Asus launches the zero-decibel HD 6770 DirectCU Silent GPU, at Rs. 9,750

Asus has released its latest AMD Radeon card, the HD 6770 DirectCU Silent, priced at Rs. 9,750 (MRP) in India. According to Asus, the HD 6770 DirectCU Silent card delivers zero decibel performance, using a new fanless design that apparently makes it the coolest passive cooling GPU in the market – up to 16% cooler than conventional passive cooling designs.

Previous Asus cards to feature the DirectCU Silent design, with its 95% larger heatsinks, include the GT 430, GT 440, GTS 450 and HD 6670. The HD 6770 until recently was an OEM-only card, and is essentially a rebadged version of the HD 5770, with a different BIOS, HDMI 1.4a support, and UVD3 video decoding that allows it to process even Blu-ray 3D.

Falling in the performance mainstream category, between Nvidia’s GTS 450 and GT 430, the Asus HD 6770 DirectCU Silent card features a Juniper GPU with 1.04 billion transistors, 1GB of GDDR5 video memory, 800 stream processors, 16 ROPs, a 850MHz core clock, 1.2GHz memory clock, 128-bit memory bandwidth, and 40 texture units. According to Asus, the design uses the company’s exclusive Super Alloy Power components, which offer a 15% performance boost and 2.5x longer product lifespan.

 

Google+ opens to everyone; gets new Search and Hangout features

Google+ has been opened up for everyone to join after nearly three months in closed testing. Alongside its full-fledged public launch, Google has incorporated several new features in the social networking site, including an improved and expanded Hangout video-chat feature.

"We're nowhere near done, but with the improvements we've made so far we're ready to move from field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature: open signups," Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, writes in a blog post.

The improved Hangout feature allows Google+ users to video chat via their mobile phones as well. However, the feature currently only supports Android 2.3+ devices. Google says it will soon update the feature to support iOS devices.

Google has also rolled out “Hangouts On Air” feature, which enables Google+ users to publically broadcast their videos. "Once you're 'On Air,' up to nine others can join your hangout (as usual), and anyone can watch your live broadcast," says Gundotra.

The On Air facility is initially available with a limited number of broadcasters, but Google says any Google+ user can watch them. “In fact: we’ll be hosting our very first On Air hangout with will.i.am on Wednesday night, September 21, adds Gundotra.

In addition, Google has added a number of features in Hangouts, including screen sharing, Google Docs, sketchpads and named Named Hangouts.

Google has added a new “Search” functionality to its social network. "Just type what you're looking for into the Google+ search box, and we'll return relevant people and posts, as well as popular content from around the web," Gundotra wrote. “If you're into photography, for example, then you'll see other enthusiasts and lots of great pictures. If you care more about cooking, then you'll see other chefs and food from around the globe,” he continues.

To promote its new social networking site, Google has added “You+” button home page. If you open Google's home page today, a virtual arrow will direct you to the new feature.

Google+ shot to popularity soon after it was launched in late June. In spite of being launched with a number of users, it became one of the fastest growing websites of late. With the growing popularity of Google+, it appeared Google had finally made it to the social networking segment and had a product which could give a good competition to Facebook.

With 25 million users, Google+ is still trailing Facebook and Twitter, which have 750 million and 100 million users respectively. However, opening up the service for public is likely to help Google+ increase those numbers.

Gears of War 3 midnight launch: gamers line up at Game4u store

As the clock struck 00:00 hrs on September 20, Indian fans got their hands on Epic Games final installment of the Gears series – Gears of War 3 at Game4u store, Mega Mall, Oshiwara, Mumbai.

Gamers eagerly lined up outside the store that was decked up with Gears of War 3 merchandise to get a first look of the game. 

Some customers reached the store over an before the launch to be first in line for the midnight release of “Gears of War 3” a sci-fi military shooter game for XBOX 360. The first customer to purchase the game as soon as the store opened at 00:00 hrs was presented with a “First to Own” certificate by Mr. Jayont R. Sharma, Chairman and CEO, Milestone Interactive Group along with exclusive Gears of War 3 merchandise.

Additionally, all customers that attended the midnight launch were given Gears of War 3 freebies such as game DLCs, key chains, mugs, t-shirts and posters.

Speaking on the Gears of War 3 mid-night launch at the Game4u store, Mr. Sharma said, “The Gears of War franchise has a huge appeal amongst Indian gamers. It gained popularity when the first version was released five years ago. We are excited to deliver the third installment to the ardent fans of the franchise in India via this mid-night launch”.

