it to play music from your iPod classic or iPod nano.

We’re guessing that if Amazon is listing this device, even by accident, an official announcement along with specs and more details should be revealed over time. For now this will have to do.

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Sapphire Unveils Flex HD 6970 Battlefield 3 Edition Graphics Card

Have you ever tried to kill two birds with one stone? It's not always easy, and pet stores tend to frown on such things. But if you happen to need a videocard upgrade and are interested in picking up the just-released Battlefield 3 game from EA, well, Sapphire might have just what you're looking for.

The new Limited Edition Sapphire FleX HD 6970 2GB GDDR5 BF3 Edition graphics card gives gamers access to a free copy of the full game everyone's talking about. And the card itself is pretty rad with 1536 stream processors, 96 texture processing units, and a dual BIOS switch that lets users switch between two performance settings. When set to Normal, the card races along at 880MHz for the core and 1375MHz for the memory, along with a quiet fan profile. Set the switch to Boost, however, and the core clock is cranked up to 930MHz. It also increases the core voltage, just in case you want to try your hand at manually overclocking the card even more.

In addition to BF3, the card comes with a CrossFire bridge cable, DVI to VGA adapter, Mini-DP to DP cable, 6-pin to 4-pin power cable, 8-pin to 4-pin x2 power cable, HDMI to SL-DVI adapter, and a 1.8 meter HDMI 1.4a cable (retail card only).

No word on price or availability.

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ZyXEL Announces "Post-It Sized" MWR102 Router ZyXEL Announces "Post-It Sized" MWR102 Router

A post-it sized router? Now that's something that'll pique our interest. ZyXEL has just released their MWT102 portable router/access point. The tiny, USB-powered device enables business travelers and other users to connect multiple Wi-Fi devices to the Internet from a single connection. It's said to be ideal for business travelers, who typically carry several mobile devices, such as a smartphone, tablet and laptop, and require constant Internet connectivity. The MWR102 also boasts dedicated LAN and WAN ports, so it may be used as a wireless access point in hotel rooms, conference rooms or other locations that have a wired connection or poor WLAN coverage. Providing an economical Internet access alternative, the connection may be shared with multiple people.

The MWR102 will be available October 27, 2011 on all major e-commerce sites for $39.99, but you'll need to be careful not to lose it in your back pocket once it arrives.

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Cooper bicycles: Retro rides for the urban commuter

The Cooper name is probably best-known for its revolutionary 1950s and 60s Formula 1 and Indy race cars, or for its association with both the original and current versions of the Mini Cooper. Following in the tire treads of other high-performance auto brands (such as Porsche and BMW), in recent times the British company has turned its hand to bicycles. While it might be reasonable to expect its creations to be race-oriented, Cooper Bikes has instead decided to focus on speedy urban commuters - all of them featuring gloriously retro Reynolds steel frames.



There are eight models of Cooper Bikes, although these are divided into three groups - the T100s, T200s and T250s, all of which feature Sturmey Archer cranks, Brooks leather saddles and Tektro rim brakes. All of the single-speed models feature a flip-flop rear hub, meaning that it can be used in either a freewheeling or fixed gear configuration.

Bikes in the first group are all made from Reynolds 520 tubes, and are the most Spartan of the lot. Three of the four T100s are single-speeds, while the Zandvoort model offers a 3-speed Sturmey Archer rear hub transmission.
The two T200s incorporate Reynolds 531 tubes, and snazzy features such as leather handlebar tape. The Reims model has a 5-speed rear hub, which the rider operates via a down tube-mounted shift lever - yes, they do still exist!
The two T250s are less sporty and more practical, with skirt-friendly mixte frames, 5-speed transmissions, and in the case of the Oporto model, a rear rack and full fenders.
All of the models, incidentally, are named after the sites of racing victories by Cooper cars.

