Option Releases the Smallest 3G Wi-Fi Hotspot

Option's XYFI is a wireless hotpot that combines regular WiFi connectivity with 3G broadband support.

It uses the USB interface to draw power and can maintain connection with up to eight devices at the same time.

As such, in addition to connecting their own wireless devices, users can share the broadband with other people whenever they wish and wherever they happen to be.

"XYFI's easy 'out-of-box' set-up brings instant connectivity to everyone, without the need to install any software or drivers," said Jerome Nadel, chief experience officer at Option.

“It can be powered in many different ways, making it ideal for use on the move anywhere that a user has 3G or WiFi coverage, a USB slot and power. The intuitive web pages are optimized for use on mobile devices and guarantee users the best possible connectivity experience."

The XYFI will work no matter what USB power source it is plugged into: wall and car plugs, PCs, extended battery packs, etc. No price mentioned though.

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Download the First Windows 8 Theme: Nightfall and Starlight

Only a few hours after making the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 available for download, Microsoft also released the first theme designed specifically for it, Nightfall and Starlight. 

The new theme will offer you the possibility to enjoy distant galaxies and serene seas straight on the desktop of your Windows 8 computer. 

Moreover, if you have two monitors, you will enjoy a panoramic view of these stunning, wide-angle images. All that is required is that both monitors feature the same size and resolution.

“Designed to extend seamlessly across dual monitors with identical resolution settings, this dramatic free theme for your Windows 8 Consumer Preview desktop also shifts your glass color to match each stunning, wide-angle image,” Microsoft notes. 

“Explore distant galaxies, verdant meadows, steep mountains, and serene seas without ever leaving your chair.”

To enjoy the high-resolution imagery included in this theme you will also have to have Windows 8 Consumer Preview or Windows Developer Preview installed on your desktop PC. 

Provided that you have a dual-monitor setup with both monitors of the same size and featuring the same resolution, these panoramic images will automatically extend across both displays. 

However, if these displays are different, a different image will appear on each of them. Have a look at the screenshots embedded below to learn more on this. When viewed on single monitors, only the center part of these panoramic images will appear.

With the release of the new theme, Microsoft is expanding the personalization features that those who installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview or Developer Preview on their devices can benefit from. 

The latest Windows 8 release did include a series of high-resolution wallpapers, along with the option to change the color of Start screen’s background, but the theme brings more into the mix. Themes previously released for the Windows 7 platform can be installed on Windows 8 Consumer Preview as well. 

Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview Build 8250

Download the new Nightfall and Starlight panoramic theme for Windows 8

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MWC 2012: Nokia 808 PureView Wins “Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet” Award

The most controversial device announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress exhibition, Nokia 808 PureView has just been awarded as “Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet,” by a jury of well-known journalists and analysts.

This is the first mobile phone to carry a 41-megapixel camera and will probably be the only one for a long time. That, or the competition will catch up with Nokia’s latest imaging technology, which won’t come as a surprise.

Nokia 808 PureView has just become the most advanced camera phone that will soon be available on the market. This is a Nokia Belle smartphone, but the Finnish company will probably bring the amazing technology to Windows Phone devices as well.

Those who thought that this monster camera phone embeds an 8-megapixel module, which can interpolate pictures to provide high detailed photos, will be “disappointed” to hear that the Nokia 808 PureView actually includes a 41-megapixel sensor.

This 41-megapixel module camera is five times larger than an 8-megapixel sensor, which is usually the standard for today’s modern smartphones.

The phone’s optics is built in collaboration with Carl Zeiss. The precision in this optics is up to ten times higher than that in typical lenses. Another breakthrough that made this 41-megapixel possible is the architecture used.

According to Damian Dinning, Nokia’s Head of Imaging Experience for Smart Devices, the PureView smartphone is handling over 1 billion pixels per second while recording a video, which is about 16 times more than the number of pixels used by other cameras.

Imagine that this can be done with a smartphone that packs a 1GHz single-core processor, complemented by a graphics processing unit, which is also supported by an additional imaging processor companion placed in the module camera itself. 

All these three are working together to offer the most amazing pictures ever done with a mobile phone. Check out the video below for more details on how this is working.

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MWC 2012: Huawei Ascend D lte and Ascend D1 Hands-On

This year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona provided us with the possibility to have a better look at some great dual-core smartphones, including two coming from Huawei, namely the Ascend D lte and Ascend D1. 

Both of them have been designed to offer great performance capabilities through the dual-core 1.5GHz application processors that they have been packed with. 

Moreover, they would both feature 4.5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) touchscreen displays. On Ascend D1, it is an IPS + LCD screen. 

Huawei Ascend D lte was made official with 1GB of RAM inside, and with 4GB of eMMC storage, complemented by a microSD memory card slot that can offer support for up to 32GB of additional memory. 

