Nvidia Driver

Nvidia Releases 306.97 WHQL Driver

On October 10th of 2012, Nvidia released their latest WHQL-certified drivers, version 306.97. With the arrival of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti, the company released its latest drivers so users can use their new cards with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8, 7 and Vista. Version 304.xx and 306.xx drivers offer many 3D Vision and SLI profile updates, with support for TXAA, a new film-style antialiasing method, support for AA and ambient occlusion via the Nvidia Control Panel in many new major titles, and three new bug-fixes that are worth mentioning: one that fixes vsync framerate issues with the GTX 600 series, another that fixes performance issues in Total War: Shotgun 2 and a third that prevented some factory overclocked cards from running at their full speed. Driver updates are almost always recommended, except in the case of pre-release versions which offer many bugs and unrefined code. Installing new driver versions insures your system will run more efficiently, faster and more secure. The update is now available from the official Nvidia website. More information can be found here: http://www.nvidia.com/object/win8-win7-winvista-32bit-306.97-whql-driver.html

GoPro iOS

GoPro Releases iOS App

On October 10th of 2012, GoPro released an app for iOS! GoPro has been the best performing and most popular medium for capturing video in extreme situations such as Red Bull sporting events all around the world. The name GoPro is praised and respected by many professional sports and sporting celebrates. The iOS app is basically a wireless remote control for the HD Hero2 camera. It's apparent that future cameras will support the GoPro app, but for now only the HD Hero2 is supported. Users will need the WiFi BacPac accessory and a compatible iOS device with the free GoPro app installed in conjunction with the HD Hero2 camera. The app's features are great with provisions for the monitoring of battery life and storage space, date and time sync with iOS device's clock, a live remote preview so users can see what the camera is shooting and the ability to access GoPro's Photo of the Day / Video of the Day channels. The Protune firmware update is available along with the app which enables the camera to record at a higher 35Mbps bitrate, 24fps and adjust the video for a different cinematic look. In the future the app will support the viewing of stored recordings and the ability to control more than one camera at once. GoPro plans on releasing an Android app very soon with the same goal in mind. What are you waiting for? Capture your extreme stunts in style now! More information can be found here: http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/10/10/gopro-releases-an-ios-app-enabling-you-to-control-what-youre-capturing/

Sony Vaio T13

Sony Announces Upgraded Vaio T13 Ultrabook for Windows 8

On October 10th of 2012, Sony announced their latest ultrabook, the Vaio T13. This particular model is actually a new generation of the older T13. Ultrabooks are becoming extremely popular these days, purely for their good looks and portability. Sony has been in the small notebook business for many years now. The company has produced netbooks before the term was even established. These days netbooks are obsolete and it's now time for ultrabooks and touch screen devices to take a hold of the reigns. The T13 has a multitouch display that employs 1366x768-pixels. The hardware options can be configured to 256GBs of Solid State Storage and 8GB or RAM. While this is not quite as good as top tier gaming laptops, Sony has done well to fit all of those hardware specs into such a small unit. The processor options can be configured to a few different varieties, Intel Core i7 processors and even an entry-level Core i3. Obviously the way users configure their hardware options will severely affect the overall price of the T13, but prices start at $1,100 US for the entry-level Core i3, 500GB Hybrid HDD configuration. The older T13 started at just $770 US, so there's a big difference in price between the two generations. More information can be found here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/sony-vaio-t13-touch/

eBay Redesign

eBay Announces Site Redesign

On October 10th of 2012, eBay has given its site a complete visual overhaul. Recently eBay changed its logo to a more simple appearance, to basically get with the times. So eBay is releasing a complete site redesign which will go hand-in-hand with the new logo. The new look seems to employ its simple layout for a reason and with a huge amount of multitouch devices to be released very soon, it makes a lot of sense. Hopefully the overhaul will bring a huge amount of new traffic to the site, which should make the experience better for everyone. If you're not seeing the new face lift yet, look for the "Feeds" option on eBay's home page to change over now. More information can be found here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/ebay-unveils-redesign-deals-site/

Google Redesign

Google Redesigns Mobile Layout

On October 10th of 2012, Google has redesigned its mobile web search layout to include a sidebar. The sidebar remains hidden until you swipe your finger across the screen to the right, much like Facebook's mobile app. The new layout is available for both iOS and Android mobile devices. The roll-out for the new feature will continue over a period of time, so don't expect to see it straight away. Google tends to release new web search features slowly, just like Facebook did with its Timeline layout feature. Keep your eyes peeled and stay eagerly waiting, as the new layout may come to your device very soon. More information can be found here: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/10/3484972/google-mobile-home-page-sidebar-redesign

