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Asus has posted a product page for its Eee PC 1001PQ, a colorful new netbook aimed at pre-adolescents or the young-at-heart -- and they're not kidding. The machine is made in two different designs, one is purple with flames while the other is yellow with racing stripes, both of which apparently come with stickers to customize the shell.

Despite its playful exterior, the core specs resemble that of any other netbook. Under the 10.1-inch hood you'll find an Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB or 250GB of storage, a 0.3-mega pixel webcam, a multi-touch trackpad, Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, optional Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, VGA-out, two USB 2.0 ports, and an MMC/SD reader.


The 1001PQ weighs 1.1kg/2.42lbs with a three-cell battery and 1.27kg/2.79lbs with six cells, which offer between five and nine hours of usage. It ships with an "Inspirus Desktop" interface that Asus says will keep tikes entertained for "hours on end," a well as a kid-friendly browser and parental controls. We haven't spotted any details on pricing or availability.

Taking advantage of Intel's lackadaisical effort to support USB 3.0, AMD may include the specification in an upcoming chipset according to DigiTimes. The site reports that AMD is currently discussing licensing terms with Renesas Electronics, which merged with NEC, the first and largest supplier of USB 3.0 controllers.

It's said that the chipmaker might integrate USB 3.0 support in its upcoming Hudson D1 southbridge, and if true, it shouldn't be long before those plans are public. The new chipset is due later this year alongside the company's 40nm Ontario APUs, and the platform will be used in ultrathin notebooks and netbooks -- a segment where USB 3.0 is currently very scarce.


AMD already uses NEC's parts in its desktop boards, so adding laptops to that agreement shouldn't be too difficult. Since Intel isn't expected to embrace the new specification any time soon, AMD could gain more influence over system builders.

Just a few days ago, leaked AMD documents offered some additional details about what appeared to be the first Ontario-based products. The alleged roadmap showed a single-core chip with a TDP of 18W and a dual-core chip with a 25W TDP, both scheduled for release before the end of the year. But while AMD had already confirmed this launch window, the quoted power consumption figures conflicted with the company's intentions to initially target the netbook market.

Today a source familiar with AMD product planning has come forward to deny such rumors by calling the 18W and 25W TDPs for Ontario "not reasonable and well outside the margin of error". Although the source did not disclose any actual power consumption details regarding the first Fusion chips, X-bit labs claims to have seen documents describing their higher-end siblings (Llano) as Phenom II-class x86 chips with high-end graphics cores that are meant to fit into a 20W thermal envelope. Thus, having them overlap in terms of performance or power consumption wouldn't make sense.

Ontario-based products are expected to feature one or two Bobcat x86 cores merged with a graphics core capable of DirectX 11 rendering. Although AMD hasn't shared much beyond that, it is has previously been implied that Bobcat itself is sub-1W-capable and will be a direct competitor for Intel's Atom.

Facing increased competition, Amazon has revamped its Kindle e-reader, making improvements all around and adding a cheaper Wi-Fi-only model. The new device is 21% smaller with the same 6-inch reading area, 15% lighter (8.7 ounces), 20% faster at page turns (with quieter page turn buttons), and supposedly offers 50% better contrast than any other e-reader. Additionally, it can last for up to a month on a single charge with wireless disabled – twice as long as before – and up to 10 days with wireless on. Internal storage has been doubled to 4GB, which equates to around 3,500 books.

There's a handful of software improvements too, such as Twitter and Facebook integration, new functions like dictionary lookup as well as notes and highlights, and it even has an "experimental" WebKit-based browser. In case you're unfamiliar with the Kindle, it's worth noting that it has access to over 630,000 paid books and 1.8 million free out-of-copyright works, and any material downloaded is accessible on iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, and Android devices via Whispersync. If you're more into audio books, it also has a text-to-speech option that reads content to you.


The premium model is priced at $189, which includes both Wi-Fi and free 3G connectivity over AT&T's network. Alternatively, there's a Wi-Fi-only model for $139 (which undercuts the Nook Wi-Fi) that doesn't have access to 3G, but can still hop on AT&T's US hotspots. Both iterations will ship to customers worldwide on August 27 in graphite or white, and case options will include one that has a built-in, retractable LED light for late night readers.

AMD has managed to pull ahead of rival Nvidia in GPU shipments for the second quarter of 2010, according to a new report by Mercury Research. The company was able to grab 24.5% of the total graphics market versus 19.8% for Nvidia. And while Intel remains the undisputable champion, with its integrated graphics chips capturing 54.3% of the market, this is a huge turnaround for AMD compared to the same quarter in 2009, when it held just 18.2% against Nvidia's 29.6%.

Referring specifically to the discrete graphics cards market, the researcher said AMD commanded 51% of shipments during the quarter while Nvidia grabbed a 49% share. Again, just last year they were at 41% and 59% respectively. There are a number of reasons for this role-reversal, starting with the fact that AMD released its first DirectX 11 cards several months before Nvidia. Also, it probably didn't help that the GeForce GTX 480 and 470 cards were heavily criticized for their noise and heat output, while their performance wasn't a great deal better than AMD's offerings.

