Archive for January 8th, 2006
Dual graphics cards aren’t exactly commonplace, but NVIDIA and Dell seem to have decided that even two isn’t enough power to keep up with gaming demands.
Delivering the a high definition gaming experience, Quad SLI features four of NVIDIA’s flagship GeForce 7800 GTX GPUs each with two GeForce 7800 GTX graphics processing units (GPUs) on-board with an NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16 motherboard. This revolutionary technology was introduced on the forthcoming Dell XPS 600 Renegade, as part of a keynote presentation by Michael Dell at CES in Las Vegas.
John Medica, senior vice president, Product Group at Dell, stated: “Our demonstration of the first Quad SLI PC with NVIDIA is a major technology innovation, that when combined with the Dell XPS 600 Renegade and the new Dell 30-inch flat panel makes true high definition gaming a reality.”
NVIDIA Quad SLI technology allows consumers to run today’s hottest games at extreme high definition (HD) resolutions, including 2560×1600 at silky smooth frame rates.
“[ Our ] demonstration of the new Dell XPS 600 Renegade with our Quad SLI technology takes gaming to new levels,” said Dan Vivoli, executive vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. “The ability to run today’s hottest titles in extreme HD resolutions with all the eye candy turned on is absolutely amazing.”
In addition, NVIDIA announced that Dell will be shipping the award-winning NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX 512 in the Dell XPS 600 PC.
January 8th, 2006
Maxtor Corporation has announced a new family of Maxtor OneTouch III external storage and backup solutions that offer a range of features, capacities and performance for home users, creative professionals and business executives.
Available on retail shelves starting this month, the line of Maxtor OneTouch III storage solutions, with capacities from 100GB to one terabyte ( 1,000 GB ), provide easy-to-use, automated backup and restore capabilities for PC and Mac users. New software tools, including the ability to synchronize data between two or more computers and a System Rollback feature that helps return PC systems to a healthier state after a damaging spyware attack, are now integrated into the entire Maxtor OneTouch III family of products.
The Maxtor OneTouch III solution, with a triple FireWire 800/FireWire 400/USB 2.0 interface, was selected as a CES 2006 Innovations Design and Engineering Honoree in the Computer Accessories category. It was chosen for its engineering qualities, the product’s intended use/function, unique features, and aesthetic and design qualities, among other reasons. To meet the needs of mainstream creative and business professionals, Maxtor is offering the Maxtor OneTouch III with dual interfaces, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0, for quickly and easily backing up photos, music and data. For the home PC market, the company is offering a USB 2.0-only interface model that provides basic file-level backup capabilities.
Like the 1TB Maxtor OneTouch III, Turbo Edition launched in October 2005, the expanded Maxtor OneTouch III family sports an innovative new industrial design, an improved consumer friendly user interface and a redesigned retail package from award-winning consulting firm frog design inc. Built to last, the Maxtor OneTouch III family features improved acoustics, an inner disk drive casing and shock mounts for additional durability and drive protection. The entirely new user interface is simple to navigate for both Mac and PC users, making it easier to set up and manage data backup, file archiving and system settings. All Maxtor OneTouch external storage and backup systems come with an added data security feature called Maxtor DriveLock(TM), which provides a password protection option to safeguard contents if the drive is ever lost or stolen.
“Digital entertainment and data have become absolutely integral to our everyday lives, for people and businesses, but the vast majority of us still don’t protect valuable files by backing them up,” said Stacey Lund, vice president of marketing, Maxtor Branded Products Group. “At Maxtor, we strive to bring innovative solutions to market that make it simple to expand, share, and protect your digital life. Our new Maxtor OneTouch III family is designed from the inside out to be the easiest, most trustworthy way to back up and store photos, videos, games, music, business data and personal information.”
Based on customer feedback and innovative technologies, Maxtor has added Sync, the ability to automatically synchronize files between two or more systems on the same operating platform, across its new family of Maxtor OneTouch III storage solutions. Increasingly, customers want to share data easily and automatically between home and office, synching files and folders in both computers. Also, to combat spyware, adware and computer registry issues that can slow a system to a crawl or even a screeching halt, the new Maxtor OneTouch III product family includes a System Rollback feature that reverts the system to a healthier point in time while preserving the most current user data in Word and Excel documents, photos, music and other digital files. System programs that can be rolled back in time include operating system, settings and applications.
