| Corsair Introduces Quiet Carbide Series 330R Titanium Edition Case Posted: 20 Nov 2014 01:19 PM PST  A case for librarians and other noise conscious builders
There's something to be said for building a quiet computer. It takes a bit of research to build a truly silent (or near silent) system, and of course it starts with your choice of case -- an open air chassis is probably not the best option. There are several quiet cases available, and beginning today, you can add Corsair's new Carbide Series 330R Titanium Edition to the list of quiet computing enclosures. Corsair says the 330R makes it easy to build an "extremely quiet" PC, part of which is due to the noise damping material found on the top panel, side panels, and front door. It also boasts a 3-speed fan controller and a Direct Airflow Path layout that provides an unobstructed path between the included 140mm fan and the CPU and GPU. The other included fan is a 120mm exhaust unit, though there's room for two more 120mm or 140mm fans up top and another 120mm or 140mm fan up front. If you prefer liquid cooling, the 330R can accommodate a 240mm or 280mm radiator up top and is specifically compatible with Corsair's H55, H60, H75, H80i, and H100i liquid coolers. Other amenities include four hard drive trays supporting both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch installs, tool-free 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch drive installation, built-in cable routing coutouts, and a USB 3.0 port on the front panel. Corsair's Carbide Series 330R Titanium Edition PC case is available now for $100 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Stock Rises on Positive Outlook for 2015 Posted: 20 Nov 2014 12:48 PM PST  Investors liked what they heard from Intel today
Intel today announced that its board of directors approved an increase in its cash dividend to 96 cents per share on an annual basis, representative of a 6 percent increase, starting with the dividend that will be declared in the first quarter of 2015. In addition, Intel predicted full year revenue growth for 2015 to be in the mid-single digits, trumping what most analysts were expecting. The news came as part of Intel's annual investor meeting today at its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. Between announcing a bump in its dividend and a better-than-expected outlook for next year, Intel's stock price subsequently went up around 4.6 percent, with more hours still left in the trading day. Intel also addressed its sub-par performance in mobile. "I'm not g oing to tell you I'm proud of losing the kind of money we're losing but I'm also going to tell you I'm not embarrassed by it like I was a year ago about where we were," Intel Chairman Andy Bryant said during the meeting. "This is the price you pay for sitting on the sidelines for a number of years and then fighting your way back into the market." Intel's mobile division posted a $1 billion operating loss in the third quarter and generated revenue of just $1 million. However, Intel recently announced plans to merge its PC and mobile sectors into a new Client Computing Group that will be overseen by Kirk Skaugen, a senior vice president currently in charge of Intel's PC Client Group. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Wicked Lasers to Stop Shipping Lasers Above 5mW to U.S. in January Posted: 20 Nov 2014 10:22 AM PST  Save 40 percent on handheld lasers that will soon be unavailable to purchase
Wicked Lasers builds some of the most awesome (and dangerous) handheld lasers around, like the Krypton that earned a rare 10 verdict and coveted Maximum PC Kick Ass award when we reviewed it back in 2011. The company has been the topic of many articles on our website throughout the years, though sadly, the good times are coming to an end. Wicked Lasers is under new ownership and will no longer ship handheld lasers greater than 5mW to U.S. customers effective January 1, 2015. The same shipping restrictions will extend to other countries shortly after, the new owners say. Other than that little bit of information, there's not much to go on -- it's not clear who the new owners are or what their future plans are for Wicked Lasers. It's also not clear why they're discontinuing shipments of high-powered lasers, though it could boil down to liability issues. That's the bad news. The good news? Wicked Lasers is offering 40 percent off all of its laser products, save for the FlashTorch and Core. Just use coupon code FINAL40 for the savings. If you're new to Wicked Lasers, bear in mind that these aren't toys. Depending on the laser, it takes but a split second for serious injury, such as blindness - check out this commenter's cautionary advice. If shopping one of these, do yourself (and others) a solid and pick up some safety goggles. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Mozilla Picks Yahoo Over Google as Default Search in Firefox for Next Five Years Posted: 20 Nov 2014 09:46 AM PST  Google will become an alternative choice in Firefox, as will DuckDuckGo
