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HTC Titan Windows Phone 7.5 Smartphone Review

HTC Titan Windows Phone 7.5 Smartphone Review
  • Posted October 25, 2011, 2:45 PM by Russell Jefferies | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing
  • The Titan is HTC's latest range-topping Windows Phone 7 handset. It certainly lives up to its name, being titanic in size and sporting a huge 4.7-inch display. Couple this with a 1.5GHz processor, an 8 megapixel camera, and the latest version of Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" and you've got yourself a recipe for one heck of a handset.

    Not only is the Titan's display the largest that HTC has put on a phone, but it's also the largest display you'll find on any Windows Phone 7 handset. With its narrow form factor and tricked-out camera, the overall package is certainly worth a look.

Mini-ITX Wars: Asrock's Intel Z68 vs. AMD A75

Mini-ITX Wars: Asrock
  • Posted October 20, 2011, 10:53 PM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • Today we're looking at a new breed of Mini-ITX motherboards from Asrock called the Z68M-ITX/HT and A75M-ITX. The former is an Intel Z68 board that supports Intel's second-generation Core processors, while the latter utilizes AMD A75's chipset to support Socket FM1 processors, namely the new Fusion A-series desktop APUs.

    To spice things up we've selected Intel and AMD's $140 CPU offerings. In other words, this review will also serve as a comparison for the Core i3-2120 and AMD A8-3850.

Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse Review

Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse Review
  • Posted October 20, 2011, 4:12 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • Earlier this year we looked at three touch sensitive portable mice from the likes of Mad Catz, SpeedLink and Microsoft. Ultimately I chose Microsoft's Arc Touch as my favorite because it was the most aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to use of the trio.

    Microsoft has since provided us with another touch-based rodent, the Explorer Touch Mouse, featuring a more traditional shape complete with a uniform glossy paint job and a simplistic layout. In addition, MS claims the Explorer Touch will go 18 months before needing fresh batteries.

Neowin: HTC Radar smartphone review

Neowin: HTC Radar smartphone review
  • Posted October 18, 2011, 9:37 AM by Steven Parker | Filed in Hardware, Mobile Computing
  • The second wave of Windows Phones for the Western world, preloaded with WP7.5 Mango, are being launched right now. We go hands-on with HTC's newest Windows Phone device: the HTC Radar.

AMD FX-8150, FX Series Review - Bulldozer makes debut

AMD FX-8150, FX Series Review - Bulldozer makes debut
  • Posted October 11, 2011, 11:00 PM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware Breaking News
  • The Phenom II has had to deal with the Intel Core i7 on multiple platforms, as well as the Core i5 and Core i3 processors, for almost 3 years now. After all this time, is the pain finally coming to an end for AMD?

    Today AMD is launching its new FX processor lineup comprised of the flagship FX-8150 along with the FX-8120, FX-6100 and FX-4170 processors. Keep reading as we explore the inner details of AMD's new FX series and we benchmark all four new processors being launched today.

HP EliteBook 8460p Notebook Review

HP EliteBook 8460p Notebook Review
  • Posted October 6, 2011, 11:41 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • A few months ago we posted our review of the HP ProBook 6360b, the latest HP "b" series notebook and their first in a 13.3" form factor. Today we'll be looking at another business-class notebook from HP, the EliteBook 8460p.

    As the name suggests, it's a step above the standard business-minded 6360b and as such, it's billed as a Large Enterprise Business product. The "professional" EliteBook retails for about $300 more than the ProBook, but is that premium worthwhile?

Battlefield 3 Beta GPU & CPU Performance

Battlefield 3 Beta GPU & CPU Performance
  • Posted October 4, 2011, 3:16 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Gaming Breaking News
  • We love that Battlefield 3 is using the PC as the lead platform rather than a console. When played on the PC the game will handle 40 more players and will take advantage DirectX 11 and 64-bit processors.

    DICE recommends a quad-core CPU be used along with 4GB of system memory. As for the graphics card a GeForce GTX 560 or Radeon HD 6950 is suggested, meaning that gamers will want to spend around $200 on a modern graphics card to appreciate Battlefield 3. Today we'll take a peak at what's required to play Battlefield 3 as we check out how the beta performs.

MSI WindPad 110W Tablet Review + Windows 8 Impressions

MSI WindPad 110W Tablet Review + Windows 8 Impressions
  • Posted September 30, 2011, 2:31 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing Breaking News
  • Although you may not realize it, there exists a third competitor in the tablet OS market: Microsoft. The WindPad 110W is powered by the 40nm AMD Z-01 dual-core Fusion APU, which is specifically built for tablet computers and features a thermal design power rating of only 5.9 watts.

    Let's proceed to analyze the WindPad 110W's finer details, along with impressions after installing Windows 8's Developer Preview on the tablet...

