Sunday, 10 November 2013
The Lab-Engineered, Water-Resistant Dress Pants of the Future

Nice clothes usually aren’t built to do much more than look good. They’re inconvenient to clean, hard to take care of, rarely very comfortable, and one stray drop of ketchup can ruin them forever. If you sweat a lot, they’re not exactly built to cover up that mess, either.
Professional attire should be as comfortable, machine-washable, and sweat-camouflaging as your favorite Zubaz pants, right? That’s what the Ministry of Supply thinks, and they’re using space-age materials and manufacturing techniques to make it happen. The nine-person, Boston-based team creates office wear with technology and testing procedures that are normally reserved for performance sportswear.
In their labs, they use thermal tests to study how clothes interact with body heat and use skin-movement analysis tools to help eliminate blisters. Their clothes are made with futuristic tech, too. For example, the company’s Atmos T-shirt is knitted with a 3-D printer-like machine; the different textures and venting patches on the shirt are part of a continuous piece of fabric rather than sewn-in panels.
The company also makes a button-down dress shirt called the Apollo that uses a NASA-engineered form of polyester that pulls heat away from the body when it’s warm and keeps it locked in when it’s cold. They make socks with heat vents and carbonized coffee grounds woven into them, because coffee grounds are effective odor-absorbers. (The socks don’t smell like coffee. I checked.)
Ministry of Supply’s latest product comes in the form of the Aviator chino pants, which look like normal dress pants from afar but show their high-tech secrets once you get up close. They’re sort of stretchy — the material feels more elastic than cotton but not as stretchy as spandex — and they have a practically invisible ventilation system throughout the crotch.
The coolest thing about them is that they have a slick-coated fabric that won’t get wet in the rain. The pants also feel like they’re ketchup-proof; if you spill anything on them, it will probably just wipe right off with a napkin. They’re machine-washable in cold water.
At $118 per pair, they’re pricey for a pair of pants, but they’re probably a lot more durable and easy to take care of than the higher-end business wear you’ll find in the same price range. They’re available in a light khaki, charcoal gray, and navy blue.

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Transporter Sync Gives You Cloud-Based Storage Without the Cloud

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Cloud storage is nifty. We all use it, and for the most part, it gets the job done. However, you usually need to subscribe to multiple services to find all the right app-based syncing features, browser accessibility, and total storage space you require. Subscriptions are usually pretty cheap, but they add up. And there are worries beyond cost, like the whole NSA-spying-on-all-of-your-online-stuff thing.
A new drive called Transporter Sync provides the convenience of cloud-based storage without as many negatives. It’s a storage device that you attach to your network, and it stays in sync with all of your devices on and off your network, functioning much like your own private cloud-based folder.
This is the second network-capable storage product from Transporter. The original Transporterfeatured either a 500 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB hard drive. The Sync is smaller, and offers more versatility. It has no built-in storage. Instead, it has a USB port — just plug in an external USB drive and get as much storage as you need.
You plug in the device to your home router, and then use the free Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android apps to access and share your documents. Files are encrypted and transferred in a peer-to-peer fashion over your home network; the cloud is used only as a highway for transferring data, not for storing it. If you have two Transporters (or maybe you have one and a friend has one) you can set them up so they stay in sync. Choose to sync either the whole shared drive or just selected folders.
Setup is easy. It takes about 10 minutes to get it online, then you can forget about the hardware and just use Transporter’s digital access options for managing your files. Anyone you want to share with does need to download the Transporter Downloader plug-in or the apps, though.
Transporter Sync is available for pre-order now at $99, with estimated availability of November 15.

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Stop Wearing Your Earphones the Wrong Way

