OCZ Vertex 4 256GB Review

OCZ Vertex 4 256GB Review

OCZ's Vertex series of SSDs first arrived on store shelves with the Indilinx Barefoot controller inside and now the newest generation of the Vertex family returns home to the Indilinx Everest 2 controller. Granted, this probably has more to do with the fact that OCZ acquired Indilinx rather than any potential superiority of the controller chip, but it's worth mentioning.

The reason we're spending so much time talking about the controller here is that it's one of the bigger points of differentiation with this drive. The Everest 2 (IDX400M00-BC) is based on a Marvell controller with significant firmware changes by Indilinx. Unlike SSDs that use SandForce controllers, the Everst 2 leverages on-board cache memory for speed. The controller uses the cache to pre-fetch requests from the NAND into the DRAM, which in theory allows reads to complete as fast as the drives interface will allow. In less technical language this means the Vertez 4 should deliver more consistent performance regardless of the type of data it's reading and writing.

This version of the Vertex 4 is packed with 16 Intel 25nm MLC synchronous NAND flash chips each with 16GB of storage bringing the total to 256GB.

The specifications for the OCZ Vertex 4 256GB are as follows:

• Model: VTX4-25SAT3-256G
• Form Factor: 2.5" (9.3mm thickness)
• Capacity: 256GB
• Memory Type: MLC
• Interface: SATA III
• Controller: Indilinx Everest 2
• Weight: 101g
• Advertised Max Sequential Read: Up to 560 MB/s
• Advertised Max Sequential Write: Up to 510 MB/s
• Advertised 4KB Random Read: Up to 90,000 IOPS
• Advertised 4KB Random Write: Up to 85,000 IOPS
• MTBF: 2,000,000 hours
• MSRP: $300
• Average Retail Price: $210

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Report Claims Microsoft Limiting Release of Windows RT to OEMs

Microsoft is tightly limiting the release of Windows RT to OEMs during the initial launch period and then will lift the restrictions in January, according to an unconfirmed report by the China Economic Times.

The Times says that Microsoft has enforced partnerships between ARM chipset vendors and OEMs: NVIDIA is teaming with Lenovo and Asus, Texas Instruments is partnering with Toshiba, and Qualcomm picked both Samsung and Dell.

Initially Qualcomm is said to have picked HP for its OEM partner, but with HP going to x86 for its first Windows tablet Qualcomm is bringing in Dell instead.

Microsoft’s rationale in strictly controlling which OEMs have access to Windows RT is to prevent the market from being flooded with low quality Windows RT tablets.

Reportedly HTC has been barred from manufacturing Windows RT tablets, as Hardware Canucks reported in June.

As Windows RT tablets are likely going to be the theme of January’s Consumer Electronics Show, more details are expected closer to then.

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Reporting Live from the NVidia GPU

Hardware Canucks News Editor Sam Reynolds is in San Jose for the week covering the NVidia GPU Technology Conference.

The theme of the NVidia GTC is the growing role of GPU technology in the fields of science, industry, and design. Although the majority of the conference is geared towards developers and coders, there will be a lot of material reported on that will be of interest to Hardware Canucks readers – beginning tomorrow with the keynote by NVidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.

Although Computex is less than a month away, NVidia has promised that Mr. Huang’s keynote will contain a ‘big announcement’. Naturally the company is coy on details, but Hardware Canucks will have everything you need to know beginning tomorrow when the keynote wraps.

Check back with Hardware Canucks throughout the week as the conference progresses. Also, be sure to follow Hardware Canucks on twitter at @hardwarecanucks.

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CEO Confirms Apple's 'iTV' in Development

An Apple-produced television has been floating around Rumorville for what seems like forever, but with recent comments made by Foxconn chief Terry Gou, it looks like it's going to be a reality. In an interview with a Chinese newspaper, he admitted that Apple was in fact working on a television, and that Foxconn would be developing most of the hardware, with Sharp being the manufacturer of the panels.

Mentioned in the same interview, Apple's 'iTV' is to have an aluminum chassis, accept voice control via Siri and support Facetime, thanks to a front-mounted camera. All other features and information regarding release were kept mum.