The handset also arrives on shelves with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity capabilities, as well as with built-in GOS receiver, DLNA and NFC capabilities. Moreover, it sports HDMI via MHL, G-sensor, proximity sensor, and a 1750 mAh battery inside. 

Huawei announced the device with a 12-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with flash and full HD video recording capabilities, complemented by a 1.3MP camera on the front for making video calls. 

The smartphone runs under Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. In fact, this is the same platform as the one loaded on Huawei Ascend D1. 

This smartphone was launched with 1GB of RAM too, and sports 8GB of internal memory, along with a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space. 

It arrives on shelves with an 8-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus, dual-LED flash and support for HD video recording as well. The smartphone also packs a 1.3MP camera on the front for video calling.

It packs a 1670 mAh battery inside, as well as support for HSPA+ 21Mbps, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity options, Dolby mobile DM3+, GPS receiver, and the like.

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Intel ULV Ivy Bridge Mobile CPUs Exposed, Programmable TDPs

We saw the new launch plans that Intel set in place for the Ivy Bridge collection of CPUs, and now we learn some information about the ULV models from the mobile collection. 

VR-Zone claims to have come upon the data on the ULV-series Core i7-3517U, Core i5-3317U and Core i3-3217U. 

The Core i7-3517U has a default clock speed of 1.9 GHz, but the programmable TDP (normally 17W) can be set to as high as 25W. 

That means that the highest possible ”default” frequency is of 2.4 GHz, enabling Turbo Boost modes of 2.8 GHz for two cores and 3 GHz on a single core. 

The second chip, Core i5-3317U, has no option of increasing the TDP, but it can decrease it, like all its peers. 

With a base speed of 1.7 GHz, it has the aforementioned TDP of 17W but can go as low as 14W, bringing the 1.7 GHz to a mere 800 MHz. 

Assuming PC builders and customers leave the TDP at its default state, the Turbo Boost technology can push the clock to 2.4 GHz for both cores or 2.6 GHz for a single one. 

The third and final newly exposed chip, Core i3-3217U, has no option to increase the TDP either, but the low adjustments are the same as for the Core i5-3317U. 

Its cores work at 1.8 GHz (or 800 MHz at 14W) and there is a distinct lack of Turbo Boost, as is customary for Core i3 chips. 

Strangely enough, all three of these CPUs lack Intel's vPro and TXT technology, and the Core i3-3217U also comes without support for the new digital random number generator, VT-d and AES-NI. 

Then again, they are Ultrabook parts, so these assets aren't really necessary. It is already a great enough boon that builders of such PCs will be able to play around with the power settings. 

Unfortunately, with the mind-bending chronology planned for the launch of Ivy Bridge chips, we still have to wait for products to show up.

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MSI Overclocks the GT780DX Gaming Notebook to 4.16GHz

MSI has just announced that for a limited time only its powerful GT780DX gaming notebook will be available with an overclocked Intel Core i7-2920XM Extreme Edition processor that can reach frequencies up to 4.16GHz in Turbo Boost mode.

In order to achieve this speed, MSI has equipped the GT780DX with the company’s exclusive Cooler Boost overclocking heat dispersion system.

According to MSI, this technology enables the fans to work at higher than usual rotation speeds reducing chip temperatures with as much as 10 degrees Centigrade.

Weighing in no less than 3.9Kg, the MSI GT780DX is built around a 17.3-inch LED backlit display that is available in both HD+ (1600x900) and Full HD (1920x1080) resolutions.

Under the hood, Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors are joined by an Nvidia-built GeForce GTX 570M graphics core coupled with 3GB of GDDR5 memory and as much as 16GB of DDR3 system memory.

As far as storage is concerned, the MSI GT780DX can be configured to feature a maximum of two hard drives with a spindle speed of 7200RPM, installed in a RAID 0 configuration, delivering up to 1.5TB of storage space.

A DVD burner also complements the standard version of the GT780DX, but users can also opt for a Blu-ray drive if they so desire. 

The rest of the features list includes a LED backlit keyboard developed in collaboration with SteelSeries (which sports quite a great deal of gaming-oriented features), a pair of USB 3.0 ports, eSATA and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, HDMI 1.4 and VGA video outputs as well as a 9-cell battery pack.

Sadly, MSI hasn’t provided us with any details regarding the pricing or the availability of the GT780DX. However, we expect this to cost a great deal more than the Core i7 2670QM-equipped base version of the notebook that retails for $1,749.99 (1,296 EUR).

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Koolance Ships New AMD and Intel CPU Waterblocks

For people who just can't be satisfied with air cooling, Koolance has created a pair of new waterblocks. 

Dubbed CPU-370SI and CPU-370SA, the last letter in each name determines whose companies they can handle. 

