OCZ launches second-gen Agility and Vertex SSD series

We've known about these drives for quite a while already, but today OCZ officially announced their second generation Vertex and Agility SSDs. Both drives are based on MLC NAND memory chips and use the new SandForce controllers for achieving up to 285MB/s read and 275MB/s write speeds, with sustained writes at an impressive 250MB/s. The differentiator between the two, however, is the all important random write performance.


The Vertex 2 is capable of 50,000 IOPS with 4KB random writes while the Agility 2 offers a much lower but still remarkable 10,000 IOPS. To put this into perspective, Intel's often praised second generation X-25M manages 6,600 IOPS in this same test. Seek times for both OCZ solid-state drive models stay under 0.1ms and power consumption is rated at just 2W in operation or 0.5W in standby.

The Agility 2 and Vertex 2 series will ship in 50GB, 100GB, 200GB and 400GB varieties in a few weeks with a SATA 3Gbps interface, TRIM support and a three-year warranty. Prices have not been disclosed at the time of writing.

Memristors could make CPUs and RAM obsolete

Dubbed the "memory of the future," a new type of integrated circuit combining resistors with memory capabilities was recently shown off by HP and touted as a possible alternative to transistors in both computation and storage devices. Today, these functions are handled by separate chips, meaning data must be transferred between them, slowing down the computation and wasting energy. Could this new tech mean the unification of memory and CPU?


In simplest terms, transistors are the on/off mechanisms which allow CPUs to compute and memory to store data. CPUs are often made with tens or even hundreds of millions of transistors. As the performance and capacity of devices increase, so do the number of transistors. Memristors have the potential to fundamentally change circuitry by performing the same duties as the transistor, but more efficiently and occupying far less space.

They also provide some unique properties such as three-dimensional stacking, faster switching, retention of off/on states without power and a proven durability which exceeds hundreds of thousands of reads/writes.

Little more than theory in 1971, the development of actual memristors didn't become reality until 2008 by an HP Labs research team led by Professor Stan Williams. The idea may have been floating around for some time, but finding the processes and materials to physically engineer memristors have remained elusive. A detailed article on the subject can be found here, explaining some of the principles behind how memristors work. If the technology proves viable, it will no doubt become a hugely important breakthrough for our increasingly digital lives -- perhaps in as little as three years.

Gateway FX 6831-03 Gaming Desktop PC Review

While many hardcore gamers and hardware enthusiasts will tell you it's better to build your own rig, some still choose to go with a custom-built model from a recognized brand name. These often come attached to higher premiums, but also to comprehensive customer support and warranties covering the entire system, plus the peace of mind of not having to deal with any troubles that may occur while assembling it piece by piece.

The Gateway FX 6831-03 on our test bed today features an Intel Core i7 860 processor operating at 2.8 GHz (up to 3.46 GHz with Turbo Boost), a whopping 16GB of DDR3 memory, 1.5 TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive and an ATI Radeon HD 5850 graphics card with 1 GB of onboard memory.


Priced at around $1,650, the Gateway FX6831-03 is aimed at those who want a very capable gaming system that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It is more of a "budget" system in the larger arena of gaming rigs, which can cost you upwards of $5,000, but its hardware should be able to deliver enough performance to handle any game you throw at it with little effort.

iPhone OS 4.0: Game Center, unified inbox, iAd and more

Although the big news coming out of Cupertino today was multitasking support in iPhone OS 4.0, Apple simultaneously announced several other new features that take direct aim at some of its largest rivals. Among these is Game Center, a service that in many ways should mimic Microsoft's upcoming Xbox Live integration with Windows Phone 7 Series, supporting things achievements, leaderboards and online matchmaking against other iPhone users.

The service will launch sometime later this year and will go against third-party gaming networks already available such as Open Feint and Ngmoco's Plus+. Clearly, Apple is serious about making the iPhone a more attractive gaming platform.

Another welcome and long-overdue addition was the unified inbox, which means users with multiple email accounts can finally read their messages from a single place rather than having to hop back and forth switching between inboxes. In addition, messages can now be organized by threads to make email conversations easier to follow, and Apple is opening up email attachments so that they can interact with third-party apps.

Jobs also demoed some new enterprise level functionality for the iPhone, including APIs for encryption, wireless distribution of apps without relying on iTunes syncing, Exchange Server 2010 support, and mobile device management for large iPhone deployments. On top of this there was the announcement of iAd, Apple's own mobile advertising service that will enable developers to monetize their software through ads delivered as mini interactive applications.

