Intel's Core i7-980X Launches with a Bang

Intel today launches its newest processor, the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition, which promises to be the new king of the CPU hill. The Core i7-980X Extreme Edition (codenamed "Gulftown") is Intel's first six-core processor for consumers, more specifically gamers and well-heeled multimedia professionals.
The Core i7-980X replaces the Core i7-975 as the top-of-the-line Intel processor. It costs approximately $999 per chip, which is the same price as the i7-975. (It's therefore no surprise that the Core i7-975 will be going away soon.) The Core i7-980 is truly a "drop-in" replacement, since it shares the same LGA-1366 socket as the i7-975 (and i7-920, i7-960, etc.). You should be able to use the most recent motherboards with an Intel X58 Express chipset; all you'll have to do is flash the motherboard's firmware before you install the chip. The usual suspects will have BIOS updates available on their Websites: Intel, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Foxconn, EVGA, Biostar, etc.

The Core i7-980X has six cores and comes with Intel's Hyper-threading technology. This means it can work on twelve streams at once. This is a boon for people that need multi-processing, like graphics professionals transcoding videos, or people doing 3D rendering in software (think CGI). Like previous Core i7 systems, the i7-980X has TurboBoost, which can turn off some of the cores and give that power to the remaining cores (if, for example, your photo editing program can only address two cores). It also can "boost" all six cores above the usual 3.33-GHz specs, as long as the CPU cooler can keep up with the heat output. Intel can do this because it builds a large amount of overhead into its chip design, so that its new standard cooling fan can handle the occasional spike in thermal energy. Needless to say, this on-demand overclocking won't be constant, but most of the time a computer is waiting for you, rather than vice versa.

Another boost in performance is the result of the larger 12MB L3 cache on the processor (up from 8MB on the Core i7-975). The L3 cache is a holding cell for the data the CPU is processing, and more L3 cache means that the CPU has to access the relatively slower DDR3 memory less often. The cache will help speed up single-threaded tasks like gaming, though as seen in our testing, the choice of GPU is still more important to the hardcore gamer..

Not surprisingly, the Core i7-980X will show up on gaming PCs first, like the Maingear Shift and Falcon Northwest Mach V (Core i-980X). Well-heeled gamers are exactly the type of consumer who will crave a $6,000+ system with a $1,000 processor and $1,500 worth of graphics cards. Gaming system builders have a lot of experience combining the extra overhead in the CPU's thermal envelope with liquid cooling to bump the stock 3.33GHz clock speed up to as much as 4.3GHz while running heavy loads. The overclocked processors still cool down while idle, so they're not running at full speed all the time.

So, is it worth it? Yes and no. Our performance tests with the Falcon Northwest Mach V and Maingear Shift show a significant performance bump in multi-threaded tasks like CineBench R10 (a doubling of performance from the mid-range Core i7-870). There's also a significant speed bump for the PCMark Vantage test, which is multi-threaded and measures day-to-day tasks. However gaming tests still depend more on the graphics you put into the system, with the credit going to multi-GPU systems rather than multi-core CPUs. The multimedia tests are starting to reach a plateau of diminishing returns: while the scores are still getting faster, having an ultra-fast quad core and SSDs are "enough" for tasks like Windows Media Encoder and PhotoShop CS4. Throwing two more cores at the multimedia tasks won't help at this time. Maybe they will help when Adobe releases CS5; time will tell. (story Link)

Intel Core i7 [860] Lynnfield Processor Review

Last week Intel's latest addition to its arsenal of desktop processors was released in the form of the Core i7 and Core i5 series' for the LGA1156 socket. These new cores, previously known as Lynnfield (and we will still call it as much throughout our reviews), differ from the previously available Bloomfield processors (only available as Core i7 CPUs for the LGA1366 socket) in a few ways:

