(2/Dec) A Ten-Course GeForce 8800 GT Feast 4 Test Result

Results - 3DMark06 (ver 102)

While a synthetic benchmark like 3DMark06 has often taken flak from enthusiasts on a number of issues, from relevance to neutrality, there is no doubt that it does manage to distinguish adequately between small differences in clock speeds. This is exactly the situation that we find ourselves in with these 10 GeForce 8800 GTs, where the differences may well boil down to 10MHz in core clocks.

Looking at the scores for our cards, we can probably split them roughly into three groups, the standard GeForce 8800 GTs, the two stand-outs, overclocked versions, namely the ASUS and the Zotac and then there were a bunch of similarly overclocked cards all jousting in the middle, where it could be quite difficult to distinguish. The differences became more pronounced at the higher settings like when we enabled anti-aliasing but heading the table was the ASUS EN8800GT TOP, which was actually shadowed very closely by the Zotac. Effectively, these two cards are almost identical, but ASUS has a higher shader processor clock speed that managed to garner the slight edge.






Results - Company of Heroes & F.E.A.R

The ASUS and Zotac were the early front runners in Company of Heroes without anti-aliasing, though the Leadtek Extreme soon joined them in the leading pack. Most of the overclocked cards fared rather similarly and cards like the Palit, XFX and MSI were separated by less than a frame on many occasions. If you're wondering about the virtues of getting an overclocked version of the GeForce 8800 GT, we'll recommend getting one with a larger overclock in order to experience the actual in-game impact. For example, in F.E.A.R, such a difference between an overclocked variant compared to the standard could be as much as ten frames and as little as four, depending on the resolution and settings used.

The real world difference between the various overclocked cards appeared to be less significant in F.E.A.R but that could be due to lower overall frames in that game compared to Company of Heroes. In any case, the leaders were still the same few here as could be expected from their clock speed advantage.


Conclusion

There is certainly an abundance in choice for the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT. Missing from our roundup are some brands that should be familiar to those who patronize online retailers like Newegg, vendors like BFG Tech, EVGA and PNY, to name but a few. However, with up to ten different brands to choose from, it's not exactly easy to choose. This task is not helped by the variety of clock speeds and different bundles offered by the manufacturers, along with mostly competitive pricing. In addition, there is always the hard to quantify criteria, such as build quality and reliability, product support and warranty. Expect even more diversity in future batches of GeForce 8800 GT cards, as more vendors equip their offerings with custom coolers in a bid to compensate for the generally high temperatures on these cards.

In case you're set on any particular brand, we recommend that you have at least a couple of other alternatives, as a cursory survey of local retailers indicate that not all brands are available due to the much discussed limited supply of this popular GPU. The opportunistic retailers may even raise prices to extract a premium from those who can't wait to get their DirectX 10 fix. Below are our concluding opinions about the ten GeForce 8800 GT cards featured in this article:


It's the ASUS TOP Edition and obviously that means high clocks and in the case of the GeForce 8800 GT, even higher temperatures. These clocks help to ensure that for most of our benchmarks, the ASUS was right there at the top. The manufacturer has spared no expense on this premium edition and the new Company of Heroes expansion should be welcomed by most RTS playing consumers. With an estimated retail price of S$469, it is no doubt one of the more costly GeForce 8800 GT cards out there in the market but it could be well worth the price if guaranteed overclocking together with an extended 3-year warranty is what you're looking for. Besides, if you can wait a little, the revised TOP edition with a Glaciator cooler and custom PCB may be available shortly and that could prove to be an even better choice.


Gigabyte's GeForce 8800 GT will not win any benchmarks with its reference design and standard clocks but it could well be the choice of enthusiasts who are looking to indulge in some overclocking of their own. The attractive S$409 price is certainly tempting and for that, Gigabyte has even thrown in the very decent Neverwinter Nights 2 game bundle.


Looking like a slab of chocolate from an up-market brand, the Inno3D GeForce 8800 GT OC Edition tries to distance itself from the budget offerings that the brand has seen over the years. This meant overclocking the card but its no-frills roots come back to haunt it in the form of a bundle lacking most of the extras one would expect from a premium edition. Given that its price is not exactly budget class, we believe most consumers would also pass.


Featuring a solid bundle with applications and a RPG game, the Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT Extreme will not garner the headlines as its overclocked speeds are slightly inferior to the ASUS and the Zotac. However, smart consumers may consider its blend of price, features and performance to be worth paying for.


A newcomer to the NVIDIA graphics card business, Manli's GeForce 8800 GT is easily forgotten by consumers. Not only is the brand less than familiar to enthusiasts, the package and generic hardware give us little reason to remember it. Unless of course vanilla is your cup of tea.


MSI has often been very aggressive in terms of pricing and features and this MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC fits their formula. Priced reasonably for an overclocked GeForce 8800 GT, the bundled games are a tad weaker than some of its more expensive rivals. But at S$429, we believe that the overall package, together with MSI's reputation, should ensure there are enough takers.


The sole vendor to offer a custom solution, Palit's GeForce 8800 GT Sonic has a two-slot cooler that is clearly superior to the reference version, at least in our temperature testing segment. This is in spite of being overclocked. Palit has tried to put together a decent bundle and in this aspect, it has largely succeeded. Although we don't have the price at the moment, we expect Palit to have competitive pricing, going by previous Sonic editions. Editor's note: Palit just informed us that the Sonic will be sold under the XpertVision brand locally, meaning you'll find the XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT Sonic instead, along with the lowest price among the retail cards here, at S$406, making this a very good buy.


