Baru 2 Bulan, Galaxy Note Sudah Laku 1 Juta Unit

SAMSUNG

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Electronics mengumumkan bahwa penjualan global smartphone Galaxy Note, hingga Kamis (29/12/2011), sudah melampaui 1 juta unit hanya dalam waktu dua bulan.

Galaxy Note baru mulai dipasarkan oleh Samsung pada akhir Oktober 2011. Samsung mengklaim, Galaxy Note merupakan perpaduan dari smartphone dan tablet. Samsung membekali produk ini dengan prosesor Dual Core 1.5GHz, layar 5,3 inci dengan teknologi layar AMOLED HD, dan menggunakan sistem operasi Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Keunikan tersendiri dari produk ini adalah, tersedianya pena digital atau disebut S Pen, yang memungkinkan penggunanya menulis atau menggambar di layar.

Pada kuartal pertama 2012, Samsung telah mengumumkan akan melakukan upgrade sistem operasi untuk Galaxy Note menggunakan Android 4.0 yang biasa disebut Ice Cream Sandwich.

Galaxy Note mendapat pangsa pasar yang baik di Perancis dan Jerman. Jika tahun depan Galaxy Note mulai dipasarkan di Amerika Serikat, diperkirakan angka penjualannya akan meningkat pesat.

Penjualan produk smartphone Samsung di  tahun 2011 ini telah mencapai 60 juta unit, atau naik tiga kali lipat dibandingkan tahun 2010. Jumlah penjualan smartphone Samsung ini telah melampaui angka penjualan Apple Inc.

sumber:kompas

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Thecus Unveils Cavium-Powered N4100 EVO NAS Device

The folks at Thecus have just unveiled their latest low-power Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, the N4100 EVO. This new N4100 looks just like previous iterations of this 4-bay NAS, and sports Thecus’ useful LCD and front panel buttons (among many other features), but this latest device is powered by a new, lower-power dual-core SoC from Cavium. The full scoop is available in the PR below...

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Thecus N4100EVO: The First Dual-core Cavium-based 4-bay NAS 
Intelligent design: Evolve your digital office

12/12/2011 – Taipei (Taiwan): Thecus is well known in the market for always putting innovative hardware and state of the art technology on the table for a fair price in order to guarantee our customers the best value. Thecus’s new N4100EVO NAS offer a broad range of advanced features and differentiate themselves with low-energy hardware for those who place strong value on cutting down their electricity costs and carbon footprint. This cost-effective hardware is the first four-bay NAS on the market to feature the speedy and efficient dual-core Cavium CPU to get the quick transfer speeds necessary for large backups and heavy use. The N4100EVO is designed to change the way you run your office, at home or at work.

Dual Core CPU The N4100EVO doesn't bust your budget and still has plenty of power to throw around. It integrates a Cavium dual-core processor, making file sharing, web hosting, and even heavy data backups easy and fast. This four bay NAS will also have 2 USB 2.0 ports for easy data backup to and from external hard drives and an LCD screen for more convenient administration.

Hardware RAID and the Powerful XOR Engine
The XOR Engine makes the N4100EVO the first SMB/home NAS on the market to use dedicated hardware to lighten the load of building RAID and free up the CPU to keep your NAS running fast. The N4100EVO embeds a dedicated XOR engine in order to speed up all RAID 5 computations and minimize one of the main drawbacks of RAID protection: rebuilding time!

A Well Rounded Software Bundle
It is important to give users the support and applications they need to take full advantage of storing and networking their data. That’s why Thecus provides a lot of useful tools to be sure their NAS can be pushed to the fullest extent. If you feel you are a tinkerer, you can also develop your own modules and share them with the community.

• Thecus Firmware includes support for all the newest advances: XFS, 3TB HDD, SATAIII HDD, iSCSI, an open source module system, and more.
• The powerful Acronis Backup software makes backups easy and keeps your data safe!
• More than a dozen free modules are available on the Thecus website, including:
  • A download manager for BitTorrent, eMule and HTTP. You don’t even need to switch on your computer!
  • The brand new Piczza! photo server, which allows you to share your pictures with friends and family in a smart and easy-to-use interface.
  • A Web Disk module to upload and download data simply and easily to and from your NAS.

"As the demand for storage capacity continues to grow, SMB/home users are requiring greater integration of storage into their environments,” said Florence Shih, Thecus Technology General Manager. “The N4100EVO is designed to deliver performance, features, and reliability at an affordable price to satisfy these needs.”

“Cavium is delighted to be working with Thecus in introducing the revolutionary 4-Bay NAS product to the market,” says Douglas Cheung, Director of Marketing for Consumer and Home Networking at Cavium. “Our ECONA family of dual-core System-On-Chips (SoCs) deliver best–in-class NAS performance with the lowest power consumption. N4100EVO leverages these attributes of ECONA SoC to deliver an energy efficient 4-bay solution without compromising the performance or cost targets.”

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Hitachi GST Ships High Performance 10K Hard Drive

Hitachi GST introduced its new Ultrastar C10K900 enterprise drive family. The Ultrastar C10K900 features a high-performance SAS 6Gb/s interface and a 64MB cache buffer to optimize the read/write response time. The new Ultrastar drives feature average seek times as low as 3.8 milliseconds, and a reduced average latency time below 3.0 milliseconds. In addition to performance, the drive also offers power efficiency by consuming up to 65 percent less power than similar 3.5-inch enterprise drives. The Ultrastar C10K900 family is available in 900GB, 600GB, 450GB and 300GB capacities. Hitachi GST is now shipping Ultrastar C10K900 qualification units and expects to offer volume shipments in Q1 2012.

