Would you touch a Green Cherry?

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 02:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: cherry mx green, mechanical keyboard, model m, coolermaster, CM Storm Trigger

The Tech Report got their hands on a keyboard using a new type of Cherry MX switch, the CM Storm Trigger.  This is a keyboard for the heavy handed, both the force required to actuate a key and the bottom out is significantly higher than any other Cherry switch as well as the venerable IBM Model M, especially the larger sized keys.  That might be well received by those who find other keyboards to be spongy, or gamers who want the feel of a buckling spring on a better looking keyboard than the old IBM one.  Check out the review to hear the keyboard in action.

"Cooler Master has released a keyboard based on a little-known mechanical key switch: the Cherry MX greens. We've compared this offering to an IBM Model M and another keyboard based on Cherry's more popular blue switches."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• ROCCAT Kone XTD & Kone Pure Gaming Mice Review @ Neoseeker
• Truly Ergonomic Computer Keyboard Review: One Month with the TECK @ AnandTech
• Roccat Isku FX Gaming Keyboard @ Kitguru
• Razer Ouroboros Gaming Mouse @ Metku.net
• EpicGear Meduza Mouse & HybridPad Mousepad @XSReviews
• ROCCAT's Kone XTD and Kone Pure Gaming Mice @ AnandTech
• ROCCAT Kone XTD 8200DPI Wired Gaming Mouse Review @ Legit Reviews
• Revisiting the CM Storm Trigger Mechanical Gaming Keyboard @ OCC

That old hat again? Intel and Apple living together ...

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 01:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: apple, Intel, rumour, running gag

Once again the old rumour has resurfaced and discussions of what will happen to the market if Apple chooses Intel to manufacture their mobile chips.  As we heard at the end of last year, Intel might be willing to fab ARM processors for iPhones if Apple is willing to move to x86 processors for other larger mobile products.  Today via The Register we heard more about the possibility of the two companies working together, though no real confirmation has yet been made.  This move makes sense for Intel who are not making revenue from the mobile market and even more sense for Apple who are in the midst of suing their current chip provider Samsung in multiple cases across the planet.

"Rumors are again swirling that Apple and Intel are in discussions about Chipzilla baking the chips Cupertino uses to power its iDevices.

"A source close to one of the companies says Intel and Apple executives have discussed the issue in the past year but no agreement has been reached," Reuters reported on Thursday."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• AMD looks to HSA Foundation to avoid AMD64 mistakes @ The Inquirer
• Real multifunction “Sonic Screwdriver” @ Hack a Day
• BGA rework station @ Hack a Day
• Mmmm, TOE jam: Trev shoves Intel's NICs in his bonkers test lab @ The Register

Steam Box Prototypes Will Reach Developers Within The Next Four Months

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 05:26 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: valve, Steam Box, steam, pc gaming, gaming, console, big picture mode

In talking with the BBC, Valve CEO Gabe Newell revealed several details regarding the company’s upcoming Steam Box gaming PC. The console competitor will go up against Sony’s PlayStation 4 (PS4) and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 successor. So far we know that the Steam Box will utilize Valve’s Steam distribution service and its Big Picture Mode user interface. Valve will be manufacturing its own reference design, but third parties will also be allowed to construct Steam Boxes that will tap into Valve’s gaming library. Xi3 in particular looks to be at least one of the likely Steam Box partners to produce hardware.

Newell indicated that Valve would be sending prototype devices to customers within “the next three to four months.” The designs are not yet finalized, however, as evidenced by Newell’s statement that the prototypes would be used to gather feedback, and Valve is still working on balancing heat, noise, and performance.

“We're working with partners trying to nail down how fast we can make it.” - Gabe Newell in an interview with BBC before receiving an award for Portal 2.

Further, Valve has not yet determined exactly what it wants the controller to be. It will reportedly be shipping several different prototype controllers along with the Steam Box PCs. One area that Newell is particularly interesting in is in gathering bio-metric data -- such as heart rate -- and using that data to change the game experience for the gamer. This would be one area that Valve could focus on and have an advantage over other consoles. As a fully-fledged PC, the Steam Box could tap into existing bio-metrics technology and easily have the horsepower to effectively parse the bio-feedback. I can only think of a few situations in which such data would be useful (horror games, party/dancing/exercise games), but I do see it as being at least as beneficial as the Kinect was/is to the Xbox.

