ROCCAT's feature filled keyboard, the Isku FX

Subject: General Tech | April 16, 2013 - 07:21 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: roccat, input, Isku FX

There is a new keyboard from the company that Ryan loves to try to pronounce; ROCCAT's new Isku FX is more than just a gaming keyboard with multimedia buttons and LED backlighting.  With the configuration software installed you can change the Caps Lock key to modify the macro and thumb keys to give you a total of 16 macro keys, remap the multimedia keys or even change up what ROCCAT refers to as the Easy Zone.  For aesthetic purposes you can choose from 16.8 million distinct colours in the backlighting.  There are also apparently achievements you can unlock with this keyboard if you have become addicted to those thanks to Steam.  If this sounds like something you might like you should check out the full review at Techgage.

"At the time of writing, the Isku FX is ROCCAT’s range-topping keyboard. Appropriately it’s packed to the gills with features and capabilities lesser keyboards tend to eschew. No, it’s not a mechanical keyboard, but despite this is it still worth your hard-earned dollars? Read on and find out!"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• ROCCAT Isku FX Multicolor Gaming Keyboard Review @ Legit Reviews
• SPEEDLINK ATHERA Multi-Profile Keyboard Review @ Madshrimps
• AZiO Levetron Mech5 Mechanical Keyboard @ eTeknix
• Gigabyte AiVia Osmium Keyboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Your Wireless Mouse Or Keyboard Acting Up? Blame USB 3.0! @ TechARP
• Corsair Vengeance M95 Performance MMO & RTS Laser Gaming Mouse @ Tweaktown
• Func MS-3 Gaming Mouse @ Rbmods
• FUNC MS-3 Gaming Mouse @ Modders-Inc
• Leetgion El'Druin "Optimized for Diablo" Gaming Mouse @ Tweaktown
• Steelseries Sensei Limited Edition Mouse @ eTeknix
• Razer ONZA Xbox 360 PC Tournament Edition Pro Gaming Controller @ eTeknix

IBM gets serious about flash storage

Subject: General Tech | April 16, 2013 - 01:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: TMS RamSan, IBM, FlashSystem, flash, 1 billion

IBM has invested $1 billion in SSD research and development, creating a project called IBM FlashSystem.  They will create a dozen 'competency centres' across the globe this year to help customers understand scenarios in which flash storage will help their business.  To show off their prowess they created a 500TB system based on their FlashSystem 820; you can see a video of the system at The Register.  IBM has already signed a deal with Sprint to build 9 storage systems and there will be more customers soon.  IBM is also redesigning their system software to take advantage of the speed of flash which will make the transition even more attractive to companies.

"Say goodbye to TMS RamSan and hello to IBM FlashSystem. Back in 2001, IBM CEO Lou Gerstner said IBM would spend a billion dollars to boost its Linux business and that billion paid itself off within two years. In 2002, the firm splurged the same amount on Java tools, and in 2006, pumped $1bn into information management. Fast-forward seven years and Ginny Rometty's IBM is going to spend a billion dollars to boost its flash solid state storage business."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• VIA Labs lands new orders for USB 3.0 hub controllers @ DigiTimes
• Gigabyte gaining on Asustek in motherboard shipments @ DigiTimes
• 63 TRILLION maths ops a second - in 5 inches? Mm, show me @ The Register
• 10 dual-band router round-up @ Hardware.info

Deal for April 16th - Alienware X51 SFF with GTX 645 and Ubuntu @ $600

Subject: General Tech | April 16, 2013 - 12:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Today's deal is not something you see every day, a WiFi enabled console sized Alienware PC running Ubuntu.  At that $600 price you get a Core i3-3220 @ 3.3GHz, 6GB RAM, 1TB HDD, DVD burner, a 1GB GTX 645, and pre-installed UBUNTU Linux 12.04.  It also comes with a one year warranty which could come in handy if you are unfamiliar with Linux.  This might not be the Linux powered Steambox of rumour, but it will certainly function as one and will provide more fun than speculating on when or if that device will ever be released.

Alienware X51 Compact Core i3 Gaming PC w/ Ubuntu Linux & GeForce GTX 645 @ $599

To get the cheapest Alienware X51 Core i3 deal, follow these steps:
1. Start here at Dell Home direct store
2. Click Review & Checkout button at the top
3. Proceed to final checkout/payment

A second tale of doom and gloom for the PC market

Subject: General Tech | April 15, 2013 - 02:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: fud, sales

Last week we saw a report describing the downturn in PC sales and it has been repeated today in a report from Gartner.  With a global decline of sales this quarter totalling over 10% compared to the first quarter of 2012 the trend of falling PC sales continues for the fourth quarter in a row.  It seems that tablets and smartphones are making headway into the market and many people who would have purchased an inexpensive TV for surfing and other light-duty tasks are satisfied with a smaller mobile device.  In the US the decline was a hair under 10% and only Apple and Lenovo showed any growth.  Get the full global breakdown at DigiTimes.