Despite its long name, the XFX GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog Edition is not one of the company's more inspired products. The overclocks on this card is quite high, but not sufficient to claim top dog status. Surprisingly, we found overclocking to be quite limited on our review unit while it was much more expensive than the competition at S$499. Together with the not-so-recent Company of Heroes game included in the bundle, this is one XFX product that fails to impress.


Another standard clocked GeForce 8800 GT, this XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT is relying on price to make its mark but faces stiff competition from Gigabyte. Given that we preferred the game bundled with the Gigabyte to the XpertVision and it cost slightly more than the Gigabyte, it's hard to recommend it.


The surprise package in our roundup is without doubt the Zotac GeForce 8800 GT AMP! Edition. Boasting high clocks that match the ASUS TOP and enthusiast friendly extras like an orange LED, this is almost the perfect match. If only Zotac had included a game to bolster its bundle against its rivals, it would have been a clear favorite. As it is now, the saving grace is its price tag of US$299, which makes it slightly cheaper than the ASUS, with almost identical performance.

(2/Dec) A Ten-Course GeForce 8800 GT Feast 3

XFX GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog Edition

The top dog from XFX for the GeForce 8800 GT, so to speak, is its Alpha Dog edition and it comes with rather high clock speeds, 670MHz for the core and 1950MHz DDR for the memory. You'll know that it's not quite the top compared to its peers but nevertheless, it's not something to sneer at. Outwardly, this XFX card is like most GeForce 8800 GT cards, with the difference being XFX's own decal. The bundle is generally on par with the better offerings we have seen, though Company of Heroes included here seems slightly late compared to the newer expansion found in the ASUS TOP graphics card. However, what could really kill the deal for most consumers is its price tag of S$499, which is quite a chunk of cash more than most of its competitors. XFX however has a custom black PCB version of this upcoming to replace the reference version, but that doesn't really change our opinion much.

Here's what you'll get in the XFX package:-

Driver CD
Quick installation guide
Company of Heroes (full game)
S-Video extension cable
2 x DVI-to-VGA adaptors
7-pin mini-DIN to Component dongle
6-pin Molex power connector

XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT 512MB

If the two-slot cooler on the Palit Sonic is not suitable for any reason, XpertVision presents another alternative. As some of you should know, both brands are two faces belonging to the same parent company and while the Palit version tries to be different, this XpertVision looks to follow the NVIDIA design down to the letter. So, with the exception of the decal, this is yet your standard issue GeForce 8800 GT. The clock speeds are standard also while the bundle is identical to the one we saw on the Palit.

XpertVision's list of accessories:-

Driver CD
Quick installation guide
Tomb Raider Anniversary (full game)
DVI-to-VGA adaptor
6-pin Molex power connector
7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

Zotac GeForce 8800 GT AMP! Edition

When you're a relatively new brand in a competitive field, you'll need every drop of flair to attract the jaded attentions of consumers. That is probably why Zotac's AMP! edition of the GeForce 8800 GT comes with bright orange LED fans that light up when it's running. A simple, but eye catching move that's mostly overused by hardware manufacturers but it does help the Zotac stand out from the many reference boards on sale now. And this distinction goes beyond the gimmicky LEDs, for this AMP! edition comes overclocked to the same extent as ASUS' TOP. Yes, this card is the joint leader with the more famous ASUS on paper, with a core of 700MHz and a memory clock of 2000MHz DDR. Unfortunately, Zotac was unable to match ASUS' resources when it came to the included bundle and the lack of any applications or games meant the ASUS TOP still had the edge. However, a very competitive price of US$299 could still make this the choice for consumers and makes it harder to choose between the two.

Zotac's bundled accessories:-

Driver CD
Quick installation guide
DVI-to-VGA adaptor
6-pin Molex power connector
7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

Test Setup

Testing all ten graphics cards were conducted on the same system, configured with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66GHz) processor installed on an Intel D975XBX 'Bad Axe' motherboard. This system was outfitted with 2GB of low latency HyperX memory modules from Kingston running in dual channel mode. Although these cards are all DirectX 10 capable, we have not yet transitioned to Windows Vista and hence Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and DirectX 9.0c was used instead. The operating system and all the games used in our benchmarking were installed onto a Seagate 7200.7 SATA hard drive.

The following table summarizes the relevant clock speeds for the graphics cards tested. Where possible, we have also included the local retail price in Singapore dollars as conveyed to us by the manufacturers or distributors. (In case you need any more reminders, the standard clocks for the GeForce 8800 GT is 600MHz for the core and 1800MHz for the memory.)

10 GeForce 8800 GT cards Side by Side

GraphicsCard	Core Clock	Memory Clock	StreamProcessor Clock	EstimatedRetail Price
ASUSEN8800GT TOP	700MHz	2000MHz DDR	1750MHz	S$469
GigabyteGV-NX88T512H-B	600MHz	1800MHz DDR	1500MHz	S$409
Inno3DGeForce 8800 GT OC Edition	650MHz	1900MHz DDR	1625MHz	S$449
LeadtekWinFast PX8800 GT Extreme	680MHz	2000MHz DDR	1700MHz	S$449
ManliGeForce 8800 GT 512MB	600MHz	1800MHz DDR	1500MHz	Price NotAvailable
MSINX8800GT-T2D512E-OC	660MHz	1900MHz DDR	1675MHz	S$429
PalitGeForce8800 GT Sonic	650MHz	2000MHz DDR	1625MHz	S$406
XFX GeForce8800 GT Alpha Dog Edition	670MHz	1950MHz DDR	1700MHz	S$499
XpertVisionGeForce 8800 GT 512MB	600MHz	1800MHz DDR	1500MHz	S$419
ZotacGeForce8800 GT AMP! Edition	700MHz	2000MHz DDR	1700MHz	US$299