The speculation can now begin on exactly what Apple's angle will be with its iTV. If I had to guess, the iTV will feature the same sort of software as the Apple TV, but perhaps improved. If so, I'd have to question whether Apple would even continue with its stand-alone Apple TV device - there's going to be less of a draw to an Apple iTV if you could gain the same functionality from your current set.

Apple's "Cinema" displays have long been known as being some of the best out there, so it's likely that the company will make sure its iTV will have the same sort of high-end appeal. That means that the price is unlikely to be that competitive, but to expect that from Apple would be a little odd.

Source: Huffington Post

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a well-designed tablet with powerful speakers, a responsive screen, and comes with Ice Cream Sandwich installed.

The tablet is overpriced compared to more powerful competing tablets that offer better features for around the same price. The tablet’s dual-core CPU has trouble running large 1080p movies smoothly, and its screen color accuracy isn't as high as the previous Tab 10.1.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 comes up short in performance, features, and value compared to competing tablets.

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Corsair Vengeance 1500 stereo 5.1-channel sources to simulate a 7.1-channel

We awarded Corsair’s HS1 USB headset a 9 verdict last year  Corsair’s new flagship USB headset, the Vengeance 1500, retains all the strengths of the HS1 and eliminates nearly all its weaknesses. The Vengeance 1500 packs the same gigantic drivers as its predecessor, providing top-notch sound quality for this price range. The circumaural design and thick, squishy padding make for a tight seal around your ears that isolates you from the pollution of ambient noise.

While it doesn’t deliver the level of quality that some higher-end products provide—Sennheiser’s PC 333D G4ME, for example—the Vengeance 1500 does provide respectable dynamic range and bass response that’s perfectly suitable for both games and movies. And while nothing can compare to an actual surround-sound setup, Corsair does deliver Dolby Headphone. This software algorithm upmixes stereo and 5.1-channel sources to simulate a 7.1-channel speaker system wrapped around your head, delivering better positional awareness than stereo phones are capable of providing.

Build quality as compared to the HS1 has also improved significantly. The struts connecting the ear cups to the headband feature an attractive brushed-aluminum finish, and the cups themselves swivel to lay flat against your chest when the headset is resting on your neck. They might feel odd if you’re transitioning from an on-ear headset, but after many extended gaming sessions, we’ve found the Vengeance 1500 to be one of the most comfortable headsets we’ve tested. They are quite large, however, so they might not be the right choice if your head is particularly small.

Corsair’s HS1 is a solid headset; the only reason we wouldn’t recommend it today is that the Vengeance 1500 is even better. If you’re looking for a serious gaming headset and can afford to spend 100 bones, you won’t go wrong with this one.

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HP Ultrabooks Sleekbooks

HP announced a full slate of new thin-and-light and ultrabook systems, and we've gotten to go hands on with all of them.

The most important products of the lot are the new Envy ultrabooks and sleekbooks. Sleekbook is just a marketing term to describe notebooks that don't meet all of Intel's criteria for ultrabook classification due to CPU and storage component selection, but are otherwise identical to the ultrabook line, including sharing the same 19.8mm thick chassis.

Both of the model lines are available in 14" and 15.6" sizes, and feature Beats audio, glass trackpads with multitouch and gesture support, and optional backlit keyboards. The lid and palmrest are brushed aluminum, while the bottom of the notebook is a soft-touch plastic material. There are two color options - silver metal/black plastic, or a much more visually arresting black metal/red plastic model. The ultrabook lines are based on Intel's 3rd generation Core ultra-low voltage processors, similar to other ultrabooks, while the sleekbooks come with normal Ivy Bridge processors in the 14" or AMD"s Fusion APUs in the 15.6". The entire lineup has battery life quoted in the 8-9 hour range (depending on screen size and CPU choice). I suspect that the ultrabook and sleekbook versions of the will be mixed up very often (I saw some HP product managers confuse the different demo units more than once here in Shanghai), but what gets lost is that effectively, they're all just different flavors of the same notebook.