I love listening to music on in-ear headphones. The sound is rich and perfectly clear, they block out external annoyances, and they’re super light and portable. As such, I frequently recommend them to friends when they ask me what kinds of earphones they should buy. But just as frequently, those friends come back and tell me they’re unsatisfied with the sound. Tinny, they say. Not enough bass. And they fall out too often. This is usually the point where we both realize it’s an issue of fit, not function.
In-ear headphones look like earbuds, but they don’t work the same way. They don’t hang in the crevices of your ear-folds like a traditional bud. They’re meant to be worn fully inserted into your ear, so the squishy tip can form a tight seal with all of the walls of your ear canal — like a cork in a wine bottle. If you don’t get that proper seal, the transference of sound will suffer (especially the low frequencies) and too much outside noise will creep in.
You don’t just jam them in there, though. You have to properly seat them in your ears. Here’s a fail-safe method:
Start by placing the tips in your ears and pushing them in just a little bit. Then, use both hands to seal them up. For your left ear, reach up with your right hand and grab your left earlobe. Pull the lobe downwards a little to widen your ear canal. Then, use your left index finger to gently push the tip further into your ear. Don’t shove it all the way in, but far enough to where you feel the seal. Finally, let go of your earlobe. Your ear canal returns to its normal size, and you’ll feel the seal tighten. Now do the same for your other ear.
You’ll notice the sound coming out of the earpieces is louder (go ahead and turn the volume down a little) and that the bass is much improved. You’ll also notice you’re pretty isolated in there. Some people don’t like this — it can feel claustrophobic. But the music is much more immersive when there’s less outside noise coming in. So learn to enjoy the solitude.
Getting the perfect seal also requires finding the correct tip size. Most in-ears come with a few different sizes of tip, as well as different materials like rubbers and foams. Start with the medium size rubber tip. If that doesn’t give you a great seal, move down one size to the smaller tip and try that first. Try the largest size last — you’d be surprised, but a smaller tip sometimes gives you the more comfortable seal. If the rubber tips aren’t working, try the foam variety. There’s a company called Comply that makes excellent foam tips for all different kinds of earbuds and in-ear headphones. So if none of the tips that came in the box work for you, give Comply a shot.


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Friday, 8 November 2013
Sony PlayStation 4's hardware detailed in official teardown video

Sony's next-generation gaming console, the PlayStation 4 is about to hit the markets next week, at least in some regions. As we get closer to the release, Sony is offering more details related to the console. It has now even done a teardown video of the PlayStation 4 revealing the console's internals.

Sony's Yasuhiro Ootori (Director, Engineering Department) offered a complete teardown of the PS4,courtesy Wired.

After unboxing the console, Ootori informs that the console doesn't have any visible screws at the front and even the ones at the back are hidden beneath seals, which are present to discourage users from opening the console, and   built in a way that Sony will get to know if a user attempts to dismantle the PS4. 

After removing four screws, Ootori takes out the lower outer cover of the console to reveal the fan, the optical disc drive that plays both DVD and Blu-ray disks, and the power supply unit, which has been incorporated into the PlayStation 4's body.

He also shows the Bluetooth antenna and the 500GB hard disk drive on the PS4, and after removing all these components, unscrews the to cover to reveal the mainframe. He removes the shield plate to show the motherboard of the console that neatly houses the x86 CPU core, similar to a standard PC. The integrated CPU-GPU design is also showcased along with the GDDR5 memory in 8 slots adding up to 8GB. Ootori mentions that Sony chose GDDR5 RAM modules as the GPU needs lot of bandwidth.

Ootori also details the PS4's secondary processor that does the network processing tasks in standby mode, in order to optimise power consumption. The Wi-Fi antenna is located on the motherboard along with the USB 3.0 port, the AUX connector for the PlayStation camera, the gigabit Ethernet port, the HDMI connector and the optical audio output to connect audio components and amplifiers.

He then removes the other shield plate with which the heat sink is attached. Two heat pipes are used for the heat sink. The centrifugal fan that cools the PS 4 has an 85mm diameter and generates optimum amount of air and pressure.

All the components look to be neatly stacked together, giving the impression the PlayStation 4 is indeed a well-engineered device.

Sony said in August that it had received 1 million preorders for the PS4, which will be on sale from November 15 in North America and in other regions including Europe, Australia and South America from November 29, in time for the busy pre-Christmas season. The console will be released in select Asian markets including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea, in December. 
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Playing video games collaboratively, competitively can boost learning: Study


Playing educational video games either competitively or collaboratively with another player can enhance students' motivation to learn, a new study has found.
While playing a math video game collaboratively - as compared to playing alone - students adopted a mastery mindset that is highly conducive to learning, researchers said.

Moreover, students' interest and enjoyment in playing the math video game increased when they played with another student.

The findings point to new ways in which computer, console, or mobile educational games may yield learning benefits.

"We found support for claims that well-designed games can motivate students to learn less popular subjects, such as math, and that game-based learning can actually get students interested in the subject matter?and can broaden their focus beyond just collecting stars or points," said Jan Plass, a professor in New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and one of the study's lead authors.

"Educational games may be able to help circumvent major problems plaguing classrooms by placing students in a frame of mind that is conducive to learning rather than worrying about how smart they look," added co-lead author Paul O'Keefe, an NYU postdoctoral fellow at the time of the study.