It should be interesting to see if the trend maintains next quarter with both manufacturers expected to have a fair range of DirectX 11 cards on the market. The GeForce GTX 460 was certainly a step in the right direction for Nvidia.

It's been more than a decade since the original StarCraft was released, but unlike a wide majority of the titles released in this time frame, the game never really faded away and throughout the years remained the benchmark of what a well-conceived real-time strategy game should be.

For that reason StarCraft II needs no introduction. This sequel has been in the making for what seems like forever, although it was only officially announced in 2007. One way or another, the delays do not seem to have discouraged anyone from wanting to play the game, and if anything, it has made us more desperate to get a taste of it.


On usual TechSpot fashion, now with the game out in stores we are taking an in-depth look at how your gaming system will handle StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. We have tested a huge range of graphics cards using three different resolutions and an equal number of visual quality presets. In addition, we have evaluated CPU scaling testing AMD and Intel CPUs of current and previous generations.

Read the complete article.

Just as concerns over Facebook privacy started to fade out of the headlines, a hacker has rekindled the fire by making over 100 million profiles available in a single gift-wrapped download. Ron Bowes of Skull Security compiled the 2.8GB torrent (which is currently available on TPB) by creating a web crawler to harvest the data of users listed on Facebook's open access directory.

The package supposedly contains the profile URLs, names, addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers of 171 million members (around 100 million unique) – more than one in five of Facebook's half billion user base. Viewing an individual's profile gives access to their friends' pages too – even those who have made themselves non-searchable. The torrent also has the tools used to collect the data.


Since all the information is publicly available, Bowes hasn't violated any laws. This doesn't necessarily count as "failure" on Facebook's end either, but it underscores a question many have asked from initial privacy upheaval: should users be exposed by default regardless of opt-out features? If you're not sure how your account is configured, you may want to read our guide on Facebook privacy.

Continuing its push to dethrone HP in the notebook segment, Acer has shipped 8.1 million laptops worldwide in the second quarter, just behind HP's 8.51 million units, according to IDC. Both companies witnessed a sequential drop in sales in the recent period, with Acer shipping 5.8% less machines and HP's sales falling 10.9%. That performance isn't too different for other top notebook players, with only Apple and Lenovo seeing a sequential increase in shipments.

Rank	Company	Shipments	Change
1	HP	8,509	-10.9%
2	Acer	8,103	-5.8%
3	Dell	5,516	-3.3%
4	Lenovo	4,844	18.6%
5	Toshiba	4,483	-3.1%
6	Asus	3,930	-3.8%
7	Apple	2,445	37.6%
8	Samsung	2,913	-1%
9	Sony	1,710	-11.2%
10	Fujitsu	676	-32.1%

Dell fell into its usual third-place position, moving 5.52 million laptops, a 3.3% decrease on-quarter. Lenovo ranked fourth with 4.84 million units and an 18.6% increase, Toshiba sold 4.48 million systems and Asus followed with 3.93 million. Apple's shipments exploded by 37.6%, with about 2.45 million mobile computers sold, while Samsung, Sony and Fujitsu filled out the bottom of the top ten list.

Looking for an inexpensive and readily-available Android tablet? Augen has you covered. The little-known manufacturer is getting ready to launch the GenTouch Android tablet and it's going to be sold exclusively at Kmart for a mere $149. Specs aren't half bad for the price, either -- You'll get a 7-inch 800x480 TFT LCD screen, 800Mhz CPU, 256MB RAM, 2GB storage, Wi-Fi connectivity, SD/MMC slot (up to 16GB cards supported) and Android 2.1.

The retailer featured the GenTouch in a circular this past Sunday complete with a $20 launch discount. It will be compatible with the Android Market App Store, giving you access to thousands of games and other applications. And if that wasn't enough, the GenTouch reportedly comes with a free leather carrying case. Now, the bad news: Apparently, it is taking a bit longer than expected for Kmart to get enough products in store shelves, but if you go your local store and request a rain check using the device's SKU (811470015254) they'll honor the lower price when more units are available.


At this point we can't tell for sure what to expect in terms of quality and performance, but for the price, you certainly can't go wrong. Augen also recently released its Linux-based ebook reader, TheBook, for $89 and is reportedly readying a $99 netbook sporting a 400MHz processor and Android 1.6.

Super Talent has expanded upon its solid-state storage offerings today with the introduction of a new product that can double as an external or internal drive. The UltraDrive MX achieves this level of flexibility by using a new dual-interface that supports both SATA II and mini-USB connectivity, allowing users to install it as their primary drive or take it on the go.

One particular area of usage where the company believes its UltraDrive MX will come in handy, is for users looking to transition from traditional storage to SSD -- they can first use the USB connection to create an image of the drive inside the computer, then swap the two, reboot and enjoy the performance bump.

