ASUS Xonar Essence STX

 

 

 

Audiophiles are interested in getting the best audio quality they can out of their components. The ASUS Xonar Essence STX is probably one of the best consumer level audio cards on the market thanks to its high signal-to-noise ratio, 192KHz/24bit support, superb digital to audio converters and even a built-in headphone amplifier. The audio components also have shielding to ensure that it doesn't receive any interference from other computer components. This provides it with some of the best playback and recording capabilities in a desktop audio card. The card does require an additional 4-pin power connector to provide it with sufficient power. It uses a PCI-Express x1 interface. Priced around $200.

 

 

 

 

Audio Chipset: ASUS AV100
Sample Rate: 192KHz

Digital Audio:24-bit

SNR: 118 dB Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio 124dB for Front-out 110dB for Headphone-out dB

Line In: Yes

SPDIF Out: High-bandwidth Coaxial/TOS-Link combo port supports 192KHz/24bit

MIC In: Yes

Other Ports: Aux-In (4-pin header on the card) Front-Panel Header: Shared by Headphone out / 2 channels out / Microphone in S/PDIF Header: Connects to compatiable graphic cards for HDMI output

 

 

 

LCD Monitors 2010

NEC E461 and E551 LCD Monitor

NEC has launched its latest technology named as NEC E461 and E551. This cool LCD has a good performance than other monitors, it has 46-inch E461 and 55-inch E551 both feature 1920x1080p Full HD, and up to 5000:1 typical contrast ratio. It may contains 210W and fully connectivity, in terms of 4 HDMI inputs, analog RGB, composite video and S-Video.

Other features include multiple picture modes, features advanced video and a 120Hz refresh rate, built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM analog/digital tuner, built-in closed captioning and integrated CONEQ Sound technology. It is have a swivel stand, its detachable for wall amount applications. The NEC E461 and E551 LCD is available with a retail price of $999 and $1,499 respectively, and will be released in the month of August.

Samsung UN55C7000 55-Inch 3D LED HDTV

Samsung has unveiled its latest technology, now it is a 55-inch wide screen HDTV. One unique features of this TV is that it can connect on web applications therefore you can stream movies, play games, display your slideshows of pictures, and many more not just watching like on ordinary television sets. The Samsung 3D LED UN55C7000 HDTV features HDMI, movie connect share where in you can insert a USB 2.0 flash drive, or connect to digital camera to see a clip or images, and it also has skype built-in. Core specifications includes 240Hz Clear Motion Rate and 6,000,000:1 Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio. They also added a feature that can eliminates all motion blur for excellent performance.


Dell SX2210T Multi-touch LCD Monitor + Webcam

Dell has unleashed their latest technology, but this time a 21.5 inch multi-touch LCD monitor called Dell SX2210T. What’s good with this Multi-Touch LCD Monitor is it has a webcam that you can use for chatting and other video conferencing stuff. If you’re using Windows 7 Home Premium & above with its multi-touch capabilities, the Dell SX2210T monitor features full HD 1920 x 1080 experience with 16:9 widescreen display. Aside from that the Dell SX2210T multi-touch monitor has a 220 cd/m2 brightness, dual microphones for video chat, and the capability to to flick, tap, drag, and scroll with your fingers using its multi-touch technology.


HP S2031, S2231 and S2331 LCD Monitors

HP has announced their latest affordable LCD monitors which are expected to be released and sold to the market in late May 2010. These are the S2031, S2231 and S2331 series. These brand new model of monitors have a contrast ratio of 1000:1, a resolution of 1600 × 900px, 250 nits of brightness levels and has a response time of 5 ms. Only S2031 model supports 1080p and 300 nits of brightness levels. For the price, the S2031 costs $150, whereas for S2231 has a price of $190, while the S2331 has a selling price of $220.


BenQ “World’s Slimmest” Monitor

BenQ, the leading LED monitor manufacturer has finally introduced its three latest and the world’s slimmest LED monitors in India. Yes they are three, this are the BenQ V2220 (21.5” W), V2420 (24.0” W) and V920 (18.5” W) these three are also known as BenQ’s V series. These three V series has the following features: LED backlighting technology, set apart by proprietary Senseye Human Vision Technology, which has six preset modes: Game, Movie, sRGB, Eco, Photo, and Standard. This latest monitor is also energy saving because it can consume up to 44 percent less energy compare to those other LED monitor.

