Sony Xperia ST26i Spotted with 1 GHz CPU and 4-Inch qHD Display

Sony has just announced its Xperia GX and Xperia SX smartphone for the Japanese market, but now an unannounced Xperia phone leaked online.

Dubbed Sony Xperia ST26i, the smartphone seems to be a mid-budget Android phone that will probably be officially announced in the following weeks.

The folks over at PhoneArena have been tipped on the phone’s specs sheet, though we can’t be really sure of the accuracy of the information. 

Sony Xperia ST26i is said to feature an HD video capable rear camera and a decent 4.0-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen display. 

On the inside, the smartphone is equipped with a 1 Ghz single-core ST-Ericsson U8500 processor, 512 MB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory. 

So far, these are the only details on Xperia ST26i’s specs sheet, but we will update the news as soon as more info leaks online.

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Samsung Delays GALAXY S III Wireless Charging Kit for September

It looks like Samsung won’t be able to launch some of the official accessories for the hotly anticipated Galaxy S III on time.

At least that’s the case with the interesting wireless charging kit that was showcased earlier this month at the Galaxy S III launch event in London.

According to Slashgear, the South Korean company postponed the accessory for September 2012 without providing any explanations. 

Although the Samsung Wireless Charging Dock was listed at MobileFun, the UK-based retailer confirmed the accessory’s launch was pushed back four months until September.

This might have something to do with the newly announced Samsung / Qualcomm partnership, which resulted in the new Alliance for Wireless Power organization.

Even though Samsung Galaxy S III is slated for a May 30 release in the UK, customers won’t be able to purchase the official wireless charging kit around the same time frame. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

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Sony Mobile Unleashes Xperia GX and Xperia SX in Japan

Xperia NXT series has just got larger with the addition of two new Android phones, the Xperia GX and Xperia SX. Both smartphones have been specifically designed for the Japanese market, so we won’t be seeing these two outside the country.

Obviously, Sony might plan to release international variants for both devices in the following month, but for the time being there are no additional details on the matter.

Anyway, Xperia GX features the same design lines and curved form factor of the Xperia arc, which was launched on the market last year.

Sony Xperia GX comes with a brilliant 4.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD resolution and is based on Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine technology. 

Another strong point of the Xperia GX is the enhanced 13-megapixel rear camera that features Sony Exmor R sensor, autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording.

Both devices are equipped with 1.5 GHz dual-core processors, but Xperia GX packs 16GB of internal memory, while the Xperia SX comes with only 8GB onboard memory. There’s no word on any microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Dubbed “world’s lightest LTE smartphone,” Xperia SX weighs only 95g (battery included). The smartphone sports a 3.7-inch Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and an 8-megapixel rear photo snapper with Sony Exmor R for mobile, HD video recording, and Sony technology to take 3D panoramic images.

According to Sony, the handset will be shipped with Japanese specific features such as infrared port data exchange, mobile wallet and mobile TV.

Software-wise, Sony confirmed Xperia GX and Xperia SX will be powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system out of the box.

The smartphones also introduce three apps, which come pre-loaded on Xperia GX and Xperia SX: WALKMAN, Album and Movie.

Sony Xperia GX and Xperia SX will be available in two color options, white and black, from summer 2012.

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Fujitsu USB 3.0 Port Replicator Has DisplayPort Support

The name of the Fujitsu USB 3.0 Port Replicator PR08 doesn't really do a perfect job of indicating just what the product is capable of but, fortunately, it doesn't need to.

There is a big press release dedicated to the sole purpose of revealing the dock's existence and its multiple benefits.

Indeed, this is a docking station that provides USB 3.0 connectivity, but that is just a small part of its assets.

The main advantage comes from having the DisplayLink DL-3000 graphics technology IC (integrated circuit) on the inside.

Because of it, the USB 3.0 Port Replicator PR08 can deliver video to monitors or TVs, via DisplayPort, in a resolution of up to 2,560 x 1,600 pixels.

Businesses and corporations of all sizes may eventually order one, or more, in order to increase the number of monitors their standard PCs can connect to at any one time.

