TechBox360

AMD Bulldozer and Llano launch dates reportedly leaked

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:38:00 +0000

Rumours are going around about the expected release date for the AMD Llano and Bulldozer. Xbit Labs,says that some of its indutry sources ahve leaked the luanch dates for the new APUs. According to the site's sources, AMD will start shipping its brand new high-end desktop Bulldozer APUs on the week commencing 20 June 2011.These will likely compete with Intel's LGA1366 and the upcoming LGA 2011 series chips.
According to the website's sources, the Bulldozer APUs will come in eight-core, six-core and quad-core variants, which will be released with the FX8000, FX6000 and FX4000 model names respectively.
There isn't much fothcoming information about the mid-range and mobile-targeted Llano parts, but Xbit's sources say that AMD will ship these in the week commencing 4 July. On the other hand, Turkish tech site Donanim haber is running with a purportedly leaked Power Point slide detailing what looks like AMD’s mobile CPU line-up for the next two years, spanning everything from sub-12in portables to performance machines.

Click for a larger image

The slide details three types of Llano chips for 2011, coming in two-core, three-core and quad-core variants. According to the slide, all the CPUs will support 1,600MHz DDR3 memory, and will also feature integrated DirectX 11 GPUs.

Gigabyte Claim World's First Overclocking Mobo

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:20:00 +0000

Gigabyte Claim World's First Overclocking Mobo

CeBIT 2011: AMD Demos Llano Behind Closed Doors : AMD Demos Mobile Llano

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:14:00 +0000

CeBIT 2011: AMD Demos Llano Behind Closed Doors : AMD Demos Mobile Llano

Powercolor PCS ++ The "+" "+" stands for the position any consumer will enjoy. Teh beauty of AMD Radeon 6950 and 6970 in One Card!!

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:16:00 +0000

So you have been thinking of buying a new AMD Radeon 6950 and flashing it to the Radeon 6970? Alas some of us haven't got around either being n00bs or are to oscared to flash their device for fear of invalidating their warranties. Well, fear not, you have hope now. Powercolor have just released the PCS++ version of the Radeon 6950. This one boasts proper use of the AMD dual BIOS in the card. That is, They have included both the 6950 as well as the 6970's BIOS in the card itself. At just a flick of the button you get the more powerful Radeon 6970. And the best part - it is valid as far as warranty is concerned and more importantly, the card is specifically designed to handle the heat generated by the Radeon 6970 model. Win - win situation. So how well does this idea fare? Check out the link below for the review.

Powercolor HD6950 PCS++ 2GB Review – dual action | KitGuru

Motorola Xoom costs $360 to build but sells for $799

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:07:00 +0000

One of Apple's best management practices is sourcing their materials at the cheapest rate by buying in huge quantities. This is basic commerce as we all know. Every organisation tries to achieve economies of scale. This in turn helps them get a competitive advantage over their rivals. IHS iSuppli estimates the bill of materials of the Motorola Xoom at $360, while Apple's first-gen iPad (32 GB/3G) was estimated at roughly $320. The estimated difference of $40 turns into $70 in the store, as the Xoom sells for $799 and the comparable iPad for $729. With a two-year 3G commitment, the Xoom sells for $599 at Verizon, while there is no such discount currently available for the iPad.
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"With its features and functionality, the Xoom is clearly designed to go head-to-head against the iPad 3G," Wayne Lam, an analyst with IHS iSuppli, wrote in a March 1 research note. "In pursuing that design philosophy, Motorola has closely lined up the Xoom's component costs with that of the iPad's, especially where it counts: in the touch screen, the display and the cellular radio." We are now waiting for a first cost estimate for the ipad 2, which should, despite the additions of cameras go down, due to Apple's long term material supply contracts as well as obvious integration improvements.

Apple's cost advantages are substantial pressure for its rivals. Motorola, Samsung, RIM and others will have to find ways to compete with Apple on a cost level - not just on a feature level - as tablets move more and more into the mainstream.

