Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, July 21, 2008

OCZ Core SSD vs WD VelociRaptor: the early performance numbers are in

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/340734834/

Filed under: Storage

Now that all the SSD efficiency drama has mellowed out a bit, the guys over at Hot Hardware got their hands on an OCZ Core Series SATA II 64GB SSD and already pitted it against a WD VelociRaptor. The early numbers are impressive: The OCZ averaged read speeds of over 140MB/s and was writing at 87MB/s while the WD topped out at around 136MB/s read and 134MB/s write times. When it comes to applications and random-access times, though, the OCZ SSD scored some crazy fast times. In Windows Defender, gaming, photo import, and Vista startup tests, the SSD was getting things done at as much as 5 times the speed of the VelociRaptor. Sure, the tests are incomplete, but the future is undoubtedly bright for solid state storage once prices roll into realistic range.

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Gigabyte's M912 mini convertible tablet gets priced

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/341173686/

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Gigabyte's M912 has remained largely in the shadows since peeking its head out in early June, but now we're finally getting a hint as to how much coin we'll be forced to lay down in order to acquire one. Based on information from a Taiwanese poster over at UMPC Fever, the M912V, which arrives with Windows Vista, 1GB of RAM, WiFi and Bluetooth, should cost around $656. The WinXP-based M912X will reportedly check in at around $620, while the M912M arrives with a lower resolution display (1,024 x 600 versus 1,280 x 768 on the other two) and no Bluetooth for $556. Take all of this with a tablespoon of salt for now, but at least you've got a general frame of reference to work with as you plan out which netbook to squeeze into your gadget portfolio.

[Thanks, YpoCaramel]

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LG reveals XD1 family of portable hard drives

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/341266874/

Filed under: Storage

Although Western Digital seems to have the portable hard drive sector all wrapped up, LG's looking to snag a bit of that market share by introducing a new line of stylish alternatives. Each member of the XD1 family possesses a 2.5-inch HDD with a SATA II interface and a USB 2.0 port, and just in case black isn't your bag, you can expect a red wine colored version as well. For now, we'll have to live without a price or release date, but you can look forward to units arriving in 120GB, 160GB, 250GB and 320GB sizes sometime in the future.

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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta Now Available [Featured Windows Mobile Download]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/339073165/opera-mobile-95-beta-now-available

Windows Mobile only: The newly released Opera Mobile 9.5 beta offers a host of features for surfing on your handheld device. The browser operates in full-screen mode to maximize the amount of web site you see without cluttering things up with toolbars. Restore access to the toolbars by tapping the small silver arrow in the lower corner of the screen. Opera Mobile also has support for full-screen browsing similar to Microsoft's experimental browser Deepfish. You can look at the entire page at one time and choose which area you want to zoom in on for closer examination. The full-page browsing is handy for maneuvering around web sites that aren't mobile phone-optimized, instead of playing the scrolling game to figure out if you can find what you're looking for. Opera Mobile 9.5 beta is a free download for Windows Mobile only.

Opera Mobile 9.5 beta [Opera]

15.4-Inch Toshiba Satellite Notebook On Sale For $398 [Dealzmodo]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/339891874/154+inch-toshiba-satellite-notebook-on-sale-for-398

Let's say that you did have some disposable income at some point in time, but it happened to turn into a spankin' new iPhone 3G right before you realized Junior desperately needed a new computer for the school year. Don't worry, Gizmodo's here to help make up for your bad parenting without throwing you deeper into debt: Starting Sunday at 8am, Wal-Mart will be selling a 15.4-inch Toshiba Satellite notebook with an Intel Celeron processor for $398. The Toshiba will be decked out with 2GB RAM, a 120GB hard drive, CD-RW and Windows Vista Premium. [Check Out Blog]