“Incorporating virtual graphics technology from DisplayLink into Fujitsu’s USB 3.0 Port Replicator PR08 makes it easier for mobile workers to connect to a more ergonomic, richer desktop display experience, no matter which desk they choose,” says Dieter Heiss, head of workplace systems at Fujitsu Technology Solutions. 

“The Fujitsu port replicator works with any make and model of notebook obtaining compatibility for external displays in heterogeneous hot-desk environments, saving both time and costs.”

The USB 3.0 Port Replicator PR08 docking station has two USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet connector, two USB 2.0 ports, the DisplayPort connection, a DVI-I port and 3.5mm audio in/out jacks (both stereo / 2.1 and surround /5.1 sound is supported).

Finally, the product bundle includes an external DVI to VGA adapter and a Kensington lock slot, for preventing theft of the dock.

“We are proud to partner with Fujitsu to bring to market the first USB 3.0 universal docking station with DisplayPort connectivity, enabling much higher resolutions than any other USB docking station before,” said John Cummins, DisplayLink senior vice president of sales and marketing. “The Fujitsu USB 3.0 Port Replicator PR08 is a one stop dock, managing it all.”

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ZTE Nova 4.0 V8000 Spotted at CTIA 2012 En-Route to Cricket Wireless

Chinese handset maker ZTE previously confirmed plans to launch several high-end Android phones in North America. 

Mostly known for its budget-friendly devices, ZTE’s first top tier smartphone expected to hit shelves in the United States is the Nova 4.0 V8000.

The device has been recently spotted at CTIA 2012 by the folks over at PhoneArena. The handset is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and sports a large 4.0-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display.

In addition, the phone is equipped with a single-core Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of ROM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).

So far, there are no details on the ZTE Nova 4 V8000 availability or pricing options, but rumor has that the smartphone will be released through Cricket Wireless.

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LG LS970 with Android 4.0 ICS and Quad-Core CPU Headed to Sprint

It looks like Samsung Galaxy S III won’t be the only Android flagship smartphone that Sprint plans to launch on its airwaves. 

The guys over at BriefMobile have been tipped on the upcoming LG LS970 device, which is a top tier Android phone that sports a large display and powerful processor.

The good news is that the LG LS970 will be shipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system out of the box. The bad news is that the smartphone is slated for a Q4 2012 release.

The screenshot of the unannounced device that has just been leaked online confirms that the handset is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. 

In addition, the smartphone is said to boast an impressive 4.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display with HD (probably 720 x 1280 pixels) resolution. 

There are speculations that the screen is in fact a “True HD” IPS display, but there aren’t any details available that might confirm these speculations.

Furthermore, the LG LS970 is packed with LTE support and touch-sensitive keys, instead of on-screen ones. So far, there are no additional details on the smartphone’s specs sheet, but we already know the important things.

Even though the source of the leak did not specify which chipset the LG LS970 will pack, but there are speculations that this would be one of the first devices to embed a TI OMAP5 chipset, which is expected to arrive on the market in Q4 2012.

According to the latest hearsay, the LG smartphone slated for a Sprint release will combine the power of a quad-core processor with the speed of LTE technology. 

Last but not least, the LG LS970 smartphone is dubbed LG G, though we’re not sure what the “G” means. We expect this LTE-enabled smartphone to be announced this fall.

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NVIDIA Is Now a Priority for TSMC’s 28nm Capacities

Since TSMC decided some time ago to charge its partners for the whole processed wafer instead of charging only for the working chips, the manufacturing costs for its clients went up considerably. Since this was bad news for the IC designers, low yields and low volume were the last drops filling the sorrow cup. TSMC has reportedly decided to award Nvidia “priority” on the 28nm manufacturing process.

Nvidia has been talking about 450mm wafers and a different foundry partner for quite some time now, so TSMC decided to give them a “cookie” just to make sure they stick around.

Having high costs with the wafers and low yields because of a high speed and complex chip is a lot to take. Enjoying high demand for a successful product and not being able to satisfy it because of your foundry partner is frustrating.