You can find more information on Game4u on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/game4u), Twitter (@Game4uNinja) and the official blog (http://blog.game4u.com)

 

Nikon announces its first mirrorless cameras, in the new Nikon 1 series

Nikon has launched its first mirrorless cameras, the Nikon 1 series, which will go on sale in Japan from October 20. The Nikon 1 series will supposedly be priced between $500 and $1000, with the Japanese optics giant believing that its first mirrorless models would have the best success in that position, as compact interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs).

The first models to be launched will be the Nikon 1 J1 (at around ¥70,000) and the Nikon 1 V1 (at around ¥105,000). A choice of four ultraportable Nikkor lenses will come with them, based on a new mount for the series. The Nikon 1 series will be aimed at prosumers, those who feel a regular compact digital camera is “not quite good enough,” and are unwilling to invest in a dSLR, with its hefty price tag and bulky form factor.

According to Yasuki Okamoto, head of the Nikon’s imaging division, the new Nikon 1 series with their mirrorless design, large sensors, and interchangeable lenses, will deliver benefits of dSLR cameras in smaller bodies. The mirrorless design, already enabling slimmer form factors, will also not require optical viewfinders, further slimming down the end-product.

Other manufacturers, such as Sony, have had their mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras in the market since 2010. Interestingly, according to IDC, sales of such devices have been extremely good in Japan, accounting for 31% of interchangeable lens camera sales, as opposed to a lukewarm response in the West, accounting for only 10% of ILC sales in the U.S.

The Nikon 1 V1 with its accessories

 

Acer launches the C110 and K330 mobile projectors

Acer has introduced the two newest entrants in its projector lineup, the C110 and the K330. Both projectors are claimed to be built for portable and multi-purpose use.

The C110 is a pico projector which, at measurements of 110mm x 85mm x 25mm and weighing 175 grams, is tiny enough to fit in your pocket. Billed as “an ideal notebook companion”, the C110 can be connected to Windows and Android devices via a USB cable. Specs wise, the C110 boasts of a 1000:1 contrast ratio, resolution of 854x480 (WVGA) and support for both 16:9 (native) and 4:3 aspect ratios. To top it off, the C110 boasts of reported 20,000 hours of LED lamp life thanks to its DLP architecture. An optional accessory is the 25-inch foldable projector screen which can be carried around.

The K330, on the other hand, is a tad more multimedia oriented. It is 3D ready, boasts of a contrast ratio of 4,000:1, resolution of 1280x800 (WXGA) and aspect ratio support for 16:10, 16:9 and 4:3. Aside from the connectivity options of VGA, HDMI, Composite and AV, the K330 also features an SD card slot and a USB port, and can read video, image, sound and standard office (PPT, XLS, DOC and PDF) files off any connected storage devices.

The Acer C110 and K330 are priced at Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 54,000 respectively, while the foldable projector screen can be purchased for around Rs. 2,500.

Specifications:
C110

• Measurements: 110mm x 85mm x 25mm, 175g
• Connectivity: Single or dual-USB
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (native), 4:3
• Resolution: 854x480 (WVGA)
• Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
• Compatibility: Windows and Android devices

K330

• Measurements: 1.2kg form factor
• Connectivity: VGA, HDMI, Composite, AV, USB video
• Storage device compatibility via: SD Card slot, USB port
• Aspect ratio: 16:10, 16:9, 4:3
• Resolution: 1280x800 (WXGA)
• Document support: PPT, XLS, DOC and PDF
• Video Support: Level 3.1 H264 files at upto 1080p
• Image support: BMP and JPG

A look at the Windows 8 Developer Preview

Microsoft seems to have taken a page from the Linux book by releasing such an early version of Windows publically. We take a look at what the Developer preview offers.

As good as Windows 7 is, it mostly just tried to repair some of the damage done by Windows Vista, Windows 8 by comparison is very ambitious. Nearly every corner of the OS has been touched, and it shows from the boot.

Windows 8 is highly inspired by its cousin running on phones, Windows Phone 7, and uses the same UI style called Metro. Metro is a big and central part of Windows 8, it's hard to escape and likely it won't be something you can turn off even in the final release. It's not just about the UI but also the work that has gone into creating a new way for developers to create Windows applications using even web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.

We immediately downloaded and tested Windows 8 on a desktop computer so our experience is mostly based on the how it works on a non-touch environment. However some of the major new additions to Windows 8 actually have to do with Tablets. Windows 8 is essentially meant to be an OS that can run on tablets, netbooks and desktops, with Windows Phone catering to smartphones.

