In The Zone

In The Zone

Gigabyte P55A-UD7 Motherboard: Picking Up With The Pace

littlelion | 04 February, 2010 13:47

A few days before the end of the previous year, we published an online article about USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0. In that article, we talked about some of the advantages that these new interfaces can bring to computer users. Like what was mentioned, USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 introduce data transfer speeds that are a lot faster than that of preceding interface technologies. Do expect that more computing products with USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 interfaces will come out in the months to come.

We were not able to demonstrate the actual speed of SATA 3.0 due to the unavailability of a SATA 3.0 hard disk drive (HDD). Yet, we were able to perform a test for USB 3.0, thanks to our friends from Gigabyte who shared with us their Buffalo USB 3.0 external HDD and the Gigabyte P55A-UD3P motherboard.

Logitech Z323 2.1-channel Multimedia Speaker System: Touching All The Genres

littlelion | 02 February, 2010 17:04

This is not the first time that we featured a speaker system from Logitech. Sometime in October last year, HardwareZone Philippines gave way to the Logitech Z103 2.1-channel speaker system. Although we looked at it as a fairly average set of speakers, we still found it attractive because of its affordable price point. Retailing at a reasonable price of PhP 1,199, you can already buy a decent speaker system from a respectable brand like Logitech.

Fast forward to the present, Logitech sent us a smorgasbord of products from their assembly line. The largest among the packages that we got was a box of the Logitech Z323, a 2.1-channel speaker set. Compared to the Z103, the Z323 has larger measurements. Aside from that, these models differ from one another in many areas. For your reference, take a look at the following table.

MSI Big Bang Trinergy Intel P55 Motherboard: Starting The New Year With A Big Bang

littlelion | 28 January, 2010 16:35

The New Year is usually associated with anything new: a new house, new clothes and perhaps, a new outlook on life. In light of this, MSI has something new in its stable as well, a new line of motherboards christened as the MSI Big Bang Series. Under this new label, the Taiwanese company has already unveiled the Fuzion which is based on the Intel P55 chipset, which our team in Singapore previewed recently.

Meanwhile, one other model of the Big Bang Series, the Trinergy, had a stopover in our office recently. Although both motherboards make use of the P55 chipset, the two are different in terms of the multi-GPU technology that they employ. While the Fuzion has the Lucid Hydra 200 chipset, the Trinergy incorporates the nForce 200 SLI chipset from NVIDIA. Considering that the latter has been around since the advent of Intel X58-based motherboards, you might already be too familiar with what it can do: it allows users to implement either a 3-way SLI or a CrossFireX setup on one motherboard. On the other hand, the Lucid Hydra 200 chipset enables users to combine graphics cards from either of the two major graphics chipmakers on a single motherboard. More information about the Lucid Hydra can be found on this link.

HP 2.4 Million Shopping Bonus Promo: The Second Wave

littlelion | 26 January, 2010 15:11

The New Year begins with great surprises as HP Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) brought the second batch of winners of the HP 2.4 Million Shopping Bonus Promo to Rustan’s Makati recently for the ultimate shopping spree. The five winners were drawn through an electronic raffle last December as the second leg of the promo. The first batch of winners was drawn in August 2009, bringing the total shopping spree prizes to a grand PhP 2.4 million. All of them were righteously rewarded for being loyal patrons of Original HP Inks.

Posing for the camera are the winners together with HP executives in Rustan’s Department Store Makati, where each one won a PhP 240,000 shopping spree. Standing from left to right are Francis Chua, HP IPG Marketing Communications Manager, 2.4 winners John Villarosa, Kessel Villarey, Mayene Dullas, Joy Daraman, and Lizelda Apawan, with Ditas Araneta, Rustan’s Senior Corporate Sales Manager, and Gio Sabio, HP IPG Supplies Market Development Manager.

HTC HD2 Smartphone: HTC Leo Begins To Roar In The Philippine Mobile Jungle

littlelion | 26 January, 2010 10:56

In an exclusive media gathering held at the Peninsula Manila last Friday, HTC officially unveiled the HTC HD2 smartphone in the Philippines. Also known as the HTC Leo, the HD2 is HTC’s first-ever Windows Mobile (WM)-based handset which makes use of the HTC Sense technology. Based on HTC’s TouchFLO 3D user interface (UI), Sense is a UI design intended to bestow consumers more flexibility when personalizing the elements and content of their handset depending on how they use it. Sense was first launched on Google’s Android operating system (OS) through the HTC Hero.

