HWZ Feature Articles and Reviews

ASUS Intel 8-Series Motherboard Technical Seminar - Going for Gold

Wong Chung Wee — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:26:44 +0800

ASUS has just announced their new range of Intel 8-series motherboards with support for Intel's upcoming 4th-generation Core CPUs. Introducing a new look for some of its Intel Z87 boards, ASUS has also complemented them with a slew of new and exciting features. We showcase some of what we're allowed to report from the seminar.

Hands-on with the New Google Maps

James Lu — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:42:09 +0800

Google revealed a complete redesign of Google Maps at its Google I/O conference, which includes removing many user interface elements in favor of a full screen map, as well as cleaner, quicker-loading vector maps and full integration with Google Earth and Google Streetview. We take a closer look at the new Google Maps.

Logitech G710+ - A Sleek, Mechanical Keyboard for Both Gamers and Typists

Joy Hou — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:20:00 +0800

Announced earlier this year, the Logitech G710+, Logitech's first foray into mechanical gaming keyboards, incorporates Cherry MX Brown key switches. These switches are still pretty uncommon, however, they are slowly gaining acceptance among mainstream gamers. We give you our take of this mechanical gaming keyboard.

Preview: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard

Wong Chung Wee — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:21:37 +0800

MSI reveals their first Intel Z87 motherboard and it's from their much hyped Gaming lineage. We take a good first look at their upcoming MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming Motherboard in this preview article.

A Closer Look at BlackBerry Messenger Channels (Beta)

Sidney Wong — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:46:58 +0800

BlackBerry announced the beta launch of the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) Channels yesterday. Here's a quick look at how BBM Channels work.

Google+ Gets Major Revamp with 41 New Features

James Lu — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:29:35 +0800

Google has announced a complete revamp to its social network, Google+, including 41 new features, including a revamped Photo tool, which includes some very smart features, a new Hangouts app, and many visual and technical improvements to the Google+ stream.

Hands-on with the Nokia Lumia 925

David Chieng — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:10:46 +0800

Here's our quick hands-on with Nokia's latest flagship smartphone, the Lumia 925, that's slated to be available sometime after June this year.

BlackBerry Live 2013: BBM, BB10.1 and BB Q5

Sidney Wong — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:12:06 +0800

BlackBerry helds its Live conference at Orlando, Florida earlier today. Here's an overview of the announcements at BlackBerry Live 2013.

A Day of Shooting with Panasonic GF6 and G6 in Bali

Hafeez Sim — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:26:58 +0800

We didn't get a chance at handling the new Panasonic camera models when the news broke so how could we pass up an offer to spend a day shooting with them? So it's off to Bali this time around for Panasonic's regional digital camera launch and here are the highlights of the trip.

Nokia's Next Big Thing

David Chieng — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:48:24 +0800

On May 14 in London, Nokia detailed where the story of the Lumia product line goes next.

Microsoft Surface Pro - Showcasing the Vision

Ng Chong Seng — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:04:42 +0800

With a tablet form factor that allows the attachment of a keyboard cover, the Intel Core i5-equipped and Windows 8 Pro-running Surface Pro is Microsoft showing the world how a no compromise device should be made. It even comes with a full HD screen and digital pen support. We find out if it lives up to its promise.

A HWZ PlayTest Event - Smart AV for Your Home

Hafeez Sim — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:32:47 +0800

A well set-up home entertainment system doesn't only perform well, but looks good too. With so many components to consider such as the television set, speakers, amplifier, set-top decks and networking gear, just how do you go about deciding what to get and managing all of them? HardwareZone teamed up with Home & Decor, Mudian, ASUS, Panasonic and Yamaha to conduct a Smart Home AV PlayTest event to help our readers do just that. Find out what took place!

MSI GTX 650 Ti Boost Twin Frozr III OC - Game for Another Mid-Range Kepler?

Wong Chung Wee — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:29:35 +0800

Hailing from its Gaming series, the MSI GTX 650 Ti Boost Twin Frozr III OC card features an overclocked GK106 core at 1,033MHz, with a turbo clock of 1,098MHz to match. Can this dethrone other GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost cards in the market? We find out in this review.

Sony NEX-6 - A Flagship Simplified

Alvin Soon — Wed, 8 May 2013 20:24:48 +0800

The Sony Alpha NEX-6 sits somewhere in-between the series' flagship NEX-7 and the NEX-5R, in terms of handling, performance and, of course, price. It comes with a 16MP sensor, an electronic viewfinder and takes after the prosumer controls of the NEX-7. Discover how the camera performs in our review.

Adobe Sneak Peeks That Will Blow Your Mind

Alvin Soon — Wed, 8 May 2013 13:56:00 +0800

Every year at the Adobe Max conference, Adobe shows off the experimental features they're working on. This year's 2013 sneak peeks blew our minds, check out work-in-progress tools which like you paint like a pro in seconds, change the lighting of a photo after the fact and search by manipulating photos.

ASUS Fonepad - World's First Intel Lexington Tablet

Sidney Wong — Tue, 7 May 2013 22:00:56 +0800

The Fonepad is ASUS's first foray in making a tablet with 3G phone functions. How different is the ASUS Fonepad from the crop of Samsung Galaxy Tabs that have similar functions? More importantly, can ASUS succeed in this tablet segment? Hit the link to find out more.

Canon ImageFormula P-215 - Easy Scanning On-the-Go

Hafeez Sim — Tue, 7 May 2013 20:30:00 +0800

Boasting convenient plug-and-play capabilities, Canon's P-215 scanner draws power from a single USB cable and has the ability to produce high-quality documents of up to 600dpi resolution in monochrome, grayscale, and full-color. However at 1kg, it is a tad on the heavy side. Will its functionality make up for its weight? Hit the link to find out.

Adobe Announces the Next Generation of Apps Exclusive to the New Creative Cloud

Alvin Soon — Tue, 7 May 2013 10:20:00 +0800

Adobe today announced that the next evolution of their apps will be exclusive to the new Creative Cloud. Instead of an update to Creative Suite 6, like Photoshop CS6, the new versions of Adobe apps will be rebranded to CC, like Photoshop CC, and only available to Creative Cloud subscribers.

Casio Exilim EX-ZR700 - It Could Have Been Much More

Hafeez Sim — Mon, 6 May 2013 20:43:01 +0800

Most compact cameras are known for their significant shutter lag so it's especially tricky to snap fast-moving subjects. But the Casio EX-ZR700 looks to solve this issue with zero-shutter lag. It also sports an impressive 18x optical zoom, making it seem like an ideal compact for those who shoot sports and wildlife. Does it live up to its marketing? We find out.

Sony Xperia ZL - A Version of the Xperia Z

Sidney Wong — Mon, 6 May 2013 12:55:55 +0800

The Sony Xperia ZL is a variant of the Xperia Z, which comes with a slightly less premium design and no dust/water resistive features. Is it as appealing as the Xperia Z or even a better phone? We share our opinion in this review.