AMD Prepares A4-3420 Llano-Based APU for May/June Release

Even though this summer will mark the introduction of the company’s second generation high-performance Trinity APUs, AMD will continue to expand its current A-Series processor lineup with new models based on the Llano architecture.

One of these upcoming APUs, dubbed the A4-3420, was recently uncovered by the Donaim Haber website, which has learned that this new processor is expected to arrive in May or June of this year.

Just as its name implies, the A4-3420 will be a slightly faster version of the company’s A4-3400 APU that was introduced in 2011.

The most important change brought by the A4-3420 when compared to its predecessor, is the slightly faster core speed, as the APU will now work at 2.8GHz instead of the 2.7GHz default clock of the A4-3400.

Otherwise, the two chips are basically identical, both of them coming with dual computing cores, 1MB of Level 2 cache memory and an on-die Radeon HD 6410D graphics core.

Those of you who aren’t familiar with AMD’s integrated GPUs should know that the 6410D features 160 shader units running at 600MHz, and fully supports Microsoft’s DirectX 11 API.

Much like the current A4-3400, the updated 3420 also includes a dual-channel memory controller with support for DDR3-1600 speeds.

The TDP of the chip is apparently set at 65 Watts and is compatible with motherboards using the FM1 socket.

According to Donanim Haber, AMD will price the A4-3420 at $65 US (almost 50 EUR), which makes it less expensive than the A4-3400 ($71) and the A4-3300 ($66).

The A4-3420 will most probably be one of the last Llano APUs to see the light of day, as in June or July this year AMD is said to introduce the Trinity accelerated processing units based on the Bulldozer architecture.

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Intel 7-Series Ivy Bridge Motherboard BIOSes Now Available, DX79SI Gets New BIOS Too

Its 7-series chipsets might not be official yet, but this hasn’t stopped Intel from adding to its support website BIOS updates for three of the company’s upcoming Ivy Bridge motherboards.

The LGA 1155 boards in question are the Z77-based DZ77GA and DZ77BH, which are joined by the DH77EB built around the company’s H77 chipset.

All three of these solutions are expected to become official at the end of April, as far as we know.

Sadly, details about their specifications are scarce at this time, but if for some reason or another you would want to download their BIOS, you can do so by following these links: DZ77GA, DZ77BH and DH77EB.

If you don’t own any of these 7-series solutions, but have the Intel DX79SI motherboard for LGA 2011 processors, you can get its latest 0430 BIOS from links provided below.

Intel DX79SI / DX79TO BIOS 0430

Intel DX79SI / DX79TO Iflash BIOS 0430

Intel DX79SI / DX79TO Express BIOS 0430

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AMD Radeon HD 7990 Launch Set for April 2012, Says Report

In about a month away from now, AMD is said to introduce a new high-performance dual-GPU video card, based on the company’s Graphics Core Next architecture, which will be dubbed the Radeon HD 7990.

A specific launch date isn’t available so far, but Donanim Haber has found out that the graphics card is scheduled to arrive this April.

Most likely, the Radeon HD 7990 will be built using two Tahiti XT graphics cores that will be linked together via CrossFireX.

If AMD goes for the Tahiti XT graphics core, this could mean that the card should feature 62 Compute Units for a total of 4096 stream processors, 256 texture units and 64 ROP units.

Each one of the two GPUs will also feature a 384-bit wide memory, bus that will be connected to 3GB of GDDR5 video buffer, delivering a whopping 6GB of VRAM on a single graphics card.

The clocks that the memory chips or the two GPUs will run at are unknown, but most probably AMD will have to go lower than the 925MHz/1.375GHz (5.5GHz effective) frequencies used for the HD 7970, in order to decrease the power consumption and the heat output of this dual-GPU monster.

The good news for AMD is that thanks to its ZeroCore technology the HD 7990 can completely shut down the secondary GPU when not in use.

So far, no details regarding pricing have been uncovered, but given the $549 (420 EUR) MSRP of the HD 7970, this dual-GPU Radeon is expected to easily surpass the $700 US barrier.

Nvidia is also said to prepare a dual-GPU graphics card of its own based on the company’s upcoming “Kepler” GK104 core, which will apparently be made available in May this year.

