Tech Soft

Diablo 3 Release Date, Features and System Specifications

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:47:38 +0000

Diablo III is questionably one of the most anticipated games of 2012, and the latest word is that it will be introduced sometime in the month of March or April. Most significant retailers and Gamestop are presently taking pre-orders its regular game version and collector’s edition. The Diablo is expected to be revealed in late 2012, albeit considering rather hush-hush adoption of Blizzard on development cycle it could even be early 2013, before gamers get their hands on the title. The first Diablo featured very dark themed fantasy elements, and saw player battling the evil lord Diablo in an expansive dungeons under Tristram, small town situated in the world known as Sanctuary.

Diablo III is a forthcoming dark fantasy or horror-themed action role playing game in development by Blizzard, which will make its 3rd installment in Diablo franchise. It features elements of slash and hack and dungeon crawl genres was the first to be announced in 2008 at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France. The lead designer of Diablo III is Jay Wilson, former Relic Entertainment designer attributed with work on Warhammer 40,000: Company of Heroes, Blood II and Dawn of War.

Meizu MX Review

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:27:41 +0000

Meizu MX comes with capable and distinctive Android skin, which makes it look like iOS and is quite fast, fun to use, boasting penta-band GSM compatibility. With 56mm wide screen, which provides ideal viewing experience, the robust metal frame surrounds front side, which back is reminiscent of white jade. Its 3:2 aspect ration, four-inch, 960 x 640 ASV screen offers the viewer a superior experience as compared to conventional 4.3 inch displays. Outfitted with pearl like Home button and back, which reminds of white jade, the dark, thin metal surrounds the device. The HSPA+ 21.6Mbps network speed allows you to stream high definition video, enjoy full power of mobile web and lossless music.

The Meizu MX is the latest Chinese smartphone promoted and designed by Meizu Technology Company Limited that runs on customized Android 2.3 OS. It is the first time Meizu officially introduces a product outside of mainland China. The MX was introduced in mainland China and Hong Kong on 1st January 2012. The Software Center of Meizu MX brings together quality Android applications with popularity rankings, star and search ratings. The eight-megapixel camera with backside illuminated sensors, f/2.2 aperture and LED flash drastically enhances low light shooting capability. Other features include 1080p video recording, panorama shooting, geotagging, smile detector and WDR technology. The built in gyrosensor offers MX precise motion sensing abilities, providing you with immersive gaming experience, blurring line between real world and virtual. It offers support for all lossless audio and mainstream formats, visual spectrum, powerful built-in music management equalizer and tools and lyrics.

Those who think that they have no use for Chinese iPhone clone running Android, the Meizu MX can significantly change your worldview. It is really a polished and trim smartphone, with all black front face and rounded corners, which Apple loves to employ. Its 4.0-inch display boasts 960 x 640 pixel resolution with lower density. However, the screen is pleasing to view with wallpapers, text and picture crisply rendered. Its design is subtle and above the display, you will find 0.3 megapixel camera designed for conference calling. Beneath the screen, there are two of sleekest capacitive buttons, which consists of clusters of LED lamps or Light Keys. The volume rocker button is located on the left hand side of the device, while the microUSB port at the bottom. The 3.5mm headphone jack with power button is on the top of the smartphone.

The Meizu MX measures 4.8 inches high, 0.4 inch thick and 2.5 inches deep and weighs 4.9 ounces, making it easy to slip into pockets. It is powered by Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread operating system. The eight-megapixel camera with LED flash offers slightly washed out images and not that sharp details, like other smartphones with sophisticated cameras, including HTC Amaze 4G and Samsung Galaxy S II. Standard features on MX include 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; 3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100; 4.0 inch ASV capacitive touchscreen with Touch-sensitive controls, 16 million colors, 640 x 960 pixels and ~288ppi pixel density; Vibration, MP3 ringtones; 16 GB storage, 1 GB RAM; Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 – 48 kbps; HSDPA speeds up to 21.6 Mbps and HSUPA speeds up to 5.76 Mbps; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot; eight-megapixel camera with 3264 x 2448 pixels, LED flash, autofocus, Geo-tagging, smile detection and Wide dynamic mode.

