If you have bought a desktop or a laptop with the Intel Core i5 or i7, then you can have a chance to be flown in a Russian MIG-31 Fighter Jet Looking at the promotion page, it seems that you have to reside in these following countries: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Phillipines.

Check the Intel Turbo Boost promotion  - win a trip to space for terms and conditions!

I’m planning to upgrade my dual-core E6400 to  i7 920 but I don’t think it’ll be anytime soon

Thank you for those who participated in the “Redesign your blog contest“. We had about 17 participants and I’m glad to be able to announce the winners!

So the winners are…… *drum rolls*

First Winner: Novanna from myinfox.blogspot.com
Second Winner: Dee from www.ardi.web.id
Third Winner: Mocca_chi from mocca-chi.blogspot.com

Congratulations! I’ll send an email to the three of you to follow up. As for the others who don’t win, thank you for participating and I’m really sorry that you didn’t win this time. Stay tuned for more contests at Craving Tech!

About 10 years ago, I remember going to JB HiFi, a famous electronic store here in Melbourne, and stood in front of a big plasma TV (or was it an LCD TV?). The TV had a $10,000 price mark on it. The shopkeeper asked me whether I’m interested in getting one. I laughed and said “Not for another million year”.

From $10,000 to under $1,000 for a 40″ Full HD 1080p LCD TV from Soniq, there’s no reason not to get one. Check out the press release on the Soniq QSL400XT and Soniq QSL460XT

Sydney, Australia – March 15, 2010 – Soniq has today delivered on their commitment to offer affordable and user-friendly large screen televisions by offering their price breakthrough of $798 for a 40″ Full HD 1080p LCD TV and $1198 for a 46″ Full HD 1080p LCD TV.

The large model televisions, sold at JB Hi-Fi stores throughout Australia, are offering prices substantially lower than competitors on Full High Definition displays. This price breakthrough means quality large model televisions are no longer confined to a select few buyers and Soniq is pleased to deliver on this.

“Soniq is delighted to be able to offer its customers quality products at the lowest prices. With our latest price breakthrough we’re offering Australians the opportunity to buy and own a large TV previously thought to be unaffordable. We have models that come in Full High Definition, never before seen at this price level.” said Dominic Neo, Business Development Manager, Soniq Australia.

In this latest range Soniq is offering two Full High Definition LCD TVs, the QSL400XT and the QSL460XT, all with quality design and features you’ve come to expect.

Soniq QSL400XT
The 40 inch Soniq QSL400XT features full 1080p high definition resolution advertised for a “so cheap!” $798 at JB Hi-Fi stores. The television is tastefully framed with a glossy black border and matched with features such as HDMI input and built in high definition tuner. Also included is an Ultra High Resolution Panel WXGA to complement the resolution and offer superior display. The Soniq QSL400XT is perfect for young couples or movie lovers that want an all-rounder offering quality, design, size and price.

Model Number Soniq QSL400XT

• Screen Size 40” (101 cm)
• Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Contrast Ratio 3000:1
• Brightness (cd/m2) 500
• Support Color 16.7M
• Response Time (ms) 8
• Audio Output 8W+8W
• Audio Stereo Type NICAM Stereo
• Dimension ( L x W x H ) (mm) 1065 x 380 x 800
• Weight (KG) 27
• Power Supply AC 100 – 240V @ 50/60Hz
• Power Consumption Max. 200W, Standby < 1W

Other Features:

• Built-in HD Digital (DVB-T) Tuner
• Ultra High Resolution Panel WXGA
• HDMI x 3, Input TV antenna, S-Video, PC, Composite x 1, Component x 2

Soniq QSL460XT
Like its little sister the QSL400XT, the Soniq QSL460XT LCD television, offers full 1080p high definition resolution and an Ultra High Resolution Panel WXGA for complete viewing pleasure. The QSL460XT is Blu-Ray ready and features 3 HDMI inputs and high definition digital tuner. With ample screen size of 46 inches and a price under AU $1200 the Soniq QSL460XT is the best value LCD in the market today. The QSL460XT has a stunning contrast ratio of 2000:1 and a response time of 15ms.

