Acer Aspire “Predator” Gaming Desktop PC Announced
July 26, 2010 by admin
Filed under Computer Technology
The second largest vendor in the PC market, Acer, announced today its new gaming desktop personal computer, the Acer Aspire “Predator”. It is equipped with the finest processor, graphics and memory technologies to assure it is ready for intensive games at the very beginning.
The Aspire Predator by Acer is a monster machine, equipped with the Intel Core i7 quad core processor, nVidia GeForce GTX470 Graphics Card with a three-way SLI support, and the amazing 9 gigabytes of DDR3 memory. The RAM memory can also be expanded to 12GB for maximum performance.

“Designed to conquer and destroy, the Aspire Predator boasts a rugged, intimidating chassis as well as super power and speed,” said Susan Hu, retail desktop product management for Acer Canada. “It’s a smoking hot gaming rig delivering eye-popping graphics and dynamic audio for a jaw dropping experience that will fire up even hard core gamers. Plus, plenty of room for future upgrades will assist gamers in their quest to reign supreme in the new world order.”
The Acer Aspire “Predator” Gaming Desktop PC is expected to be priced at $1.799 in Canada.
Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle
July 23, 2010 by admin
Filed under Gaming Technology
Microsoft announced the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle, which will be available September 14th and will include the new version of Xbox360 with an exclusive silver design, two custom “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controllers and themed Xbox 360 wired headset, a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, an episode of “Halo Legends” as well and a copy of “Halo: Reach” game.
The new silver version is designed by Bungie and includes all standard features of the newly Xbox 360 console, a 250 GB Hard Drive, built-in Wi-Fi and has a suggested retail price of $399 USD. In addition, the specially designed console, “not only captures the look and feel of the game, but also features custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe. Whatever that means!

The Limited Edition Wireless Controller and Wireless Headset with distinctive silver color and exclusive “Halo” artwork by Bungie will be available in late August for $59.99 and $49.99 respectively, and also if you get the controller you will receive a Xbox LIVE token for an animated Covenant Banshee Avatar item.

The Halo: Reach launches worldwide on Sept. 14, 2010, and in Japan on Sept. 15. and is available for preorder in Standard, Limited and Legendary editions for $59.99 , $79.99 and $149.99, respectively. As a special bonus, fans can receive a token to unlock an exclusive in-game Spartan Recon Helmet, by picking up a copy of the game on launch day at North American retail stores, and outside of North America by making a pre-order reservation at participating retailers.

FujiFilm reveals FinePix F300EXR with 15x zoom compact digital camera
July 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under Camera Technology, Technology
Fujifilm reveals today the FinePix F300EXR, compact digital camera with impressive 15x optical zoo and Fujifilm’s next generation EXR technology with Hybrid High Speed Auto Focus.
The new point-and-shoot digital camera has a black metal shell with a double coated lacquer finish. It is equipped with a 12-MegaPixel EXR Super CCD, 3-inch LCD displayand is capable to capture capture 720p movies. The features include 15x Fujinon optical zoom lens (24 – 360mm equivalent range) with Super EBC Coating that keeps ghosting and flare to minimum, next generation EXR sensor incorporates Phase Detection pixels built-in to the CCD to realize Hybrid High Speed Auto Focus and to achieve an incredible auto focus speed of 0.158 seconds and “work like external sensors on DSLRs”. Furthermore gyro sensor for the new image stabilization system, 360 degrees Motion Panorama, Pro Focus Mode – ideal for portraits and a Super Intelligent flash, which produce balanced flash illumination across the foreground and background.

“The primary concerns consumers have are speed of capture, blurry photos and image quality. With the FinePix F300EXR, you won’t miss the action or sacrifice image quality as it has Fujifilm’s EXR technology with Hybrid High Speed Auto Focus. It also has Intelligent Image Stabilization for users to achieve outstanding results in virtually any lighting condition without blurring,” said David Troy, director of marketing, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation, “Combine those features with a Fujinon 15x long-zoom lens and a new high contrast LCD in a chassis only 23mm thick and it helps make great pictures that people will love.”

