The Zone

After someone else's rather feeble attempt at blue laser mice that they said could track on glass, we were pleasantly surprised by Logitech's new Darkfield line of high-performance mice. The Darkfield mice utilize a new dual laser technology that allows it to track on thick glass and other reflective surfaces with ease. For those who still don't know about Logitech's Unifying Micro USB receiver check out the teeny tiny USB receiver in the picture. Check out the full report in our latest issue of HWM (December 2009).

Just when you thought Vista was bad....this was taken yesterday!!!

Starting November 3rd, North American gamers (and fellow parallel importers) will be able to pick up the new PS3 Slim system with a 250GB built-in hard drive for USD349.99 (approximately RM1,178). The functionality and form factor of the 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim remains identical to the previously launched 120GB model, while the larger hard disk capacity offers even more room to store your PSN downloads, videos, music and photos.

We just got our hands on Apolco's Powerline Networking kit. Featuring two plug and play plugs in a single kit, these PLC bridge/adapters let you connect two computers in a network via your power line. Offering 85Mbps speeds (better than wireless G at 54Mbps) the device is very easy to use. For a full review on the kit check out our latest issue of HWM.

We've tested quite a few Apolco micro projectors to date, however the Apolco Mobile Media Projector is so far the best one to date. From what we've seen so far, the tiny LED powered micro projector can handle 60" displays, has pretty good built-in sound and now even has a rechargable and removable battery. For a full review on the projector check out our latest issue of HWM. 

Found while we were browsing for some free iPhone apps, we unfortunately stumbled upon the River Oaks Baptist School app. While the name itself is innocent, the robbing title of the app is true about education and its increasing cost =D

MIT has made a great video explaining how OLED technology actually works; by using a pickle! Maybe science teachers and lecturers may take advantage of educational material such as this, something that we lack, at least when we were still in school. Props to Professor Vladimir Bulovic for the video!

Watch it here

You can even download it in .mov format here

Avast, me hearties! Come September 19th, fellow landlubbers and seafarers may point thy browser to Telltale Games' Play Like a Pirate minisite and safely pillage the first chapter to the Tales of Monkey Island game for FREE!

Also, in commemoration with the International Talk Like a Pirate Day, all five chapters of Guybrush Threepwood's new episodic adventure can be yours at a (slightly) reduced price of USD29.95. Remember, the offer is only valid on the swashbuckling day.

After its official launch a few days back we're finally clear to release some info on the Lynnfield Core i7, Core i5 and Intel P55. We've done a full indepth analysis of the boards that should answer the questions:

Is it worth the move?

Is it good for gaming?

Is it really targeted at the mainstream?

Check out some initial tests we got in the link below and be sure to read the full analysis in the Hot off the Labs section of the latest issue of HWM.

Dhani Harrison, son of the late George Harrison appeared on a recent episode of The Tonight Show to talk about The Beatles: Rock Band video game. It wasn't long before host Conan O'Brien himself (and his boys) rock out to the game alongside Harrison.

You can check out the clip here.

Taking a shot of yourself or a self-portrait using your own camera is probably one of the most common shots in the world. Everybody's done it at one point or another and everyone has usually ended up with a mess or missed themselves altogether. Samsung have recently launched their new 2View line of digital cameras. One of them is the ST550 which bears two touchscreen LCD, one on the front and one on the back so you can frame yourself nicely without having to ask someone else for help. Check out the full event and details on the cameras in our latest issue of HWM!

Keyboard Cat, the Youtube phenomena turned 4chan meme has now made the jump into the nitty-gritty world of Sam Fisher, as can be seen from the clip above.

How's that for stealth?

Intel was generous enough to get us their own P55 board, a Core i5 750 processor and a Core i7 870 processor for HWM October's Hot Off the Lab section. Catch our in-depth tests and scores in the full analysis.

Intel's Core i7 870 processor

Some cheeky denizen of the web has took the pain (or is it pleasure?) to sign up Valve co-founder Gabe Newell in the "Love Your Body" contest hosted by famed lingerie purveyor, Victoria's Secret.

As participants are required to write a little something about how beautiful they feel, Gabe's entry is surprisingly poignant, or you can choose to see it as a wee bit of foreshadowing to the fate of Episode 3.

His entry reads: "I love my body. I don't let anyone get me down about it. If someone says a hurtful comment, I just push it back."

I say we vote for the good man.

With North Korea stepping up its military presence, quite a few of its neighbours are getting a little itchy about it all. Proof of the pudding is this product we got recently which was made in South Korea with a statement sternly saying 'Not for distribution into Republic of Korea'. Wonder if we'll see more of these or if the Republic will face a dire shortage of computer components any time soon?