Galaxy offers gamers GTS 450 Hall of Fame edition video card

Shane McGlaun | Video Cards & GPUs | Oct 28, 2010 10:04 AM CDT

Galaxy is one of the card partners that offers NVIDIA video cards. Not too long ago when the GTS 450 debuted, Galaxy was one of the companies with cards on launch day. Those GTS 450 cards were decent enough considering the price the cards sold for. There were probably bunches of gamers out there that liked the price of the card and wished that the clock speeds were a bit higher. For those people Galaxy has unveiled the new GTS 450 Hall of Fame edition.

The HoF edition of the video card shares the common features of all the GTS 450's with support for things like DirectX and CUDA. The big difference in this HoF and the standard GTS 450 card is the clock speeds. Galaxy overclocks the HoF version at the factory with a graphics clock of 1000MHz, a processor clock of 2000MHz, and a memory clock of 4100MHz. The card also has a special 3+1 phase power supply for improved performance.

Another special feature of the HoF edition card is that it has a unique cooling system with dual fans and four heat pipes to draw the extra heat from the card. "Our new GTS 450 Hall of Fame edition demolishes the competition with a core clock of 1000Mhz." said Shane Vance, US Sales, Galaxy. "Our custom cooler, Samsung 0.4ns GDDR5 memory and Galaxy designed board allow us to achieve these insane speeds."

Continue reading: Galaxy offers gamers GTS 450 Hall of Fame edition video card (full post)

Telstra gives the deets on the T-Touch Tab

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Oct 27, 2010 11:20 PM CDT

Telstra is really pulling out all the stops for their T-Touch Tab.

Due out in a few days, the mobile tablet promises to gel all of the features available on smartphones (apps, internet, etc) with a larger touch screen, that will bring gaming, video, e-books and web browsing to life, kinda like the iPad.

Telstra are set to launch the T-Touch Tab on Tuesday next week (2nd of November) - the 7 inch tablet is powered by Google's Android OS, set to be $299 on Pre-Paid, it looks to be great value for money. Where it gets it's kick start from is the ability of the Android market with 100, 000 applications and counting.

Continue reading: Telstra gives the deets on the T-Touch Tab (full post)

Apple goes crazy in ad spending in 2010 - even Don Draper is impressed

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Oct 27, 2010 7:02 PM CDT

Apple's fiscal 2010 report is out (10-K form) - the document is filled with information and details on the state of Apple's business - one big flashing light is just how much Apple spend on advertising in 2010.

In previous years, Apple spent $467 million in 2007, $486 million in 2008, $501 million in 2009 and this year Apple have spent an astonishing $691 million on advertising alone - a $190 million increase from last year alone. Even more surprising, Apple is continuing their trend of lowering the percentage of revenues spent on advertising.

While $691 million is a lot on advertising - keep in mind Apple had total revenues of over $65 billion - this equates to around 1 percent of their revenue, spent on advertising. Last year, that percentage was 1.37 and in 2007 it was 5 percent.

Continue reading: Apple goes crazy in ad spending in 2010 - even Don Draper is impressed (full post)

Snakebyte Premium Remote for Wii has MotionPlus built-in

Shane McGlaun | Gaming | Oct 27, 2010 2:12 PM CDT

If you are a Wii gamer, you probably have a MotionPlus accessory that you use for some of your games. I think that we can all agree that having that MotionPlus accessory sticking off the end of your controller isn't the ideal way to get better control in your games. Nintendo is working on a new controller that has MotionPlus built-in. Sunflex has announced the Snakebyte controller claiming the title of first third-party controller to integrate MotionPlus.

The official name for the Wii Remote is the Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ controller for Wii with Motion Plus. That is a seriously long name for a controller. The Snakebyte supports up to four players just as the normal Wii Remotes do. It also has an integrated speaker, memory settings, and vibration effects just as the factory controllers do.

The Snakebyte controller gets power from an internal rechargeable battery that charges from the USB port on the Wii or a computer. The controller also features an external sync button so you can synchronize to Wii consoles without having to remove the battery door. The controller is shipping now for $34.99. That price is only $5 cheaper than the official Nintendo controller with MotionPlus built-in, I'd rather spend the extra $5 and get the real deal personally.

Continue reading: Snakebyte Premium Remote for Wii has MotionPlus built-in (full post)

Razer unveils new Anansi Expert MMO gaming keyboard

Shane McGlaun | Peripherals | Oct 27, 2010 1:00 PM CDT

On the short list of notable gaming peripheral makers along with Logitech is Razer. The company has been crafting weapons for gamers for years now and has offered a mouse specifically for MMO gamers in the past with lots of buttons and macro features to make play more fun. Razer has now announced a new gaming keyboard called the Anansi Expert MMO gaming keyboard that is designed specifically for the MMO gamer.

The keyboard has seven thumb-based modifier buttons that allow the player to increase their command count from the roughly 12 most keyboards offer to seven times that amount. The keyboard supports over 100 programmable keys and has macro recording on the fly during play. The keyboard supports up to 20 different profiles for individual games or for each player avatar at the press of a button.

There are five more programmable gaming keys on the left side of the keyboard that can be bound to whatever the player desires. The keyboard is backlit and has media keys as well for controlling your media when you aren't playing a game. The keyboard measures in at 515mm L x 190mm W x 22mm H and will work with PC or Mac computers. Razer expects to ship the keyboard for $99.99 starting in December with pre-orders starting "soon."

