Computex 2011 Show Coverage - Part 3
The next part of our Computex 2011 coverage brought us to the booths of Archos, Biostar, AVerMedia, Genius, Jetway, Microsoft, PowerColor, Sapphire, Shuttle, SanDisk and Sparkle. Read all about it here.
Archos' Booth
It was the Chinese branch of Archos which we found at Computex 2011.
The Archos 101 internet tablet is hardly new though it runs on Android 2.2, with a 1024 x 600 capacitive, multi-touch display. It uses an ARM 1GHz processor but its main advantage is its 480g weight.
The Archos 32 is what the company dubs an Android player. It has a 3.2-inch resistive touch screen with support for 720p HD video and Wi-Fi connectivity. 8GB of Flash storage is included.
Another Android powered internet device from Archos is the Archos 43 internet tablet, which also has a resistive touchscreen (854 x 480) and with a 1GHz ARM processor.
This was just labeled as Archos WiFi smartphone, but we couldn't find anymore information about it.
Biostar's Booth
We dropped by Biostar's booth to check out its motherboards and graphics cards.
There was no X79 on preview at the Biostar booth so the latest Intel board we caught was this TZ68A+. With just two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, it seems to be a mainstream model but you'll still find SATA 6Gbps ports and USB 3.0.
Biostar did have AMD's latest 990FX board in the form of the TA990FXE, which comes with four USB 3.0 ports, five SATA 6Gbps ports and four PCIe 2.0 x16 slots.
The Biostar TA75A+ has a pair of PCIe 2.0 x16 slots and supports DDR3 memory of up to 2000MHz. It's compatible with AMD FM1 Socket processors and comes with display outputs like DVI and HDMI ports.
This is the mATX version of the Biostar A75 board, the TA75M+. It has similar features as the ATX version, like two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but some of the expansion slots had to go.
This custom Radeon HD 6950 comes with two large cooling fans for its 800MHz core and 5000MHz DDR memory frequency.
AVerMedia's Booth
AVerMedia's booth is all about devices for capturing, watching and streaming media and content.
One of AVerMedia's newer products is the HomeFree Combo, which is a streaming device that enables up to two different users on two separate PC systems to watch TV programs without being in front of their TV. You'll have to connect this device to your set top box and a wireless router for it to work.
HomeFree Duet works on the same basis as the Combo, but it only has one tuner within, so though it supports two users, they have to watch the same TV show at the same time.
This GameCapture HD device connects to your console (XBox 360 and PS3) to record your game in HD quality. Games can be saved in the internal HDD or to an external source. It's a standalone device that doesn't need a PC to work.
AVerMedia's staple product are digital TV tuners like this AVer3D Volar Mini. The latest version is able to record and play 3D broadcasts along with digital TV.
This AVer3D Quadro HD supports up to four types of digital TV signals. If you're wondering about the language on the packaging, it's Russian as apparently, that where you'll need this widespread format support.
Genius' Booth
There's a wide range of products from Genius; it's not just about the keyboards and mice, though those remain important.
This Ring Mouse from Genius fits on your index finger and you use your thumb on its touch panel to control your mouse cursor. According to Genius, the sensitivity is up to 1000dpi and it uses 2.4GHz wireless technology. It has also racked up design awards for its innovation.
Another different definition of a 'mouse' is this Pen Mouse, which again is a wireless device that has an optical mouse sensor at its pen tip, so one uses it like a pen. This sensor is rated at 1200dpi.
To cater to the growing market for portable keyboards, especially for tablets, Genius has this leather-bound and lightweight portable keyboard, the Luxe Pad. It's designed for iOS and connects wirelessly using Bluetooth.
You can charge the keyboard using this mini-USB port and also turn it on and off.
Genius has a whole range of mice with its BlueEye technology that can work on reflective surfaces like glass. The Traveler 200 shown here is just one example; it's small and portable and designed for those who require more than the notebook touch pad.
The EasyPen M406W improves on previous versions by having a cordless battery-free pen. Instead, 2.4GHz wireless technology is used.
Here's what we mean about Genius not being just about PC peripherals. It's also in the robotic vacuum business with this Agama series.
Jetway's Booth
Jetway may not be that familiar to locals, but this manufacturer has its fingers in everything from graphics cards to integrated systems to motherboards.
The Jetway HI10 is based on the latest Intel Z68 Express chipset. It supports dual-channel memory of up to 1333MHz with four SATA 3Gbps ports and two SATA 6Gbps ports. Two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots are present for SLI/CrossFireX and two USB 3.0 ports.
The Jetway HA16 aka Hummer supports Socket AM3 processors. It has two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots for CrossFireX and six SATA 6Gbps ports.
The TA75MG is based on the AMD A75 chipset. It has four SATA 6Gbps ports with two DDR3 1600MHz DIMM slots and a single PCIe 2.0 x16 slot for discrete graphics.
Microsoft's Booth
Microsoft's booth had few tangible products to show; it's more of a showcase of Microsoft's diverse software and technologies, from Windows OS to Office to its Internet Explorer browser and Windows Phone 7.