Prices aren't available on the Cooper Bikes website, although according to BikeRadar, the T100 Sebring will start at GBP595 (US$952). The lightest of the batch appears to be the T200 Championship 50, weighing in at a reported 9.45 kilograms (20.8 lbs).

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Solar Ship: The hybrid airship with a low-carbon twist

In recent times there's been a resurgence of interest in airships for military and commercial uses as evidenced by Lockheed Martin's High Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator (HALE-D) and Hybrid Air Vehicles heavy-lift variant of Northrop Grumman's Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV). Like HAV's design, this concept from Canadian company Solar Ship is a hybrid airship that relies on aerodynamics to help provide lift, and like the HALE-D, it would have its top surface area covered in solar cells to provide energy and minimize its carbon footprint.
Although the Solar Ship aircraft would be filled with helium, under normal circumstances they would rely on the aerodynamic lift provided by their wing shape to provide more than half the lift required to get them off the ground. Additionally, the aircraft could also fly when filled with plain old air. This means the aircraft will still be able to fly - and, more importantly, land safely - if there is damage that results in helium loss.

Solar Ship says the aircraft's electric motor can either be powered solely by the energy provided by the on board batteries, or by the solar panels covering the wing - a feat already achieved by a conventional airplane design in the form of Solar Impulse.

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Husqvarna demolition robots to help clean up Fukushima

Sweden's Husqvarna Construction has announced that two of its remote-controlled demolition robots are to help with the massive clean-up operation at the site of the failed fourth reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The recently-featured DXR-140 and its bigger brother - the DXR-310 - will be used in heavy demolition work such as tearing down concrete constructions and dealing with contaminated materials.

Both robots have been shipped to Takenaka Construction, the company in charge of the cleaning up the plant's fourth reactor after its failure in March of this year. They've been specially optimized for the demanding conditions they'll encounter, with the 31-inch (780 mm) wide, electric-motor-driven DXR-310 being kitted out with an onboard video camera and transmission equipment to extend its range and allow remote operation from a safe distance. It's also capable of climbing stairs, has a telescopic boom reach of 216 inches (5.48 meters), and features bright LED lights to illuminate the work area.
"Our robots are well adapted to this environment," says the company's Anders Ströby. "They are powerful, reliable and easy to maneuver, even in narrow spaces."
The clean-up operation at Fukushima is expected to continue for some time to come.

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Maingear Introduces Intel 2700k In SHIFT and F131 Desktops

Well well well, Origin PC isn’t the only system builder to quickly adopt Intel’s new Core i7-2700k processors; Maingear announced today that it will offer the new chip in its SHIFT and F131 desktops.

Buyers can expect the 3.5GHz CPU to be overclocked to over 5GHz, and combined with Maingear’s EPIC liquid cooling, the system should be quiet nonetheless. For $1,228, you can have the F131 with the 2700k inside; the SHIFT model starts at $1,985.

MAINGEAR GETS READY TO TAKE OVERLCOCKING TO NEW LIMITS WITH INTEL CORE I7 2700K

Kenilworth, New Jersey – October 24, 2011. 12:01 EDT - MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, workstations and media centers, embraces the latest update to the Intel Sandybridge platform with the addition of Intel’s Core i7 2700k to their SHIFT and F131 desktops.

The Intel Core i7 2700k is a quad-core processor that clocks at 3.5GHz with 3.9GHz Turbo Boost and integrates CPU, graphics, memory controller, PCI Express all on a single chip. This allows pc fanatics to have extreme gaming, amazing multimedia, ultimate flexibility and extreme overclocking. PC enthusiast and PC gamers looking for pure performance will be looking to the unlocked Intel® Core™ i7-2700k to maximize their gaming experience. Combine this with MAINGEAR’s EPIC liquid cooling solutions; gamers will have a silent and stable system no matter what game their waiting for such as EA’s Battlefield 3 pc game.