HP has always chosen to design its volume platforms as highly modular systems, with consumers and retailers able to chose from a variety of screen sizes, Intel or AMD processors, and a variety of storage/memory/graphics options. For the first time, we're seeing that mentality hit the ultrabook-class of device. HP has designed the new Envy as a single platform with two screen sizes, a range of Intel and AMD processors, a choice of mechanical, solid-state, or hybrid storage options, and optional AMD dedicated graphics (for the Intel models - the AMD models have onboard graphics that are deemed good enough to not merit a dGPU option). If you tick the right combination of boxes (Intel ULV CPUs and hybrid or solid-state storage), the Envy can meet Intel's spec to be classified as an ultrabook. If not, HP calls it a sleekbook. It's a bit confusing, especially in HP's relatively vague press blast, but upon explanation, the new term makes sense.

In other ultrabook news, HP announced their first ultrabook meant specifically for the corporate world - the EliteBook Folio 9470m. The 9470m has a 14" screen and weighs a scant 3.6lbs. It squeezes a number of enterprise-centric ports and features into its 19mm thick frame, including VGA, DisplayPort, a full-sized Ethernet port, Smart card reader, fingerprint scanner, embedded TPM security chip, and Intel's vPro security technology. It will come with Ivy Bridge mobile processors and an optional SSD, and is expected to be available sometime in October 2012.

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Mad Catz New Gaming Mouse

Mad Catz to R.A.T.3 Gaming Mouse

Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) announced today a change to the Company’s R.A.T.3 gaming mouse. The R.A.T,3 now comes equipped with the Avago 3090 optical sensor able to track at an impressive 3,500 DPI.

“Mad Catz listen closely to the needs of the gaming community and some gamers simply prefer the feel, 

precision and the accuracy found when using an optical sensor.” said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. “We are excited to offer the gaming community a choice of sensors with our R.A.T. range and look forward to expanding our user base further with today’s announcement.

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Samsung Unveils 17-inch Series 7 Chronos Notebook, Complete With Ivy Bridge CPU

Add another notebook to the pile of powerful systems powered by Intel’s new “Ivy Bridge” platform. Today, Samsung announced the release of its new 17-inch Series 7 Chronos Notebook, a $1,499 multimedia monster that comes powered by a 3rd generation Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics chip.

With a 300-nit, 1920 x 1080 screen and three JBL speakers that include  a subwoofer, the new 17-inch Series 7 Chronos is designed to be your all-purpose home entertainment system. Considering that the notebook weighs  only 6.5 pounds, and promises 8 hours of battery life it’s also light enough to carry with you.

Though the Chronos doesn’t have a dedicated SSD, Samsung has equipped it with an 8GB express cache that speeds up access to frequently-opened files. Samsung’s Fast Start technology promises to cold boot the system in 19 seconds and wake it from hybrid sleep in just 2 seconds.

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Just How Much Is Your Privacy Worth?

A new study is one of the first to explore the monetary value of personal information shared online.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012BY NIC FLEMING Audio »

Most of us would shy away from making purchases in a foreign country if we didn't know the exchange rate. Yet, if privacy is the true currency of the Internet, as many argue, millions of us are doing that very thing every day. Meanwhile, Internet giants amend their privacy policies in ways that allow them to harvest and sell even more of our personal data. While privacy campaigners protest, users generally vote with their clicks and carry on regardless.

So should we conclude the Internet generation is happy to trade its privacy for free or cheaper Web services? Not according to Nicola Jentzsch of the German Institute of Research in Berlin, and colleagues, who last week published research showing that most people prefer to protect their personal data when given a choice and that a significant proportion are willing to pay extra to do so.

The researchers directed 443 students to a website offering tickets for a real movie showing, sold by two different vendors. Although the tickets were subsidized, the volunteers, who were able to purchase one, two, or no tickets, had to pay most of the cost themselves.

When both vendors offered tickets at the same price but only one required customers to enter their cell phone number, the more privacy-friendly vendor got 83% of sales. When participants were offered the same choice, but with an additional charge of 50 euro cents from the privacy-friendly cinema, its market share fell to 31%.

"It turns out that when you are good on privacy you can charge more and make a greater profit," says Sören Preibusch, of the University of Cambridge, one of the authors of the study, published by the European Network and Information Security Agency, an agency of the European Union.