It seems that Nvidia’s hints about looking for 450 mm wafers, having Intel as a foundry partner or even moving some of its products to some other foundry have sensitized TSMC into being “nicer.”

Qualcomm’s suggestions about looking for another partner might be shot in the same direction, but they’ve managed to get priority in the past, and now TSMC seems to believe Nvidia deserves the cookie.

NVIDIA Old GeForce 2 MX Chip

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Script: Chosen

Chosen is a jQuery plugin for custom styling simple and multiple drop-down selects, along with optgroups.

From the dawn of modern-day web development, custom styling form fields has been a real nightmare. While some form fields are simpler to customize than others, drop-down selects are the worse.

Targeting this need for a simpler process, the good folks at Harvest have created Chosen, a jQuery plugin that not only simplifies the process of custom styling the drop-downs, but actually enhances it through some well-thought JavaScript.

With just a few lines of JS code, a previously stale form is transformed into a designer's UI heaven, actually adding to the user experience some new useful navigational features and enhancements.

Chosen's development is handled via its GitHub page. Besides jQuery, Chosen is also compatible with Prototype.  A version ported to MooTools is also available for download.

Download Chosen here.

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NVIDIA CUDA Goes Open Source

NVIDIA's GPUs have high parallel processing capabilities, but those capabilities are useless if programs and systems don't have support for them, which means that NVIDIA has had to negotiate special deals and strike partnerships with builders of supercomputers and software makers.

From now on, though, it will be easier to implement GPU Acceleration in new software and machines, because NVIDIA has provided the CUDA Compiler source code to LLVM.

LLVM is one of the most popular open-source compilers with support for many programming languages, like C/C++, Objective-C, Ada, Haskell, Java bytecode, Fortran, ActionScript, GLSL, Rust, Python and Ruby.

NVIDIA's CUDA is a C/C++ architecture. Following this new development though, programmers will be able to develop applications for GPU accelerators using any of the languages mentioned above.

"The code we provided to LLVM is based on proven, mainstream CUDA products, giving programmers the assurance of reliability and full compatibility with the hundreds of millions of NVIDIA GPUs installed in PCs and servers today," said Ian Buck, general manager of GPU computing software at NVIDIA. 

"This is truly a game-changing milestone for GPU computing, giving researchers and programmers an incredible amount of flexibility and choice in programming languages and hardware architectures for their next-generation applications."

GPUs started off as chips that rendered visuals, but their high parallel computing capabilities eventually woke people up to their potential in HPC (high-performance computing).

NVIDIA already has CUDA accelerators in some supercomputers, but the new LLVM compiler will add a great deal of convenience to their use. We expect to hear of quite a few new Tesla-based conglomerates over the next several years. Quite a far cry from Intel's prediction that NVIDIA's technology would be a footnote on the supercomputing industry.

"Double Negative has ported their fluid dynamics solver over to use their domain-specific language, Jet, which is based on LLVM," said Dan Bailey, researcher at Double Negative and contributor to the LLVM project. 

"In addition to the existing architectures supported, the new open-source LLVM compiler from NVIDIA has allowed them to effortlessly compile highly optimized code for NVIDIA GPU architectures to massively speed up the computation of simulations used in film visual effects."

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BlackBerry 10 OS to Offer Enhanced, Multi-Layered Security

When released, BlackBerry 10, the next-gen mobile operating system from Canadian handset vendor Research In Motion will deliver an enhanced security model when compared to the current platform on the company’s devices. 

The handset vendor has focused on improving the security of its handsets, and Scott Totzke, RIM's senior vice president, BlackBerry security, has detailed it, networkworld reports. 

The company is determined to make its platform appealing again, and this area is one of the important aspects that users take into consideration when planning a purchase. 

“The industry has been promising mobile commerce to consumers for years: the idea of using your phone as your wallet. But if that happens, it better be secure," Totzke says. "If the user can't trust the mobile platform, it's a tough sell."

Following the purchase of QNX, RIM has started the work on ensuring that the various weaknesses of the platform are resolved, and that the level of security that users will benefit from is enhanced. 

