Edimax Technology has announced a Wireless USB Adaptor with 3 DBI Antenna called the EW-7711UAn. EW-7711UAn is a high-gain wireless USB adaptor which provides a simple and easy way to add or upgrade wireless connectivity to your desktop or notebook computer.
Aesthetics and FormThe on/off button on the Scarlet is an awesome piece of work – no doubt about that. It’s a hole carved through the bezel’s bottom panel, which has a transparent ridged rim. It is touch-sensitive, and lights up subtly when on. On the other hand, the Series 5 is basic, with the high gloss black finish all over and a thin metallic strip on the left and right borders. The bezel is narrow and straight up.
Both have hidden speakers and flush, touch-sensitive buttons, but the Scarlet looks distinctly better. LG has clearly made an attempt to go one up on Samsung when it comes to aesthetics, so it wins our opening round.
Good news for PC Gamers. Take Two Rockstar Games has announced that it is releasing the computer version of Grand Theft Auto IV on Nov. 18 in North America as well as Nov. 21 in Europe. The version will include a newly expanded multi-player feature. Approximately 3.6 million units sold in its first day, and the company says that in its first week it generated $500 million.
Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser said, “We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC.”
We expect they are also looking forward to a greater profit.
XFX has released its version of the XFX GeForce GTX 280 cards, which utilizes second generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture and delivers up to 50% more gaming performance (compared to the first generation) thanks to 240 enhanced processing cores and a GPU clock of 602 MHz that provide incredible graphics horsepower. The cards come with NVIDIA's new PhysX technology that renders convincing facial expressions, multiple ultra-high polygon characters in complex environments and convincing physical effects like weather and explosions.
The cards also support three-way NVIDIA SLI Technology support, which ensures powerful performance scaling by implementing three-way Alternate Frame Rendering (AFR) for the world’s fastest gaming solution under Windows Vista. Furthermore the cards also support PCI Express 2.0 bus architecture, offers the highest data transfer speeds for today’s bandwidth-hungry games and , and is backwards compatible with existing PCI Express motherboards. Apart from this, support is also present for HybridPower Technology, GigaThread Technology, Lumenex Engine, 16x Anti-aliasing Technology and 128-bit floating point High Dynamic-Range (HDR) Lighting.
The new GPU will be available through Rashi Peripherals and its 53 branches across India at an estimated street price of Rs. 49,000 with 3 years warranty.
Despite the fact that BioShock 2 isn’t released yet, Take Two’s chairman Strauss Zelnick, stated that the franchise will see a third game, the release of which will coincide with that of the BioShock movie. Here's the scoop from the Opposable Thumbs blog :
"Take Two's Chairman Strauss Zelnick let the news slip during a conference call to investors. The third installment will apparently be strongly linked to the also recently-announced BioShock movie. 'Its unlikely the picture would be released coincident with BioShock 2,' Strauss said of the upcoming film. 'It's more likely it would be released coincident with BioShock 3.”
With the second game being a prequel to the first, I can’t imagine what the third game could possibly be about. Let’s hope it’s not a cheap bastardization of the franchise, or a poor attempt to milk the series... BioShock deserves better.
The handset will also come in 8GB and 16 GB capacities and oddly enough Samsung has also included a microSD card slot for more storage. That seems like a bit of overkill, but why not! The handset will be out sometime this month but there’s no official pricing attached to it so stay tuned.
We tested the G9 with a variety of games ranging from our normal addiction of WoW to FPS majors such as F.E.A.R multi-player combat, COH, Prey, HL2-Episode 1 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. These games represent a wide variety of game play and were able to stress the G9 quite consistently. In each case the mouse was more than up to the task. Response was smooth sharp and precise. This was really visible in the frenzied shootouts that occur in F.E.A.R. There is a particular corridor sequence where due to the hemmed–in walls, movement of the character becomes restricted. One has to pan back and forth quite often and on lesser mice with lower DPI this becomes quite a hassle to keep our toon alive. This problem was all but eliminated on the G9. The higher DPI of 3200 and USB tracking of 1000 gave new meaning to the word “turning on a dime”. We were able to virtually spin on the same axis with just a slight flick and get headshots in an area where you can at best aim for the legs and hope to survive the oncoming snarl of fire.
Another place where the mouse really shone out was the Alterac valley battlegrounds in WoW. This is a wide open area where 40 players square off against each other in a bid to kill each other’s faction. Selection of the opposite faction, that one is targeting, is done via the mouse. Here we were able to easily switch between the opposing factions with a simple turn. How does this differ from other mice? In the normal routine course, the fights can get pretty frenetic. Most mice are just not able to keep up with the rapid speed of character switch and often cause the user to select the wrong target. This issue was not present on the G9. The extra DPI offered by the G9 allowed a precise turn and made selection of characters much easier.
Conclusion
The G9 at the end of the day is an enthusiast level product. This is apparent in its pricing of Rs. 5995. However what you get at that price point is a finely tuned instrument of death destruction and mayhem. Despite its expense we wholeheartedly recommend this product. The reason? Products of this caliber and build quality don’t come along every day.
One thing we have always liked about Logitech is their build quality. The G9 is made out of some very solid sturdy plastic and even with rough use we noticed no squeaks. The first thing that you will notice on opening your G9 mouse box is the complete departure from the normal elegant design of the G5. In its place the G9 now sports a boxy shape that makes the mouse look like it was designed for only left-hand users. The physical size of the mouse has reduced too in comparison to the G5. Another change here is that the DPI key that allows you to change the sensitivity of the mouse has shrunk in size and has been moved to just below the left-click. Also unlike before, the G9 offers two customizable grips (wide-load and precision) which depending on your selection either of a textured finish for precision control that is required in gaming or a smoother finish for routine use. This move is similar in concept to Razer’s Exactmat Mousepad. How do all these changes work out? In a single word... Brilliantly. The new shape may not win awards for excellence in design but it is very ergonomic and highly functional. Unlike a lot of gaming mice, which tend to cramp up your hands, the unique shape of the G9 puts less stress on the hands and allows you to simply game longer. The shifting of the DPI key also aids, as it is now virtually out of the way and cannot be pressed accidentally.
