| Alienware Launches Area-51 Desktop, Alienware 13 Laptop, and Alienware Graphics Amplifier Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:00 PM PDT  Good things come in threes
There are those who believe in the rule of threes and many PC gamers, with money to spare, look like they are in for a treat with three new products from Alienware. Alienware has launched the new Area-51 Desktop, Alienware 13 laptop, and Alienware Graphics Amplifier. During PAX East, Alienware unveiled its new Area-51 desktop featuring a triangular-like chassis designated the Triad. The chassis is designed to offer better heat dissipation, compared to the standard rectangular chassis, and has built-in grips so that PC enthusiasts can carry it to different locations, and easy-to-remove side panels. Maximum PC Editor Jimmy Thang was able to speak with an Alienware representative and get a close look at the new Area-51 desktop which has a starting price of $1,699. Each unit will come with Intel's latest six or eight core Haswell-E Core i7 K-series processors (liquid cooled) with Intel X99 motherboard chipset, DDR4 RAM, will be able to support SSD and HDD combinations for up to five drives, comes installed with Windows 8.1, and will work with both AMD or Nvidia GPUs. Some of the optional features include triple Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 GPUs, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and a slot-loading dual layer Blu-ray drive. Not only did Jimmy Thang get a close up view of the Area-51, but he was also able to take a look at the Alienware 13 and Alienware Graphics Amplifier. The Alienware 13, which starts at $999, is a 13-inch laptop that features an Intel core i5 processor, a Nvidia GeForce GTx 860M, 8GB or 16GB of DDR3 RAM, multiple storage options, and will support Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Pro, and Windows 7 Pro. The chassis is constructed from aerospace-inspired carbon fiber composite surfaces, weighs around 4.5 pounds, and is one-inches thin. There are also several display options with the high-end option featuring touchscreen technology with 2560x1440 QHD resolution. Also featured in the second video is the Alienware Graphics Amplifier that can be used to give a laptop the power of a desktop. It can be purchased separately for $299 or with the Alienware 13. The device connects directly into the Alienware 13 through a dedicated PCI Express lane which will give any AMD Radeon HD 5000 series and newer or NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 600 series and newer GPU the bandwidth needed to perform properly. The Alienware Graphics Amplifier is capable of housing a full-length, dual-height GPU with up to 375 watts and features four USB 3.0 ports so that consumers will be able to plug in any peripherals they would like to use. "Until now, gamers have had to make some really hard decisions and compromises when they are looking for their next gaming system," said Alienware General Manager Frank Azor. "Do you choose the raw power and performance of a desktop, or do you need the portability and battery life to game wherever they choose? The Alienware 13 combined with the Alienware Graphics Amplifier enables gamers to choose both, with an amazingly portable and powerful laptop for mobile gaming and then simply plugging into a desktop-class gaming experience when you get home. This is gaming without compromises." In addition to its three new products, Alienware is also updating its Alienware Command Center software to version 4.0. The new version will feature detailed performance monitoring and tracking tools that includes single-click widgets that will display information about GPUs, CPUs, memory, and the motherboard. Alienware Command Center 4.0 will also include custom tools for different systems, include a tutorial, and provide users with the ability to track the Graphics Amplifier connectivity and status with the Alienware 13. The Alienware Area-51, Alienware 13, and Alienware Graphics Amplifier will be available to order October 28. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Microsoft Tells Office 365 Subscribers to Go Crazy with Unlimited OneDrive Storage Posted: 27 Oct 2014 12:54 PM PDT  Say goodbye to that 1TB data cap
Your Office 365 subscription just became a better deal than it was yesterday. That's because Microsoft just announced that all Office 365 subscribers are being upgraded from 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage to unlimited space. The unlimited upgrade started rolling out today to Office 365 Home, Personal, and University customers, and will continue over the coming months and into 2015 to include Business customers as well. For those of you who already subscribe to Office 365, you can jump towards the front of the line by going here and jotting your account down on the list. You'll then be added to the waitlist, presumably so that you can be one of the first to start enjoying the upgrade. "While unlimited storage is another important milestone for OneDrive we believe the true value of cloud storage is only realized when it is tightly integrated with the tools people use to communicate, create, and collaborate, both personally and professionally," Microsoft stated in a blog post. "That is why unlimited storage is just one small part of our broader promise to deliver a single experience across work and life that helps people store, sync, share, and collaborate on all the files that are important to them, all while meeting the security and compliance needs of even the most stringent organizations." Not a bad deal considering that Office 365 subscriptions start at $6.99 per month for installation on a single PC or Mac plus one tablet. For $9.99 per month, the allotted installations jumps to five PCs or Macs plus five tablets. Those prices will still stay the same with the unlimited OneDrive upgrade. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Asus Posts Detailed DIY Upgrade Guides for G551 and G771 Laptops Posted: 27 Oct 2014 12:32 PM PDT  Easy to follow upgrade guides