Thus, some of the protection features that the phone maker has been focused on include the blocking root access, so that user or hackers are prevented from gaining administrative access to the OS.

Additionally, the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform will arrive with memory randomization, which is meant to "scramble" where in memory routines may run, so that attackers would find it more difficult to exploit the platform. 

At the same time, the company has been working on adding security management features such as auditing to the kernel.

The BlackBerry Playbook OS already came with improved security features, but things need to be done better, it appears, especially since some of these data protection capabilities will also make it to the BlackBerry 10 OS. 

There are other levels of protection as well, most of which will be actually invisible to the end user. However, the platform seems to promise increased security, especially when it comes to taking advantage of mobile payment technologies.

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Quad-Core Exynos CPU Used in Galaxy Note 10.1, Not Dual-Core

Samsung's Galaxy Note, by the name alone, could be mistaken for a sort of electronic notepad or e-reader if it didn't have the “10.1” in its name and, of course, that quad-core Exynos CPU.

But that's just the thing: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 was expected to have a dual-core processor at first, just like the Galaxy S III. The company ended up changing its mind once the Exynos 4412 chipset was finally ready.

Now, the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet is said to use a quad-core ARM chip in conjunction with a Mali graphics processing unit, probably Mali-400MP.

According to Rightware's Powerboard database of benchmarked mobile devices, the Note 10.1 scored 60 points (Snapdragon S4 managed 37).

That means that Exynos 4412 finally works properly instead of having the same performance level as current-generation chips.

For those who don't know, Samsung isn't at its first tape-out of the ARM CPU. Initially, the chip was endowed with prowess similar to that of the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4.

Now that a new Mali graphics has been added, and with breakthroughs in regards to quad-core operation within thermal limitations, the silicon's capabilities have skyrocketed.

That said, we may as well list the other assets of the slate. The other product name of Galaxy Note 10.1 is GT-N8000 and, spec-wise, the quad-core chip is backed by an unspecified RAM amount and probably 16/32 GB of storage too. The LCD has a native resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels and touch support (obviously). 

Buyers will also find a couple of webcams (3 mp on the back, 2 mp on the front), Geo-tagging, GPS, stereo speakers, a microSD card slot and Wi-Fi, among other things. 

We don't have a price to give, but everything else is listed here. Sure, the CPU is still said to be a dual-core on that table, but the rest should be accurate, down to the Android 4.0 OS.

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HP Launches New EliteBook 2760p Convertible TabletPC

HP has just announced today a plethora of new products, including the HP EliteBook 2760p TabletPC, on its official website. The news is the upgrade of the processor to Intel’s 2nd generation of Core processors.

That’s right, they’re using Intel’s Sandy Bridge and not the expected Ivy Bridge. The EliteBook 2760p will make use of the integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics which offer significant improvements over past generation graphics, but it will certainly be less capable than Ivy Bridge’s HD 4000 iGPU and a whole lot more handicapped than AMD’s Trinity APU.

The EliteBook 2760p is available with a wide range of Core i5 and i7 CPUs and a single Core i3 2350M. Memory is 4 GB as standard, but it can be upped to a maximum of 16 GB or DDR3 SRDAM, as there are two SODIMM slots available.

Storage is comprised of a single 2.5” bay than can be equipped with 7200 RPM HDDs or a 128 / 256 GB SSD. HP’s new EliteBook upgrade also comes with the same DVD-Writer and that’s a nice and useful option to have on your mobile system.

The screen is built in the same 16:10 format with a 12.1” diagonal and a simple 1280 x 800 resolution and a multi touch matrix. There are three USB 2.0 ports out of which one is available for fast charging, along with a VGA port and an audio combo connector for a microphone or headphones.

Unfortunately, there is no eSATA like some other sites were wrongfully reporting, but the useless RJ11 port is still present. We’re not able to see an eSATA port in the official pictures and there is no mention about one in the official specifications.

We’re lucky to have a docking connector and one Express Card / 34 slot along with a Smart Card Reader and a HD webcam. The battery is a 6-cell one and should be able to last about five hours.