The researchers focused on how students' motivation to learn, as well as their interest and performance in math, was affected by playing a math video game either individually, competitively, or collaboratively.
Researchers had middle-school students play the video game FactorReactor, which is designed to build math skills through problem solving and therefore serves as diagnostic for learning.

In order to test the impact of different settings on learning, students were randomly assigned to play the game alone, competitively against another student, or collaboratively with another student.

The findings revealed that students who played the math game either competitively or collaboratively reported the strongest mastery goal orientations, which indicates that students adopted an optimal mindset for learning while playing the video game with others.

The study appears in the Journal of Educational Psychology.
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Thursday, 7 November 2013
iPad Air reviews roundup


Apple Inc has not reinvented the wheel with the iPad Air but the thinner device, priced higher than many of its competitors, is a major improvement on a successful product, the reviewers wrote on Tuesday.
Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg called the iPad Air the best tablet he has ever reviewed.
"That isn't just because of its slimmer, lighter design, but because Apple boasts 475,000 apps optimized for tablet use - far more than any other tablet platform," Mossberg wrote.
The new full-sized iPad goes on sale from Friday and will be priced starting $499.
Damon Darlin of the New York Times said the Air is lighter than its predecessors, adding that the gadget is a delight to use.
Reviewer David Pogue, who recently left the New York Times to start a new consumer-tech website at Yahoo, said the iPad Air is "a fantastic leap into the future if you're upgrading from an original iPad, or if you've never owned a tablet before."
However, all three reviewers highlighted that the iPad Air is pricier than many of its competitors.
"Do you need to plunk down $500 or more for an Air if you already have an earlier version of the iPad?," Darlin asked, calling the improvements on the new device "incremental, not revolutionary."
Amazon.com Inc's 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX costs $379, Microsoft's Surface 2 starts from $449, while Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch tablet has a suggested retail price of $400.
Pogue said that given the price, an iPad probably does not need replacing every year or even every other year.
Mossberg concluded: "Bottom line: If you can afford it, the new iPad Air is the tablet I recommend, hands down."

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Google Nexus 5 vs. Nexus 4: What's changed