The FinePix F300EXR also offers these additional features:
- Super Intelligent Flash: The FinePix F300EXR offers a flash control system which efficiently controls the level of flash for a given exposure to produce beautifully balanced flash illumination across the foreground and background. Gone are the ugly washout shots where the subject is blasted with light and the background dark and unexposed. Super Intelligent Flash is most useful in macro photography where the contrast between subject and background can be especially challenging, but is also effective for night and backlit photography.
- EXR AUTO Technology: Prized for bringing a new level of image quality to the consumer compact market, Fujifilm’s EXR technology has the unique ability to switch its behavior depending on the shooting conditions by automatically switching sensor modes. The FinePix F300EXR can be left on EXR Auto Mode and the camera will do all the hard work for you, or alternatively, you can manually select one of three EXR Priority modes for high resolution (HR), dynamic range (DR) or high sensitivity and low noise (SN).
- Face Detection and Automatic Red-eye Removal: To provide perfectly exposed and focused portrait shots, the FinePix F300EXR is fitted with Fujifilm’s latest Face Detection technology which is able to track up to 10 faces simultaneously, at almost any angle to the camera. The system instantly corrects red-eye and then saves both the original and the corrected image file automatically.
- Photobook Assist: Photobook Assist lets you select and organize images in your camera to create a digital photobook. You can download the photobooks to your computer using MyFinePix Studio software that is included.

The FinePix F300EXR will be available in late August 2010 at a retail price of $329.95.
ZOWIE intros EC-series competive gaming mice
July 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Computer Technology, Technology
Zowie Gear reveals after one year of research and development, the ZOWIE EC-series competitive gaming mice co-developed with the legendary Counter-Strike player, Emil ‘HeatoN’ Christensen.
The new HeatoN’s EC-series include four mice with the same features and specifications, the only difference is coating, color and size. They feature lowest lift-off distance currently available in any optical mouse on the market – 1.5 mm. Regarding ZOWIE, it is one of the primary features, cause “the lower the lift-off distance is, the easier it will be to get used to the feeling and anticipate where the cursor will land with each move”. When you play FPS games, you will often lift the mouse, as you need to make swift movements to turn around quickly, regarding them a higher lift-off distance, “means the cursor will start to move earlier than the gamers anticipate, which will affect their aiming a lot.”

“In my 10 years as a professional gamer, every day I have wanted to develop the ideal mouse for competitive gaming,” says Emil ‘HeatoN’ Christensen and continues, “as a competitive gamer, you have to be able to rely on your equipment to be functional at all times. The mouse is probably a gamers most important tool, so it is important that you can trust it to deliver. We have put our focus on precision, stability, durability and comfort. No more excuses. It’s up to you now!”

Other features include a DPI-adjustment with maximum DPI setting of 2000, improved mouse wheel with over 5 years lifetime, 1000 Hz USB report rate and as ZOWIE claims without need of any drivers installation, just plug and play anywhere. The EC1 and EC2 black model , has a rubber coating to increase the grip when holding, while the EC1 and EC2 pure white model, has the popular smooth coating which reduces sweaty palms.
The new mice will be available in August for €59.90.
Features:
- 100% stable optical mouse developed for gaming by HeatoN
- Ergonomic designed right hand gaming mouse
- 1.5 mm lift-off distance due to custom developed ZOWIE-lens
- Improved mouse wheel system
- 500/1,000/2,000 DPI adjustment
- 1,000Hz USB report rate
- Operating System:
- Win2000/XP/VISTA/7
- Mac OS X v10.2 after
Specifications:
- Frames Per Second: 6,500
- Inches Per Second: 40
- Dots Per Inch: 500/1,000/2,000
- Max. Acceleration: 15G
- 1,000Hz USB report rate
- Connector: USB
- Buttons: 5
- Dimensions:
- EC1: 128 x 43 x 62~70 mm / 5 x 1.7 x 2.44~2.76 inch
- EC2: 120 x 40 x 58~65 mm / 4.72 x 1.57 x 2.28~2.56 inch
- Length of cable: 2m / 6.6 ft
LG’s first 3D notebook – R590 3D
July 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under Computer Technology, Technology
LG today reveals its first 3D notebook, which is based on Intel’s Calpella platform and Nvidia graphics and of course comes bundled with polarized glasses. The R590 3D has a 15.6-inch display, powered by Intel Core i7 Processor with HM55 chipset, NVIDIA GeForce GT335M graphics card with 1GB of dedicated DDR3 video memory, it feature a SRS Tru-Surround HD sound, option for DVD burner or Blu-ray drive, runs Windows 7 and comes with TriDef software, which converts 2D video to 3D in real time.

As LG claims the included polarized glasses, has not internal circuitry or batteries and helps to reduce eye fatigue when watching 3D content on the LG R590 3D.