Hitachi GST Ships the Fastest 10K Hard Drive

Company Ships New 900GB Ultrastar C10K900 2.5-inch Enterprise Hard Drive Family, the Highest Performance, Most Power Efficient 10K HDD for Tier 1 Enterprise Networked Storage Arrays, Blades and Other Rack-mounted Servers

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that it is now shipping its new Ultrastar C10K900 enterprise drive family. Continuing its quality and performance leadership, the Ultrastar C10K900 leads the industry with 18 percent faster sequential and up to 17 percent faster random performance than the nearest competitor¹. It also features a high-performance SAS 6Gb/s interface for reliable data throughput and packs a 64MB cache buffer to optimize the read/write response time. The new Ultrastar drives feature average seek times as low as 3.8 milliseconds, and its fast rotational speed reduces average latency time to below 3.0 milliseconds, enabling customers to access data more quickly and efficiently.

As the company’s fourth-generation, small form factor enterprise hard drive, the Ultrastar C10K900 also hits the industry’s highest 10K capacity point at 900GB, delivering more capacity for less space for greater configuration flexibility. The new Ultrastar C10K900 family is available in 900GB, 600GB, 450GB and 300GB capacities.

Built using proven Hitachi power management technology, the Ultrastar C10K900 continues to deliver industry-leading low power specifications, up to 28 percent lower than competing drives. This is of primary importance in today’s data centers, which translates into reduced power requirements and lower cooling costs. Hitachi Advanced Power Management technology, with multi-state idle modes, maintains compatibility with the INCITS T10 Technical Committee industry standards and can be pre-programmed or manually initiated in the system. The Advanced Power Management implementation in the Ultrastar C10K900 delivers superior random read/write operating power specification of 5.8 watts and idle mode of 3.0 watts. Ultrastar C10K900 continues Hitachi’s tradition of environmental leadership with its halogen-reduced components and focus on low power consumption, and carries the Hitachi EcoTrac™ classification.

“When combining the drive’s capacity, leading performance, low power and proven quality design, the Ultrastar C10K900 is the ideal choice for today’s enterprise-class servers and networked storage arrays,” said Brendan Collins, vice president of product marketing, Hitachi GST. “Because of our quality reputation and commitment, we are thrilled to report that our enterprise drives continue to be recognized as a leader in quality and reliability by OEM customers worldwide. We are confident that with our new Ultrastar C10K900 drive family, Hitachi customers will continue to benefit from our field-proven platform, industry-leading technology, performance and high reliability.”

The Ultrastar C10K900 is designed to provide higher server/storage density through a compact 2.5-inch design, a low-power profile and improved thermal characteristics. The small form factor drive occupies 70 percent less physical space and consumes up to 65 percent less power than similar 3.5-inch enterprise drives. The Ultrastar C10K900 also delivers capacity parity with 3.5-inch 10K drives, providing massive 900GB of storage space in a smaller footprint. When faced with space and power limitations, the resulting higher density servers and storage arrays help reduce space requirements, lower cooling costs and improve total cost of ownership.

The Ultrastar C10K900 family features a Bulk Data Encryption option for hard drive-level data security. These self-encrypting models are designed to the Trusted Computing Group’s Enterprise A Security Subsystem Class encryption specification and allow customers to reduce costs associated with drive retirement and extend drive life by enabling swift and secure repurposing of drives.

Hitachi GST is now shipping Ultrastar C10K900 qualification units with volume shipments in Q1 2012.

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Brace Yourself for Higher RAM Prices, Adata Says

If you spot a good deal on DRAM and could use an upgrade, you may want to pull the trigger rather than wait and hope prices will fall even further. According to Adata CEO Simon Chen, DRAM prices are likely to rebound in January 2012, mostly because of cuts in DRAM output made earlier in the year. The effects of those cuts are about to take effect, especially as PC makers get ready to replenish their inventories, Chen warns.

Chen was also quick to point that Adata is one of two companies that kept a steady focus on DRAM modules (Kingston is the other), while most other companies shifted the bulk of their operations away from system memory in order to focus on NAND flash memory for SSDs and other more stable markets.

Adata might also be making a mountain out of a mole hill here. DRAM is almost as inexpensive as tap water, so even if prices go up next month, it probably won't be enough to sway most users out of making a purchase. On the flip side, the timing is crummy, as hard drive prices are also higher these days, though for a different reason (flooding in Thailand).

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AMD Radeon HD 7970: 28nm Tahiti GPU Review

We have been hearing about AMD’s “Southern Island” family of graphics processors for quite some time. Even during briefings for the Northern Island series of products which ultimately became the Radeon HD 6000 series, news about Southern Islands was already trickling out. Rumors about these parts have been rampant for what seems like ages, but now, just in time to get all you hardcore gamers fired up this holiday season, AMD is officially taking the wraps of Southern Islands. More specifically, today AMD is announcing their latest flagship single-GPU, the Radeon HD 7970.

As you may suspect, if you paid attention to Eric Demer’s excellent keynote address at the AMD Fusion Developer Summit and the resulting onslaught of news that followed, the top-of-the-line GPU in the Southern Islands family—codenamed Tahiti—features AMD’s totally new Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. In addition to being the firstGPU to feature GCN, Tahiti is also AMD’s first GPU to be manufactured at 28nm, their first with PCI Express 3.0 connectivity, the first with DirectX 11.1 support, and the first to sport a few other new technologies we’ll cover a little later (ZeroCore, PRT, multi-point audio).

There’s a lot to cover, so we’re not going to take up any more bandwidth telling the backstory. Up next are some preliminary details regarding the Radeon HD 7970 and other GPUs in the Southern Islands family, followed by a deep dive into the technology and a full performance profile of the fastest single-GPU money can (almost) buy...

The AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB Graphics Card

AMD Radeon HD 7970 Specifications & Features

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We’re going to go into much more detail a little later, but here are some preliminary details regarding the Tahiti-based Radeon HD 7970. The GPU is outfitted with 2,048 stream processors featuring AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture and is paired to 3GB of GDDR5 memory connected over a 384-bit wide memory bus. The maximum number of displays supported per GPU is six, just like the previous generation Radeons, but the display output configuration has changed; one of the DVI outputs has been nixed.

The "Southern Islands" Family of AMD GPUs

The Tahiti GPU isn’t the only memory of the Southern Islands family slated for release, however. It is the only one to feature GCN, but new mainstream and “sweet spot” 28nm GPUs are coming too. The Pitcairn core will power the Radeon HD 7800 series, while Cape Verde will be the foundation of the Radeon HD 7700 series. We’ll have more details regarding those parts in the coming months.

Before we move on to the inner working of Tahiti and the Radeon HD 7970 in general, we should highlight a few previous HotHardware articles that are pertinent to today’s announcement. Although it’s based on a new GPU, the Radeon HD 7970 shares many features with previous-generation Radeons, like CrossFire, Eyefinity, PowerTune, UVD, and more. Since we won’t be covering those topics in depth here again, we’d suggest giving the following articles a glance.

• AMD Radeon HD 6970 & 6950 Debut: Enter Cayman
• AMD Radeon HD 6870 & 6850 Graphics Cards Debut
• AMD ATI Radeon HD 5870: Unquestionably Number One
• ATI Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition Gaming
• AMD Radeon HD 6870 CrossFire with 5x1 Eyefinity

In the Radeon HD 6800 and 6900 series launch articles, we discuss a number of features like PowerTune, the UVD video engine, and Eyefinity. In the Eyefinity specific articles, we further explain the technology, discuss performance, and show a number of demos of Eyefinity in action on a variety of screen configurations. 

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CTL Rolls Out Ubuntu Powered Notebook

CTL probably isn't on your short list of laptop makers if you're in the market for a new notebook, but if you're specifically looking for an Ubuntu-powered machine, perhaps the Oregon-based outfit should be. The 14.1-inch MB40U is CTL's first Ubuntu compatible notebook, and the company's pretty excited about it. So much, in fact, that it's already looking ahead to more Ubuntu products.

"CTL is very pleased to introduce our line of notebooks and desktops based on Ubuntu version 11.10. Ubuntu has emerged as one of the most popular and user-friendly Linux operating systems in the market. With Ubuntu, users can have full desktop experience supported by a robust ecosystem and a full suite of free applications. CTL will be offering more Ubuntu based products in the future," says CTL’s COO Erik Stromquist.

Pricing for the MB40U starts at $449 and includes:

• Intel Core i3 2330 processor (2.2GHz, 3MB cache)
• 2GB DDR3-1066 memory
• 160GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Ubuntu 11.10 64-bit pre-installed
• 1 year parts and labor warranty

If that doesn't float your boat, the system is slightly customizable to accommodate a faster processor (up to a Core i7 2630QM), more RAM (up to 8GB), and bigger and faster storage solutions (up to a 500GB 7200 RPM HDD or up to a 512GB SSD).

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Gigabyte Issues Emergency BIOS Update for Certain X79 Series Motherboards

Overclocking used to be a dark art reserved for a power users who didn't mind taking potentially catastrophic risks in order to squeeze a few more ounces of free performance out of their components. Things have changed dramatically in recent years, but lest anyone forget, overclocking can still be dangerous, even with all of the modern day safe guards. YouTube user "japan0827" found this out the unfortunate way when his overclocked system went up in smoke...literally (see video here).

He was using a Gigabyte X79-UD3 motherboard and narrowed the culprit down to a faulty MOSFET that couldn't handle the stress from the board's CPU VRM. Pictures are littered all over the Web on various forums, and they aren't pretty. Unfortunately, the problem is more serious than bad part on a single motherboard.

"It has come to our attention that certain X79 Series motherboards (see models below) may malfunction due to excess heat when performing Extreme Overclocking beyond the board’s limit. To address this issue and to ensure our product is being used as intended, we urge existing X79 users to either visit Gigabyte’s official website to download and update their X79 series BIOS, or contact Gigabyte’s regional service center," Gigabyte said in a statement.

Below is a list of affected boards with links to an updated BIOS:

• G1.Assassin 2 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)
• GA-X79-UD7 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)
• GA-X79-UD5 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)
• GA-X79-UD3 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)

Some early reports suggested Gigabyte was recalling the above models, but that's not the case in the U.S. Instead, Gigabyte is taking a three pronged approach to resolving the problem:

1. Gigabyte will make its best efforts to ensure that all partners, distributors and retailers have the latest firmware (BIOS) installed on existing X79 Series Motherboard models.
2. Gigabyte's commitment to service excellence will not be compromised. The GIGABYTE X79 Series Motherboards offer an unprecedented 5 year warranty, the longest offered in the industry. We encourage users to register for this FREE 5 year warranty here: http://e-service.gigabyte.com/Productregistration/webevent/ExtendWarranty_US.aspx
3. If any existing user is still unsatisfied after the recommended firmware (BIOS) update of their X79 Series Motherboard, Gigabyte will offer an unconditional replacement of their X79 Series Motherboard (same model). No Questions Asked.

As to the BIOS update, there are reports that it throttles the CPU when pushed too far, which will prevent things from burning up, but also gimps the boards' overclocking potential.