The Windows PC Gallery is a fine example of the many systems, desktop, notebooks and AIOs that have Windows installed on them. Of course, we have seen this on numerous occasions and there's hardly anything new here besides updated hardware. It's probably helpful to those shopping for a new PC or notebook.
Unlike the Windows PC Gallery, there are far fewer smartphones here on Windows Phone 7. Many of the Windows Phone 7 models offered by manufacturers like HTC, Samsung and LG are old or current models that are already in the market.
This is the Acer W4 Windows Phone 7 (Mango) smartphone we saw earlier at the Acer booth. It has a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and a 3.6-inch capacitive touch screen. Microsoft states that it will be available this November.
It's been launched a while now, but it's still missing in Singapore, the Dell Venue Pro that is. We wonder why.
PowerColor's Booth
PowerColor had a meeting room to showcase its products instead of an elaborate booth. Substance over style we say.
A custom Radeon HD 6870 X2 from PowerColor, with its dual fans and thick copper heatpipes. The vendor is probably the only manufacturer with such a model.
This completely passively cooled Radeon HD 6850 is huge and bulky and weighs more than you expect but it does run quiet. PowerColor told us they designed the square heatsink such that it can be transported with little damage.
A solid slab of heatsink covers the back of the card.
Another custom design by PowerColor is this single-slot Radeon HD 6850. There's a premium price associated with it, due to the higher cost of the necessary heatsink material.
A custom cooler solution, the new Vortex II comes with two adjustable fans, which users can raise in order to create greater ambient airflow. At least that's the theory. It's found on this Radeon HD 6950 currently and should lead to quieter and cooler operation.
This huge, custom Radeon HD 6970 X2 is another unique design from PowerColor. Notice the different cooler fan sizes? PowerColor claims that the differences help to drive the air towards the rear of the chassis, leading to improved airflow.
Sapphire's Booth
Sapphire was right next to PowerColor, which made it very convenient for us.
Sapphire's top AMD board is this Pure Black 990FX-N. It supports upcoming AMD processors and has five PCIe 2.0 x16 slots that support CrossFireX. It has dual Gigabit LAN ports, four USB 3.0 ports and two SATA 6Gbps ports.
The Pure Platinum A75 is meant for AMD's Llano processors. It has one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot and four USB 3.0 ports.
The Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB Dirt Edition has a custom, dual-fan cooler design. It has a core clock of 800MHz and comes with 2GB of DDR5 memory. Of course, you'll also get a Dirt 3 coupon.
Sapphire's Radeon HD 6970 comes with a fairly attractive cooler. It's clocked at 800MHz and supports HDMI 1.4a,
With the FleX Edition of Sapphire's Radeon HD graphics cards, you don't need an active adapter or monitor with a DisplayPort in order to run in Eyefinity mode. DVI monitors are all you need. Obviously we'll like to see more FleX cards around.
A demonstration to illustrate the FleX advantage from Sapphire when it comes to building multi-monitor systems.
Shuttle's Booth
We know Shuttle mostly for its small form factor PCs (SFF) but since this segment has been stagnant and in decline for quite a while now, the company has moved into other areas, like making OEM notebook designs, AIOs and slim desktop systems. This year we even find tablets.
This 10-inch P10ID02 is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 like so many other tablets now. It runs Android 2.2 however.
This Shuttle AIO uses an Intel Atom D525 processor with a 500GB 5400RPM HDD. It runs Windows 7 64-bit and is fanless.
This matte black AIO (Shuttle DA18HV03) is as cool as it looks, with its Sandy Bridge internals and support for USB 3.0. Options include a Blu-ray drive, Bluetooth support and even ExpressCard.
This slim desktop PC, the XS35GT V2 uses an Intel Atom D525 processor with NVIDIA Ion graphics. It's silent due to not having any fans and supports Wi-Fi.
Shuttle has always kept its SFF systems up to date with the latest chipsets and this Intel H61 based model does just that. The SH61R4 has a new aluminum chassis that's suitable for mini-ITX boards.
SanDisk's Booth
Flash memory products are the domain of SanDisk.
SanDisk announced two new SSDs for tablets and thin and light notebooks at Computex. The new U100 SATA 6Gbps SSD is used in ASUS' new UX series of ultraportables while SanDisk is also offering the i100 drive, which is a BGA-based SSD that has a capacity of up to 128GB.
SanDisk's SSD solution is also found on this Gigabyte Z68 motherboard which ships with an SSD integrated onboard so that users can use it in conjunction with Intel's Smart Response Technology.
Sparkle's Booth
Sparkle and its NVIDIA based graphics cards were the main attractions at its booth.
The Calibre X580 Captain uses an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 GPU and is clocked at 822MHz for the core and 4032MHz DDR for the memory, It comes with either 3GB or 1.5GB of memory.
The Sparkle GeForce GTX580 Guru uses a custom, dual-fan cooler. Its core clock runs at 772MHz while the memory runs at 4008MHz.
This X580 H20 is a water-cooled GeForce GTX 580, with a water block installed. Core clock is at 822MHz while the memory is at 4032MHz DDR.
Sparkle also has an 10.1-inch Android tablet on display. It uses NVIDIA Tegra 2 (what else) and will run on Honeycomb. It comes with microUSB, micro-HDMI and microSD card slots.
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