LG’s first 3D notebook will be launched in Korea this month with price tag around $1300 and introduced globally in the weeks to follow.

Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710 GPS handhelds revealed
July 16, 2010 by admin
Filed under Technology
Magellan has unveiled a new eXplorist handheld GPS devices, extending their award-winning, rugged GPS series. The new models have codenames eXplorist 510, 610 and 710, each of them has a 3-inch touch-sensitive display, high-sensitivity GPS, a 3.2 mega-pixel camera with auto-focus, microphone and speaker to record geo-referenced images, videos, and voice notes.
The new GPS devices are waterproof (IPX-7) and come preloaded with “the most detailed worldwide map in the industry”- Magellan’s World Edition map, which contains the complete road network for U.S., Canada, Western Europe and Australia. The top model eXplorist 710comes with Summit Series topographic map and City Series turn-by-turn map, which allows users to navigate their vehicles “through busy city streets on their way to their outdoor adventures”. The other two – the eXplorist 610 and 710 feature a 3-axis electronic compass and a barometric altimeter for precise orientation, accurate elevation information, and enables for weather pattern tracking. Also each model features Magellan’s award-winning OneTouch favorites menu, silent proximity alarms , they have expandable memory, paperless geocaching, high sensitivity GPS enabling 3-5 meters of accuracy, GPX compatibility, 16 hours of battery life, high sensitivity GPS enabling 3-5 meters of accuracy, vertical profiling, a digital almanac, track summary statistics and area calculation.

The new Magellan eXplorist GPS devices will be available to consumers worldwide in the 4th quarter, 2010. The prices are as follow : 510 $349.99, the eXplorist 610 $449.99, and the eXplorist 710 $549.99.

“With the popularity of social networks, the GPS industry is shifting towards more online experience sharing,” said Justin Doucette, Director, Outdoor Product Marketing, Magellan. “There are many sites that allow for geographic and multimedia data to be posted and shared with others. The eXplorist series allows users to bring their adventures home with them, catalog for future reference, and share online with family and friends.”
Pentax adds a retro-taste to Optio I-10 compact digital camera
July 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Camera Technology, Technology
Pentax announces, that adds a new black-and-silver version with retro-taste to their PENTAX Optio I-10 camera, launched earlier this year.
Called the PENTAX Optio I-10 Classic Silver, the new model shares the same features and specs like the old one – 12.1 megapixels sensor, 2.7″ LCD and 5X optical zoom lens offering a 28mm wide-angle coverage (in the 35mm format). But the new version was “created in response to users’ enthusiastic requests for a black-and-silver appearance reminiscent of the beloved SLR film cameras of the past”. Pentax is trying to achieve a retro-taste look of a classic SLR camera with combination of a black-colored front panel with textured-leather-like finish and silver-colored top and bottom panels.
The new version is expect to be available soon.
ARES Graphics Card Launched by Republic of Gamers
July 14, 2010 by admin
Filed under Computer Technology, Technology
The group of gamers and tuning enthusiasts that are crafting products and tools for their “peers”, The Republic of Gamers (ROG), launched a graphics card called “ARES” which is pushing the boundaries of what exactly can be achieved with a fine tuning and raw power, by deploying two Radeon HD5870 cores that are running at 850MHz, and optimizing their performance for up to 32 percent better.
Mr. Vinay Shetty, Country Head – Components Business, ASUS in India said “We are very excited about the launch of ARES. It is a very high end VGA and so we are releasing it as a special limited edition card. The ARES after all is a “true dual-Radeon HD 5870″ Crossfire setup on a single PCB. The Radeon HD 5970 was / is the fastest single graphics card in the market, and the ASUS ARES would clearly offer more performance.”

The ARES giant has 3200 stream processors and GDDR5 RAM 4GB Memory which is clocked at 1.2GHz. The power and performance that it is able to deliver is just the kind that professional gamers dream of.
The ARES Graphics Card runs cool and quiet thanks to its 100mm fan, which delivers six times the air mass described by reference. The recent copper cooling of ASUS has also been implemented in the ARES Graphics card by the Republic of Gamers, with two outsized all-copper heat sinks which are oxygen-free and less than eight 8mm copper heat sinks. The balancing fittings of the synced fan blades are eliminating every vibration of the card, keeping the noise at a minimum level.
The ARES Graphics Card is being released as a special limited edition card by the Republic of Gamers, available only while the supplies last.