What is Android?

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language.

Features

• Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
• Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
• Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
• Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
• SQLite for structured data storage
• Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
• GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
• Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
• Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
• Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE

Android Architecture

The following diagram shows the major components of the Android operating system. Each section is described in more detail below.

Applications

Android will ship with a set of core applications including an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts, and others. All applications are written using the Java programming language.

Application Framework

By providing an open development platform, Android offers developers the ability to build extremely rich and innovative applications. Developers are free to take advantage of the device hardware, access location information, run background services, set alarms, add notifications to the status bar, and much, much more.

Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities (subject to security constraints enforced by the framework). This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user.

Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems, including:

• A rich and extensible set of Views that can be used to build an application, including lists, grids, text boxes, buttons, and even an embeddable web browser
• Content Providers that enable applications to access data from other applications (such as Contacts), or to share their own data
• A Resource Manager, providing access to non-code resources such as localized strings, graphics, and layout files
• A Notification Manager that enables all applications to display custom alerts in the status bar
• An Activity Manager that manages the lifecycle of applications and provides a common navigation backstack

 
 

Libraries

Android includes a set of C/C++ libraries used by various components of the Android system. These capabilities are exposed to developers through the Android application framework. Some of the core libraries are listed below:

• System C library - a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library (libc), tuned for embedded Linux-based devices
• Media Libraries - based on PacketVideo's OpenCORE; the libraries support playback and recording of many popular audio and video formats, as well as static image files, including MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG
• Surface Manager - manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications
• LibWebCore - a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view
• SGL - the underlying 2D graphics engine
• 3D libraries - an implementation based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs; the libraries use either hardware 3D acceleration (where available) or the included, highly optimized 3D software rasterizer
• FreeType - bitmap and vector font rendering
• SQLite - a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications

 

Android Runtime

Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language.
Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.
The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionality such as threading and low-level memory management.


 

Linux Kernel

Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack.

 

Belkin N1 Vision

Belkin's latest N1 series router, the N1 Vision, isn't just hands-down the smokiest 802.11n draft 2.0 router we've seen—it tries to one-up everyone else with a built-in LCD screen that displays info ranging from a bandwidth speedometer to the number of neighbors leeching your internet. At $200, the sexiness doesn't come cheap, but it can be yours later this month. More details after the jump.

Belkin N1 Vision

   

•Interactive network display •Plug-and-Play "CD-less" setup •Operating Range: Up to 1,600 ft.** •Link Rate: Up to 300Mbps in 20/40MHz channel mode •Compatible with IEEE 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11n draft 2.0*, 802.3ab •Ports: WAN - 1 Gigabit port; LAN - 4 Gigabit ports •Security: Wi-Fi Protected Setup™; WPA™, WPA2™; 64-/128-bit WEP encryption; multiple SSID •VPN Support: PPTP; IPSec pass-through

Techs & Digitals: PCTech Magazine: DLP Projectors

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Digital Techs: AMD Phenom

Digital Techs: AMD Phenom: "AMD Phenom™ II Processors Unbeatable multi-core value with AMD Phenom™ II processors. They deliver The Ultimate Visual Experience..."

Battlefield Bad Company™ 2

The ultimate Online warfare

Battlefield Bad Company™ 2 brings the spectacular Battlefield gameplay to the forefront of next-gen consoles and PC, featuring best-in-class vehicular combat set across a wide range of huge sandbox maps each with a different tactical focus. New vehicles like the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and the UH-60 transport helicopter allow for all-new multiplayer tactics in the warzone. Extensive fine-tuning ensures that this will be the most realistic vehicle combat experience to date. Tactical destruction is taken to new heights with the updated DICE Frostbite engine. Players can now take down entire buildings or create their own vantage points by blasting holes through cover, thereby delivering a unique dynamic experience in every match.