• Dual-channel memory controller- Lynnfield does indeed still have an integrated DDR3 memory controller but here Intel has removed one of the channels from Nehalem to make the new core dual-channel. While this is theoretically a performance drawback, in real-world testing (as you will soon see) the third channel made very little performance difference in most consumer applications. By removing one channel Intel was able to make the CPU package smaller (less pins required), lower the cost of ownership (only two DIMMs needed now) while keeping performance very high.
• No QPI interface- While Nehalem used the QPI interface to communication with the north bridge of the motherboard, Lynnfield uses a connection called DMI. DMI is much slower than QPI (2 GB/s versus 26 GB/s or so) but in nearly all cases that bandwidth will be more than adequate for the amount of data moving between the processor and chipset even in a worst case scenario. Again, with this change, Intel was able to lower the pin count for Lynnfield in relation to Nehalem.
• Integrated PCI Express 2.0- A first for a consumer processor, Lynnfield actually takes 16 lanes of PCIe 2.0 and moves them onto the die of the processor itself. That means that the graphics cards (or any other PCIe devices) now communicate directly with the processor itself rather than through a north bridge or chipset controller. The advantage here is for a lower cost chipset though I am betting that performance advantages from this are going to be minimal to non-existent. This is basically another move towards a more highly integrated platform on the Intel CPU.
• Split HyperThreading integration- HyperThreading is still around on the Lynnfield processors, but it will only be enabled on SOME of the product offerings. While the die size and transistor counts will be exactly the same, Intel will basically just flip off the HyperThreading capability in order to create a market differentiation and pricing segmentation. More details on what CPUs have what on the next page.
• Larger Turbo Mode differentiations- While Lynnfield was being prepared Intel's engineers found out how to get a little more frequency out of the Nehalem architecture and you'll notice that when you see the larger Turbo Mode improvements on Lynnfield. Essentially, the cores have been fine tuned in a way that will allow them to auto-overclock higher than even the most expensive Core i7 processors available today.

I won't get into all of the architectural or product differences here, but if you are still a bit behind the curve in that regard you should definitely be checking out the previous Lynnfield launch review in which I go into great detail about all things new and old in the processor, motherboard chipset options, pricing and more.

While we already tested the Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 processors, the Core i7-860 finds itself resting directly in the middle of those two parts in terms of clock speeds and Turbo Mode overclocking. (full Story)

Crunchpad to make a November release

For those of you who have been keeping up with the news and announcements related to Crunchpad, the Tablet PC by TechCrunch, well all we can say for now is that it is real and its coming this November. So what features will the Crunchpad boast of?

For one, its a Tablet PC with a 12-inch screen and will mainly be used for browsing the web and doing web-related tasks. All apps on the Crunchpad will be web-based and we are still unsure if it possesses any media capabilities such as watching movies or listening to music.

It will feature a custom web-kit browser which shall be running over a custom Linux OS. There will be Wi-Fi and 3G access and also one USB port to handle/transfer data to a thumb drive.

Apart from this, there is nothing that the Crunchpad can do so we hardly believe that it will be any match for the supposed Apple Tablet that is to come in September this year. The Crunchpad will be probably priced around $400. Michael Arrington from TechCrunch will be officially introducing the device at an event somewhere in August. (with Thanks)

Apple’s Time Capsule at 2TB

Apple has updated the storage space of what appears to be its flagship backup appliance, also known as the Time Capsule.

The Time Capsule by Apple allows users to backup the data on their Macs and PCs wirelessly and also allows them to share the storage space as a wireless drive on their Mac computers, PCs, iPhone or Apple TV.

The new model is now available for a price of $499 and offers a server-grade storage of 2 Terabytes, double the capacity of its previous model but at the same price. The old-model of the Time Capsule is now available for only $299.

It also supports the new features introduced for Time Capsules earlier this year, namely the simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi which makes the Time Capsule work on dual bands at the same time and Guest Networking, which enables one to setup a secondary network for guests and visitors. (with Thanks)

IT pros: We hate Microsoft

If we're to believe a study about the performance ratings IT pros give to vendors, Microsoft is in big trouble. The study just out from VendorRate gives Microsoft products across-the-board dreadful ratings for customer satisfaction, integrity, reliability, and more.

VendorRate conducted an online survey of IT pros of 347 hardware, software, telecom and service vendors during the second quarter of 2009, and only reported results for those vendors that received eight or more ratings. Microsoft's ratings for that quarter, in the words of Rick Schaefer, CEO of VendorRate, "simply fell off a cliff in this quarter."

The site asked for IT pros to rate vendors in 10 categories, including integrity, timeliness, communications, customer service, expertise, effectiveness, and whether they would recommend the vendor to others. It then added all the categories for each vendor to come up with a total.

For Microsoft, the ratings were universally dismal.Three different Microsoft businesses were given separate ratings, including operating systems, applications, and server/infrastructure.

Here's a brief summary of the findings, taken from the VendorRate summary:

IT pros rating vendors on VendorRate in April, May and June hammered Microsoft across the board with poor customer satisfaction scores for the company’s server and infrastructure software (55 out of 100, down nearly 17 percent), operating systems (67, down 9.5 percent) and applications (64, off nearly 18 percent).

Verizon was at the bottom of the barrel, with a 61 rating, followed by Sprint Nextel with 64, and Microsoft applications with 64. Microsoft operating systems was tied with AT&T Wireless for next worse with a 67. That means Microsoft took two of the bottom five spots. IBM Informix, meanwhile, took the top spot for vendors with a 96.

