VIA Technologies today announced the VIA EPIA-P720 Pico-ITX board, which takes advantage of the latest VIA VX855 media system processor to deliver stunningly smooth playback of the latest HD video formats for next-generation digital interactive devices. Measuring a mere 10cm x 7.2cm, the VIA EPIA-P720 is based on the VIA-developed, ultra compact Pico-ITX form factor. Powered by a low power, fanless 1GHz VIA Eden ULV processor, the VIA EPIA-P720 supports up to 2GB of DDR2 system memory and is the first Pico-ITX board to feature the VIA VX855 Media System Processor.

A highly integrated, all-in-one chipset, the VIA VX855 MSP is specially designed to provide flawless hardware acceleration for the latest HD video codecs including H.264, WMV, VC1 and MPEG 2/4 at high bitrates and display resolutions of up to 1080p. The VIA Chrome9 HCM 3D integrated graphics core boasts full DirectX 9.0 support and a 128-bit 2D engine with hardware rotation capability. The VIA EPIA-P720 uses a specially designed I/O add-on-board, the VIA P720-A, which complements the native HDMI port to add a VGA port, a Gigabit LAN port and two USB 2.0 ports. The VIA Vinyl HD audio codec provides 6 channel, DTS capable audio with S/PDIF support. Storage is provided in the shape of an onboard 44-pin IDE connector and one S-ATA port. On board pin headers provide support for an additional 4 x USB 2.0 ports, an LPC connector, SMBus connector, PS/2 support, audio jacks, LVDS, 4 pairs of DIO and two UART ports.

The Impact Series line of cases by OtterBox provides effective protection against bump and shocks that your Apple iPhone 3G S might experience during an average day. The case has specially designed inner corners that help dissipate the force of an impact away from the iPhone 3G S for added protection.

AMD asked us to remove this post since the material was sent to us without a confidentiality clause by accident. We have honored their request by removing this post until the NDA lifts on the content that used to be here.

Sorry, nothing to see here!

AMD sent us an e-mail confirming that they are building AMD Athlon II X4 processors that are based on both the new 'Propus' 169mm die and the older Deneb 258mm die size. It seems they have totally disabled the L3 cache on any Deneb die that makes it into an Athlon II X4 processor though. It will be interesting to see if consumers will be able unlock the L3 cache on any Deneb based AMD Athlon II X4 processors by simply enabling Advanced Clock Calibration (ACC). Companies like AsRock have been marketing how their boards unlock 'hidden' features like this, so time will tell.

Ive recently been made aware that AMD chose to manufacture some Athlon II X4 processors on the Deneb processor die as well. (Deneb is the die Phenom II is manufactured on) In that case, of course, Denebs L3 is disabled so that the defining processor specifications remain unchanged for Athlon II X4 models. Just wanted you to be aware of that fact.

GIGABYTE announces a powerful new addition to its product lineup: The Super Overclock Series. All of the GPUs in this new range of high-end graphics cards have been cherry-picked for top performance, efficiency and reliability. Thefirst Super OC video card will be based on the nVidia GeForce GTX 260 GPU. The standard core clock for the GeForce GTX 260 is 576MHz, the Gigabyte Super OC video card comes at 680MHz! That is a core clock that is 25% higher than default. The price on this card will be $199.99, which isn't that bad considering you are getting the best binned GPU out of a batch of them.

First, GIGABYTEs database analysis system evaluates the GPU core engine, shader engine and memory. If a processor doesnt meet the pre-defined standard, it will not qualify for the Super Overclock Series. In addition, GIGABYTEs proprietary testing toolkit allows engineers to inspect and select the GPUs with the highest frequency. This program operates for 30 minutes and provides important data on the maximum overclocking ability when compared to a stock GPU. Once the Super Overclock point has been determined, engineers will boost the frequency to offer the highest factory default clock setting in the market. Next, each Super Overclock Series GPU faces the Graphics benchmarks, FurMark and 3DMark Vantage, to measure performance and stability under an intense graphics load. A GPU that passes this stage will perform at a lower temperature and fan speed compared to a standard GPU. By choosing the cream of the crop, GIGABYTE ensures rich rendering of intricate 3D scenes and realistic physical effects such as water, gas, steam, fire, etc for a lifelike gaming adventure.