With that said, we still do not know much about the Steam Box. Much like the PS4, we still do not know what the actual hardware will look like (though we have at least been shown the PS4 controller). Pricing is also one of the major unknowns, and BBC reporter Leo Kelion quoted an industry analyst Lewis Ward (IDC) as noting that Valve will likely not be able to subsidize the hardware nearly as much as the other major console players (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) are able to. The Steam Box is inevitably going to be priced more in like with PCs than with consoles, as a result. On the other hand, gamers that buy a Steam Box can look forward to getting games that are much cheaper than the console equivalents. Give Steam Box gamers a couple of Steam holiday sales and they will easily make up the price difference!

What do you expect the Steam Box to be, and will it finally take PC gaming to the masses?

Podcast #241 - Sony VAIO TAP 20, ioSafe N2 NAS, new Z77 motherboards and more!

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 04:00 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, sony, tap20, vaio, iosafe, n2, synology, NAS, Z77, dragon, msi, pata, apacer, seasonic, thermaltake, urban

PC Perspective Podcast #241 - 03/07/2013

Join us this week as we discuss the Sony VAIO TAP 20, ioSafe N2 NAS, new Z77 motherboards and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

• iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
• RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
• MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Allyn Malventano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI!

Program length: 1:04:57

Podcast topics of discussion:

1. 0:01:25 We did a Tomb Raider stream
2. Week in Reviews:
   1. 0:04:00 Seasonic Platinum Series 460 watt fanless PSU
   2. 0:07:10 Sony VAIO Tap 20 Touchscreen AIO
   3. 0:13:20 ioSafe N2 Performance, Disaster-proof NAS
3. 0:22:2 00 This Podcast is brought to you by MSI!
4. News items of interest:
   1. 0:24:25 ASUS PadFone Infinity from MWC
   2. 0:27:10 Apacer Launches New PATA SSDs
   3. 0:32:00 Seagate will cease 7200 RPM mobile HDDs this year
   4. 0:34:50 Thermaltake launches Urban S21 case
   5. 0:38:55 Double your HDD density with HGST
   6. 0:43:00 MSI has new gaming series of MB coming out, based on Z77
   7. 0:49:30 NVIDIA refreshes Quadro with Kepler GPUs
5. Closing:
   1. 0:53:00 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
      1. Ryan: AMD Mini-PC with A8-4555M
      2. Jeremy: When EyeFinity won't work this might save you
      3. Josh: Good board for cheeeap
      4. Allyn: Chrome beta shows which tabs are playing audio
      5. Morry: XPXS RX360 & old but still kicking

1. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
2. http://pcper.com/podcast
3. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
4. Closing/outro

Be sure to subscribe to the PC Perspective YouTube channel!!

So, about that non-transferable Office 2013 license? Not so much.

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 01:24 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: microsoft, office 2013

As many expected Microsoft has made an about face for the single machine licensing for Office 2013 which would permanently tie an Office 2013 serial number to a single machine.  In fact the licensing was so strict that an OS reinstall on a machine with an Office license would invalidate that license.  Now this would seem to be a way to convince customers to move to the subscription based Office 365 which has much a more lax licensing agreement when it comes to multiple machines.  Now all versions of Office 2013, barring the OEM version which has always had a rather draconian license, will allow the transfer of licenses as long as that license is only ever active on one single machine.  You can get more details on Microsoft's change of heart at The Register.

"Based on customer feedback we have changed the Office 2013 retail license agreement to allow customers to transfer the software from one computer to another," Microsoft's Jevon Fark said in a blog post on Wednesday. "This means customers can transfer Office 2013 to a different computer if their device fails or they get a new one."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Nvidia announces Physx and Apex support for Playstation 4 @ The Inquirer
• So everyone's piling into PCIe flash: Here's a who's who guide @ The Register
• Chrome, Firefox, IE 10, Java, Win 8 All Hacked At Pwn2Own @ Slashdot
• A real thermal imaging camera for $300 @ Hack A Day
• Google to offer 'same-day delivery' Amazon Prime killer - report @ The Register
• New IBM storage chief Ambuj Goyal: I like all-flash and I cannot lie @ The Register
• HP Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One review: portable all-in-one @ Hardware.info

Deals for March 7th - Western Digital 3TB Red 3.5" SATA Internal Hard Drive for $149

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 11:56 AM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals

Top deal

Western Digital 3TB Red 3.5" SATA Internal Hard Drive (WD30EFRX) for $149.99 with Free Shipping (normally $180).

