| 2008 International CES Computer Technology Highlights |
| News - Featured Website News | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Sunday, 13 January 2008 | |
2008 CES Las VegasThe 2008 International CES is now finished, and while the exhibitors are using this weekend to tear-down their booths there are just as many writers like myself who are trying to feverishly extol the numerous technology displays we viewed over the past week. Benchmark Reviews had no intention of taking notes on every single product that was on display, but instead we were after the most notable computer technology highlights and announcements of the show. This article reveals what we believe to be the biggest innovations of Q1 and Q2 for 2008. During my visit to CES'08, there were far too many sights and sounds to rehash here in just one article; and that's not something you would want to read anyway. There were however many short but important announcements, and a few important pieces of information that were never meant to be announced.
For example, a major mission for me while at CES was to hunt down new SSD development. I have been in discussion with Joe James at Super Talent since we met at the SuperComputing Conference SC07 about their own solid state disks, and the message I get each time is about the new SATA-II platform they are developing.
Since Crucial is the biggest name in the North American memory market, I made certain to visit Sam Harmer and Terry Groth about their own upcoming SSD. As it turns out, there is a SATA-II rated SSD due out later in Q1 2008. This is great news for Benchmark Reviews, which has only seen SATA-I platforms from manufacturers such as Mtron and Fujitsu. While I was witnessing a "paint mixer" demo that shook the hell out of a running SSD with no effect on performance, I learned of something ever more shocking: Crucial is now going to be a Lexar product brand name. Not long ago Micron, the parent company to Crucial, purchased Lexar. According to both marketing representatives, our recent review of the Crucial Ballistix DDR3 really could have been named Lexar instead. Apparently Crucial wasn't as well known as Lexar, according to my contacts.
Joining the race in 2008, OCZ will introduce its own new series of high-capacity SATA-I and SATA-II Solid State Drives offering consumers a faster, more reliable and power efficient alternative to standard hard disk drives for laptops (and desktops). As Benchmark Reviews witnessed at CES, the new SSD from OCZ looks like it can take a beating. This should make for an interesting year, since BiTMICRO launched a 832GB E-Disk Altima SATA SSD just in time for CES. Belkin Corporation offers an extensive range of innovations designed to give computer and consumer electronics users seamless integration in their homes, cars, and on the go. Belkin, a privately held company founded in California in 1983, is the recognized global leader in connectivity solutions. Since our inception in 1983, Belkin has experienced an amazing 20-plus consecutive years of dramatic growth. Our diverse and far-reaching product mix includes award-winning innovations for easy-to-set-up networking solutions, accessories for iPod players and other MP3 devices, and the first CableFree USB Hub. Our PureAV brand extracts the full performance potential from high-end home theater equipment, and offers elegant designs and advanced features in the bargain. Belkin's U.S. presence includes headquarters in Los Angeles, a distribution center in Indianapolis, an award-winning Industrial Design Group in Hollywood, and an R&D facility in Rochester, New York. With major facilities in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, our reach extends to offices throughout Europe and to our Pacific Rim sites: Australia and New Zealand and, most recently, Singapore and Shanghai.
Belkin has come a long way to become the market leader across its product lines in just over two decades. From a garage in Hawthorne, California, with two employees and sales of $100,000 for the year, Belkin has become one of the fastest growing companies in the world, with over 1,000 employees and sales topping $1 billion. In addition to earning Inc. magazine's 2003 Hall of Fame award, Belkin has been listed twice in its list of "500 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies in the U.S.", the "Inner City Top 100" list for six consecutive years, and the Los Angeles Business Journal's "Fastest Growing Private Companies" list for five years. Belkin Flywire Wi-Fi N 1080p HDTV ReceiverFlyWire is a simple solution for placing your HDTV anywhere in the house without wires. It wirelessly connects your devices, such as an HD-DVD player or set top box, to your HDTV, eliminating unsightly cables and the need for costly custom installation.
FEATURES:
WHY IS FLYWIRE BETTER?