Players can also compete in 4-player teams in 2 exclusive squad-only game modes, fighting together to unlock exclusive team awards and achievements. Spawn on your squad to get straight into the action and use gadgets such as the tracer dart in conjunction with the RPG to devastating effect. Excellence in the battlefield is rewarded with an extensive range of pins, insignias and stars to unlock along with 50 dedicated ranks to achieve. Variety also extends into the range of customizable kits weapons and vehicles available. With 4 distinct character classes, dozens of weapons, several gadgets and specializations, players have over 15,000 kit variations to discover and master. Players will be able to fine-tune their preferred fighting style to give them the edge in combat.

All of these features combine to deliver spectacular and unpredictable action moments found nowhere else in a modern warfare experience. The game also sees the return of the "B" Company squad in a more mature and intense single player experience where the stakes are higher than ever.

 

 

Game specifications
Publisher Electronic Arts
Developer EA Digital Illusions CE AB
Street date 2010-03-02 North America, 2010-03-05 Europe
Category First person shooter
Platforms XBOX 360™, Playstation® 3, PC

Preston

Private Preston Marlowe

Preston Marlowe (You)

Raised on two generations of war stories, Private Marlowe joined Bad Company to get some combat under his belt. Now, as Bad Company's latest "recruit," Marlowe's getting all the action he can handle. Maybe more. 

Sarge

Sergeant Samuel D. Redford

Sarge (Squad Leader)

Sergeant Samuel D. Redford is the only soldier to actually request transfer to Bad Company. Some paint that decision as crazy or suicidal, but Sarge has his reasons. He used to buy into the whole military lifestyle, Mom and Apple Pie, all of it. Not anymore. Especially not after Sadiz. 

Haggard

Private George Gordon Haggard, Jr.

Haggard (Explosives Expert)

Private George Gordon Haggard, Jr. actually likes being in Bad Company. His better personality traits include low-impulse control, consistently poor hygiene, and an encyclopedic knowledge of explosives. The upside is that Haggard's a hell of a soldier. He's just a little … unorthodox. And loud. 

Sweetwater

Private Terrence Sweetwater

Sweetwater (Technical and Communications Specialist)
Private Terrence Sweetwater is too smart for his own good. He enlisted for the college scholarship his recruiter dangled in front of him, figuring his brains would keep him in the rear with the gear. And maybe they would have, if he hadn't "accidentally" uploaded a virus to a secure military network he wasn't supposed to access in the first place.

WEAPONS AND VEHICLES

XM8 Prototype

An experimental US military project, the XM8 P fully automatic rifle was created with a unique versatility, allowing the operator to perform quick repairs and barrel changes in a hot spot.

3,020 ASSAULT SCORE

 

SCAR-L Carbine

The Scar Light model is designed for various barrel size modifications and is compatible with a bevy of ammunition types. The rifle's stealthy silencer and frame has made it the weapon of choice of the SOCOM forces.

2,510 ENGINEER SCORE

M60 LMG

Utilizing design elements from the WW II MG42, the M60 was introduced in 1957 and has been the workhorse of every branch of the U.S. Military. It has gone through several modifications throughout its service life but is slowly being phased out by the M240.

24,700 MEDIC SCORE

 

 

 

GOL Sniper Magnum

With outstanding accuracy and Mauser reliability this rifle provides exceptional performance in difficult operational situations. It's extremely long range and pinpoint accuracy makes it the rifle of choice with German police agencies and counter terrorist units.

20,500 RECON SCORE

 

 

 

M1A2 Abrams

Details

U.S. Main Battle Tank (MBT) armed with a 120mm smoothbore cannon and a remotely operated .50 caliber HMG. The M1 is heavily armored, and highly mobile and designed to dominate armored ground warfare and urban operations.

 

 

 

AH-64 Apache

Details

U.S. Attack Helicopter armed with a belly mounted 30mm chain gun firing HEAT rounds and dual 70mm Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR). It has a crew of 2 and is armored to defeat small arms up to and including .50 caliber munition.

 

 

 

Anti-Air Gun

Details

Russian dual barreled 23 mm auto cannon used primarily as an anti-aircraft weapon it can also be used in direct fire support against soft-skinned armored vehicles. Its towing cradling functions as a weapon mount eliminating timely set up.