Firefox 16

Mozilla Releases Firefox 16 Final for Windows, Mac and Linux

On October 10th of 2012, Mozilla released their latest Firefox freeze, version 16 for Windows, Mac and Linux. This particular version of Firefox might not bring with it a huge amount of new features, but it still holds its own among the browser community. The latest version obviously incorporates the much talked about web-based app support, which will spur out a whole lot of development for both the browser and the future Firefox OS (Codename: "Boot 2 Gecko"). For those of you who use the Firefox browser on OS X, Mozilla has incorporated a VoiceOver option. There's also many enhancements which help to prevent slow responsiveness and freeze-ups from within the browser, which is always good to see. Firefox might not be the best alternative browser for Windows or Mac, but it's development team has obviously been working very hard to keep up to date with the browser's innovation. It's always worth doing some research to choose your browser because each different one brings a whole new set of attributes. Firefox 16 is available for download now for Windows, Mac and Linux. More information can be found here: http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/09/firefox-16-new-developer-toolbar-reader-mode/

ASUS AIO

Asus Announces Windows 8 Ready ET2701 All-in-One PC

On October 9th of 2012, Asus announced their latest all in one desktop PC, the ET2701. These days Asus has been quite innovative with their PC form factors. The company pretty much invented the netbook, ultrabook and nettop form factors, but while most of those are outdated due to the imminent release of Windows 8 tablets and transforming hybrids, Asus is staying strong with this Windows 8 ready all-in-one PC. This computer is extremely aesthetically pleasing as you can see from the picture above. The combination of a brushed metal look with the clean black glass is appealing to most. The specs of this cute little (big) AIO will certainly not be laughed at with its 27-inch 1920x1080-pixel Full HD LED backlit 10-point capacitive touch screen optimized for the Windows 8 experience. The display utilizes a VA panel that can be viewed clearly at up to a 178-degree angle on both vertical and horizontal planes. There's 4 processor options ranging from the lower power Intel Core i3-3220 to an Intel Core i7-3770S for higher performance requirements. As for the graphics, the system comes with an optional discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 640M or just the on-chip Intel HD Graphics. Memory can be configured with up to 8GB of DDR3 at 1600MHz and optical storage can be either a Blu-ray Combo drive, a Tray-in Super Multi DVD drive or a Tray-in Blu-ray writer. Storage can be configured with up to a 2TB SATA Hard Disk Drive which isn't the best news, but it'll still give average users plenty of storage capacity. Obviously being an all-in-one PC the system doesn't come with a whole lot of connectivity options with only a; USB 3.0 port, a HDMI-in, an SD Card Reader plus an e-SATA(USB 2.0 Combo) port. This PC is obviously Windows 8 ready which means it comes standard with Windows 8 already installed, plus it has support for Win8 drivers. It's really the first of many Win8 ready PCs because there will be hundreds of systems announced/released around the time of October 26th of 2012, which is the release date for Windows 8. More information can be found here: http://www.asus.com.au/Allinone_PCs/27_inch/ET2701INKI/

Samsung Spotify

Samsung Partners with Spotify to Bring Service to Smart TVs

On October 9th of 2012, Samsung partners with Spotifty to bring the music streaming service to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe. Europeans who really love to use Spotify in their homes will have another reason to praise Samsung, because Spotify is bringing over 18-million tracks to Samsung's E-Series Smart TVs in the form of an app designed for the platform. Those users who pay for a Spotify Premium service will find their playlists already syncing, while those who haven't yet signed up, will be offered a free trial. Spotify will be available on Samsung Blu-ray players and Home Theater systems too, for those of you who already own any of these devices. Spotify has absolutely taken the world by storm for obvious reasons. The fact that users can save their entire playlists to the cloud and stream any song through the internet is an excellent prospect, and Samsung fans who also like Spotify will bring a whole new level of entertainment to themselves. Hopefully Spotify will release on Samsung Smart TVs throughout the world very soon, but for now Europeans will remain very lucky. Unfortunately the release date for Europe is not yet confirmed. More information can be found here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/samsung-spotify-smart-tv/