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AT&T Wraps Up 700MHz Spectrum Purchase From Qualcomm

Mobile fanatics may remember a time when mobile TV had a chance in America. And those who blinked probably don't remember anything of the sort. America never has been much on mobile TV -- perhaps our lifestyles are just too crazy for long-term viewing on a mobile device, but the spectrum used for Qualcomm's short-lived FLO TV service is certainly valued. And AT&T, just days after calling it quits with their proposed T-Mobile USA acquisition, wants it.

The carrier that gets slammed on a seemingly weekly basis for not ever having enough capacity in major urban areas has just wrapped up a purchase of wireless spectrum from Qualcomm. AT&T purchased 700 MHz spectrum licenses covering more than 300 million people for approximately $1.9 billion. 700MHz spectrum is super valuable, and it's getting harder and harder to find these days. The real question is this: when will the purchase translate to more capacity for users?

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Asus Brings The Netbook Back To The Forefront With Eee PC 1225B

What's this? A new netbook? In a world where netbooks are all but forgotten? That's right -- Asus, the company largely responsible for launching this sector into the mainstream, is hitting back with a new one. It's the Eee PC 1225B, which ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, AMD's Brazor platform and an ATI Radeon HD 6320 / 6290 integrated graphics chip. The HDMI port enables 1080p output, and there's even DirectX 11 support, which isn't exactly easy to find on a netbook.

Other specifications include up to seven hours of battery life, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, DLNA support (for wireless media streaming), an 11.6" display and a Fusion E-450 APU running at 1.65GHz. You could opt for the dual-core C60 1GHz chip, as well. There's a choice of 320/500/750GB HDD, a 0.3MP webcam, a VGA output, two USB 3.0 ports (as well as a single USB 2.0 port), an Ethernet port, audio jacks and a card reader, too.

There's no mention of price yet, but it'll need to be mighty affordable to make any noise in today's Ultrabook-dominated world.

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New JXD S7100 MID Feels Awfully Familiar

If the website and slogan (“We are different”) that are clear Apple rip-offs are any indication, JXD’s new S7100 MID borrows heavily from other companies...and presumably doesn’t have the rights to anything the device does.

The S7100 is an Android-based tablet designed to play arcade and older ROMs, or as the site says: “Apple games, Android games, Sony games, Nintendo games, Arcade games, Sega games”. The JXD website specifically features the likes of MarioKart 64, Fruit Ninja 3D, Metal Slug, and more.

Under the hood, the device runs on an ARM Cortex A9 chip and features 2-16GB of onboard storage, 512MB of internal DDR2 memory, an 800x480 7-inch touchscreen, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and HDMI out. The game buttons include a D-pad and PlayStation buttons. Under Extras, the specification chart simply says “Gravity”.

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RunCore To Showcase New Solid State Drives At CES 2012

CES isn't too far away, and it looks like RunCore will be there showcasing new goods. What's on tap? A few things, actually. The Xapear, Falcon series and Pro V 7mm 2.5" SSD, along with other production representations. RunCore Xapear is the world's first encryption solid-state drive that has the technology of RFID and the function of Mobile Phone Encryption. RFID User access control uses AES128 encryption algorithm to control the access permission, and the private space of the drive can only be recognized and accessed if users were using the authorized RFID tag. Also, users can check the SSD status or activate the self-erase function by using a mobile phone with the binding SIM card through the GSM network. With the world's leading data encryption technology, Xapear is the most preferable solution for the anti-compromised applications of military, government as well as high-end enterprises.

Falcon series and Pro V 7mm 2.5" SSD are the two new products that RunCore is intending to have them launched in the exhibition. Falcon series is another super-performance product that is Marvell-based. Comparing it to Pro V SATA 6Gbps SSDs, it has even higher R/W IOPS, which is able to better satisfy those customers who seeks high-end performance. In addition, for the possibility of a dramatic increase in Ultrabooks in the near future, RunCore has added a new SSD to its Pro V series which will also be displayed, 7mm 2.5" SATA 6Gbps with the R/W performance of 540/500MB

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Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet Review, Android Honeycomb On the 7-Inch Screen

We called the 10-inch Toshiba Thrive the "Swiss Army Knife" of tablets when it first arrived, with its copious amounts of connectivity options and full-sized ports.  It's a large-than-most tablet but the sort of device that differentiates itself in a crowd of too similar designs.

The second coming of the Thrive, the Toshiba Thrive 7 that we're going to take a look at today, however, has to squeeze features and functionality into a decidedly smaller form factor.  Though Toshiba once again does there level best here, to offer as much openess to connectivity as they can in this smaller version of the Thrive.  We'd almost call this version the "Thrive Mini."  At the internal component level, the Thrive 7 shares a lot of similarities with the original 10-inch Thrive, it's just packed into a petite frame with a slightly trimmed down price tag of $379.

Toshiba Thrive 7 Review - Honeycomb at 7 Inches

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Samsung Galaxy S III Expected To Debut At MWC 2012

Samsung's Galaxy S II line of smartphones has enjoyed tremendous success worldwide, selling 3 million units in just 55 days. As we found during our review of Sprint's variant of the phone, the Galaxy S II is definitely a great handset—dare we say one of the better ones to ship this year. As is typical in the world of electronics, however, this handset won't stay at the top for long.
In fact, we're already experiencing gadget envy now that we're seeing more details about the upcoming successor to the Galaxy S II, appropriately called the Galaxy S III. This new smartphone is rumored to feature a 2.0GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 10 megapixel camera with full 1080p video capabilities, and 32GB of internal storage. Those are certainly some attractive specs to say the least. The new variant of the Galaxy family is also expected to feature Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
Word on the web suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S III will make its debut at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 which will take place in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 through March 1. Needless to say, we've marked our calendars and will be anxiously awaiting official word from Samsung.