VIDEO: Adreno 220 GPU in Desert Winds Demo

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:58:00 +0000

During Mobile World Congress 2011, Qualcomm presented a "Desert Winds" demo using its new Adreno 220 GPU and the dual-core Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset. The GPU displayed mind blowing graphics performance in the form of the female warrior Amira taking on a giant jumping scorpion named Alacran.

"Desert Winds was shown in stereoscopic and non-stereoscopic 3D via HDMI out to a 55-inch HD LCD display," the company said. "As with Qualcomm’s other dual-core Snapdragon MSM8660 demos at the show, the new Desert Winds game was running on the Snapdragon Mobile Development Platform (MDP), which is a device available to developers who want early access to Snapdragon chipsets and Adreno GPUs."

"With more Android devices based on Snapdragon and Adreno and with over 100 games optimized for Snapdragon and Adreno, it seems clear that the mobile industry is already well aware of the many advantages that Snapdragon and its Adreno GPU [offer]," said Brent Sammons, graphics product manager, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.

"In my opinion, it was apparent at this year’s Mobile World Congress that Qualcomm is well-positioned to continue its strong momentum in providing OEMs and 3D game developers with a powerful and efficient graphics platform that brings more of the industry’s latest and best 3D games to more smartphones, tablets and laptops everywhere," he added.

Catch this video of the Adreno 220 GPU in action.

Hot on the heels of iPad 2 release, Microsoft release IE 9

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:53:00 +0000

Not to be outdone by Apple, Microsoft has just released the IE 9. As it is right now, this is what Microsoft tweeted over an hour ago. So for all those who were enthralled by the beta release of IE 9 here is the link for the actual release
Beauty of the web

Gizmodo have a hands on with new iPad 2!

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:50:00 +0000

iPad 2 Hands On: It Really Is Different

iPad2 is Finally here!

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:35:00 +0000

The wait is over. The iPad2 has been released. It will be available from March 11, 2011 for $499. The device sports a 1Ghz Dual Core A5 processor and boasts a 10 hr battery life. As expected, Facetime makes an appearance here with its front facing camera. The rear Camera can record videos in 720p whereas the front facing camera is a VGA one that can record videos up to 30 fps. You can change the look and feel of your iPad with Smart Covers. Yep, you know your little sister is going to get the Pink one. It has a 9.7 inch (diagonally) LED Display with IPS providing a viewing angle of 178 degrees. the Apple website already show that it will be available on both AT&T and Verizon. the iPad 2 introduces "Airprint", using which you can wirelessly print your pictures from supported devices using Wi-Fi. As expected, the devices sports iOS 4 and is only 0.34 inches thick. There is absolutely no difference between the Wi-Fi version and the Wi-Fi + 3G version except that the Wi-Fi + 3G version weighs a bit more. You have three flavours - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Here is the Apple video of the iPad 2.

Jaguar XFR review - Top Gear - BBC

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:44:00 +0000

Crysis 2 will Launch with DX 9!

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Crysis 2 is all set to launch, but with DX 9. Talk about Epic Fail! Hopefully, it won't be for long. Crytek and EA are expected to release DX 11 support through a patch. But the question still remains, why release Crysis 2 in the first place without DX 11? especially considering that CEO Cevat Yerli has put his name on the line saying this will still be a huge hit on the PC and they have spent considerable time on PC making sure PC fans are not disappointed. Check out the multiplayer demo videos below. As you can see, the servers are full and this is just a Demo!!

Thermaltake Level 10GT review and videos.

