Today, Microsoft is announcing two new mice designed specifically for Windows. These are the first mice from Microsoft to include a Windows button on them, giving you quick and easy access to specific features in Windows – and, in the case of the Sculpt Comfort Mouse, more advanced functionality in Windows 8.
Sculpt Comfort Mouse
The Sculpt Comfort Mouse is a perfect companion to the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard Microsoft announced last fall. The Sculpt Comfort Mouse has a touch-sensitive blue strip on its side called the Windows touch tab that makes it easy to navigate Windows 8 with just the touch or swipe of a finger. When pressed, it of course takes you to your Start screen, just like the Windows buttons on keyboards, PCs, and tablets.
But it does more than just take you to your Start screen. If you swipe up on the blue strip, it cycles through all your open Windows Store apps in Windows 8. And if you swipe down, it will reveal all the open apps (on the left side of your screen) for you to select the one you want. You don’t have to worry about a tiny USB transceiver since the Sculpt Comfort Mouse uses Bluetooth to connect to your Windows PC or tablet. It also has a comfortable ergonomic design and our BlueTrack technology to be used on pretty much any surface.
The Sculpt Comfort Mouse will be available in June for an estimated retail price of USD 39.95.
Sculpt Mobile Mouse
The Sculpt Mobile Mouse is the latest evolution of the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 – with a Windows button which works great on Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Like the Sculpt Comfort Mouse, it also has four-way scrolling – meaning you can scroll sideways by tilting the scroll wheel to the right or left in addition to the vertical scrolling you’re used to. This makes navigating the Start screen in Windows 8 or apps that scroll horizontally a breeze. The Sculpt Mobile Mouse has a compact design, a tiny wireless USB transceiver, and BlueTrack technology.
The Sculpt Mobile Mouse will be available in May for an estimated retail price of USD 29.95.
Today, NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX 780, a video card equipped with a Kepler GPU featuring 2,304 cores and 3 GB of GDDR5 memory. According to NVIDIA, the GTX 780 is 70% faster than GeForce GTX 580 and over 40% faster than GeForce GTX 680.
The GeForce GTX 780 is clocked at 863 MHz (900 MHz in turbo mode), and accesses its memory at 6 GHz through a 384-bit interface. The card comes with two DL-DVI, one HDMI and one DisplayPort 1.2 video connectors.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 is available now from the world’s leading add-in card suppliers, including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY, and Zotac. Pricing is expected to start at USD 649.
G.SKILL partners with Intel, ASUS, EVGA, GIGABYTE, and MSI for a G.SKILL Official OC World Record Stage at Computex 2013, Nangang Exhibition Center – Booth IO118. Please enjoy the event teaser:
G.SKILL aims to take the latest extreme performance DDR3 memory to a whole new level and sets the stage to break numerous overclocking world records using the upcoming 4th Gen Intel Core unlocked processor and Z87 motherboards. Gathering the world’s finest overclockers from around the globe including Australia, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States, G.SKILL is ready to claim “The world’s fastest memory manufacturer” title once again.
Live stream broadcast & Instant Score Update
For those who aren’t in Taipei for the biggest overclocking event this year, G.SKILL will be featuring a live stream video for worldwide audiences via G.SKILL website and Hwbot.org during Computex week. Hwbot.org will also be setting up a specific G.SKILL page for the professional overclockers to update their live benchmark results during event. Please refer to the following link: http://www.hwbot.org/competition/gskill_computex_2013
NVIDIA announced its support today for the Microsoft Xbox One game console with its popular NVIDIA PhysX and NVIDIA APEX software development kits (SDKs).
Together, PhysX and APEX provide solutions for collision detection and simulation of rigid bodies, clothing, fluids, particle systems and more, across a wide range of platforms, including desktop PCs, game consoles, and mobile and handheld devices.
NVIDIA PhysX technology is the world’s most pervasive physics solution for designing real-time, real-world effects into interactive entertainment titles. The PhysX development environment gives developers unprecedented control over the look of their final in-game interactivity.
NVIDIA APEX technology takes content creation with PhysX technology to the next level. Artists can create intricate physics-enabled environments. They can expand the quantity and visual quality of destructible objects; make smoke and other particle-based fluids integral to game play; and create life-like clothing that interacts with the character’s body to achieve more realism in their games.
Sony Mobile has announced that Xperia Tablet Z is now available to buy across the globe through Sony’s retail and operator partners as well as online channels.
Xperia Tablet Z is available in black or white finishes and in 4G or WiFi versions.
For further details and specifications please visit here. Please visit your local Sony website for further details on availability and pricing.
Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox One, its all-in-one gaming and entertainment system.