Super Talent is using the new JMicron JMF616 controller which pumps out read and write speeds of 250MB/s and 180MB/s, respectively. As you'd expect from any new SSD, the drive also supports garbage collection and TRIM. The UltraDrive MX will begin shipping September 1 and come in 60GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities.

14 Famous Man Rooms @ TheArtOfManliness
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Apple has just released the latest version of its Safari web browser, version 5.0.1, officially enabling third-party extension support and marking the debut of the Safari Extensions Gallery. The feature actually surfaced early June with the release of Safari 5, but was only partially activated for developers to begin coding their stuff. Based on web technologies like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, extensions allow developers to bring new features and functionality to Apple's browser.

Competing browsers such as Firefox and Chrome have been supporting extensions for some time now, so Safari is comparatively late to the party. But that doesn't mean Apple isn't planning on giving them a run for their money. The company began soliciting submissions for the Extensions Gallery earlier this month, and already there are a large number of extensions from the likes of Twitter, Amazon, eBay, and a host of smaller developers.

Besides enabling Extensions, Safari 5.0.1 also fixes several stability and security flaws, including one where AutoFill could be called without user interaction giving an attacker your personal information, and another issue where a maliciously-crafted RSS feed could let an attacker copy files from your computer.

Download Safari 5.0.1 for: Windows | Mac OS X

It's been a few weeks since Mozilla released the first beta of Firefox 4, a major overhaul of the world's second-most used web browser. While we're pleased to report that the performance issues plaguing earlier versions seem to be gone, the latest build isn't flawless – but what software is, let alone in beta stage?

You will find that a handful of sites and many extensions don't work properly yet, and although that's mostly a non-issue, you'll undoubtedly need a working browser at some point. Sadly, you won't be able to
use your preexisting version of Firefox without closing the beta first, and that can be annoying.


Of course, you could just hop on Internet Explorer, but what orange-blooded Firefox advocate would stoop to such a level? Chrome and Opera are other obvious choices, but if you must have Firefox, there's a very basic workaround that will let you run multiple instances and versions of Mozilla's browser simultaneously. We are using v3.6.8 and the newly released Firefox 4 Beta 2 for testing.

Read our Tech Tip of the Week.

Nvidia entered the DirectX 11 workstation graphics segment today, announcing several Fermi-based Quadro products. The new parts include the Quadro 6000, 5000 and 4000 cards, the Quadro 5000m mobile chip, and the Quadro Plex 7000 external visual system.

Nvidia claims its new GPUs are up to five times faster for 3D performance and eight times quicker for computational simulation than their predecessors. They also pack more VRAM, and the 5000 and 6000 series units have ECC memory. Here's a breakdown of the specs:

Product	CUDA Cores	Memory (GDDR5)	Memory Interface	Memory Bandwidth	TDP
Quadro 4000	256	2GB	256-bit	89.6GB/s	142W
Quadro 5000	352	2.5GB	320-bit	120GB/s	152W
Quadro 6000	448	6GB	384-bit	144GB/s	225W
Quadro 5000M	320	2GB	256-bit	76.8GB/s	100W
Quadro Plex 7000	896	12GB	384-bit	144GB/s	N/A

The Quadro 4000 and 5000 are already available with an MSRP of $1,149 and $2,249, while the 6000 and Quadro Plex 7000 will ship later this year for $4,999 and $14,500. Workstation OEM partners include Dell, HP, Lenovo, Boxx Technologies, and NextComputing, and HP has already announced that its 17-inch EliteBook 8740W will soon be updated with the Quadro FX 5000M.

Intel has announced a new silicon-based optical data connection technology that is capable of transferring data at a rate of 50Gb/s and could reach speeds well beyond that. By using a combination of transmitter/receiver chips, lasers and fiber cables, Intel says Silicon Photonics Link is fast enough to transfer a high definition movie in one second.

A transmitter chip composed of four lasers beams light into an optical modulator which encodes data onto them at 12.5Gb/s. Those four beams are then combined and sent over a single optical fiber for a total data rate of 50Gb/s. When it reaches the opposite end of the link, a receiver chip essentially reverses the process, separating the beams and converting data back to electrical signals. By adding more lasers per chip and scaling the modulator, speeds of 1Tb/s are possible.

Intel believes its integrated hybrid silicon optics solution is poised to replace today's copper wiring, which suffers from signal degradation and is said to be reaching its limits. Silicon Photonics Link is still in its very early stages, existing solely as a concept and products based on the technology won't arrive for at least three to five years.

The chipmaker says this project is separate from Light Peak, which is "an effort to bring a multi-protocol 10Gbps optical connection to Intel client platforms for nearer-term applications." Whereas Silicon Photonics research "aims to use silicon integration to bring dramatic cost reductions, reach tera-scale data rates, and bring optical communications to an even broader set of high-volume applications."