ELSA Rolls Out 15dB Silent GeForce 9800 GT
Featuring custom cooling solution

ELSA Gladiac 998 GT SS graphics card

Japan-based ELSA, a graphics card maker focused on delivering new NVIDIA-based video accelerators, has recently updated its line of GeForce cards with the introduction of a new, custom-built GeForce 9800 GT card. Dubbed ELSA Gladiac 998 GT SS, the new card promises to provide users with performance in a cost-efficient solution that has been featured with a silent cooling system. According to the company, thanks to
the adoption of the ELSA Silent Cooling System 3, the card is capable of working at a sound level of 15 dBA.

NVIDIA has recently updated its graphics card offering with the introduction of a new “green” GeForce 9800 GT model, which provides similar specifications as the reference ones, but offers a reduced power draw. Following the introduction of this card, a number of the chip maker’s partners have also jumped at the opportunity to provide their customers with a more energy-efficient GeForce card. Such is the case with ELSA’s latest Gladiac 998 GT SS, which takes things to a new level, thanks to the adoption of a custom-built dual-slot cooler.

According to ELSA, its new GeForce 9800GT-based graphics card can provide users with the performance of the reference GeForce 9800 GT card, but working at a quiet 15 dB sound output, when the card is in idle mode. At load, the dual-slot cooler works at just 27 dB, thanks to the 16mm fan. In addition, the manufacturer claims that with this card users will see power savings of up to 35W.

The graphics processing unit has been clocked at 550MHz, while the 256-bit 512MB GDDR3 memory has been set to work at 1800MHz. The 112 Stream processors work at 1375MHz, delivering the necessary performance for a card in its class. Expected to become available in mid-May, the GeForce 9800 GT will be priced at around 15,000 yen or approximately US$157.

Vista SP3 Gets First Hotfix
Yes, SP3

Windows Vista

Windows Vista Service Pack 3 gets its first hotfix from Microsoft. Yes, Service Pack 3, and yes, the error lies with Microsoft. The Redmond company is offering a hotfix designed to fix Event Viewer crashes associated with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 opening large event log files and attempting to sort log entries by a single column. But when it comes down to actually downloading the fix, the software giant offers it for the 32-bit, 64-bit and Itanium flavors of Windows Vista SP3. It is highly improbable that at this point in time Microsoft has debuted testing of Vista SP3 bits, and in this regard, the SP3 references are nothing more than an error. (via Neowin)

The Redmond company has recently wrapped up the code for Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista. The SP2 RTM bits are so “fresh” that they haven’t yet been served to Vista users, and Microsoft only pointed to the second quarter of 2009 for the availability of the second service pack for Vista, while not offering any specific deadline. The Redmond company announced that it had released Vista SP2 to manufacturing on April 28, 2009. MSDN and TechNet subscribers already got access to SP2 RTM, and the bits have even been leaked in the wild. Still, the public will only get Vista SP2 in Q2 2009.

With Vista SP2 finalized it makes sense for Microsoft to start planning ahead. Because of the extended support for Windows Vista, additional service packs will undoubtedly be released. The next logical step in the evolution of Windows 7’s precursor is of course Service Pack 3. Still, the mention of Vista SP3 for the 957414 hotfix is bound to be nothing more than a mistake.

“Consider the following scenario: you open a saved event log file in Event Viewer on a computer that runs Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. The log file is very large. For example, the file is larger than 2 megabytes. You sort log entries by clicking the header of a column. In this scenario, an exception occurs and Event Viewer crashes. This problem is more likely to occur when you click a column header multiple times in a quick succession,” reads the Symptoms section of the 957414 knowledge base article.

LG Viewty Smart Available for Purchase in May
An LG 12-megapixel cameraphone to come later this year

LG Viewty Smart comes to the market in May

South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics was expected to release its nice-looking LG GC900 Viewty Smart on the European market as soon as next month, with the official announcement of the handset in April, and it seems that the company has kept its promise earlier and enthusiasts should be able to purchase the handset and enjoy its features as soon as May.