At the event, Mr. Mark Sergio, HTC Philippines Country Manager, together with Mr. Benjamin Hwang, Managing Director of SiSPH Technologies Inc., HTC’s local distributor, expressed their excitement about introducing the HD2 in the country. Initially released in European regions last year, the HD2 is a pioneering innovation in many respects.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL410 Notebook: Business Performance Within Budget

littlelion | 21 January, 2010 15:59

Legendary reliability at a more affordable price point: that’s what the Lenovo ThinkPad SL410 notebook is all about. Introduced sometime in October of last year along with the higher end SL510 model, this mobile workhorse hails from the SL Series of Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks. At the time of its release, the SL410 was offered at a starting price of PhP 39,990, a cost which is quite unexpected for a ThinkPad laptop.

By and large, the SL410 remains faithful to the timeless look and feel of a ThinkPad notebook. Excluding the glossy black lid cover, the remaining surface of the notebook presents a semi-matte finish.

The HTC Hero And HTC Magic User Trials Promo: Rise Of The Android OS

littlelion | 20 January, 2010 10:00

HardwareZone and HWM Philippines have teamed up once again with HTC to bring to you an exciting way to win an HTC handset! This time, up for grabs are the HTC Hero and the HTC Magic, featuring the power of Google’s Android operating system.

Like the past user trial, you can join the contest by sending us an email to editor.ph@hwzcorp.com with the following information and details:

Name: ______________________________

Home Address: ______________________________

Mobile Phone Number: ______________________________

Continue the statement: “I want to be one of the testers of the HTC Hero/HTC Magic because ______________________________.”

Red Fox Launches New Desktop And Notebook PCs: Keeping The Momentum Going

littlelion | 19 January, 2010 16:02

Strengthening its reputation as a proudly-Filipino IT company, Red Fox Technologies has been ardent and aggressive in reaching consciousness of Filipino consumers for years. As a testament of their fervor, Red Fox opened to the public their first concept store last November. This year, more cunning than ever, the company is certainly decisive to keep the momentum going. In line with this direction, Red Fox unveiled their updated lineup of desktop and notebook PCs last Friday at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas.

On the whole, the affair was simple and straightforward. Based on the actual teaser-invite that we got a few weeks prior to the launch, we were actually expecting something mind-blowing from Red Fox. Although the major part of the event followed the usual conventions of a press briefing, one segment of which had really rocked the guests off their chair. Intrigued? Then read on.

ASRock ION 330HT-BD NetTop: A Promise Of Pure High Definition Pleasure

littlelion | 14 January, 2010 16:31

Reflecting on the ASRock ION 330HT-BD, the term “nettop” is an understatement. That would be the case if you simply delimit the nettop as an Intel Atom-powered small form factor (SFF) desktop PC that is merely capable of handling basic computing tasks such as Internet surfing. The 330HT-BD can practically do more than that, handling demanding tasks like Blu-ray playback and light gaming, thanks to the NVIDIA ION platform.

Roaming around on ASRock’s website, we discovered a handful of models under its nettop portfolio but the 330HT-BD is the most prominent among them. Its placement on the webpage clearly explains that it is the top-end model of the gang. Although the 330HT-BD looks similar to other current ASRock nettops in terms of its external build and internal specifications, it is the only one which comes with both a Blu-ray combo player and a Media Center Edition (MCE) remote controller. With that said, the diminutive desktop box is certainly positioned as a home theater PC (HTPC) that is capable of playing high definition (HD) content.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE Netbook: Just Can’t Stop The Momentum

littlelion | 12 January, 2010 15:50

At the recently-concluded CES 2010 in Las Vegas, ASUS indomitably showed to everyone the accomplishment that the Eee PC has achieved as a distinctive brand of netbook. Tracing its humble roots back in 2007, the Eee PC 701, one of the earliest models of the lineup, was merely a no-frills netbook equipped with a 7-inch display. Later that same year, ASUS sold over 300,000 units as a proof of the brand’s success.