The Meizu MX also offers Android OS, v2.3.5 (Gingerbread), planned upgrade to v4.0; Chipset: Exynos; CPU: Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9; GPU: Mali-400MP; Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass; Messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM; Browser: HTML, Adobe Flash; GPS with A-GPS support; MicroSIM card support only; Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic; TV-out (via MHL A/V link); S/PDIF; SNS integration; Google Search, Maps, Gmail, Talk; MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC player; MP4/H.263/H.264 player; Organizer; Document viewer; Photo viewer; Voice memo/dial and Predictive text input.

IPhone 5 To Sport A 4-Inch Screen And New Design

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:52:43 +0000

Another string of iPhone 5 related rumors surfaced. As per the reports, the iPhone 5 will feature quad-core qualcom processor and boast even larger than four-inches and different form from previous model. The final specifications of iPhone haven’t been revealed and the company has not yet decided with its plenty of prototypes, which all possess varying display size not under four-inch and new ergonomics. This one is an actual bummer. It was being sold well on par with 16GB and 32GB. So having the iPhone also means having a smartphone with large memory capacity. The iPhone 5 specifications might very well include 64GB versions to.

If iPhone 5 makes use of this technology, then fuse this with high resolution retina display and we have the killer device. The company is not only restricting the use of this technology to iPad 3 and iPhone 5, but Time Capsules, Notebook range and Apple TV will also employ this technology. One of the main competitions between Apple smartphones running iOS and Samsung smartphones running Android is the processor each boasts of. The A5 has beaten most Android supporting processors, which other firms have come up with, but as per certain rumors, the company could be one-upping the race with better-than-A6, all-new quad-core processor.

Sony’s Next-Gen Camera Sensor Could Allow Apple To Make Thinner iPhones

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:26:39 +0000

Sony, which designs camera modules used by Apple in iPhone 4S has announced the next generation smaller CMOS image sensor, which could allow for even sleeker iPhone models in the coming years. The all new CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensor introduced by Sony is backside illuminated module, which enables better photo quality in more small size. The CMOS layers pixel section comprising of backside illuminated structure pixels onto chips consisting circuit section for signal processing. Advantages of this sensor include large scale signal processing circuits needed for better functionality and higher image quality are built in; higher image quality of pixel section by adopting manufacturing processes specialized for better image quality, lower power consumption and faster speeds by adopting lead processes for circuit section and small image sensor chip size.

Besides, the entrance of Sony in iPhone camera supply chain was long-established by Chipworks and iFixit, who disassembles iPhone 4S and did X-ray cross-section of eight-megapixel camera found on iPhone 4S.

Windows 8 Tablet Hardware Requirements Announced

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:38:34 +0000

Microsoft seems to be applying strict hardware norms it placed in original Windows Phone 7 gadgets to its forthcoming Windows 8 Operating System. Here is the list of Windows 8 tablet hardware requirements.

Hardware buttons: Power, Rotation lock, Windows key, Volume up, Volume down.Screen Touch points: 5.

Display: Minimum of 1366 x 768 pixel resolution at depth of 32 bits.
Storage: Must have at least 10GB free space offered for the user.
NFC: Must have “touch marks” for indicating where to tap.
GPU: Direct3D 10 GPU with WDDM 1.2 driver.
Camera: Capable of shooting 720p videos or better.
Sensors: Light Sensor, Magnetometer, Accelerometer, Gyroscope.
Others: WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Speakers.

These requirements show Microsoft’s commitment in avoiding fragmentation amongst its peripherals to have universal experience amongst all users. Of course, it may also mean that Windows 8 PCs will be expensive than Android tablets due to required “extra stuff”.