The new Xbox One hardware is sleek and modern and complements any décor. The console is shaped in the 16:9 aspect ratio and employs a horizontal orientation optimized for its high-speed Blu-ray disc player. It is molded in a deep and rich liquid black color and includes a distinctive beveled edge.
The completely redesigned, revolutionary 1080p Kinect is more precise, more responsive and more intuitive. Its unparalleled vision, motion, and voice technology let you reach into games and entertainment like never before by dramatically expanding its field of view and fidelity. It works in nearly any lighting condition, recognizes precise motion control from a slight wrist rotation, and distinguishes your voice even in a noisy room using advanced noise isolation.
The class-leading Xbox controller is refreshed with more than 40 technical and design innovations. Updated directional pad, thumb stick, and ergonomic fit immerse all gamers in ways that are uniquely Xbox, and precision and control have been dramatically increased with all new vibrating impulse triggers. The Xbox One Wireless Controller is designed to work in concert with the new Kinect, allowing the two to be paired automatically to create seamless player syncing.
Some of the breakthrough Xbox One features that put you at the center of your living room entertainment include the following:
TV on Xbox One. Navigate and watch live TV from your cable, telco, or satellite set-top box through your Xbox One. Microsoft is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available.
Home. Turn on your entertainment system with two powerful words, “Xbox On,” and a custom-tailored Home dashboard welcomes you with your favorite games, TV, and entertainment.
Snap. Do two things at once on the biggest screen in your home. Use Snap to jump into a multiplayer battle while watching your favorite movie, talk with friends on Skype while watching live TV, or track your fantasy team on TV as you watch the big game and more.
Skype for Xbox One. Specially designed for Xbox One, talk with friends on your TV in stunning HD, or for the first time ever, hold group Skype calls on your TV.
Trending. Stay on top of what is hot on TV by discovering the entertainment that is popular among your friends, and see what is trending within the Xbox community.
OneGuide. Find your favorite entertainment easily, searching by network or name, all with the sound of your voice and presented in a tailored program guide.
Xbox One will launch in markets around the world later this year.
With the release of the next generation Intel Core processors (codename Haswell), Intel will introduce technologies for reducing power consumption of the CPU in sleep mode. While Ivy Bridge CPUs had a minimum power consumption of 0.5 A in a C6 or C7 state, the Haswell processors would require only as little as 0.05 A. The problem is that a number of older power supplies are unable to deliver such low loads at stable voltages, meaning that the system could crash due to unstable voltages when in C6 or C7 state.
A number of manufacturers are already advertising power supplies that have perfectly stable voltages even down to 0 W, among which is Thermaltake, Enermax, and Seasonic.
Today, Futuremark announced the PCMark 8. For the first time in the series, PCMark 8 will combine performance testing with battery life measurement. You can estimate battery use from each benchmark test or use Battery Life mode to loop a test until the battery is almost empty for more accurate results.
PCMark benchmark tests are based on common use scenarios such as browsing the web, photo editing, video chat, writing, and gaming. PCMark 8 takes this one step further by including additional benchmark tests based on popular productivity and creativity applications from Adobe and Microsoft.
PCMark 8 has been developed in partnership with the members of our Benchmark Development Program. PCMark BDP members include Acer, AMD, Condusiv Technologies, Dell, HGST, HP, Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Samsung, SanDisk, Seagate, and Western Digital.
PCMark 8 will be available in several editions ranging from a free to download Basic Edition to a fully-featured Professional Edition designed for device manufacturers, businesses, and the press.
PCMark 8 is in the final stages of development with a public release expected towards the end of Q2.
ASRock is bringing better Internet connections to its upcoming Intel 8 Series motherboards with A-Style: 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + Bluetooth v4.0.
802.11ac WiFi is a new wireless computer networking standard that provides high-throughput wireless local area networks on the 5 GHz band with data transferring speeds up to 867 Mbps, a whopping 289% speed boost compared to the former models with 2T2R 802.11n WiFi. Besides the new WiFi, some models will also come with a new ASRock Wi-SD front tray which includes four USB 3.0 ports and an SD 3.0 card slot.
Razer has just announced the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick for Xbox 360, the final product following an extensive beta testing program. Tested by some of the world’s best pro-gamers and Fighting Game Community members all over the world, the Razer Atrox Arcade Stick is constructed with modders and tournament gamers in mind. Featuring premium quality Sanwa components, the ten highly responsive buttons and a precision eight-way joystick allow gamers to strike instantly and surely, game after game, while maintaining peak performance and reliability.
An extremely moddable controller, the inside of the arcade stick platform opens up at the touch of a button, making the Razer Atrox a breeze to customize for all tastes and play styles. Users can swap in their own personal designs for a unique look, while also getting access to the internal compartments and honeycomb structure for easy screw mounting.