When only one of the two vendors stated it would use the customer's e-mail address to send them advertisements, and both charged the same price for tickets, 62% of sales went to the privacy-friendly ticket retailer. But when the privacy-friendly vendor charged 50 euro cents more, its market share dropped to 13%.

"What people say in surveys is that they care about privacy, but what they actually do is spend their time constantly updating their status on Facebook," says Alessandro Acquisti, codirector of the Center for Behavioral Decision Research at Carnegie Mellon University, who was not connected with the new research. "This has led some to conclude that people no longer care about privacy. This new data, along with similar work we have done in the U.S., shows this is not the case, and that the desire for privacy is not dead after all."

Privacy protection is at a critical juncture on both sides of the Atlantic. In January, Google announced it would merge personal data gathered from the users of dozens of services, including YouTube, Gmail, and Google+, saying this would allow better searches and more targeted advertising. On Monday, France's National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties, which represents European regulators, wrote to Google that preliminary findings suggest that the new policy does not comply with the European Data Protection Directive.

The E.U. is working on new data protection rules that would include fines of up to 2 percent of a company's global revenue. Last month the Obama administration set out the framework for a new privacy code that would give consumers more control over the use of their personal data.

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New Razer Announce The Naga Hex Wrath

Richard reviewed the Naga Hex this week - it earned a very well deserved Gold award - but today Razer have unveiled the Wrath variant of the Hex mouse. Coloured deep red rather than green but otherwise apparently identical to the original, the Wrath seems like the perfect accessory for your adventures in Sanctuary upon the release of Diablo 3 on the 15th. It's not peripheral officially endorsed by Blizzard, but the timing can't be a coincidence.

Send hordes of enemies back into the infernal realms through successive combos, perfectly executed with the Razer Naga Hex – Wraith Red Edition. Specially designed for the Action-RPG and MOBA gamers, the Naga Hex is equipped with 6 additional mechanical thumb keys that allow you to accurately perform up to 250 clicks per minute.

Gain the unfair advantage and obliterate your opponents with the Razer Naga Hex, now available in Wraith Red: www.razerzone.com/hex.

As Richard noted in his review, the Hex is well designed for RPG and MOBO-style games which slightly fewer required hotkeys than MMO's but more twitch skill needed. Mechanical switches are used throughout, which should provide the necessary durability for these notoriously click-heavy game genre's, and if six hotkeys aren't enough the macro software suite should open up many more combinations.

More images can be found on the Razer Facebook Gallery, and detailed specifications may be seen here. The Naga Hex Wrath is priced identically to the Naga

Credit : http://www.vortez.net

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ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 Review

CPU	1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L quad-core CPU
RAM Included	1GB
RAM Upgradeable
Storage Drive Size	32GB
Storage Drive Type
Display Size	10.1
Display Resolution	1280 x 800
Graphics Chip	NVIDIA GeForce
Graphics Memory
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g/n
Has Bluetooth	Yes
OS	Android 4.0
Camera Resolution	8MP
Front-Facing Camera Resolution	1.2MP
USB Ports
Card Reader Size
Warranty / Support
Size	7.11 x 10.35 x 0.38 inches
Weight	2 pounds 8.6 ounces (with dock) 1 pound 6.3 ounces (without dock)

Design

Click to EnlargeASUS continues to impress with its design. We were immediately smitten with the look and feel of the Transformer Pad TF300. Eschewing the smooth brushed aluminum look of the ASUS Transformer Prime, the Pad TF300 has a gorgeous raised concentric circle pattern radiating from the chrome ASUS logo in the center of the lid. The plastic Royal Blue panel (which has an aluminum base) exudes a handsome elegance. (The TF300 will also be available in Torch Red and Iceberg White sometime in early June.)

The resulting ridges on the lid prevent unsightly smudging, provide a firm grip and gave our fingers a nice little tactile thrill. A long, slim speaker and an 8-megapixel camera sit along the left and top of the rear, respectively.

A 10.1-inch display wrapped in a glossy black bezel sits in the front of the Transformer Pad TF300. This area is not only thick but smudges up quickly. A chrome ASUS insignia and a 1.2-megapixel camera sit above the screen.