Demanding users can also swap out the optical unit and use Donya’s ODD to SSD adapter bay to install a fast SSD next to the default internal 7200 RPM HDD. It's sad to see that HP still hangs on to the Sandy Bridge, when this tablet should have used AMD's Trinity with ten times the GPU power and USB 3.0.

It's quite surprising that HP believes that a mobile computer with no USB 3.0 is still acceptable. Luckily, we have the Express Card slot.

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Galaxy S III’s Flipboard Emerges Online, Up for Grabs Now

Flipboard, the mobile application specifically designed to provide users with a great experience when it came to news consumption, is now available for download.

The application was announced as pre-loaded and exclusive on Samsung’s new Galaxy S III smartphone, which meant that only those who had this device in their hands could use it. 

Today, however, the software made an appearance online, via the XDA-Developers forum. Those Android users interested in giving it a try should head over to this thread to learn more on how to download and install it. 

Keep in mind that this is not an official release of the application, which means that you will have to use Android’s side-loading capabilities to get it up and running. 

Some of those who have already installed it say that it works like a charm, so you should be in luck too, especially if you don’t own an old handset.

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Thermaltake Presents Water 2.0 All-in-One Liquid Coolers

Thermaltake may or may not be planning to bank on that non-issue that Ivy Bridge CPU buyers discovered a couple of weeks back. 

If the subtitle wasn't enough to remind you, it was found out that, due to a design choice on Intel's part, Ivy Bridge CPUs run hotter than Sandy Bridge ones. 

Intel basically admitted to this, not that there is actually a problem with the chips themselves. 

Even though Ivy Bridge work at a higher temperature, the heat is not actually high enough to be dangerous in any way. 

Still, overclockers may find it troublesome, and so might other people, so Thermaltake launched the Water 2.0 All-in-One liquid cooling systems (LCS). 

We're certain Thermaltake would have unleashed the newcomers even if this situation hadn't emerged. 

Anyway, the LCS Water 2.0 are called all-in-one liquid coolers because they do not need to be connected to any sort of big, external pump. 

Instead, they have their own pump integrated in the waterblock, which eliminates the heat drawn out of the GPU by the full copper base plate. 

Two 120mm high airflow fans help with the heat dissipation and there is very little coolant loss due to the sealed circulation system and low evaporation tubes. 

And now, we finally reach the special assets of each Water 2.0 LCS. First off, the Water 2.0 Performer has a standard-size 120mm radiator and targets people who are new to the whole liquid cooling idea. 

Secondly, the Water 2.0 Pro has a thicker radiator and aims for mainstream customers that want a strong cooler but don't have a very large case. 

The third and final LCS is Water 2.0 Extreme, with a 240mm radiator, two extra, optional fans and a Windows program that can manage pump speed, fan speed and coolant temperature.

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ASUS ROG CG8580 Gaming Desktop Released

ASUS, like many other companies, sells fully configured systems in addition to individual hardware parts, so it stands to reason that it would have a gaming line of desktops and laptops.

The company usually straps the ROG logo on the products it deems most suited for people who play computer games (ROG is short for Republic of Gamers).

One of the computers to most recently get that brand is the CG8580 desktop PC, based on a third-generation Core CPU from Intel: Core i7-3770K, overclocked to 4.6 GHz.

As one would expect, the GeForce GTX 680 graphics card, NVIDIA's best single-GPU board to date, is paired with it.

The random access memory capacity is nothing to scoff at either. Even though buyers can choose to get less, 16 GB can be installed.

On that note, one doesn't necessarily have to buy the GTX 680 either. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti, or two of them in SLI, can be selected instead.

We're fairly certain that the motherboard holding all of this together is based on the Z77 chipset. There's no way to be sure though. Whether by accident or deliberately, ASUS did not mention its name.

As for storage, four SATA 3 Gbps and four SATA 6 Gbps ports allow for truly massive HDD and/or SSD capacities. Add to that four USB 3.0 ports and eight USB 2.0 and the limits aren't even worth going into.