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:25:00 +0000

It was Hexus that brought out the first preview of this chasis, it seems like they are the first to do a review. Something even I wouldn't let go off because the hoopla surrounding its elder sibling the Level 10. I also managed to find two videos of this. The first one is just an unboxing but it shows you the works. The second one is a more comprehensive overview and detailed insight into ow this case actually looks and feels after a complete hardware installation by Cyberpowerpc.
HEXUS.net - Review :: Thermaltake Level 10 GT chassis review : Page - 1/4

AMD Radeon 6990 pics out! the beast is finally seen

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:51:00 +0000

The battle is about to begin. Both AMD and NVIDIA are poised to launch their high end dual-GPU cards this month. Hexus had posted a few leaked pics of the 6990 a few days ago. Now it seems there is more concrete evidence of the existence of the AMD Radeon 6990. Will this beat the NVIDIA GTX 590 and keep its crown as king of the dual-GPU jungle or will NVIDIA reign supreme. Only time will tell. Till then here is a look at the brand new 6990 in full glory.

A look at this and you feel like as if you just went to buy a Merc and ended up with something having the look of the Polo. For a high end beast that it is, this card has a very understated presence. Crouching tiger hidden dragon one may say.

Following tradition from the Radeon 5970, this one is also expected to be nothing but two 6970's packed onto the same PCB. This means that there are somewhere around 3000 plus shader units onboard, not to mention some expect this to come in both 2GB and 4GB flavours which is yet unconfirmed.

The Radeon 6990 is expected to be in the TDP bracket of about 300W.
The release dates of both the AMD Radeon 6990 and the NVIDIA GTX 590 are not known at this moment. A closely guarded secret in a cat and mouse game between both the companies.

USS Ronald Reagan video

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Found this one on NGC. You gotta admit, this is one monster of a carrier. My sister actually wondered if this was the WMD they were looking for. Jokes apart, it is a marvel of modern technology.

Former Apple manager may get 20 years for leaking Apple secrets

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:52:00 +0000

You don't mess with the Steve

You got that right, don't mess with Apple. A former Apple manager, Paul Devine, learnt that the hard way. He has pleaded guilty to accusations of wire fraud and money laundering. His sentence will be read on June 6 and he could face up to 20 years in prison.

In return for leaking Apple's secrets, manufacturers and suppliers gave him money for the inside information. It was proved by the court and Mr. Devine subsequently admitted the accusation. His actions had caused Apple a loss of $2,409,000.

He has contested to give up money and property worth approximately $2.28 million as part of the plea bargain. When he was arrested, federal agents had found about $150 000 in shoe boxes and more money in foreign accounts and safe deposit boxes.

Lockheed F-35A and F-35C(Navy variant) Flight videos

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Here are a few videos as promised. The first one is a F-35A Flight photoshoot. However, the plane is in actual flight and it is actual footage. The second one is the real production piece in action a few days ago during its test flight

What happens when you pour LN2 on a road?

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:50:00 +0000

A few guys from Erodov decided to give this idea a shot. This is something they did at 3 AM in the city of Bangalore, India. Check out the video below.

First Production Lockheed F-35A Takes Flight in Texas

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:09:00 +0000

I will see if a video of this can be found anywhere and then upload it to the blog.

DailyTech - First Production Lockheed F-35A Takes Flight in Texas

OS X 10.7 Features Revealed; You get OS X server for Free .... yes Apple is giving something away for free

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Ok, I will cover the main highlights of the Mac OS 10.7 Lion release to developers.

Most important of all, if you got the release from any place other than your Apple developer account using the App store, then the first thing you will want to do is block this web address using

Little Snitch. The web address is swscan.apple.com. The release "calls back" Apple and provides it information about your IP address, location etc. If you get caught using the release

other than through the $99 yearly fee developer account, it might render you liable to a ban from Apple.

Little Snitch as most of the Mac users know is a firewall and network intrusion protection software. This will help block the distro from calling back and stop you from getting pwned. Its not free, but its worth every penny you pay for it.

The OS has plenty of requirements/installation notes. Among the highlights are:
1) You must have a Core 2 Duo or better.
2) Installing to a software Raid configuration is not currently available and may render your volume unusable (will be in the future)
3) Lion Server (if you plan on installing it) must be installed on an empty disk. (at least Lion Server is free. maybe Apple woke up to the fact that not many people will pay a fortune for a "Mac" server

when you can get other better performing ones for a better bargain).
4) You cannot be running an iMac (circa 2006 -- iMac support will likely be added for the final release)
5) You must disable FileVault in Snow Leopard before upgrading to Lion. Lion has replaced this feature with a new version of encryption software.
6) Your volumes will not be readable by past versions of OS X. (lets hope Paragon NTFS in future comes out with a patch for it or NTFS 3G which is free).
7) If you plan on using Boot Camp, you need version 3.2 or later.

