The document discusses several topics: 1) An mSATA adapter launched in Japan that allows users to add SSD caching without the right motherboard. 2) The Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 motherboard supports PCIe Gen 3 and includes exclusive pictures. 3) LG unveiled the Optimus 3D and white Optimus 2X smartphones in Taiwan, including specs and 3D camera details. 4) Sapphire launched the fastest HD 6950 graphics card yet with an 880MHz core clock.

1. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!
VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly publication
covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks.
Interesting mSATA adapter
launches in Japan
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/interesting-msata-adapter-launches-in-
japan/13213.html
August 4th, 2011
Want to use an mSATA SSD for some SSD caching action,
but don't have the right motherboard? Well, even if you just Kuroutoshikou's card has an mSATA slot for the SSD and a
want to use an SSD for caching and don't have the right SATA 6Gbps connector to which the hard drive is attached.
motherboard, this can be a hassle. An adaptor has appeared in For most users this is just an extravagant way of setting up
Japan that allows for an easy solution for those inclined to get SSD caching, as using a 2.5-inch SSD would most likely cost
SSD caching on their system and it's a rather peculiar looking less. However, if you have a compact case, or a low profile
setup. case with limited drive space, then this card would very well
come in handy. At 3,980 Yen (S$61) it's not the cheapest route
to go either, but it's at least reasonably competitively priced
Want to use an mSATA SSD for some SSD caching action, compared to a similar RAID card.
but don't have the right motherboard? Well, even if you just
want to use an SSD for caching and don't have the right
motherboard, this can be a hassle. An adaptor has appeared in
Gigabyte's G1.Sniper2
Japan that allows for an easy solution for those inclined to get features PCI Express Gen 3
SSD caching on their system and it's a rather peculiar looking
setup. support
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-s-g1.sniper2-features-pci-
The company behind the adaptor is called Kuroutoshikou and express-gen-3-support/13212.html
it's a company that tend to come up with all sorts of unusual August 4th, 2011
bits of hardware. In this case we're looking at a fairly standard
size PCI Express x1 card with a Marvell 9130 SATA 6Gbps
controller on it. It features what Marvell calls HyperDuo
technology which allows for easy setup of SSD caching. This
chip is already available on a few RAID cards, but this is where
things get interesting.
One feature that so far has been a bit of a secret with regards
to Gigabyte's just launched G1.Sniper2 motherboard is that it
features PCI Express Gen 3 support, or rather, it has a set of
digital switches that should support PCI Express 3.0 unless
something is drastically changing by now and the introduction
of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors. We also scored some exclusive
hands on pictures of the board, so click on through for those.
One feature that so far has been a bit of a secret with regards
to Gigabyte's just launched G1.Sniper2 motherboard is that it
1

2. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
features PCI Express Gen 3 support, or rather, it has a set of
digital switches that should support PCI Express 3.0 unless
something is drastically changing by now and the introduction
of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors. We also scored some exclusive
hands on pictures of the board, so click on through for those.
Nothing has really changed since the board first made an
appearance, but it's officially up on Gigabyte's website as of
today. One feature we like is the bundled front panel that not
only adds a pair of USB 3.0 ports to the front of your case,
but also a powered eSATA port and the somewhat slightly less
useful Quck Boost button that automagically overclocks the
system. Another feature we weren't aware of and that has been
The G1.Sniper2 is only the first of many motherboards to
long coming is the fact that all of the fan headers on the board
come from Gigabyte that will feature digital switches with PCI
are of the 4-pin type, or in other words, all the fan headers
Express Gen 3 support. Over time the company will transition
support PWM fans.
all of its dual x8 PCI Express slot motherboards to these
switches. So in other words, expect new revisions of your
favourite Gigabyte motherboards in the next few months.
As a side note with regards to PCI Express 3.0 support, in
theory every 6-series chipset motherboard should support PCI
Express 3.0 if the board in question only has a single slot
connected straight to the CPU. That said, even boards with PCI
Express 2.0 switches will allow the top slot to operate at Gen
3 speeds, although at reduced bandwidth. Then again, none
of this is any good until Intel launches Ivy Bridge in March or
April next year and that's when we'll find out how compatible
things really are, as currently no-one can say if it'll all work as
So what about the G1.Sniper2? Well, we've already reported
intended.
about it and even posted a few pictures of the board and
now we have a few hands on pictures as well as one of the
packaging. The board comes in a fancy display box, as it rightly
should as this is a premium product.
2

3. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
LG unveils Optimus 3D and
white Optimus 2X in Taiwan
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-unveils-optimus-3d-and-white-
optimus-2x-in-taiwan/13210.html
August 4th, 2011
LG Electronics has announced the availability of two
new additions to its Optimus line of Android-powered
smartphones in Taiwan today, the Optimus 3D and a white
variant of the Optimus 2X smartphone which was recently
introduced to the market this year. According to the company,
the new Optimus 3D smartphone is capable of bringing the LG has also claimed that the Optimus 3D smartphone will
3D cinema experience to users, a feat made possible by the feature dual-rear-facing cameras which can be used to capture
technology used to power it. More details after the break... videos or still images in either stereoscopic 3D or conventional
2D, while the captured content can then be outputted to a
larger external display such as television sets via the built-
in HDMI-out port, or by streaming the content via a local
network, an option made possible due to the Optimus 3D
boasting support for DLNA.
LG Electronics has announced the availability of two
new additions to its Optimus line of Android-powered
smartphones in Taiwan today, the Optimus 3D and a white
variant of the Optimus 2X smartphone which was recently
introduced to the market this year.
Touted as the world's first smartphone to make use of what
it calls its "naked eye 3D technology", LG claims that the
Optimus 3D smartphone does away with the need to make
use of specialized 3D glasses, thus allowing for the "immediate
appreciation" and sharing of 3D content, such as video files
or still images. This is made possible by the smartphone's use
of a 4.3-inch glassless 3D display that is capable of displaying
content at WVGA resolutions (800 x 480).
3

4. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Oh, and one more thing; the smartphone is reportedly capable
with Google's 3D YouTube video streaming service as well.
Here are a few more pictures of the press event that took place
in Taipei today:
The Optimus 3D will initially ship with version 2.2.2. of the
Android operating system preloaded into it, although LG has
announced that it intends to provide users with an upgrade
path to Gingerbread some time in the future. The phone will
also reportedly be pre-loaded with three 3D games, namely
NOVA, Asphalt 6 and Let's Golf 2, while up to seven more 3D
titles will be made available for download at no charge.
The hardware specifications for the LG Optimus 3D
smartphone are as follow:
Last but definitely not least, LG also unveiled a white variant
of its Optimus 2X smartphone in Taipei:
4

5. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
August 4th, 2011
Sapphire has released the HD 6950 TOXIC Edition, which
at 880MHz core clock is supposedly the fastest factory
overclocked HD 6950 in the world.
Sapphire has released the HD 6950 TOXIC Edition, which it
claims to be the world's fastest HD 6950. As far as we can tell,
this claim is true at the moment.
The core clock on this card has been pushed all the way to
880MHz, which is on par with reference HD 6970 speed.
Memory clock is a decent, if not outstanding, 1300MHz.
AMD Radeon HD Sapphire HD 6950
6950 TOXIC Edition
Core Clock 800MHz 880MHz
Memory Clock 1250MHz 1300MHz
The HD 6950 TOXIC Edition's heatsink looks rather similar to
the reference AMD design, which also uses a vapor chamber
and a blower fan.
Sapphire has also retained the dual BIOS feature, which is
good news for BIOS modders. This feature was implemented
in the reference design but taken out by some other vendors,
presumably to cut costs. Sapphire also includes a custom
overclocking utility.
No information about pricing and global availability has been
announced for either smartphone.
Sapphire Releases World's
Fastest HD 6950
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sapphire-releases-world-s-fastest- View the original press release below:
hd-6950/13209.html
SAPPHIRE TOXIC model is fastest HD 6950 yet!
SAPPHIRE Technology - the world leading supplier
of graphics solutions, mainboards and other PC
5

6. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
products - has just announced the SAPPHIRE HD Good news for Skype users on Android waiting patently for
6950 TOXIC Edition, the fastest production card in video call support. An additional 17 devices were supported on
its class. The SAPPHIRE HD 6950 TOXIC Edition their latest Skype 2.1 for Android.
ships with clock speeds of 880MHz for the core
and 1300Mhz (5.2 Gb/sec effective) for the memory
making it the fastest production HD 6950 on
the market. This has been achieved by building
the card on a high specification PCB with digital
VRMs for excellent power regulation and 8 + 6
pin power connectors. It has a high performance
cooler featuring a Vapor Chamber, blower fan and
a new perforated backplate to increase airflow
out of the system case. Like the standard HD
6950, the SAPPHIRE HD 6950 TOXIC Edition
boasts true DX 11 capability and the powerful
configuration of 1408 stream processors and 88
texture processing units. A Dual BIOS feature allows
enthusiasts to experiment with alternative BIOS
profiles and settings. Performance can be further
enhanced with SAPPHIRE TriXX - the company's
dedicated overclocking tool which allows memory
and core clock speeds and voltages to be modified and
monitored and is available free to download.
With its two DVI, one HDMI and two mini-
DisplayPort outputs, the SAPPHIRE HD 6950
TOXIC Edition supports a wide range of monitor
configurations, including AMD Eyefinity with up
to four screens. The SAPPHIRE HD 6950 TOXIC
Edition has the latest Gen3 on-board hardware UVD
(Unified Video decoder), considerably reducing CPU
load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray(tm)
and other video content for both VC-1 and H.264
codecs, as well as Mpeg files. The UVD can decode
two 1080p HD video streams simultaneously and
display HD video in high quality with Windows Aero
mode enabled. The card has HDMI 1.4a which also Good news for Skype users on Android waiting patently for
supports Stereoscopic 3D output. The SAPPHIRE HD video call support on their mobile device. An additional 17
6950 family is supported by AMD's DirectX 11 WHQL devices were supported on their latest Skype 2.1 for Android.
certified graphics driver which delivers support for
all of the key DirectX 11 level features required for For folks who are using Android devices not listed above
new gaming experiences and acceleration of the latest but you are on Android 2.2, you could try some luck with
generation of browsers, transcoding and other high enabling video calling in your Skype settings by going to
performance applications (AMD APP acceleration). "Skype settings" after launching the app and select "enable
For more details please visit www.sapphiretech.com video calling".
Of course, if you do not see the settings, you are out of luck and
do not meet the minimum requirements set by Skype
Skype 2.1 for Android gives
video call for more Android Next generation Apple iPhone
devices is said to be 4G-capable
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/skype-2.1-for-android-gives-video-call- Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/next-generation-apple-iphone-is-said-
for-more-android-devices/13207.html to-be-4g-capable/13206.html
August 4th, 2011 August 4th, 2011
6

7. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Looks like the next generation iPhone is surely arriving, with
many rumors about the phone brewing almost every week.
Well, this time, it seems that China Mobile has "confirmed" the
new iPhone is going to be 4G-capable. Now, the question is,
will the new phone be an entirely new iPhone 5, or an improved
iPhone 4 (such as iPhone 4S or 4G)?
Avatar Kinect is a new social entertainment experience that
brings your avatar to life. Avatar Kinect can capture your
facial expressions and voice so that when you smile, nod or
speak, your avatar will do the same. You can invite up to seven
friends to join you in 24 imaginative virtual stages – discuss
the latest celebrity gossip or news on the Talk Show Stage,
try out your hysterical comedy routine on the Performance
Stage, or wager who will win the big game in the Sports Party
Stage. On top of that, you can share the fun by capturing
According to GizChina, China Mobile was reported to have animated videos you can post online for your family, friends or
reached an agreement with Apple to bring its 4th generation fans to enjoy. The Kinect sensor can record your session with a
TD-LTE mobile data connection to the next generation iPhone. producer’s editorial eye, following your performance, zooming
Although the news isn't exactly new, it could hint that the and panning, just like a real TV production. Share your video
next generation iPhone would be an iPhone 4S type device, recording with friends by uploading it to KinectShare.com and
with 4G capabilities, rather than a brand new iPhone 5 design. downloading it to your computer. You can also post it to your
This would make sense with some of the rumors that the favorite social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and
next generation iPhone, which could be the iPhone 5, iPhone YouTube. Avatar Kinect is available for free to all Xbox LIVE
4S, (or iPhone 4G) has actually started carry network testing. Gold members, but to celebrate its release, Avatar Kinect has
Regardless of whether it would be a new designed iPhone 5 or been unlocked for all Xbox LIVE members (Free or Gold) to
just a rehashed, improved version of the iPhone 4, many users enjoy from 25 July to 8 September.
are waiting for the phone's arrival.
Avatar Kinect and Kinect
Sparkler promise more fun on
Xbox Kinect
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/avatar-kinect-and-kinect-sparkler-
promise-more-fun-on-xbox-kinect/13205.html
August 4th, 2011
Aside from dancing and motion-gaming on the Xbox Kinect,
you can have more fun with the new additions of Avatar
Kinect and Kinect Sparkler in Kinect Fun Labs. Avatar Kinect Kinect Sparkler was launched in Kinect Fun Labs on 28
captures your facial expression so that your avatar will do the July and it transforms simple finger painting into an aerial
same, and you can have talk shows with friends with your light show, using brand new Kinect tech such as background
avatar. Kinect Sparkler lets you do finger drawing onscreen removal and detailed finger tracking. Use your body as a
with sparkler, and you can even draw in 3-D. stencil and your fingers to paint with light or write with
sparklers, turning your room into a canvas. You can also draw
in 3-D, moving the sparklers in front of and behind your
foreground image, and then view your creation from multiple
angels by moving your head. Share your masterpiece with
friends and family by uploading it to KinectShare.com. Kinect
7

8. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Sparkler will be available in Kinect Fun Labs for 240 Microsoft Since our last update, many of you have asked how the
Points. bootloader unlocking process will actually work, and in
particular why HTC's most recently released devices still have
a locked bootloader. Rest assured we're making progress
Randi Zuckerberg Leaves toward our goal to roll out the first software updates in
Facebook August to support unlocking for the global HTC Sensation,
followed soon by the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile and the
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/randi-zuckerberg-leaves-
HTC EVO 3D on Sprint. Because unlocking the bootloader
facebook/13204.html
provides extensive control over the device and modifications
August 4th, 2011
may cause operation, security and experience issues, new
devices will continue to ship locked but will support user-
initiated unlocking using a new Web-based tool.
So how will this work? The Web tool, which will launch this
month, requires that you register an account with a valid e-
mail address and accept legal disclaimers that unlocking may
void all or parts of your warranty. Then plug in your phone to
a computer with the Android SDK loaded to retrieve a device
identifier token, which you can then enter into the Web tool to
Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of founder Mark Zuckerberg, has receive a unique unlock key via e-mail. Finally, apply the key
decided to leave Facebook to start her own company. In an to your device and unlocking will be initiated on your phone.
interview with Mashable, Randi quoted that her resignation is
a “natural extension” and had been considering the move “for
a really long time" We're excited to bring bootloader unlocking to developers
No news on who will be succeeding her position but Randi was and enthusiasts, and we feel this new Web tool will meet
the director of marketing in Facebook, a major role in this top your needs and continue to provide customers with the best
social media company. Her new company, RtoZ Media, will be experience. Thanks to the community for supporting these
focusing as the role to help companies to become more "social" efforts!
HTC to unlock bootloaders That's right, HTC will be giving you the freedom to unlock your
bootloader, only after you accept a disclaimer notifying that
with a trade-off "all or parts" of your warranty may be null and void. Freedom
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/htc-to-unlock-bootloaders-with-a- comes at a price, what do you think of this HTC's take on
trade-off/13203.html unlocked bootloaders ?
August 4th, 2011
Ultrabooks too expensive
according to Taiwan notebook
Remember how HTC's locked bootloaders could be such a makers
pain? Everyone was pleased when HTC announced that they Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ultrabooks-too-expensive-according-
are going to unlock bootloaders on their mobile devices. Well to-taiwan-notebook-makers/13201.html
here is a update from the company on their facebook. August 4th, 2011
Apple's recently launched MacBook Air starts at US$999 and
the Taiwanese notebook makers are very concerned about
Apple's pricing and claim that unless Intel lowers its CPU
prices for its ULV models, Ultrabooks will end up way past
Intel's suggested US$1,000 starting price point. We're having
a feeling of déjà vu here with the failed CULV platform which
Remember how HTC's locked bootloaders could be such a wasn't quite as big as a failure as it's been made up to be, but
pain? Everyone was pleased when HTC announced that they it was another platform that was simply too expensive.
are going to unlock bootloaders on their mobile devices.
Well here is a update from the company on their facebook.
8

9. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Apple's recently launched MacBook Air starts at US$999 and August 4th, 2011
the Taiwanese notebook makers are very concerned about
Apple's pricing and claim that unless Intel lowers its CPU
prices for its ULV models, Ultrabooks will end up way past
Intel's suggested US$1,000 starting price point. We're having
a feeling of déjà vu here with the failed CULV platform which
wasn't quite as big as a failure as it's been made up to be, but
it was another platform that was simply too expensive. VR-Zone was one of the regional media invited to Bangkok,
It's easy to point fingers at Apple, but in this case we can't Thailand to witness the launch of Philips new consumer
but wonder if some of the notebook manufacturers have over- C, E and V-Line, and the business P, B and S-Line
reached in terms of what they thought they could produce at monitors by MMD. At the event, MMD also showcased
a certain price point. The notebook makers are now putting Philips' new ErgoSensor technology that claims to help correct
pressure on Intel to lower its CPU prices for them to be able to a user's posture, as well as their 27-inch 3D monitor.
hit the target pricing for Ultrabooks. For those who do not know, MMD (Multimedia Displays) is a
Part of the problem is said to be changes in the production wholly-owned company of TPV which claims to be the largest
process as most, if not all components will be soldered onto manufacturer of PC monitors and LCD TVs in the world.
the main PCB of the Ultrabooks to help reduce weight and And MMD markets Philips monitors under the global brand
thickness. SSDs are also required to meet the slim profile license agreement with Philips. Today, MMD announces the
alongside li-polymer batteries and several other changes. Even launch of their new C-Line (which is the premium range), E-
so, Intel's CPUs are said to bear about one third of the total Line (Essential range) and V-Line (Value range) consumer
cost of an Ultrabook, which sounds a bit steep. monitors; B-Line (Business), S-Line (Standard or Small
Business) and P-Line (Professional) business monitors. The P-
Intel has a fairly limited range of ULV processors, but even so Line, B-Line and S-Line business monitors are available now
Intel's ULV Core i5 models have a list price of US$250 which at all MMD distributors.
is only a quarter of the US$1,000 price point. In all fairness
Intel is hoping to get machines in the market for less than this,
but there's the OEM Core i3-2357M which we sadly don't know
what Intel is charging for, but it'll be substantially less than
US$250 and if we'd make an educated guess this CPU should
end up somewhere around the US$200 mark. Intel also has
a couple of budget friendly dual core ULV Celeron models at
US$134 and although they're not very attractive in terms of
performance, the cost is comparatively low.
The question is if the notebook makers are willing to make
this kind of a trade-off, especially after the low-end CULV
notebooks failing to gather any kind of momentum and in the
end even the high-end models ended up being sold at close
to cost. A repeat of this situation would be a disaster for the
notebook makers and this seems to be the main reason why
they're being so cautious about the Ultrabook market segment.
That said, some innovation would go a long way to convince
consumers to go for an Ultrabook over a regular notebook,
despite the slightly higher price. We have a feeling that one
reason why Apple's 13.3-inch MacBook Air is so popular is
because of the higher resolution screen, an option that's rare
to see on Windows notebooks and it's not exactly a super
innovative feature.
Philips launches new
consumer and business
monitors
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/philips-launches-new-consumer-and-
business-monitors/13194.html
9

10. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
The Philips Moda is a 23.6-inch LCD monitor, under the C-
Line of premium consumer monitors, has a two-tone elegant
finish with a die-cast pure aluminium stand. The Moda has
backlit controls with two HDMI input and a VGA connector.
According to the company, there is no DVI input as it is
phasing out and did not catch on consumers.
Also showcased at the event was the prototype Philips
ErgoSensor technology which MMD claims to be the first
MMD also introduced a pure white version of the Philips in the world to offer a true optimized ergonomic viewing
Moda (right picture) as well as one with the proprietary experience on their display. With an integrated camera above
Lightframe technology. The Philips Moda is scheduled to the display, the monitor uses advanced detection technology
be available next week; the white version in October to measure a user's interpupillary distance; whether their head
and the one with Lightframe in December (just before is in an inclined position; detects how long the user has been
Christmas). At press time, the 23.6-inch Philips Moda (model: sitting in front of the display etc, and gives appropriate advice
248C3LHSB) will be retailing at an S$349; the 21.5-inch E- to the user. At the rear of the monitor are USB, DVI and VGA
line (model: 227E3LPHSU) at S$229, and the 27-inch (model: connectors.
273E3LHSB) at S$489.
Philips ErgoSensor monitor
The ErgoSensor can only detect a single user at any one
time, and thus if there are few users crowding in front of the
monitor, the display will not be able to provide accurate advice.
According to a MMD executive, the ErgoSensor monitor takes
approximately less than two minutes to detect and monitor the
user and an attention prompt will popup at the bottom right of
the screen to inform the user. The Philips ErgoSensor monitor
is scheduled to launch from December this year. No pricing
information is available at press time.
More to come..
Motorola publishes
specifications of upcoming
DROID Bionic smartphone on
website
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/motorola-publishes-specifications-of-
upcoming-droid-bionic-smartphone-on-website/13200.html
10

11. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
August 4th, 2011 has pointed out that the original Bionic only had 512MB
of memory and utilized a Tegra 2 system-on-a-chip (SoC)
for its processing needs, whereas the phone that was listed
on Motorola's developer homepage boasted a 1GHz Texas
Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core processor and 1GB of
memory.
Now this has got to be one of those classic "Oh no they didn't!"
In addition, the leaked specifications from Motorola has also
cases in action, although most people would probably have
revealed that the upcoming Bionic will be a CDMA-only mobile
not expected Motorola, of all companies, to have made such
phone which boasts built-in support for 4G mobile broadband
as slip-up. Apparently, the company has somehow managed
connectivity via LTE, HDMI 1.4, along with 4GB of secure
to leak some precious information about an upcoming DROID
storage and 9GB of non-removable shared storage. Lastly, the
Bionic smartphone on its own website. Needless to say, the
smartphone will also feature a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen
mistake was discovered and the website's content modified
display that sports a native resolution of 960 x 540 (qHD),
to appear as if the information never existed, but not before
an eight-megapixel rear-facing camera, a VGA camera for the
its screenshots have started circulating around the depths of
front and most importantly, will be preloaded with version
cyberspace.
2.3.4 of the Android operating system. Now, all we need is for
Have you been lusting for more information about Motorola to conveniently "leak" out some information about
Motorola's upcoming Bionic smartphone? Well, the good news an expected release date, along with pricing details, for the
is that users do not have to wait any longer in order to find upcoming Bionic smartphone and everything will be just right.
out what kind of specifications Motorola's upcoming DROID
Oh, and just one more thing; Motorola has already pulled
Bionic smartphone will sport when it is finally released, for
the information about the DROID Bionic smartphone from
it seems that Motorola has somehow managed to accidently
its developer page, as we would have expected. But thanks to
post up the complete specifications for the aforementioned
the power of screenshots and the Internet, a copy of the full
smartphone on its developer page, well ahead of schedule.
specifications sheet has been published by Droid-Life, which
Nice.
you can access from this link if you are interested in finding
out more about the upcoming smartphone.
Strontium Gamma 115GB &
Matrix 120GB SSD Review
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/strontium-gamma-115gb--
matrix-120gb-ssd-review/12848.html
August 4th, 2011
Just about every memory manufacturer has jumped on the
solid state drive bandwagon - and Singapore-based Strontium
is no exception. We take a look at two SSDs from Strontium's
Matrix and Gamma product lines.
Singapore-based memory manufacturer Strontium is one of
the more recent entrants to the consumer SSD market. They
currently have two SSD product lines: the Gamma series,
which uses the SandForce SF-1222 controller, and the Matrix
series, which uses the Marvell 88SS9174-BLD2 controller.
Today, we'll be looking at the Strontium Gamma 115GB and
Strontium Matrix 120GB. Both drives are backed by a three
year warranty.
According to a report published by Droid-Life, the model
number for the Bionic that was listed on Motorola's
specification page may be referencing the older XT865 which
is already available for sale on the market, but that is more
of a typographical error on Motorola's part, as the XT865
sports specifications which are vastly different from those
that were listed out on the site. For example, Droid-Life
11

12. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Random 4K write Random 4K write
performance of performance of
50,000 IOPS (4K 50,000 IOPS (4K
aligned) aligned)
Power Active < 2.0W Active < 150mW
Consumption Idle < 0.5W
Warranty 3 years 3 years
Temperature Operating Operating
Temperature: 0°C~ Temperature: 0°C~
+70°C +70°C
Storage Storage
Temperature: Temperature:
Strontium Strontium
-20°C ~+85°C -20°C ~+85°C
Gamma 115GB Matrix 120GB
Humidity 0°C~55°C / 95%
Controller SandForce SF-1222 Marvell 88SS9174-
RH, 10cycles
BLD2
Operating Shock 1,500G, duration 1,500G, duration
Interface Supports Supports
0.5ms, half sine 0.5ms, half sine
1.5/3.0Gbps SATA 6/3.0Gbps SATA
wave wave
I/II interface III/II interface
Supports SATA Fully Compliant Vibration 20G peak, 2 –500 Hz at 3.1G
3.0Gb/s NCQ and with ATA/ATAPI-7 10~2KHz with
AHCI commands Standard 3axis
MTBF >1,000,000 Hours >1,200,000 Hours
Fully Compliant Supports SMART Form Factor 2.5" 2.5"
with ATA/ATAPI-7 (Self-Monitor Compliance Fully Compliant Fully Compliant
Standard Analysis and with RoHS with RoHS
Reporting directive directive
Supports SMART Technology) CE and FCC CE and FCC
(Self-Monitor compatibility compatibility
Analysis and TRIM support (O/S
Reporting support required)
Technology) LG unveils two new Cinema 3D
Supports Secure
TRIM support (O/S Erase and Write TVs in Korea
support required) Protect function Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lg-unveils-two-new-cinema-3d-tvs-in-
korea/13199.html
Supports Secure Supports Dynamic August 4th, 2011
Erase and Write and Static Wear
Protect function Levelling
Supports Dynamic Data integrity
and Static Wear under power-
Levelling cycling ( > 6,000
times) LG Electronics has announced the availability of its new
Data integrity Cinema 3D-capable, LED-backlit high-definition television
under power- sets (HDTVs), the 47-inch 47LW9800 and 55-inch
cycling ( > 6,000 55LW9800. Touted as the "crown-jewel" of 3D-capable
times) television sets, the Korean electronics company has claimed
that the new LW9800 series of HDTVs boast the most
Supports F/W advanced technologies and features ever developed by it. More
upgrade function details after the break...
Flash 25nm MLC 25nm MLC LG has announced the availability of its new Cinema 3D-
Performance Maximum Maximum capable, LED-backlit high-definition television sets (HDTVs),
sequential read sequential read the 47-inch 47LW9800 and 55-inch 55LW9800. The new
speed 280 Mbps speed 415 Mbps HTDVs have been claimed by LG to be the "crown-jewels"
Maximum Maximum of 3D-capable television sets, and that they both feature the
sequential write sequential write most advanced technologies and features ever developed by
speed 270 Mbps speed 175 Mbps the company.
12

13. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
August 4th, 2011
The Logitech Revue may have made the headlines recently
over its drastic price drop from US$249 to US$99 , but that
does not mean that all is not going well for the Google TV
set-top box, at least where end-users and the hacker comunity
are concerned. Apparently, some enterprising developers have
managed to successfully flash the Revue with version 3.1 of the
Android operating system (Honeycomb), well before Logitech
plans to roll out its own official Android 3.1 firmware update
According to the official press release issued by LG, the come summer this year.
new 47-inch 47LW9800 and 55-inch 55LW9800 3D-capable
LCD TVs sport what the company calls its NANO FULL
LED and TruMotion 480Hz technology. LG claims that its
NANO FULL LED lighting technogy makes use of an extremely
thin film printed with minuscule dots to disperse light more
evenly across the screen, with the result being brighter, clearer
and smoother pictures, while TruMotion 400Hz ensures that
images displayed by the telvision "stay silky smooth, no
matter how fast the action".
So Logitech has slashed the price of its Revue Google TV
In addition, LG has also claimed that the 47LW9800
set-top box by almost 60% from US$249 to US$99. While
and 55LW9800 will make use of the company's passive
that might sound like a typical response for any company
"Cinema 3D" display technology which is reportedly capable
whose product is not doing very well on the market, it would
of eliminating common symptoms of discomfort experienced
seem that the latest bit of news regarding the Revue might
by users who own television sets which make use of the
be just the kind of information that could potentially help
conventional active 3D technology, such as dizziness or
renew consumer interest in Logitech's Google TV set-top box.
disorientation. This has made it possible for the Korean
Apparently, a group of enterprising hackers have somehow
electronics company to deliver affordable and comfortable 3D
managed to flash the Revue with a custom Android 3.1 ROM
glasses which are affordable, lightweight and battery free, thus
(aka Honeycomb), and details on how to do so have somehow
ensuring that user comfort is not affected.
managed to leak onto the Internet, complete with pictorial
Last but definitely not least, LG has added that the new 47-inch evidence.
47LW9800 and 55-inch 55LW9800 3D-capable LCD TVs will
And yes, this custom ROM apparently comes preloaded with
come bundled with various Smart TV features, such as support
the Android Market app.
for online connectivity, multi-screen display and the inclusion
of a built-in web browser to allow it to access the Internet,
along with a Smart Motion Remote Control for operating the
TV set.
No information about pricing and global availability for the
aforementioned television sets has been released at this point
of time, although LG claims that the products were first
launched in Korea two days ago.
Hackers successfully
flash Logitech Revue with
Honeycomb 3.1
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hackers-successfully-flash-logitech-
revue-with-honeycomb-3.1/13198.html
If you will remember our earlier article, we mentioned that
Logitech has already planned to roll out a software update that
will see existing Revue set-top boxes gain access to both the
Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) operating system and the Android
13

14. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Market at once. However, with the Revue now going for as
low as US$99, we really would not be surprised to hear of
consumers actually purchasing one of those Revues just to
satisfy their curiosity by trying to see if they can flash the
device's stock firmware with a custom build of the Honeycomb
operating system
Toshiba unveils new standard-
height, 1TB hard disks for
notebooks
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/toshiba-unveils-new-standard-
height-1tb-hard-disks-for-notebooks/13197.html
August 4th, 2011
Well, that sure didn't take very long. In less than two weeks According to Toshiba, the new MQ01ABD100 hard disk
after we published the news of Western Digital's success in sports an areal density of 744Gb/in2 and boasts a power
rolling out what was probably the world's first standard- consumption of no more than 0.55 watts when idle, along
height, 1TB-touting mobile hard disks for notebooks, out with a 25% improvement in energy efficiency over its more-
comes Toshiba with its own variant of such a hard disk, conventional hard disk models such as the MK7559GSXP. In
the MQ01ABD100, which the Japanese company has claimed addition, Toshiba claims that the new MQ01ABD100 hard disk
is specially designed for devices such as high-performance produces lesser noise as well, peaking at 24dB during seek
notebooks and hard disk-based media recorders. operations, and features standard specifications such as 8MB
of cache, a platter speed of 5,400rpm, support for version 2.6
Remember the news we posted some time back about Western of the SATA specification and a maximum shock tolerance of
Digital unveiling what was probably the world's first standard- up to 8,820 m / s2 when non-operational (3,920 m / s2 when
height mobile hard disk that boasted as astronomical storage operational).
capacity of 1TB? Well, the good news is that users who are
in need of a new high-capacity hard disk but want more
options to choose from will probably have much to look
forward to. This is because Western Digital's Scorpio Blue
hard disk has found itself a new competitor in the market
for standard-height mobile hard disks boasting 1TB of storage
space, and it comes in the form of Toshiba's latest product, the
MQ01ABD100.
14

15. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
No details about pricing and availability for the new The specifications of the mouse have remained mostly
MQ01ABD100 hard disk has been announced by Toshiba at unchanged since its initial debut way back at CES this year;
this point of time, although Akihabara News is claiming that it makes use of Microsoft's signature BlueTrack technology,
the device is expected to debut in Japan come mid-August this which is reportedly capable of allowing users to utilize the
year. Touch Mouse on virtually any surface, while a nano receiver
serves as the link which connects the mouse to one's PC. In
addition, the touch sensors on the Microsoft Touch Mouse are
Japan to start selling also said to be capable of recognizing different finger sizes, a
Microsoft's new Touch Mouse trait which could potentially allows users to map various flicks
and gestures to different fingers.
next month Last but definitely not least, ITmedia has claimed that the
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/japan-to-start-selling-microsoft-s-new-
Microsoft Touch Mouse draws power from two AA batteries
touch-mouse-next-month/13196.html
and is reportedly capable of providing up to three months of
August 4th, 2011
uptime on a fresh set of batteries. Oh, and it is available in any
colour you want, as long as it is black.
Old Twitter users to be
upgraded to New Twitter this
Remember the Microsoft Touch Mouse that was first unveiled
at CES this year? You know, the one that reportedly supports week
three-finger gestures, is supposed to be available for sale only Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/old-twitter-users-to-be-upgraded-to-
in the second half of the year and is said to be the direct new-twitter-this-week/13195.html
competitor to Apple's Magic Mouse? Well, it seems like the August 4th, 2011
wait for the mouse to finally reach our shores may soon be at
an end, now that Microsoft has announced the availability of
the new Touch Mouse in Japan. Are you still using the old Twitter interface which has now been
Approximately seven months ago, we ran a story describing dubbed by many as 'Old Twitter'? Well, if you are, you might
what was essentially Microsoft's answer to Apple's multitouch- want to actually start getting used to the new interface which
capable Magic Mouse, the Microsoft Touch Mouse, which the popular microblogging service has rolled out way back last
first debuted at CES, and was touted to be capable of year; the company has confirmed that it plans to upgrade all
supporting gestures made by up to a maximum of three existing Old Twiiter users to the new interface by this week.
fingers. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not release any concrete Well, change is never easy, right?
details about the mouse's release date at that point of time, Well, looks like Twitter has finally decided to get serious about
preferring to simply claim that consumers could expect to see its plans for upgrading the user interface for its popular online
the device hit retail shelves starting from the second half of the social networking and microblogging service. Apparently, we
year. have just received word from the company itself that the new
Twitter user interface, which was first unveiled to users way
back in September last year, will soon take over as the default
interface when users access Twitter, and that the Old Twitter
interface will be going the way of the dinosaur when that
happens "this week".
And if you thought we were making this up, this official tweet
from the company itself that was seemingly made only a
should dispel all remaining doubt that the UI change due to
take place within this week, although Twitter has seemingly
decided to not provide an exact date for the global rollout of
the New Twitter interface.
Fast forward to the present, and it seems that the long
wait for Microsoft's new Touch Mouse might soon be at an
end, especially if this latest announcement made by the the
Redmond giant's Japan office is of any indication. Apparently,
the Touch Mouse is expected to be made available for sale in
Japan come September this year, and that it will reportedly be
retailing at the price of 7980 yen, or approximately US$103.
15

16. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
August 4th, 2011
That being said, Twitter's latest move will probably irk many
users who have grown accustomed to the Old Twitter interface,
although one really cannot fault the popular microblogging
platform for 'forcing' the New Twitter interface down on its
user base. For one, Twitter has been taking pains to remind
people since June this year that the switch to the new interface
was imminent by adding a browser-top alert informing them
that the upgrade to New Twitter was expected to take place
"very, very soon".
Well, at the very least, Twitter had the decency to make the
eventual switch as gradual and low-key as possible by allowing
users to hold on to Old Twitter up till now, even though
New Twitter was officially unveiled way back in September
last year. This, along with the use of constant browser-top
reminders informing users that New Twitter will eventually
take its place as the default user interface for the popular
microblogging platform means that critics cannot blame
Twitter for pulling a "Facebook" on its user base and suddenly
making an abrupt UI change without any notification.
More images of ASUS MARS II
Dual-GTX 580 Graphics Card
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/more-images-of-asus-mars-ii-dual-
gtx-580-graphics-card/13192.html
16

17. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
OEMs today and a good percentage of the high performance
power supplies currently available are based on their designs
and manufactured by them. Some weeks ago we had a look
at one of their very high output products, the Direct12 BR
1kW power supply; today we are going to test and review the
Performance Pro series 750W unit and see how well High
Power can deliver in the mainstream market.
• 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified - Offer 85% minimum
efficiency at 50% load
• Single +12V Output Rail - Offers maximum compatibility
with latest components.
• Dual Case Fan Connectors - Two Additional connectors
dedicated for 8cm, 9cm, 12cm, or 14cm fans. AI
Temperature control unit manage fan speed accordingly
to keep temperature and acoustic level at optimal.
• Golf-Surfaced Fan - Whisper quiet 13.5cm golf- surfaced
fan brings more airflow volume with less noise than
convention.
• Japan- made Main Capacitors - Longer lifespan than
electrolytic capacitors
• Honey Comb Structure with the Best Ventilation -
Optimum design structure made to maximize air flow
to minimize thermal increase, air resistance, and noise
level.
• 24 Pin connector with Nylon Sleeve - The cable is sleeved
The ASUS MARS II is a dual-GTX 580 graphics card. It will for an improved airflow and help create a neat and easy
feature a core frequency of 816MHz, shader frequency of installation.
1632MHz, a memory frequency of 4008MHz, 3GB of GDDR5
• PCI-Express Power Connectors - Provide dedicated +12V
memory and 1024 CUDA cores. The ASUS MARS II graphics
for high end dual graphic SLI or Crossfire Connection.
card is reported to have a limited quantity of 1000 units with
a price tag of €1,000 (S$1,714) each. • Patented Easy Swap Connector - Quick and Easy
installation.
High Power Performance Pro • EuP 2010 Lot 6 Compliant (System Idle power usage less
than 1W)
750W PSU review • RoHS Compliant - made with hazardous - free
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/high-power-performance-pro-750w-
components RoHS is the Restriction Of the use of
psu-review/13193.html
certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic
August 4th, 2011
equipment. This has been a standard in Europe and
is now becoming a standard in the world. Not only
lead, but cadium, mercury, hexavalent chromium,
polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), and polybrominated
diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are limited as
well.
Today we bring you the review of another high quality power • What you see is what you get. NO Tweaks! - True
supply from High Power, the subsidiary company of Sirfa. For Wattage Rating is the industry's way of designating a
those unaware of it, Sirfa is one of the most reputable PSU power supply model's wattage capacity. It is based on
OEMs today and a good percentage of the high performance the total DC output wattages that a power supply can
power supplies currently available are based on their designs continuously provide.
and manufactured by them. Some weeks ago we had a look
at one of their very high output products, the Direct12 BR
1kW power supply; today we are going to test and review the
Performance Pro series 750W unit and see how well High
Kingston To Ship HyperX SSD
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/kingston-to-ship-hyperx-
Power can deliver in the mainstream market.
ssd/13190.html
Today we bring you the review of another high quality power
supply from High Power, the subsidiary company of Sirfa. For
those unaware of it, Sirfa is one of the most reputable PSU
17

18. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
August 4th, 2011 Considering that DisplayPort isn't directly compatible with
DVI and HDMI (both of which are very similar to each other),
adapters like these will be needed. There are already plenty of
adapters available in the market, but none quite like these.
Kingston is shipping their HyperX SSD which will feature the
SandForce SD-2281 controller, SATA 3 interface allowing a
read speed of 555MB/s and write speed of 510MB/s. It also
has a random 4k read of 95,000 IOPs and a random 4k write
of 70,000 IOPs. The HyperX SSD will be available in 120GB, Each of the new adaptors plug into either a mini DisplayPort
240GB capacities which will retail for US$270 (S$325) and US or a standard size DisplayPort connector and then give you a
$520 (S$626) respectively. pair of HDMI ports in the other end. This in itself might not
sound all that special, until you realise that you can run a pair
of HDMI screens of a single DisplayPort connector. This is
Zotac launches DisplayPort to potentially very useful for someone with a motherboard with
dual HDMI adapters integrated graphics that wants to run three screens, something
that isn't possible without adding a graphics card in most
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/zotac-launches-displayport-to-dual-
cases. Plug in one of Zotac's new adapters and you can, at least
hdmi-adapters/13191.html
as long as your motherboard has one DisplayPort and at least
August 4th, 2011
one other display interface.
If there's one market where things moves slowly, as in slower
than paint drying, then it's the display interface industry as it's
the year 2011 and we're still using a display connector that first
came out in 1987, namely the good old D-sub. This was meant
to be replaced by the DVI port and more recently both ports
were said to be replaced by the DisplayPort connector by 2015
or there abouts. So what does this have to do with anything?
Well, Zotac has come up with a pair of nifty adapters for
anyone that happens to own a pair of HDMI equipped displays
and a graphics card with only a DisplayPort connector.
There is a drawback though, Zotac's adapters are limited to
1920x1080 resolution per screen, but at least there's support
If there's one market where things moves slowly, as in slower for spanning so 3840x1080 is doable. The adapters also work
than paint drying, then it's the display interface industry as it's with notebooks and we can see quite a few notebook users
the year 2011 and we're still using a display connector that first being interested in these, as you don't tend to have a wealth of
came out in 1987, namely the good old D-sub. This was meant display interfaces on notebooks and this makes it tricky to run
to be replaced by the DVI port and more recently both ports more than one display. It might not be the perfect solution, but
were said to be replaced by the DisplayPort connector by 2015 it's still a much better one than what's currently available. No
or there abouts. So what does this have to do with anything? word on pricing as yet, but we'd expect the new adapters to be
Well, Zotac has come up with a pair of nifty adapters for more expensive than current single port adapters.
anyone that happens to own a pair of HDMI equipped displays
Update: The price for either adapter is US$50 which seems a
and a graphics card with only a DisplayPort connector.
bit on the steep side.
So ok, it's hugely unlikely that this will ever be the case, but
it's good to see a company that's willing to move forward.
18

19. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
It appears that we have a lot to look forward to from Sony's
OCZ to launch Z-Drive R4 SSD digital camera division later this month, as the company is
with capacity of over 3TB expected to launch no less than four new cameras of which two
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ocz-to-launch-z-drive-r4-ssd-with- are Alpha models and two are NEX models. Pictures of both
capacity-of-over-3tb/13187.html of the NEX models have now appeared, alongside pictures of
August 4th, 2011 several new lenses and details of some new accessories.
The announcement is expected to take place around the 23 or
24 of August, but the new cameras are said to not be available
until October at the earliest with Asia apparently getting first
dibs. The big news in today's leak is the first, if albeit tiny
picture of Sony's upcoming NEX-5N and although it looks very
OCZ is going to launch its Z-Drive R4 SSD soon which was similar to the current NEX-5 it has a slight angle on the top
first seen at the Computex 2011. The SSD will be available in and the pixel count has gone up from 14.2 Megapixels to 16.1
various capacities from 480GB to 3.84TB. Megapixels.
The other big news is a front view of the NEX-7 which is
a larger camera than the NEX-5N by a fair amount which
can easily be seen by the large amount of camera that is still
surrounding the lens. In all fairness it's not going to be a
huge camera, but we can see Sony swinging things around and
calling this the “world's smallest” exchangeable lens camera
with a built in viewfinder.
OCZ will be launching its latest PCIe SSD, Z-Drive R4, which
allows up to 2,900MB/s read speed, 2700MB/s write speed
and 350,000 IOPS for 4K random write. In one of the
demonstration shown at the Computex 2011, multiple Z-Drive
R4 in Raid 0 configuration was able to churn out more than
one million IOPS for the Iometer 4KB random read test.
The OCZ Z-Drive R4 uses eight SandForce SF-2281 controllers
which are internally configured for Raid 0, runs on a PCIe x8 Several new lenses are also expected for the NEX compatible
card and will be available in two variants, the C series (480GB E-mount. We're fairly certain a lot of consumers have been
to 3.84TB) and R series (800GB to 3.2TB). waiting for a zoom lens for the NEX range and Sony is set to
deliver this with a new 55-210mm f/4-6.3 lens with OSS. Then
we have a 50mm f/1.8 lens again with OSS and finally a Zeiss
Sony's next gen NEX cameras branded 24mm f/1.8 lens. The NEX-5N is also said to get an
and more unveiled ahead of external XGA resolution OLED viewfinder which is sadly not
backwards compatible with the older NEX models.
the launch Another interesting development is something called the LA-
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sony-s-next-gen-nex-cameras-and- EA2 which is a translucent mirror adapter for some of the NEX
more-unveiled-ahead-of-the-launch/13188.html cameras that accepts Alpha mount lenses and pretty much
August 4th, 2011 turns the NEX cameras into one of Sony's SLT cameras. It's
said to add much faster auto focus, although at the cost of
battery life.
As for Sony's Alpha models, the A77 is expected to sport
24 Megapixels, very fast auto focus and 11 cross type AF
It appears that we have a lot to look forward to from Sony's points. The new electronic viewfinder is meant to be a huge
digital camera division later this month, as the company is improvement over the current SLT cameras from Sony and the
expected to launch no less than four new cameras of which two A77 is said to be offered bundled with a new 16-50mm f/2.8
are Alpha models and two are NEX models. Pictures of both SSM lens. The more affordable A65 model is said to feature
of the NEX models have now appeared, alongside pictures of the same sensor as the A77, but it won't have the same high
several new lenses and details of some new accessories. speed frame capture capability. The A77 is expected to cost
19

20. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
around US$1200-1300 without the kit lens which adds about To top off the package, ViewSonic has also claimed that the
US$200-300 to the price tag. V3D243's built-un support for NVIDIA 3D Vision technology
allows users "to play more than 550 3D games in full 1080p,
60 fps resolution, view 3D videos and photos, and stream 3D
ViewSonic announces web content" when the monitor is hooked up to a PC which
availability of 24-inch, 3D- utilizes a supported GeForce graphics card. Alternatively,
users can also make use of the built-in HDMI-in port to
capable V3D245 monitor in the connect various media devices such as the "latest Blu-ray 3D
US players" or video game consoles. Last but definitely not least,
the company has confirmed that the monitor will also feature
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/viewsonic-announces-availability-
an "integrated two-watt SRS Premium Sound audio speakers
of-24-inch-3d-capable-v3d245-monitor-in-the-us/13183.html
provides consumers the ultimate multimedia entertainment
August 4th, 2011
display".
No information about global availability has been announced
at this point of time, although ViewSonic has confirmed that
the V3D245 3D monitor, along with the bundled pair of
NVIDIA 3D Vision active stereo 3D glasses, will be available
for sale in North America come mid-to-late August at the
ViewSonic has announced the availability of its new 24-inch, estimated retail price of US$499.
3D-capable V3D245 monitors in the US. The monitors, which
More Symbian "Belle"
boast support for NVIDIA's 3D Vision technology, have been
touted by the company to be capable of delivering "great color
accuracy and picture detail for unsurpassed 3D image quality" screenshots surface online
and is designed to appeal to "gamers, movie buffs and photo Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/more-symbian-belle-screenshots-
enthusiasts". surface-online/13180.html
ViewSonic has announced the availability of the new LED- August 4th, 2011
backlit V3D245 monitor which boasts a 24-inch display, along
with support for 3D display via the use of NVIDIA's 3D Vision
technology.
Nokia may have already committed itself to transitioning
towards Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 mobile operating
system, but if you thought that the Finnish communication
corporation's desicion would result in the quick and decisive
death of its existing Symbian operating system, well, you could
not have been further from the truth. Apparently, word has
it that Nokia is already hard at work on the next iteration of
the Symbian OS, which has been dubbed as Symbian Belle,
and the latest leaked screenshots of the operating system are
suggesting that "Belle" might offer a much more flexible user
experience over "Anna".
Have you heard about Symbian "Belle"? Well, for those
According to the official press release issued by the who are not aware, "Belle" is reportedly the codename for
company, the new V3D243 3D-capable monitor makes use Nokia's upcoming successor to the Symbian operating system,
of a combination of "world-leading LED technology with of which "Anna" is the version that is currently in use
extraordinary power-saving performance" and is capable of on many of the Finnish telecommunications corporation's
offering a refresh rate of 120Hz, along with an "ultra-fast flagship smartphone models. And from the looks of it, it would
2ms video response time", thus "making it ideal for delivering seem that Symbian "Belle" is Nokia's best attempt to restore
a truly immersive 2D and 3D entertainment and gaming the Symbian operating system to relevancy in today's highly
experience". In addition, ViewSonic claims that video-input is competitive mobile operating system market, especially if the
achieved via a HDMI port which supports version 1.4 of the various leaked screenshots of "Belle" that have started showing
HDMI standard, while the 1920x1080 full HD display panel up online are of any indication.
used in the assembly of the V3D243 is capable of achieveing
a 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and up to 300 nits
of brightness for "great color accuracy and picture detail for
unsurpassed 3D image quality".
20

21. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
According to a report published by My Nokia Blog, the leaked In addition, a screenshot of what appears to be the multitab
screenshots that made it out onto the Internet this time were view for Symbian "Belle"'s built-in web browser was also found
centered around the operating system's user inteface. For on The Nokia Blog, with the wesite claiming that Nokia's
example, My Nokia Blog has pointed out that Symbian "Belle" implementation of the feature in Symbian "Belle" seems to
now sports what appears to be the introduction of a universal bear some similarities to a similar feature that is already
toolbar which is permanently positioned at the bottom of present in Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system.
the screen. More importantly, the icons and options present
on the aforementioned toolbar seem to change dynamically
whenever a different app is launched; this is very similar to
how the toolbar in Apple's Mac OS X operating system works.
21

22. August 4th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
The patent dispute between Apple and Samsung rages on, and
it looks like the Cupertino company has brought the Korean
to the Federal Court of Australia. Well, Apple has won an
agreement and this means that Samsung is not allowed to sell
their new Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the country. At least not until the
dispute has been resolved.
Since April, Apple has issued a lawsuit against Korean
manufacturer Samsung for copying the looks and feel of
its iPhone, iPod Touch and even the iPad tablet device.
And Apple has seek an injunction on the latest Samsung
Galaxy Tab 10.1 in countries including USA, UK, Germany,
France, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Australia, and it has
won the agreement that stops Samsung from selling the tablet
device in Australia. Well, that is until the dispute between both
companies have been resolved.
That being said, no details about a possible release date for
Symbian "Belle" has been leaked out to the wild yet, so it is Samsung has agreed to stop advertising the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in
very possible that the various screenshots that are currently Australia, and that the tablet will not be sold in the country,
making their rounds in cyberspace could be nothing more while Apple has agreed to compensate the Korean company for
than just a bunch of pre-release UI designs that are likely to the lost sales if it loses the case. According to reports, Samsung
undergo significant changes as Nokia progresses further with has offered three Australian models of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to
the development of their new operating system. However, we Apple for examination.
cannot help but admit that these screenshots have definitely
captured our attention, if only because they seem to hint
that Nokia might finally be getting its mojo back where user- Are you waiting for the new
interface design is concerned. After all, one must never forget iPhone 5?
that this is the company which was once highly regarded by Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/are-you-waiting-for-the-new-
many for its knack in delivering mobile phones that sported iphone-5-/13177.html
user interfaces which were both attractive and extremely easy August 4th, 2011
to use.
Samsung not allowed to sell
Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-not-allowed-to-sell-galaxy-
tab-10.1-in-australia/13179.html With rumors of the upcoming iPhone 5 launching in
August 4th, 2011 September or October, it is interesting to know that there
are many consumers who are waiting for the Apple
smartphone. According to analyst from Piper Jaffray, it looks
like 74% of Verizon users whom were polled, are waiting for
the iPhone 5.
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