As Windows 7 approaches retail release there have been more questions about what it is bringing to the table besides a re-worked UI. Well if you look beyond the new clothing that MS has wrapped the Vista Kernel in you will find a pretty impressive feature set.

In Windows Vista one of the problems was its heavy foot print. This was further exacerbated by Vista's dislike of releasing memory once an application was finished with it. But beyond having better memory usage Windows 7 brings DX11 to the table. DX11 is bringing a host of new features to gaming. These will be the inclusion of a Physics API, adding a tesselator, and a host of other improvements and added features.

But DX11 is not just for gaming; for the first time applications will be able to selectively choose the processor they run on. I am not just talking about the CPU cores, but being able to choose between GPU and GPU on the fly.

Yeah, more Apple rumors! We have been hearing rumors and denials about Apple's plans to make a tablet for about two years now. Ever since the netbook came out people have been speculating that Apple will have to release their own version to compete in the small, low-power and inexpensive market.

However, when anyone has asked Apple they have always replied that they cannot make an inexpensive device that is not junk. (Which is actually funny when you really look at the cost of the parts though.)

All that aside, there has been some rumblings again about a possible new Apple tablet. First is was Apple buying small 10-inch multi-touch screens, then is was a large flash memory purchase, after that it was a carrier saying they would subsidize one if it were made. Now we have a financial paper claiming that Apple might release one in September.

During the launch of the new Runcore Pro IV SSDs here in Hangzhou today, we also got a look at the newly launched Runcore Easy Three Step upgrade process for its full range of SSDs.

Runcore bundled some software on all its new SSDs, which allow for easily upgrading your HDD to an SSD. It allows you to entirely move over all files and the actual file system (MBR) and OS from your old drive to your new SSD. Software is included to support both Windows and Mac systems, depending on which SSD you buy, the appropriate software will be included.

The process is rather simple, as you'll see in the video below. Matt from Runcore shows us just how it is done. Runcore has really gone out of its way to make the upgrade process as simple as possible and will probably end up selling more drives as a result.

We are here in Hangzhou, China in the technology and development area (or HEDA as it's known officially) at the moment visiting the Runcore office to get a hands-on look at its range of Pro IV SSD drives that will launch later today and go on sale very soon.

We spent some time exclusively testing the new Runcore Pro IV, specifically the 1.8-inch Micro SATA 128GB. We compared the performance of this new SSD against a standard notebook HDD in two identical Lenovo X301 laptops. We confirmed that no funny business was going on and that both systems were identical in terms of setup, clock speeds and so on.

Take a look at the video below. We have an unboxing, look at the tiny SSD, performance numbers, boot up and shut down time comparisons and more.

AMD's fusion has been an ongoing project for some time now (actually going back to just after the AM2) but as with many AMD projects and products nothing has been seen on this future advancement.

Of course now that Intel has shown off silicon that features a dual die setup (CPU and IGP) we are starting to hear more from AMD about this.

The latest news is that the Fusion will be ready by 2012 and should hit the stores as a 22nm CPU. This is great news, but I cannot help but wonder if we will see a similar launch like the Barcelona.

Well it looks like Rage from id Software will be primarily aimed at the console market. This is in line with what John Carmack said back in 2008.

This is an interesting departure from id's normal work. Usually id titles hit the PC and then are later ported to the console if there is a big demand for it (like Doom). So why the shift to the console? Well if I were a betting man I would say that is the popularity of the newer consoles combined with online access they all now have. I would also add that porting from console to PC is usually easier than PC to console.

id has said that there will be a PC version with a little better graphics but that it will be split onto two DVDs for the install. However, since it is being designed for the console first it will be like many console ports and have controls that will feel awkward and clumsy on the PC unless you use a console style controller.

Good grief, it seems that everyone has a netbook or a "net" system now. Phone companies are giving them away, stores are marking them and now even monitor manufacturer Viewsonic has one. The funny thing is that they are all about the same in terms of hardware so one is just about as good as another.

The Viewsonic offering is called the VNB101 and has the typical Intel Atom N280, 1GB DDR2 RAM, and the standard 160GB HDD. Nothing new to see here; except perhaps the space for a 3G SIM and a Lithium-Polymer Battery. It does look a little like an Asus with some added color but then again most netbooks look alike anyway.

But here is the rub, as with anything inexpensive to build and sell, there is a saturation point that kills the market. I think we have just about hit that point. Furthermore the marketing for the netbook/nettop is terrible. They are being marketed as inexpensive laptops. That is something they are not; just ask anyone that has tried to use to replace a standard one and you will see.

Apple might have gone a little overboard in their description of how secure their iPhone 3G S is. I know this will come as a shock to no one (except a few very hardcore Apple Fans). After all Apple continuously claims that OSX is not vulnerable to crashes, viruses, hacking etc.

The rub is that on Apple's website they state

iPhone 3GS offers highly secure hardware encryption that enables instantaneous remote wipe. You can even encrypt your iTunes backups

If you are into the Xbox 360 then there is some potentially good news for you.

The blunder made by Steve Balmer in announcing that Natal would come to the Xbox in 2010 could be correct and not a mistake.

The evidence that points towards this is Aptina being hit up for a few 1.3 MegaPixel cameras (of the type that would be used by Natal). This could put the "Natal Xbox" in the stores in time for the holiday shopping season in 2010.

With Jailbreaking and Unlocking there is a strange game of cat and mouse played between the jeailbreakers and Apple. It would appear that this game has also extended to the new Palm Pre.

Palm has released its new Web OS 1.1 and it fixes the issue that Apple just patched with the latest version of iTunes. So that means that you can still sync your Palm Pre with iTunes if you have the newest version of the Web OS.

Other improvements are emoticons and full exchange support, but between you and me the best part is Palm's back hand to Apple and their iron grip on iTunes.