Maxtor OneTouch III external storage and backup solutions will be available starting in January at major retailers, distributors and online stores, as well as at www.maxstore.com www.maxtor.com . Worldwide availability varies by region. The Maxtor OneTouch III with a triple interface will be available late in Q1 2006. Please visit for local distribution channels and retail outlets.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Maxtor OneTouch III family ranges from $159.95 for the 100GB USB 2.0 only version to $479.95 for the 500GB triple interface solution. MSRP for the 1TB Maxtor OneTouch III, Turbo Edition is $899.95.
January 8th, 2006
It’s certainly the strangest design for a commercially marketed media center PC that TechSmec.com has ever seen. Kapsel has thrown out the rulebook that says that media center manufacturers must make their PCs look like components in an audio system. They’ve made it look like a prop from the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Made entirely from high-quality ceramics, the PC measures just 27 x 23 x 10 cm, and is designed to be positioned either horizontally, vertically or on the wall.
We can’t find the spec for the hardware inside anywhere, but presumably it has power to match its good looks, although that’s not always a given.
January 8th, 2006
A new DVD recorder with hard disc drive introduced by Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today offers advanced features for greater enjoyment and convenience to consumers.
The DVR-640H-S utilizes TV Guide Onscreen to help consumers find the programs they want to record. Since music is such an important part of home entertainment, the player also offers playback of compressed audio files like MP3 and WMA as well as offering a Digital Jukebox for storing hours and hours of one’s music collection. For digital photography buffs, it offers photo viewer and Internet video fans will appreciate its DivX playback. By combining numerous components in a single unit, the new recorder acts as a total media source for the home entertainment center.
With 160GB of hard disc drive (HDD) space available in the DVR-640-H-S, consumers have plenty of available space to record their favorite television shows. TV Guide’s program guide includes TV listings for as many as eight days that can be sorted by type of programming, title and genre. This allows users to recall and playback previously recorded TV programs from the HDD or copy them to DVD for viewing on a portable or in-car DVD player.
These recorders are perfect for the sports fan who may have missed that last crucial quarter during the “big game,” or those who have a favorite TV series but can’t catch every episode, by allowing users to skip forward or rewind recorded content in increments of 30 seconds to quickly scan through the parts the viewer doesn’t want to see.
One DVD Recorder: Multiple Playback Options
Five-inch discs are abundant in today’s digital world. The Pioneer DVD recorder offers tri-format recording and playback for DVD-R/DVD-RW, +R/+RW and DVD-RAM, so no matter what type of recordable disc a consumer has available it will be compatible.
“The new Pioneer DVD recorder is an excellent solution for consumers who desire a single product to use with all of their entertainment content, making it easier to preserve and enjoy their expanding collection of music and video,” said Gary Bauhard, director of marketing and product planning for home entertainment at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “We introduced the new tri-format playback and recording feature to allow consumers yet another opportunity to view their favorite DVDs without having to worry about the format.”
Music Fans Will Love the Digital Jukebox
Music CDs can be recorded onto the HDD and be played back via the Digital Jukebox. In addition, the recorder possesses popular WMA and MP3 digital audio playback capability.
New Technology for Internet Video
The DivX video codec is among the world’s most popular video compression technologies with more than 200 million people worldwide who use it to compress video files in a very high quality format so a full-length film can be delivered through a broadband connection. As more video content is available for sale online, consumers will be able to playback their DivX files on Pioneer’s new DVD recorder.
Photo Buffs
Instead of crowding everyone around a computer or passing small paper photos around the room, users can take advantage of the DVD recorder’s USB input to upload digital images and with the JPEG photo viewer create photo slideshows. Screening the slide show on a large screen TV in the company of friends and family is a far better option than crowding around a scrapbook.
The DVR-640H-S will be available June 2006 for a suggested price of $399.
January 8th, 2006
NewSoft unveiled its latest version of Presto! Media@Home, at the 2006 International CES.
Like the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Presto! Media@Home offers a remote-capable, ten-foot interface for digital media and television tasks, combining computing and entertainment to offer a straightforward means of turning the home PC into a true home entertainment media center.
With a simple and intuitive operating interface, Presto! Media@Home enables users to watch both digital and analog TV, play DVDs, listen to music and radio, browse the Internet, view photo slideshows, as well as effortlessly watch and record video from a web cam, all on a PC or notebook via a remote control-based interface that does not require traditional navigation using a keyboard or mouse. Presto! Media@Home users can relax and enjoy their digital entertainment at home now, not only on their TVs or stereos, but right from their computers as well.