Working on a laptop might seem like it's a daunting task if you've never done it before, and depending on how much of it you have to rip apart, it sometimes can be, However, in many cases, swapping out common parts -- think of items like the hard drive, RAM, and Wi-Fi card -- is incredibly simple. To make upgrades and repairs even easier, Asus ROG has gone and posted upgrade guides for its G551 and G771 laptops, complete with lots of pics. "You should be glad to know that you don't have to be computer savvy to upgrade G771 by yourself, and that's great news if you've always wanted to upgrade a PC. Before you know it, you'll be building a liquid-cooling system with sound-activated bling. You'll need a place to work where you won't be losing screws and scratching up the laptop surface. Let's start here by opening up the back cover," Asus begins its G771 upgrade guide. By removing a section of the back panel, you'll have easy access to the 16GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM (two 8GB DIMMs). Sitting just in front of the RAM is an M.2. PCI-Express SSD, which itself is flanked by a pair of 2.5-inch drive bays on both sides. The guide also shows how to remove the optical drive. Word to the wise when shopping a laptop -- do your research to see if DIY repairs and upgrades are easy or fairly involved. Asus is usually pretty good about using enclosures designed to make upgrading a painless affair, though we've seen some models that require almost a complete teardown just to get to one of the sticks of RAM. In any event, you'll find the G551 upgrade guide here and the G771 upgrade guide here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Acer Goes Green, Commits to 100 Percent Renewable Energy for U.S. Ops Posted: 27 Oct 2014 12:04 PM PDT  EPA welcomes Acer America as a Green Power Partner
Every so often, you hear about a major tech company making strides in going green and/or leaving a smaller carbon footprint. This time it's Acer America, which today announced an initiative to provide clean energy for its U.S.-based operations. Acer claims it purchased enough green power to offset 100 percent of its carbon emissions from electricity at all U.S. facilities -- more than 27 million kilowatt-hours of green power in the form of renewable energy credits (RECs) in all. On top of the its renewable energy purchase, Acer America has also become an EPA Green Power Partner and is now included in the Green Power Leadership Club, as well as listed on the 100 percent Green Power Users and Top 30 Tech & Telecom partner ranking lists. "EPA is excited to welcome Acer America Corporation as a Green Power Partner and congratulates them on their No. 24 ranking on our Top 30 Tech & Telecom list of the largest green power users," said Melissa Klein, communications director of EPA's Green Power Partnership. "By opting to purchase renewable energy, Acer America Corporation is helping to grow the nation's clean energy economy and reducing harmful carbon pollution. The company's impressive commitment to use 100 percent green power serves as an example of leadership for others to follow." RECs are used by thousands of U.S. and Canadian organizations as a way to track and trade green power in North America. The RECs that Acer purchased are sourced from a blend of renewable energy types including wind power and biomass -- they'll reduce emissions from Acer's U.S. facilities through the end of 2015. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Lenovo Tries Hand at Wearables, Quietly Unveils Smartband SW-B100 Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:12 AM PDT  Look who's getting into wearables
Having climbed its way to being king of the mountain in the PC sector, Lenovo is now setting its sights on mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and yes, even wearables. Speaking of the latter, Lenovo now has a product page for its forthcoming Smartband SW-B100. Lenovo's targeting "young people who take care of their personal health and are interested in new tech trend products" with this one. The Smartband lets you to track daily exercise, including how many steps you've taken, along with your sleep patterns and heart rate. You can also receive custom notifications to help keep on track with your health plan and follow your progress, and it will even automatically log into your locked PC without entering a password to keep a record of what you're doing. Of course, it also shows calls and text messages, along with the number or name of the sender, so long as you pair it with an Android 4.3+ or iOS 7.1+ device. No word yet on the when Lenovo will start selling its Smartband or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| TP-Link Announces Archer C8 AC1750 Wireless Router with Detachable Antennas Posted: 27 Oct 2014 08:37 AM PDT  Premium specs, mid-range price tag