Specifications of the Graphics Card:
- Model: ARES/2DIS/4GD5
- Graphics Engine: ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 graphics X2
- Video Memory: 4GB GDDR5
- Engine Clock: 850 MHz
- Stream Processors: 1600×2=3200
- Memory Clock: 4800MHz (1200MHz GDDR5)
- Memory Interface: 256-bit x2
- DVI Max. Resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Bus Standard: PCI Express® 2.1
- DVI Output: 1x native dual-link DVI-I
- 1x single-link DVI via HDMI to DVI adapter
- HDCP compliant: YES
- HDMI Output: YES, native
- DisplayPort: YES, native
- Software Bundled: ASUS utilities and driver
The ARES Graphics Card is available with a warrany of three years (limited local warranty).
Acer Launched Three New 3D-Ready Projectors in Canada
July 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Technology
Acer Canada launched three new projectors for Canadian consumers that are 3D ready.
Any wall can be transformed into a three dimensional screen, thanks to the DLP 3D Projection capabilities and high refresh rates of Acer’s 3D ready projectors.
“The new Acer video projectors provide incredibly compelling and realistic 3D video and images that make customers feel like they are part of the experience,” said Chris Chiang, product marketing manager, Acer Canada. “Additionally, consumers will thoroughly enjoy the superior visuals projected from these new models even while watching traditional 2D content.”
The Acer X1230PS Projector is perfect for any home theater enthusiasts that will enjoy videos, photos and game content. It will display clear images up to 109 inches diagonal while delivering XGA Resolution at 1024×768 pixels and a 4:3 aspect ratio. The color and clarity of the images are heightened thanks to the combination of the advanced lamp technology with illumination of up to 2500 ANSI lumens combined with 3000:1 high contrast ratio. The aspect ratio can also be adjusted to display in native 16:9, so that the user can enjoy high-definition digital content without distortion. The Acer X1230PS Projector can be connected to composite video, S-Video Mini-DIN, Component Video, D-Sub for PC Analog Signal, USB Mini B and more popular video sources. It is available for Canadian consumers for the price of $699.

The AcerX1261 Projector is perfect for home, work and school environments, because it provides rich visuals at an amazing value. It combines advanced lamp technology of up to 2500 ANSI lumens with high contrast ratio of 3700:1 and a vertical refresh rate of 50-120Hz for crisp and bright images. The projector is ready for presentations and multimedia thanks to its native XGA resolution and an aspect ratio of 4:3, which is also adjustable to a 16:9 for high definition video content without distortion. The Acer X1261 Projector also has a wide range of video input sources like composite video, component video, S-video mini-DIN and RS232 Mini-DIN Control Interface. It is available for Canadian consumers at the price of $599.

The Acer X1130P offers 3D Performance at a much greater value, while extending the productivity potential in a classroom, in your home, or in a conference room, without making you blow your budget away. It features 2500 ANSI lumens and a SVGA native resolution with a contrast ratio of 3000:1 for only $499 for Canadian consumers. The aspect ratio offered by this product is 4:3, which can also be adjusted to 16:9 for digital HD video content. The video input sources offered by the Acer X1130P are composite video, component video, S-Video Mini DIN, and a stereo mini Jack, plus the RS232 Mini-DIN Control Interface.

The new Acer X1230PS, Acer X1261 and Acer X1130P 3D-Ready video projectors are eco friendly and backed up with a one year warranty on the DLP Chip and 90 day warranty on the lamp.
Dell adds more color to Design Studio laptops with Threadless art
July 12, 2010 by admin
Filed under Computer Technology, Technology
Dell refreshed its Design Studio laptops with 11 new designs, each uniquely crafted by individual members of the Threadless community. The new images are directly imprinted into the laptop lid and offers include – Stone Jungle by André da Silva Cruz, Daisy by Bryan Ische and Grandma’s Hot Air Balloon by student artist Brent Schoepf.
Dell also promised to refresh regularly its Threadless Collection with newest selections from the Threadless community. You can see the Dell Design Studio Artwork Images here.
“The Threadless community creates unique, critically-acclaimed original designs. By teaming with Threadless and offering exclusive designs through Design Studio, we enable students and families an exciting way to differentiate their Dell Mini or Studio laptop PCs,” said Rachna Bhasin, general manager, strategic partnerships and personalization. “We are also excited to enable passionate artists to share their inspiration.”





