From the world of robotic doppelgangers come the 6-legged Stelarc Walking Head, capable of moving autonomously using a library of pre-defined movement orders based on different circumstances like its current position, nature of the trigger (i.e. a person entering the room) and any obstructions. Besides this gee-whiz capability however, lies a somewhat more disturbing feature, a rendered human head that pops up on its upright-mounted LCD panel once it detects a human (or even not) presence with its ultrasound sensors.

No! Really? Initial reaction to this picture invariably came out as incredulous or disbelieving. How about you? Just to clear things up in a jiffy, it’s a real photo, and it’s only a small portion of China’s preparation for the Olympics this coming August 8.

Leave it to Asus to find the sweet spot where consumer desires and hardware capabilities converge. The Asus Essentio CS5110 is a small form-factor PC with big multi-media tendencies. Thanks to Asus, these tendencies are fully realized with their inclusion of a full-fledged, discrete graphics solution in the maximally-small volume of the Essentio CS5110.

The regular online editor (that’s me) is being dragged off for the time being to make way for the good folks of the print edition here at Hardware Zone Philippines. Taking my place temporarily is Jase and Alfred, who were part of Acer’s Summer adventure/event, and they’re here to give our faithful readers a quick peek at their exploits and travails (or so it seemed to me, judging by the pictures!) Now I hand you over to our two intrepid writers for a break from my blabber. 

AMD’s smashing release of the 4800 series was represented from the get-go not by an over-the-top, uber-expensive, for-enthusiasts-only videocard, but rather by an almost unassuming, mid-range offering in the form of the Radeon HD4850. We take our recently arrived GeCube brand 4850 for a quick spin and find ourselves salivating at the possibilities.

How often can we say that we do not compromise on a particular product? The PC industry is awash with products that are studies in compromise, whether it be price versus performance, power versus efficiency, or innovativeness versus compatibility. When it comes to laptops and other portable devices, the compromises become more distinct – especially when it comes to power versus portability. Asus aims to alleviate this little problem with the Republic of Gamer’s XG Station.

                                             Looks like the "Engine Start" button on the dashboard of a sports car.
 

In my hands at the moment is a regular old micro-ATX size motherboard box in black and yellow. I immediately notice two things that seem strange with this product – one, it’s a Zotac, and two, the board seems to have been laundered and have shrunk when it dried – I couldn’t find the motherboard in its box at first.  Zotac is better known for its videocards, especially the AMP! series which gives very respectable overclocks for not a large premium. This time, they’re out to make a name for themselves in the motherboard space, and they have chosen to make a tiny statement in the form of the ITX form factor nForce 610i-ITX.

When it comes to fun rides and theme parks, Filipinos aren’t exactly spoilt for choice. Off the top of my head, I can name Enchanted Kingdom, the long running, somehow-surviving high-end theme park, Fiesta Carnival near in Cubao with its old rides and funky railway, and of course the almost seasonal Boom na Boom and Star City. But for most people hankering for something else, the only option is to go overseas, or perhaps try out one of these rolling beauties.