With the quick and easy installation of a capturing device, Presto! Media@Home users can receive radio broadcasting as well as both digital and analog TV programs from a single PC system and enjoy tremendous flexibility in their television viewing capabilities through a simple software switch. In addition, Presto! Media@Home also supports Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g technology, which can enable wireless TV functionality and allow the digital video sender to wirelessly broadcast Digital/Analog TV/AV to multiple PCs or notebooks. As a result, users have greater freedom to further edit or watch their favorite video programs from anywhere in their homes. Users can also simultaneously access the Internet through Media@Home’s bridge function embedded in the digital video sender.
“With the digital home coming of age, the personal computer should enable greater functionality of consumer electronic devices such as DVD playback, TV viewing, radio/music listening and so forth, ” says James Li, President of NewSoft. “With user-friendly interface and remote control operation, Presto! Media@Home ensures uncomplicated navigation of multiple entertainment modes, including ATV, DTV, WVR, Gallery, Radio, Music, WebCam, IE and DVD. The multi-task embedded software in Presto! Media@Home is designed to help turn the home PC into a flexible, easily deployed digital entertainment media center.”
January 8th, 2006
X2 today launches the X2V, the next generation of its award-winning line of Portable Media Players.
Weighing in at a mere one half pound with a size smaller than a 3×5 photograph, this unit is the smallest, lightest and most versatile PMP (portable media player) on the market today, setting a new standard for design and feature set in the category.
Like its predecessor, the MEGA View 566, the X2V is a versatile device that functions as a video player, photo viewer, MP3/WMA music player, portable storage device, personal digital assistant with calendar and contacts database and a voice recorder plus it adds a 6-megapixel (interpolated) digital camera and MPEG-4 camcorder. Coming standard with a 30GB hard drive and a SD/MMC/Memory Stick memory card slot, the 8-in-1 portable digital entertainment device sells for under $400.
The X2V is the next generation Portable Multimedia Player allowing users the ability to play hours of MPEG-4 video with DVD quality video and CD quality audio using MPEG-4, plus it plays MP3/WMA audio all on a single device. X2V users can bring their favorite movie, TV shows, videos or music on the road plus with the digital camera and camcorder, they can record their own memories. With the large 30GB internal storage, users can record up to 120 hours of video so there is almost no fear of running out of tape. It can also be plugged into a TV or projector to watch and share movies, videos and photos on a bigger screen. The unit comes with a high-resolution 3.6″ LCD Screen offering a clear, vibrant picture and an easy-to-use, interactive video menu with convenient navigation buttons for easy access.
The X2V features a 6-megapixel (interpolated) digital camera complete with flash and 4X Digital Zoom as well as a 640 x 480 resolution MPEG-4 digital camcorder. Its 30GB hard drive can also store over 15,000 songs, 150,000 digital photos, almost 1,000 hours of digital voice recording and/or 30GB of portable PC data storage. With its built-in 3-in-1 SD/MMC/memory Stick memory card slot the X2V can be used to backup, store and view your digital photos and features a one-button backup feature allowing for effortless transfer of data and photos making it the perfect digital camera companion.
“As a 8-in-1 device, the X2V is a complete portable digital entertainment center which comes in handy for many situations,” raves Brandon LuTran, Vice President of X2 Corporation. “With the new digital camera and camcorder features, the X2V is ready to capture all your memories and play it back anywhere, anytime.”
January 8th, 2006
Today sees the launch of the Sony VAIO VGN-XL100, a VAIO home entertainment PC which connects directly to the TV. As ever, the emphasis is on the best in AV-IT, providing full support for super-high quality DSD audio and HD video supported by Intel Viiv technology for maximum performance.
The Sony VAIO XL100 is the core of the digital home. Designed to be used in the living room with a TV as its display, it comes in a stylishly restrained black and brushed silver case which will harmonise with any décor. Ideally, the Sony VAIO VGN-XL100 should be used with an HD-ready TV as it is the first VAIO system with HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and Component TV outputs. This means that unlike conventional entertainment PCs, it can output a true HD-quality signal. Setup is simple, and little cabling is required. A wireless keyboard with integrated touchpad and a remote controller are included as standard, so it’s easy to use wherever you are in the room.
The Sony VAIO VGN-XL100’s powerful hybrid TV tuner lets you watch both analogue and digital TV rather than just analogue channels. The capacious 250GB hard disk means that the VGN-XL100 can act as a video recorder as well, not to mention as a music centre and DVD player. A potent Intel Pentium D Processor 920 and 128MB NVIDIA Geforce 6600 graphics provide the muscle for gaming. In other words, this is the complete entertainment system for the home, but a tap on the touchpad brings true PC functionality to the fore. In seconds you can be shopping online or catching up with your email. And there’s one last thing: despite its heavyweight credentials as a PC, painstaking engineering ensures that the VGN-XL100 is completely silent.