All the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT cards here were tested using ForceWare 169.02 drivers. Unless stated otherwise, the game settings used in all the benchmarks were set to the maximum, with anti-aliasing (AA) the only difference between two sets of results. For games like Unreal Tournament 3 demo that lacked in-game settings for AA, we used the NVIDIA Control Panel to force AA. Given that these cards are of enthusiast class despite their almost mainstream prices, we have tried the benchmarks at higher resolutions of 1600 x 1200 and above. We have used the included time demos and/or benchmarking tools found in these games to garner our results. The following benchmarks were used:

• Futuremark 3DMark06 (ver 102)
• Company of Heroes (ver 1.3)
• F.E.A.R (ver 1.0)
  
  
  
  
  

(2/Dec) A Ten-Course GeForce 8800 GT Feast 2

Gigabyte GV-NX88T512H-B

Compared to the many overclocked versions out in the market, Gigabyte's GeForce 8800 GT is about as generic and nondescript as it comes, with the reference cooler and standard clocks (that is 600MHz core and 1800MHz DDR for the memory). There is not even a custom decal to set it apart, besides a modest Gigabyte sticker on the fan. However, Gigabyte did include a decent RPG, Neverwinter Nights 2 to sweeten the deal and with one of the lowest recommended retail prices locally for a GeForce 8800 GT at S$409, we bet it won't be gathering dust on retail shelves in spite of its ordinariness.



Here's what you get in the package:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle
• Neverwinter Nights 2
  

Inno3D GeForce 8800 GT OC Edition

Inno3D has been jazzing up its graphics cards in recent times, with third party coolers and overclocked versions. This OC edition of the GeForce 8800 GT unfortunately only features the standard cooler but then again so did the majority of the GeForce 8800 GT cards in our roundup today. Inno3D did however overclock this card to a respectable 650MHz for the core and 1900MHz DDR for the memory. It's not among the fastest we have seen but a decent start for those wary of overclocking the card on their own. The bundle also has a good selection of cables and accessories but besides the drivers, there are no additional software or games found. Obviously there's a premium to pay for the overclock and according to its local rep, the retail price should be around S$449. For those who don't mind the standard edition, it can be obtained for a very decent street price of S$405.



Here's what you get in the package:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• S-Video to Composite cable
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component dongle
• S-Video to Component cable
• S-Video extension cable
  

Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT Extreme

Yet another overclocked version with the standard cooler, Leadtek's Extreme version comes with a core of 680MHz and a memory clock of 2000MHz. This makes it one of the faster cards here in our comparison and should bode well for its benchmark performance. Like Gigabyte, Leadtek has included Neverwinter Nights 2 in its bundle but it tops the Gigabyte with additional software, including PowerDVD 7.0. Generally, it seems like an above average offering and its attractiveness is further bolstered by a rather competitive price tag of S$449.

Here's what you'll get in the Leadtek package:-

• Driver CD
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Bonus software pack (PowerDVD 7, Orb, Adobe Reader)
• Quick installation guide
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

Manli GeForce 8800 GT 512MB

A mostly unfamiliar brand to most consumers here, Manli Technology has only recently become an NVIDIA channel partner last year and one of the fruits of this new status obviously is this GeForce 8800 GT card. Standard clocks and the default cooler make this card a dead ringer for the NVIDIA reference board and Manli has added little in its bundle to suggest otherwise. Since it's probably difficult to find it locally, we are unable to get an estimated retail price but given what we have seen, it should follow NVIDIA's recommended price or perhaps even less. Anything more and it would have a tough time competing with the bigger names in the market.

Driver CD

Quick installation guide

DVI-to-VGA adaptor

6-pin Molex power connector

9-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC

Decorated with tags and stickers, the packaging of this MSI card is one of the most colorful you can find on retail shelves here. The most important sticker to consumers is probably the one proclaiming its overclocked status, though the margin of the overclock is not as spectacular as ASUS' or even Leadtek's. The core is clocked at a modest 660MHz while the memory is at 1900MHz, enough to get a couple more frames for most games but not as impressive as some of its competitors. MSI has balanced this with a decent package, which however, lacked a must-have title like its previous offerings of Company of Heroes and that could be seen as a blemish by bargain hunters. There's nothing wrong with its price though and at S$429, it should be one of the more affordable overclocked versions now.

MSI's bundle list:-

• 2x DVI-to-VGA converter
• 7-pin mini-DIN to S-Video/Component dongle
• S-Video extension cable
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• Colin Mcrae's Dirt (full game)
• MSI Multimedia Beyond 3D (Drivers & Utilities)
• Lord of the Rings Online - 14 day Trial version

Palit GeForce 8800 GT Sonic

The only vendor in our roundup today to feature a custom cooler and even a redesigned PCB with better power delivery components, the Palit GeForce 8800 GT Sonic lives up to its tradition with a two-slot cooling solution that matches the NVIDIA reference cooler in terms of quietness and then more than equals it with lower operating temperatures. The catch as usual is whether you mind giving up an expansion slot to make way for the larger cooler.

The Palit is also overclocked, though not to the extent of most of its competitors, with only 650MHz for the core and 2000MHz for the memory. That should give it the edge over the standard versions and consumers are of course welcome to try their luck at overclocking it further and stressing that blue, orb shaped cooler. As for the bundle, Palit has never been too lavish in this department but we did find a game for the fanboys here in the lovely form of Lara Croft in the latest Tomb Raider adventure. Best of all, an extremely competitive price of S$406 makes this an irresistible offer.

