Category: PC & Linux

Recently DisplayLink’s announcement of its snappily-titled Winstars USB 3.0-to-HDMI adapter. Making use of all that extra bandwidth means using TVs as monitors no longer results in battling with a bad case of the jaggies. Running on its DL-3500 chip, the plug-in device will deliver resolutions up to 2560 x 1600, promising ultra-low latency and less of the jittery window and cursor movement which has troubled older products. Gamers will be pleased to hear that there is support for full-screen 3D, as well as both 2.1 and 5.1 channel audio.

There is a huge advantage in being the worlds first for anything, and among them include all the accolades and admiration if you pull it off correctly, that is. Well, Marshall Electronics will certainly bask in the glory of knowing they have just released the first autostereoscopic 3D monitor in the world, known as the ORCHID OR 70-3D. Yes sir, this glasses-free 7? portable/camera-top monitor was unveiled at IBC 2011 in Amsterdam, and it works great without the need for passive or active glasses, and will see action as a camera viewfinder or portable 3D production display.

In an interesting twist, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8 will feature the first-rate, enterprise-echelon Hyper-V machine virtualization hypervisor. This will mean that Windows 8 users will be able to run almost every other operating system inside a window, including Windows 7 and XP, SUSE and Red Hat Linux, and more (including Ubuntu) with a little hacking. Prior to Windows 8, Hyper-V was only available in Windows Server 2008 or as a standalone OS.

AMD has just launched two Accelerated Processing Units*(APUs) in the entry-level segment. This new addition to the AMD line-up will allow AMD customers (PC manufacturers) to build more affordable systems that are still fairly capable in terms of gaming and HD video. Additionally, these system can also work hand in hand with a more powerful discrete graphics processor to aggregate the computing power of both chips.To give you some perspective, The A4 chips are powered by two CPU cores, while the A6 Chips have three and the A8 have 4 cores. On the graphics processing side (GPU), the A4 has about half the raw horsepower of the A6, with 160 graphics core versus 320. They are all capable of running DirectX 11 graphics.

The new MultiSync P Series combines reliable, accurate screen performance with all the cutting-edge technology included in the MultiSync PA Series at a budget-friendly price,” said Marshall. “One of the more unique features of the P241W is the ability to utilize two computers simultaneously through DisplaySync Pro and the integrated USB hub, which functions as a KVM device. This capability is invaluable to graphics professionals, and were excited to introduce this feature into the MultiSync P Series.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have become the first to combine a quantum processor with memory that can be used to store instructions and data. This achievement in quantum computing replicates a similar milestone in conventional computer design from the 1940s. Although quantum computing is now mostly a research subject, it holds out the promise of computers far more capable than those we use today.

Japanese based monitor making company Iiyama has introduced two new LED desktop display panels sporting a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 8ms response time and a special ECO mode that reduces power consumption by up to 60 percent. The 24-inch XB2472HD-B and 27-inch X2775HDS-B both rely on an LED-back-lit VA display and have HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs as standard. The difference between the two screens is that, the 24-inch XB2472HD-B has slightly higher brightness (300cd/m2 against 250cd/m2 of 27-inch X2775HDS-B model) and lacks 4-port USB hub and integrated speakers available in the 27-inch model. The XB2472HD-B should start shipping by the end of the month for 24,800 ($323) with the X2775HDS-B to follow in September for around 34,800 ($453).

AMD has finally released information on its updated chips for its Fusion E and C series APUs. The updated “Zacate” and “Ontario” APUs will come with DDR-1333 and HDMI 1.4a support, snaring bragging rights to faster memory and 3D output for 3D-enabled televisions. The rumors about the refreshed Fusion APU’s were formally surfaced at the last Computex. These new chips increase the idle battery life time by up to 10.5 hours for E-series and 12 hours on the C-Series. Although AMD didn’t name any specific manufacturers, AMD says that machines rocking the new APUs are available starting today. Read the press release for more information.

The Sony showed off the new ultra slim, Vaio Z laptop for the European press officially. The specs reveal 13.1-inch ultramobile notebook, weighs under 1.2kg, with 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, 1600*900 screen, sheet battery as of Vaio S for up to 7 hours battery life. It also features Intels HD graphics 3000 solution and had Power Media Dock contributes the power of an AMD Radeon 6650M GPU with 1GB of dedicated memory connected through architecture named light peak, Sony named it as Thunderbolt. The dock sports one USB 3.0, and additional USB, VGA and HDMI ports, a slot for either DVD or Blu-ray drive. It will ship in end of July. The Sonys UK site revealed the prices starts at 1,434 (about $2,294) with a Core i5 CPU, 4GB RAM and no PMD. The dock with extra 400 (about $640) with no optical drive included, upgrading to 1080p 13.3-inch LCD is 40 extra. For more details read the press release

Acer jut announced that its Chromebook, named AC700, will go on sales in US this month for $349.99 and to be followed by the 3G model later this year. The Chrome OS in exchange for instant access, be advised that it runs on an Atom N570 processor, 2GB RAM, and has 16GB flash storage, 1.3MP webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, 4-in-1 card memory reader. The build quality compares Series 5s Chromebook, for more details read the press release

Mitsubishis new Real LCD -22BLR500 TV is the first one to be packed with a built-in Blu-ray recorder and a hard drive, and it is certainly smaller one. The 22-inch 1,366*768 LED-backlit display is too tiny for your average living room, but got some 500GB HDD and optical drive in the base helps it keep thin and stable footprint that could fit in a small room. The inputs include USB jack, a pair of HDMI ports, an SD card slot, Ethernet, and i.Link. The compact All-In-One TV will he Japan-only affair hits shelves on July 21st for 110,00 (about $1,360).