Model Number Soniq QSL460XT

• Screen Size 46” (117 cm)
• Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Contrast Ratio 2000:1
• Brightness (cd/m2) 500
• Support Color 16.7M
• Response Time (ms) 15
• Audio Output 8W+8W
• Audio Stereo Type NICAM/A2 Stereo
• Dimension ( L x W x H ) (mm) 1215 x 380 x 900
• Weight (KG) 39.5
• Power Supply AC 100 – 240V @ 50/60Hz
• Power Consumption Max. 280W, Standby < 1W

Other Features:

• DVB-T Digital TV
• Compatible HD Signal Input: 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• HDMI x 3, Input TV antenna, S-Video, PC, Composite x 1, Component x 2

Product Pricing and Summary
Vendor: Soniq
Model: QSL400XT, QSL460XT
RRP:
QSL400XT: AU $798
QSL460XT: AU $1198
Website: http://www.soniqav.com/index.html
Distributors: JB Hi-Fi nationwide
Customer Care Hotline: 1300765663
Availability: Now

Razer Megasoma is a hybrid of a hard and a soft mouse mat; If you love the softness of a soft mat but want to have the speed of a hard mat, Razer Megasoma delivers (this is debatable and I guess more like a personal preference). Razer Megasoma sits somewhere in between, combining the best of both worlds into one.

In terms of aesthetic look, Razer Megasoma looks great in white. If you have a dark table like mine, Razer Megasoma really shines on it. It actually has a green ambient glow on the top right of the mat. So if you’ve exposed the mat to a light source for quite some time, you’ll see the big green glowing Razer logo coming from it if you turn off the light. It’s just a fancy geeky thing though as this does not add real value to your gaming experience. The light, once glows, doesn’t stay for too long. I wish that the logo sticks to the mat like the one on the screenshot though I think it looks cool but others would probably want a minimalist design on their mouse pads.

Razer Megasoma is a silicon mouse mat which makes it easily foldable. On top of that, Razer has nicely given a hard case for the mat. If you love going to LAN parties or joining game tournaments, Razer Megasoma will be your best companion as it’s highly portable. Simply fold the mat and carry it inside the case. The silicon has a distinct smell to it when you let the mat out of its packaging for the first time. The smell, thankfully, doesn’t stay too long. Razer Megasoma is also washable so you’ll always have a bright white shiny mat all the time.

Plenty of mouse movement space offered by Razer Megasoma so it might not fit your set-up if you have a small table (Razer Megasoma’s dimension is 350 x 230 x 2 mm). With a 2mm thickness of softness, Razer Megasoma offers a great comfortable gaming experience, giving your wrist a nice, soft-y feeling.

Coming from the newer Razer Vespula, I had to admit that I like Razer Vespula better. I’m a low sensitivity gamer so I found it harder to adjust with Razer Megasoma’s softer surface. I was so used to Razer Vespula’s glide smoothness and found that I needed to apply extra force to glide my mouse on the Razer Megasoma.

As for accuracy and whether the mouse mat delivers, it does. I play Left 4 Dead 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 almost every night and I *ahem* own the games on the Megasoma. Pointing the cursor accurately to enemies’ heads is no big deal on Razer Megasoma.

Razer Megasoma Review Conclusion

If you can’t decide whether you want to get a hard mouse mat or a soft one, why not get the good of both worlds? Razer Megasoma tracks mouse movement really well and its soft silicon surface goes well on my wrist when I game for hours. The smell on the silicon and the not-too-obvious glowing logo are a bit of a letdown but they don’t hamper you in any way when you game. The silicon smell wears off quickly and you won’t probably miss seeing the ambient light coming from the mat when you switch off the light.

One of the thing that I like about Razer Megasoma is how highly portable it is. It’s easy to fold the mat and store it on the glass hard case that comes with it. You can even make it into a show case if you are into that sort of thing. Once unfolded, the mat will fall back into place and sticks onto your desk surface really well. If you are the type who always carries around your own mouse pad, take Razer Megasoma with you. Once you get home, feel free to wash it with a soap and water and it’ll be like brand new again!

Despite all this, however, I still find that I need to apply extra force to move my mouse on the Razer Megasoma. Whether this suits your taste or not, it’s subjective.

Note: Review unit provided by Razer

This is great news for Australian gamers as it means that they have more variety of gaming peripherals to choose from. SteelSeries is a leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories and you must have seen my review on the SteelSeries Ikari Laser and SteelSeries Xai gaming mouse here at Craving Tech. I haven’t had a chance to play around with their other peripherals yet, though.

Below is the official press release. I went to JB HiFi today but couldn’t see any SteelSeries products yet though.. just the Logitech’s and Razer’s. Hope they are in stock soon.