Samsung 830 Series SSD Review

Samsung 830 Series SSD Review
  • Posted September 27, 2011, 2:00 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware Breaking News
  • Although a seemingly diverse array of SATA 6Gb/s SSDs have launched in recent months, virtually all of them are powered by the Marvell 88SS9174 or SandForce SF-2200 controllers. A third competitor has been quietly lurking in the shadows: Samsung.

    The Samsung 830 Series embraces the SATA 6Gb/s interface, touting 520MB/s reads and 400MB/s writes. Carrying a house-crafted controller and memory this latest entry to market doesn’t look as it will disappoint.

TechSpot's Product Finder: Our Latest Project

  • Posted September 26, 2011, 12:52 AM by Julio Franco | Filed in TechSpot, TechSpot Weekly Breaking News
  • For about a year we've been working behind the scenes on our latest project, the TechSpot Product Finder, a comprehensive up-to-date catalog of tech products. We hope this becomes your next destination to make well-informed decisions when you go out shopping for your next laptop, SSD, monitor, digital camera, HTPC, tablet, or even your next media player.

Patriot Pyro 120GB SSD Review, RAID0 Performance Tested

Patriot Pyro 120GB SSD Review, RAID0 Performance Tested
  • Posted September 20, 2011, 1:07 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • On the heels of its performance-orientated Wildfire series, Patriot has developed a more cost effective solution for mainstream system builders. Based on SandForce's SF-2281 controller, the Pyro series appears to take aim at the Agility 3.

    Despite costing more, the Pyro claims to offer slightly more speed, citing blazingly fast 550MB/s sequential reads and up to 515MB/s sequential writes using SATA 6.0Gb/s. We're also curious to test the Pyro's RAID0 performance. Let's press onward and see where Patriot's budget contender stands in the market.

Neowin: Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray review

Neowin: Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray review
  • Posted September 19, 2011, 9:42 AM by Steven Parker | Filed in Mobile Computing
  • There are times when you simply do not want to carry around a huge device like the HTC Sensation or Samsung Galaxy S II and you instead would like a more compact device to suit your needs. This is where the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes into play.

The Honeycomb Netbook: Asus Eee Pad Transformer Review

The Honeycomb Netbook: Asus Eee Pad Transformer Review
  • Posted September 19, 2011, 12:38 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • The iPad was able to outclass virtually every other tablet computer experience before it, and it's not going too far in saying that it created a market that didn't even exist. Fast forward to the present, everybody wants in, and most are taking advantage of the Android OS.

    The Eee Pad Transformer goes beyond what most tablets are capable of by doubling as a Honeycomb-based netbook. Based on that premise and an attractive price since launch, it quickly became one of the most attractive Android tablets around.

Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Intel Z68 Motherboard Review

Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Intel Z68 Motherboard Review
  • Posted September 8, 2011, 2:22 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • Answering to the demand of an enthusiast-grade LGA1155 motherboard, Gigabyte has unleashed the G1.Sniper2 based on the Z68 chipset. Like Asus' ROG motherboards, Gigabyte's G1.Killer series targets hardcore users by including additional hardware on-board such as a dedicated sound chip by Creative and a network controller from Bigfoot Networks.

    Those niceties make the G1.Sniper2 one of the most expensive Z68 motherboards available, which begs the question: are you getting your money's worth?

Kingston goes SandForce: HyperX 240GB SSD review

Kingston goes SandForce: HyperX 240GB SSD review
  • Posted September 1, 2011, 4:07 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • First demonstrated by OCZ's Vertex 3, the new SandForce SF-2200 controller offers incredible read and write performance of over 500MB/s. By sitting on the sidelines until now, Kingston has been afforded the luxury of refining its firmware and avoiding the issues others have been experiencing.

    With that in mind, it's only fair to believe Kingston's latest addition will be a rock solid representation of the SandForce SF-2200 controller. Let's press on here and see if the HyperX can live up to that expectation.

MSI X-Slim X460 Notebook Review

MSI X-Slim X460 Notebook Review
  • Posted August 24, 2011, 3:50 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware Breaking News
  • MSI recently expanded its ultraportable offerings with the addition of two last generation X-Slim notebooks. Although they're designed to be lightweight and compact, the X460 notebooks also strive to be powerful, courtesy of Intel's Sandy Bridge processors.

    While ultraportable laptops generally carry a 12 to 13" display, MSI says the X460 strikes a fine balance between mobility and performance using a 14" LED backlit screen and Intel's Core i7-2630QM quad-core chip.