And there are a lot of attractive capabilities that the LG Viewty Smart will deliver, including the 3-inch capacitive touchscreen TFT display that boasts a 480 x 800 pixel WVGA resolution and offers support for 16 million colors, as well as the 8-megapixel photo snapper that includes Schneider-Kreuznach optics, smile detection, an Intelligent Shot Mode, light sensitivity of up to ISO 1600, LED flash and video recording capabilities.

The new LG Viewty Smart not only includes a high-quality camera, but also comes in a slim form factor, while sporting touchscreen capabilities and the company’s S-Class user interface, which can reportedly deliver an impressive mobile experience. In addition, the handset also features DivX and Xvid compatibility for movies on-the-go, Dolby for Mobile audio enhancement, TV-out, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and a Li-Ion 1000 mAh battery.

While announcing that the LG Viewty Smart comes to the market earlier than June, as originally slated, the mobile phone maker also took the opportunity to say a few words on its upcoming 12-megapixel cameraphone, which should land on the shelves before the end of the year. According to LG, the device will include “even more smart features,” yet the giant manufacturer hasn’t unveiled any other details on the capabilities of the handset. Given the fact that Sony Ericsson is also expected to release a 12MB behemoth on the market later in 2009, LG’s upcoming phone will certainly face some competition in the field.

Samsung SCH-W760 and C3060R Spotted
To come to South Korea and Russia, respectively

Samsung SCH-W760

Two new handsets coming from Korean mobile phone maker Samsung have made it into the wild lately, namely the Samsung SCH-W760, which looks like a typical midrange slider, and the Samsung C3060R, a candybar mobile phone reported to come with a special operating system designed by Samsung.

For what it’s worth, the new SCH-W760 is not as typical as one would believe, since it comes with a front camera that is reported to be sensitive to infrared spectrum, which means that the phone’s owners will be able to make video calls in complete darkness. The images will be only black and white though, also in low-resolution, but the feature should add an exotic air to the handset, and it could also appeal to those who would like to scare their friends by video-calling them in the middle of the night.

C3060R

The specification list of the device also shows that it comes with a 2.8-inch AMOLED display, coupled with a 3-megapixel photo snapper, DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as a music player, mobile printing, flashlight and global GSM connectivity. According to the news, the handset should become available for purchase on the South Korean market only. There are no exact details regarding the availability and pricing of the new Samsung SCH-W760, though we know that it should come on SK Telecom’s airwaves.

The second Samsung handset that has surfaced into the wild recently is the C3060R, which is said to come with special features aimed at the elderly, including a Samsung operating system that comes with a much larger font size and with simple menus. The handset also sports a 2.2-inch TFT display that can offer a 176 x 220 pixel resolution, integrated FM radio and a 1.3-megapixel photo snapper. The device is expected to become available in Russia for around $190.

Windows 7 Build 7127 Leaked and Available for Download
Via torrent trackers

Windows 7

Once Windows 7 Build 7127 left Redmond and was offered to a limited number of third-party testers it was just a matter of time before the bits found their way into the wild. A couple of days ago the first pieces of information and screenshots of the RTM-branch development were unveiled. Subsequently, the actual Windows 7 Build 7127.0.090507-1820 releases were leaked and are now available for download from various prominent sources of illegal software, including torrent trackers. Windows 7 Build 7127, a post-Release Candidate milestone, belongs to the RTM branch of the next iteration of Windows client, and was offered by the Redmond company via Microsoft Connect. The bits have not been served to the public through the company’s official channels.