It's hard to know what to make of the survey, because there was no event or series of events that could have caused such a drastic plunge in a single quarter. But whatever the reason, Microsoft clearly has a lot riding on Windows 7, because if that operating system is a hit, you can expect all these numbers to rise.  (story Link)

Schmidt: Chrome OS News in Late 2009

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (Reuters) - Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said there may be announcements later this year about netbook PCs running its new Chrome operating system, as the Internet giant makes its deepest push into Microsoft Corp's business.

Schmidt also said on Thursday that while the worst of the economic downturn has passed, there aren't any strong signs of an immediate recovery.

"I think the new normal is now," Schmidt said at a one-hour briefing with reporters, along with Google co-founder Larry Page, at the Allen & Co media and technology conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Earlier this week, Google announced it was developing a PC operating system based on its Chrome Web browser, expected in the second half of 2010. The company said computer makers like Hewlett-Packard Co and Acer are working with Google on Chrome devices.

"Everybody we've talked to under nondisclosure is excited about the plan. So hopefully later this year we'll see some announcements," Schmidt said on Thursday.

Schmidt and Page repeatedly steered the conversation away from the rivalry with Microsoft, describing the Chrome OS as a product that would be "additive" to the PC market.

"I don't want to talk about Microsoft," Schmidt said, noting later that Google did not have any particular goals for Chrome to take market share in the PC business.

"We actually don't look at market share at all," said Schmidt.  (story Link)

10 Questions for Google's New Chrome OS

Google’s not-so-surprising announcement that it would launch an operating system, the Google Chrome OS, in 2010 was full of heady promises, but painfully lacking in detail. Naturally, I have some questions for Google.

1. Why Do We Need This?
Consumers like variety, but stress levels tend to rise when there are too many technology options. I think this is mostly because each platform has its own metaphors. And while some may tell users that this operating system is better than that one, most users are too scared to switch because they don't know if they can learn to use a new OS. Google, however, is applying the same thinking it used when the search giant launched the Chrome Web browser: We can do it better. They did build a super-fast Web interface, but Chrome still lacks many of the basic features we've come to expect from a good browser. Will a Chrome OS have similar gaping holes?

2. Hardware Support?
Google's blog post on the new Chrome OS seems to gloss over hardware support. "[Users] don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware." In other words, the Chrome OS should work seamlessly with all of the peripherals you currently use. But why is that? The OS is being built on a Linux kernel, which means that while driver support is decent, it's not foolproof. Will Google work with OEMs to have a rich set of drivers available within the OS? Will you have to download all the drivers you need for your existing hardware? How will they ease the process of installation?

3. Linux? Really?
I know I've said this before, but why do people keep going back to Linux as the best alternative to Windows? There are excellent Linux distros out there, such as Ubuntu, but none of them are quite as easy to use as Windows or the Mac OS. More importantly, two years of Vista did not create a new user bonanza for the Linux platform. It didn't even do all that much for the Mac OS. Instead, Windows users suffered but stayed put. Now many feel like they're about to be rewarded for their patience with Windows 7. Look at it this way: When gas prices soared to record highs, people did drive less and they even traded in their Hummers for Hyundais. What they didn't do is rush to hybrid vehicles. I know there are more of them on the road than ever before, but they are far outnumbered by traditional gas-guzzlers. Face it, the tried and trusted (Windows) seems to stick around even when better alternatives are available.

4. What About Android?
Android is a decent little mobile operating system, and it may even do a good job of powering a new generation of netbooks—I'm still waiting to see the first one—but it hasn't exactly taken its primary market by storm. In fact, it's taken almost a year for the second Android-based phone to arrive. I don't know what caused the holdup. Perhaps it's the same problem that Linux has: consumers have found the mobile platforms they really prefer and aren't interviewing any others.

5. Which OEMs?
Most major PC manufacturers have offered Linux boxes at one time or another, but they don't push them. There are no ad campaigns out there, and they're typically not featured on, say, Dell's homepage. Google certainly has the clout to get into the offices of Acer, Dell, and HP, but how receptive are these companies to Google's platform overtures? Like the rest of us, they've suffered through a bad 2008 and a dismal 2009. Would they really want to risk precious marketing dollars on an untested platform? All are gearing up for Microsoft's Windows 7 push (which kicks off in earnest on October 22). It's the closest thing these manufacturers have to a sure thing. The Chrome OS has risk written all over it.

6. Can We Trust Open Source?
The open source community is brilliant at building out new OS features, but it also tends to fracture. Does anyone know how many different Linux distributions exist? Can Google depend on the open source community to put the interests of the lowest common denominator first?