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Biostar Announces TPOWER X79 Motherboard with Gusto

Biostar this week rolled out its new TPOWER X79 motherboard, which is apparently "the most powerful motherboard on the planet" (Biostar's words, not ours). Part of the reason Biostar is marketing its motherboard as such is due to its "extreme overclocking" capabilities, a notion that might have seemed silly coming from Biostar a few short years ago when the focus was primarily on budget boards, but not so much after the company racked up several overclocking records.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, the new TPOWER X79 boasts a 9-phase power design, 100 percent solid capacitors, a 2-ounce copper PCB, 8-layer PCB, dual 8-pin EPS connectors, USB 3.0 support, four DDR3 memory slots with support for up to 32GB of DDR3-2400 (OC) memory, three PCI-E x16 3.0 slots, two PCI-E x1 2.0 slots, a single legacy PCI slot, four SATA 6Gbps ports, three SATA 3Gbps ports, a single eSATA 3Gbps connectors, support for RAID 0/1/5/10, AMD 4-way CrossFireX and Nvidia 3-way SLI support, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends.

There's also a Debug LED indicating lamp, buttons for booting, and a clear CMOS button, all of which are handy for hardcore overclocking and testing.

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Amazon Celebrates A Wild Holiday 2011; Kindle Sales Way Up

Every now and then, Amazon claims to have the best season ever. Oh, it's the holidays! Just like clockwork, Amazon is celebrating a post-Christmas success, with 2011 being the 'best holiday ever for Kindle.' The company oday announced that 2011 was the best holiday ever for the Kindle family as customers purchased millions of Kindle Fires and millions of Kindle e-readers. Authors also continue to benefit from the success of Kindle - the #1 and #4 best-selling Kindle books released in 2011 were both published independently by their authors using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

"We are grateful to our customers worldwide for making this the best holiday ever for Kindle," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. "And in a huge milestone for independent publishing, we'd also like to congratulate Darcie Chan, the author of 'The Mill River Recluse,' and Chris Culver, the author of 'The Abbey,' for writing two of the best-selling Kindle books of the year."

Crazier still are the rest of the records. Kindle Fire is the #1 best-selling, most gifted, and most wished for product across the millions of items available on Amazon.com since its introduction 13 weeks ago. Kindle is also the best-selling product on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es and Amazon.it this holiday season. Christmas Day was the biggest day ever for Kindle book downloads, and Kindle Fire is the best-selling product on Amazon.com's mobile website and across all of Amazon.com's mobile applications.

Plenty more stats follow below. Must be nice to be Bezos.

Businesses Selling on Amazon

2011 was also a record-breaking holiday season for businesses that sell on Amazon. Third-party sellers experienced record holiday growth: the number of sellers who exceeded $5,000 in sales during the holiday season increased 44 percent year-over-year. For the year, businesses on Amazon sold hundreds of millions of units worth billions of dollars worldwide.

Scharf Industries, an office supplies and electronics provider, increased its sales on Amazon by over 500 percent this holiday season compared with last holiday season.

"We greatly value the cooperation that we have developed with Amazon," said Andrew D. Scharf, CMO of Scharf Industries. "They have provided us with the tools necessary to grow our business in a rapid and efficient manner."

Ken Reiss, the owner of Reiss Innovations, LLC, started with one Amazon Webstore, selling five to 10 mouse pads for the year. Six years later he has a successful eCommerce business, selling through multiple Amazon Webstores. Just this year alone, Reiss saw a 21 percent increase in sales compared with the holiday season last year. He has also increased the number of product listings by 50 percent over 2010 and recently extended his business to Canada.

According to Reiss, one of the most beneficial aspects of his relationship with Amazon is that "It allows me to scale in efficiency. I can devote my time to building vendor relations and growing my inventory, rather than worrying about logistical aspects, such as shipping products." Reiss currently stores 90 percent of his inventory in Amazon's warehouses, up from 75 percent last year.

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LG's 84" 3D "Ultra-Definition" TV Boasts 3,840 x 2,160 Resolution

Say hello to the TV you'll go to bed dreaming about. This is more than just a platter of pixels; this is what technology lust is made of. LG has just announced plans to formally unveil the largest 3D Ultra Definition TV at CES 2012. It's an 84" beast that truly breaks new ground, boasting 8 million pixels, four times the resolution clarity (3840x2160) of existing Full HD TV panels.

Combined with LG's Slim and Narrow Bezel Design, the 3D UD TV provides the most convincing 3D viewing experience currently available outside of a movie theater. What's more, 3D Depth Control allows users to customize their viewing experience by controlling the 3D effect while 3D Sound Zooming provides users with 3D sound that rivals the output of all but the best home theater systems.

Via the superior display panel, users can access LG's Smart TV ecosystem, which comprises over 1,200 apps and gives users access to a growing range of premium content services such as the 3D Zone where viewers can select from a wealth of 3D movies. The imbedded 2D to 3D conversion engine expands the availability of 3D content to limitless levels. Users can easily browse and navigate the Smart TV ecosystem using LG's new, ergonomically-designed Magic Remote which now recognizes four different types of command input: Voice Recognition, Wheel, Magic Gesture and Point.

The only thing missing? A price, go figure.

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Game iButterfly Gunakan Teknologi "Augmented Reality Coupon"

iButterfly, aplikasi mobile augmented reality coupon. 