Slingbox

Sling Media Announces Slingbox 350 and 500

On October 9th of 2012, Sling Media announced their latest devices, the Slingbox 350 and 500. The Slingbox has been around for seven years and while it may be somewhat of an underdog, plenty of people use and love the devices. These days there's stiff competition from TiVo and other digital TV recording devices, but the Slingbox offers a whole new set of features just by itself. The Slingbox 350 adds 1080p streaming for the same price as the older model while the 500 adds SlingProjector, a feature which allows users to stream photos from their iOS and Android devices to their TVs (Video streaming will be supported soon). In the future the Slingbox 500 will be able to play content directly from USB-attached storage due to a future software update. The SlingPlayer app also gets an update with some new features such as; reminders and a better way to share Slingboxes with friends. One thing the 500 has compared with the 350 is built in 802.11 b/g/n - 2.4/5GHz wireless connectivity. This feature is probably the main reason why people will fork out the extra money for the more expensive model, but hey whatever floats your boat. Not only that but the 500 actually comes with a remote control, so take your pick! Both Slingbox models will be available on October 14th of 2012 for $299 and $179 US. More information can be found here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/sling-media-officially-unveils-the-slingbox-350-and-500/

Logitech Keyboard

Logitech Announced Mechanical Gaming Keyboard G710+

On October 9th of 2012, Logitech Announced their Latest addition to the G-Series line on high performance gaming products, the Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. The keyboard's mechanical keys are optimized for rapid key entry and stealthy quiet non-clicking switches which enable a smooth experience without sacrificing functionality. The keyboard has undergone a large scale testing process which ensures durability and claims a life of over 50-million keystrokes. The whole keyboard uses white LED light with an adjustable brightness that consist of 4 settings. The WASD arrow keys can be independently adjusted to enable more efficient gaming, which is a huge bonus! The Logitech G710+ is compatible with Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista and will be available for $149.99 US sometime during the start of October of 2012. Europe will soon follow with a release set for the start of December of 2012. More information can be found here: http://blog.logitech.com/2012/10/09/logitech-introduces-g710-mechanical-gaming-keyboard/

AMD Z-60

AMD Announced Z-60 "Hondo" Processors for Windows 8 Tablets

On October 9th of 2012, AMD announced their latest addition to the APU processor range, the Codename "Hondo" Z-60 processor. The new AMD processor is said to be 5x or 6x greater graphics compute power than Intel's predecessor, Ceder Trail. So this means Hondo will directly compete with Intel and its recently announced Clover Trail processors. Gaming on portable devices is becoming extremely popular and these new processors are going to bring that little bit of extra oomph. Hondo will support display resolutions of up to 1920x1200 over HDMI. However, AMD admits there's limits to watching HD content and 720p will offer a "better experience" than full HD 1080p. This is a huge drawback as YouTube is gaining in quality and displays are only getting higher in pixel resolution. The Z-60 will consume only 4 and 5 watts depending on the task, which is low enough for the chip to be kept cool without fans. AMD claims the processor can last a whole working day on a single charge, while Intel's Clover Trail is said to manage 10-hours of active use. These figures may not be entirely accurate due to different user configurations or different additional hardware. The future holds exciting prospects for Windows 8 powered devices and it will be interesting to see how AMD and Intel's competitive nature pans out over the next few months. More information can be found here: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/9/3476286/amd-hondo-z-60-radeon-hd-6250-announcement

Windows Apps

Microsoft Predicts 100,000 Windows 8 Apps Within 90 Days of Launch

On October 8th of 2012, Microsoft is targeting for Windows 8 to have over 100,000 "Modern" apps available within 90 days of launch. Windows 8 will be available on a huge range of devices including tablets, ultrabooks and desktop systems and with such a large number of end users for Win8, that target seems not too far out of reach. At the moment Microsoft seems to be doing everything right. We only need to take a look at how many consumer electronics companies are investing their time and money into their very own Windows RT tablets. Microsoft is even bringing out their own official tablet that goes by the name of Microsoft Surface. It took Windows Phone almost two years to get its app numbers over the 100,000 mark, which itself isn't a bad accomplishment just on its own. Keith Lorizio is responsible for the prediction, but he also claims Windows 8 could have over 400-million users by the end of July 2013. Obviously these numbers could truly be distorted for a number of reasons and Microsoft says; "Per our usual policy, we aren't making any predictions on adoption for Windows 8 before it hits the market." But at least we have a good idea of where things should be. More information can be found here: http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-100000-windows-8-apps-within-90-days-of-launch