7. Will the OS Be in Beta?
Okay, I'm asking this one somewhat facetiously. Google officially grew up this week when it pulled most of its major apps and services out of Beta. I'd say it's no coincidence that it did this right before the Google Chrome OS announcement. The ever-present "beta" tag on many of the company's products made it seem somewhat less than serious about software. The company can't afford that perception now.

8. Is Chrome Chrome?
One thing that isn't clear is whether the Chrome OS desktop is actually going to be a brand new interface, with new code, or if the whole thing is simply a rejiggering of the Chrome Web browser with a Linux kernel underneath. Google's blog post makes it sound more like the latter. That could be kind of cool; you get things like tear off tabs and an incredibly lean, speedy interface. On the other hand, how does it handle tasks and applications, navigation, file storage, networking? Does that all get passed off to the Linux platform?

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Intel May Release Core i7 975

Several distributors and retailers are showing that Intel's upcoming Core i7 975 will ship at the beginning of April, not the end of May.
Is the Intel Core i7 975 coming sooner than we think? That's what many distributors and retailers are reporting, and actually have the upcoming processor listed for next month. As an example, this website shows an April 6 street date, and this website shows an estimated date of April 7. Granted, these dates aren't official, and are estimates only. However, it's a huge jump considering that the Core i7 975 wasn't expected to ship until the end of May.
The release of the 45nm Core i7 975 (Extreme) is a rather highly-anticipated one, as the quad-core Bloomfield processor will serve as the new flagship chip for Intel, boasting a core speed of 3.33 GHz, support for LGA 1366 sockets, uses 1 MB of L2 cache and 8 MB of L3 shared cache memory, and has a TDP of 130W. Recently the processor was leaked, overclocked, and benchmarked, pushed up to an "extreme" clock core speed of 5,239 MHz, breaking the then-current record of Futuremark's 2DMark05 benchmark application. As it stands now, the benchmarked rig featuring the Core i7 975 sits in the #2 position, recently conquered by a rig sporting Intel's Core i7 965.
As of this writing, the Intel Core i7 975 will cost end-users a whopping $999 USD; the Core i7 950, clocking in at 3.06 GHz, will be available as well for a cheaper-but-still-hefty $562 USD. Other processors included in the original May lineup consist of the Core 2 Duo E7600 ($84), the Pentium Dual-Core E6300 ($84), and the Celeron Dual-Core E1600 ($53).
Intel also plans to ship six Core 2 Quad processors next month. (link)

Sony BDP-S360 (Blu-ray)

Sony's BDP-S360 Blu-ray player ($299.99 list) is a fine example of getting more for less. It delivers even better picture quality than its predecessor, the excellent BDP-S350, yet the S360's price is $100 lower. A few sacrifices were made: You won't get the multimedia streaming features some other players in this price range offer, for example. But if you care about picture quality above all else, the S360 delivers.

Behind a fold-down door on the S360's glossy tinted face you'll find a centrally located tray mechanism, an information display, and basic playback controls. The player's forward-facing power and eject buttons in the upper corners of its face are much easier to operate than were the upward-angled buttons of the S350, especially when the unit is stacked under other components. The basic remote control is a step back from the S350's, which featured bigger buttons on a larger frame. Sony has also eliminated the eject button on the new remote, making it more likely you will smudge the player's glossy face with fingerprints when inserting and removing discs.

The S360 lacks the S-Video connection that was on the S350 but retains the HDMI and component video outputs that support HD video formats. Like the LG BD370, the S360 also features coaxial and optical digital audio outputs for greater flexibility when connecting to an amplifier that may not support HDMI audio. As with most Blu-ray players, the S360 settles for a composite video cable; manufacturers should include HDMI cables, instead, for superior picture quality and simplified setup.

An Ethernet port on the S360 allows simplified firmware updates over a broadband connection, and a USB port can be filled with 1GB or more of flash storage to enable support for BD-Live downloadable multimedia features. The cheap cost of flash memory nowadays should make this optional upgrade standard, but at least this player's USB port is hidden out of sight; the LG BD370 leaves the memory sticking out the front of the player.

Unlike other $300 players such as the Samsung BD-P1600 and Panasonic DMP-BD60, the S360 doesn't support Internet-based streaming of services such as Netflix's Watch Instantly (Samsung) or YouTube (Panasonic). The player supports JPEG and MP3 multimedia file playback, but only from a recorded disc (Blu-ray, CD, or DVD) and not also via USB like other players, including the aforementioned Panasonic and Samsung models.