Das Keyboard Releases Model S Professional for Mac

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:22:13 +0000

Das Keyboard, a renowned keyboard manufacturing company, which specializes in clicky mechanical keyboards such as IBM Model M and Apple Extended Keyboard, has released the Mac Edition of Model S Professional keyboard. The keyboards of Das are favorites of plenty of PC users like Arnold Kim, Chief of MacRumors. The all new keyboard for Macintosh is similar to that of Model S, which has been marketed by Das Keyboard, however with appropriate command, control and option keys for Mac along with previous track, next, play/pause, eject, volume +/-, sleep, mute, brightness +/- keys.

CNET gave Model S Professional four star rating praising its satisfying clack and tactile feel and noting that power typists will find nostalgia, comfort and utility in this all new keyboard’s springboard performance and sleek design. The Model S Professional brings back same mechanical key switches, providing audible and tactile feedback, which might even enhance the typing accuracy and speed.

Das Keyboard is basically a series of premium computer keyboards marketed by Metadot Corporation, the open source software company situated in Austin, Texas. Their most unique feature has been the lack of key labels that is the keys themselves are both completely blank and black, thus allegedly helping to enhance touch typing skills.

Samsung PNE8000 Plasma Offers Best Features and Enhanced Picture

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:38:07 +0000

Samsung continues to focus most of its marketing efforts on LED televisions and claims that its plasma televisions provide much better value and superior picture quality. The company’s highest end plasma series for 2012, Samsung PNE8000 could be another big winner for Samsung. You will really like the picture quality of previous model, PND8000, and now the company stated that it has enhanced black level performance, a main ingredient to good picture. The PNE9000 shares superior black level with step-down PNE7500 and PNE7000 series 2012 plasma televisions. Considering that 2011 models also had best color accuracy, the PNE8000 is already a strong contender for superior picture quality for 2012.

One of the exquisite features found on Samsung PNE8000 is the local contrast enhancer, which was originally found on PND8000. However, it didn’t had negative or positive, effect on image quality in best picture settings of the television. The PND7000 was awarded as Editor’s Choice last year mainly due to its basically identical picture quality to that of PND8000. Apart from enhanced picture quality, the PNE8000 will offer plenty of additional features as compared to other rivals of 2012 such as Smart Interaction gesture/voice control system of Samsung. It also gets laptop style touchpad, however lacks QWERTY keyboard.

The company has also changed the design of Samsung PNE8000 for providing all-black bezel. Like all 2012 3D compatible televisions, the PNE8000 will offers two pairs of active 3D glasses. It will also provide Local Contrast Enhancer, Touchpad remote, Smart Interaction with voice/gesture control, Built-in speakerphone and camera, Two pairs of 3D glasses and Smart Hub connected TV suite.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S – Nonetheless a Solid Choice

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:07:15 +0000

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is a smartphone designed and developed by Sony Ericsson and runs Android 2.3 operating system of Google. Revealed in the month of September 2011, its primary enhancement over previous model is the 1.4GHz Scorpion Snapdragon processor as compared to 1.0GHz of Arc. The company follows up its ultrastylish Xperia Arc with Xperia Arc S, slightly quicker version of European model, which boasts powerful camera and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Its slow data speeds, high price and single core CPU will leave Android experts wanting more.

The original Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc featured a head turning style with Android Gingerbread OS, fashionable design and razor sharp looks. Now the company has introduced a flashier replacement with quite a few improvements. In spite of faster processor and two exciting color shades, splurging on unlocked $439.99 Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is even tougher argument to make. It sports similar ultrathin design and seductive curves, which make it, look different from other usual boxy shaped handsets. The all new Arc S measures 4.9 inches high, 2.5 inches wide and 0.3 inch thick and weighs 4.1 ounces.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is available in three different color choices such as pure white, sakura pink and gloss black that complement the original two hues, which first Arc shipped with midnight blue and misty silver. One of the extensive features found in this model is the 4.2 inch capacitive touchscreen display that boasts 854 x 480 pixel resolution with excellent image quality. Underneath its display, you will find three physical buttons for standard Android operations such as back, menu and home. The dedicated camera button, volume rocker and micro USB port are located on the right hand side of the device, while the 3.5mm headphone on the left.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S adds basic virtual keyboard, which is close to the one found in stock Gingerbread with well placed and large keys in portrait landscape orientation. Powering the Arc S is an Android 2.3 operating system with Ice Cream Sandwich interface and has typical mobile and messaging communication skills found on other Android handsets. It also gets Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity and users can synchronize contacts, email and calendar through Gmail profiles. Some of the Google services include Google Maps, YouTube, turn by turn navigation and Google News.