Laptops

15.6" Dell Inspiron 15z Core i7 + GeForce GT 630M Ultrabook for $800 with Free Shipping (normally $1,200 - use coupon code: K68WP34HM7M44T).

17.3" HP ENVY dv7t Quad Edition Core i7 + Blu-ray Laptop for $720 with Free Shipping (normally $900 - use coupon code: NB13245).

3.3" Dell XPS 13 Core i7 + 128GB SSD Ultrabook w/ Gorilla Glass Display for $1,000 with Free Shipping (normally $1,150 - use coupon code: NN30DKD858CW9$).

Desktops

23.6" HP Spectre ONE 23-e010se Core i5 Ivy Bridge Slim All-in-one PC w/ Trackpad for $1,150 with Free Shipping (normally $1,300).

Mobile

HTC One VX 4.5" Smartphone (Red) [AT&T] for $1 with Free Shipping

HTC One X+ 4.7" 64GB Smartphone [AT&T] for $79.99 with Free Shipping

Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE + $50 Play Credit + Bluetooth Headset w/coupon [Sprint] for $29.99 with Free Shipping

Tablet

Dell Latitude 10 32GB Windows 8 Tablet for $499.99 with Free Shipping(normally $599.99)

Freebies

1-year Digital Subscription of Electronic House Magazine

Maxim Magazine Subscription (1 Year Print) for Free!

Reader's Digest Magazine (Digital Issues) for Free!

Hosting

WebHostingHub Hosting - Only $3.95/mo

Gadgets

Kiwi U-Powered Solar Portable Power Source for $24.99 with Free Shipping (normally $39.99 - use coupon code: GREEN15).

StarShip Frisbee for $17.65 with Free Shipping (normally $27).

Vortex LED Desk Lamp w/ Built-In Air Purifier for $299.00 with Free Shipping (normally $330).

NVIDIA Refreshes Quadro with Kepler

Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards | March 6, 2013 - 08:02 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: quadro, nvidia

Be polite, be efficient, have a plan to Kepler every card that you meet.

The professional graphics market is not designed for gamers although that should have been fairly clear. These GPUs are designed to effectively handle complex video, 3D, and high resolution display environments found in certain specialized workspaces.

This is the class of cards which allow a 3D animator to edit their creations with stereoscopic 3D glasses, for instance.

NVIDIA's branding will remain consistent with the scheme developed for the prior generation. Previously, if you were in the market for a Fermi-based Quadro solution, you would have the choice between: the Quadro 600, the 2000, the 4000, the 5000, and the 6000. Now that the world revolves around Kepler... heh heh heh... each entry has been prefixed with a K with the exception of the highest-end 6000 card. These entries are therefore:

• Quadro K600, 192 CUDA Cores, 1GB, $199 MSRP
• Quadro K2000, 384 CUDA Cores, 2GB, $599 MSRP
• Quadro K4000, 768 CUDA Cores, 3GB, $1,269 MSRP
• Quadro K5000, 1536 CUDA Cores, 4GB + ECC, $2,249 MSRP

This product line is demonstrated graphically by the NVIDIA slide below.

Clicking the image while viewing the article will enlargen it.

It should be noted that each of the above products have been developed on the series of GK10X architectures and not the more computationally-intensive GK110 products. As the above slide alludes: while these Quadro cards are designed to handle the graphically-intensive applications, they are designed to be paired with GK110-based Tesla K20 cards to offload the GPGPU muscle.

Should you need the extra GPGPU performance, particularly when it comes to double precision mathematics, those cards can be found online for somewhere in the ballpark of $3,300 and $3,500.

The new Quadro products were available starting yesterday, March 5th, from “leading OEM and Channel Partners.”

