Thread: Anandtech News

Our recent review of the HP Stream 11 by Brett Howse, featuring a dual core Bay Trail-M, made me wonder about the utility of such a desktop system based on Bay Trail-D. Despite testing the J1800N-D2H earlier in the year but not writing a review, I thought it best to polish off the data and see if it still relevant alongside the $200 offerings and worth the potential extra cost for a full build to fill out a motherboard in exchange for the potential extra functionality (2T2R WiFi rather than 1T1R, SATA drives rather than eMMC).

More...

Today Samsung has announced a new version of the Galaxy Note 4 which will be launching in the South Korean market in January 2015. There are currently two major models of the Note 4, with the main point of differentiation being the processor inside. Most markets received a model with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 APQ8084 which is a 2.7GHz quad core Krait 450 part. In certain markets, it ships with Samsung's Exynos 5433 which has four Cortex-A53 cores and four Cortex-A57 cores in a big.LITTLE configuration.
The new Galaxy Note 4 adds a third model to this mix. It comes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810, which is similar to Exynos 5433 in that it sports four Cortex-A53 and four Cortex-A57 cores in a big.LITTLE configuration. However, the point that Samsung is advertising is not the SoC, but the cellular speeds that this new Galaxy Note 4 model is capable of. Snapdragon 810's modem allows for 3x20MHz carrier aggregation, which will enable LTE speeds of up to 450Mbps on future Category 9 LTE networks. It can also reach peak speeds of 300Mbps on current Category 6 LTE networks.
In all other respects, this is the same Galaxy Note 4 that was launched not long ago. Unfortunately, there's no indication that this new model will reach markets outside of Korea. However, like the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, there's always the possibility of importing it elsewhere.

More...

QNAP has focused on Intel's Bay Trail platform for this generation of NAS units (compared to Synology's efforts with Intel Rangeley). While the choice made sense for the prosumer-targeted TS-x51 series, we were a bit surprised to see the TS-x53 Pro series (targeting business users in the higher level market segment) also use the same Bay Trail platform. Having already looked at the Rangeley-based Synology DS1815+ and the Haswell-based Asustor AS7008T, it is now time to see how QNAP's Bay Trail-based 8-bay TS-853 Pro performs in our evaluation.

More...

Within each motherboard manufacturer, there is typically a design team for each market segment they are targeting, be that server, channel or gaming. Overclocking is slightly different as most manufacturers have an extreme overclocker or two directly employed to focus on the engineering and put their name to the product. Nick Shih, former world #1, is the overclocker behind ASRock's OC range and the newest member of this family, the ASRock X99 OC Formula, bears his signature. This is the board for our review today.

More...

2014 is drawing to a close, and today we have a review of ROCCAT's flagship mechanical keyboard, the Ryos MK Pro. It was launched earlier this year and has very interesting specifications, along with a hefty price tag. Can it still compete in 2015? We will find out in this capsule review.

More...

We haven't heard much from Palm since they were purchased by HP in 2010. The Palm Pre 2 was unsuccessful, the Pre 3 was cancelled, and after the failure of the HP Touchpad it seemed that the WebOS platform would be doomed to become some sort of software for HP printers. However, it looks like the Palm brand may come back. Writers at WebOS nation have discovered several pieces of evidences that indicate that the brand has been sold to Alcatel OneTouch, a company owned by the Chinese TCL Corporation which makes various consumer electronics,.
The first evidence of the sale was found when the Palm.com domain began redirecting to mynewpalm.com, with a video of the Palm logo and the phrases "Coming soon" and "Smart move" underneath. Smart move is the slogan for Alcatel OneTouch. Shortly afterward, a WebOS Nations forum member discovered a USPTO document which indicated that the Palm name, trademarks, and logos had been transferred from HP to a shelf company named Wide Progress Global Limited. The person who signed the paperwork for the transfer is a man named Nicolas Zibell, who also holds the position of "President Americas and Pacific" at Alcatel OneTouch. This, combined with the usage of the same slogan as Alcatel OneTouch, makes it very likely that the brand has indeed been sold by HP to Alcatel OneTouch. Anyone interested should definitely check out the detective work by the writers and users at WebOS Nation in the source below, and in the link above to the forum user's blog where he detailed his original findings.
Source: WebOS Nation via Arstechnica

More...

A new year is now upon us. What better way to start off 2015 than by firing up your console and checking out some new content? Sony has officially released the list of free games for January for PlayStation Plus subscribers. There is a great mix of games for each of their three platforms with some of them available for the other platforms as well. All games listed below will be available starting on January 6, 2015.
PlayStation 4

inFAMOUS: First Light

The first game for the PS4 is inFAMOUS: First Light from developer Sucker Punch Productions. This action adventure game is a stand-alone expansion to the inFAMOUS franchise with this expansion released in August 2014. This franchise is one of Sony’s big exclusives for their consoles, so it is fantastic to see it on the PS Plus list, even if was not quite as well received as the other games in the franchise. inFAMOUS: First Light scored a 73 Metascore and 7.3 User Score on Metacritic, and normally retails for $14.99.
“Locked up in a prison for super powered humans, Fetch is forced to relive tragedies from her past. Unravel her dark secret in Seattle while battling to escape snowy Curdon Cay and seek vengeance for those who wronged her.”
The Swapper