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Synology DS112j Personal Cloud Storage NAS Comes Packed Full of Features

Synology has just announced that is has expanded its NAS portfolio with the addition of a new single-bay solution, dubbed the DS112j, which was designed to be used as a personal cloud storage device courtesy of a range of apps designed for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Those apps allow users to access the data they have stored on the DS112j, including documents, music, video and photos, as well as to receive live streaming video from home surveillance webcams.

The device itself can accommodate a single 3.5-inch storage drive and comes with a new milk white chassis that adds a dash of style to Synology's NAS.

Things have also changed on the inside of the DS112j, as the 1GHz processor and 128MB of RAM are now cooled by a low-rotation 60mm fan that enhances heat dissipation, while also minimizing the noise produced when running to 17.1 dB(A). 

Power consumption is estimated at 12.1W in operation and 4.4W in hibernation, making the new NAS a great deal more power efficient than the 2-bay DS212j, which is also part of the company’s personal cloud solutions series.

As far as connectivity is concerned, the DS112j comes equipped with one Gigabit LAN port and two USB 2.0 connectors. The NAS is compatible with 4TB hard drives.

"Synology DS112j comes at an entry-level price point, but makes no compromise in the richness of features offered by Synology," said Darren Lin, a product manager of Synology Inc. 

"It is a gateway to Synology's unique cloud services and applications, making it easy for users to keep their data in sync across all their PC, mobile devices, DS112j and carry terabytes of multimedia files anywhere," Lin added.

According to Synology, the DS112j is shipping as we speak, but no information regarding pricing has been revealed so far.

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HTC Explains Micro Arc Oxidation on One S, Video Available

HTC’s One S smartphone will arrive on shelves with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform and with the HTC Sense 4 UI on top, while promising great performance capabilities courtesy of a dual-core 1.5GHz application processor. 

However, this is not all that the handset has to offer, and the Taiwanese mobile phone maker is set to make sure that we’re aware of that. 

Thus, the company came up with a video to detail one of the “cool” features that this device arrives on shelves with, namely a durable body that also feels great in the hand. 

For that, HTC is zapping the aluminum body of the device with 10,000 volts, the equivalent of lightning. 

This is not necessarily needed for the device, but it does offer that level of “wow” that many are seeking in a new gadget. Have a look at the video embedded above to learn more on the matter.

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Galaxy S III Said Again to Be Waterproof

One of the features that Samsung might include inside the upcoming Galaxy S III smartphone would be waterproof capabilities, some of the latest rumors around the web suggest. 

Apparently, Samsung might have partnered with P2i, the electronics waterproofing company, for the addition of this special feature to the upcoming handset. 

A recent article on TechRadar notes that P2i already confirmed working with a large Korean manufacturer on the matter, and that carriers were also interested in launching devices that featured such capabilities. 

"We're working with major carriers to create a standard of performance for water repellence which can give OEMs something to work to when creating smartphones,” Eric Cohill, COO for P2i, reportedly stated during an interview with the aforementioned website. 

Whether this means that the next generation flagship Android-based mobile phone from Samsung will include the capabilities as well, it remains to be seen. 

One thing that is certain, however, is that it should not be too long before waterproof devices conquered the worldwide market, the same as they did with the market in Japan. 

"There are several hundred pound gorillas in the phone industry, we've got the 'fruity companies' and the big Korean brands, and they're all becoming interested in our technology as they don't want to be second best in the market,” the company reportedly stated.

"There's a lot more excitement this year, and we're talking to a major US carrier to set an internal baseline for standards which could affect the decisions these networks make over which phone to range.”

P2i's technology is currently included in Motorola’s Life-proof range of phones, such as the Motorola Defy+.

Apparently, users are also interested in owning devices that are water repellent, which means that the feature might soon become an industry standard, the same as many other smartphone capabilities. Stay tuned for more on the matter.

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HIS Passive Cooled Radeon HD 6670 iSilence 5 Makes Appearance

Over the years, we have grown accustomed to HIS' in-house Radeon HD designs and today the company has released another such solution based on AMD's HD 6670 GPU, the HIS 6670 iSilence 5 1GB DDR3, which was built specifically for HTPC enthusiasts.

The video card was designed in order to provide noise-free operation and uses a passive heatsink to dissipate the heat produced by the HD 6670 graphics core.

This covers most of the card’s PCB and increases cooling efficiency by maximizing the heat dissipation surface. Heat is conducted from the GPU and into the aluminum fin array via four copper heatpipes. 

The good news is that the advanced cooling assembly used by HIS doesn’t require more than two slots inside the system case, which means that it can even be used in 2-way CrossFireX setups (if paired with an AMD motherboard). 