A look at the back of Belkin's FlyWire shows that only one HDMI input exists, and only only one HDMI output is available. This could spell trouble for most home theaters and entertainment centers, but in some situations the HDTV will offer additional connectivity.
SCENARIO FLYWIRE 27PR011 Price: $499-$599 Availability: Summer 2008 D-Link offered some innovations for the digital home of the future, demonstrating everything needed to bring entertainment and connectivity from the PC to the living room. The D-Link booth will hosted several live presentations of streaming Internet content, kiosks showcasing late-breaking innovations such as a digital photo frame capable of displaying rich content over the Internet via a home Wi-Fi connection, D-Link draft 802.11n dual band Wi-Fi networking, advanced home storage and file sharing solutions, and displays featuring D-Link's newest and most popular routers with customizable skins. Among the digital home networking and entertainment solutions on display, Benchmark Reviews felt that two particular product technologies stood out from the crowd: Xtreme N Duo Dual Band Wireless Gigabit Router DIR-855For the past six months, my computer company has sold dozens of the D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Router since we tested it here at Benchmark Reviews. One of the few criticisms was the lack of 5GHz band, so it's great to see D-Link return to the design table and make a product that appears to be everything we originally wanted... and more. This high-powered D-Link router is engineered to enhance speed and range when running multiple devices including HD media players, game consoles and computers. The next-generation Dual Band 802.11n Draft N Router allows home users to simultaneously browse the Internet or send emails using the 2.4GHz band while streaming movies, music or playing games using the less crowded 5GHz band, thus ensuring that applications run as smoothly as possible over the wireless network and offering an outstanding Internet experience.
First-Ever Customized Router Skins - D-Link has teamed with Skinit to offer the industry's first personalized electronic device skins for its most popular routers, offering customers the option to customize their routers with some 3000 designs, including favorite photos, fashion designs, sports teams, colleges, tattoo art, initials, symbols, corporate logos, etc. Skinit's skins are personalized, high-quality vinyl covers specially designed to fit a broad variety of consumer electronic devices. Initially, the skins will be available for D-Link's DIR-855, DIR-655, DIR-625, DIR-615, DGL-4500, DGL-4300, DGL-4100 and DI-624 routers. 
D-Link D-Life Setup Service"D-Life" is a user focused extension of the D-Link product offering where everything just works simply and effortlessly via an easy to use website (https://www.d-life.com/). The D-Life website and D-Life-Enabled products are designed to provide customers an easier way to experience a connected, digital lifestyle. The D-Life website leverages Web. 2.0 connectivity and community, allowing users to easily manage their D-Life world via an online, customizable interface that can be accessed anytime, anywhere the user has Internet access. The ground-breaking site, which has been in development for the past several years, takes the work out of installation and management of devices, enabled users to install products using familiar web tools.
The D-Life website leverages Web. 2.0 connectivity and community, allowing users to easily manage their D-Life world via an online, customizable interface that can be accessed anytime, anywhere the user has Internet access. The ground-breaking site, which has been in development for the past several years, takes the work out of installation and management of devices by offering the following user experience: ConnectTo set up the product the user follows these steps
OrganizeUsers manage and organize their D-Life products and D-Life services from one central place, via an easy to navigate website
EmpowerUsers get more from their digital products then ever before
NVIDIA Hybrid SLI TechnologyFresh off of recent news that the GeForce 9600 GT embargo will be lifted on 14 February 2008 and that the nForce 790i Ultra SLI debuts one week later on 19 February 2008, Benchmark Reviews learned that NVIDIA had one more trick up its sleeve. At CES we were privileged to see Hybrid SLI make it's formal release. NVIDIA announced the industry's first hybrid technology for PC platforms-Hybrid SLITM-that addresses two critical issues: increasing graphics performance and reducing power consumption. NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology will be incorporated into a wide variety of graphics and motherboard desktop and notebook products that the Company is rolling out for both AMD and Intel desktop and notebook computing platforms throughout 2008. "From the introduction of programmable GPU's to the rapid adoption of our multi-GPU SLI technology, NVIDIA has repeatedly pioneered and innovated to solve difficult problems for the industry. We believe Hybrid SLI technology is one of the most important innovations we've come up with to date," said Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of NVIDIA. "Hybrid SLI delivers new multi-GPU technology to a large segment of the PC market, delivering consumers a level of PC graphics performance and power efficiency never before seen."