At 41 seconds, the S360's Blu-ray load time is 2 seconds faster than the S350's. When the S360's Quick Start feature is enabled, it reduces the time the player needs to start up and eject its disc tray from 23 seconds to 7 seconds. The S360 is below average at quickly scrolling through long menus, however: It took 22 seconds, whereas the LG BD370 needed only 15 seconds.

The S360 is better at upconverting standard-definition DVDs than any other Blu-ray player I've tested. The challenging HQV Benchmark DVD showed that the S360 could minimize jagged-edge artifacts better than the Panasonic DMP-BD60. And the S360 nailed all of the benchmark's film cadence tests that check for preservation of detail when dealing with some of the more common frame rates used video production—including the rate of 24 frames per second (fps) in which most movies and prime-time TV shows are captured.

Most Blu-ray movies are stored in the 1080p24 format (1080p resolution, 24 fps), and the BDP-S360 can output this video format to a compatible display via HDMI. But unlike the Panasonic DMP-BD60, the S360 upconverts DVD movies not to 1080p24 but to the more commonly supported 1080p60 format that can introduce judder, which is noticeable in slow panning shots.

On my tests, the S360 displayed exceptionally detailed 1080p Blu-ray video, but it was slightly less capable with 1080i, the format commonly used for bonus material and some animated titles. The 1080i HD HQV Benchmark's video resolution test revealed some flicker that could result in a minor loss of detail; this has been a consistent issue with all Sony BD players that I've tested, including the PlayStation 3. (full Story)

Netbook vs Laptop Performance

It's safe to say that netbooks are here to stay, and they could even come to dominate the laptop landscape in a couple of years. Since their humble beginnings as cheap laptops that could be used to surf the Web, compose e-mails, do light office tasks, and play music or videos but not much more, they are evolving into more substantial machines. Set against their low price and portability are limitations such as screen and keyboard size, and lack of a built-in optical drive. But perhaps the biggest differentiator between netbooks and other laptops is performance. We know netbooks can easily handle the sort of basic tasks I mention above, but how do they do at more rigorous tasks such as resizing photos, transcoding videos, or ripping an audio CD? And how do they stack up against mainstream laptops?

First, I'll say a few words about netbook limitations other than performance. We know that the small screens (most less than 12 inches), lack of optical drive, and constricted keyboard influence price (and buying decisions), but we'll keep our focus here on performance, which for many users is paramount.

Key to the performance of any PC, netbook or otherwise, are its processing parts. The vast majority of netbooks (including the two we'll focus on here) run on an Intel Atom processor, a small percentage use VIA processors, and a scant few with processors from Texas Instruments and ARM have trickled out. Netbooks typically ship with 1GB of memory, while bigger laptops are standardizing at 3GB and 4GB now. And let's not forget that graphics components and hard drives can influence the performance of a netbook.

Performance-wise, netbooks are configured with very few differentiating features between them. But how do they fare against other laptops that cost a little more, run faster processors, and pile on memory? Is improved performance commensurate with the increase in price? Well, we took two netbooks—the Acer Aspire One (10-inch) and the Dell Inspiron Mini 12, which cost $350 and $500, respectively—and compared them with mainstream laptops that aren't outrageously expensive (ranging from $700 to $1,300) but cost considerably more than your average netbook. —Next: How We Tested >

3 New Series of Headphones from Sennheiser

Sennheiser has introduced three new series of headphones, the CX II, IE and MM series.

The CX II range includes noise-isolating, in–ear canal headphones, with bass-driven stereo sound. The series in the Street, Sport, Gaming, Travel and Style lines guarantee a unique sound experience and exclusive design and colors.
The IE series caters to specific consumer needs. The flagship model, IE 8, marks a milestone in the development of ear-canal phones and enables the user to precisely fine-tune the bass response according to individual preference. The dynamic drivers and powerful neodymium magnets of the IE 6 ear-canal phones deliver high-fidelity sound with an enhanced bass response. The IE 7 range delivers an audio reproduction that is balanced, precise and true-to-life.
The headsets in the MM series are foldable and specially designed for the iPhone and Nokia phones. (story Link)

Apple Rolls Out New Macs

Apple Inc said on Tuesday it is updating its iMac and Mac mini desktop line of personal computers with prices starting at $599.

The new line of desktop computers includes a 24-inch iMac with twice the memory size and twice the storage of the previous generation 20-inch iMac, but is priced at the same $1,499. The new iMac line includes one 20-inch PC and three new 24-inch iMacs priced between at $1,199 to $2,199.

