Asus intros next-generation Motherboards

I was able to attend the ASUS Technical Seminar in Singapore where leading motherboard-manufacturer showcased their next-generation motherboards that will support the upcoming Intel processors code-named “Sandy Bridge”. It was just a half-day event but I think I already consumed all the geeky stuff my brain can handle in a year.

The 2nd generation Core i3/i5/i7 processors (6-series chipsets) will be released early next year and with it comes a requirement for the new LGA-1155 socket motherboard and this is what ASUS revealed in the seminar.

The upcoming ASUS P67 motherboards will have the latest tools and features that will help you maximize your processor. They come in a variety of designs, from the micro-ATX form-factor (P8H67-I Deluxe) motherboard, the Sabretooth P67 and its military-grade components to their flagship model, the Maximus IV Extreme.

These new motherboards are already equipped with a lot of fancy features: DIGI+ VRM, Dual Intelligent Processors (EPU + TPU), EFI BIOS, USB 3.0 ready (new Intel chipsets don’t have it so it’s up to motherboards to have an off-chip controller for USB 3.0 support) and a set of handy utilities on its AI Suite.

Allow me to briefly discuss some of the new set of features you can find in these motherboards in a not-so-geeky way.

DIGI+ VRM. Ok, I can’t really explain this without getting too technical unless you want to hear about spread spectrum and phase switching. But basically, it’s just a digital controller that will give your system precise adjustment depending on the load for stability and power efficiency.

EPU. This is one half of the dual intelligent processor that will ensure that your system is running on energy saving mode when power is not required. This onboard processor can control the GPUs, CPU, fan, HDD, chipset and memory to lengthen their lifespan. Of course, you can choose to override the controls if you want to.

TPU. This is another on-board processor that allows for fast and easy overclock tuning. Think of it as a controllable Turbo Boost which is an inherent feature on the Intel Core i5 and up. Safe and easy overclocking outside the BIOS.

EFI BIOS. This is just a mouse-driven user BIOS interface that will replace the boring, keyboard-driven 20-year old BIOS program. I’m not sure how helpful this is to the common folk but this will be a boon for the over-clockers out there. You can also take a screenshot with your BIOS setting now instead of using a camera to take a photo.

USB 3.0. USB 3.0 is the next step for faster file transfer yet Intel didn’t include the support on their new processors. Fortunately, ASUS has an onboard controller to support USB 3.0 devices including a front panel box which fits on the floppy disk bay for more USB 3.0 ports.

The new P67 motherboards are fully-loaded with more features. A 3TB HDD Unlocker to maximize the space on 3TB hard drives, 3-Way SLI / CrossfireX, SATA III ports, and iPhone apps that allow you to control your media player or to overclock your system wirelessly.

ASUS really takes pride on their motherboards and this early announcement of the new P67s shows the commitment they have in keeping up to date with the latest technology out there. Even though some of the motherboard features won’t be of use to you, ASUS make sure that there’s one that will fit your needs by offering different versions for different market segments.

 

*via: YugaTech

Macbook Air 11.6″ gets unboxed!

So the first batch of the new Macbook Air 11.6″ arrived early this week in all Apple Reseller Stores and we spared no time to get our hands into one of these babies. See un-boxing photos and first impressions after the jump.

I originally wanted to get it in SG since I was supposed to go there for a media coverage yesterday but due to visa issues with my Japan trip in two weeks, I wasn’t able to go (sent Calvin there instead to do the coverage). Dale, our special assignments contributor, also went to HK for some shopping and tells me the entry-level Mac Air sells for around Php46,000 there.

Fortunately, we found a local source that was able to give us a really nice deal at Php45k for straight cash purchase. Pretty good deal considering the SRP is Php52k.

So, on to the unboxing of the new Macbook Air 11.6″.

I’ve been a fan of the 11.6″ and 12.1″ ultraportables since last year with the MSI Wind U2xx series, the Acer Timeline and the Asus UL series. The Sony Vaio X was drool-worthy but being Atom-powered, and a Z-series at that, I felt they were a bit under-powered.

I’ve recently purchased a Core i3 ultraportable, the Asus UL20FT (review coming up this week-end), as an upgrade to the Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz of the Acer Timeline but the 3 to 4 hours battery life left me wanting. The Timeline really spoiled me with a 5 to 6 hours battery life.

So when the 11.6″ Macbook Air was announced, I thought this could be the closest fit to what I am looking for in an ultraportable. It’s super thin and super light, has pretty decent processing power and a 5-hour battery life I’m satisfied with. From my usage since yesterday, the claimed 5 hours of battery life is true and maybe I can even stretch it by lowering the screen brightness.

The new Air is pretty impressive at first glance — the thin and light form-factor gets very high scores and to think that it has an aluminum unibody adds to that great engineering feat.

The base configuration of a Core 2 Duo SU9400 running at 1.4GHz and a 2GB RAM is pretty decent and, based from experience, is already a good combination of a performance yet power-saving system. Add the embedded SSD into the mix and you get a very snappy system that boots very fast, launches applications in a jiffy and goes from sleep to wake in under a second.

The full keyboard comes with chiclet-style keys, standard for all Macbook, and the large trackpad are all comfy and easy to use. The entire trackpad is also the button so that need some time to get used to. The power button is also at the top right corner so I get confused it with the Delete button oftentimes.

The one big concern with the unit is the limited amount of storage space. Using SSD is great but that also limits capacity due to the expensive parts. The base config only has 64GB in it so if you’re carrying a lot of photos, music and videos, that will eat it up in no time. The 2nd variant comes with 128GB but at Php10k more.