It will be a while before you get any of these features, though -- iPhone OS 4.0 will be available this summer for the iPhone 3GS and third-gen iPod touch (the iPhone 3G and second-gen iPod touch should get "most" of the features and previous versions will get none), while iPad owners will be able to upgrade in the fall. Ars Technica has posted a summarized rundown covering today's announcements, if you care to go through all of it.

Apple iPhone OS 4.0 to finally enable multitasking

It's official: Multitasking is finally coming to the iPhone with an upcoming firmware update -- and therefore to the iPad and iPod touch as well. Speaking at their scheduled iPhone OS 4.0 event this morning, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs announced the long sought feature and acknowledged customer demands saying: "we weren't the first to this party, but we're gonna be the best. Just like cut and paste." Unlike other devices, their implementation will supposedly enable users to do more than one task at once without hurting battery life or performance.

Basically they are providing background services to applications for seven specific actions or areas: audio, voice over IP, location services, push notifications, local notifications, task completion and fast app switching. Although the method is not considered 100% true multitasking, it will enable things like streaming music through Pandora on the background while checking your mail, or receive calls from services like Skype even when they are not actively running.


Turn by turn navigation apps can use background location to provide directions, while continuing to perform other tasks, and location-aware social networking applications like Loopt won't require GPS to be always-on. A fourth and fifth enhancement relates to the company's existing push notification service and a new "local notifications" service that bypasses Apple's servers. Task completion will enable an app to start a job and finish it after the user has closed the app, and fast app switching allows an app to save its state, stop running, and then restart instantly where you left it.

For users, multitasking will reportedly work transparently and fast -- simply double-click the home button and a tray showing all running applications will open. The functionality was highlighted by Apple's chief executive as just one of the top seven "tent pole" features of the new release, along with hundreds of other user features and 1,500 new APIs for developers to leverage in their apps. Multitasking will work only in the iPhone 3GS, iPad and third-gen iPod touch.

Silverlight 4.0 to be released this month

While Adobe has been getting most of the press recently for their Flash 10.1 RC, Microsoft has quietly announced their plans to release the final version of Silverlight 4.0 as early as next week. This major update will provide more fundamental changes than prior iterations, including Google Chrome support, better performance (up to 200% over Silverlight 3), improved security with digital signing and sandboxing, and greater control for developers.

Silverlight will also be the primary development environment for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series platform -- the full programming model, not a mobile version -- so those interested in writing apps for these devices may want to tune in to see what's coming. The company is offering a Windows Phone 7 development toolkit for free, including Silverlight, Expression Blend for Windows Phone and a preview of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express.

The release candidate of Silverlight 4 has been available for download since mid-March 2010, with Microsoft releasing the preview code at the MIX10 conference in Las Vegas. A quick overview of new features can be found here, or you can opt for the gritty details in this technical white paper (Word 2007 format).

AMD details Turbo Core auto-overclocking technology

With AMD on the verge of releasing their first six core desktop processors, codenamed Thuban, the company has confirmed previous speculation that they'll be introducing their own version of Intel's Turbo Boost technology along these parts. Aptly named Turbo Core, it'll provide a less sophisticated auto-overclock, whereby three out of six cores are decelerated in order to give the other trio some extra voltage and speed for more serialized workloads.


The technology will kick in whenever three or more cores are idle and power consumption is below the processor's rated TDP. When that happens the idle cores are set in a boost-eligible "P-state" and their frequency is reduced to 800MHz, while the voltage to the entire chip is increased, and the other three cores are clocked up by as much as 500MHz. AMD says this will allow Phenom II X6 processors to fully utilize available TDP budget to maximize performance.

Keep in mind these chips will remain within the same power envelope as current Phenom II X4 parts, despite having two extra cores and still being manufactured on a 45nm process. AMD's new Phenom II X6 and forthcoming quad core CPUs based on the new Thuban design won't require new motherboards, as they'll be compatible with existing AM3 and AM2+ sockets via a BIOS update, though it isn't clear if Turbo Core will be limited to newer AM3 boards.