Google and LG finally unveiled the much-awaited new Nexus smartphone, the Nexus 5 with significant changes - they have made the smartphone more powerful, apart from lighter and thinner. The Nexus 5 is also meant to be the platform lead device for Android 4.4 KitKat, showcasing the potential of the new OS. Here is how the Nexus 5 squares up against the Nexus 4, its predecessor, and platform lead device for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Display
Google and LG have decided offer a bigger display with the Nexus 5. It features a 4.95-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) IPS+ LCD display which boasts a pixel density of 445ppi, and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch HD (768x1280 pixels) IPS+ LCD display with a pixel density of 320ppi, and Corning Gorilla Glass 2. We've yet to get our hands on the Nexus 5, and for now, can't take a call on which display is better for now (in terms of viewing angles, colour accuracry, brightness and contrast), with both featuring the same display technology.
Camera
The Nexus 5 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with OIS, a new addition to Nexus smartphone line-up. It also houses a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. On the camera front, the Nexus 4 was criticised for its relative average camera performance. However, Google has now acknowledged the issue and has introduced the optical image stabilisation (OIS) feature in the Nexus 5's camera, which should ensure sharper images and video. The rest of the imaging optics appears to be the same as the Nexus 4, with the same 8-megapixel sized rear camera, and 1.3-megapixel front camera. In addition, the camera app was also updated with Android 4.4 KitKat (which will make its way to the Nexus 4), with Photo Sphere for Panorama 360 degree shots; HDR+ mode for burst shots which automatically chooses the best shot.
Hardware
The Nexus 5 is powered by top-of-the-line 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is coupled with the Adreno 330 GPU. Its predecessor, the Nexus 4, is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Krait Snapdragon processor with Adreno 320 GPU.
It seems for the Nexus 5, Google and LG decided to stick with the flagship tradition and chose the Qualcomm's latest processor, available on nearly all the recently launched flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1.
There is an upgrade in the battery department as well; the Nexus 5 comes with 2300mAh battery which the manufacturer claims can deliver up to 17 hours of talktime (3G) and a standby time of up to 300 hours (3G). Nexus 4 came with a 2100mAh battery, which was rated to deliver up to 15 hours of talktime (3G), and 390 hours of standby time (3G).
Notably, the Nexus 5 does not feature expandable storage with a microSD card slot, once again knocking the smartphone off a potential purchase list for some users - the lack of microSD card support was perhaps the biggest omission the Nexus 4 was criticized for.
Design
The Nexus 5 at 8.59mm is definitely slimmer than the Nexus 4, which is 9.1mm thick. It is also lighter at 130 grams, compared to the Nexus 4's 139 grams. The overall design has been also re-worked and instead of the glass back seen on Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 comes with a Nexus 7 (2013) tablet style-panel, featuring a matte finish and prominent Nexus branding.
Connectivity options
Connectivity options on the Nexus 5 have also seen an upgrade with the much-requested addition of LTE network support. The Nexus 4 had been criticised heavily for not including support. The Nexus 5 brings dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac as well. Not many other changes have been made on the Nexus 5 on the connectivity front.
The Nexus 5 also features Android Beam, an NFC enabled feature which lets users share digital details with just a tap of smartphone. Other connectivity features included are wireless charging support, and Bluetooth 4.0, which are also available on the Nexus 4. T
Software
Google's new Nexus smartphone is the first device to run Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and is definitely an improved version of the Jelly Bean. The Nexus 4 will be receiving the update soon as well, and will have all the same features - so, only the preloaded aspect is different. The new features include a smart dialler, and Google-powered Caller ID. KitKat also brings the ability to wake the smartphone by just saying 'OK Google', a feature which was earlier seen on Moto X.
Google also claims that the Android 4.4 KitKat can now optimise memory and improve touchscreen response for better multitasking. Android 4.4 also bring some new features such as Hangouts app now can show messages and MMS; new immersive mode, offers full screen while reading, watching or playing, on swiping the edges offers navigation bar and status bar; native printing from Android, offers users an option to print documents, images and web pages from a device.
Price
Nexus 5 is priced at $349 for the 16GB variant while the 32GB model costs at $399. In India, the Nexus 5 has been priced at Rs. 28,999 for the 16GB model while the 32GB variant is listed for Rs. 32,999.
On the other hand, the Nexus 4 16GB was launched at $349 in October 2012, and received a $100 price cut in August 2013. For the Indian pricing, the Nexus 4 16GB was launched at Rs. 25,999 in May.
Overall
Those considering upgrading from the Nexus 4 to the Nexus 5 will get a better-specced device that will deliver much faster performance, new Android 4.4 KitKat software out-of-the-box, improved camera, upgraded battery and LTE support (though not for India).
Once again, like the Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 is a great deal for those looking for a value for money performance Android smartphone - just the Snapdragon 800 chipset at this price is a steal.
The Nexus 5 has now been listed on the Indian Google Play store with a pricing of Rs. 28,999, while the Nexus 4 has been removed from the store completely, though we expect online retailers to continue listing it for a while, without a price drop.


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Android 4.4's 'Caller ID by Google' raises privacy concerns: How to opt out


Google unveiled Android 4.4 KitKat last week, announcing a number of improvements, including more immersive graphics, as well as deeper integration with Google's intelligent assistant, Google Now, among other changes and improvements.
 
A part of these improvements is the new Phone app that automatically prioritises the users' contacts based on the people they talk to the most. Users can also search for nearby places and businesses, contacts, or people in their Google Apps domain directly from the Phone app. 
 
The Mountain View giant has now posted more details about the new Phone app on Google+. 
 
It has talked about the 'Caller ID by Google' feature in detail through which Google will let users identify unsaved phone numbers. It reiterates that the new Phone app helps users find the right number, even if it's not in their contact list, by letting them search among nearby places or even Google Apps accounts (including their company's directory, if employees numbers are shared). 
 
Other than that, it will match numbers against the names of companies and services with a Google Places listing.
 
However, the more worrying bit in terms of privacy is that, in early 2014, users who have verified their phone number and have discovery turned on will also have their names and Google Profile photos displayed whenever they call users, or users call them. Google says that 'it's great if a new friend who hasn't been saved in your contacts yet calls you' but some people would surely not like to get their phone number listed and available for lookup on an open public directory. It's not clear if Google will also allow people to search for numbers by entering names and browsing through profile listings.
 
Fortunately, you can check your Google Account to see if your phone number is listed and disable it by unchecking against the phone number by visiting this page. If you uncheck it, people will not be able to look up your name, photo and public Google profile (and other profile information you have shared with them) via the phone number. It's worth pointing out that it takes a day or so for this change to take effect, as per Google.
 