From the depths of space an ancient vessel drifts slowly towards the Imperium of Mankind

Subject: General Tech | March 6, 2013 - 02:07 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gaming, space hulk, kick ass

This is a good year for a certain subset of gamers who bear a love-hate relationship with Games Workshop.  Not only have we heard tell of Blood Bowl 2 and a free to play Blood Bowl: Star Coach which will resemble a blood soaked Football Manager but finally Space Hulk will be arriving thanks to Full Control.  A classic turn based game pitting Space Marine Terminators against unlimited amounts of Genestealers that is almost impossible to win.  Players often brag about their most memorable losses than their occasional victories but either can be guaranteed to be full of guts, Flamers and Power Fists.  Keep your eyes on Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN for more details as they may be the only ones more excited about this than I.

"SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK SPACE HULK"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Gaming

• Aliens: Colonial Marines Performance and IQ @ [H]ard|OCP
• Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag @ The Inquirer
• Crysis 3 Performance Test: Graphics & CPU @ Techspot
• Gears of War: Judgement @ The Inquirer
• Need for Speed Most Wanted PC @ eTeknix
• Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Review – Too Automated to be Simulated? @ Techgage
• Wot I Think: Tomb Raider @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Torment 2: What Can Source The Nature Of A Crowd? @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Infinite Excitements: Eye-Spy Thief IV Screenshots @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Garry’s Mod Earns $22m, Gives Most Of It To The Taxman @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Latest Xbox 720 rumours suggest absence of Blu-ray drive @ Hexus

An Open Source and encrypted Skype alternative called Jitsi

Subject: General Tech | March 6, 2013 - 01:03 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: zrtp, sip, xmpp, voip, skype, open source, Jitsi, encryption

Jitsi seems to be a lot of things, from an IM Client agglomerator such as Pidgin or Digsby, a combined XMPP and SIP VoIP client to a videoconferencing hub with all traffic encrypted using ZRTP.  This Open Source software also claims integration with Microsoft Outlook and Apple Address Book, putting it in competition with Skype on more than one front.  Unfortunately it will not connect to all online SIP or XMPP provider but Jitsi does offer an open XMPP bridge to host video calls and as it is open source there is no reason you could not construct your own.  With the release of version 2.0 a host of new features and improvements have been added which you can read about by following the links at Slashdot.  They have also partnered with the FMJ Project to allow recording of sessions as well as other possible customization thanks to the developers Wiki.

"Among the most prominent new features people will find quality multi-party video conferences for XMPP, audio device hot-plugging, support for Outlook presence and calls, an overhauled user interface and support for the Opus and VP8 audio/video codec. Jitsi has lately shaped into one of the more viable open Skype Alternatives with features such as end-to-end ZRTP encryption for audio and video calls. The 2.0 version has been in the works for almost a year now, so this is an important step for the project."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Seagate ships 'affordable' desktop hybrid drive @ The Register
• Intel Dishes On What Makes H.265 Worth Waiting For @ Techgage
• Samsung takes a three percent stake in Sharp for $105m @ The Inquirer
• Testing Batteries for Sulfation @ MAKE:Blog
• TP-LINK TL-WA850RE 300Mbps Universal Wireless N Range Extender Review @ Madshrimps
• P-LINK TL-WDR3500 Wireless N600 Router @ Legit Reviews
• Leave Six Strikes Alone! @ Techgage
• Win Phanteks and NZXT hardware @ Kitguru
• Giveaway - GIGABYTE X79S-UP5-WIFI @ Tweaktown

Gigabyte trims the fat off of the GA-Z77N-WiFi Mini-ITX

Subject: General Tech | March 5, 2013 - 07:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gigabyte, GA-Z77N-WiFi

It seems hard to figure out how Gigabyte can sell the GA-Z77N-WiFi for about $20 less than other Z77 boards; it bears a full PCIe 16x slot along with 4 SATA ports, two of them 6Gbs ports, a pair of USB 3.0 ports and Bluetooth, WiFi and dual ethernet for connectivity.  They also included a DVI port and a pair of HDMI ports plus WiDi support, giving it incredible video output flexibility.  The Tech Report tested the motherboard to see if there was anywhere that Gigabyte might have reduced functionality and apart from some issues with the BIOS they were happy to find this board a solid and steady component perfect for HTPC duties.