Other specs are just what people would expect from a high-end gaming machine: Gigabit Ethernet, DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, front-placed card reader, 7.1-channel audio (with optical S/PDIF out) and two 3.5mm audio jacks.

Finally, three PCI Express x16 slots and two PCI Express x1 slots are present, as are a couple of legacy PCI slots, Realtek ALC892 audio codec (or an optional Asus Xonar DX card). 

All the hardware is packed within a case that may or may not impress. The price, unfortunately, has not been disclosed, even though sales should already be underway.

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Prolimatech Shows the MK-26 Pro Super Cooler for the Radeon HD 7970

AMD’s record breaking Radeon HD 7970 rightfully deserves a super cooler of its own. Prolimatech is happy to oblige and the new MK-26 Pro VGA cooler for the HD 7970 has just been spotted.

The Pro version is an enhanced evolution of its twisted heatpipe older brother. The new cooler is 60 grams heavier than the MK-26 plain version.

At 590 g, the MK-26 Pro comes with six heatipes, each 6 millimeters in diameter. That’s a weight of about 1.3 pounds in imperial.

We still don’t understand why most of the cooler builders don’t use 8 mm heatpipes, but maybe that’s because they still want to be able to charge us more in the following years.

Besides the same number of heatpipes with the same diameter in each of them, the Pro version of the MK-26 brings less twisted heatpipes, but a much larger head dissipation area.

The Pro version has 4,670 square centimeters of cooling area, while the older version only has 3,500 square centimeters. The cooling fins are nickel-plated and the cooler is compatible with 12cm and 14cm fans.

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HP Sleekbook, AMD Ultrabooks from HP

During a launch event in Shanghai, China, HP revealed a great number of products, including some Ultrabooks and their AMD-powered counterparts. 

We've known for a while that Advanced Micro Devices would eventually get one of its chips inside super-thin and light laptops. 

This is, after all, the purpose of that 17W accelerated processing unit (APU) revealed last month. 

Seeing it actually happen is another thing entirely, but we can safely say that the time is finally here: HP has revealed some AMD-based ultrabooks. 

Well, almost. The Ultrabook product type name is owned by Intel, so HP had to use a different moniker for the APU versions of the Envy 4 and 6 models. 

In the end, Sleekbook was chosen. It remains to be seen if the word sticks or not. 

Measuring 14 inches and 15 inches in diagonal, the Envy 4 and 6 have black, red or plain metal finish, HD screens (1,366 x 768 pixels), customizable storage and RAM, all expected connectivity and I/O (USB 3.0, HDMI, LAN, Wi-Fi, card reader) and a price of around 650 Euro / $700. 

And now, since we're on the subject, we can talk about the Spectre XT too, an Ivy Bridge successor to the Envy 14 Spectre, which measures 13.3 inches in screen diagonal. 

The thickness is of 14.5 mm (0.57 inches) and the weight is 1.4 kilograms (3.08 lbs). 

Inside, there is a third-generation Ivy Bridge processor, an SSD of 128 GB or 256 GB, four speakers, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI and an SD card slot. 

Norton Internet Security Antivirus software (2-year license) and Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements 10 (photo editing) will be pre-installed on it. 

Finally, the one downgrade compared to the Envy 14 is the screen. It is less bright and uses a lower resolution (1,366 x 768 instead of 1,440 x 900 or 1,600 x 900). Sales will start by the end of June, for 999 Euro / $999.

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ARM Is Taking Over the Lab Desktop: HP Launches t410 Smart Zero Client

HP has just announced today the powerful HP t410 All-in-One (AiO) Smart Zero Client, on its official website. The t410 is featuring new and innovative one-wire Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, while still providing outstanding multimedia performance and a true PC-like experience.

They’re calling it “PC-like” because this is not your average PC with an overpriced hard drive and an overpriced Intel CPU. This unit is driven by a very power-efficient processor using the popular ARM architecture.

In fact, the system is so efficient that, together with its 18.5” screen, it will consume a maximum of 13 watts and that’s why it is not powered from the usual power socked, but by using a LAN cable with Power over Ethernet technology.

The system can be plugged into any virtual operating infrastructure such as Citrix, VMware, or Microsoft environments.