The easily accessible internal compartment of the Razer Atrox reveals dedicated slots to store an included alternate bat top joystick, the detachable cable, and a screwdriver for modding, giving gamers plenty of room for storage as they travel around dominating FGC events.
The Razer Atrox will reach on the market on June 2013 for a suggested retail price of USD 199.99.
Lenovo has announced that customers can place orders for the IdeaPad Yoga 11S beginning today on www.lenovo.com or pre-order on www.bestbuy.com. The 360° flip and fold Yoga 11S follows its predecessor, the IdeaPad Yoga 13.
Sized well for mobility in a thin, 11.6-inch design, the Yoga 11S Ultrabook convertible comes with choices of a third generation Core i3, i5, or i7 Intel processor giving consumers the ability to create high-performance content and presentations and seamless graphics that make it a great entertainment device.
Yoga converts into four special modes to fit the changing ways people are using technology. It offers a new way to experience mobile computing, letting people define which mode works best for them in their environments, from the park and the coffee shop to in transit, at home, or at the office.
For example, users can watch movies like never before by putting Yoga in tent mode while enjoying the convertible’s rich Dolby Home Theatre audio. They can convert Yoga into stand mode for a different environment; good for things like swiping through family photos using the high definition IPS screen’s 10-finger multitouch support. Yoga even supports hand gestures so consumers can just wave their hand in front of the webcam to instantly advance photos, videos, and other content.
In tablet mode, Yoga makes exploring Windows 8 apps fun and up close with its 11-inch touchscreen. And in laptop mode, Yoga offers a great typing experience with its comfortable and responsive keyboard. Additionally, the Yoga 11S has a soft-touch exterior and comes in attractive Silver Grey and Clementine Orange colors.
Beginning today, customers can place orders on www.lenovo.com and www.bestbuy.com. Models will be available in Best Buy stores starting on June 23. Multiple configurations will be available with suggested list price starting at US$ 799.99.
Xigmatek has just released the Janus (CAC-EXAI6-U01), a low-profile CPU cooler equipped with a copper base, aluminum fins, six 6-mm heatpipes, and two fans: The top fan is a 120 mm model, while the bottom one is an 80 mm model.
The cooler supports most modern CPU socket types, including Intel LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA2011, LGA1366, and LGA775; and AMD AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, FM2/FM1.
The new ECS family of motherboards featuring the new Intel 8-series chipset family designed specifically for the new 4th generation Intel Core processor family of CPUs, which will be available and shipping worldwide in Q2 2013. The new chipset features support for full SATA-600 internal ports and PCI Express 3.0 bus design. They also integrate USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, and enable responsiveness technologies like Intel Smart Response, Intel Smart Connect, and Intel Rapid Start.
ECS is also introducing a new family of motherboard tiers including: Pro series optimized for power computing, Deluxe series optimized for small office and home, and Essentials series optimized for home and multi-media. The new ECS family of motherboards will feature ECS’s new Durathon durability technology which includes a triple density PCB, extreme temperature resistance, 1.5K point marathon testing, and superior solid capacitors designed to greatly improve motherboard quality, stability, and longevity.
Additional features includes ECS’s exclusive Hyper Alloy Choke technology, Sound Blaster Cinema Technology, 4-way video output (DVI, HDMI, Display Port and VGA), EZ quick charger, Motherboard Intelligent Bios III, 4K video output, ECS EZ Bios, and ECS ADS (Anti-Dust Shield).
ECS will also be introducing a new brand and family of motherboards specially designed for gaming and high performance processing to be announced in Q2 of 2013. These motherboards will be designed for extreme gaming performance with the highest quality components, and numerous exclusive technologies designed to enhance the gaming experience.
AMD has expanded its notebook GPU offering with the launch of the Radeon HD 8970M. This brand new chip runs at 850 MHz (900 MHz in turbo mode), and can accesses up to 4 GB of GDDR5 memory at 4.8 GHz through a 256-bit interface.
Notebooks equipped with the Radeon HD 8970M GPU are expected to reach the market soon.
AMD is adding bonus games to the Never Settle Reloaded program as a limited-time offer called “Level Up with Never Settle Reloaded.” Here’s the summary:
The promotion adds Tomb Raider to the AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, HD 7970, HD 7950, and HD 7790 video cards and Crysis 3 to the AMD Radeon HD 7870 video card.
AMD is adding these bonus games in response to the two biggest pieces of feedback they received: “can you add more games?” and “why do I have to choose between Tomb Raider or Crysis 3?” Referring to the way Never Settle Reloaded currently splits these games between the AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series and the AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series.
Starting today, this limited-time promotion will run, while supplies last, at participating retailers. It is expected retailers willcome online next week as they update their checkout systems to support the new promo.
The list of participating retailers and the details of the bundle will be available and updated regularly at http://www.amd.com/levelup.