Let us first dispense with the rumours that Windows 8 will only have the toned down Metro UI, and the familiar Windows desktop is gone. This is not true, the familiar old Windows 7 UI and desktop is still there (mostly). So the question is not of what is lost by in Windows 8, but whether what is added (Metro) is worthwhile, or just gets in the way, that question however will be for you to answer once you have used it a bit. For that purpose we will divide our attentions between the new Windows Metro UI and the "classic" UI.

Metro

Metro is a complete departure from the classic Windows UI, and is optimized heavily for touch screens. Touch screens need big targets, and that isn't just true of the OS, but of each application as well. Windows 7 came with support for multitouch screens, but no one made much of it because neither the Windows UI, nor the UI of most Windows apps was very conducive to a good multitouch experience. Windows 8 rectifies this is with a fresh new tile-based Metro UI.

Windows 8 Metro start screen

When you first boot Windows 8 you are greeted with this UI which shows your installed applications as a collection of tiles. What's great about these tiles is that they are not only a way to launch applications, but also small windows into the application. A tile for your email app could show you your unread email count, your social networking app could show the latest posts, and your image management app could show a slideshow of images etc.

We say "could" because right now apps don't support this functionality - remember this is the preview that is supposed to get developers started developing apps for Windows 8 - but the sample apps included showcase it quite well; the news app shows news from configured feeds, the Twitter apps shows tweets and the stocks app shows stocks. Apps launch in full screen but can be made to share space as well. Applications whether they are Metro apps or traditional apps or web apps can be pinned into the Metro start screen.

Traditional apps pinned on to the Metro start screen

In this Metro start screen, if you start typing, you will immediately see a filtered list of installed applications, but you can search in settings and files as well. And here comes the awesome part, you can search from here within applications as well! Applications expose their data to Windows which can then search within that data as well. A hypothetical example would be, if Amazon's Kindle eBook reading app supported this feature you'd be able to search for eBooks directly from Windows.

Searching for applications, results from settings, files and installed applications can also be browsed from here

Windows 8 comes with a version of Internet Explorer 10 with a Metro interface that doesn't allow plugins such as Flash and Silverlight. This UI is highly optimized for tablet devices, but is functional on desktops / laptops as well.

The Metro version of Internet Explorer 10. Currently the desktop version looks the same as IE9

The login / lock screen has received some Metro love and now finally displays the current time and can even be extended to show data from some applications - another useful feature for Tablets.

The Windows 8 lock screen.

A completely new Metro-styled control panel is also available that offers a simpler way to configure most common settings.

The new Metro-styled control panel

Even the boot process has finally been revamped to use a Metro-style UI. You can select which OS to boot using your mouse / touchscreen. This makes sense for tablets where there would be no keyboard to make an OS selection.

All of this is available in addition to the more traditional Windows UI, which we talk about next. However you needn't use the traditional UI if Metro is all you want. What is great is that these two can coexist and even cooperate by sharing screen space between metro and traditional apps.

A Metro application is docked to the right of the screen while you work on a normal Windows application.

Hovering near the edge of the screen shows a preview of other running applications; this preview can be dragged onto the screen to make it share space with the current app, or take over the screen.

As you hover your mouse on the edge, a preview of other running apps appears. You can click it to switch to the app, or drag it to dock it.

RIM launches BlackBerry Torch 9860 in India, at Rs. 28,490

RIM has launched its top-end BlackBerry Torch model in India, the BlackBerry Torch 9860. The BlackBerry Torch 9860 runs on the BlackBerry 7 OS, and features a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, with a resolution of 480x800 pixels, roughly translating to pixel density of 252 ppi. RIM has priced the Torch 9860 at Rs. 28,490 in India - a price that might seem steep, but definitely on the reasonable side compared other top-end BlackBerry offerings.

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 is one of the latest additions to the BlackBerry lineup, featuring modern specifications (for RIM) that should help it compete with its contemporaries. It features a 1GHz processor along with 768MB of RAM, and so, should not be a slouch. It also comes with an optical trackpad, a 5MP autofocus camera, and 4GB of inbuilt storage. For more details about the specifications of the BlackBerry Torch 9860, refer to our previous coverage, here and here.

The new BlackBerry 7 OS is also reportedly faster than ever before, with a brand new browser, new features, and workspace management features. For more details about BlackBerry 7 OS, refer to our previous coverage, here and here.