If you're worried about the privacy of your phone number, you should uncheck the option to display it with your Google profile.

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Call of Duty: Ghosts sell-in hits $1 billion

Activision also expects game to be most successful launch title for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 "by a wide margin."


Activision announced today that Call of Duty: Ghosts generated $1 billion in worldwide revenue on launch day.

Activision specifically noted in its announcement that it "sold more than $1 billion of Call of Duty: Ghosts into retail stores worldwide as of day one," meaning the figure is made up of units sold to retailers and not necessarily sales to consumers.

By comparison, Call of Duty: Black Ops II needed 15 days to reach $1 billion in sales, though that figure included units sold to consumers and not only to retailers.
Citing data from Microsoft, Activision also announced that Call of Duty: Ghosts has moved to the top spot on Xbox Live as the most-played game this week.

On the Xbox 360, average play sessions for Call of Duty: Ghosts have been longer than Black Ops II or Modern Warfare 3 over the same period, Activision said.

Looking ahead to the game's release at launch for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said Call of Duty: Ghosts will be more successful than all others.

"This is the must have launch title for the next generation of consoles, and we expect Call of Duty: Ghosts to be the most successful launch title for the Xbox One and PS4 by a wide margin."

Call of Duty: Ghosts is GameStop's most preordered next-generation game, Hirshberg said, citing data from the retailer.
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto V generated $800 million on day-one and $1 billion in three days. Notably, however, those figures are based on units sold to consumers.

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GTA 5 stimulus packages starting delivery today

If you played, GTA 5 in October, you're getting some (in-game) money through direct deposit in the next 48 hours.


Rockstar announced today that stimulus package payments have started going out to all Grand Theft Auto Onlineplayers who logged into the game in October 2013.
You may recall that the online version of GTA hit an unexpected hiccup early in October that caused connection issues and loss of character progress for many players. The $500,000 recompense will be delivered to players' in-game accounts through direct deposit.
Rockstar added, "We expect that it will take up to two full days for the Stimulus Package to be fully delivered to the entire player base from October 2013, so please be patient if you do not see it appearing in your in-game bank account just yet."


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Microsoft has confirmed that changes to the way Windows 8.1 interfaces with pointing devices compared to previous releases are causing heartache for gamers, and promises it is working on a fix for the flaw.
Shortly after the release of Windows 8.1, the free upgrade made available to all Windows 8 users, gamers began to notice glitches in the way their mice worked. Games that had been butter-smooth on Windows 8 suddenly started juddering and jumping, 1:1 mouse movement stopped working, and polling frequencies were dropped significantly compared to prior releases.

For twitch-gamers, any one of the above problems were enough to swear off upgrading to Windows 8.1 - but Microsoft states that it is working on the issues. 'We want to thank our gaming community for the detailed feedback many of you have provided on these issues,' a Microsoft spokesperson posted on the company's Answers site. 'While we don’t have a date yet for the release of a fix, we are working to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible. The “mouse lag” issue is actually several different issues that could vary based on the game, input methods used, etc.'

Sadly, Microsoft isn't at the point where it can offer workarounds for these issues - short of asking gamers to check whether their titles support raw mouse input, which would bypass the application programming interface (API) causing problems in Windows 8.1. Other reported bugs - including the pointer being restricted from reaching all areas of a game's window, and an inability to left-click on laptop trackpads immediately after pressing a key - do come with a few recommended ways of reducing their impact.

Beyond that, the company is simply asking gamers to be patient and wait for a fix for the flaw, or to try running older games in compatibility mode, available from the Properties menu when right-clicking on a game's shortcut.
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Red Harbinger Cross PC Desk

After a long design and development period, a full retail version of forum-member Peter Brands' (l3p) desk PC has finally been made available for pre-order in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia.

The desk is based on Brands' Mod Of The Year winning desk PC, the aptly titled l3p desk. After winning the award Brands and six other compatriots set about creating a commercially viable desk PC case design, a process which was also logged on the forums. The result is a company called Red Harbinger, and its first product called simply the Cross. 

The design consists of a powder-coated metal desk into which is mounted space to fit two PCs, with two motherboard mounts (via a forthcoming Dual PC upgrade kit) along with loads of drive bays and space for other components, plus a plethora of ventilation grilles cut into the sides. This is all topped with scratch-resistant glass for easy viewing of your PC.