First disclosed in June 2007, NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology is based on the Company's market-leading GeForce graphics processor units (GPUs) and SLI multi-GPU technology. Hybrid SLI enables NVIDIA motherboard GPUs (mGPUs) to work cooperatively with discrete NVIDIA GPUs (dGPUs) when paired in the same PC platform. Hybrid SLI provides two new technologies- GeForce Boost and HybridPowerTM-that allow the PC to deliver graphics performance for today's applications and games when 3D graphics horsepower is required, or transition to a lower-powered operating state when not. For lower energy consumption and quieter PC operation, HybridPower allows the PC to switch processing from a single GPU or multiple GPUs in SLI configuration to the onboard motherboard GPU. HybridPower is most useful in situations where graphics horsepower is not required, such as high definition movie playback on a notebook platform or simple e-mail or Internet browsing on a desktop. It is also beneficial for those users who want a quiet operating state with reduced thermals and noise. For notebooks, HybridPower can also dramatically extend battery life by up to 3 hours. When a game or application is started that requires the additional 3D horsepower, the PC can automatically transition back to the discrete graphics cards and power up the 3D capabilities all transparent to the end user.
For applications where 3D performance is required, GeForce Boost turbo-charges 3D operation by combining the processing power of the traditional NVIDIA GeForce-based graphics card with that of the second GPU integrated into the motherboard core logic. In media-rich applications, both GPUs work in tandem to render the combined images with the end user benefiting from the increase in performance and frame rate. For typical games and 3D applications, GeForce Boost can kick in automatically, resulting in a greatly enhanced consumer experience.
NVIDIA is the recognized market leader for GPU desktop and notebook solutions for both Intel and AMD platforms and has a full lineup of Hybrid SLI-capable graphics and motherboard products planned for 2008. New Hybrid SLI-capable products include the upcoming NVIDIA nForce 780a SLI, nForce 750a SLI, and nForce 730a media and communication processors (MCPs) for AMD CPUs, which will be released next month, as well as the new GeForce 8200-the industry's first micro-ATX motherboard solution with an onboard Microsoft DirectX 10-compliant motherboard GPU. NVIDIA Hybrid SLI notebooks as well as desktop products designed for Intel CPUs will be available next quarter. Look for Hybrid SLI to make its way into everything NVIDIA produces from this point forward. Thermaltake Armor+ LS and ESA
With the success of the Armor full tower launched over two years ago, Thermaltake is introducing the most powerful version in the Armor family, the new Armor+ Chassis. While all the essence of Armor has been maintained, Armor+ comes with many market leading features that are never seen in any Chassis on the market today. With the release of previous online preview that left gamers tingle with excitements; Thermaltake is launching the exclusive website of Armor+ with global market availability schedules today!
With extra careful concerns on the user experiences, not only the 5.25", 3.5" devices and PCI slots are designed tool-free, but the further careful touch on the motherboard tray and cable management functions also enhanced the installation convenience. Moreover, Armor+ offers superb ventilation with the entire body metal grilled and well organized fan cooling system managing CPU, VGA and HDD thermal independently for optimized system airflow.