Next up for the PS4 is a puzzle platformer called The Swapper. Players are stranded on a space station, and with the help of a cloning gun attempt to solve puzzles to advance the game. The Swapper comes from developer Curve Studios, and the PS4 version was released in August 2014. The game has gotten mostly good reviews, with a Metascore of 84 and User Score of 7.7 on Metacritic. The Swapper will be available for the PS4, PS3, and PS Vita, and normally retails for $5.49.
“What if someone knew your mind better than you did? The Swapper is an award-winning, narrativedriven puzzle game set in the furthest reaches of space. The Swapper takes place in an isolated and atmospheric sci-fi world. Players wield an experimental device which allows them to create clones of themselves, swapping their entire consciousness into new bodies to overcome the challenges of the environment.”
PlayStation 3

Prototype 2

The first of the PlayStation 3 games comes from developer Radical Entertainment, and is the action-adventure open world game Prototype 2. First released in April 2012, the game allows players to play as the protagonist James Heller who happens to be a shapeshifter. Metacritic shows a Metascore of 79 for the PS3 version, and a User Score coming in at 6.8. Prototype 2 normally retails for $39.99.
“WELCOME TO NEW YORK ZERO. The sequel to Radical Entertainment®’s best-selling open-world action game of 2009, Prototype®2 takes the unsurpassed carnage of the original Prototype®2 and continues the experience of becoming the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. Players will experience Sgt James Heller build a vast genetic arsenal of deadly new biological weapons to hunt, kill and consume his way toward the ultimate goal – to kill Alex Mercer!”
DuckTales: Remastered

Fans of the 80’s animated series may want to check out this remastered version of the original NES game DuckTales. Developer WayForward Technologies kept the identical gameplay, but reworked the graphics to create a 2.5D environment for this old school platformer. It was originally released in August 2013, and received a 75 Metascore and 7.7 User Score from Metacritic. DuckTake: Remastered normally sells for $14.99 on the PlayStation Store.
“DuckTales Remastered is a hand-crafted, beautiful reimagining of one of the most cherished 8-bit titles of all time. Go back to one of the golden ages of gaming, but now refined with a level of detail that will please the most hardened devoted Disney or retro Capcom fan, alike. Featuring hand-drawn animated sprites, authentic Disney character voices talent and richly painted level backgrounds from the classic cartoon TV series, Scrooge McDuck and family come to life like never before.”
Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition

The second game for the PS3 is another classic. Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition was developed for the PS3 by Abstraction Games and features the original version of the game as well as three expansion packs. While it certainly will not stress the internals of the PS3, if you are up for some nostalgia you may want to check this one out. Metacritic has just a single review from the 2013 release, which gives a score of 75, but the User Score is a very high 8.5. Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition will also be available for the PS Vita, and has a release date of January 13 on the PlayStation store.
“Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition is the definitive compilation of the landmark first-person shooter that includes enhanced versions of Duke Nukem 3D and three classic expansion packs, as well as the original version of the classic game.”
PlayStation Vita

Whoa Dave!

The Vita sees just a single game officially for it this month. Whoa Dave! Is a single screen platformer where players attempt to help the protagonist Dave Lonuts get through an alien invasion. The game is not yet released, so there are no reviews for the Vita version yet, but the iOS version scored fairly well. Whoa Dave! Will also be available on the PS4 at a later date.
There are lots of games emulating the old school look and feel, and as long as they are fun that is great. There are also a couple of strong franchises this month as well to balance out the other game types. Sony has certainly outdone Microsoft with the current gen console games, so if you are trying to decide which is the better service, on the free games perspective it is fairly one sided lately.
Hopefully you will enjoy these games next month. Happy New Year!
Source: PlayStation Blog

More...

CES is set to get started right away, but already some news is starting to trickle out of Las Vegas. Acer has taken the wraps off of two new monitors aimed at gamers. Both feature NVIDIA G-SYNC technology, for smoother frame delivery. For more info on G-SYNC, please refer to this article. The basics of it is that instead of the monitor refreshing at a fixed rate, it instead waits for a new frame from the GPU before refreshing.

Acer XB270HU

The first monitor is the Acer XB270HU, which, according to the Acer press release, is the world’s first IPS monitor with G-SYNC capability. It is a 27” 2560x1440 resolution IPS panel, with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz. This will give much better viewing angles (up to 178°) and generally a better color accuracy as well, although that will have to be tested. The XB270HU also comes on a height adjustable stand which offers tilt and swivel. The specifics of the panel are not mentioned, so at this time we cannot say whether it is a 6 or 8 bit panel. Availability is March 2015.