Fast forward to the present, the Eee PC brand continues to thrive in spite of the cutthroat competition without any signs of diving. Try Googling “Eee PC” and it will yield over 25 million results, attesting to the unswerving popularity of the brand worldwide. This year at CES, ASUS made a decisive move to explore new textures and platforms, coming up with chic Eee PC incarnations, namely the ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008P Karim Rashid Collection and the ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE. Last week, we already published an article about the 1008P, so this time we are moving the spotlight on the 1005PE.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008P-KR Karim Rashid Netbook: A Revelation Yet To Come

littlelion | 07 January, 2010 09:40

There is a lot of good things to look forward to in 2010. No, we are not referring to the impending, boisterous national election. A more exciting subject that we could talk about today is the dawning of the next-generation of netbooks, one of which is a flamboyant candidate from ASUS.

ASUS has collaborated with renowned industrial designer Karim Rashid to come up with the most fashionable Eee PC netbook to date, the ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008P-KR netbook. Rashid has been receiving awards worldwide for his artworks using materials such as plastics, foams and synthetic fabrics. In addition, his name has been associated with a brand known for chic portable and external storage devices.

Nikon Coolpix S230 Touchscreen Digital Compact Camera: Touching All The Basics

littlelion | 05 January, 2010 14:22

A few days before the holiday break, the folks from Columbia Digital sent a quartet of Nikon Coolpix cameras in to our stable, namely the S640, S570, S70 and the S230. What are prominent in some models that we received, specifically the last two models mentioned, are their sizeable, touch-enabled screens. For our online coverage today, we picked and played around with the pretty and skinny Nikon Coolpix S230.

Pretty and skinny? Well, our supporting product shots can attest to that. Dressed in a glossy red exterior, the S230 is subtly caressed with a fine brushed finish, giving us an initial impression that its entire build is made up of metal. For those who are color-conscious, the S230 is available in plum, warm silver, night blue and jet black colors as well.

Silicon Power M10 64GB SSD: Made For Your External And Internal Storage Needs

littlelion | 22 December, 2009 12:18

In the conclusion of our previous post, we mentioned that 2010 is going to be an optimistic year for solid state drives (SSDs). We were speaking on the grounds that SSDs can effectively saturate the maximum throughput of the interface they employ. It has been recorded that SSDs are capable of saturating the 3Gbps limit of the SATA 2.0 interface at 250MBps net read speed. For that reason, there are a lot of expectations that SSDs can do the same feat on SATA 3.0 as well. In any case, let that assumption remain as it is, until SATA 3.0 SSDs make their way to the mainstream market next year.

For the meantime, let us take a look at the SSD offerings that we have at the moment. One of which that we spotted is the Silicon Power M10 64GB SSD. Weighing merely 70 grams, the housing of this 2.5-inch SSD is largely made up of aluminum and a sheet of carbon fiber with a mat-like texture. Sporting an unassuming exterior, the M10 is passable as a discreet portable storage device, though it can also be installed as an internal drive of a desktop or a notebook computer.

USB 3.0 And SATA 3.0 6Gbps Interface Standards: When Technology Takes The Faster Lane

littlelion | 18 December, 2009 13:21

These past weeks, the news section of HardwareZone Philippines has been interspersed with press releases about motherboards that include USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) technologies as main features. USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 are the latest specifications that are starting to become more visible on motherboards and other computer components such as internal and external storage devices.

Considering that USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 are relatively new, manufacturers have got a lot of time to figure out how to tap the potentials of the new standards mentioned. With that said, do expect seeing these technologies applied on various implementations other than motherboards and storage drives. But what’s really new about USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0? Read on to learn more.

Grixx GMS-1010 USB Mini Speakers: Not A Bad Capsule To Take

littlelion | 16 December, 2009 10:21

When we first saw this pair of USB mini speakers from Grixx, we immediately thought of a similar article of trade that we’ve been seeing around the block for quite some time. Like those so-called capsule speakers, the Grixx GMS-1010 is a compact and portable set of speakers that promises king-sized sound in spite of its pint-sized dimensions.

Before unboxing the GMS-1010, we spent some time looking for the manufacturer’s homepage and found it at www.grixxinternational.com. It seems like the Taiwan-based company’s website is still undergoing some developments for the reason that most of the links, if not all, are not working as expected. In any case, for your information, Grixx manufactures consumer earphone and headphone sets as well.

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