Both the x86 and x64 flavors of Windows 7 Build 7127, packaged as ISO images, are up for grabs for users with a BitTorrent client. Per the information already leaked, the 64-bit version is labeled 7127.0.090507-1820_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-RMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso and is accompanied by the following information: CRC: 460FAD4E, MD5: F805A6595DDC6D 12956588BB0F1B9B83, and SHA1: 9BEB69BE3C2D113ECEB944145951A 2123FBBBBF8. 32-bit Windows 7 Build 7127 is 7127.0.090507-1820 _x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-RMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso (CRC: F691687F, MD5: 4045CB2A8E50B65ED9E1C2B8D6026B2F, and SHA1: F2D615E674B64053D299CFA5E80B777269F0DFF2).

While Windows 7 Build 7127 has been indeed leaked and made available for download, users should understand the risks inherent with accessing, installing and running the bits offered by non-Microsoft sources. Security researchers from Damballa and Trend Micro have revealed that pirated/leaked copies of Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 were infested with malicious code, specifically a Trojan horse designed to hand over user machines to the authors of the malware. The Trojan horse built into Windows 7 RC transformed the infected PCs into zombie computers and was building a botnet under the attacker’s control.

“We’ve seen reports of illegitimate distributions of the release candidate of our latest Windows operating system, Windows 7, being offered in a way that is designed to infect a customer’s PC with malware. This is why it’s so important for customers to get their copies of Windows from a trusted source,” explained Joe Williams, general manager, Worldwide Genuine Windows at Microsoft.

On May 5th, 2009, the Redmond company started offering Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) to the public – downloads are here
http://wb.dlservice.microsoft.com/dl/download/release/windows7/4/0/c/40c1e714-7910-4b38-9b5e-67fa522e6a44/7100.0.090421-1700_x86fre_client_en-us_retail_ultimate-grc1culfrer_en_dvd.iso

Windows 7 Will Play Nice with DLNA Devices
The platform implements DLNA device roles and protocols

Windows PC Concept

Microsoft has taken extensive steps in order to ensure that Windows 7 computers will be able to play the role of media hubs for home users. In addition to the native support for the new file formats, the next iteration of the Windows client is also designed to play nice with a wide range of DLNA certified devices. In this regard, Microsoft informs that it has implemented DLNA device roles and the DLNA protocols designed to permit communications and media exchange. This move has made Windows 7 capable of interoperability with TVs, stereo systems, cell phones, DVRs, game consoles, and additional devices, provided that they sport the Digital Living Network Alliance logo.

“The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a consortium of more than 200 companies interested in specifying technologies for exchanging media in home networks. The DLNA architecture is based on the UPnP specification, but in addition, DLNA specifies transport protocols (based on HTTP and RTP) and sets of media formats,” revealed Scott Manchester, from the Devices & Media program management team. “DLNA defines device roles (e.g. servers, players, renderers, etc.) and the protocols that these devices use to discover each other and communicate with each other (e.g. UPnP, HTTP, RTP, etc.).”

There are a variety of scenarios in which customers will be able to take advantage of the new DLNA device roles and protocols available in Windows 7. Of course, the operating system will need to interoperate with DLNA-logoed devices. However, given that the DLNA logo is present, users will be able to navigate through videos, music and pictures stored on a Windows 7 machine from a TV, because the Windows 7 PC assumes the role of a DMS (document management system).

In addition, the successor of Windows Vista can also “stretch” all the way to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, and permit users to access stored content, including videos, pictures and music via Windows Media Player. From a DLNA phone, content can be viewed directly on the Windows 7 PC without the media files having to actually be transferred. On top of this, from a Windows 7 machine music can be played on a stereo featuring the DLNA logo via the “Play to” option.

Lenovo Upgrades the IdeaPad S10, Intros the New S10-2
Similar specs, different design

New IdeaPad S10-2 netbook from Lenovo

PC vendor Lenovo has just announced the availability of its latest addition to the line of IdeaPad netbook systems, with the introduction of the S10-2. The new design builds on the company’s previous IdeaPad S10 and provides users with a choice for a 3G modem, consequently expanding the connectivity options for netbook enthusiasts.