Active Media Products (AMP), manufacturer of netbook SSD upgrades and unique USB drives including the Obama drive, today announced a 3-pack of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) endangered species USB drives that includes a Panda drive, a Penguin drive and a Polar Bear drive packaged in an elegant gift box. These Windows 7 compatible USB drives are crafted in the likeness of endangered species and benefit WWF.

The panda, penguin and polar bear drives are designed for carrying data on the go. Each drive measures only about 2.2-inches in length and includes a keychain for attaching the drive to a backpack, zipper pull or keys. These lead-free and PVC-free drives are made of soft non-toxic silicone rubber. The WWF Trio is an ideal gift. AMP offers the Trio as a triple pack of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB USB drives, and contributes five percent of the retail price of this product line to WWF.

Pliant Technology today announced the availability of its first family of products. Pliants Lightning EFDs integrate an advanced software architecture and a proprietary ASIC controller design to dramatically improve performance and reliability of storage and IT systems, while significantly reducing cost, space requirements and energy consumption. The SSD's have a data throughput rating of (read/write): >525/340 MB/sec (LS) and >420/220 MB/sec (LB). The Pliant Lightning LS300, Lightning LS150 and Lightning LB150 are being delivered for OEM evaluation and qualification, and will be available via authorized channel partners in September 2009.

Pliants Lightning EFDs enable enterprise data centers, financial services organizations, high-performance computing (HPC) environments, and digital media applications to do more for less, by providing IT managers and system architects with breakthrough levels of performance, reliability and efficiency. Lightning EFDs deliver the industrys highest sustained performance with the most predictable performance profile across a wide range of read/write workloads, and have been specifically designed for demanding, mission-critical 24×7 applications.

Long before the Sony Reader or the Amazon Kindle, Pocket PC and Windows Mobile device users were able to read eBooks with Microsoft Reader.  This software, which has always been free to download, was once the only eBook option for Windows Mobile devices, though others came along over the years.

We haven’t seen or heard much about MS Reader in the past couple of years, but today we noticed a short post indicating that the software has been updated to version 2.4.2 and now fully supports Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1.

Microsoft Reader allows users to read eBooks in the .LIT format that Microsoft popularized between 2001 and 2004.  Though many of the major eBook sellers no longer sell books in this format, you can still find the files from some download sites.

SanDisk has raised the bar for professional-grade flash memory cards. Today, the company has announced the global launch and availability of new SanDisk ExtremePro CompactFlash memory cards. The new line of fast, reliable, high-capacity memory cards is designed for professional photographers and enthusiasts with advanced DSLR cameras. The cards provide lightning-fast read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s, doubling the performance from previous SanDisk high-end cards. SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash cards will be available in capacities of 8GB to 32GB and MSRP ranging from about $130 to $375 in the US market, while SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards will be available in capacities of 16GB to 64GB and MSRP ranging from about $300 to $800 in the US market. Exact pricing for the cards will be set by retailers..

The new SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash line is the direct result of SanDisks passion, commitment, and break-through engineering innovation to provide best-in-class flash memory cards for professional photography, said Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk. The SanDisk Power Core Controller delivers unmatched write speed and reliability, providing photographers with a spectacular combination of performance, capacity and peace of mind that images are safely stored.

Possessing industrial grade technology, DFI LANParty is going to launch the newest Blood Iron series product, 785G-M35 Micro ATX motherboard. Accommodating AMD 785 chipset, BI 785G-M35 incorporates integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200, which supports DirectX10.1, Shader Model 4.1, and UVD 2.0. With 128MB DDR3 Sideport Memory, graphics performance of BI 785G-M35 can be improved up to 10%~15%. What is more, it comes with LANParty exclusive ABS II CPU Auto Upgrade technology and leading-edge digital PWM so as to let users enjoy the ultimate high performance and simultaneously save a huge amount of budget and electric pay.

By virtue of integrated ATI Radeon HD 4200 and 128MB DDR3 Sideport Memory, graphics performance is enhanced. Besides, through PCI Express x16, Hybrid Graphics is supported to enable both extra graphics card and integrated graphics core at the same time. 30% to 40% performance can be increased. Moreover, HDMI, DVI, and D-SUB are all provided. Therefore, besides marvelous graphics performance, users also have more output choices for various needs.