Thermaltake is well known for its innovative and creative Chassis, Cooler, and Power Supply among enthusiasts worldwide; the products are not only preferred by gamers and enthusiasts, they are often being imitated by industry competitors. With such popularity among end-users and prestigious reputation in the industry, Thermaltake announces today its endorsement of the new Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) industry with plans to introduce ESA-certified components in the near future. "ESA is an open standard that enables components such as chassis, power supplies, and water cooling systems to communicate status and control in real-time." said Waleed Zamel, Technical Marketing Manager at NVIDIA. "ESA-compliant applications provide enthusiasts with unprecedented software control to achieve better performance, optimal thermal and acoustic operating environments. By providing ESA-compliant Chassis, Liquid Cooler, and Power Supplies, our partner Thermaltake is enabling users to exploit the full potential of the hardware. This kind of engineering cooperation is targeted to enable our mutual enthusiast customers to push the technology to new heights." Peter Pan, General Manager of Thermaltake comments, "Thermaltake has spent the past 7 years in developing enthusiast-related chassis, coolers, and power supplies. We are excited about the development of ESA, and believe it will create a synergy within the PC component industry to stimulate the growth of gaming and DIY market and bring it to a whole new level." Thermaltake BigWater 780 ESA Water-CoolingThere were several different products introduced at the Thermaltake exhibit at CES 2008... strike that, there were too many! The HTPC platform is still in demand just enough for Thermaltake to produce two new models: the DS-102 which features a touchscreen LCD at an incredably expensive price tage, and the much more budget-friendly DH101 HTPC ATX Case VF7001BNS which we have just finished testing. In addition to these two items, literally dozens more occupied the Tt booth. But there were only two other new products that really caught my attention, one of which was the Thermaltake BigWater 780 ESA edition.
Thermaltake offers wide range of ESA-compliant products to enthusiasts who want to be the trendsetter in PC industry; Xaser VI, Armor+, and Armor of chassis, BigWater 780e of liquid cooler, plus Toughpower series of power supply all supports ESA technology and will be available in Q1 of 2008 for users to purchase in retail channels. Xaser VI, Armor+ and Toughpower series also are all honored to be designated as WCG 2007 Official Product. With endorsement from the largest e-Sport even worldwide, Thermaltake's ESA-compliant products will offer enthusiasts the highest performance, the quietest and most reliable PC platform. With over 2700 exhibitors showcasing at the largest electronics show in the world, it's tough to have a single booth stand above the rest. However, with Cooler Master introducing CSX, the competition had a hard time competing for attention. Not only was new technology be revealed, but with the artistic, sophisticated chassis CSX has created, by-standers had the chance to witness never before seen designs, competitive tournaments, and experience an overall gaming ambiance. Cooler Master CSX CasesCooler Master has teamed up with Smooth Creations to provide hand-painted, limited edition chassis in many unique designs. Quality and craftsmanship stand behind these products, and each one is brought to life with exquisite detail. CSX isn't your ordinary chassis; it's a Customized Style Experience.
Owner and primary artist of Smooth Creations, Jim Sailing was at the booth demonstrating his innovative, airbrush techniques. Benchmark Reviews was able to see how these high-end chassis are transformed into artistic masterpieces. CSX will brought 20 new designs to the 2008 CES. Gamers from around the world were also able to battle each other on these high end, custom built systems. Cooler Master Cosmos ESA CaseThe buzz word that kept a constant ring in my ears throughout the entire 2008 Consumer Electronics Show was ESA - Enthusiast System Architecture. The Enthusiast System Architecture is the industry's first open-standard PC monitoring and control protocol for real-time communication and control of system thermal, electrical, acoustic and operating characteristics. ESA-certified components and applications allow enthusiasts and power users to diagnose component-specific issues and tune their systems to meet their individual needs-whether it be reaching peak performance or modifying for a whisper-quiet home theater operation. Cooler Master has re-launched the Cosmos to include ESA integration - most likely to control fan speed within particular cooling zones.
Cooler Master Cosmos S "Storm" Case
During CES'08 Cooler Master launched a new branded product just for gamers: Storm. Of the first products to be launched using the "Storm" brand was the Cosmos-S ATX case. Designed for performance enthusiasts, this ATX chassis offers seven 5.25" bays and four more 3.25" bays inside the case.