The cost? Well in the US the desk is on offer for $1,699, with those of us in Europe seeing a $390 flat rate shipping charge added on top bringing the total to $2,089 or around £1,350. Given some top-end PC cases retail for over £400 and a well made desk will be just as much, the price isn't unreasonable for what you're getting. 

We've seen a few instances of community-designed products making the leap from custom-made to mass-manufactured. And given the interest surrounding Brands' original desk design, it's no surprise that his L3p desk was snapped up with the promise of a retail version soon after. 

Take a look at the full specs below as well as the gallery and don't forget to let us know your thoughts in the forum. All we can say is WANT.

Specifications
  • Material: Steel and Aluminum, Powder Coated
  • PSUMount: 1 standard
  • Max PSU Mounts: 2*
  • Motherboard Compatibility: mITX, ITX, mATX, ATX, E-ATX†, XL-ATX†, SSI-EEB†, HPTX†
  • Standard Expansion Slots: 8, 10†
  • Maximum Expansion Slots: 8+8*, 10†+8*
  • 5.25” Drive Bays: 4 (2x2)
  • 3.5” Drive Locations: 8 (left side) + 12 (right side)
  • 2.5” Drive Locations: 6 (right side) + 12 (center, hidden)
  • Glass Type: Scratch Resistant, Tempered with Frosted Border, 10mm
  • Front Ports: USB 3.0 x 2, Audio, Mic, 22mm Power and Switch x 2
  • Max Front Ports: USB 3.0 x 4, Audio x 2, Mic x 2, 22mm Power and Switch x 4*
  • Cooling Fan Locations: 120mm x 3 (left), 120mm x 3 (right), 120mm x 8 (back)
  • Physical Dimensions (L x W x H): 59.1” x 28.6” x 30.1” (1502mm x 726mm x 765mm)
  • FEATURES:
  • Max GPU Length: 300mm standard (480mm with drive cage removed), 480mm†
  • Max CPU Cooler Height: 153mm
  • Covered Back PSU/Cooling Compartment
  • Optional Interior Leg-Mounted Shelving
  • Optional Interior Leg Mounted Headset Mount
  • Modular Tray System allows for conversion to Single/Dual/HPTX
  • Hollow Legs and Body Frame for optimal cable management and lighting.
  • Bottom Access Panels for cable management
  • Hidden Center Bridge compartment for 2.5” drives






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Gigabyte Z87 Haswell Motherboard Round-Up

We’ve already seen what ASUS has to offer in the way of its Republic of Gamers Z87-based motherboards, and now we’re having a look at Gigabyte’s take on Intel’s latest chipset that supports 4th generation Core Series Haswell processors. Gigabyte sent us a sampling of three motherboards that offers a broad overview of the options in the company’s line: the solid and affordable Z87X-UD4H, their G1.Sniper5 gaming beast, and the Z87X-OC Force flagship overclocking board.



Gigabyte's Primary Z87 Features

The heart of Gigabyte’s Z87 platform is its Ultra Durable 5 Plus, which includes its heatsink design, CPU power design, and DualBIOS feature. The heatsinks on these Z87 boards vary somewhat from mainboard to mainboard, but as a line they offer passive, active, and water cooling setups around the CPU socket and chipset. For example, the Z87-UD4H has a passive heatsink, but both the G1.Sniper5 and Z87X-OC Force have fans and posts that are geared for liquid coolers.

The motherboards also feature an all-IR (International Rectifier) digital CPU power design, including PWM controllers and PowlRstage ICs that were built to work together to offer precision tuning and optimal cooling. 

Gigabyte’s DualBIOS design offers a main BIOS and a backup BIOS--literally, two separate chips--so that if something goes terribly wrong with the main BIOS, the backup is there to ensure that you can recover everything with no trouble.

The company is particularly proud of the quality of their board components. For example, these Z87 boards have black solid caps that are rated for 10,000 hours at 105 degrees C. The USB and LAN ports each have a dedicated protection filter for preventing damaging electrostatic discharges, and Gigabyte also used one fuse for every USB port instead of one fuse for multiple ports; the idea is that if a fuse blows, you only lose a single USB port instead of a whole bank. This is actually a rather attractive feature; USB ports are notorious for crapping out at times, so allowing one port to cough up a hairball while the rest remain healthy is a welcome build feature.