"Gigabyte's GA-Z77N-WiFi is the most affordable Mini-ITX board based on Intel's Z77 Express platform. We take a closer look to see what this potential bargain has to offer."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

• Gigabyte GA-Z77-HD4 Motherboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Asus P8Z77-V LK @ Kitguru
• Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 Review: OC Oriented Orange Overkill @ AnandTech
• BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z77X @ Tweaktown
• GIGABYTE Z77X-UD4H @ Tweaktown
• GUGABYTE X79S-UP5-WiFi @ Tweaktown
• ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP @ Tweaktown
• BIOS Option Of The Week - No-Execute Memory Protect @ TechARP
• ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
• ECS A85F2-A Golden for AMD Socket FM2 APUs @ techPowerUp
• Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H @ Kitguru

Deals for March 5th - HP ENVY TouchSmart 4t-1200 14" Core i3 Ultrabook for $599

Subject: General Tech | March 5, 2013 - 03:24 PM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals

Top deal

HP ENVY TouchSmart 4t-1200 14" Core i3 Ultrabook for $599.99 with Free Shipping (normally $750 - use coupon code: NB3313).

Tastes great, less filling. Virtualization Light by Shadow Defender

Subject: General Tech | March 5, 2013 - 01:02 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: virtualization, shadow defender, light virtualization

Light Virtualization is essentially a sandbox tool for those who do not have the equipment available to set up a full virtual machine server.  It allows you to create a virtualization buffer or partition on your system drive which will not save any changes made to the system unless specified, perfect for testing software or patches as well as for ensuring almost any malware infections will not survive a reboot.  Shadow Defender is light virtualization software which has been around for a while but has not been updated for about two years, until very recently when a major update arrived.  This update encompasses many of the recent changes to hardware such as TRIM support for SSDs and even support for Win8.  While it won't stop an infection from hitting your PC, as long as you do not save any of the changes made to the virtualized portion of your drive any rootkit or other such malware will not survive a reboot.  Take a look at how to use the software and how effective it is over at Tweaktown.

"Shadow Defender (or SD for short as it is known among its dedicated fans) has been enjoying a great reputation among Light Virtualization fans during the last few years. There has been a barren period of two and a half years where development was interrupted, leaving v1.1.0.325 (which was released back in February 2010) as the last known good version."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Need an army of killer zombies? Yours for just $25 per 1,000 PCs @ The Register
• NetApp could use Microsoft to beat off VMware's virtual tool @ The Register
• ASRock introduces Haswell Z87/H87/B85 motherboards @ Hardware.info
• USB 2.0 vs. USB 3.0 Flash Drives On Linux @ Phoronix
• TP-Link TL-WDR4900 review: TP-Link's best router yet @ Hardware.info

Java Releases Patch Addressing Vulnerability Used By McRat Trojan

Subject: General Tech | March 5, 2013 - 06:26 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: security, patch, mcrat trojan, Java, exploit

Java developer Oracle recently released a patch to its Java Platform Standard Edition client to address two exploits used by attackers to install the McRAT trojan onto users machines. Specifically, Oracle is issuing the patch for vulnerabilities CVE-2013-1493 and CVE-2013-0809.

The vulnerabilities were related to Java running in a web browser. When users visit a malicious web site with vulnerable versions of Java installed, attackers are able to remote execute the McRAT trojan. That trojan was subsequently used to download additional malware to further compromise the machines in question. According to Oracle, the vulnerability was first discovered on February 1st, 2013 but did not make it in time to be rolled into that month’s scheduled update. As a result, Oracle slated it for inclusion in the Java platform update on April 16, 2013, but reconsidered after seeing exploits using these vulnerabilities in the wild. While servers and standalone Java installations are not affected, consumers will need to apply the patch via Java SE’s automatic updater or by manually installing the patch from this page. Currently, all Java SE versions prior to this patch are affected, including JDK and JRE 7 Update 15, 6 Update 41, and 5.0 Update 40 (or earlier).

Oracle states that the patch is a critically important update, and users should update as soon as possible. If you have not already applied the update (or given up on Java and uninstalled it completely--heh), start up Java and check for updates to grab the patch.