Palit's list of accessories:-

Driver CD

Quick installation guide

Tomb Raider Anniversary (full game)

DVI-to-VGA adaptor

6-pin Molex power connector

7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

(2/Dec) A Ten-Course GeForce 8800 GT Feast

Introduction

There's nothing like a dramatic drop in prices to push adoption of new technologies and that seems to be the case in the discrete graphics scene when it comes to DirectX 10 compatible cards. While the absolute prices have not fallen that much, the performance you get for the amount you paid has increased tremendously recently, thanks to the introduction of the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT , which was followed almost immediately by ATI's Radeon HD 3800 series. Both are new refreshes of existing GPUs from the chipmakers and correct some of the flaws in the originals. Of course, the biggest attraction for consumers is the fact that prices for these cards are all well below the US$300 mark, opening them to a larger group of enthusiasts and gamers that couldn't have afforded them previously. Coupled with the growing list of highly rated DirectX 10 PC games that have been launched recently, and the usual year-end shopping mood generated by the upcoming holidays (and expectations of year-end bonuses), there is a palpable buzz surrounding these new products. Even news of limited supply has not dampened the enthusiasm (and perhaps even fueling the desirability of these cards), so today, we are playing our part in stoking this buying spirit by featuring 10 GeForce 8800 GT cards. Some are overclocked, some are loaded with extras but all desire your hard earned dollars. Which is the right card for you? Find out in the next few pages


ASUS EN8800GT TOP

As usual, starting us off on our ten course feast of GeForce 8800 GT offerings in alphabetical order, we have the TOP edition from ASUS. Most of you should be familiar with ASUS' overclocked TOP edition, which typically boasts one of the highest clocks found for its SKU. This is the case for this ASUS GeForce 8800 GT, with a core clocked at 700MHz and a memory frequency of 2000MHz DDR, making it joint fastest in our roundup. With its standard cooler however, it looks no different from its competitors, distinguished only by a Company of Heroes: Opposing Front decal.

This new expansion to one of the most well received games in recent times looks like another certain blockbuster and consumers will find it bundled together with the TOP. During our testing, we were slightly concerned with the relatively high temperatures on this card, a direct consequence of its higher clocks. ASUS has already readied a new version of the TOP equipped with another cooler known as the Glaciator and hopefully that will help ease your concerns. Currently however, the first batch on sale now is the one we received and pictured below:

Here's what you get in the package:-

Driver CD

Installation guide

User manual (on CD)

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (full game)

Leather CD wallet

DVI-to-VGA adaptor

6-pin Molex power connector

7-pin mini-DIN to Component dongle

(2/Dec) Sony Ericsson T650i

Think of reflections. Think of lights. Then say hello to an illusionary mobile phone from Sony Ericsson, the T650i. Hailing in colors of Midnight Blue and Growing Green, this mobile phone is intended to dazzle as it comes in matching themes that are mirrored on the lighting display of the keypad.

Dazzling Design

Having the Sony Ericsson T650i made of stainless steel and mineral glass is one of the things that the engineers at Sony Ericsson have done right. However, the chassis of the T650i is still only partially made of steel. The bottom half of the mobile is essentially still typical plastic material.

The mineral glass LCD screen however, is a winner by itself. Being scratch resistant, we had no worries putting the phone together with our keys. And despite our less than gentle handling, the screen has yet to be scratched.

Among some of the concerns that have surfaced about the T650i, the tiny size of the keypad buttons and how comfortable they are for general usage has to be on top of the list. After testing the phone out, our initial worries were debunked. The T650i not only served us well for extensive text messaging, our thumbs were hardly feeling the stress at all. Still, those with large hands may find the size of the buttons cumbersome.

Realistic Subtlety

The latch to open the battery door is located at the top of the T650i, just beside the power switch. To match the design of the mobile phone, the latch is very small and requires the use of fingernails in order to open the battery cover, which seems to favor the fairer sex. Once opened, inserting the SIM card is a no brainer.

The next feature that you are going to notice will be the starry light display on the screen and keypad. And these light effects are one of the main attractions of the T650i, supposedly to create a bond with the owner, but that, we'll let you decide on your own. The themes that are pre-installed in the T650i are also exclusive to the mobile so as to maintain its uniqueness and they even change according to the different major dates and festivals.

Although the T650i is not part of Sony Ericsson's Cybershot series, it still offers a powerful 3.2-megapixel camera with auto focus capabilities as well as an LED photo light. A slight nitpick: the camera is not fully flushed with the casing, so it could be prone to scratches and other damage. As a 3G phone, the T650i carries a secondary camera on the front to facilitate 3G video calls.

The battery life of the T650i stands at a reasonable estimated talk time of seven hours. However, Sony Ericsson could have added a tad more onboard memory than the stock 16MB, even if there is a Memory Stick Micro M2 slot. Nonetheless, all these are icing on the cake. This is one phone that does its job well and call quality is top notch. Making calls in different surroundings and conditions, we found it to be clear without any interference.

A Beautiful Combination

In all, the Sony Ericsson T650i should be a hit with people who love a good mix of design and functionality. Its stainless steel body and scratch resistant mineral glass screen provides ruggedness, and yet exudes an understated tastefulness of a finely crafted mobile phone you won't minding flashing with pride on the streets. It is also a more than capable 3G mobile with great call quality. Initial pricing may have been high, but you can now find the Sony Ericsson T650i for as about S$608 (~US$420) standalone or an average of S$368 (~US$254) with a 2-year carrier subscription plan.