BlackBerry Torch 9810 hands-on impressions

BlackBerry Torch 9810 hands-on impressions
  • Posted August 17, 2011, 8:30 AM by Michael Oryl | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing Breaking News With Video
  • The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is the successor to the Torch 9800 that was released back in August 2010 to somewhat lukewarm reviews. Our own included. The things that make the new Torch better than last year's attempt include a greatly improved display, twice the processing power, 50 percent more application RAM, and of course, the updates offered by BlackBerry OS 7.

BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 hands-on impressions

BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 hands-on impressions
  • Posted August 17, 2011, 3:47 AM by Dan Seifert | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing Breaking News With Video
  • The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is the latest smartphone from Research In Motion to grace the Verizon Wireless network. It replaces the aging Bold 9650 and brings along a number of enhancements and improvements, including the new BlackBerry OS 7. I have had a Bold 9930 in hand for review for a brief time and I wanted to provide my initial thoughts and impressions before my full review is ready.

Silverstone Fortress FT03 microATX Case Review

Silverstone Fortress FT03 microATX Case Review
  • Posted August 15, 2011, 3:21 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware Breaking News
  • Although much of the enthusiast community's attention has been focused on the Raven cases, Silverstone offers a vast array of enclosures that rank favorably among system builders.

    The new Fortress FT03 that we're reviewing today is unlike anything we've seen from the series before. This latest iteration is not a mid-tower ATX case, but rather utilizes its own unique design to take the form of a compact microATX case.

Synology DiskStation DS2411+ Review: Up to 36TB Storage

Synology DiskStation DS2411+ Review: Up to 36TB Storage
  • Posted August 11, 2011, 3:59 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • The Synology DiskStation DS2411+ is a business-class NAS device suitable for SMB users, however its $1,700 asking price makes it a little more feasible when compared to other enterprise and rackmount NAS devices with similar capacities but much steeper price tags.

    This may well beyond the grasp of the average user, but we're confident those who require such radical storage solutions will find a lot to appreciate in the DS2411+.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580 'Super Overclock' Reviewed

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 580
  • Posted August 9, 2011, 4:07 AM by Steven Walton | Filed in TechSpot, Hardware
  • With most board partners scared to push the 244w GTX 580 far beyond its reference spec, we were surprised when Gigabyte announced its solution which treads on deeper water than the competition dares to.

    The Gigabyte GTX 580 SOC operates at 855MHz or about double the overclock of Asus and Zotac's cards. For what appears to be a justifiable $35 premium over Nvidia's already steep $500 suggested retail price, they are adding a new PCB design and upgraded cooler.

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android Tablet Review

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android Tablet Review
  • Posted August 3, 2011, 6:06 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing
  • Today we’ll be looking at another tablet built around Android, this time coming from a traditional PC maker. With tablets eating up on netbook sales at an accelerated pace, we can clearly see where Acer is headed with the Acer Iconia Tab A500.

    We intend to figure out what’s Acer proposition with the Iconia Tab, not only from a value perspective -- a driving force of netbook sales -- but in terms of features, design and overall experience using Android Honeycomb 3.1.

Cornell software can spot fake reviews 90% of the time

Cornell software can spot fake reviews 90% of the time
  • Posted July 27, 2011, 5:58 PM by Matthew DeCarlo | Filed in The Web, Software
  • The advent of ecommerce has made it incredibly easy for people to share their experiences with fellow consumers. Most e-tailers outfit their product pages with a section for customer reviews, while there are entire sites dedicated to sharing consumer feedback.…

Motorola Droid 3 Smartphone Review

Motorola Droid 3 Smartphone Review
  • Posted July 26, 2011, 5:36 AM by Michael Oryl | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing With Video
  • The original DROID was the very first Android smartphone on Verizon, and even though its keyboard was questionable, it remained one of the best devices available for quite some time. The DROID 2, however, didn't get enough of an upgrade to make it stand out from the sea of other Android smartphones.

    The new Motorola DROID 3 suffers no such fate. It's got an all-new qHD resolution 4-inch touchscreen, world roaming capabilities, and a beautifully designed 5-row QWERTY keyboard. It's an office in your pocket (that weighs almost as much as some office furniture, I might add).

HP TouchPad Review: How does it stack up?

HP TouchPad Review: How does it stack up?
  • Posted July 20, 2011, 4:15 AM by Dan Seifert | Filed in TechSpot, Mobile Computing
  • The TouchPad is HP's first tablet effort running the webOS operating system that it acquired when it purchased Palm last year. Many users and lovers of webOS's blend of beauty and functionality have been waiting with baited breath to see how it performs on a tablet.

    Has HP managed to take the best of webOS and implement it on the TouchPad while avoiding the pitfalls that have plagued the platform in the past? Is the TouchPad a compelling option compared to market leader Apple's iPad 2 or the less impressive Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablets currently available?

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