In addition, according to Lenovo, fans of the S10 will be able to enjoy a new, thinner exterior and a fresh ring pattern design and an optional, high-resolution display, slated to become available at a later date.

“With the netbook scene rapidly changing, consumers are telling us they want to merge the capabilities of their most commonly used sources of electronic entertainment, such as digital photographs, online TV, music and social networks all into one portable and affordable device,” said Dion Weisler, vice president, Business Operations, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. “We’ve incorporated that feedback into our new IdeaPad S10-2 netbook, giving consumers around the world more ways to connect with options for wireless connectivity, a more portable and expressive design and entertainment-packed features.”

On the inside, Lenovo’s new netbook isn’t very different from most of its competitors, featuring a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM memory and 160GB hard drive. All versions of the fresh machine will be equipped with a 6-cell battery pack, which should be good for about four hours of runtime. However, with the S10-2, users will be able to enjoy a new, economic design. The system builder has expanded the netbook’s keyboard and the multi-touch trackpad.

One of the main characteristics of the fresh IdeaPad is that Lenovo has decided to push the price tag to about US$349.99, making it affordable to a wider range of netbook enthusiasts who will have their chance at ordering one starting the end of May or the beginning of June.

Office 2010 Will Run on XP SP3, Vista, and Windows 7
Microsoft reveals

Office

Microsoft is currently hard at work building the next iteration of the Office System. Labeled Office 2010 and formerly codenamed Office 14, the successor of Office 2007 will be designed to play nice not only with the next version of the Windows client, but also with its precursors, namely Windows Vista and Windows XP (Service Pack 3), reveals Reed Shaffner, Office TPM. At the same time, Office 2010 will come in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors, set up to adapt to the respective architecture of the underlying Windows platform.
One important aspect worth noting is that Microsoft has striven to fit Office 2010 on the same hardware as Office 2007, and in this respect save customers the cost of a computer upgrade.

Shaffner states: “You don’t need to replace hardware that is capable of running 2007, it will support Office 2010. Like Windows 7 has demonstrated, we realize that taking advantage of the hardware you already own is just as important as supporting all the new technology coming out.”

At Microsoft Tech•Ed North America 2009, the software giant announced that the Technical Preview of Office 2010 was just under two months away. The Community technology Preview of the productivity suite is scheduled to ship to a limited number of testers on July 1, 2009. The testing program is invitation only, the company underlined.

“Technical preview is an engineering milestone leading towards RTM that Office 2010 and related products will reach in July 2009,” Shaffner adds. “Beginning at the technical preview milestone, we will conduct an invitation only technical preview program where participants will [be] able to experience Office Professional Plus 2010 and Visio 2010. Office 2010 Suite products are offered in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions so customers will not be required to upgrade 32-bit PC’s and Laptops to 64-bit hardware to run Office 2010 Suite Products. Certain hardware configurations and operating system versions customers currently have deployed may require an upgrade to run server and client products.”

UAE Consumers Will Be Among The First
In The World To Be Offered The Nokia N97

ThinkingUAE’s National Newspaper has posted a nice N97 walkthrough video presented by Nokia’s Henri Mattila, and information that consumers in UAE will be among the first in the world to get their hands on the hottest Nokia Nseries device.

At a preview of the Nokia N97 in Dubai last week, Henri Mattila, the Nokia head of marketing for Nseries handsets in the Middle East, said Gulf countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia would be among the first in the world to get the device.

Focus groups and research panels were held among consumers in both countries during the development of the N97, in recognition of the importance of the markets for smartphone sales. Despite a hefty price tag estimated at €599 when announced last December and the global economic slowdown, Mr Mattila said he expected the phone to perform strongly when launched here next month.

“It is expensive, but you know that when somebody really wants something – when they see it and feel it and know that it is a perfect fit for their life – in this part of the world, with such aspirational consumers, they will make it happen,” he said.

I hope this is just a proto issue and that final production model will not suffers from this problem and that users will not be forced to switch from white to black version of the device!