The Cosmos Storm is still just as large as the original Cosmos RC-1000 that Benchmark Reviews tested a few months back, but it adds functionality that was otherwise missing in the RC-1000. At 23.5"L x 10.5"W x 24.7"H you can still expect to relegate this monster to the floor (unless you have an over-sized desk). Mesh covers many portions of the exterior panels, with special attention at the corners.
At the top of the newly re-designed Cosmos S case is a new touch pad panel. No power button here - just simply touch the impressed power receptor, and the Cosmos Storm comes to life. The once exposed I/O panel is now hidden beneath a glossy slide-back cover. Additionally, the remainder of the top is also meshed, which allows three 120mm cooling fans to exhaust heated air. Unfortunately, the Cosmos S doesn't appear to include ESA integration - a feature gamers and enthusiasts will here a lot about over the next year. SilverStone Commander LCD ESA ModuleAt the CES Kickoff Party that Tagan and NZXT sponsored at Caesars Palace, there was mention of ESA in Tagan's new power supply and LCD system control from NZXT; but there weren't both in the same product. SilverStone answers back with their Commander LCD ESA module. While NVIDIA has approved of the product, it is not part of the official ESA product line. So what's so great about the Commander? Well, that's the easy part to explain. Aside from a cool LCD screen and detachable control module, it's also an add-on device that can be purchased separately from the rest of your system. The ESA Commander consumes two 5.25" drive bays, which won't be a problem with most mid-tower cases on the market. Combined with the flood of ESA-branded products hitting the market in Q1 2008, this should really spice up the hardcore enthusiasts computer system.
SaberTooth 3200 dpi Adjustable X/Y-Axis MouseFor most of the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show, I specifically ignored the constant barrage of new input devices. It seemed like everyone, even the memory and power supply manufacturers, had their own brand of gaming mouse. Truth be told, I have a hard time finding anything to be nearly as good as Logitech's G9 3200 dpi Laser USB gaming mouse; until now. Now I really endorse the G9 that has become a permanent fixture at three of my own computer systems, but when Tony Ou stopped me from hurrying off to my next booth just to see the SaberTooth 3200 dpi laser mouse it was the G9 sitting next to it that made me look twice.
The large "eyeball" thumb wheel is illuminated blue, and when operating Windows Vista it directly controls the 3D scroll option. SilverStone has designed the SaberTooth exclusively for hardcore gamers, as this mouse comes with software to save different user profiles which are then displayed at the top of the mouse. So far, this is all just a twist on my handy G9, but the best feature I learned of was the custom programmable X and Y axis resolutions. This feature alone is an industry first, so far as I know. The ability to switch profiles and sensitivity on the fly will allow gamers to have one mouse for a myriad of very different purposes. Graphic designers will see a benefit to this as well, since often times it take a steady hand to make changes and horizontal movement is always more precise than vertical. Once mastered, the SaberTooth could quite easily give the Logitech G9 a run for the money... especially if money SilverStone is asking for it isn't enough to make you run. OCZ Neural Impulse ActuatorSimilar to the HydroFlow and HydroJet products, the Neural Impulse Actuator has been in development for quite some time. OCZ showcased an updated edition of the NIA (Neural Impulse Actuator), an innovative input device that takes the next step towards a full integration of central and peripheral nerve activity into controlling personal computers at the 2008 CES "Full Throttle" industry party at the Bellagio. The Neural Impulse Actuator was shown in gaming demos, and featured an newly-added Hi-Speed USB interface and enhanced user software. OCZ's Dr. Michael Schuette was kind enough to demo the NIA for me before the OCZ Full Throttle party began inside a private room at the Bellagio. While he did still use his hand to control the directional movement with a mouse, his mind controlled the trigger. Dr. Schuette appeared to have some credible game, as he relentlessly scored headshot after headshot without any perceivable delay in reaction time from the NIA. The Neural Impulse Actuator is an innovative input device that takes the next step towards a full integration of central and peripheral nerve activity into controlling personal computers. Neural signals are decoded and combined with each other to create unique commands based on the specific permutation of brain, eye, and facial muscle activity.