Advantages of Intel Core i7 2700k in MAINGEAR desktops:
• Intel Core i7 2700k is 100MHz faster than the previous generation Intel Core i7 2600k
• MAINGEAR can overclock the Intel Core i7 2700k up to 5GHz and beyond
• With MAINGEAR’s EPIC liquid solutions, gamers can max out settings for the ultimate experience
• Available on the MAINGEAR SHIFT and F131
• MAINGEAR F131 with Intel Core i7 2700k starts at $1,228 while the SHIFT starts at $1,985

All of MAINGEAR products are supported with lifetime labor and phone support with one to three year hardware warranty.

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Kingston's urDrive Transforms Flash Drives Into Active Storage Devices

Kingston, the same company that could very well have their label on your RAM or SSD, is introducing something a little different today. The company's latest is an effort to transform the USB flash drive into an active storage device. It's called urDrive, a cleverly named, free pre-loaded application available on a variety of its DataTraveler USB drives. urDrive transforms USB drives from passive storage to engaged, active storage, allowing consumers to easily access and organize their personal files, photos, music, games and videos. A built-in photo viewer and MP3 player makes looking at pictures and listening to music easy.

urDrive enhances security on the PC with Norton PC Checkup, which cans for virus infections (including spyware, worms and adware) and checks for slow performance and risks to identity and data. urDrive further enhances the digital experience with the Maxthon 3 Web browser. Maxthon 3 boasts industry-leading startup and rendering speeds, and architecture that gives users a truly portable, safe browsing experience. All temp files, history and cookies remain on the drive, keeping browsing private particularly on public computers. The service syncs files from USB to cloud offering backup and access. For family entertainment, urDrive provides access to the latest casual game titles from EA Games and PopCap Games.

urDrive is available as a free, pre-loaded application on Kingston’s entry-level DataTraveler 101G2, 108 and 109 USB Flash drives, and soon on the DTIG3. These devices offer consumers a choice in design and capacity, from 4GB to 32GB. There's a video above explaining exactly how it does its thing.

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Sony's PlayStation 3D Display Shipping Nov. 13th For $500

Remember that PlayStation 3D display that was unveiled way back at E3? It hasn't vanished. In fact, it's shipping soon. Very soon. Sony just announced via their own blog that PS3 owners can hunt one down in the U.S. (and a few other, unspecified places) starting November 13th. The 3D Display will cost $499.99, which includes the screen itself, one pair of 3D Glasses, MotorStorm Apocalypse Blu-ray game, and an HDMI cable. All you need to do is hook up your PS3 system and you’re ready to go. It'll support both 2D and 3D content, and with active 3D, you can get Full HD 3D playback; with passive 3D, you will get half the resolution. Active 3D displays require active 3D glasses and passive 3D displays require polarized passive 3D glasses. The 3D Display supports active 3D and the highest resolution.

As for specs? It'll feature two HDMI 1.4 ports, one component cable input, plus a stereo headphone output. It's a 240Hz panel, and there's an integrated subwoofer as well. This special two-player feature is unique to the 3D Display in that it significantly enhances two-player mode in select games. Ordinarily, two-player mode is played in split-screen format. With this unique two-player feature, each player gets their own full (2D) HD screen while wearing the 3D Glasses for the 3D Display. At this time, the 3D Display is the only display on the market that supports the SimulView two-player gaming feature. At launch, you’ll be able to play MotorStorm Apocalypse, Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3, and Super Stardust HD, and more titles are on the way.

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Nintendo Bringing Hulu Plus To 3DS And Wii, 3DS Preps For 3D Video Recording

Nintendo may be struggling to move a serious amount of 3DS handhelds, but this just might help. Hulu Plus is coming to the 3DS and Wii. According to a new release from the company, 3DS and Wii owners will soon have the ability to access even more of their favorite TV shows and movies: the Hulu Plus service will be added to both systems by the end of the year. Nintendo is also announcing new features being added to the Nintendo 3DS system, including the ability to record 3D videos, new musical artists coming to Nintendo Video and a new animated 3D video from DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. Additionally, Nintendo 3DS owners will soon see four inventive downloadable Nintendo-published games and applications delivered to the Nintendo eShop, a one-stop shop for entertainment options.