TP-Link is pitching its new Archer C8 AC1750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router as its first premium model in its 802.11ac family of networking gear. Aimed at digitally connected homes with multiple devices, the Archer C8 offers up to 1.3Gbps of transfer performance over the 5GHz channel and up to 450Mbps over the 2.4GHz channel. That's a combined 1.75Gbps of total bandwidth over the two channels, hence the AC1750 rating, though you can't actually morph the two connections into one. Nevertheless, this is one of the faster spec'd models out there, though it won't be long before AC1750 is considered a mid-range offering when companies are starting to come out with AC2400 models and higher. The Archer C8 sports an 800MHz dual-core CPU, three detachable dual-band antennas with omni-directional wireless coverage and beamforming technology, four gigabit LAN ports (plus a WAN port, of course), QoS prioritization, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports (one each), and an improved user interface that TP-Link says makes it easy to setup and navigate the router. TP-Link's Archer C8 carries a $130 MSRP and is available now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 4770K Haswell, Dell 29-inch LED Monitor, and More! Posted: 27 Oct 2014 08:13 AM PDT |
| HuddleLamp Can Combine Multiple Mobile Displays on the Fly Posted: 27 Oct 2014 01:12 AM PDT 
Opens up exciting possibilities for cross-device interplay The population of mobile devices that are almost all screen has exploded in recent years to a point that it is now common for a single person to have many such all-screen smart devices. This brings us to the question: Why is there no app and/or hardware solution for seamlessly combining multiple smartphones and tablets — even if those belonging to the same platform — into one giant display on the fly?. While a mainstream solution has yet to show up, a partnership between the Human-Computer Interaction Group of the University of Konstanz, the Intel ICRI Cities at University College London (UCL), and the UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC) has yielded something that ought to please some passionate and adventurous developers. The HuddleLamp is essentially a desk lamp that has a motion-tracking RGB-D camera built in to track the movements and positions of both hands and mobile devices on a flat surface, allowing for some pretty exciting interplay between devices and users. "This enables a new breed of spatially-aware multi-user and multi-device applications for around-the-table collaboration without an interactive tabletop. At any time users can add or remove displays and reconfigure them in space in an ad-hoc manner without the need of installing any software or attaching markers," reads the official HubbleLamp page. "Additionally, hands are tracked to detect interactions above and between displays, enabling fluent cross-device interactions. We contribute a novel hybrid sensing approach that uses RGB and depth data to increase tracking quality and a technical evaluation of its capabilities and limitations. For enabling installation-free ad-hoc collaboration, we also introduce a web-based architecture and JavaScript API for future HuddleLamp applications. Finally, we demonstrate the resulting design space using five examples of cross-device interaction techniques." Image Credit: HuddleLamp Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
| Another Tor-based Router Pulled from Kickstarter Posted: 27 Oct 2014 12:30 AM PDT 
TorFi joins Anonabox in getting nixed Kickstarter is fast turning into a graveyard of sorts for crowdfunding efforts involving routers that promise hassle-free internet anonymity by automatically routing all traffic through Tor. Close on the heels of its suspension of the Anonabox funding campaign, the popular crowdfunding site on Wednesday put the kibosh on funding for another such project. Unlike the Anonabox project, which had already secured over half a million dollars in funding from nearly 9,000 backers when funding was suspended on October 17, TorFi could only manage monetary pledges worth a paltry $951 before being pulled from the site. Although Kickstarter has refused to comment on what prompted it to take such a drastic action, it is believed that the project may have fallen foul of a Kickstarter rule that clearly asks creators to not present someone else's work as their own, unless they wish to have their project suspended. This belief stems from the fact that TorFi's creators, Jesse Enjaian and David Xu, weren't proposing to produce an entirely new product, but merely tweaking an off-the-shelf TP-Link router with a customized version of OpenWRT in order to turn it into a device capable of delivering "simple, plug-and-play, secure access point to the Internet." However, if you are interested in such a product not all is lost. As it turns out, there is no dearth of alternatives. Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
| Canonical Marks 10 Years of Ubuntu With Release of 14.10 Utopic Unicorn Posted: 26 Oct 2014 10:06 PM PDT 
A rather drab affair Popular Linux distro Ubuntu recently turned 10 and Canonical could think of no better way to celebrate the milestone than with the release of a new version of the operating system. Okay, maybe not. To be honest, Utopic Unicorn (codename) isn't in any way a celebratory release. On the contrary, it might well be one of the least ambitious Ubuntu releases in recent memory — at least on the desktop front. Unlike its predecessor 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr), Utopic Unicorn is built on Linux kernel 3.16. Further, there's a new version of the Mesa graphics library and the latest stable version of GNU Compiler Collection (GCC). Also contained in 14.10 are a number of updated packages like Firefox 33, Thunderbird 33 and LibreOffice 4.3.2.2, etc. It is clear from the lack of new features in this latest release that bringing the first Ubuntu smartphone to market before the year is out has, for now, become the number one priority for Canonical. The good news on that front is that the company says it is "on track to have Ubuntu phones in the market this year." Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