Continue reading: Razer unveils new Anansi Expert MMO gaming keyboard (full post)

HP Envy 17 3D notebook now shipping direct from HP

Shane McGlaun | Laptops | Oct 27, 2010 12:08 PM CDT

I think that 3D has been one of the most talked about (and perhaps over talked about) new technologies for the home theater and computer user this year. The thing that is so strange to me is that 3D on the computer is far from new. Gamers have had 3D drivers for years for gaming despite the huge influx of new 3D machines hitting the market this year. HP unveiled the cool Envy 17 3D notebook a while back and the machine is now shipping.

If you want to get your hands on the thin and powerful Envy 17 3D notebook prices start at $1599.99 and the machines are shipping right now directly from HP. The base configuration gets you a Core i7-720QM CPU, HD 5850 graphics, 6GB of RAM, 500GB of storage, and a 17.3-inch 1080p 3D display. The 3D machine also ships with HP's active shutter 3D glasses for enjoying those 3D effects.

HP offers a number of options for the machine that will run the starting price up considerably. HP's recommended configuration will cost you $1849.99. Shipping on the machines is free and there are some other nice savings being offered for accessories like 50% off a 6 or 9-cell battery for the notebook, and $20 off LoJack for notebooks.

Continue reading: HP Envy 17 3D notebook now shipping direct from HP (full post)

Sceptre E420BV-F120 42-inch LED backlit HDTV launches

Shane McGlaun | Displays & Projectors | Oct 27, 2010 11:04 AM CDT

Sceptre is generally associated with small screen TVs and display for computers. Most of its offerings that are for watching TV can be used as a computer screen as well. Generally, the company is associated with displays for computer users that have interesting case colors like chrome or pink. The company also makes dedicated TVs as well with its latest offering being the new 42-inch LED TV you see below.

The new TV sells for $1299 making it affordable considering the huge amount of connectivity the set has and the fact that it is LED backlit. The screen offers full HD 1080p resolution and has a 6.5ms response time. Response times don't mean much, but the screen should be fast enough to have no issues with motion blur when gaming or watching your favorite shows.

The connectivity is really impressive on the TV with five HDMI ports, my TV has only two on the back and one on the front, which is far from what I really need for my components. In addition to those HDMI ports the set also has component, composite, VGA, and S-video inputs. The stand is made from tempered glass and a USB port and a headphone port are integrated as well.

Continue reading: Sceptre E420BV-F120 42-inch LED backlit HDTV launches (full post)

iBUYPOWER offers up three new gaming desktops with AMD 6800 video cards inside

Shane McGlaun | | Oct 27, 2010 10:02 AM CDT

Each time a new video card hits the market we can expect a rush of individual companies tossing their own branded versions of the card onto the market and computer makers announcing new systems using the video card. This is the case with the AMD HD 6800 family video cards that were unveiled last week. The cards are now being crammed inside some nice gaming rigs from iBUYPOWER.

iBUYPOWER has a wide range of machines that span the gap from affordable gaming desktops and notebooks to high-end machines that only well-heeled gamers can afford. The newest additions to the line are affordable machines and include the Gamer Mage D295, the Gamer Mage D335, and the Gamer Paladin F820. The D295 is an AMD powered rig running a liquid cooled Athlon II X4 640 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and the new HD 6850 video card. The desktop also has a Blu-ray drive inside and a 700W PSU for $899.

The D355 is a higher-end offering with a liquid cooled Phenom II X6 1055T 6-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a Radeon 6870 video card. The PSU inside the machine is 800W, it has a 1TB HDD for storage, and a 64 GB SSD for the OS with prices starting at $1,239. If Intel CPUs are more your style the F820 has a Core i7 950 CPU with 6GB of RAM, a 6870 video card, 700W PSU, and a 1TB HDD starting at $1,369.

Continue reading: iBUYPOWER offers up three new gaming desktops with AMD 6800 video cards inside (full post)

Qantas goes bananas for Apple for airport lounges

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Oct 26, 2010 11:00 PM CDT

Qantas announced yesterday it's plans to go "Apple-only" on it's frequent flyer lounges around Australia - giving travellers access to the "latest generation Mac's" in a national roll out.

Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas said that the Apple desktops would be available immediately in the Qantas club facilities and that it would be rolled out in other cities by the end of 2010. He said, "We are launching Sydney Qantas Lounges with the new technology from today; Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth from November; and Alice Springs Cairns, Darwin, Hobart and Townsville from December."

Yesterday Qantas also launched a Frequent Flyer iPhone app - which helps members explore different ways they can use their points, the app allows tehm to track their balance, see where they have been earning points and work out the best way to use them. The free app also uses the iPhone's built in GPS features to to locate Frequent Flyer partners.

Continue reading: Qantas goes bananas for Apple for airport lounges (full post)

Vodafone scores exclusive for HTC Desire HD

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Oct 26, 2010 9:20 PM CDT

Last night at the Astral Bar in Sydney's Star City Casino - VHA general manager of Devices and Pricing, Ross Parker confirmed that Vodafone Hutchinson Australia would have exclusivity rights to the HTC Desire HD forever - this, he confirmed.

The Desire HD is the big brother to the popular HTC Desire handset - which when launched earlier this year was an exclusive to Telstra's Next G network - it ended up being very popular. With the launch of the Desire HD, it will hopefully continue the success and popularity that sometimes can rival the iPhone and now VHA will have that exclusivity.

Additionally, Parker confirmed that there will be no immediate pricing plan where customers can buy the handset outright - this leaves customers having to sign up for a monthly contract with VHA if they want the Desire HD.

Continue reading: Vodafone scores exclusive for HTC Desire HD (full post)

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