General Gaming Article

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• Another Build of Windows 8 Blue Leaked
• Crucial M500 480GB SSD Review
• Google Exec Reports 1.5 Million Daily Android Activations
• Newegg Daily Deals
• GammaTech's Durabook SA14 Certified to Survive Drops From at Least 3 Feet
• Asus Xonar U7 is an External Sound Card with Headphone Amplifier
• Foxconn Parent to Pay Microsoft Royalties on Android and Chrome OS Devices

Another Build of Windows 8 Blue Leaked Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:40 PM PDT Windows 8's Modern interface gets a file explorer Another Windows Blue build has found its way onto the Web — the second in less than a month — amid murmurs about the possibility of Microsoft addressing two of humanity's biggest gripes about its Windows 8 operating system when it launches the "Blue" update later this year. Even as the tech media was busy speculating about the likelihood of the upcoming Windows Blue update bringing back the Start Button and introducing an option to bypass the Start Screen, Windows 8.1 build 9369 leaked onto the Web on Monday. This latest leaked build, sadly, has neither the sorely missed Start Button nor the rumored "boot to desktop" feature. Instead, it has a handful of new features that are all aimed at making the Modern UI environment more functional. There is now a file explorer for Windows 8's Modern interface. The prosaically named Files app not only lets you explore the local file system, but also your SkyDrive. With the addition of a dedicated App List button, it is now easier to see a list of all your apps when using a mouse. Also, the apps in this list can now be sorted by the frequency of use. The Search Charm feature has been improved in that it allows you to search without having to leave the Start Screen. But that is not all as far as search improvements are concerned, as a new search setting lets you widen the scope of Windows 8's search feature to include online search results. Building on the improvements to the "snap view" feature in the previous leaked build, Windows 8.1 build 9369 lets the user specify the position of individual apps. Image Credit: The Verge   Follow Pulkit on Google+

Crucial M500 480GB SSD Review Posted: 17 Apr 2013 12:30 PM PDT A winning package of low price and high performance  The Crucial M500 is the company's third-generation 6Gb/s SSD, and the successor to the often-praised M4 SSD, which we named the best Bang for your Buck SSD in December of 2012 due to its well-rounded package of decent performance at a great price. In our estimation, the new drive fulfills the same well-rounded role, though with much improved write speeds and massively increased capacities at lower prices thanks to its move to smaller process NAND flash. Not only does it come in the standard 120GB, 240GB, and the 480GB version you see before you, but it's also offered in a pant-tightening 1TB version at just $600, making it the market's first truly affordable 1TB SSD. Since the terabyte drive was not available at press time, we're taking a look at the 480GB version which sports the exact same specs as its big brother. The move to 20nm NAND has allowed Crucial to bump capacity up to 960GB with the M500  The drive itself comes in a shiny 7mm silver enclosure, so you can jam it into an Ultrabook. A 9.5mm spacer is also included, but there is no 3.5-inch adapter in the box, nor is there any software in the box or online aside from a firmware updating tool, which is disappointing. Inside the M500's shell we find Crucial has moved from 25nm NAND to 20nm MLC NAND flash. Smaller process NAND offers benefits such as lower power consumption and increased capacities, but also reduces the NAND's life span somewhat. Still, Crucial offers the drive with a 3-year warranty and says the drive can handle 40GB of data written to it every day for five years, so the drive's NAND should last long enough even for hardcore data mongers. Crucial is still using a Marvell controller, though this is an updated version of the one used on the M4, and of course it has updated firmware. In testing we saw the M500 post very respectable scores across the board, though none were the fastest we've seen, nor would we expect them to be at this price. The biggest improvement we see over the M4 is its write speeds, which have gone from 193MB/s in CrystalDiskMark to 422MB/s, and that difference shows in the AS SSD compressed data test as well, showing almost a doubling of speed from its successor. The ATTO test mirrors our other results, showing the drive capable of around 500MB/s read speeds and 422MB/s write speeds, which is superb for a "value" drive. Its IOmeter score of 83,354 IOPS is also top-of-its-class as well, as is its PCMark Vantage HDD test score of 71,619. Oddly, its Sony Vegas score is unchanged from the M4 however, so it's possible the Marvell controller still has a tough time with data compression duties when writing huge files, 20GB in our scenario.  Overall the M500 shows just how far value drives have progressed, since this drive is about as fast as the fastest SSDs available a year ago. When compared to its most direct competitor though — the Samsung 840 500GB — the two are pretty evenly matched though the Crucial drive was a little faster in more tests. The Samsung drive costs about $40 less though, has the same warranty and better software support, making it a nail-biter between them. MSRP: $400, www.crucial.com Benchmarks Best scores are bolded. Test system consists of Gigabyte Z77X-UP4 motherboard, Intel Core i5-3470, 8GB of RAM, Windows 7 64-bit.