Qualcomm & MSI Announce Killer Z77 Motherboard.

Subject: General Tech, Networking, Motherboards | March 5, 2013 - 03:01 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: qualcomm, msi, killer nic, Intel Z77

MSI says “JUST GAME!”... but... I must write up their announcement first...

The computer components company would like us to “JUST GAME!” on their gaming motherboards, of course. This press release is for the MSI Killer Z77 gaming motherboard. The board supports the DDR3-3000, Creative Sound Blaster Cinema with Crystalizer, OC Genie II, and Military Class III initiatives.

But to call yourself Killer, you got some big shoes to fill.

Yes MSI, we get it. Challenge accepted.

What makes it a “Killer” announcement is the addition of a Killer E2200 LAN chip from Qualcomm's Bigfoot Networks. We have a fair amount of experience with the gamer networking hardware company; Ryan wrote a review all the way back in 2006. Since then, the company found themselves scooped up by Qualcomm where they found their technology integrated into motherboards from various manufacturers. They have also dabbled into wireless technology.

MSI proclaims with the E2200 LAN chip, their motherboard will have to use less space to house the chip when compared to the earlier Killer E2100. Also, for users running Windows 8, the E2200 was designed to support that operating system. Linux gamers? You too, but not until the second half of 2013.

If you want to see what the PR people have to say, check out Qualcomm's blog post.

Android Version of Chrome May Get SPDY Proxy Speed Boost

Subject: General Tech | March 5, 2013 - 02:17 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: web browser, mobile, chrome, Android

Chrome for Android will allegedly be getting a speed boost thanks to a new SPDY-assisted proxy service. If a recent patch is any indication, future versions of Chrome may adopt a proxy service similar to Opera Turbo, Amazon Silk, or BlackBerry Proxy. Google would take advantage of its SPDY protocol to compress and multiplex web sites. We requests would be sent through Google, where Google would take the HTTP/HTTPS pages, compress and otherwise optimize them, and send them to your Android smartphone.

While on Wi-Fi or a wired connection, the performance merits of such proxy services are minimal at best (and at worst can actually slow down page loads). With that said, over a mobile network--especially if you are living in an area with (at best) 3G speeds, the new SPDY proxy service could make a huge difference in page load times. If my experiences using Opera and its Turbo proxy service over a 3G connection for the past month is any indication of the potential benefits of such a setup, some pages will load much faster, a few sites will actually load slower than browsing without the proxy, and the majority of websites will fall somewhere in between those two extremes, providing a slightly faster web browsing experience. Google may be taking things a step further by introducing its SPDY protocol to speed up the HTTP requests, which is an interesting tactic beyond the basic compression and/or caching that the existing alternatives employ.

Details on the hinted-at Google-run SPDY proxy service are scarce, but I hope that it holds true. There are some privacy considerations, but if you are just reading articles and have resigned yourself to the fact that Chrome/Google tracks you anyway (heh) it is a nice optional feature to have!

Audyssey tries to bring quality sound to desktop speakers

Subject: General Tech | March 4, 2013 - 05:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: audio, Audyssey, Lower East Side, speakers

Audyssey updated the look of desktop speakers with their new Lower East Side satellites, not only the look is more modern they have also included optical input as well as a 3.5mm mini jack input.  They do lack the versatility of larger speakers, having only a volume control, leaving balance and equalization to the computer they are hooked up to.  Nikktech felt that the audio quality was superior to many other desktop speakers, perhaps not a big challenge but commendable none the less.  They peg the street price at about $200, so you might want to consider a high end headset instead if you don't need to share your audio, on the other hand for business usage in presentations these speakers could well be perfect.

