ASUS New Laptops Are Equipped With Nvidia Optimus

[Singapore, 9 February 2010] ASUS and NVIDIA have introduced the new range of notebooks powered by NVIDIA Optimus technology in the coming months. These include the powerful multimedia N Series, slim and light U/UL series models and versatile mainstream K series notebooks.

NVIDIA Optimus: Great Battery Life and Great Performance for Optimized Multimedia Enjoyment
The ASUS N Series notebooks are equipped with the cutting-edge NVIDIA Optimus technology which harnesses the power of both discrete and integrated graphics to deliver the necessary performance for thetask at hand — thus extending battery life. Together with ASUS SonicMaster technology for enhanced audio clarity, Video Magic Technology for true-to-life videos through GPU computing and USB 3.0 for high speed multimedia data transfers, the ASUS N Series is the best choice for entertainment indulgence anytime, anywhere.

ASUS notebooks currently equipped with Optimus technology:
Ultra Slim and Light U/UL Series:
- UL50Vf (Not available in Singapore)
- U30Jc (Availability: Mid-March RRP: TBA)

Multimedia N Series:
- N61Jv (Not available in Singapore)
- N71Jv (Not available in Singapore)
- N82Jv (Availability: Mid-March RRP: TBA)

Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit http://www.asus.com/ for more information.

Sony a aussi sa WiiU

Une manette a écran, voilà l'avancée technologique que proposera Nintendo avec sa WiiU. Pour concurrencer BigN et ne pas se laisser distancer sur ce domaine, Sony et Microsoft ont aussi leurs petits gadgets en réserve. Du côté de la marque de Bill Gates, nous avons découvert pendant l'E3, le Xbox SmartGlass qui permet de connecter divers périphériques comme une tablette ou un smartphone, pour interagir avec la console. Quant à Sony, c'est sa console portable qui fera office de manette.

La PS Vita deviendra donc un périphérique pour jouer directement sur sa console. La quasi-totalité des boutons d'une manette PS3 restent présents sur PS Vita, ce à quoi s'ajoute un écran et des fonctionnalités tactiles. Le premier jeu à en bénéficier sera l'excellent LittleBigPlanet 2. Ce dernier recevra en novembre prochain, une mise à jour pour accueillir jusqu'à quatre PS Vita comme manettes de jeu. Mais le cross-control va plus loin, car l'écran pourra servir de radar pour détecter des items cachés, et le tactile permettra de déplacer des objets voire même les personnages sur certains niveaux.

Cela n'atteint peut être pas encore la profondeur de gameplay qu'apportera la WiiU, cependant il ne s'agit pas d'un jeu pensé initialement pour. Nintendo a donc de quoi se faire du soucis si sa WiiU n'apporte pas de réelles innovations alors qu'elle est à peine plus puissante que la PlayStation 3.

· Forum LittleBigPlanet 2

Apple could have display issues with iPad 3

Apple could have some display issues with its new third-generation iPad, such as supply shortages and a huge battery drain, according to analysts at DisplaySearch.

The retina display is without doubt the main feature of the iPad 3, or “new iPad” as it is officially called, but the enhanced clarity and higher resolution do not come without a price.DisplaySearch said that doubling the pixel density means a significantly smaller aperture ratio, which requires a brighter backlight. To compensate for this the iPad 3 features at least twice as many LEDs at the 36 employed in the iPad 2.The problem with this is that it uses a lot more power. While Apple has added a larger and more powerful battery, and promised that it can run for up to 10 hours, the same time as an iPad 2, DisplaySearch analysts believe that this battery was employed to address the higher power usage of the A5X chip, not the additional LEDs. This could mean that, despite Apples promises, the iPad 3 will have lower battery life than previous models.DisplaySearch also highlighted the fact that the iPad 3s 264ppi display is significantly less than the iPhone 4s 326ppi, a fact which might disappoint some users.Another problem, which will undoubtedly be a big issue given the popularity of Apple devices, is the potential that that the Cupertino, California-based company might find it difficult to get enough supply. DisplaySearch found that Sharp, Samsung and LG Display, all of which make the panels, have had some difficulty achieving the 264ppi density on an a-Si TFT display. Whether or not these can be pumped out in the quantity that Apple will want or need remains to be seen.The iPad 3 goes on sale on 16 March.

Apple To Migrate To Light Peak For Single Port Solution

You might have heard of Intel's Light Peak technology, a new high-speedoptical cable technology designed to connect your electronic devices toeach other.

A quick look at Light Peak

Light Peak also has the ability to run multiple protocols simultaneouslyover a single cable, starting at 10Gb/s with the potential ability to scale to 100Gb/s over the next decade, according to Intel.

Light Peak will have a controller chip and an optical module thatwould be included in platforms supporting this technology. The opticalmodule will be performing the conversion from electricity to light and vice versa.

What about Apple ?
According to source, Apple will introduce the new standard for its systems around Fall 2010, introducing Light Peak to all its products (from an iPhone to a Mac). In short, Apple products could come equipped with only a Light Peak port (or just ports?) tohandle your networking, display driving, and general connectivity.

There are plans to roll out a low-power variation in 2011, suggesting that handhelds like iPod/iPhone will have the capability to perform high data transfers and a broad connectivity to other devices.

Are you supporting this all-in-one single port solution or are you against it ? We would love to hear your opinions

Athlon 64 CPUs w 512KB L2 Cache

Desktop

MobileAthlon 64 2800+: 1.8Ghz, 512KB L2
Athlon 64 3000+: 2.0Ghz, 512KB L2
Athlon 64 3200+: 2.2Ghz, 512KB L2
Athlon 64 3400+: 2.4Ghz, 512KB L2Athlon 64 2700+: 1.6Ghz, 512KBL2