Product Specification

Operating Frequency: GSM Triband (900/1800/1900MHz)

Display: 1.9-inch 240 x 320-pixel TFT Screen

Connectivity: 3G, Bluetooth, A2DP, USB

Standby / Talk Time: 300 hours Standby / 7 hours Talk Time

Onboard Memory: 16 MB

Expansion Slot: Memory Stick Micro (M2)

Camera: 3.2-megapixel camera

Dimensions: 104 x 46 x 12.5mm

Weight: 95g

Colors Available: Midnight Blue and Growing Green

Form Factor: Candy Bar

(1/Dec) Samsung YP-P2 MP3 Player (4GB)

Touch Your Imagination

Just about when Apple announced their new range of iPods being launched, Samsung surprised us with something up their sleeves. To counter Apple's fancy new touch technology device, the iPod touch, Samsung unveiled their Samsung YP-P2 MP3 player which offers the same touch screen technology with a different interface. Being a Samsung product, consumers can be certain that it will arrive in more than one color and still keep that slim form factor which Samsung prides in their design.

Lean Beauty

Physically, as mentioned, the Samsung P2 MP3 player has a very slim form factor and thus, is a lightweight affair. It weighs approximately 85 grams and touts a huge 3-inch touch screen as it sports a touch screen interface. The player comes in three colors to choose from, namely black, white and wine red in addition to choosing between the appropriate flash memory sizes (2GB, 4GB and 8GB models) needed to suit your audio needs.

The unit that arrived in our lab was the 4GB model adorned in red. Removing the packaging, we found the P2 to be small and can fit any place snuggly with a dimension of 100 by 52 by 9.9 millimeters. The Samsung player did not sport any physical navigation buttons; instead, everything is operated onscreen with the touch technology's interface navigation. However basic controls such as hold, power/play, pause and volume functions are presented with physical buttons on the unit. Consumers can still rely on the touch screen interface to activate the respective functions, but using the physical controls can be quicker. In radio mode however, the power button functions as a mute control by depressing it shortly. Other physical features of the player include a microphone, a 3.5mm audio jack and a proprietary dock for transferring songs to the PC and to recharge the battery of course. At first glances, consumers might mistake the centre LED at the lower part of the player face to act as a "home button" similar to the iPod touch. After testing though, we found that it is nothing but a colorful status indicator.

The Samsung P2 player's touch screen experience is a pleasure as it has a great interface design. Those of you looking for alternatives to Apple's iPod touch should be elated with the player's huge screen that is easy to navigate and use. Additionally there are many default themes and settings which consumers can apply to further customize their view. Nonetheless, in our opinion, the Matrix menu style is the best as every feature is sorted out and represented as icons in a grid on the display. Take note though, it's not the perfect touch screen as its responsiveness wasn't as favorable as its other traits.

Powerful Connectivity

Of course the P2 isn't just a simple MP3 player. The media player encased within this cool and lean housing supports MP3 and WMA formats, as well as video playback of MPEG-4 and WMV formats and still-image browsing which was a joy to use with the vibrant image colors and clarity. Not to forget is the all-important FM radio functionality when one needs to catch up on live information of traffic/weather conditions and also when we grow tired of our loaded music collection. A variety of audio presets is at your disposal to spice up your audio tunes such as the common Concert Hall, Club, Dance and many others. For those of us used to having more 'kick' in our music, there is a bass boost feature, and for the rest of us, there is even user customizable equalizer settings.

During our field tests, audio quality of the Samsung P2 player turned out to be clean and crisp while we tried various music genres. There's also a 3D sound feature should you prefer a surround sound effect for your tunes. It's not something that would bode well for everyone or every tune, but it's a nice addition for some of us who do appreciate it when it works positively. We've also tried the microphone recording feature, but we felt that the recordings turned out to be only average.

Samsung's selling feature of the P2 player is the built in A2DP Bluetooth which allows consumers to be able to listen to stereo music wirelessly through Bluetooth 2.0 enabled headphones instead of traditional wired headsets. On the same note, the player can also be paired up with Bluetooth speakers and mobile phones.

Our Decree

A portable media player with touch screen technology, the Samsung YP-P2 is a worthy contender to the iPod touch. Although we do have some reservations about the responsiveness and preciseness of the touch screen, and it being a huge fingerprint magnet (but which device isn't these days?), the P2 is still excellent in its own way. Battery life was good as we were able to use it for audio and video playback for up to 4 days (of standard working hours with more emphasis on audio playback) before it warned us about the low battery. At a going price of S$359 for the 4GB version, it is quite reasonable for a cutting edge portable media player that's easy to use with great audio/video quality and with a good uptime to boot too. Now if only it had an expansion card slot for 'unlimited' storage capacity, it would have been even more irresistible.

• Memory Capacity: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB versions
• Screen Size / Resolution: 3-inch (480x272 pixels)
• Supported Audio Formats: MP3/WMA
• Supported Video Formats: MPEG-4/WMV
• Supported Photo Formats: JPEG
• Battery Life: Music: Approx. 35H/Video: Approx. 5H
• Connectivity: USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0
• Dimensions: 100x52x9.9mm
• Weight: 85g
• Colors Available: Black, Wine Red, White

(1/Dec) AMD Expands R&D Presence in India

AMD's Chairman and CEO Dr. Hector Ruiz inaugurates new engineering facility in Bangalore, highlighting the region's rapidly growing contribution to AMD's global silicon and platform design leadership

AMD today announced the opening of a new silicon design and platform research and development (R&D) facility in Bangalore. As India's role and importance in AMD's global R&D network increases, the number of employees in Bangalore continues to grow, requiring a new facility that will accommodate the current team while also providing room for future growth. Employees will move into the new 52,000 square-foot center upon its completion and continue to focus on development of AMD's most advanced, next-generation processing solutions.

