| Acer Introduces Z3-605 Series All-in-One PC with Front Facing Harman Kardon Speakers Posted: 16 Jul 2013 09:01 PM PDT  Sweet sounding all-in-one
When's the last time you listened to a system with integrated speakers and thought, 'Wow, these cans sound fantastic!'? Proabably never. Built-in speakers typically stink, though there are exceptions. Might Acer's new Aspire Z3-605 all-in-one (AIO) be one of them? It's Acer's first desktop with Harman Kardon speakers, which the company confidently claims "sets a new standard for AIO sound quality." That's not a claim we can substantiate without hearing them for ourselves. In the meantime, we can report the Z3-605 sports two 3W front-facing Harman Kardon cans with Dolby Home Theater v4. Sound quality is a point of emphasis for Acer. "Integrating Harman Kardon speakers is an important milestone and showcases Acer innovation and technology leadership," said Frank Chang, director of desktop product management for Acer America. "Acer is the first in the market to bring Harman Kardon premium sound to a mainstream all-in-one desktop, setting a new standard. The Aspire Z3-605 delivers a dynamic, high-quality audio experience for music and movie lovers and furthers convenience and comfort with an ergonomic and adjustable frame and webcam." Moving on, the Aspire Z3-605 also has a 23-inch Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) IPS display with 10-point multitouch support, up to Intel Core i5 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to a 1TB hard drive, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, 1MP webcam, and Windows 8. Look for the Aspire Z3-605 at "leading retailers" starting at $700 without touch support and $800 with touch. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Steam Summer Sale: Day 6 Posted: 16 Jul 2013 10:45 AM PDT 
More Steam games on sale more problems Steam's Summer Sale is currently on its sixth day and the deals just keep on coming. Some of today's best deals include Sleeping Dogs for $6.24 (normally $25), Alan Wake for $3 (normally $30), Mark of the Ninja for $3.74 (normally $15), Crysis 2: Maximum Edition for $9 (normally $30), and Orcs Must Die 2 for $3.74 (normally $15). Currently the Flash Deals are Scribblenauts Unlimited for $5 (normally $20), Serious Sam 3: BFE for $4 (normally $40), Amnesia for $4 (normally $20), and Assassins Creed III for $24 (normally $40). The community choice right now is Skyrim: Legendary Edition for $36 (normally $60), which includes the base game along with DLC packs Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn. |
| Thriving Computer Graphics Market Belies PC Sales Slump, Will Top $142 Billion by 2016 Posted: 16 Jul 2013 08:04 AM PDT  Graphics business just keeps on growing
Traditional PC sales may be in a slump, but the same isn't necessarily true of the computer graphics market, an industry that's seen growth since it was established in the late 1970s, according to data by Jon Peddie Research (JPR). Having survived the recession that plagued the PC industry over the last several years, the computer graphics segment is showing signs of "renewed vigor and potential." According to JPR, the computer graphics hardware market will exceed $124 billion by 2016, up from an expected $107 billion in 2013, which itself is up from $93 billion in 2010. "The sharp curtailment of household and corporate spending during the recession has resulted in a renewed desire among consumers and businesses to begin increasing spending on the latest graphics software and hardware platforms," JPR says. "We will see the development of traditional segments like CAD/CAM expand as new design approaches in automotive, aerospace, and architecture are adopted. Visualization, a market that has been almost dormant for the past few years, is now poised for significant growth due to the availability of more powerful and less expensive visualization technologies." Workstations and monitors represent the largest areas of growth in the computer graphics industry, followed by mobile coming in a "strong third." As for gaming PC sales, JPR notes a 3.16 percent decline compared to last year, marking the segment as the lone exception. However, gaming PC sales will pick up over the coming years, growing from $17.79 billion in 2013 to $20.77 billion in 2016. Image Credit: Flickr (The_JIFF) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Razer Designs Hammerhead Earphones Using Aircraft Grade Aluminum, 9mm Drivers Posted: 16 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT  The only Hammerhead you'll want near your noggin
Gaming peripheral Razer maker wants to hammer your head with its new family of Hammerhead in-ear headsets made from aircraft-grade aluminum. They come in two versions, the Razer Hammerhead and Hammerhead Pro, both with 9mm neodymium drivers, advanced passive noise isolation, and interchangeable ear-tips with bi-flanges. The Pro model adds an omni-directional microphone with an in-line remote for phone-call control. "With numerous mobile PC gaming systems emerging, peripherals that offer both great performance and portability on-the-go are what make the experience complete," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. "The Razer Hammerhead and Hammerhead Pro's unrivaled durability and deep bass tones are fantastic for any gamer or music listener with an active lifestyle." According to Razer, the inner acoustics chambers feature a sonically optimized design to increase aural resonance. Razer also claims the headsets deliver "strong bass" along with "crystal clear mid-levels and highs" in a lightweight package. If you're looking for technical specs, here are a few to digest: - Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance: 16 Ω
- Sensitivity @ 1 kHz: 106 dB
- Input Power: 1 mW @ 126 mV
- Cable Length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft
- Approximate Weight: 12.5 g / 0.03 lbs
The Hammerhead Pro and non-Pro will be available in August for $70 and $50, respectively, though you can pre-order either set now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| HP 27-inch EliteDisplay E271i Monitor Means Business Posted: 16 Jul 2013 06:30 AM PDT  A flexible diplay for business environments
Hewlett-Packard this week unveiled its new EliteDisplay E271i, a 27-inch monitor that puts ergonomics at the forefront and is built for business users. It has an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel that provides "stunning color quality and depth-ratio" from various viewing angles and distances, while the stand offers customizable tilt, height adjustment (150mm range), swivel, and pivot settings. Though it's a big panel, HP opted for a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) screen resolution. That's sure to turn off gamers and professional graphics artists, but then again, the E271i takes aim at a different crowd, one in which sharing PowerPoint presentations with co-workers trumps gaming at a high resolution. Other specs include 250 cd/m2 rated brightness, 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 178-degree horizontal/vertical viewing angles, and 7ms gray-to-gray response time. Connectivity options consist of VGA, DVI-D, and DisplayPort, the latter two with HDCP support. It also has one upstream and two downstream USB 2.0 ports. The EliteDisplay E271i will be available in August. No word yet on price. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition GPU, Seagate 3TB HDD, and More! Posted: 16 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT |
| Galaxy GTX 780 Hall of Fame Edition Stripped Naked and Photographed Posted: 16 Jul 2013 05:30 AM PDT  Ooh la la!
We don't know when Galaxy's GeForce GTX 780 Hall of Fame (HOF) Edition graphics card will set foot in retail, but while we patiently wait for it to land, there are pics and specs to drool over. These aren't blurry pictures either, but high-quality shots of the card stripped down to its white PCB. What you're looking at is an engineering sample that's supposedly 95 percent complete. The pictures were posted to Chinese language website ChinaDIY.com.cn, giving gawkers a close-up and personal view of the card Galaxy had on display at Computex 2013. It's an impressive looking slice of silicon with a 10-phase power design and 12 Tantalum capacitors tightly packed in a column towards the back. You can also spy a dozen lower-profile ESR solid capacitors, which offer 33.3 percent reduced power consumption. Overclockers will have a field day with this one. There are two 8-pin auxiliary power connectors to make sure it has enough juice when overclocking, and also a BIOS switch button visible on the I/O panel. Give the pictures a glance and don't forget to wipe your chin afterward. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