A power button resides at the very top of the tablet while a lone headphone/microphone jack is on the right. The left side of the Transformer Pad houses the volume rocker, a mini-HDMI port and a microSD slot. The proprietary charge port sits between a pair of docking ports along the bottom.

Click to EnlargeThe 1.4-pound, 10.4 x 7.1 x 0.38-inch ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 is on a par with the new Apple iPad (9.5 x 7.31 x 0.37 inches, 1.44 pounds); both are larger and heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (9.7 x 6.7 x 0.34 inches, 1.2 pounds). The Transformer Prime weighs slightly less, at 1.3 pounds.

When attached to its keyboard dock, the TF300's weight jumps to 2.5 pounds, the same as the Transformer Prime when connected to its dock.

Display

Click to EnlargeAs a cost-cutting measure, ASUS didn't equip the TF300 with Super IPS mode, which gave the Prime a brighter screen with richer color. Side-by-side , the HD YouTube trailer of "The Avengers" was darker on the TF300 compared to the Prime in IPS mode and the new iPad. Still, viewing angles were fairly good, and we could easily make out the scratches in Iron Man's helmet.

Measuring 331 lux, the TF300's display fell a bit short of the tablet average (355 lux). The Transformer Prime outshone the TF300 in both IPS and Super IPS mode (348 and 550 lux, respectively). On the other hand, the Acer Iconia Tab A200, another mid-range Android tablet, registered a lower 287 lux.

Audio

The rear speaker on the Transformer Pad TF300 was able to fill a small office with ease, but the sound was harsh at maximum volume. Still, we were able to clearly distinguish the bongos from the bass guitar and vocals from Common on "Testify."

Keyboards

Click to EnlargeThe ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 comes with two keyboards. The stock Android keyboard has large flat gray keys with generous spacing. The ASUS-branded keyboard looks similar to the Android keyboard but with light grey keys. There's also Google Voice Typing which acted as a dictation system, typing our words as we spoke. We found it to be fairly accurate, but we experienced a few snafus on homonyms such as "beat" and "beet."

Software and User Interface

Click to EnlargeThe ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 ships with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The usual five homescreens are front and center. A large AccuWeather.com widget resides on the main screen along with widgets for email notification and today's date. The remaining four screens are relatively blank, waiting for you to add apps and widgets such as ASUS Battery and Task Manager.

Icons for Back, Home and Recent Apps are slightly modified. We wished there was a standard screenshot button similar to what's offered on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

ASUS made a few tweaks to the notifications bar. Similar to the Transformer Prime, the TF300 features a large digital clock with the date on top with notifications for Wi-Fi, battery level and a Settings icon. Quick Settings includes icons to switch between power modes, toggle rotation and turn various radios on and off. A screen brightness slider sits directly below this panel.

Power Modes

ASUS' three power modes make a return on the Transformer Pad TF300. Accessed through the Quick Settings bar, the three modes (Balanced, Power Saving and Performance) control the maximum clock speed of the processor in order to optimize either battery life or performance.

Balanced mode is designed to provide the ideal combo of performance and battery life. While you can perform some tasks in Power Saving mode, anything more taxing than "Angry Birds" will move slower than normal.

When Balanced mode is activated, all four Tegra 3 Cores operate at 1.2 GHz. On Power Saving mode, two of the cores are capped at 1GHz while the third and fourth code clock 720 MHz and 600 MHz, respectively. Performance mode runs core 1 at 1.3 GHz while the rest run at 1.2 GHz.

Performance

Click to EnlargeThe Transformer Pad TF300's quad-core 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L CPU delivered swift performance in our testing. Despite having four open tabs in the web browser and four apps running in the background, we caused 5-star mayhem in "Grand Theft Auto III: 10-Year Anniversary" without the TF300 breaking a sweat.

The TF300 also held its own on our synthetic tests, scoring 3,613 on Benchmark CPU. That's 905 points above the 2,708 Android tablet category average. It was also enough to best the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1's (1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 Dual-Core CPU) score of 3,159. However, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime and its 1.3-GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU notched 4,097.