The Sony VAIO VGN-XL100 is supplied with Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre Edition for simplified access to media features as well as full PC functionality. In addition, it comes with VAIO Information Flow, a specially designed graphical interface for use at a distance from the screen. This makes interaction with the VGN-XL100 a very simple matter, and provides instant access to popular services including RSS feeds, a newsreader, podcasting, picture slideshows and the music player.
VGN-XL100 also incorporates Intel Viiv technology, Intel’s new brand for the digital home, designed to enhance how consumers enjoy, manage and share digital entertainment in the home. “The VGN-XL100, based on Intel Viiv technology will be instrumental in delivering a great digital entertainment experience in the home,” said Herbert Weber, Director of Marketing Digital Home, Intel Europe, Middle East, Africa. “Intel looks forward to working with Sony on making digital entertainment effortless and more personal for consumers.”
“The Sony VAIO VGN-XL100 represents the next stage of the entertainment PC concept,” says Adam Coomber, Product Manager for VAIO Consumer Products at Sony UK. “By this I mean dual core power, cutting edge AV features and seamless PC/entertainment integration. All this is wrapped up in the design and quality that is fundamental to VAIO.”
January 8th, 2006
Alienware has announced the new Area-51 3550 and Area-51 5400 featuring the new Intel Viiv technology platform.
The Area-51 3550 delivers the integrated functionality of a CD player, DVD player, media server, digital video recorder (DVR) and more while enabling quick and easy distribution of digital media content that can be distributed throughout the home.
The Area-51 3550 with Intel Viiv Technology delivers:
* Intel Pentium D processor technology
* Fast and easy organization of personal music collections, recorded television programs, family pictures, home videos and any other digital media
* Intel Quick Resume Technology, which provides one-button on/off operation - similar to a traditional television or cable box
* Immediate access to movie and music content services such as Virgin Digital, MTV and On-Demand media
* Dual-core processors for a seamless entertainment experience whether playing graphics-intensive games, editing digital videos or simply watching your favorite movie
* An astonishing home theater experience with support for up to 7.1 surround sound speakers and high-definition output
* The ability to wirelessly distribute digital media content such as music and videos from the Area-51 3550 to any room in the home
In addition, Alienware is announcing an innovative and incredibly sleek all-in-one form factor that serves as a truly transportable entertainment desktop. The new breakthrough Area-51 5400 includes:
* Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology featuring dual-core processing power that satisfies demanding digital media content applications like video and photo editing
* Intel Viiv Technology for the ultimate home entertainment experience
* Ultra-quiet acoustic levels making it an ideal solution for bedroom, home office, dorm and kitchen settings
* Robust wireless capabilities (including keyboard and mouse) — with integrated 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth support, it is virtually cable-free, requiring only a single power cord
* Impressive desktop-like graphics power of the NVIDIA GeForce Go 6600 256MB graphics card, making it ideal for entertainment applications
* An integrated camera with microphone array technology that facilitates effortless and crystal-clear VoIP and video chat communications with others
* Optional TV Tuner support
* Support for Microsoft Windows XP 2005 Media Center Edition and Windows XP Professional
“The exciting new Intel Viiv-based Area-51 3550 and Area-51 5400 desktops open an exciting array of entertainment possibilities for every member of the household by enabling instant access to all their digital media from anywhere in the home,” said Mark Vena, Vice President of Marketing for Alienware. “With these new products, Alienware continues to demonstrate its commitment to technology innovation that gives customers complete control over how they experience their favorite forms of entertainment.”
Alienware will begin accepting orders of the Area-51 3550 and Area-51 5400 on its website in late January with expected delivery in the late 1Q06 timeframe. Both products are expected to be affordably priced at less than $2,000. More details on these new products can be found at www.alienware.com/viiv.
“PCs powered by Intel Viiv technology, such as Alienware’s Area-51 3550 and Area-51 5400, will transform the face of home entertainment by giving consumers more opportunities to enjoy the entertainment they love than ever before,” said Gerald Holzhammer, Vice President of the Digital Home Group at Intel. “As our first platform created specifically for the digital home, Intel Viiv technology extends the same successful principles of Intel Centrino mobile technology over to the home entertainment arena.”
January 8th, 2006