Standard features on Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S include 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; 3G Network: HSDPA 900 / 2100 – LT18i; 4.2 inch LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16 million colors and 480 x 854 pixels; Scratch-resistant glass; Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine; Timescape UI; microSD, up to 32GB; 1 GB (320 MB user-available), 512 MB RAM; HSDPA speeds up to 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA speeds up to 5.8 Mbps; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot; 8.0-megapixel camera with 3264×2448 pixels, LED flash, autofocus, touch focus, Video calling, face and smile detection, geo-tagging, image stabilization and 3D sweep panorama; Android OS, v2.3.4 (Gingerbread); Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon; SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email; colors: Pure White, Midnight Blue, Misty Silver, Gloss Black; HDMI port; Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic; MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player; MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S also adds TrackID music recognition; NeoReader barcode scanner; Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk; Facebook and Twitter integration; Document viewer; Voice memo/dial/commands; Predictive text input; Phonebook: Caller groups, Unlimited entries, Search by both first and last name, Multiple numbers per contact, Ring ID and Picture ID; Notifications: Polyphonic ringtones, Music ringtones (MP3), Flight mode, Vibration, Speakerphone and Silent mode; Bluetooth Profiles: Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP). The rated battery life of Arc S is 19 days in standby mode and 7 hours and 25 minutes in talktime mode. While Xperia Arc S doesn’t qualify as massive enhancement over previous model Arc, it is nonetheless a solid choice.

Samsung SCX-4500 – Low of features

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:13:13 +0000

Samsung SCX-4500 is a mono multifunction device and a unique thing about this printer is that it is really attractive. Manufacturers usually don’t make beautiful printers and hence this was a welcome change that I saw in my labs. The feature set of this printer is very basic though. I haven’t reviewed any mono laser multifunction devices between $250 to $350 and hence I will make comparisons only to the more expensive devices. The cost of this device is $300 but I would recommend you to spend a bit more and go for the $400 more expensive printers because they have good feature set to offer for this price bump. You get goodies like advanced task features, auto duplexers, automatic document feeders, network-readiness, and fax capability. It really makes sense to spend the extra buck.

For instance, there is the Canon ImageClass MF4690 which costs $400 and comes with automatic document feeder, manual feed tray, fax capabilities, USB port (front-mounted) that can be used for printing and scanning, built-in duplexer, and Ethernet port for easy networking – all this just for $100 more. Samsung SCX-4500 is alluring but still you must know about the things that you don’t get.

In my lab tests, the Samsung SCX-4500 was slower than other multifunction devices in the competition which is not really surprising considering that it is $100 cheaper. Black text was printed at 13.05 ppm or pages per minute. It is one ppm slower than Canon MF4690 and much slower than the Dell 1815dn and the Lexmark X342n. Black graphic prints were slower at 12.68 ppm. For both the grayscale and color scans, the speed was somewhere in the middle at 6.20ppm along with grayscale and 4.80ppm for color.

I compared the Samsung SCX-4500 to Samsung SCX-4200, its sibling. The price of SCX-4200 is less by $180 but the task speeds are on par with that of SCX-4500. I also compared it to office-oriented inkjet multifunction costing $300 – HP OfficeJet Pro L7680. There are more inkjet printers in this price point. Samsung SCX-4500 was faster amongst the two but the feature set on HP is much better.

On the other hand, the Samsung model makes up for the slower speeds through better task quality. Black text prints nicely dark, clean and crisp. Grayscale graphics too were good but it had some minor cross hatching which I won’t complain about since it is common in such low priced printers.

Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T – The Fastest Windows 7 Tablet

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:23:03 +0000

Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T provides you with full PC power packed into ultraportable device, taking mobility to next level with touch-focused design. It offers strong performance with its Core i5 processor, solid design, solid pen support, touch friendly interface and useful accessories. It is a powerful touchscreen Windows 7 PC with very Windows 8 like optional interface. The 11.6 inch screen of Series 7 Slate boasts 10 digit and stylus input for excellent ease of use. It is a slate by characterization, however Samsung Series 7 provides you with all the performance and power of notebook PC. The Slate comes with Core i5-2467M processor, a significant boost over usual Intel Atom processors found in other Slates.

With Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T, you can enjoy the power of Windows based PC and convenience of the tablet. A Slate PC with light and thin design means you can take it wherever you go. On the other hand, the second generation Intel Core i5 processor and genuine Windows 7 offer powerful and familiar working environment. With genuine Windows 7 operating system you can enjoy interface like a PC, however with selection of input gadgets. It is easy to manage and create your own content, including videos and pictures. Input devices are capacitive touchscreen, Bluetooth keyboard, digitiser pen and docking cradle.

The Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T is equipped with solid state drive and state of the art Intel Core i5 processor for fast data access and you can rapidly open plethora of applications and get a lot done even while multitasking with its Intelligent Turbo Boost Technology that accelerates performance by dynamically allocating processing power when needed. With Fast Start technology of Samsung and SSD, you can be up and running within 15 seconds of turning on – around 60 percent quicker as compared to its predecessors. Experience a wide variety of user interface, including digitiser pen, wireless Bluetooth keyboard, slate PC dock and capacitive 8-point touchscreen interface for enhanced productivity and maximum convenience.

With Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T, you can simply write, type or touch to create documents/reports, take lecture/meeting notes, research online, enjoy the world of vivid entertainment and give presentations. The Touch Launcher of Samsung offers quick access to wide range of touch friendly applications and is pre-installed with regularly upgraded range of famous applications such as music, maps, movies, recipes and weather. It also allows you to access Windows applications, including email, messenger and use widgets for checking performance such as Wi-Fi connections and battery life.

The Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T is considered as one of the fastest Windows 7 tablet in the market and is paired with optional accessories, providing very notebook like experience. With all the hype surrounding Nook and Kindle Fire Tablet and favorites including Asus Transformer and iPad 2, it is easy to forget that there are quite a lot of other Windows tablets introduced to the market. These tablets have been in the market for quite a long time as both disappointingly underpowered consumer products and low key industrial tools. Samsung has expanded the Series 7 lineup by introducing the Series 7 Slate 700T, which adds Intel Core i5 processor making it a useful device as compared to underpowered Intel Atom tablets.

When fused with optional docking stand and Bluetooth keyboard, the Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T is powerful, tidy package. It is available for the price of $1349 and includes 128GB solid state drive. It comes equipped with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467M Processor; 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM; 128GB solid state drive; Intel HM65 Chipset; Intel HD3000 Graphics card and Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit). With edge to edge glass over front surface covering thick black bezel and display and slightly rounded back plastic panel, the Series 7 Slate feels and looks a lot like other models, including Samsung Galaxy Tab and BlackBerry Playbook.

Some of the connectivity options on Samsung Series 7 Slate 700T include Mini-HDMI (plus HDMI via dock); Stereo speakers, headphone jack, mic port; 1 USB 2.0 (plus 1 USB 2.0 via dock), micro-SD card reader; 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet (via dock). Its SuperBright 11.6 inch LCD screen generates sharp images and bright colors with 400nit brightness. Its outstanding text readability and picture quality also mean you can enjoy brilliant high definition entertainment almost anywhere you select. The rated battery life of Series 7 Slate 700T is five hours and 49 minutes, which is really impressive. In the meantime, the Series 7 Slate PC is a good, but not great, choice for mobile professionals.