On An3DBench, the TF300's Nvidia GeForce GPU scored a solid 7,705, well above the 7,196 average as well as the Tab 10.1's score of 7,526. However, neither was a match for the Prime's score of 8,050.

We also played "Glowball," a tilt-calibration game where players control a glowing ball around a shadowy carnival setting. Similar to the Prime, we saw smooth motion from the luminescent sphere as we navigated it around the field. The curtains billowed realistically as the ball zipped along, complete with accurate shadows and rich colors.

Thanks to its quad-core processor, the TF300 can handle rendering tasks such as JavaScript and HTML 5 graphics with relative ease. However, when we ran the Sunspider JavaScript benchmark, the TF300 completed the task in 2,275.3 milliseconds. That's 495.8 ms slower than the Transformer Prime's time of 1,779.5. We saw similar results when we ran the Peacekeeper browser benchmark. The TF300 scored 342, falling short of the Prime's score of 492.

Apps and Services

Click to EnlargeASUS packages the Transformer Pad TF300 with a nice mix of security and productivity apps. We especially liked App Locker, which allows security-minded users to lock specific apps with a password. App Backup let us easily backup our favorite apps and the corresponding data to internal storage or an SD card. Other ASUS-branded apps include myLibrary, MyNet, MyCloud (which allows users to sync content to the cloud from Macs or PCs) and Webstorage, which gives new users 8GB of online storage.

SuperNote, one of our favorite ASUS apps, allowed us to take notes and draw with our fingers. We loved that SuperNote could translate our chicken-scratch into legible text, though some may prefer to use a capacitive stylus (sold separately).

Other third-party apps include Netflix, Amazon Kindle, Polaris Office, Press Reader, and Tegra Zone.

The Google Play store continues to be a mixed bag. Some applications are optimized for tablet use, such as Netflix and CNN, while others are clearly stretched-out phone apps (like Facebook, Slacker and ESPN ScoreCenter). When it comes to third-party apps, Android tablets are still a distant second to the iPad.

Camera and Camcorder

Click to EnlargeThe TF300's rear 8-megapixel camera has an aperture of f2.2 and an LED flash that really comes in handy in low-light situations. We took a shot of our pink laptop sleeve in our dimly light bedroom and were surprised at how vivid the color looked. Also, the detail was so sharp we could easily see both the stitching and the subtle pattern.

We were really impressed with our outdoor shots. The images we snapped of a neighborhood flower stand were sharp, displaying the delicate details of nearly every flower in the shot.

We also liked using the camera's panoramic feature. Our only complaint was how slowly we had to move to construct the image. The camera took about 3-5 seconds to stitch together all the images into one large mural.

The rear camera also records 1080p video. Our test shots of NYC traffic were smooth, with bright yellows and bold reds that popped against a crystal blue sky. It took about a second for the camera to adjust for lighting as we panned upward.

The front-facing 1.2-MP camera gets the job done, which captured a relatively clear shot of our face. There was noticeable graininess, but we could easily make out the teeth on our zipper as well as the twists in our hair. When we attempted to video chat, we encountered a lot of lag that was plagued with blocky images, though the Internet connection could have been to blame.

Battery Life

During the LAPTOP Battery Test (Web surfing over Wi-Fi), the TF300 lasted 7 hours on Balanced mode, which bested the 6:42 Android category average. In IPS Balanced mode, the ASUS Transformer Prime lasted 7:11, but in Super IPS Balanced mode, the time dropped to 5:42. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Wi-Fi) delivered a time of 8:32.

Keyboard Dock

Click to EnlargeSimilar to the Transformer Prime, the Transformer Pad TF300 has an optional $149 mobile docking station. The 10.3 x 7.25 x 0.75-inch dock has a aluminum substructure covered in a high-impact plastic and features a full QWERTY island-style keyboard. Attaching the tablet to the dock was as easy as lining up the gray arrows on the dock and the tablet, and snapping the two firmly into place. When closed, the TF300 can be mistaken for a sleek netbook. We noticed, though, that the TF300's rear hinge is thicker than the Transformer Prime and its dock.

