Asus launch their GTX 680 at a wallet melting price

Now that Nvidia have made the GTX 680 official, manufacturers are slowly beginning to launch their versions of the card in India. We’ve already seen ZOTAC’s rendition of the GTX 680 and now it’s time for Asus to show what they can do. The company launched the GTX680-2GD5, which is primarily based on the reference design from Nvidia. However, what’s not reference is the pricing. Asus has priced their card at Rs.46,000, excluding taxes, which is an incredibly absurd amount and I sincerely hope for their sake that it’s not the street price. This is way more expensive than their flagship AMD offering as well.

Sell your and arms and kidneys for this one

Based on the 28nm “Kepler” architecture, the ASUS GTX 680 delivers superior DirectX 11 performance and full readiness for the next phase of PC entertainment. Due to its ample processing power, the GTX 680 can handle ultra HD or 4K resolutions in games and video, extending visual finesse and quality beyond current standards. At the same time, 28nm GPU fabrication means reduced power consumption, leading to a modest 195W TDP under load. With its 1536 CUDA cores, the GTX 680 offers enhanced general processing GPU output to speed up overall system performance. It ships with a 256-bit memory interface and 2GB of GDDR5 clocked at 6008MHz actual. Dynamic NVIDIA  GPU Boost modulation means the card can alternate between the base 1006MHz and the sped-up 1058MHz mode when extra frames per second are needed in the most demanding games.

This flexible design is further improved upon by ASUS through the presence of exclusive GPU Tweak. The GTX 680 serves as the launch vehicle for new NVIDIA  Adaptive Vertical Sync technology, which automatically compensates for frame rate fluctuations in-game via use of intelligent VSync activation and moderation. Based on actual frame rates, the GTX 680 can turn VSync on or off, ensuring smoother visuals and reduced stutter in even the most intense games, as a result of better GPU resource management. The technology also frees gamer from the need to manually turn VSync on and off in different games.

Verbatim offers high performance internal SSDs from Rs.5,500

Verbatim, one of the Japanese IT companies have announced the launch of their SATA II Internal SSD in the Indian market. This newly launched internal solid state drive claims to be rugged, fast and quiet in its operation. It is equipped with a SATA II interface, which offers speed up to a good 3GB/sec. Verbatim SATA II solid state drive aims to be the ideal storage solution for users who demand maximum performance in data storage and computer efficiency.  It is capable of reading up to 270 MB/sec for data storage purposes. It has a low power consumption, which makes it a good choice for your personal laptop as it, in turn, conserves laptop battery life.  

Announced!

According to the company, with Verbatim’s SATA Internal SSD, the user can experience an improved system responsiveness as the drive enables faster system boot-up, with quicker application launches and shutdown times. This internal SSD also offers TRIM support for Windows 7, which enables the user to wipe out unused data in the SSD internally. Verbatim’s SATA Internal SSD has a MTBF rating of one million hours, whereas typical disk drives for personal computers have MTBF ratings of about 500,000 hours. This internal SSD is available in 128GB and 64GB storage capacities. Along with internal SSD, the package includes a 3.5-inch drive bay adapter plate and power cable for optional desktop installations.

“Verbatim’s SATA II Internal SSD has received wide appreciation from all over the world. In India over the past decades we have witnessed significant growth in the IT product market. We are seizing this opportunity and looking forward that internal SSD will repeat the same success in the Indian Market too. It can handle large amount of data quickly and provide maximum computer performance,” said,Ramesh Tuli, Country Manager, Verbatim India.

Verbatim Marketing India Pvt. Ltd., a group company of Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation, Japan, has been one of the front runners in data storage technology and they are intending to cement their position with their upcoming line-up of products. This solid-state drive has a sturdy design and is resistant to shocks and vibrations. This reliable solid-state design features a 1500G shock rating. These SSD are backed by a 3-year limited warranty and are available at a price starting from Rs.5,500 onwards.

Windows Phone SDK gets updated to support 256 MB phones

Microsoft rolled out an update to the Windows Phone SDK to include support for applications on 256 MB phones. The update is version 7.1.1 and it also allows developers working on Windows 8 machines to develop using WPSDK 7.1. Microsoft wrote on their developers' blog that this update isn't a huge one aside from the above mentioned functions. What it also updates the current SDK install to do is:

• The Visual Studio IDE is patched to enable selection from a list of emulators, and launching it (note that the WPSDK can only support connecting to one at a time, though)
• The Windows Phone [512 MB device] emulator image is updated to use build 8773
• A second, new emulator device image is included, allowing you to emulate running your app on a 256 MB device
• The Microsoft Advertising SDK is updated to the latest version (previously only available as a separate install), which fixes some issues devs were encountering at runtime
• IntelliSense now supports specifying the 512 MB device requirement in your manifest file, should you choose to opt your app out from running on the new 256 MB devices
• Language support is again consistent both in the IDE (the 7.1.1 Update supports all 10 of the WPSDK 7.1 languages) and in the emulator OS (Malay and Indonesian have been added)

Downloading the patch is a three step process - you accept, install and then finish. It is a pretty heavy patch at just under 300 MB. 

Devs can support 256 MB phones

Microsoft and Nokia want the developer base for Windows Phone to increase and flourish. They've put together an application development program at Finland's Aalto University. The two companies are investing $24 million in the project, which is called AppCampus. Will adding app support for lower end phones increase their chances at becoming a major OS, to compete head on head with Android and iOS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Novatech nFinity 14 Inch Ultrabook Announced

UK computer retailer Novatech has announced a new 14 inch ultrabook, the Novatech nFinity which comes with a 14.1 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and an Intel Core i3 processor.
There are also other models available with Intel core i5 and Core i7 processors and you get up to 4GB of RAM and a choice of either a 64GB or a 128GB solid state drive (SSD).

Other specifications include a 1.3 megapixel web camera, three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Bluetooth and a multi format card reader and they come with Windows 7.
Pricing for the entry level core i3 version starts at £430 which works out at around $687, and the core i5 and Core i7 models are a bit more expensive.

LG Lucid For Verizon Gets Official, Lands 29th March For $79.99

We have been hearing about the new LG Lucid over the last few weeks, and now the device is official and is headed to US mobile carrier Verizon Wireless.
Verizon will be offering the LG Lucid on a two year contract from the 29th of March for $79.99, and the device comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a promise of an ICS update in the future.

The LG Lucid features 4 inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, plus a dual core 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM plus front and rear facing cameras.
On the back there is a 5 megapixel camera which can record full HD video in 1080p, on the front there is a VGA camera for video chat, and it also comes with Bluetooth and WiFi.

Samsung HMX-QF20 WiFi Camcorder Announced

Samsung has launched a new camcorder in South Korea, the Samsung HX-QF20, which comes with a range of new features over the previous model, including an enhanced switch grip function.
The Samsung HMX-QF20 feature built in WiFi, plus an accelerometer than can automatically adjust the menu depending in which hand you are holding the device or if you are holding it vertically.


It is capable of recording HD video in 1080-i and comes with a Schneider-KREUZNACH that has 20x optical zoom and 40x digital zoom, it also feature a 5 megapixel backside illuminated 5 megapixel sensor for taking photos.
Other features include optical image stabilization, and a 2.7 inch touchscreen display, it will go on sale in South Korea for 449, Won which works out at around $395.