OCZ is implementing this pioneering technology in upcoming solutions that address PC productivity and gaming applications. While it's great that there's still hope for aging gamers in respect to the decline in reaction time, I personally hope that this technology can also lead to some level of happiness in disabled persons wanting in on the fun. OCZ HydroFlow Water CoolingOCZ showcased a complementary liquid cooling solution which allows them to expand into water cooling accessories with the introduction the HydroFlow CPU waterblock unit to cool the most powerful processors. The HydroFlow was designed with the highest possible exchange rate between the block and the coolant with the unique triangular fin design, and is the preeminent way to efficient cooling for overclocked CPUs.
OCZ also had a new design of the HydroJet CPU cooler, which has been in development for over a year and first debuted at CeBIT in 2007. The fourth generation of HydroJet was on hand, however no credible tests were conducted to indicate cooling performance. The HydroJet is a self contained liquid CPU cooler with carbon nanotubes in the base which offloads heat more efficiently than conventional air cooling solutions with copper heatpipes. NVIDIA Stereosonic 3D GamingIf you're keen to the industry offerings by NVIDIA over the past several years, then you might already be familiar with their 3D Stereo technology. I don't understand how they came to name this genius concept with a misleading name, so I have decided that when they used the term Stereosonic 3D during a demonstration for Benchmark Reviews and NVIDIA's Brian Burke that I would do my best to make it stick. The great part of 3D Stereo is that it's offered for free as part the ForceWare software. Games are the primary media, since XYZ 3D positions are already written in the native code of most every modern 3D game. There are plenty of 3D Stereo glasses available in different designs from several manufacturers, but a "3D Display" compliant monitor/HDTV is still required to make it all happen. During the demo I found myself amazed at the absolute clarity of the glasses NVIDIA was using, but the look reminded me of a senior citizen leaving the optometrist. In the game menu screen pictured above, you get a feel for how the software interacts with the technology. The menu is not offset because it's not a 3D drawing, and object closest to you receive very little enhancement. But I can tell you from first hand experience that the crowd in the background was the most interesting part of the entire demo. Unlike in the regular game which made rows of people seem drawn at different distances, the Stereosonic 3D version made each and every person in the crowd stand out with a different depth. Not only that, but they were completely three-dimensional; the nose clearly stood out beyond the face, and corners very extremely realistic in their perceptive distance. Of course, newer games offer some of the best XYZ programming and shadow physics, so the experience is going to be as good as the media.
Later into the day I would see Zalman showcase their own ultra-clear 2D/3D convertible LCD monitors (ZM-M190 pictured below). The media they used was not a game, to my complete surprise, but was a mixture of HD television and movie footage. Additionally, the glasses Zalman featured at this exhibit (near the mouse) were actually of a design I would consider wearing outdoors (because I'm a sexy bitch). I agree with NVIDIA that with 3D Stereo, gaming will never be the same. Thanks to the tight integration of their drivers and NVIDIA's customized stereoscopic 3D support, NVIDIA 3D Stereo is the fastest consumer 3D stereoscopic solution available today, resulting in games that look the best and run the fastest.