The weight system in comparison to the G5 remains unchanged. The weights on offer here are 4 and 7 grams. While the numbers may seem odd, when you couple them with the new grips, the customization options one gets, is nothing short of insane. Let us illustrate this with simple examples. If for example you are a strategy gamer and have been playing Age of Empires regularly, you will require a light mouse and very tight control. To achieve this on the G15 - simply pop in a 4 gram weight and use the precision grip. Playing Fear? Change the weight to the heavier 7 grams and use the smooth grip for quick movement. Got large hands? Remove all the weights and use the precise grip. As you can see, the mouse can be customized to your heart's content. On a more conventional note the mouse buttons of the G9 are another delightful feature. They have a firm and good response and will easily survive the click fest most modern-day strategy games put them through.
Any peripheral product is as good as the software that supports it. In this matter, the G9 is well represented by the Setpoint software. The software allows for easy customization, definition of profiles and changing of DPI on the fly. The G9 emerges the leader in this respect. While products from Razer allow DPI to be scaled only to 2000, the G9 goes further and can be tuned up to 3200 DPI. Furthermore once the profile is defined via Setpoint the mouse can save your setting on its onboard memory and be recalled when it is needed.
One of the largest end–user entertainment industries in the world today is gaming. Not only has it outstripped movies and theatre in terms of financial revenue earned, it has led to the growth of side industries in terms of peripherals and gaming accessories. This has resulted in the creation of companies like Razer whose gaming peripherals have become the benchmark to measure a product's quality. Their mice/keyboard sets have been lapped up by enthusiasts and have forced other industry majors to pull up their socks.
One such industry major is Logitech. A couple of years ago, they delivered the Logitech G5 mouse that not only measured up to the standards set by Razer, but went above and beyond by delivering an adjust weight balance system. This allowed a user to customize the weight of the mouse as per their preference with a series of removable weights. This innovation was welcomed by a lot of users as along with the sensitivity control of the mouse, it allowed them to customize the mouse to the kind of gameplay they were used to.
Logitech has now introduced an upgraded edition of the G5 mouse – the G9. How does it fare against its predecessor? Let’s find out.
Summer in India may be on its way out (hopefully), but for gamers playtime’s just begun, since the month of June holds in the palm of its hands a bunch of diverse, high-profile games that are sure to keep the temperature soaring... especially of the Xbox360 (I kid, I kid).
In my book the only thing cooler than bloodthirsty Vikings are bloodthirsty Ninjas who have the power and the speed to decimate foes within seconds, leaving nothing but blood, guts and stumps behind. Ryu Hayabusa is one such Ninja who for his much-touted sequel can now obliterate foes in ways you’ve only dreamed of (head over to our preview to understand the true meaning of decapitation). Also we hear that the game is now a bit simpler than the original Ninja Gaiden so you don’t have to worry about strangling your pet cat out of frustration (hurray). The game hits stands worldwide by June 3 (US) and June 6 (EU), and is expected in India somewhere around June 17.
While this franchise may still bear the brunt of the crappy Alone in the Dark movie made by the one and only Uwe Boll, developer Eden Games (Test Drive Unlimited) is planning on redeeming the franchise’s name with a sequel that will not only scare you silly but impress the f**k out of you with its mind-numbing technical aspects (visuals and physics), and haunting OST. And hey, even if you don’t own a next-gen console you could always play the game on your PS2/Wii. As of now we don’t have a concrete Indian release date, but if all goes well we should get the Xbox360 and PC versions before the end of June. The PS3 version will be released later in the year (internationally as well).
If games like Forza 2 and Gran Turismo are too technical for your liking, you may want to keep a lookout for Codemasters' latest offering that seems to have the best of both worlds – namely, a technically solid racing experience as well as car control that’s more accessible to the non-simulator loving folk. Add in an improved version of DiRT’s gorgeous engine and you have the recipe for awesomeness. We're told the game will release in India on all three platforms (Xbox360, PS3 and PC) by the first week of June itself.
Hyperkinetic combat... check. Speedy editing... check. Ballpoint pen fight... check. Car chases through a European city... check. Brutal finishers... check. If you haven’t guessed by now, developer High Moon Studios (Darkwatch) has been busy working on a game based on the Bourne franchise that basically covers all the above-mentioned stuff and will apparently shed some light on Bourne’s past in the form of playable missions (head here for a quick preview). The game should hit stores by the end of June, for both consoles.
If you’ve already played the game on the Xbox360, there’s not a lot of new content that would warranty a purchase, but if you missed it the first time round there’s a deep, lengthy, and rich action RPG waiting for you. And just so you know, EA has gone ahead and removed the anal copy protection system that plagued this noble title.
Snake’s back... 'nuff said.
Pentax Imaging Company has announced the Pentax Optio W60 compact digital camera. Lightweight and fully waterproof, the W60 features 10 megapixels and a 5X zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle capability. The design of the Optio W60 allows the camera to operate up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing point.
The 5X optical zoom refraction lens never protrudes from the Optio W60, yet it covers focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format). This range allows the camera to capture a wide variety of scenes including expansive landscapes, architecture, and group photos in confined spaces as well as close-up telephoto shots of subjects. A Digital Wide function merges two shots into one image for ultra-wide-angle image capture (equivalent to a focal length of 21mm in 35mm format).