Further to the point of craftsmanship, the motherboards’ CPU sockets are gold-plated, which prevents corrosion and thus helps ensure a longer lifespan for the board itself; on some models, such as the Z87X-OC Force, the interior of the PCI and DIMM slots have gold, too. Finally, the PCBs have two layers of copper in the circuit board sandwich, which Gigabyte says enables larger power loads to flow from component to component and also wicks away heat better. 

Gigabyte has, as is typical, taken great care in the construction of these motherboards, employing small enhancements that add up. For example, the Z87 boards have a high-capacity front headphone amplifier designed to drive 600Ω loads, an Intel Gigabit LAN, and plenty of fan speed support. Each board has plenty of fan connectors (no fewer than 6), and Gigabyte put in OPT fan support, so users can implement a water pump that will run continuously at full speed (or just support a dual-fan cooler).

Gigabyte has also employed cFosSpeed traffic shaping and prioritization technology for better network performance and fast charging of mobile devices connected to USB (whether the computer is on or not) with On/Off Charge 2.

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Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Nexus 5 Review: A Perfect Marriage of Solid Specs and Optimized Android


Just in time for Halloween, we have two new treats for Android fans. First, we're excited to unwrap our latest platform release, KitKat, which delivers a smarter, more immersive Android experience to even more people. And second, we're introducing Nexus 5—a new Nexus phone developed with LG.

The first thing you’ll notice about KitKat is we’ve made the experience much more engaging: the book you're reading, the game you're playing, or the movie you're watching—now all of these take center stage with the new immersive mode, which automatically hides everything except what you really want to see. 

Bringing more Google smarts to Android 
Behind the polish on the screen is the power under the hood. Take the Phone app, which for most people hasn’t really changed since the days of flip phones. Now, we’re making calling easier than ever, by helping you search across your contacts, nearby places, or even Google Apps accounts (like your company’s directory), directly from within the app. And with the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same place, alongside your other conversations and video calls, so you’ll never miss a message no matter how your friends send it. This is just a small taste of KitKat—learn more on our site.

Google has always focused on helping users get immediate access to the information they need, and we want to bring this same convenience and power to users on Android. With the new Nexus 5 launcher, Google smarts are deeply integrated into the phone you carry around with you, so getting to the information you need is simple, easy and fast. Swipe once from the home screen to get Google Now literally at your fingertips. Put Google to work for you by saying “OK, Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song you want to hear. And in the coming weeks, we’re enhancing Now with important new card types that bring you information about contextual topics that interest you such as updates from a favorite website or blog.

Reaching the next 1 billion users
Building a platform that makes mobile phones accessible for everyone has always been at the heart of Android. Until now, some lower-end Android phones couldn't benefit from more recent Android releases due to memory constraints. With KitKat, we've slimmed down Android’s memory footprint by doing things like removing unnecessary background services and reducing the memory consumption of features that you use all the time. We did this not only within Android but across Google services like Chrome and YouTube. RAM (or memory) is one of the most expensive parts of a phone, and now Android can run comfortably on the 512MB of RAM devices that are popular in much of the world, bringing the latest goodies in Android 4.4 within reach for the next billion smartphone users.

Introducing Nexus 5
Along with our sweet naming tradition, we also introduce a new device with each platform release to showcase the latest Android innovations. For KitKat, we partnered with LG to develop Nexus 5 -- the slimmest and fastest Nexus phone ever made. Its design is simple and refined to showcase the 5” Full HD display. Nexus 5 also keeps you connected at blazing speeds with 4G/LTE and ultra fast wifi. The advanced new lens on Nexus 5 captures more light for brighter night and sharper action shots. And with optical image stabilization, you no longer have to worry about shaky hands and blurry pictures. A new HDR+ mode automatically snaps a rapid burst of photos and combines them to give you the best possible single shot

Nexus 5 Video Review


Nexus 5 is available today, unlocked and without a contract, on Google Play in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and Korea (and coming soon to India), starting at $349. Just in the time for the holidays, Nexus 5 will be available soon at the following retailers: Sprint, T-Mobile, Amazon, Best Buy and RadioShack.

Android 4.4, KitKat, which comes on Nexus 5, will also soon be available on Nexus 4, 7, 10, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.

How’s that for a treat?