While the keys are offer a good amount of travel, some are on the small side, especially the right Shift key. The palm rest was also shorter than we like. Instead of a traditional row of function keys, the dock has specialized Android commands for screenshots, Settings, web, screen lock, Home, Menu and Search. It made for quicker, more intuitive navigation.

Click to EnlargeOur fingers slid effortlessly over the 3.1 x 1.5-inch touchpad, and the chrome mouse bar delivered firm feedback with a satisfying click. Scrolling took a little getting used to as we had to hold down the mouse bar while scrolling up or down on the touchpad. Zooming in and out was a little easier, only requiring a quick double tap on the mouse bar.

Multitouch gestures can be enabled in the Advanced Settings section. From there the cursor transforms into a glowing circle. We were able to easily perform actions such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scroll on websites and in the photo gallery.

One of the best features of the dock are its USB 2.0 port and SD card reader, which gives a nice amount of added functionality to the tablet. There's also a port to charge both the slate and the dock. When connected with the dock, ASUS claims the TF300 will get up to 15 hours of battery life.

Unfortunately, the TF300's dock cannot be used with previous models such as the TF101 or the TF201.

Configurations

The ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 comes in 16GB and 32GB configurations that cost $379 and $399 respectively. The optional mobile dock is available for $149.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeThe Transformer Pad TF300 continues ASUS' trend of creating tablets that are both beautiful and powerful. While the screen is not as bright as the Transformer, this $379 slate delivers Tegra 3 muscle for smooth overall performance and playing a growing selection of 3D games. Plus, the TF300 has one of the better cameras we've used on a 10-inch tablet--if you like the idea of shooting things with a 10-inch tablet. Meanwhile, the optional mobile keyboard dock adds lots of versatility. In terms of apps, the $399 iPad 2 reigns supreme in this price range, but the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 is a solid choice for those who want a quad-core Android tablet for less than $400.

Credit : http://www.laptopmag.com

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Oop! Qualcomm Aims for Ultrabook Market With ARM SoC

Qualcomm hopes its success and experience in the mobile phone market will translate into worth competition for Intel's massive ultrabook push. The San Diego chip giant is preparing a line of ARM-based processors for super-thin notebooks and/or tablets running Windows 8.

Snapdragon is a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design that includes a CPU, a GPU, a 2G/3G/4G modem and a baseband processor, so everything you need to build a smartphone comes in one processor that's just 14mm by 14mm.

There are four lines of Snapdragon processors, the S1 through S4. The S1 is used in lower-end smartphones while the S2 is in higher-end phones, including the much-lauded Nokia Lumia 900. The S4 is relatively new and can be found in at least one tablet, the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity.

Qualcomm believes it can compete with the Intel juggernaut by offering a better mobile experience. "The difference will come from choosing a technology that's grown up from mobile versus one from the PC space that's trying to be mobile. We're from a place of devices designed not to fit in a briefcase, but designed to fit in a pocket," said Tim McDonough, vice president of marketing for Qualcomm CDMA technologies.

"We also come from the perspective of designing for batteries versus designing for outlets. So we design for things that are extremely thin and are designed to run for extremely long periods of time, won't need fans, and because we come from a heritage of mobility a broad range of mobility options, we're also a leader in multimode LTE," he added.

Qualcomm has already worked with Microsoft to optimize Windows Phone on Snapdragon, as seen in the Lumia series. Now it's working with Microsoft to make sure the Windows 8 RT software takes full advantage of the hardware.

Qualcomm will face a number of challenges, not the least of which is the new market of Windows RT vs. the existing Intel software market, said Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis.

"Intel is claiming they can match ARM on battery life. I'm not sure I believe it but if there isn't a dramatic difference in performance in battery life or form factor, then I do think that consumers are likely to prioritize backwards compatibility," he said.

A really big open question will be how large is the ecosystem on day one when Windows RT ships, presumably this October. "If they look at this as their next laptop, they are likely to want the apps they are already comfortable with and they are using," said Greengart.

McDonough did not give any release date for Snapdragon S4-power notebooks or tablets. Microsoft has yet to confirm the release date of Windows 8.

Credit : http://www.notebookreview.com

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