"Worldwide PC shipments totaled 79.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a 11.2% decline from the first quarter of 2012, according to Gartner. Global PC shipments went below 80 million units for the first time since the second quarter of 2009. All regions showed a decrease in shipments, with the EMEA region experiencing the steepest decline."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Increase the range of your wireless network @ Hardware.info
• Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro UI: The (d)evolution of the world's most popular OS @ Tweaktown
• Server Update April 2013: Positioning the HP Moonshot 1500 @ AnandTech
• CASIO Edifice EF-558D-1AVEF Review @ NikKTech
• Rosewill RSL-113 Solar Infrared LED Lights @ Benchmark Reviews
• Antec a.m.p Joint Giveaway @ NikKTech

Deal for April 15 - VIZIO E552VLE 55" 1080p 120Hz WiFi LCD HDTV @ $650

Subject: General Tech | April 15, 2013 - 02:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Looking for a new TV, but not a 72" monster?  Want 120MHz for smooth performance when hooked up to a PC plus support for 3D movies?  How about a 55" 1080p TV for $650 plus free shipping which can access the internet for streaming video!  The VIZIO E552VLE 55" 1080p 120Hz WiFi LCD HDTV is on sale right now.

Dell is offering the VIZIO E552VLE 55" 1080p HDTV for $649.99 with FREE shipping.

Specs:

• 1080p Resolution
• 100,000:1 contrast ratio
• 6.5ms response time
• 120Hz Refresh Rate
• Vizio Internet Apps (VUDU, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Facebook, Twitter)
• 4 HDMI, 2 USB, Composite, VGA ports
• ECO HD exceeds the current ENERGY STAR Guidelines

AMD Never Settles: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon Bundled

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Graphics Cards | April 14, 2013 - 02:22 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: never settle, never settle reloaded, amd, far cry 3

So when AMD reloaded their Never Settle bundles, they left an extra round in the barrel.

Some of my favorite games were given to me in a bundle with some piece of computer hardware. You might remember from the PC Perspective game night that I am a major fan of the Unreal Tournament franchise. My first Unreal Tournament game was an unexpected surprise when I purchased my first standalone GPU. My 166MHz Pentium computer also came bundled with Mechwarrior 2 and Wipeout.

As we discussed, AMD considers bundle-offers as a way to keep the software industry rolling forward. The quantity and quality of games which participate in the recent Never Settle bundles certainly deserve credit as it is due. Bioshock: Infinite is a game that just about every PC gamer needs to experience, and there are about a half-dozen other great titles as a part of the promotion depending upon which card or cards you purchase.

As it turns out, AMD negotiated with Ubisoft and added Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon to their Never Settle bundle. The coolest part is that AMD will retroactively email codes for this new title to anyone who has redeemed a Never Settle: Reloaded code.

So if you have ever Reloaded your Never Settle in the past, check your email as apparently you can Never Settle your reloads again.

Sauce Labs: Integration into modern.IE

Subject: General Tech, Mobile | April 13, 2013 - 03:16 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: w3c, Sauce Labs, modern.IE, IE

The main benefit of open Web Standards is that it allows for a stable and secure platform for any developer to target just about any platform. Still, due to the laws of No Pain: No Gain, those developers need to consider how their application responds on just about every platform. Internet Explorer was once the outlier, and now they are one of the most prominent evangelists. It has been barely two months since we reported on the launch of modern.IE for Microsoft to integrate existing solutions into their product.

Enter Sauce Labs. The San Francisco-based company made a name for themselves by providing testing environments for developers on a spread of browsers across Android, iOS, Linux, MacOSX, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows XP. The company, along with competitor BrowserStack, got recent recognition from Adobe when the software company shut down their own also-competing product.

When we first covered modern.IE back in February (again, here), the initiative from Microsoft was created to help test web apps across multiple versions of Internet Explorer and check for typical incompatibilities. With the addition of Sauce Labs, Microsoft hopes to provide better testing infrastructure as well as automatic recommendations for common issues encountered when trying to develop for both "modern" and legacy versions of their web browser.

In my position, this perfectly highlights the problems with believing you are better than open architectures. At some point, your platform will no longer be able to compete on inertia. Society really does not want to rely on a single entity for anything. It is almost a guarantee that a standard, agreed-upon by several industry members, will end up succeeding in the end. Had Microsoft initially supported the W3C, they would not have experienced even a fraction of the troubles they currently face. They struggle in their attempts to comply with standards and, more importantly, push developers to optimize for their implementation.

There are very good reasons to explain why we do not use AOL keywords anymore. Hopefully the collective Microsoft keeps this grief in mind, particularly the Xbox and Windows RT teams and their divisions.

After the break: the press release.

Deal for April 12th - HP Pavilion p7-1520t Core i5 Quad-core System @ $435

Subject: General Tech | April 12, 2013 - 02:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Today's deal is $115 off the HP Pavilion p7-1520t, a full system comprised of a Core i5-3330 @ 3GHz, 6GB DDR3-1333MHz, a 1TB drive and a DVD burner; they even toss in a mouse and keyboard.  You can't expect a gaming powerhouse for under $500 but if a family member or friend is looking for a new machine to watch cat videos on, or if they are running a small business out of their house this is a good choice and a great deal.

HP Pavilion p7-1520t Core i5 Quad-core Desktop

1. Start here at HP Home direct store, click Customize button
2. Click View Summary button at the top, add to cart
3. Apply coupon code 15LOGICBUY during checkout

Base HP p7-1520t deal: $549.99 - $100 off - $15 coupon code = $434.99 + $9.99 shipping.