 

Setelah sukses di Jepang dan di Hong Kong, kini game iButterfly hadir di Indonesia. Game yang mengajak penggunanya mencari dan menangkap kupu-kupu virtual tersedia di platform Android, iOS dan BlackBerry.

Untuk memainkan iButterfly ini, smartphone Anda harus memiliki fitur kamera dan mempunyai akses Internet. Cara memainkan iButterfly cukup mudah. Pilih menu tangkap untuk memulai permainan. Ketika di layar muncul kupu-kupu dan keluar tulisan "Tangkap," ayunkan ponsel Anda ke depan untuk menangkapnya. Simpan kupu-kupu hasil tangkapan Anda ke dalam menu "Koleksi."

Dalam iButterfly Indonesia saat ini tersedia enam jenis kupu-kupu, yaitu kupu-kupu How to Use, How to Advertise, Wish Butterfly, Batik, Jokes, dan JKT 48.

Uniknya, iButterfly juga menawarkan berbagai macam promo merchant atau diskon yang bisa langsung ditukarkan. Ada penawaran khusus di setiap kupu-kupu yang ditangkap. Aplikasi jenis iButterfly ini disebut aplikasi Mobile Augmented Reality Coupon.

Senior Marketing Manager PT Cherrypicks Indonesia, Ibnu Fajar mengatakan, iButterfly merupakan aplikasi yang multifungsi, karena membawa manfaat untuk penggunanya. "Kupu-kupu yang ditangkap oleh user itu adalah kupon, untuk mendapat diskon atau promosi dari brand tertentu," kata Ibnu saat dihubungi lewat telepon, Rabu (21/12/2011).

Ia menambahkan, selain sebagai aplikasi game, iButterfly juga menjadi advertsing platform bagi perusahaan-perusahaan yang ingin beriklan untuk menawarkan promo dan diskon yang menarik.

iButterfly sebelumnya dikembangkan oleh Dentsu Inc. Tokyo dan diluncurkan di Jepang tahun 2010. Aplikasi ini mencatat sukses di Hongkong pada 2011. Di Indonesia, iButterfly dikembangkan oleh Cherrypicks Indonesia dan Digital Division of PT. Dentsu Media Group Indonesia.

Saat ini iButterfly sudah tersedia di Android Market dan App Store. Sementara di BlackBerry App World, iButterfly akan tersedia pada pekan ketiga Januari 2012.

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Pembuat Angry Birds Siap Beri Wejangan di Jakarta

rovio.com

ilustrasi 

 

Saat ini, siapa yang tak kenal Angry Birds? Game buatan Rovio itu sudah sedemikian populernya hingga merchandise-nya pun ramai dijual di beberapa minimarket di Indonesia.

Bagaimana Angry Birds bisa sesukses itu? Seperti apa tips dan trik dari pembuatnya? Tentu akan lebih enak kalau mendengarnya langsung dari pembuatnya.

Nah, developer yang mengikuti Mobile Games Developer War 2 terbilang beruntung karena mereka punya kesempatan untuk mendapatkan coaching session langsung dari CEO Rovio, Peter Vesterbacka.

Peter Vesterbacka dikabarkan siap memberikan wejangan kepada para finalis Mobile Games Developer War 2 di Jakarta. Hal itu diungkapkan Developer Operation Manager Nokia Indonesia Narenda Wicaksono. Nokia Developer merupakan pendukung Mobile Games Developer War 2.

Kompetisi itu diadakan dengan didahului sebuah Developer Camp di Bandung. Akan tetapi, siapa pun bisa jadi peserta kompetisi itu dengan mengikuti modul yang tersedia di MobileGamesDeveloperWar.com.
Setelah mengikuti modul tersebut dan telah membuat game yang keren, Anda dapat mendaftarkan diri sebagai peserta. Nantinya Anda juga berkesempatan mengikuti pelatihan langsung dari pembuat game "Burung Pemarah".
Pendaftaran dapat dilakukan di http://bit.ly/daftardeveloperwar, untuk informasi lebih lanjut bisa hubungi contact@agateacademy.com.

Peserta punya deadline hingga 14 Januari 2012 untuk menghadirkan game-nya di Nokia Store. Finalis akan ditentukan dari jumlah download game tersebut dibandingkan dengan game peserta lainnya.

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20 Aplikasi Android Pilihan Tahun 2011

Jumlah aplikasi di Android Market mungkin tidak sebanyak di (Apple) App Store. Meski begitu, jumlah aplikasi di Android Market saat ini bisa dibilang lebih dari cukup dan akan terus bertambah dengan cepat.

Sampai Desember 2011 ini, lebih dari 10 miliar aplikasi telah diunduh dari Android Market. Angka tersebut mengalami kenaikan pesat karena pada Juli 2011 lalu, jumlah aplikasi yang diunduh hanya sekitar 6 miliar.

Dari ribuan aplikasi yang terdapat di Android Market, berikut ini 20 aplikasi yang berguna dan membantu produktivitas para pengguna Android, khususnya untuk kalangan profesional dan pebisnis.

1. Google Voice

Google Voice menyediakan layanan pengelolaan telepon secara gratis. Pengguna dapat memasukan sejumlah nomor telepon, sesuai ketentuan yang diinginkan. Anda bisa memisahkan nomor telepon tertentu, agar nomor tersebut hanya dapat menghubungi Anda pada jam tertentu. Selain itu, Google Voice secara otomatis bisa mentransformasi pesan suara menjadi email ataupun SMS.