Google Exec Reports 1.5 Million Daily Android Activations Posted: 17 Apr 2013 11:36 AM PDT Android activations are on the rise. Android co-founder Andy Rubin recently revealed at an economic summit in Tokyo that the world's most popular mobile operating system (OS) was originally conceived to power smart cameras. From those humble beginnings, Android has grown into something bigger, impacting the mobile market in ways that a simple camera platform would never have been able to. Fast forward to today and Google is seeing 1.5 million Android activations per day. So says Google's Eric Schmidt, who made the claim at the Dive Into Mobile tech conference, according to Engadget. It's been a remarkable run for Android, which was seeing 1.4 million daily activations a month ago and 1.3 million per day last fall. At the current pace, Schmidt says Android will reach one billion devices by the end of the year, up significantly from the 750 million devices Google chief Larry Page confirmed a month ago. A large part of Android's success has been in getting the platform installed onto affordable devices, and in order to reach the "next five billion people looking to get connected," Schmidt believes Google's hardware partners need to focus on $100 devices. Are you using Android on any of your gadgets? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals Posted: 17 Apr 2013 11:01 AM PDT Top Deal: If you're using some cheapo headphones and want to upgrade to a premium set but don't want to spend a lot of money, you may want to keep your ears open for Klipsch Image's S4i headphones. These buds feature an in-ear canal design and are built for superior noise isolation, lots of bass, and comfort. They're currently running for $38 (down from their usual $120) and come with free shipping (use coupon code:EMCXSWP66) Other Deals: AMD FX-6100 3.3GHz six-core desktop processor for $105 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: EMCXSWP59)  Razer Naga 5600 dpi gaming mouse for $108 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: RAZER10)  Western Digital 500GB internal 3.5" hard drive for $50 with free shipping  (normally $90)  G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600MHz desktop memory for $50 with free shipping (normally $60 - use coupon code: EMCXSWP247)

GammaTech's Durabook SA14 Certified to Survive Drops From at Least 3 Feet Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:47 AM PDT This isn't your grandmother's notebook. Ultrabooks are sleek and sexy, but good luck finding one that meets MIL-STD-810G certification for shock and drop resistance. If you work in a tough and tumble environment, you'll be better served with a rugged laptop, and GammaTech hopes you'll give its new Durabook SA14 a long and hard look. The SA14 is a 14-inch laptop that lasts up to 11 hours on a single charge and can take a beating when needed. Let's start with what we know about the hardware. The SA14 comes with either an Intel Core i5 3360M or Core i7 3520M processor. It also has USB 3.0 ports, integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS (optional), and AMD Radeon MXM graphics (optional). On the safety and security side, the SA14 features TPM 1.2 data security technology, a Kensington lock connector, Computrace asset management and data protection, a fingerprint scanner, and level IP43 dust and waterproof resistance. The SA14 will be available in Q2 starting at $1,499. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Asus Xonar U7 is an External Sound Card with Headphone Amplifier Posted: 17 Apr 2013 09:01 AM PDT The newest sound card from Asus works with desktops and laptops. One of the limitations of a notebook is that only select parts are upgradeable. The sound system isn't usually one of them, though external sound card solutions provide an end-around to achieving superior audio. One of the newest options is Asus' newly introduced Xonar U7, a compact and external USB sound card and headphone amplifier that you can use with your notebook or desktop system. The Xonar U7 is targeted at gamers who prefer to use headphones over speakers, though Asus says it's also an ideal solution for listening to music. "While other USB audio devices leave out hardware features in order to maintain a small form factor and are typically only capable of 5.1-channel surround due to limited power supply, Xonar U7 engineering overcomes these constraints to offer strong and immersive 7.1-channel performance," Asus says. Asus rates the Xonar U7's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 114dB. The sound card uses a Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC and "Asus Hyper Grounding PCB" fabrication that's supposed to insulate the signal to reduce distortion and interference (crosstalk). No word yet on when the Xonar U7 will be available to purchase or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Foxconn Parent to Pay Microsoft Royalties on Android and Chrome OS Devices Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:39 AM PDT Android is quite the money maker...for Microsoft? Google's Android platform is a potential goldmine for whichever companies can harvest the most mobile mojo out of it, but would you have thought that the not-so-little green machine would be capable of lining Microsoft's pockets with dough? It's true, thanks to the wonder of patents. Squeezing even more money out of the open source platform, Microsoft and Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn's parent company) just inked a patent licensing agreement in which the Redmond outfit will receive royalties for devices running Android and Chrome OS that use technology for which Microsoft owns a patent. Specific terms of the agreement are being kept confidential, but make no mistake, this is a huge win for Microsoft. "We are pleased that the list of companies benefiting from Microsoft's Android licensing program now includes the world's largest contract manufacturer, Hon Hai," said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of the Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft. "By licensing both brand name companies and their contract manufacturers, we have successfully increased the overall effectiveness and global reach of the program." Hon Hai, which holds more than 54,000 patents of its own, isn't alone in paying Microsoft royalties on Android devices. Microsoft has its hands in several pockets, including LG and Samsung, both of which have previously inked licensing deals to avoid messy legal battles. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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