The t410 will save time with less management. HP Smart Zero Technology gives you a no-touch, no-management experience. Once connected, the HP t410 will use Auto-sensing Technology to locate the host server in the datacenter and download the latest update.

The user simply connects to the network and starts working. If the virtualization software changes, the t410 will adapt to its environment with ease every time.

The screen is a bright 200 nits display integrating 3M technology. HP’s t410 can also be easily integrated into the popular XenDesktop infrastructure for the full HDX experience, or it can work perfectly with Windows using RDP and RemoteFX using any PCoIP standard available.

While client systems such as the HP t410 are not so popular for home users, they are popular in university labs and in company business use in general.

The system comes with 3-year warranty, but pricing has not been made available yet.

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HP Launches New Pavilion Notebook PCs

HP decided this was the day when its product line would grow, so it launched a huge collection of business and consumer products, including notebooks, even though availability is weeks to months away.

Here we will speak of the new Pavilion notebook PCs for consumers, called Pavilion m6, Pavilion dv-series and Pavilion g-series.

Pavilion m6 measures 15.6 inches in diagonal and, though it seems to be thin enough and even has an aluminum case, isn't described as an Ultrabook.

Both Intel and AMD CPUs, as well as discrete graphics, will be available to choose from when the product starts shipping this summer.

The price has not been disclosed, but we doubt it will be low, given the hardware and HP's exclusive additions, like HP CoolSense technology (adjusts performance and fan speed automatically), HP ProtectSmart (locks the HDD in case of drops), HP SimplePass (remembers online passwords), and HP TrueVision HD Webcam.

The new HP Pavilion dv line is made of Pavilion dv4, dv6 and dv7. The dv4 has black, white and red color options, while the other two get metal finish.

None of them has discrete graphics by default, but it is possible to add an NVIDIA part to the mix. The screen should be in 14-inch, 15.6-inch and 17-inch sizes, respectively. HP CoolSense, HP ProtectSmart, HP TrueVision HD Webcam and HP SimplePass are available on the larger two.

As for the prices, they will be $549.99, $549.99 and $799.99, respectively, when shipments start on June 20. European stores will no doubt list them for just as many Euro, eventually.

And now we arrive at the Pavilion g-series: g6 and g7 (15.6-inch and 17/17.3-inch, probably), with curved, beveled edges, a bowl-shape keyboard deck, textured touchpad and audio that is “enhanced with both design and functional elements.”

Ruby red, linen white, sparkling black, winter blue and bright purple colors, as HP calls them, will be up for grabs beginning on July 25. The starting prices are of $449.99 for the g6 and and $499.99 for the g7.

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RIM Officially Unveils BlackBerry Curve 9320 with Dedicated BBM Key

Research In Motion (RIM) recently demoed its BlackBerry 10 OS and released developing tools for those who wish to create apps for the new version of the operating system.

Although the company announced the first BlackBerry devices were expected to arrive in October, it might be too late to save the RIM in its attempt to maintain and/or expand its current market share.

All in all, RIM has decided to go official with yet another budget-friendly BlackBerry smartphone, the Curve 9320.

BlackBerry Curve 9320 is a slightly improved version of the Curve 9220 smartphone, which was recently launched on the market.

The handset is powered by the new BlackBerry 7.1 OS, and offers users features such as Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi calling. 

In addition, the smartphone comes with a new Parental Controls on-device feature that provides parents and guardians with the means to help protect children by restricting access to specific functions, features and apps.

As expected, the Curve 9320 comes pre-loaded with core messaging and social-oriented features and apps, including Facebook and Twitter. 

The new Social Feeds 2.0 app is also pre-installed, allowing users to post updates to multiple social networks at the same time and grab updates from RSS, social apps and instant messaging apps. 

Moreover, the device has a dedicated BBM key and includes a built-in FM radio and GPS. BlackBerry Curve 9320 sports a 2.44-inch display that supports 320 x 240 pixels resolution. 

It is also worth mentioning the Curve 9320 offers 3G support and packs 512MB of ROM, 512MB of RAM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).