2. Advanced Task Killer

Konsumsi baterai yang boros pada smartphone disebabkan karena banyak aplikasi yang berjalan di background. Jika ingin konsumsi baterai tidak terlalu boros, Anda harus menghentikan kerja beberapa aplikasi yang sebenarnya tidak sedang digunakan itu. Dengan menggunakan Advanced Task Killer, pengguna dapat menutup semua aplikasi yang berjalan di background. Aplikasi ini bahkan lebih efektif daripada Task Manager.

3. Dropbox

Dropbox bisa disebut sebagai aplikasi yang menggantikan fungsi flash disk sebagai media penyimpan data. Hanya saja, Dropbox diakses secara online dan tidak harus menggunakan komputer.

Sebelumnya, Anda harus mengunduh Dropbox di www.dropbox.com, membuat akun, dan menginstalnya di komputer. Secara otomatis folder Dropbox di komputer Anda akan muncul. Anda bisa menambah atau membuang file dalam folder tersebut.

Nah, jika Anda sedang bepergian dan membutuhkan file dalam folder Dropbox yang tersimpan di komputer, Anda bisa mengunduh file tersebut melalui perangkat Android. Anda tinggal login dan langsung unduh file yang dibutuhkan. Ini tentu sangat membantu mengingat banyak smartphone yang tidak bisa dikoneksi dengan flash disk.

4. Evernote

Evernote merupakan aplikasi yang baik untuk keperluan pencatatan (notes). Dalam hal menyimpan data, Evernote mirip dengan Dropbox. Anda bisa menyimpan catatan di perangkat smartphone, tablet, ataupun komputer. Anda juga bisa membuka catatan Evernote itu dengan perangkat apa saja.

5. Taskos

Taskos bisa dibilang aplikasi "to-do list" terbaik di Android, karena desainnya sederhana dan mudah dioperasikan. Taskos juga meiliki fitur andalan pengenal suara yang dapat menerjemahkan suara menjadi sebuah "to-do item". Meskipun masih ada huruf yang tidak benar di "to-do item" tersebut, Anda hanya cukup memperbaiki satu atau dua kata saja.

6. DroidAnalytics

DroidAnalytics digunakan untuk menyajikan visualisasi data statistik harian, mingguan dan tahunan website yang di-install Google Analytic. Google sampai saat ini tidak memiliki aplikasi resmi seperti Google Analytic untuk Android maupun iPhone. Karena itu, aplikasi DroidAnalytics bisa disebut sebagai aplikasi terbaik untuk Google Analytic.

7. Documents To Go

Documents To Go versi gratis memberikan layanan membaca file Microsoft Word dan Microsoft Excel. Anda bisa meng-upgrade Document To Go ke versi berbayar (15 dollar AS) jika ingin mendapat fitur "editing" dan untuk menambahkan agar bisa melihat dan mengedit file Power Point. Setelah Document To Go, QuickOffice menjadi aplikasi Office mobile yang juga direkomendasikan.

8. Google Docs

Google Docs memberi layanan pengelolaan data berbasis web gratis. Jika Anda sering bekerja menggunakan Google Docs, termasuk untuk upload file Microsoft Office ke Google Docs, aplikasi yang Anda butuhkan adalah Google Docs. Google Docs untuk Android akan mempermudah Anda membaca atau mengedit dokumen.

9. TripIt

Tripit merupakan aplikasi terbaik untuk mencatat semua jadwal perjalanan. Anda cukup mem-forward email konfirmasi jadwal penerbangan, hotel, sewa mobil dan hal lain yang menunjang perjalanan Anda. Setelah itu aplikasi Tripit akan mengaturnya dengan baik.
10. Google Places

Aplikasi ini memungkinkan Anda menemukan toko dan layanan lain yang ada di dekat lokasi Anda berada. Anda bisa menemukan restoran, dokter, klinik sampai taksi. Places sangat akurat dalam mencari data karena memanfaatkan informasi yang ada di Google Local dan sudah terintegrasi dengan Google Maps.

11. Astro File Manager

Astro File Manager adalah aplikasi yang memungkinkan Anda navigasi ke file sistem Android. Astro juga menyediakan fitur backup, koneksi via Bluetooth, kompresi file, downloader, mencari file, task manager, membuka attachment, dan lain-lain.

12. Speed Test

Berguna untuk menguji kecepatan bandwidth smartphone Android Anda. Aplikasi ini akan memberikan informasi fluktuatif pergerakan koneksi 3G/4G dan memeriksa kualitas WiFi di tempat Anda berada.

13. Amazon Kindle

Jika Anda bukan pengguna perangkat Amazone Kindle, bukan berarti Anda tidak menggunakan aplikasi Amazon Kindle untuk Android ini. Sebuah aplikasi untuk menyimpan dan menampilkan buku elektronik (e-book) dan media digital lainnya. Sejak dirilis, banyak orang tertarik dengan Amazon Kindle karena aplikasi ini membantu pengguna membaca e-book di manapun dan kapanpun.

14. Google+

Sejak rilis Juli lalu, Google+ telah menjadi sumber permbicaraan karena dianggap lebih interaktif. Google+ memperkenalkan layanan baru seperti Circles, Hangouts, Sparks, and Huddles. Sebagai sosial media baru, Google+ diprediksi mampu menandingi raksasa jejaring sosial Facebook.

15. TED Air

TED singkatan Technology, Entertainment, dan Design. Aplikasi ini bisa mencerahkan publik karena menawarkan beragam pemikiran dan ide-ide dari tokoh dan orang berpengaruh di dunia. Anda tinggal mendengarkan, membaca, atau melihat apa yang disampaikan TED Air melalui video. Segala temuan dan ide-ide terbaru bisa Anda temukan melalui TED Air.