 

 

The two new Mac Mini desktops measure at 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches by 2 inches and the price starts at $599 to $799. The company also introduced a new Mac Pro desktop PC aimed at business users. The new Mac Pro starts at $2,499, $300 less than the previous Mac Pro. (via chipbit)

Sony Alpha DSLR-A200

This camera sure took its sweet time coming to our labs. But now that it's here, let's see what you're getting in this attractive, low-cost package, and how well does it compare to the budget cameras today.

New users may want to keep our camera glossary open for explanation of some of the used terms.

Compared to the bite-sized consumer DSLR camera bodies we've been getting lately, the A200 seems a bit bigger at 131x99x71 mm and also somewhat heavier, weighing 572g. But considering the number of goodies that the A200 packs inside, the bulk is well justified.

The plastic body of the A200 seems surprisingly cheap. Though the build of the camera seemed sturdy and durable, the feel was just not good enough. That said the hand grip was very comfortable to use, even for longer durations. Some of the shots I tested with required me to wait patiently for the subject to move to the right position, and that was easily achieved with the comfort level of the hand grip.

The button layout seemed quite odd on the A200 with the power button placed at a considerably hard to access location i.e. the right above the LCD screen, to the left. Though I did get used to it after a while, I still found the placement very uncomfortable, especially when I only have one hand free.

In fact, the overall button placement on the camera is not optimized or even intended for single hand use. While the shutter release is placed on the right, the mode dial is placed on the left of the camera. The worst part is aperture size control in the A200, which need you to press down the AV button, right next to the viewfinder at the back, and use the shutter speed jog dial placed in front of the shutter release. This has got to be the most uncomfortable way to change the aperture size ever! (story Link)

Battle for Best High-End Mac OS X netBook

I’ve been busy installing OS X on the Dell Mini 9 (CNet review) and fellow podcaster Rob Parker prefers the Acer Aspire One (review) but guest blogger Bob DeGrande thinks that the Asus 901 (review) and MSI Wind(review) make better high-end Mac OS X netbooks.

I think there is a better deal on a Linux netbook at the moment. The Asus 901is a high end netbook.  It normally sells in the $360-380 range, but there is a $100 rebate going on through early March, bringing it into the same price range as the Aspire.

It has excellent features - a 1.3MP webcam, Bluetooth, 6-cell battery, 20GB of SSD in the Linux version, and a Synaptic touchpad which supports two finger scrolling like a MacBook. The Asus 901 network card identifies itself internally as a gigabit card (even though the specs say 10/100) and it also has 802.11n wireless (most others only have b/g).

I have some experience running OS X on a netbook (I have a legal license). I use the MSI Wind. I have upgraded to 2GB RAM, a 7200 RPM 320GB hard drive, and a 9 cell battery.  It’s still under 3 lbs., and this machine runs OS X well - I load up Spaces with Tweetdeck, Firefox, Mail, and iTunes, and I have no problem running additional applications without slowing down.

Time Machine works, including using Migration Assistant to move apps from an existing Time Machine backup by USB.  There are some minor issues, I have to run a program to switch between speaker and headphones and there is a program that runs at startup to connect to Wi-Fi, but that is automatic. I am also dual booting XP, as I have a digital TV USB stick that only works with Windows.

BoingBoing has recently updated their compatibility chart for netbooks running OS X. What’s your favorite netbook for running Mac OS X? (story Link)

Who’s buys a Mac mini?

Apple on Tuesday updated its $599 Mac mini and said that the box is faster and greener than before — a no brainer since its been ages since the line was refreshed (a year and a half) and this update was something that Mac watchers have fretted over. But what kind of customer buys a Mac mini? I say: Mac and Linux geeks.

The common wisdom says that the Mac mini appeals to switchers from Windows. In this model, the customer is totally interested in the entry price of the  box.

Certainly, with the current economic distress, this price-point consideration must be growing.

Still, since its introduction in 2005, I’ve met very, very few switchers who have bought a Mac mini. They mostly purchase iMacs and MacBooks.

When Steve Jobs introduced the Mac mini in 2005 in his keynote address for the San Francisco Macworld Expo, he said that the Mac mini was first a “Mac that costs less.” Next, it was quiet. And  that it was a “robust computer, but it’s very very tiny.”

“We want to price this so that peope who are thinking of switching will have no excuse. [For] people that want a second Mac in their house — or a third or a fourth — it’s really going to be easy,” he continued.

From what I’ve seen there are two segments that buy Mac minis. First, there are customers from the installed base of Mac owners, who want an inexpensive Mac and who already own a monitor, display and keyboard. These persons are either purchasing a second (or third or fourth as Jobs said) machine or are replacing an ancient PowerPC-based Mac.