Dr. Hector Ruiz, AMD's Chairman and CEO, traveled to Bangalore to inaugurate the newly built center, which is comprised of state-of-the-art office space offering a host of modern amenities to improve the overall work experience.

"Our engineering employees in India play a critical role in AMD's global design network, and this new R&D center gives them the world-class equipment and resources they need to excel," said Ruiz. "In AMD's quest to become the technology partner of choice for the industry, this facility is vital to help us design and deliver industry-leading solutions specifically tailored to the needs of our customers in India, and for all our customers worldwide." Mr. Alok Ohrie, Managing Director, AMD India said, "In a short span of six years of presence in India, AMD has posted marketshare gains as well as significant contributions to global R&D efforts. AMD India's expansion demonstrates the confidence our corporation has in the delivery capabilities of the India R&D teams."

Engineering staffs in Bangalore are playing the lead role on "Shanghai," AMD's first 45nm quad-core microprocessor, and are currently involved in design testing and optimization of the new chip. Prior to their efforts on "Shanghai," teams were responsible for delivering key intellectual property (IP) for the first Quad-Core AMD Opteron microprocessor, previously codenamed "Barcelona."

AMD will continue operating its first facility in the city, using the existing office space for administration, sales and marketing staffs.

(1/Dec) The Nokia N82: Photography, Navigation and Internet Connectivity

The Nokia N82: Photography, Navigation and Internet Connectivity


The Nokia N82 is photography, navigation and internet connectivity all bundled into one multimedia computer and will be commercially available in Singapore on 1 December 2007.

With the tools to discover the places and moments worth capturing, and the capabilities to capture and share them instantaneously, the Nokia N82 offers photography enthusiasts an enhanced camera experience. It is what cameras have become.

Explore and discover the world with the built-in A-GPS, capture them with the 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash, and store them in the 2GB microSD card that comes with the package. With high speed Wi-Fi connectivity and one-click upload to online communities, the Nokia N82 makes sharing your experiences and discoveries easy.

The ideal companion for any lull in your day, the Nokia N82 supports the Ovi family of Nokia internet services, including Nokia Music Store, N-Gage games and Nokia Maps, so you can delve into a world of leisure.

Key features include:

5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash

Video quality with stabilization feature, VGA resolution and up to 30 fps

One-click photo and video uploading from gallery to compatible online albums or blogs with Wi-Fi or 3G

Built-in GPS: Nokia Maps with integrated GPS, Assisted GPS (AGPS) support

2GB microSD card bundled to increase storage for images, videos, music and more

Orientation sensor for portrait and landscape mode

E-mail (Push, SMTP, IMAP4,POP3),MMS,SMS

Wireless LAN/VoIP (Internet Calls)

Supports Nokia Music Store and N-Gage experience

(1/Dec) RIM Introduces the Sleek and Stylish BlackBerry Pearl

RIM Introduces the Sleek and Stylish BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Smartphone in Singapore

Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone in Singapore.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 includes rich multimedia features together with all the powerful communications functionality users have come to expect from a BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 features a 2 megapixel digital camera with video capture capability, an externally accessible microSD/SDHC slot and built-in Wi-Fi. These new features, along with an updated visual interface, add to the renowned BlackBerry smartphone experience for email, phone, messaging (SMS, IM, MMS), web browsing, multimedia, organiser and other applications.

"The popularity of the BlackBerry platform continues to grow across the Asia Pacific region and we are very pleased to build on this momentum with the introduction of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 in Singapore," said Norm Lo, Vice President of Asia Pacific at Research In Motion. "The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 with built-in Wi-Fi offers sophisticated and easy-to-use communications and multimedia features that will help users make the most of their time in both personal and professional settings."

The new and powerful BlackBerry Pearl 8120 features:

• A 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and enhanced flash, as well as video capture in two resolutions: 240x180 or 176x144 for sharing via MMS.


• A chic titanium-colored finish and an ultra-sleek design, measuring only 107mm x 55mm x 14mm and weighing approximately 91g.


• An exceptional user experience enabled by RIM’s popular trackball navigation system and SureType keyboard system.


• An updated visual interface giving a new look to the BlackBerry email client, calendar, address book, task list, memo pad and web browser, while also enhancing other applications. A new font rendering technology displays characters beautifully, with enhanced legibility at even the smallest point sizes.


• National and international support with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) with support for Wi-Fi security protocols including WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2.


• A further improved BlackBerry Browser with a new "Page View" option that displays a full web page on the screen along with a magnifying glass that allows the user to quickly and accurately point and zoom in on a specific area of the web page.


• Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry, a powerful media manager application that allows users to easily search for media files on their computer, view and organize them, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags and album art, create playlists and copy or convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback. Users can also create and edit playlists through the media
  player on the handset.


• Premium phone features including noise cancellation technology to offset background noise, Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated 'send', 'end', and 'mute' keys, lowdistortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals.


• An externally accessible microSD/SDHC expandable memory slot for additional storage, and support for high-speed USB allowing users to transfer files between the handset and a PC at data throughput rates of up to 10MB/sec.


• A 3.5mm stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls.


• Support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ringtones.


• Support for Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones, enabling fast, streamlined and optimized mobile access to the popular Facebook social utility using a BlackBerry smartphone. Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones is available as a download over the air or via the Internet.


• Support for instant messaging with BlackBerry Messenger, Google Talk and Yahoo! Messenger.


• Built-in spell checker.


• BlackBerry Internet Service support that allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts.


• BlackBerry Enterprise Server support for enterprise deployments, enabling advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise environments.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is expected to be available in Singapore in December.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.blackberrypearl8120.com/.