As such, the former works with Intel CPUs, while the latter is compatible with central processors from Advanced Micro Devices. 

In that same order, they are priced at $64.99 and $59.99, respectively. That's 48.34 Euro and 44.62 Euro, based on current exchange rates. 

Both use nickel-plated copper microfin cold plates (0.25 mm fins, 0.30 mm channels) and o-ring sealed impingement plates, plus solid acetal tops and standard G 1/4 BSP threading. 

If you were looking for a video card waterblock, the XSPC Razor 7970 is the newest one that comes to mind (works on AMD Radeon HD 7900 cards).

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AMD Radeon HD 7970/7950 Get XSPC Razor Waterblock

AMD's Radeon HD 7970 and 7950 graphics cards may have their default coolers, but for those who want their hardware chilled with water, XSPC has created the Razor 7970.

The block is made in such a way that, while allowing the card to take up a single expansion slot, it cools all components that generate heat.

That means that not just the GPU, but also the 12 GDDR5 memory chips and the VRM come in contact with the metal.

The VRM cover is made of aluminum, while the rest of the components get copper assistance.

XSPC sells the Razor 7970 waterblock in a bundle with four G1/4″ ports and two G1/4″ plugs. As such, CrossFire multi-card setups can easily be prepared.

Unfortunately, the price might not agree with everyone: £82.67, the equivalent of $131 / 97.73 Euro.

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview: New Start Screen, Cloud Integration

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview, made available for download today, arrives with a series of graphical changes when compared to the Developer Preview that was released in September last year. 

With the new platform version, Microsoft is offering some more info on the manner in which it has reimagined the Windows experience. 

Windows 8 was meant to work on a wider range of devices, including tablet PCs, laptops, desktops and all-in-one PCs. The platform was also intended to deliver fast access to applications, files, information and the like.

Additionally, users will find it easier to move between their Windows 8 PCs to access files and settings from wherever they are. 

Not to mention that the operating system arrives with optimizations for both touch and non-touch devices, so that users will be able to enjoy speed when navigating with a mouse and keyboard as well. 

In Windows 8 Consumer Preview, users will spot a new Start menu, though it will offer the same features and capabilities as it did before, including the possibility to launch apps, to share content, switch between tasks, and the like. 

“If you’ve seen what we’ve done with Windows Phone, this might look familiar,” Kent Walter, Windows Team, notes in a recent blog post. 

“The tiles show real-time updates—news, sports, and what your friends are up to. You can check your schedule or get the latest weather forecast without searching for information—no need to open an app to see your next appointment or find out if you have any new email.

“This design style is great on a phone for getting you to the content you want easily and quickly, and extended to the whole screen of a PC, it’s even better.”

It allows customizations so that information of interest can be easily accessible from a single place. Users can put favorite applications in front, while also being able to group and keep things organized on the Start screen. 

On top of that, people will also find it easier to move between PCs, courtesy of the cloud enhancements that Windows 8 Consumer preview arrives on devices with. 

“Your music, photos, files, contacts, and settings aren’t stored on one device, they’re in one place: the cloud. I like to write, and I’m not always in the same place when I do it. With a Microsoft account, I can start a project on one Windows 8 PC and finish it on another,” Kent Walter continues. 

All that users will need to do to access people, files, and settings, including themes, language preferences, and browser favorites will be to sign in to a Windows 8 PC using their Microsoft account. 

Whether it comes to favorite cloud services, such as Hotmail, SkyDrive, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, they can all be linked to the same Microsoft account. 

Not to mention that people will benefit from immediate access to their photos, docs and other types of files that have been saved on SkyDrive, Flickr, or elsewhere.

“When you sign in, even a brand new Windows 8 PC will have access to your files and settings. And if you share your Windows 8 PC, anyone else can have their own personalized, cloud-connected experience by signing in with their Microsoft account,” Walter also notes. 

Windows 8 Consumer Preview Build 8250 is available for download via this link.

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MWC 2012: Motorola Gleam+ Hands-On

After a whole bunch of quad-core and dual-core smartphones powered by Android, or the new and appealing Windows Phone devices from Nokia, it’s high time we had a look at some more traditional phones present on the floor at MWC 2012, such as the Motorola Gleam+. 

Packing a flip form factor, the same as its predecessor, the new device arrives on shelves with a 2.8-inch (240 x 400 pixels) TFT screen, and with an alphanumeric keyboard. 

It packs 50 MB of internal memory, along with a microSD memory card slot (with support for up to 16 GB of external memory). 

The specs list of this handset also includes Stereo FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth, GPRS, microUSB v2.0, and a 2 MP photo snapper that can also record videos. 

It is powered by a Li-Ion 750 mAh (capable of up to 4 h 50 min of talk time or up to 417 h of standby time).

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