OCZ to begin mass producing its Z-Drive PCI-e SSD line

After showing off their last generation Z-Drive back in January at CES, OCZ has finally announced plans to begin mass producing these absurdly fast and expensive storage devices. Geared towards enterprise use, the Z-Drive uses a PCI x8 interface, replaceable MLC NAND flash modules arranged in a RAID0 configuration for a 512GB to 2TB capacity range, up to eight Indilinx controllers, and features peak read and write speeds of up to 1.4GB/s.

Three different models will be available. The Z-Drive p84 R2 is due to debut with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB capacities, peak read speeds of 850MB/s and sustained write speeds of 500MB/s. The m84 R2 sacrifices a little speed (800MB/s read, 750MB/s write, and 500MB/s sustained) for a large 2TB capacity, while the p88 R2 will also get you that much storage but with peak transfer rates of up to 1.4GB/s both reading and writing, as well as a sustained write speed of 950MB/s.


Pricing hasn't been disclosed yet, but we are guessing these will cost somewhere in the vicinity of an arm and a leg. At least businesses can take some comfort in the fact that the interchangeable NAND modules will make this SSD "field-serviceable and field-upgradeable" throughout its lifespan. The Z-Drive R2 comes with a 3-year warranty and, according to OCZ, will do well in tasks that involve virtualization, caching, and high-end storage.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 beta build leaked‎

Microsoft still hasn't announced a release date for the first Windows 7 Service Pack, but apparently it can't be too far off judging by a recently leaked version of the code. Technology blog GeekSmack was able to get hold of a copy of a Windows 7 SP1 beta build and posted some pictures to prove it. Marked 6.1.7601.16537.amd64fre.win7.100327-0053, it appears the file was compiled very recently, on March 27, using an AMD 64-bit system.


Installation reportedly went much faster in comparison with Vista service packs, but other than that not many changes are immediately apparent. Among the handful of new features expected is an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of a new remote access platform known as RemoteFX, and an addition to Windows Server 2008 R2 called "Dynamic Memory," which allows virtual machine memory to be configured on the fly.

Other than mostly minor updates, along with the usual inclusion of previous patches and hotfixes, many are also hoping that Microsoft bakes in native support for USB 3.0 as well as newer versions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The final version of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is expected to land sometime in September of this year, with a beta build in June.

AMD readying new triple-core Athlon II processors

AMD is reportedly getting ready to add a couple more Athlon II X3 processors to its lineup, the Athlon II X3 445 and Athlon II X3 450. The latter is slated for a launch in the third quarter of this year, according to Fudzilla, which quotes a clock speed of 3.2GHz and a 95W power envelope. The chip will be based on the 45nm "Rana" core, meaning there will be 1.5MB of shared L2 cache and support for DDR3 RAM 1333 MHz, but no L3 cache at all.

The Athlon II X3 445 will feature a similar architecture and at 3.1GHz should provide a small performance bump over today's triple-core flagship, the X3 440. Prior reports also suggest AMD is readying a quad-core Athlon II X4 640, presumably with a 3GHz clock speed, and a 45W part clocked at 2.5GHz known as the Athlon II X3 415e. Unfortunately, the exact launch dates and prices for these chips have yet to be announced.

Lenovo intros ultra-thin IdeaPad, refreshes all-in-one line

Lenovo is refreshing the lower end of its consumer lineup today with an updated version of its S10 netbook and the new C200 all-in-one desktop computer. The first is a rehashed version of the IdeaPad S10-3, dubbed S10-3s, featuring the same 10.1-inch screen in a sleeker form factor that's just 16mm at its thinnest point.


Specs-wise, buyers can choose from either an Intel Atom N470 or N450 processor, up to 2GB DDR2 DRAM 533MHz, a 160/250/320GB HDD or 16/32GB SSD drive and the usual array of connectivity features like Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and 3G. Lenovo also improved the upon the system's keyboard with a 98% full-size 'chiclet style' keys setup. The IdeaPad S10-3s will be available mid-April in black, white and a “spring flowers” design starting at $380.


Aside from the refreshed IdeaPad netbook, The Lenovo C200 all-in-one will also start shipping later this month featuring a 18.5-inch screen with a native resolution of 1,366x768. The starting price of $399 will get you a 1.6GHz Atom D410, 160GB of storage, no touch screen, Intel's integrated graphics and a DVD burner. But of course, you'll be able to ramp up those specs a little bit with an optional Intel Atom D510 dual-core processor, Nvidia Ion graphics with Optimus technology, up to 500GB of storage and 4GB of DDR2 memory. All models come with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

HP slips out new Slimline, Elite series desktops

Following the full disclosure of its upcoming tablet PC, HP has introduced three new desktop models, the Slimline s5305z and s5350z, along with the Pavilion Elite HPE-190t. As their names denote, the Slimline models are small form factor systems, while the Pavilion Elite is a full-sized high-performance desktop. All of the machines are available now, and ship with Windows 7.