(1/Dec) NEC Formulates "REAL IT COOL PROJECT" to Reduce

NEC Formulates "REAL IT COOL PROJECT" to Reduce Energy Consumption of Customer’s IT Platforms

Aims to achieve total reduction of 910,000 tons in CO2 emissions from IT devices by 2012
NEC Corporation announced its "REAL IT COOL PROJECT", a series of programs and activities for the development and provision of technology, products and services that will reduce the power consumption of customer IT platforms. By promoting the newly formulated REAL IT COOL PROJECT, NEC aims to cut the power consumption of customer IT platforms by 50% year on year to achieve a cumulative reduction in CO2 emissions from IT devices of approximately 910,000 tons by the year 2012.

The REAL IT COOL PROJECT covers three focus areas: (1) Energy-Saving Platforms, such as power-efficient server storage; (2) Energy-Saving Control Software that reduces power consumption by controlling the efficiency of energy-saving functions in IT devices; and an (3) Energy-Saving Facilities Service Package that streamlines the power consumption of air-conditioning and power supply units in such facilities as datacenters and machine rooms.
To embody the energy-saving technology mapped out in the REAL IT COOL PROJECT, NEC is currently developing the new 'ECO CENTER' (development code name) server. Slated for market release by the end of March, 2008, the ECO CENTER will not only reduce the number of components contained in a device through optimum packaging design, but also achieve power savings of up to 60% on conventional servers(2) by adopting the latest energy-saving technology, including semiconductor disks and highly efficient power supplies.
The REAL COOL IT PROJECT is designed to help lighten the environmental footprint of NEC customers and society as a whole by spurring on the environmentally conscious initiatives targeted by the 'REAL IT PLATFORM' vision. Unveiled by NEC last year this vision aims to deliver more flexible, secure and user-friendly IT platforms.

The details of the REAL IT COOL PROJECT are outlined below.

1. Energy-Saving Platforms
Energy savings are achieved in server storage and other hardware by incorporating virtual infrastructure and adopting energy-saving components, such as CPU, memory and disk units.

(1) ECO CENTER
NEC’s new energy-saving server, ECO CENTER, contains 500 cores in a 2-meter high, 19-inch rack mounted system that takes up no more than 75% the space of conventional servers. The ECO CENTER also reduces the power consumption of each core by up to 60% and weighs up to 60% less. In the future NEC plans to offer an ECO CENTER model suitable for power supply environments of less than 6 kilowatts per single block, as is the case in many domestic datacenters.

(2) In-house Technology for Energy-Saving Platforms
The REAL IT COOL PROJECT will roll out a series of products enhanced with new in-house technologies acquired during the development of super computers and mainframes. These will include new generation liquid cooling technology with two times the cooling performance of existing units achieved by adopting semiconductor disks and a packaging design that combines high performance with energy-saving benefits. Also being developed are highly efficient power supplies with a power conversion rate of an amazing 92% and high-voltage direct current supplies with over 300 volts of power. While integral to the new ECO CENTER server, NEC intends to use these new technologies to enhance energy-saving arrangements in all of its IT platform products, including the NX7700i enterprise server series, SIGMABLADE blade system, Express 5800 IA server series and the iStorage series.

2. Energy-Saving Control Software

Lower power consumption will be realized by the addition of functions to operational management software. These functions will enable IT devices in datacenters and machine rooms to autonomously reduce the power consumed by regulating the efficiency of energy-saving functions in server storage. Specifically, the project aims to deliver a series of functions using the platform management software,WebSAM SigmaSystemCenter, as well as the integration management software, WebSAM MCOperations. These energy-saving functions will ? limit maximum power consumption according to the operational characteristics of the system; ? more efficiently consolidate virtual machines, such as VMware (R) Infrastructure 3(3), according to operational load, and cut power to redundant servers; and ? equalize heat and improve cooling effectiveness by identifying hotspots (heat sources)in devices and better allocating tasks.

3. Energy-Saving Facilities Service Package
A facilities design and construction service package will be offered to realize energy-saving assets. This service package (to be provided by NEC Fielding) will cover all aspects of power reduction, from initial analysis of datacenter and machine room environments, to design, construction and operation of facilities.

NEC plans to improve and expand the services offered by the package over time.

A heat simulation service, which will use computers to simulate the heat generated by machine rooms and use this information to design and propose the optimum layout for IT devices and air-conditioning units, will be joined by a energy-saving monitoring and operations service that will propose the allocation of operational loads and recommend improved layouts for air-conditioners and IT devices. A series of other services will also be rollout to enhance the package benefits.

Since the Kyoto Protocol came into effect in 2005, corporate and local government initiatives to tackle the issue of global warming have attracted considerable attention. The growing possibility that reductions in CO2 emissions will be treated as management benchmarks by corporations and government bodies from next year is one such initiative raising public interest in environmentally conscious activities. At the same time, however, the progress of technology is promoting annual increases in the level of power used by IT devices as more advanced functions are added. As such there is a growing need in the marker for energy-saving measures to be applied to IT platforms.

The newly formulated REAL IT COOL PROJECT will attempt to meet the environmental and energy-saving needs of these IT platforms. NEC aims to promote the REAL IT COOL PROJECT to cut the power used by customer IT platforms by 50% year on year to realize a cumulative reduction in CO2 emissions from IT devices of approximately 910,000 tons by 2012.

NEC will continue to enhance its products and services under the REAL IT PLATFORM vision to achieve a more flexible, secure and user friendly IT environment. (1) CO2 emissions based on the assumption that NEC will increase the number of IT devices it ships at the growth rate predicted by the IDC for year 2006 – 2012, and assuming the shipped units will operate in customer environments for 5 years.