But from what I’ve seen in the past couple of years is that the growth segments are Mac and Linux geeks who are using these inexpensive Macs as servers, virtualization machines and colocation boxes.

There are several companies that offer hosting plans with dedicated Mac minis. Some Mac managers are more comfortable with these boxes since they can use familiar Mac tools for controlling them remotely.

At the Macworld Expo in January, I am fairly certain that I saw several rackmount solutions for Mac minis, including the MX4 Rack Tray, which holds 4 Mac minis in a 2U rack.

I remember the Internet News story from last year, where Sean Michael Kerner mentions a the Firefox development offices and discovered that they were running an array of 80 Mac minis, which dispelled his “illusions of Mozilla super cluster grandeur.”

From a testing framework point of view (since Mozilla is constantly building and testing) they are using an array of about 80 Apple Mac Minis. According to Beltzner the reason why they’re using Macs is easy — they handle  virtualization easily.

BTW: If you’re interested in packing a Mac mini with virtualized Windows or Linux machines take a look at the recently released VMware vCenter Converter 4.0. (story Link)

External Hard Drives: Stay-at-Home Protection

Today's PCs are overburdened with files, files, and more files. Whether digital photos, music, home videos, or downloaded videos, all these files take up a lot of space on your notebook's or desktop's hard drive. Digital photos typically run about 3MB to 5MB, as does each MP3 song on your hard drive (roughly 1MB per minute of music). When you get into videos, each file can run from hundreds of megabytes up to multiple gigabytes.

Today's budget laptops and desktops come with 160GB hard drives at a minimum, and capacities go up from there. I've seen massive multimedia systems with 750GB to 1 terabyte drives that are still in the affordable (sub-$1,000) price range. All of these internal drives fill up eventually, and you'll need a space to keep all of your stuff.

With apologies to the late George Carlin, your computer is now the place where you keep all your stuff, and sooner or later you'll need to find a place for more stuff. The Internet and all the files on it are growing, after all, not shrinking.

Don't leave businesspeople out of the equation. Small-business owners have important files on their hard drives as well. Invoices and QuickBooks databases are hard to recover or replace when your system goes down.

Recent notebook PCs will have a hard drive with a capacity from 4GB all the way up to 500GB (for now). What I propose is that you get a drive that will sit on your desk, backing up all the files on your notebook, and hold other files that don't need to be on your notebook 24/7. For this purpose, you'll need more than 320GB. Here are a few recent candidates for your backup solution. External desktop hard drives such as the Iomega eGO have reached terabyte capacity, and the WD My Book Mirror Edition does it one better, combining two 1TB drives, each backing up the other. A lot of vendors have increased the capacity of their pocket hard drives to 500GB; our favorite of these half-terabyte mini wonders is the Seagate FreeAgent Go, which although insanely portable also comes with a svelte, superbly designed dock. When placed in the dock, it can back up your PC around the clock.

Already made your New Year's resolutions? Add "backup" as one more item to the list.

Featured in this Roundup:

Iomega eGo Desktop Hard Drive (1TB) ($218.45 direct)

The Iomega eGo is your basic large-capacity hard drive. It's pretty inexpensive ($140 to $170 street) and has a lot of space to hold all of your files. The eGo connects to your laptop via USB 2.0, and it works reasonably well as a backup drive. Its hip-flask-shaped chassis is reasonably attractive, and it's available in three colors: black, blue, and red.

Seagate FreeAgent Go (500GB) ($239.99 list)

The FreeAgent is a 500GB portable drive that you can bring along on trips or when commuting, but its greatest strength is the innovative design of the unit and its dock. You can keep the combo on your desk; that way, it's always ready to be connected to your desktop or notebook PC. The 500GB capacity is enough to back up the largest notebook drives, and the Seagate comes with a class-leading five-year warranty.

Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition (2TB) ($399.99 list)

The Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition is the ultimate USB drive for backups. Its twin internal 1TB drives back each other up (hence the "Mirror" in the name), so even if all hell breaks loose and you suffer multiple drive failures (your C: drive and one drive in the mirror), you're still safe. About the only way to become safer is to take the Mirror Edition and lock it in a fireproof safe every night. At this price, it's more of a business protector, but it could keep your irreplaceable family photos and home videos safe as well.  (story Link)

Officially Launched X-mini II Capsule Speaker

XMI Singapore has officially launched the second generation X-mini capsule speaker.