According to RIM, more details on pricing and availability of the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be announced close to launch.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality,” said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion.

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EVGA Presents Two GeForce GTX 680 FTW Video Cards

Quality video card manufacturer EVGA has just launched its GeForce GTX 680 FTW Edition graphics cards, on its official website. FTW is short for “for the win,” and it seems to be a statement from the manufacturer that the boards are different from the plain GTX 680 cards out now.

The series includes two variants, a 2 GB variant (with the 02G-P4-3686-KR product number) and a 4 GB one (with the 04G-P4-3687-KR product number).

The 2 GB version comes with overclocked memory. This is the only GTX 680 that comes with pre-overclocked memory that we can think of this instant.

This 2 GB GTX 680 GTW card features clock speeds of 1,110 MHz for the core base, 1,176 MHz when the boost is activated and 6.20 GHz effective memory frequency.

The 4 GB version comes with a Backplate that will offer more structural integrity to the card and default reference clock speeds for the memory and GPU.

Both cards utilize EVGA's Signature board design. The 4 GB variant, on the other hand, will also have the clock speeds of 1,110 MHz for the core base, 1,176 MHz when the boost is activated. That’s also higher than the reference default, but the memory clock speed is left untouched, at 6.00 GHz.

Both cards draw power from 6-pin + 8-pin power connectors. The EVGA GTX 680 FTW 2 GB is priced at 569.99 USD, while the EVGA GTX 680 FTW 4 GB w/backplate costs 629.99 USD.

That means 438 EUR for the European buyers as far as the 2 GB is concerned and 484 EUR for the 4 GB card with the backplate, although we anticipate the expected overcharge the Europeans are used to and we believe the prices will be closer to the 450 EUR and 650 EUR marks.

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ASUS Transformer Pad Has Screen Problems

The ASUS Transformer Pad 300 TF300 received a warm welcome and got pretty favorable reviews, but some issues are coming to light. 

ASUS seems to be establishing a rather unfortunate track record of releasing tablets with hardware and software shortcomings. 

The Transformer Prime had to go through more than one update before it stopped restarting randomly and the GPS still doesn't work as it should, requiring a new dongle. 

The original Transformer, Prime's predecessor, also suffered Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich issues and went through its own series of updates. 

Now, it has come to light that the Transformer Pad 300 TF300T will need a software fix. 

What's worse, it has a problem that no amount of software updates will ever repair: the cheap build quality. 

As we said before, reviewers were left with a positive impression, but it seems that it might not have been the best idea to leave the slate in its dock throughout the entire testing process. 

Had they held the item in their hand, as it is likely to be held more often, they may have noticed that, when pressing on the ASUS logo on the back, an impression on the screen appears. Anyone who's ever pressed a finger on an exposed electronic screen of any sort will recognize the disturbance. 

The other problem, the one that software can repair, is that the image flickers and wavers around the edges, as apparent in the videos embedded below. As before, pressing on the back of the unit causes the glitches. Hopefully, the next update won't be long in coming. 

ASUS Transformer Pad 300 TF300T relies on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core platform and a battery that lasts for up to 10 hours (15 hours when the keyboard dock adds its own battery to the mix). The 32 GB version costs $399 and just as many Euro in Europe.

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Instagram for Android 1.1.0 Available for Download

A new version of the Instagram application is now available for download for devices powered by Google’s Android platform. 

One key feature that Android users have been waiting for in Instagram was tilt-shift, introduced in the new version 1.1.0 of the app. At the same time, the new application iteration is packed with a filter screen fix for GT-S5830C devices. 

Through tilt-shift, users can alter depth of field in photos. The option enables them to add realistic blur to the setting around a focal point, to add emphasis. 

“Our popular tilt-shift feature allows you to easily alter depth of field in your photographs,” Instagram notes in a recent blog post. 

“By adding a realistic blur to the setting around a focal point, you can emphasize the heart of your photos and even make some scenes look miniature.”

Specific info on how to take advantage of the feature is available on the company’s website. Instagram for Android 1.1.0 can be downloaded here.

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