Local PC sales have always been traditionally reliant on component sales as its bread and butter. The number of “clone”, or self – built PCs (including those assembled by hand by numerous PC retail shops) outnumber “branded” PCs (like Dell, HP, and IBM) five to one – not including the corporate market. This is particularly true due to the increasing number of quality components that enable the common consumer to build exactly what they need within a reasonable budget. The Palit N8S caters especially to the consumer who’s aiming to get as much performance and utility from their computer without spending money on extraneous items such as discrete graphics – especially if they have no intention to game on their machine.

                                             Considering it has four DIMM slots and on a microATX form factor, the Palit N78S is well laid-out.

What’s a race without at least two competitors? We’ve all heard of the current state of videocard affairs being called a one-horse race, and for good reason. Because even if a race has two competitors, if one lags too far behind, it turns into exactly that – and makes things incomparably dull. Thankfully, both of the competitors – namely Nvidia and ATI – are making a good showing. ATI is showing true pride as the underdog, giving as much as it takes in the sales war. The latest salvo coming from the red corner is the  3870 X2.

                                             Sure reminds me of Daimos' Twin Bazooka errr... chest.

The Asus Eee PC design contest is still ongoing, and I have been following the entries with interest. I couldn’t help but think though, that even someone with my limited skill set and handicapped artistic values would be able to at least make some representations of what an ideal laptop skin could be.

Strictly in the realms of “what will they think of next?” the Rinspeed sQuba vehicle gives the first ever submersible option to the car-buying public, at least in concept form. No simple modification, the sQuba is a result of a lot of developmental money from the ever-creative and industrious Rinspeed.

                                             There seems to be something wrong with this picture...
 

If you’re an avid reader of science fiction or simply someone who glanced at Time’s “look into the future” or gadgets issue, you know that robotic advances of recent years have made it more than possible to consider non-humans as possible substitutes in many normal human activities. What constantly amazes me is the speed of the developments and of the capabilities of the many robots coming out of the labs these days.

                                             Who would have thought it was this complicated to make octopus balls?

Regular readers may have noticed our tendency here at the HWZ offices to talk about anything Guitar Hero related, and this time things are no different: even when our favorite game is shrunk down to minuscule size. Enter the Guitar Hero Carabiner.

Not all G92s are created equal. With the release of the 8800 GTS 512MB (G92 core), this has become more evident – since the GTS is fast becoming a popular target for many companies’ overclocking efforts. Aside from well-known “extreme” brands such as XFX and EVGA, one of the more mainstream companies cranking out overclocked versions of the GTS is Asus, with their TOP card. Asus with their genius has come up with a GTS that’s yawningly plain – which is both good and bad. Read on to find out why.

                                             This GTS sports the ever-present Asus model for its current crop of cards.

Nearly everything about this videocard from Asus is obviously supersized, starting from the box that it comes in. And as we know from Morgan Spurlock in his hit documentary “Supersize Me”, big is not always better.

                                             An extra-large helping of heatsink.

I am honestly unable to react in a “clear, concise” way (as my English prof told me a couple of times when I started to wander through multiple topics – and here I go again…) when it comes to this obviously Valentine – related product straight from China.

                                             It's a great idea, but something doesn't sit right with me...
 

Is there a particular person that you always call when you feel a hankering to talk to someone? Your girl/boyfriend, your barkada (one of the members at least), your wife or your mother?

                                             Is your family still trying to find you through the yellow pages?

At first blush, the Nokia 6500 Slide didn’t look like it came from the Finnish family of phones. Clad mainly in stainless steel made to look like brushed aluminum, the 6500 Slide looks a Sony T series camera, or a hard disk enclosure. It certainly showed nothing immediately suggesting “Nokia”, at least before the current crop of releases from Finland.

                                             Looks generic, at first.
 

The UMPC (Ultra Mobile Personal Computer) has never gained enough momentum with mainstream users. This is of course a factor of affordability versus need, and for most people, no immediate task can be worth the thousands of dollars that a normal UMPC demands. The Asus Eee PC is the solution that changes this status quo.

                                             Asus Eee PC design is nice but minimalistic. There's something missing..
 

The HTC Touch Dual, and its brief sojourn into an inexperienced user’s hands (namely yours truly), marked my first in-depth experience of the Windows Mobile 6.0 user interface. More accurately, it was my first time really delving into a mobile device powered by the Microsoft software. This potentially confusing process was helped along immensely by HTC’s good design, layout, and features.

                                             The touch dual with a representation of the TouchFlo interface.
 

In the category of “almost-useful, but highly-desirable” things, the “Maxblaster” ranks nearly at the top, behind the Segway transportation device and the Eazzzy~! mini camera. Just how far do you wana see anyway?

                                             As long as you don't hit someone staring out of an airplane seat...

Specifically, having a screen bigger than your device and at the same time maintaining the oh-so-in-vogue slimness that’s so important in today’s portables has always been a matter of compromise – getting a device with a bigger screen inevitable meant getting something that was heavier or bulkier than what you’d strictly prefer.

                                               Sure tiny is good, if it didn't include the screen.