(2) Existing servers refer to NEC rack servers incorporating dual core IA servers.

(3) VMware is a trademark or registered trademark of VMware, Inc in the United States of America and all other regions of the world.

(1/Dec) ASUS Unveils Nova P22 mini-PC

It's probably not going to take the desktop world by storm like the Eee has with notebooks--cause it's not $400 for one--but Asus's Nova P22 mini-PC certainly isn't a bad looking machine. It's got a form factor sorta like the Mac mini but it's more angular and less curvy, with a Sunkist accent wrapped around it.

So far what we know about what's inside is that it's got a 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 with a 1066-MHz front side bus. It'll go for about $1019 in Taiwan, though no word on if, when and how much on our side of the ocean. Given the popularity of the Eee, Asus would be smart to capitalize on the brand name Eee's been building for it outside of geek circles and get that sucker over here. But for cheaper.

(1/Dec) OCZ Technology Introduces New DDR2 8GB Quad Kits for Advanced Gaming Systems and Professional Workstations

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. today announced the 8GB Platinum PC2-6400 "Quad" Kit. These high-density, optimized kits offer users the option of both high speeds and high capacities needed for their demanding gaming PC and Vista-upgraded desktops in a unique 4 x 2048MB solution.

"To have eight gigabytes of memory available in the system may sound like overkill for the average user; however, in any mega-tasking environment the requirements for system memory can skyrocket and easily break the 4GB boundary, thus far considered as the penultimate amount of system memory," commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. "The new OCZ2P8008GQ kit is the first to bring eight gigabytes of memory also to Intel architecture-based systems to explore workloads which previously were a challenge within the personal computing space."

The PC2-6400 8GB Quad Kit is ideal for enthusiasts, professionals, and DIY system-builders using Windows Vista as their choice operating system that require the performance of high-speed memory. As the ultimate upgrade for hardcore gamers, the latest DirectX-10 PC titles require large amounts of memory to deliver the most stable system performance and maximize game play. The PC2-6400 8GB Platinum Edition is the ideal memory solution for the ultimate powerhouse PC, and provides unsurpassed stability and performance to unleash every multi-media possibility.

(1/Dec) Microsoft hit with $5 million lawsuit over Halo 3, Xbox 360 problems

The Bungie-developed Halo 3 is designed to be hand-in-glove compatible with the Xbox 360, right? A federal lawsuit filed against Microsoft and Bungie last week attempts to throw some serious doubt into the mix. The suit alleges that Halo 3 "routinely, consistently, and systematically 'froze,' 'crashed,' or 'locked up.'" The suit then claims that these issues "disrupted game play," which, if these issues are as terrible or widespread as the suit alleges, is an understatement. The plaintiff, Randy Nunez, is seeking seeking class-action status along with $5 million in damages plus costs and attorneys' fees.





The suit claims that "many consumers" have these issues, making their console "totally inoperable." The court papers cite "industry Internet web sites, weblogs, and message boards" to prove that this issue is a common one. It also alleges that Microsoft and Bungie have "received numerous complaints" from consumers on their phone lines and service forums without admitting these alleged Halo 3




issues to the public.

It's no secret that Microsoft has had trouble with the reliability of the Xbox 360 system. The company has increased the length of its warranty multiple times, and the "red ring of death" has become something of an ongoing industry joke. Robbie Bach, the president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, has gone on record as saying that "the number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles have been unacceptable to us." He went on to cite "general hardware failures" for these issues.

Microsoft announced a $1 billion initiative to repair defective systems and to increase the warranty of the units to three years. While newer systems are expected to have better reliability, they have yet to be on the market long enough to tell if the hardware issues have been resolved, and, with many older units still in the hands of gamers, complaints about system death and issues are common.

While the Xbox 360 has a checkered past when it comes to hardware reliability, Microsoft has admitted the issues and paid dearly to fix them; a class-action lawsuit asking for restitution over failed hardware doesn't seem warranted as Microsoft has already put measures in place to replace faulty systems. It's possible that by alleging a specific—and incredibly popular—piece of software also causes the issue the plaintiff can say that Microsoft and Bungie haven't adequately dealt with the problems of the hardware and software combination.

Since Xbox 360 hardware issues are so widespread and Halo 3 sold in such huge numbers, as the suit points out, it's relatively easy to point to many pieces of anecdotal evidence of gamers having hardware issues as they play Halo 3 for hours on end. Having played many, many hours of Halo myself and having had multiple systems die on me since launch, I can say that while I share the frustration of suffering through system failures, I have yet to see or hear about a strong link between the Halo 3 software and hardware issues

(1/Dec) Class-Action Lawsuit Against Xbox360 and Halo 3

A new hype is building up on the Xbox360 and Halo 3, this time in a negative perspective. Evidently, a class-action suit has been filed against both Microsoft and Bungie, alleging the occasional glitches caused by the Halo 3 disc disrupts and makes the Xbox360 console totally inoperable.

arstechnica.com - The Bungie-developed Halo 3 is designed to be hand-in-glove compatible with the Xbox 360, right? A federal lawsuit filed against Microsoft and Bungie last week attempts to throw some serious doubt into the mix. The suit alleges that Halo 3 "routinely, consistently, and systematically 'froze,' 'crashed,' or 'locked up.'" The suit then claims that these issues "disrupted game play," which, if these issues are as terrible or widespread as the suit alleges, is an understatement. The plaintiff, Randy Nunez, is seeking seeking class-action status along with $5 million in damages plus costs and attorneys' fees.