Starting at $300, the s5305z comes equipped with your choice of AMD Sempron or Athlon II processors, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM, 320GB to 750GB of storage, and it offers a range of graphics options, such as a GeForce 6150, G210, GT 220, and a Radeon HD 4350, or 5450. The system also has an optional Blu-ray player/writer, optional Wi-Fi support, a 6-in-1 card reader, optional TV tuner, and 5.1 channel audio.


The s5350z is priced at $480 and upgrades those specs to an Althlon X4 or Phenom X4, 3GB to 8GB of RAM, and up to 1.5TB of storage. Meanwhile, the HPE-190t kicks off at $1,900 and is decked out with a Core i7-980X six-core Extreme Edition CPU, 9GB to 24GB of RAM, a 1GB Radeon HD 4850, 5570, or GeForce GT 220, as many as two 1.5TB HDDs, a 15-in-1 card reader, and most, if not more optional trinkets than the Slimeline systems offer.

Hori intros PS3 dock with LCD and speakers

If you've been looking for a quick and easy way to make the PlayStation 3 a portable machine, gaming accessory maker Hori has you covered. The company is preparing to launch the HP3-87, an add-on that wraps around your PS3 Slim and dons an 11.6-inch notebook-style display which features a 1366x768 display resolution, LED backlighting, a 200 nit brightness, 500:1 contrast, and 7ms response time.


The experience wouldn't be complete without sound, and the HP3-87 has built-in stereo speakers along with twin earphone jacks. Other connectivity is limited to a set of component and composite inputs, and it's compatible with Sony's Torne TV tuner and DVR for the PS3. Although the dock is supposed to free you from your big-screen HDTV, it does bulk up the Slim, which could make it annoying to lug around.

Hori's HP3-87 is set to appear in Japan on May 27 with a retail price of 26,040 yen (about $276). The company hasn't mentioned anything about availability in other locations.

Western Digital launches new VelociRaptor drives

Countering the rampant development of fast and expensive solid state storage, Western Digital has officially released the fifth generation of its VelociRaptor hard drives. The series itself hasn't changed drastically from 2008, but it does include new 450 and 600GB models, along support for SATA 6Gbps and a larger 32MB cache. According to WD, the updated drives can load data up to 15% faster than their predecessors with the same 10,000RPM spin speed.


The drives come in the VelociRaptor's signature 3.5-inch bay version with the IcePAK heatsink cooling the drive or a bare 2.5-inch form factor for server use. Don't think about stuffing one of these in a notebook, though, as they are 15mm tall rather than the standard 9.5mm. The updated drives consume no more power than the previous generation VelociRaptors and feature sustained transfer speeds of up to 145MB/s.

These specs might not hold a candle to the 200+MB/s reads and writes and much faster random-access times of solid-state drives, but in the price per gigabyte department the VelociRaptor still commands a considerable advantage. The 450 and 600GB drives have an MSRP of $299 and $329, respectively, and come with a five-year warranty.

Blu-ray discs crack 100GB barrier, two new specs introed

If today's 50GB Blu-ray discs aren't roomy enough for your needs, the Blu-ray Disc Association might have something right up your alley. The organization has announced two new media specifications, BDXL (High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid discs), and the former offers up to 128GB of storage by incorporating three to four recordable layers.

BDXL is mostly aimed at commercial sectors, such as broadcasting or medical and document imaging enterprises that need high-capacity discs for archiving purposes. It provide 100GB or 128GB write-once options, while rewritable solutions peak at 100GB. A mainstream version of BDXL is also in the pipeline for regions with high BD recorder consumption.

IH-BD discs aren't quite as capacious as BDXL, but they're an interesting development nonetheless. The discs implement a single BD-ROM layer and a single BD-RE layer to protect users from overwriting critical data, while still remaining flexible. All of that's fine and dandy, but there is some bad news: you'll need new hardware to play back or record BDXL or IH-BD media.