As far as the operating clocks of the card are concerned, HIS set the GPU frequency at AMD's recommended 800MHz, but the memory has been downgraded from the recommended 4GHz data rate GDDR5 to 1GB of DDR3 working at 1600MHz.

The rest of the 6670 iSilence 5 specs are nothing out of the ordinary as the graphics card features the usual VGA, DVI and HDMI video outputs.

HIS' latest creation is available in the retail market as we speak, with pricing set at £60 excluding VAT, which roughly translates into 72 EUR or $94.3 USD.

AMD's Radeon HD 6670 is based on the Turks graphics core, which includes 480 streaming processors, 24 texture units, 8 ROP units and a 128-bit wide memory bus.

The low TDP of the Radeon HD 6670 core means that the card doesn’t require any external power, which makes it perfect for upgrading your system without having to supply a beefier PSU.

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HTC One X with Quad-Core CPU Receives FCC Approval

Back in February when HTC unveiled the One series of Android phones, the company promised that all HTC One devices would be available on the market as soon as Q2 2012.

The Taiwanese handset maker has teamed up with more than 140 carriers in orders to offer these HTC One smartphones worldwide, as fast as possible.

One of the carriers that confirmed plans to release the HTC One XL is AT&T. The smartphone has already been approved by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) earlier this month.

However, the guys over at Pocketnow spotted the HTC One XL sibling, the One X at FCC, which means that the quad-core device will make its entrance in the United States as well.

HTC One XL will be available at AT&T with LTE support, but with a dual-core Krait processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. 

Customers who choose the HTC One X will be provided with only HSPA+ download speeds up to 21Mbps, but the smartphone is equipped with a 1.5 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor.

Currently, HTC One X is priced at 770 USD (tax included) in the United States, but this is subject to change. No word on any of the two devices release dates or pricing options yet, but more details will be provided within the next few weeks.

HTC One XL and One X are powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and feature Beats Audio. Moreover, each boasts a 4.7-inch Super IPS LCD2 capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass coating.

An impressive 8-megapixel rear camera is available as well, which features HTC’s Imaging technology, autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. There’s also a secondary 1.3-megapixel camera for self-portraits and video chats. Stay tuned for more updates on the subject.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) Spotted at FCC with AT&T 3G Radios

Officially unveiled back in February, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is slated for a March release in the UK. However, Samsung confirmed the slate would be launched worldwide within the following months.

In this regard, it looks like we’re closing to a release in the Unites States as the tablet has just been spotted at FCC (Federal Communications Commission) by the folks over at Engadget.

Even though there are no details on the tablet’s price tag and release date, it appears that Galaxy Tab 2.0 (7.0) has been approved with AT&T’s 3G radios. 

Based on the popularity of the original model, the second generation of Galaxy Tab 7.0 will probably be available in the United States through multiple carriers.

Codenamed GT-3100, the slate is expected to hit shelves within the next several weeks, though this has yet to be confirmed by Samsung.

This is one of the few tablets to offer support for GSM voice communications, SMS and MMS. In addition, the slate boasts HSPA+ and HSUPA support, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP.

Furthermore, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) is powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1 GHz and packs 8GB of internal memory, 1GB of RAM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 64GB).

Samsung also announced that two additional models would be available on the market, a 16GB variant and a 32GB version. All three will probably be launched at the same time.

As the name suggests, Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) sports a 7-inch PLS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 600 x 1024 pixels resolution. There’s also a 3-megapixel camera on the back and a secondary VGA front-facing camera for video calls.

Software-wise, the slate runs the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system with Samsung’s TouchWiz UX user interface on top.

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The First Photos Taken with Apple's New iPad

The Vietnamese source that obtained one of the first Retina display iPads is dishing around photos taken with the tablet’s five megapixel rear camera, following an unboxing and a benchmark.

After unboxing and assessing the new iPad’s processing capabilities, Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn proceeded with tests on the tablet’s rear camera, which Apple boosted to 5 megapixels (from 1 megapixel in the iPad 2). The camera module also uses some advanced optics that go far beyond the iPad 2, but not quite where the iPhone 4S stands.

Still, the new iPad churns up much clearer images compared to its predecessor. The Vietnamese source itself admits that more tests need to be done in order to fully determine its capabilities.

Check out the full batch of photos taken with the third-generation iPad right here.

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