Facebook Android

Native Facebook App for Android Release Imminent

On October 9th of 2012, Facebook has released information about their latest addition to the mobile world, the native Facebook Android App. Facebook apps are normally one of the most downloaded apps on multiple platforms, so the attention to detail is critical. Recently Facebook released a new app for iOS which was completely rebuilt from the ground up. This was due to a buggy experience and a slow performing interface because the old app mostly ran on HTML5. Now the attention has turned to Google's Android operating system. If the changes are anything like the latest app for iOS, things will run a whole lot snappier. Facebook's ability to completely surprise everyone around once a month will surely hold its reputation when Android users get a hold of this one. As we probably already know, Facebook has recently surpassed 1 billion members, and with the majority of users accessing Facebook through mobile devices, this will be a good step forward for everyone! The native Android app is in its final testing stage and it will be available on the Play Store as a download or update very soon. Keep your eye out for the future app. More information can be found here: http://www.redmondpie.com/native-facebook-app-for-android-is-reportedly-in-its-final-testing-stages-could-release-any-time-now/

Scorpius

Eurocom adds Nvidia Quadro K5000M to Scorpius Mobile Workstation

On October 7th of 2012, Eurocom added a 4GB Nvidia Quadro K5000M discrete graphics solution hardware option to its Scorpius Mobile Workstation laptop model. Targeted for content design and creation professionals, the Quadro K5000M carries 4GB of GDDR5 memory while boasting 1344 CUDA cores. The Kepler based processor uses the new 28nm GPU architecture which delivers on power efficiency and raw performance. Lately Eurocom has provided some of the worlds fastest laptops to the technology market. Not only that but the company is rarely rivaled by only a couple of other companies such as Origin PC and Alienware. Professionals all around the world have high demands for graphical performance with video editing and 3D development applications and Eurocom often brings out products that are perfect for just that. 4GB of video memory is not child's-play in the world of performance laptops and most content creation professionals will make a purchase decision purely based on that. The laptop itself supports up to 32GB of DDR3-1600 memory and up to 3 internal 1TB HDDs as storage. The CPU options can be up to an Intel Core i7 3920XM Extreme which also won't be laughed at. The Scorpius is available now with Quadro K5000M options in SLI or single GPU configurations. Prices will vary depending on the various hardware options ranging from expensive to extremely expensive. More information can be found here: http://www.techpowerup.com/173323/Eurocom-adds-4GB-NVIDIA-Quadro-K5000M-to-Scorpius-Mobile-Workstation.html

GTX 650 Ti

GeForce GTX 650 Ti Specifications get Leaked

On October 4th of 2012, The specifications of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti graphics processor were leaked. According to Newegg.com the GPU is based on the 28nm manufacturing processes while being based on the GK106 siicon, which will carry the ASIC label "GK106-220." The GPU will employ 768 CUDA cores instead of the previously believed 576. The memory will have a 128-bit wide GDDR5 interface which will hold 1GB of memory. The clock frequencies of the card are quite modest at 925MHz core and 1350MHz memory (5.4GHz GDDR5-effective) which has a memory bandwidth of 86.4GB/s. The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of the device is rated at just 110W which is good news for any users seeking a lower power system design. This card would make an excellent discrete graphics solution for most home theater PCs especially due to the always on functionality that those systems use. Keep in mind that those specs were leaked information and aren't entirely finalized official information from Nvidia. According to reports the GTX 650 Ti will be available on October 9th of 2012 but the pricing is yet to be confirmed. More information can be found here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Kepler-GeForce-GTX_650_Ti-gpu-specs,17798.html

Panorama 2

Bowers and Wilkins Unveils Panorama 2 Soundbar

On October 4th of 2012, Bowers and Wilkins unveiled their latest soundbar, the Panorama 2. This particular soundbar is designed for TVs with its long and yet compact design. The whole package fits into one single discreet speaker box, but it boasts excellent specifications. For starters this sexy little unit incorporates specially designed tweeters, mid-range and low frequency drive units that can deliver a far more superior audio experience than most soundbars. The I/O connectivity of the device features 3 HDMI inputs and a single HDMI output, a 3.5mm Analogue/digital combo input, a 3.5mm mini jack: RS-232 service connector input plus a Subwoofer pre out (RCA Phono) output. The amp power output for each speaker is 25W for both center and surround while the subwoofer has a 50W power output. This makes the soundbar a true 5.1 surround system, even in such a small package. The width of the device is 44-inches, which will take up the same amount of space as the average TV. This means small TVs will look ridiculous because the Panorama 2 will outsize them. These days with TVs getting bigger every 6 months, it shouldn't matter at all. This little monster is the best possible option for most home theaters because as TVs are getting thinner, the audio is almost always compromized. A soundbar is often the answer to all those problems! More information can be found here: http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Speakers/Theatre_Solutions/Panorama-2/explore.html