There are few things you can count on in life -- death, taxes, and blowhard analysts incorrectly proclaiming the death of the PC. A year ago, we would have added another entry, one that says Google will be the default search in Firefox until the end of time. No one would question it because the two have been so close for so long, but anything can happen when a contract comes up for renewal. And what happened this time is Mozilla chose Yahoo to replace Google as its default search provider for the next five years. It's not entirely clear why Mozilla made the decision to end its long-time relationship with Google, though there are some hints if you read between the lines. "In evaluating our search partnerships, our primary consideration was to ensure our strategy aligned with our values of choice and independence, and positions us to innovate and advance our mission in ways that best serve our users and the Web. In the end, each of the partnership options available to us had strong, improved economic terms reflecting the significant value that Firefox brings to the ecosystem. But one strategy stood out from the rest," Mozilla stated in a blog post. The very next section in Mozilla's blog talks about "Promoting Choice and Innovation." Going forward, Firefox will do away with having a single global default search provider -- Yahoo will be the default option for searches in the U.S., though not necessarily in other parts of the world. For example, Yandex Search will be the default in Russia and Baidiu will remain the default in China. For Mozilla to be motivated to switch, it's likely Google was either unwilling to budge on being the global default, or offered Mozilla significantly less money to go that route. Either way, Yahoo is giddy as can be over supplanting Google in Firefox, which it hopes will increase its search market share. The reason this matters is two-fold: For one, there are tons of advertising dollars at stake, which makes it highly advantageous to whichever search engine is the default option. And secondly, most of Mozilla's revenue has historically come from these search deals. Yahoo and Mozilla didn't disclose how much the deal is worth, though it's clear Yahoo is the more flexible choice. In addition to supplanting Google, Yahoo will support Do Not Track (DNT) in Firefox. Additionally, remember DuckDuckGo, which was featured in our recent search engine scuffle? It's growing up fast and is being added as a built-in alternate search option. According to Yahoo, it's working with Mozilla to build a clean, modern, and immersive search experience that will launch first to Firefox's U.S. users in December, and then to all Yahoo users in early 2015. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Acer Announces Availability of 32-Inch B326HK 4K Ultra HD IPS Display for $1,000 Posted: 20 Nov 2014 06:31 AM PST  A 4K Ultra HD monitor with an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel
Acer today introduced its newest 4K Ultra HD monitor to the U.S. market, the B326HK. It's a 32-inch monitor with an LED backlight and In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel instead of a lower quality TN screen. According to Acer, the B326HK is suitable for a wide range of buyers, from home consumers to commercial customers interested in gaming, watching movies, web design, and more. "Our newest 4K display available in an ergonomic 32-inch model was built for those who want to view games, movies, videos and other graphic intensive content on a big screen," said Ronald Lau, Acer America senior business manager - peripherals. "The UHD resolution delivers incredibly vibrant images with very sharp detail and an adjustable stand makes viewing as comfortable as possible. IT professionals will appreciate the wide array of connectivity options, earth-friendly design and the inclusion of a VESA wall-mount to maximize space." Acer says the B326HK sports 100 percent coverage of the sRGB color space and offers 6-axis color adjustment. It also has "ComfyView" non-glare protection that consists of a polarizer material to reduce lighting reflection. We're not big on rated specs when it comes to monitors because they're easily fudged and there's no real standards to measure against, but for what it's worth, the B326HK features a 6ms response time, 350 nit brightness, and 100,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Connectivity options include a DisplayPort, HDMI (MHL), and DVI, along with a built-in USB 3.0 hub. You'll also find integrated speakers. The B326HK is available now for $1,000 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Zalman Issues Official Statement on Bankruptcy Rumors Posted: 20 Nov 2014 06:08 AM PST  Caught in the middle of its parent company's shenanigans
We reached out to Zalman a couple of weeks ago after reading multiple reports that it was headed for bankruptcy as a result of alleged bank fraud by its parent company Moneual. Zalman responded, though later asked us to pull our follow-up article until it had a chance to draft an official statement. That statement came today, and as previously reported, Zalman contends the bankruptcy rumors are "completely false," though it's true that its parent company was involved in a $3 billion fraud conspiracy. Zalman tells Maximum PC that it's in the process of restructuring its operations under the oversight and jurisdiction of the court in South Korea, and emphasized that this isn't a mechanism for liquidation (i.e. bankruptcy). "Zalman was not involved in any fraudulent activity of parent company Moneual, anything to the contrary are baseless allegations with no factual evidence. While everyone at Zalman is deeply saddened and disappointed with the actions of Moneual, we emphasize the fact that Zalman itself was never a part of anything illegal, in actuality Zalman was one of the hardest hit victims by this recent scandal," the company said. The company did admit to experiencing financial hardship due to the Moneual's scandal, though insists that not only is bankruptcy off the table, but that nothing will change for owners of existing Zalman products -- they are still covered by any applicable warranties. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