Hulu Plus: With Hulu Plus, Wii and Nintendo 3DS users will be able to instantly stream thousands of TV episodes – including the entire current season of popular shows like Modern Family, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser, House and Grey's Anatomy – from premium content partners like ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC, MTV and many more. Hulu Plus also offers access to classic TV favorites like Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Hills and hundreds of popular and award-winning movies. Hulu Plus is available through a separate subscription fee of $7.99 per month with limited advertising.

Nintendo 3DS System Update: At the end of November, a new system update will deliver a range of new features and enhancements, including 3D video capture, which will let users record up to 10 minutes of 3D video and enable people to create their own 3D stop-motion animation videos. The update will also add new puzzles to the StreetPass Mii Plaza and a new dungeon to Find Mii. Other features will be announced in the future.

All sounds good and well, and hopefully it'll bleed over into those holiday wish-lists. Mario can't cry on Christmas, right?

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GoPro HD Hero2 camera delivers Wi-Fi remote control

You know for sure that you are going to get some awesome looking recordings with the GoPro HD Hero2 camera, where it will be twice as powerful as its predecessor (which rolled out in 2009), being capable of shooting 16:9 videos in Full HD glory (that’s 1080p for you!) in narrow (90-degree), wide (170-degree) and medium (127-degree) angles. Video is not everything, as sometimes it is also better to express a situation or emotion with stills, and the GoPro HD Hero2 camera is more than up to the task as well, being able to snap up to ten 11 megapixel photos each second. Yes, you read that right.
Connectivity options on the GoPro HD Hero2 camera include a mini-HDMI port, composite out, USB, and the ability to perform live broadcasting as well as camera control using a Wi-Fi connection – now how cool is that? All your memories will be stashed away on an SD memory card, and a language based menu certainly makes things run a whole lot smoother and easier even for newbies.
There are three configurations to choose from, where all of them cost $299.99 a pop – outdoor, motorsports, and surf editions. For those who do not need to get the latest and greatest, the release of the GoPro HD Hero2 camera means its predecessors, the original HD Hero will retail for $200 now.

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Remington Touch Control Beard & Stubble Trimmer

 

It seems that men of the celebrity kind these days tend to keep a little bit of stubble all over the place, not too long to make it look messy, and yet not too short so that it won’t end up unsightly. I mean, take a look at the late Steve Job’s biography, that picture on the cover is hypnotic to say the least, and I would say the man himself would give a nod to the Remington Touch Control Beard & Stubble Trimmer that clearly marks the future of trimmer designs, sporting an LED touchscreen for a futuristic set of controls.Capable of offering up to 175 different lengths that range from 0.4mm to 18.0mm, it is also able to handle just about every style, ranging from standard stubble to a moderate moustache. What say you? Clearly something like this is going to cost a premium over your regular stubble trimmer, where the Remington Touch Control Beard & Stubble Trimmer comes with a $50 price tag to boot.

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Space Invaders Styled Couch

Do you remember those awesome Space Invaders styled chairs? Now we have found an available Space Invaders styled couch. If you like those cute aliens, let’s go on checking.

This is a limited-edition couch based on the classic 1980′s arcade game Space Invaders, and designed by American industrial designer Igor Chak. As we can from the images, the Space Invaders styled couch looks like an extended space invader, and features pixellated design. And the entire couch is made of premium materials, fine leather and even memory foam cushions. In addition, the retro invader couch measures approx 196 x 84 x 75.8cm, while the seat depth measures approx 56cm, and the seat height measures about 47cm.

The Space Invaders styled couch is priced at £5,500 GBP (approx $8772 USD). Really a eye-popping price tag, but it doesn’t obstruct us from taking a look the arcade game themed couch. I

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