In addition, NVIDIA 3D Stereo works on the broadest range of applications, making it the most compatible 3D stereoscopic solution ever available. Previous implementations of stereoscopic 3D support have been proprietary to specific graphics cards, stereoscopic glasses, and special versions of games. Now, NVIDIA 3D Stereo brings stereoscopic 3D support to the entire product family of graphics cards running games developed with Direct3D and OpenGL APIs without requiring special versions of your favorite games. If the price is reasonable and the glasses remain as cool as what Zalman offered, then this technology could easily change gaming forever! More information is available here: https://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html Logitech has been quite busy building a better mousetrap. In 2007 the market was impressed with the Logitech Harmony 890 Pro Advanced Universal Remote, a product Benchmark Review tested and found to be the ideal solution for home theater buffs. Now, if you can image it, Logitech has returned with an even better solution. Announced at CES, Logitech unveiled the Harmony One advanced universal remote control, marking a significant leap in the evolution of the best-selling line of Harmony remotes. Offering the same one-touch, activity-based control as other Harmony remotes, the Harmony One makes controlling home entertainment even easier with a full-color touch screen, an intuitive button layout and an exceptionally comfortable user-friendly design. "The Harmony advanced universal remotes have been highly successful at providing easy, one-touch access to favorite activities, such as watching TV, playing a video game, or listening to music - all with a single remote," said Ashish Arora, vice president and general manager of Logitech's Harmony business unit. "To further improve our lineup, while developing Harmony One, we sought to intimately understand the interaction between people, their remotes, and their entertainment systems. In fact, Harmony One is the result of our most comprehensive research and development undertaking ever - more than 20,000 hours." A key outcome of Logitech's research is a 2.2-inch color touch screen that uses capacitive technology, which responds to tiny electrical charges from the fingertips. Capacitive touch-screen technology is more durable, compared to touch screens that respond to pressure. The color touch screen provides control of any home entertainment device with an infrared receiver, including digital video recorders, high-definition televisions and many household appliances. The Harmony One remotes' touch screen can also display icons of specified TV stations for quick access to favorite stations.
Based on a customer survey, Logitech also determined that it could improve its customers' experience with the Harmony remote by creating a more intuitive button layout. For improved ease of use, the Harmony One remote provides an intelligent and intuitive button layout divided into four distinct zones (numbers; traditional DVD controls; D-pad with volume and channel up/down; and on-screen menu buttons) for seamless control of today's most popular home entertainment devices. Only the 40 most-essential buttons appear on the Harmony One remote - so people can find the right one quickly. Each button is individually sculpted, providing useful tactile cues so people can operate the remote by touch, rather than relying on sight. To better address ergonomics, the Harmony One remote features a curved, exceptionally comfortable shape that is easy for anyone in the family to hold, regardless of hand size. Presenting an elegant piano-black top and a silver base, and black buttons with white backlighting, Harmony One is the perfect complement for any living room. And the rechargeable remote's recharging station has a sleek profile with an adjustable light that makes it easy to find, even in the dark. In addition to its optimized design, the Harmony One delivers the renowned benefits common to the Harmony family of universal remotes, including its exclusive one-touch activity-based control system powered by the world's largest A/V-control database of entertainment equipment, guided online setup and sophisticated telephone support.
The Evolution of One-Touch Activity Control
Patented Smart State Technology
Guided Online Setup
Pricing and Availability Lian Li PC-P80 ATI Spider Edition CaseIf there's just one thing that Benchmark Reviews has seen a lot of, it would be computer cases. Among the most beautiful cases in the world, most come from only one manufacturer: Lian Li. In the past year we gave been very fortunate to have tested the Lian Li PC-B20A, PC-B25B, and even the PC-B58 which was never put into full production. After the era of beige box computing, Lian Li reigned supreme with finely crafted aluminum chassis products in both black and silver. So image my surprise when I witnessed a clear separation from their long-held tradition with the introduction of an ATI Spider themed anodized red aluminum full-tower computer case named PC-P80 ATi Spider Edition.
Based off of their ArmorSuit PC-P80 Gaming Towerdesign, the new PC-P80 ATi Spider edition appears to be exactly what AMD/ATI needs these days: a winning design. While everyone seems to be trumpeting the recent financial losses and spread rumor of impending doom for AMD, it's great to see one manufacturer at the top of their game give another its due credit.