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Dell ditches Windows RT to leave only Microsoft with doomed OS


Microsoft's Windows RT mobile operating system yesterday lost its final supporter. Dell, whose XPS 10 tablet featured the Windows variant when it was released in December 2012, announced at its launch event on Tuesday that it would not be manufacturing a follow-up device.
Neil Hand, head of tablets at Dell, told reporters that future devices would feature the full version of Windows 8.1, as RT had failed to "resonate" with consumers. This leaves Microsoft as the only company still designing devices for its ill-starred OS.
The journey of Windows RT has been short but rocky. It arrived to mixed reception in late 2012, with its incompatibility with x86 applications and lack of native music player as consistent problems irking reviewers. Since it's only possible to install apps on RT through Microsoft's online store, the OS was essentially closed to popular non-Microsoft apps like iTunes, Chrome and Photoshop, and this lack of flexibility seems to have damaged the OS' profile among buyers.
It wasn't always so grim. Companies queued up to design devices for Windows RT in the run-up to its release last year, but Microsoft kept a tight handle on all partners' development and design processes, and even required manufacturers to comply to a list of "approved" hardware components. Multiple partners, like Toshiba and HP dropped out before designs had even got off the ground.
Since then, things have gone from bad to worse. Acer planned to release a Windows RT device close to its release, but later changed its mind. "To be honest, there's no value doing the current version of RT," said Acer President Jim Wong in May. The company has instead focused on Windows 8, Android and hybrid devices, with mixed success.
In August, Asus announced that it wouldn't be producing any further RT devices, calling the OS "not very promising".
In August, industry analysts IDC found that Windows RT devices made up only 0.2 per cent of tablet shipments in the second quarter of 2013, compared to 1.8 per cent for Windows 8, 14.6 per cent for iOS and 28.2 per cent for Android.
On the plus side, the Microsoft's latest Windows RT devices, Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, released 23 September, are apparently "close to selling out". Whether or not that's simply because many fewer devices were manufactured this time round, the new tablets certainly seem to be selling better than their predecessors.

Still, as the lights go out for Windows RT across the manufacturing world, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will stand by its sinking OS.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX Battlebox: 4K Gaming PC


Nvidia's outrageously high-end 'Battlebox' PCs focus on compromise-free 4K gaming


Don’t call it a Steam Machine! While Valve’s itty-bitty, living room-focused computers have been hogging the spotlight over the past week, Nvidia’s going big with its new ‘Battlebox’ initiative.
The graphics gurus have joined forces with a bevy of top-notch boutique builders to unleash a line of hulking, fire-breathing gaming PCs designed to play the latest and greatest shooters at whopping 4K resolutions without batting an eye.
Each entry in the Battlebox line rocks at least a pair of Nvidia’s high-end GeForce Titan or GTX 780 video cards running in SLI, paired with overclocked Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, and abundant amounts of RAM. (Hey, it takes powerful hardware to push all the pixels processed at 4K resolutions.)

Nvidia claims that the heavy-duty Battleboxes manage to pump out an impressive 45 to 60 frames per second at 4K resolution with super-high detail settings and all of Nvidia’s proprietary bells and whistles—such as PhysX and TXAA anti-aliasing—enabled. That’s mighty impressive, and a clear dig at AMD’s audacious, console- and PC-spanning Mantle technology.
Nvidia specifically calls the graphics capabilities of Battleboxes “console-destroying,” though we’ve long known that top-end PC rigs would crush next-gen consoles—and they’d better, given the price of a Battlebox.
Simply put, glorious, compromise-free 4K gaming doesn’t come cheap. The rigs offered by the boutique partners Nvidia highlighted—Digital Storm, Falcon Northwest, Maingear, and Origin—start at over $2,000, and the most ridiculously top-of-the-line machines—like a fully pimped-out Digital Storm Aventum II—can set you back more than $10,000.
And no, that doesn’t include the cost of a 4K monitor itself. While the boutique builders will offer the 31.5-inch, 4K Asus PQ321Q display alongside Battleboxes, the monitor will cost you another $3,500. Alternatively, you could downsample the 4K video to work with your current 1080p, 1900-by-1200, or 2560-by-1440 monitor; it won’t be quite the same as native 4K, but it’ll still provide a big graphics boost, as evidenced by the screenshot below.
No matter how you pump out the visuals, there’s no question that Nvidia’s Battleboxes pack a nearly overwhelming amount of firepower. Sure, they’ll cost you an arm, a leg, and your firstborn child, but this is just about as future-proof as a PC can be—and it’s utterly wonderful to see companies basking in the raw, unadulterated potential of PC gaming.
If you’re not one of the PC-playing one percent, PCWorld has a guide to building a killer gaming PC for under $1,000. It won’t go toe-to-toe with a Battlebox, but it’ll rock your socks on a 1080p display.

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