"I remember a time when we all went out occasionally to see all the latest complete stereo systems launched from all the leading manufacturers like SONY, Philips, Pioneer, Panasonic, AIWA, Technics and Yamaha only to find out in the end that we couldn't really afford to get the highest end models featuring 10 CD disc changers (or more), mini discs and plenty of bells and whistles which of course were not available on the cheapest models. Times have changed however and so nowadays most people prefer to use their computer systems, media stations and smartphones to listen to their favorite music while at the comfort of their home and so the only real issue is finding a quality speaker set capable of fulfilling that task with ease. Well the latest Wireless Speakers by our friends over at Audyssey just might be the right ones for the job."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Audio Corner

• Ineo Alienvibes W401 Speaker Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Steelseries Flux Luxury Headset @ XSReviews
• Auvio Bluetooth Portable Speaker Review @ TechwareLabs
• Wavemaster MX3+ 2.1 Speaker System @ eTeknix
• Cooler Master Storm Sirus Headset Review @ XtremeComputing
• Asus ROG Vulcan ANC Pro @ eTeknix
• Cooler Master CM Storm Ceres-400 Gaming Headset Review @ Neoseeker
• Jaybird BlueBuds X Bluetooth Headphones Review @ Custom PC Review

Double your drive density with HGST's special new offer

Subject: General Tech | March 4, 2013 - 12:40 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: hgst, hard drives, western digital

HGST, the recently purchased research division at Western Digital is promising to double the density of platter drives over the next few years, enhancing the longevity of a storage media that many already consider obsolete.  However, like tape and optical media there continue to be many scenarios where inexpensive high density storage is more useful than the speed offered by an SSD.  Using a combination of self-assembling molecules and nanoimprinting they are hitting a density of 1.2 trillion bits per square inch, not quite the density of the salted drives we heard about in 2011 but perhaps much closer to market.  Each of those dots is 10nm in size and because of the self assembling nature of the pattern HGST told The Register that they expect to be able to shrink the size of those dots even more as their process matures.

"HGST, the Western Digital subsidiary formerly known as Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, says it has developed a method of manufacturing hard-disk platters using nanotechnology that could double the density of today's hard drives."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Yet another Java zero-day vuln is being exploited @ The Register
• Apple 'insider' explains why vid adapter hides ARM computer @ The Register
• NikKTech And Cooler Master Joint Giveaway
• Win an ASUS GTX Titan GPU & Seasonic Platinum 1000W PSU! @ Kitguru

Dell Releases Wireless 802.11ad Dock With USB 3.0, Mutli-Display Support

Subject: General Tech | March 4, 2013 - 07:00 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: wireless dock, wigig, dock, dell, computing, 802.11ad

Dell has launched a new docking station for its laptops. In an interesting twist, the dock connects to the computer over an 802.11ad “WiGig” link to provide up to 7Gbps bandwidth between the dock and laptop. The Dell Wireless D5000 docking station supports multi-display, USB 3.0, and audio output. According to Dell, it is the worlds first commercially available wireless dock.

The Wireless D5000 dock pairs with Dell's 1601 WiGig card, which is currently only available with Dell's Latitude 6430u laptop. Pairing is a simple matter of hitting the pairing button and hitting connect in Dell's Connection Manager software. A single USB 3.0 port and headphone jack are also available on the front of the device.

Rear IO on the Dell Wireless D5000 dock includes DC power jack, Ethernet jack, two USB 3.0 ports, a single HDMI port, and one DisplayPort output. Additionally, the D5000 uses a WiGig radio to provide the connectivitiy over a wireless link. WiGig, or 802.11ad, uses the 60GHz wireless spectrum to provide high bandwidth at short distances. The chip Dell is using in the dock is capable of falling back to 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands–you can expect significantly slower speeds in that situation though. You will be able to take your computer with you, set it on the desk and have two desktop monitors, a wired network connection, and USB 3.0 ports. Not bad, though Justin Kerr over at Maximum PC notes that wireless power for charging your laptop would have really ratcheted-up the dock's usefulness.

In terms of connectivity, there is nothing especially new here that Thunderbolt docks are not already providing (aside from the wireless nature, of course). I say this because the Dell D5000 dock's pricing is in line with many of the Thunderbolt options. If you can stand a wired connection to the dock and your laptop/ultrabook has a Thunderbolt port, you could grab a dock with similar port options, higher theoretical bandwith, and a Thunderbolt passthrough. The Dell D5000 is available for $270 at Dell's online store, but it is reportedly cheaper if purchased with the Dell Latitude 6430U laptop. In that scenario, the wireless dock is only $190 (which is, admittedly, pretty good even against Thunderbolt docks).