Not that this will change anything for AMD, but the Lian Li ArmorSuit PC-P80 ATI Spider Edition Full Tower ATX Computer Case sure can't hurt. And if the early AMD Spider platform tests continue to hold course, it might not be so surprising to have the new Phenom running for team red instead of team blue for once. Look for both Lian Li and AMD/ATi to offer big surprises this year - as if the PC-P80 ATI Spider Edition chassis wasn't enough. 2008 CES Final ThoughtsJust like in years past, the 2008 International CES offered an excellent glimpse at what the future holds for consumer technology. Benchmark Reviews spent a great deal of time on the emerging technologies that surround the performance computer industry. There were more than a few key developments that will pave the way for a tech-strong 2008, but the major players you would have expected to bring fresh ideas to the table seem to still be out hunting for them. Life has been good for Intel over the past two years since the Core 2 brand of CPU's was launched, but if Intel's new 45nm Penryn-based Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors are any indication of how they improve upon technology, there might be trouble in store for them into the future. The continued persuit of faster front side bus speeds and larger L2 cache only begins to reveal the weakness plagueing Direct Media Interconnect (DMI) and reminds us of the Pentium 4 days when faster clock speeds were the quick-fix for lacking real technology improvements. The upcoming P45 and X48 chipset will be the third and forth update to Intel's family in just under five months - and since the 4 series keeps with DDR2 and merely adds 1600MHz FSB support there is no smart reason to move into it. AMD has fired back with the launch of their Spider platform, which presently includes: ATI Radeon HD 3800 series GPU's, AMD Phenom CPU's, and the AMD 7-series motherboard chipset. This new synergy has allowed the involved components to work together (using HyperTransport 3.0) in a way Intel never could (SLI support woes continue). While HyperTransport 3.0 presently uses DDR2, it still beats the bandwidth of DMI without even approaching it's plateau and give value back to consumers not ready for the expense of DDR3. Intel won't be able to fight back with their distant QuickPath replacment for DMI until 2009 at the earliest; and by that point AMD will have moved on to DDR3 support and a Socket F structure. The bottom line here is that 2008 may actually hold some serious credibility for AMD's reputation, and offer excellent value to the all levels of performance.
Throughout 2007 it seemed that the headlines were always AMD vs Intel, but after slowly building rhythm it appears that NVIDIA may also be a major competitor. Now we're not saying NVIDIA is going to product CPU's in 2008, but the technology is already in place for them and the fabs could pull it off. When I refer to NVIDIA as a major competitor; I am referring to the production of IC transistors. Coming in less than a month is their new 9th-generation of GeForce products. Then, just one week later, they will release the 790i chipset into the wild. Do you see the writing on the wall yet? AMD produces motherboards that support their CrossFire FX technology for Radeon GPU's, and NVIDIA produces their own motherboard chipset to support the GeForce GPU's. This leaves Intel with nothing for either, a catalyst which fueled the rumor last year that they could potentially purchase NVIDIA (which is not likely to ever happen). CES Computer Technology Highlights ConclusionWalking the exhibit floor at the 2008 International CES you were quickly immersed in loud attention-getting sounds from speakers, demonstration, and sound tracks. There has been rumor that CES has started researching an alternative city to host the show, since Las Vegas has lost it's off-season hotel value with the conventions popularity. It won't really matter too much in the long run, because computer technology hounds will seek out highlights no matter where it's placed on the globe.
In conclusion, we here at Benchmark Reviews hope that you have found this piece-meal article to offer a glimpse at the future for computer technology. I have done my best to offer the most important industry highlights I could, without saturating the reader with an overload of information. 2008 Holds many good things, namely I find myself most eager to see retail shelves fill with: SATA-II SSD's that give the Raptor a run for the money, extreme bandwidth DDR3 at speeds over 2000MHz, quad-core CPU's that directly access the memory, efficient GPU's to power Stereosonic 3D graphics, and even a large collection of extremely effective HDT (heatpipe direct-touch) CPU coolers (Kingwin's starting lineup has a solid list of winners). Oh- and let's not forget about ESA (Enthusiast System Architecture); this will be the system management feature that I'm certain will make a big name for itself this year. The 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show was every bit as impressive as I imagined it would be, and the future of computer technology has never looked so good. If you're thinking of going, I would strongly suggest that you read the corresponding article to this series titled Benchmark Reviews Experiences 2008 International CES. Thank you for reading, and look for upcoming reviews of many items I have uncovered here in this article. Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.
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