For the rest of the mundane promotional stuff, follow this link.

DailyTech - OS X 10.7 Features Revealed; Shaping up to be Bigger Release Than Usual

Apple Macbook 2011 refresh

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:53:00 +0000

Well, many bought into the rumour that the MacBook refresh would include AMD's next gen Fusion processors. However, as can been in the link beloew, that has not been the case.

Apple have stayed with Intel's Sandybridge architecture and have chosen to go with dual core i5's and i7's in the mainstream MacBooks and i7 Quad-Core processors in the

higher end MacBook Pros'. The 13 inch product has finally been upgraded from Core 2 Duo to an i5 Dual-Core. The most out of place so to say spec in the entire sheet is the inclusion of

5400 Rpm HDD's instead of the 7200 Rpm ones.

Lightpeak finally makes it way into the Apple lineup. Apple never had the intention of jumping in on the USB 3 bandwagon. This might result in them getting a lead over everyone else

as far as connectivity is concerned. Follow the link for the rest of the details.

Anandtech

Help us, say workers to Apple

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:08:00 +0000

Our pleasure, the workers pain.

Chinese factory workers making touchscreens for Apple’s iPhone and iPad have asked for help over a case of chemical poisoning.
The workers, employed by Wintek, a Taiwanese owner of a factory in the Suzhou industrial park in Eastern China have been using n-hexane to clean touchscreens between May 2008 and August 2009.
n-hexane evaporates faster than alcohol and was used to speed up the production of touchscreens. Unfortunately, the workers had to stop using it when it was found to be making them ill. They were feeling numb in the hands, and also had feet swelling and were fainting.

Apple has admitted the chemical poisoning for the first time in a recent annual report on environment and working conditions, and it revealed that 137 workers were hospitalised by n-hexane poisoning.
The workers said in a letter “This is a killer, a killer that strikes invisibly, From when hexyl hydride was used, monthly profits at Apple and Wintek have gone up by tens of millions every month, the accumulated outcome of workers’ lives and health.”
An english version of this letter was sent to Steve Jobs, who is currently absent due to health concerns. Workers want Apple to step in and use their considerable power to force Wintek to adequately compensate the affected workers. Wintek apparently haven’t accepted their fault and have not handled the case properly and according to reports they are even asking workers seeking compensation to give up their jobs.
Jia Jingchuan, a 27 year old production technician who feel ill after using n-hexane at Wintek spoke to the UK’s Guardian newspaper. He said “I hope Apple can respect our labour and our dignity. I hope they can stand up and apologise to us.”

Pictures of iPad2 leaked

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:51:00 +0000

A few days before the iPad 2 is released, pictures of the iPad 2 have already leaked out. As you can see from the pictures, it is quite evident that the iPad 2 is smaller than the original iPad. The sides are also a bit more tapered than its predecessor.

Here you can easily see that the back has been completely flattened out by Apple. It no longer has the same curved back as before. Even the tone of silver is more deeper than before.

Here you can see a front facing camera. Also it seems as though the rumours about the Retina Display being kept for iPad 3 are true.

An Apples to apple comparison. You can see the difference in size quite clearly. This new iPad is literally the little brother of the two. Near the top right is what seems like a USB port.

Finally, here you can see the the speaker at the bottom left and in the centre, the dock connector.

Volkswagen Black Beetle commercial

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 11:37:00 +0000

This is a really cute and well done Beetle commercial. The iconic car is available in black.

Tips and Tricks for Office 2010 and Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:11:00 +0000

The Official Skyrim Trailer is finally here!

noreply@blogger.com (TechBox360) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:09:00 +0000