16. Google Goggles

Jika biasanya Anda memasukan teks untuk melakukan pencarian di Google, maka dengan Google Goggles Anda bisa menggunakan gambar untuk melakukan pencarian. Cukup foto objeknya menggunakan kamera, Google Goggles akan mencari segala hal yang berkaitan dengan gambar tersebut.

Salah satu fitur keren dalam Google Goggles adalah kemampuan untuk mengambil gambar dari teks dalam bahasa asing, lalu aplikasi ini akan menerjemahkannya untuk Anda. Jika Anda berlibur ke luar negeri, aplikasi ini dapat membantu Anda membaca marka jalan dan tanda-tanda lainnya.

17. Photoshop Express

Siapa yang tidak kenal aplikasi editing gambar/foto terbaik di dunia, Photoshop. Aplikasi versi komputer desktop itu kini tersedia untuk platform Android. Usai memotret, Anda bisa langsung mengedit foto, cropping, mengatur brightness, sharpen, dan sebagainya.

18. Audible

Jika aplikasi Amazon Kindle digunakan untuk membaca e-book, Audible ini memiliki fitur audiobook. Anda bisa terkoneksi ke perpustakaan Audible dan langsung mengunduh audiobook.

19. Shazam

Jika kebetulan Anda mendengarkan sebuah lagu di radio tapi tidak tahu siapa penyanyi dan apa judulnya, Shazam akan membantu memberi jawaban. Biarkan aplikasi ini mendengarkan lagu tersebut selama 15 detik, secara otomatis akan mengolah pada database, dengan sekejap informasi tentang lagu itu akan muncul di layar smartphone Anda. Shazam memiliki tingkat keberhasilan sekitar 80%.

20. Google Finance

Ini adalah aplikasi kecil yang hebat. Google Finance di ponsel Android terkoneksi dengan akun Google Finance Anda, di mana Anda bisa mengatur daftar saham dan perusahaan yang ingin Anda pantau dan mengurutkan mereka ke dalam portfolio. Aplikasi ini menyediakan tiga tab sederhana - melihat pasar, melihat portofolio Anda, dan berita pasar terbaru. Google Finance sangat pas untuk para pebisnis yang selalu memantau pergerakan saham.

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BBM dan Email Tak Berfungsi, RIM Tunda Blackberry 10?

The Verge

Ilustrasi

Research in Motion (RIM) selaku produsen Blackberry sedang dilanda gosip yang tidak sedap. RIM dikabarkan menunda peluncuran sistem operasi (OS) BlackBerry 10 karena fitur BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) dan emailnya tidak berjalan sempurna di OS tersebut.

"Mereka menunda peluncuran OS tersebut karena belum memiliki produk yang benar-benar bisa berjalan di BlackBerry 10," tulis seorang sumber anonim yang dikutip Boy Genius Report.

Terkait pernyataan tersebut, RIM membantahnya. Produsen asal Kanada itu menganggap bahwa penundaan peluncuran OS terbaru itu disebabkan karena kinerja perusahaan sedang menurun hingga kuartal III-2011. RIM juga menegaskan bahwa klaim dari sumber anonim itu merupakan pernyataan yang tidak akurat dan salah informasi.

Sebelumnya, Co-CEO RIM Mike Lazaridis mengaku bahwa saat ini pihaknya sudah memilih prosesor yang sesuai dengan BlackBerry 10. Teknologi chip yang dipakai adalah menggabungkan chip dual core dengan modul radio 4G LTE. Peluncurannya pun dijadwalkan tidak melampaui pertengahan 2012.

Pada tablet BlackBerry Playbook, RIM memang tidak menyertakan layanan email dan BBM. Playbook harus dikoneksikan dengan handset BlackBerry untuk mendapatkan layanan inti tersebut. Janjinya, kemampuan itu akan hadir bersamaan OS BlackBerry 10.

Dari sumber Boy Genius Report, RIM tampaknya belum menemukan cara yang pas untuk menempatkan layanan intinya pada OS BlackBerry 10. Begitu juga dengan OS 2.0 PlayBook.

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Apps Apa yang Paling Banyak Diunduh di 2011?

Screenshot Android Market

Angry Birds menjadi game paling sering diunduh di perangkat mobile selama tahun 2011 ini. Permainan besutan Peter Vesterbacka ini mengalahkan aplikasi populer seperti Facebook dan Twitter, serta game populer lain, Fruit Ninja.

Berdasarkan laporan terbaru dari perusahaan analisis aplikasi mobile Distimo menjelaskan aplikasi tersebut diunduh pengguna dari sistem operasi iOS dan Android, baik aplikasi yang berbayar ataupun gratisan.

Menariknya, Angry Birds bukan hanya mendominasi posisi puncak dalam hal jumlah pengunduh, tetapi juga menempatkan ketiga seri permainannya ke dalam 10 aplikasi yang paling sering diunduh di App Store dan Android Market.

Laporan tersebut juga mengungkapkan bahwa dari satu juta aplikasi mobile (apps) yang tersedia di tujuh toko aplikasi mobile papan atas, iTunes App Store masih mendominasi posisi puncak.
Untuk iPhone saja, pendapatan dari penjualan aplikasi di iTunes mencapai empat kali pendapatan yang dihasilkan di Google Android Market. Sedangkan App Store untuk iPad memiliki pendapatan lebih dari dua kali lipat dibandingkan pendapatan di Android Market.

Inilah 10 aplikasi iOS dan Android yang paling sering diunduh di 2011:

1. Angry Birds
2. Facebook
3. Skype
4. Angry Birds Rio
5. Google Maps
6. iBooks
7. Angry Birds Seasons
8. Fruit Ninja
9. Talking Tom
10. Twitter

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