 

The X-mini II features a new, larger 40mm driver  and comes with a new built-in rechargeable battery.
The built-in retractable 3.5mm audio cable can be tucked neatly into the base for a cleaner and sleeker look.
The X-mini capsule speaker costs Rs. 1800. (story Link)

Hitachi L32S02A LCD TV

It’s been a while since we reviewed a straight up 32-inch LCD - something for the entry level consumers in the HDTV market. The last time we covered Hitachi, it was for their Ultra Thin series, which was superb but pricey. Now we have a no frills 32 incher by them, called the Hitachi L32S02A LCD TV.

Design and Features
It seems Hitachi has cordoned off all their design ideas and fancies to their UT series, as this model is quite a basic looking piece, and could use a bit of pizzazz. It’s got a gloss black bezel, with a old fashioned speaker grille on the bottom panel. This is something that should have been concealed better. There is a silver strip outlining this grille, plus we have the Hitachi logo etched bang on center, also in silver. The stand is oval and of the same gloss black finish.

The back panel is bare, with the input terminal window facing downwards, another iffy for me. Though it’s not such a big deal, a little bending backwards doesn’t hurt. Speaking of inputs, we have 2 HDMIs, one VGA in (mini D-SUB) for PC, 2 component ins and a couple of composite video inputs. There is a set of input on the left panel too: a headphone out and a composite video in. The model might be new, but the design sure seems old.
As for rated specifications, we have native contrast at 1000:1, with a 500 cd/m2 brightness. Response time is 5 ms, and the main thing with Hitachi LCDs that is advertised in bold: an S-IPS panel. This technology boasts very good viewing angles, and they actually do have good angles, though backlight bleed can be an issue, something we have observed in past reviews. (story Link)

LEGO USB Drives

Ahh the USB (Universal Serial BUS) drive, a boon to mankind for its simple, storage option for data transportation and transference. Without the technical jargon it’s just a pen drive to copy stuff off of one computer to another. Piracy you say? I think not!
In this day and age, the USB portable flash-drive has not remained just a transfer-and-tote device and gone are the streamlined designs of the once simplistic device. Of course for most of the branded drives, the form factor hasn’t deviated too much. But companies have begun to make these devices more personal and in some cases rather ridiculous. Here are some of my favorites.
For the Love of TV

Star Wars

A company called mimobot has designed limited edition pen drives, (and those are words I never thought I’d hear in the same sentence till joined this industry) to pay tribute to what could possibly be called the greatest Trilogy of all time - Star Wars. That’s not true any more though, considering the prologued trilogy that came out a lot later than the originals.

 

However this company has designed USB pen drives after some of the famous characters in the films for those true fans. They’re about 2.5-inches tall and 1-inch wide and support USB 2.0. The drives are available in 1, 2, 4, and 8GB capacities. The range consists of characters like Luke Skywalker in his flight suite, C3-PO, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Han Solo and others. The list would be quite incomplete without Vader, so of course he’s there as well, although a lot less menacing than usual. The Data Transfer Force is strong with these.

Disney

The toons have fascinated us since we were kids and some of us just didn’t bother to grow up, but rather just upgrade our likes. For the old school and new Disney cartoon lovers, Buffalo a name that’s become quite synonymous with memory, has a line of USB drives with some of Disney’s more memorable characters. The RUF2-DFNR series of USB drives from Buffalo caught my eye while I was researching this feature. They were equipped with just 512MB of internal memory, which was pretty decent for January 2007, but I have to admit the designs were really detailed and sharp. (story Link)

BenQ V2400W LCD Monitor

BenQ is slowly but surely building a reputation for itself. A consortium of some 10 companies, these guys have been getting higher notches in their reviews over the months, and this time we have a high end 24 inch LCD monitor by them, called the BenQ V2400. Let me also state a point here in the intro itself: this is claimed to be the thinnest LCD monitor in the world.

Design
This particular model, the V2400W has won awards for its design, so I will strip it down and see what the fuss is about. The bezel is glossy black, piano style finish, and does look pretty good. The slim design only exists on the edges and corners of the unit, the center part of the monitor is fatter. The glossy back panel smoothly contours into this convex bulge. BenQ has definitely concentrated on the design.
What I actually do not agree with is the permanently attached, brushed aluminum colored stand, sporting a mild luster. It does not look so good in the overall scheme of things. The bezel is not actually all glossy; it has a thin inner strip of matte black finish, on the screen’s edges. Plus on the outer edge is also a thin strip, similar in material to the stand. This has buttons on the left end at the bottom.

Everything is the asymmetrical about the monitor, the column of the stand, position of buttons etc. This does look pretty nice, plus the fact that the bezel has very less clutter in the form of unnecessary logos. The buttons, when on, have a brilliant blue LED backlight on their labels and edges, and this is what really imbibes class into the design. There is an optional beep sound that occurs when these buttons are pressed. (story Link)