Acer XG270HU

The other gaming monitor announced today is also G-SYNC, and according to Acer it is another world’s first. The XG270HU is a 27” edge-to-edge frameless display according to the press release. It is not completely frameless of course, but the bezels are much smaller than normal on the side. The bottom of the monitor still has a large bezel though, so if you are looking for something frameless to use in portrait mode, these are not the monitors for you. The XG model is a TN panel, but features the same 2560x1440 resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate as the XB model, and features HDMI 2.0, DVI and DisplayPort 1.2 connections. Acer is claiming a 1 ms response time for this model. As with the XB model, availability will be in March 2015.
Prices were not announced at this time.
Source: Acer

More...

CES officially starts this week, which means announcements are going to start pouring out. Every year it seems the pre-CES stuff starts earlier, and for 2015 Acer is kicking things off with a bevy of new products. We’ve already covered their new IPS G-SYNC display, and up next we have new Chromebooks. I’ve been working on a review of the Chromebook 13, which will receive a minor update with the availability of a touchscreen now, but the real news is the Chromebook 15.
At first blush, you might wonder why anyone would need a 15.6” Chromebook, but with Chrome OS expanding in features and capabilities it’s only natural to see a wider variety of devices. The 15.6” class also means things like 1080p displays are readily available, and the Chromebook 15 will have models with 1080p as well as lower spec models with 1366x768 displays. Even better is that the 1080p panel features wide viewing angles and an anti-glare coating. The 1366x768 panel on the other hand appears to be a typical mediocre quality TN panel, “ideal for budget minded customers”.
More interesting than the display perhaps is the processor choice: the Chromebook 15 will be the first Chromebook to ship with a 5^th Generation Intel processor. It’s not too surprising that we’re talking about a Celeron variant of Broadwell, but given that the Haswell-based Celeron 2955U still does quite well compared to other Chromebook processors, the upgrade to Broadwell certainly can’t hurt. As with the C720, there will also be a Core i3 variant available for those that want even more performance. Battery life for now doesn’t appear to have changed from the older C720 Chromebook, as Acer is rating the CB15 at eight hours of battery life.
In terms of styling, the CB15 builds off the white theme of the Chromebook 13, only with a larger chassis obviously. The dimensions are 393mm x 256mm x 24.2mm (15.4” x 10.08” x 0.95”), and the CB15 weighs 2.2kg (4.85 lbs). It also comes with 2x2 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, and an SD card reader.
Pricing of the Chromebook 15 starts at $249 for the 1366x768 version with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. Other models with up to 4GB RAM and 32GB storage will exist, but the full specifications and pricing for those models has not been disclosed. Availability has not been announced either, but when we visit with Acer later this week we’ll hopefully be able to find out more about the CB15 and get some hands on time with it.
As for the touchscreen C13, battery life is rated at up to 13 hours with pricing starting at $329. Availability is slated for this month, but Acer doesn’t mention whether the touchscreen option will be available with both 1366x768 and 1080p models, or only one. There’s also still the question of how much a touchscreen really matters for laptops; I don’t generally find myself missing a touchscreen if it’s not there, as I’m more concerned with keeping fingerprints off my display, but YMMV.
Gallery: Acer Announces First 15” Chromebook, with a Broadwell Processor

More...

After reviewing the GT72 Dominator Pro last year, I wondered how long it would take to see some of the updated industrial design elements make their way into other MSI notebooks. The answer: not too long at all. In an interesting move, MSI will be phasing out the current GT60 chassis, replacing it with the GE62. It appears that the GT72 will continue to be the halo gaming notebook from MSI, along with the upcoming GT80 Titan (more on that soon!), with the GE and GS series being a step down in performance. The GS series is also MSI’s “thin” platform, while the GE series tends to go after the more value minded laptop gamers. With the updated designs, though, GE may be moving up in the world.
Briefly covering the design changes, the LCD and cover are now a bit thicker and more rigid, which was one of my complaints with the previous GE series offerings. The hinges have also been reworked to help improve build quality, and in the time I spent checking out the notebooks the changes seem to have worked. Other than the hinges and cover, most of the appearance remains similar to the last generation GE products, with a few refinements that help with the overall aesthetic. In terms of internals, there have been other changes that improve the overall package as well, with the GE line now sporting dual cooling fans and improved airflow. The result should be a potent gaming notebook that may not match the raw performance of the GT72, but it also shouldn’t cost as much.
In terms of the hardware, pricing, and availability, I don’t have any clear specifics on the latter but I can say that the version of the GE62 being shown still uses a Haswell processor, the i7-4720HQ. The display on the GE62 is an IPS panel, which is great to see, and while some might complain about the 1080p resolution I actually don’t mind 15.6” 1080p IPS instead of 3K/4K, especially if it means a lower price point. The graphics card has not been announced yet, so we’ll have to hold off on publishing any details for that element for a few more days, but it should be something faster than the GTX 860M.
As for the GE72, that notebook appears to be a bit further out, as the engineering sample being shown still has a TN panel and MSI is working on finalizing the specs. It ends up looking very much like the GT72 but with a slightly lighter and slimmer chassis and a bit less cooling performance. Specifications should otherwise be quite similar to the GE62, with the only real difference being the larger screen and chassis.
Gallery: MSI Unveils GE62 and GE72 Apache Notebooks

More...