Most logical and affordable solution is to bring an external storage for the large files (fortunately, I still have that 750GB My Passport that WD gave to me lying around).

My only other personal concern is the OS actually. It will take some time to get used to OS X and learn the ropes, find and use alternative softwares (anybody knows of a good SSH client for Mac similar to putty?). I would not really be a full-time switcher since I’ll still be using my old and trusty Window machines.

Over-all, the new Macbook Air is very promising. The combination of a smaller form-factor and above-average battery life makes it a good option for a walk-around laptop. The price-point has also gone down considerably since the first time the Air was introduced. You will no longer be burning holes in your pocket. Just one.

 

*via: YugaTech

Samsung NF310 gets the most interesting netbook upgrade

With the introduction of Intel’s latest Atom processor, the dual-core Intel Atom N550, a lot of manufacturers refreshed their 10-inch netbook line. However, Samsung probably had the most interesting upgrade of the lot.

I’m not talking about a radical design or the inclusion of a discrete graphics (although that would be cool) but with the Samsung NF310, you would get what a lot of netbooks are missing, a 1366 x 768 display resolution.

I own two netbooks and I really don’t like the limited 1024 x 600 resolution that’s why I don’t use them too often. It’s just too cumbersome to be scrolling a lot when surfing the net. The Samsung NF310 one of the rare 10-inch netbooks available here right now that can support a 1366 x 768 resolution which you often see on 11-inchers (only other one that we know of was the old Sony Vaio W, thanks Carlo for the tip). With the 768 vertical resolution, you can now enjoy true 720 HD videos on a proper 16:9 aspect ratio.

As for other features, the Samsung NF310 has the usual specs found on current netbook featuring the Intel Atom N550. The bump on display resolution is what sets it apart from other 10-inch netbooks out there.

In terms of design, it sports what Samsung calls a shark fin-inspired look with the curvy sides that also gives you a better palm grip when handling it with one hand when the lid is open.

The Samsung NF310 netbook is already available with a SRP of Php25,900 and can also be had at 0% interest for 12 months.

Samsung NF310 Specs:

• Dual-core Intel Atom processor N550 (1.50 GHz)
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• 2GB DDR3 Memory
• 320GB SATA HDD
• 10.1” LED HD (1366 x 768), Non-Gloss display
• Integrated Intel GMA3150 HD graphics
• Built in Web Camera
• Bluetooth 3.0
• 1 Year International warranty
• SRP: Php25,900

More Photos:

 

*via: PinoyTechBlog

Lenovo H320 offers a compact desktop PC solution for your home

Filipinos are known for building their own desktop PC (or sometimes called a clone) from ground up rather than buying a branded premade one. It’s economical but one of the major disadvantage if you’re not much of a tech person is that once it breaks down, it’s hard to get reliable support for it.

If you’re looking for a new space-saving desktop PC for your living room but prefer the traditional one over the the new All-In-One PCs, check out the Lenovo H320. It’s a desktop PC that would meet all your needs in one compact setup.

The Lenovo H320 has some kickass configuration: up to Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, up to ATI Radeon HD 5570 1GB graphics complete with DirectX 11, 8GB DDR3 memory, up to 1TB HDD storage, an Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi plus Integrated DVD or Blu-ray Disc drive and front-mounted USB2.0 connectors with 8in1 card reader for easy access.

I really dig the integrated WiFi especially now with more homes already having a WiFi network setup. For support, there are a lot of reliable service centers out there if your one year warranty runs out. Or you can simply use the OneKey recovery feature that is popular and was handy in Lenovo laptops.

This Lenovo H320 is now available with a starting price of Php39,900 for the basic configuration (Core i3 processor).

 

*via: PinoyTechBlog

Asus UL20FT 1A in the flesh

Last time, I was looking at the Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T over at Amazon but my friend who’ll be carrying it back home has postponed his trip so I left the item in Amazon’s cart for the meantime. Then I saw this 12-inch Core i3 ultraportable, the Asus UL20FT, and thought maybe I’ll just settle with this one for now.

So, I forked out SGD$899 (Php29,700) the other week in Singapore on this Core i3 ultraportable Asus UL20FT. I used to own its predecessor, the UL20 running a Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz, but has since sold it mostly due to battery life performance (around 4 hours).

In most respects, the Asus UL20FT sports almost the same design and form factor as the first Asus UL20 we reviewed many months ago here.

The original specs of the Asus UL20FT only included 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 320GB of HDD. I had to upgrade it to 4GB of RAM and replace the internal HDD with a spare 500GB I have at home.

The battery capacity is still the same, a 6-cell 4400mAh Li-Ion and still only does around 4 hours but considering I’m already running a Core i3 system in a thin and light notebook, it’s a fair trade. Of course, a 5200mAh battery similar to the one on the Asus Eee PC 1215N would have been nice.

Here the complete specs of the Asus ULFT-1A I got:

Asus UL20FT-1A
12.1″ display @ 1366×768
Intel Core i3 330UM ULV @ 1.2GHz
4GB DDR3 RAM (up from 2GB stock)
500GB HDD (up from 320GB stock)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0
HDMI port
3 x USB 2.0 ports
Card Reader
Windows 7 Home Premium

Full review later this week but if you’re curious, the UL20 review I did earlier is already a preview of what this one will turn out to be. The model is not yet available in the Philippines but my guess is that once it’s launched, expect the price tag to be north of Php38k, just like the first UL20 before it.

 

*via: YugaTech