Happy Birthday DOS, You’re 30!

DOS or Disk Operating System (MS-DOS), as it was called back then celebrates its 30th birthday. The MS in MS-DOS stands for Microsoft. The OS was the backbone of most PCs for the following decade or longer. In schools across India, DOS was one of the first things taught in computer classes. While there was no graphical user interface that we’re so used to on Windows, the operating system had everything from text editors to games and mouse support. For example, titles such as Wolfenstein and Doom on PCs originated on DOS. Ever since Windows 95 or so, DOS has been present as a standalone product only to kickstart downed systems. The last operating system to use DOS-based startup disks was Windows XP. The last commercial product used was DOS 6.22.

Three decades and counting...

Three decades later, DOS is still present on Windows systems, often hidden away. You can use it by type CMD in the Run diag box. There are also DOS emulator and free versions of DOS on the web. If you want to go back in history and try out a few DOS apps and games, do check outDOSBox. 

Simmtronics Launches India’s First Solar-powered Desktop

How’s this for green computing? Simmtronics Semiconductors have launched a new range of desktop PCs that are powered completely by solar energy. This new line-up is best suited for areas that encounter frequent power cuts or villages that don’t have the luxury of electricity. The solar PC is available for a price of Rs 28,990 that includes the solar setup, as well and a year's worth of on-site warranty.

Perfect for areas with frequent load shedding

Simmtronics claim the PC can run for more than 10hrs without solar energy, which is good enough for a day's worth of work. Now don’t expect a high end rig here, obviously the PC is designed for basic computing tasks like a few Office applications, light multimedia usage and internet surfing. The specifications include a Via C7 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, keyboard and mouse and a 15.6-inch LED monitor. The operating system used is Linux (exact distro is unknown) and the kit includes a 74W solar panel with charge controller, SMF battery and AC inverter. Powering it in the monsoons will be a bit of a challenge though, perhaps you'll need multiple batteries for a few days worth of power.

Corsair Announces Worldwide Availability of H80 and H100 CPU Coolers

With their H50 and H70 coolers doing swimmingly well, Corsair has added two more CPU coolers to their Hydro Series lineup. The H80 and H100 are very similar in terms of features and only differ in the size of their radiators. Both include Corsair's Link digital connector that lets you monitor the temperature and control the fan speed.

Dual radiators for efficient cooling

Both feature the latest cooling technology from Corsair and are easy to install and maintain, just like their smaller siblings. The cooler itself is light weight and features a copper cold plate and a split-flow manifold for better cooling. It also has a digital fan control with three presets. The H80 is designed for standard ATX cases and packs just a single 120mm radiator, while the H100 uses a dual 120mm radiator and is compatible with larger cases.

India prices are not yet known but in the US, the H80 carries a retail price of $109 (Rs.4,905) whereas the H100 sells for $119 (Rs.5,355).

AMD’s A8-3850 APU has an Unlocked Multiplier…But of no Real Use

If you stumble upon an A8-3850 APU overclocked to an absurd speed of say 7GHz on air cooling, don’t freak out. OCWorkbench have confirmed that AMD’s new A8-3850 APU may have an unlocked multiplier, but it offers no real world value. Raising it above its default 29x value will not give you any performance gain whatsoever.

( Dont be fooled)

This is a bit weird, since AMD should have locked it down in the first place, if it wasn’t of any use. Leaving the base clock (BClk) at the default 100, users can push the multiplier to achieve some pretty impressive numbers which look great in a CPU-Z screenshot if you want to brag about it to your friends. In order to see actual improvements, you have to increase the BClk, else the overclock is of no real use.

Plextor PX-256M2S 256GB SSD

Solid State Drives were said to get popular and it appears, that’s happening. A majority of people though are still clueless as to what an SSD is. There are those who think of them as external drives or larger capacity flash drives. In India, SSDs are not mainstream or as well known as hard disk drives. We don't blame them for not being aware as SSDs are a fairly recent form of storage as compared to hard disk drives.

SSDs use memory chips instead of a moving platter like the ones found in HDDs, thus they are less susceptible to shocks, are virtually silent, and have lower access time and latency. In addition to this, solid state drives are normally found in a 2.5-inch form factor and are extremely light weight and can also fit into your notebook.

Silent and cool

Plextor is a company we haven’t heard about in a while. They were last known for their optical drives, but have dipped in the SSD market and launched a 2.5-inch SSD in three different capacities. We have the largest capacity model, the Plextor PX-256M2S 256 GB SSD for review.

Design and Features
Internal drives are rarely good to look at, but we were surprised by the design of the PX-256M2S, with its stylish brushed metal exterior. The Plextor PX-256M2S 256GB falls under the M2 Series of SSDs, as the latter half of the model number suggests. You can also find 128GB and 64GB models in this series. The drive features a SATA 6 GB/s interface. With hard drives, there’s little worry of SATA2 being a bottleneck, but with an SSD, there’s a good chance that the drive could be faster. Having SATA3 support is a good thing in this case.

Furthermore, the drive features a Marvell 88SS9174 controller chip, and Plextor boasts of sequential read rates up to 480MB/s and sequential write rate up to 330MB/s with this drive. Read on to see if these real world test scores actually live up to the company’s claims.

The drive also features TRIM command which is basically a command that allows an operating system to inform an SSD which blocks of data are no longer considered in use and can be wiped internally.

256 GB with incredible speed at a cost!

Test Rig Specifications
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte P67A-UD3R
Memory: Corsair Dominator GT 4 GB DDR3 (2 x 2 GB)
Hard drive: WD Velociraptor  300 GB
GPU: Palit GTX560 Ti
PSU: Cooler Master 1000W

Performance The Plextor PX-256M2S solid state drive was put through the regular tests undertaken in our labs, which included synthetic tests, as well as real world file transfer speed tests. To start off, after running each test, the entire rig was completely shut down and restarted, so as to prevent any kind of caching. In addition to this, no application was running in the background and our system was isolated from the network. In the synthetic benchmark tests, we ran SiSoft Sandra and the average write speed recorded was 417 MB/s, which is expected from a high-performance SSD such as this. The random access time noted through the same synthetic test was 60ms. Real world scores were recorded by running a file transfer test from our Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB to the Plextor SSD. We copied test data sets from the WD drive to the SSD and back. There was also a copy test between partitions in the Plextor SSD. In this case, we noticed that the WD Velociraptor tends to be a bottleneck while transferring data, so we used a software to generate a data set and directly dump it on the SSD. The write speed noticed on to the Plextor 256GB SSD was 261MB/s for a single file transfer and the assorted file transfer recorded a speed of 334MB/s. The inter partition file transfer tests were done using a real world data transfer test. For the single 4GB, we recorded an average speed of 146MB/s, while the multiple file transfer test notched an average score of 132MB/s. We tried writing data from the SSD back to the Velociraptor, and noticed a major drop in performance due to the bottleneck. Write tests from the drive were undertaken using the same real world file transfer test and the average speed for a single 4G file transfer seen was 109 MB/s. The multiple 4 GB file transfer came off a little worse with the average speed recorded was 81 MB/s. Slim and light weight Verdict It’s clear that the Plextor PX-256M2S is an impressive performer. The read, write and copy tests were all way higher than any drive we’ve tested, so far. The inter-copy drive testifies that. Usually, even the fastest of hard drives crawl at 40 - 60 MB/s in inter-partition copy tests, but a score of 146 MB/s takes the SSD to a completely new level An MRP of Rs. 27,500 makes it an extremely expensive storage solution. It’s definitely not value for money, even if you consider its scorching transfer rates. Anyone building an extreme high-end performance rig wanting the absolute best of performance and reasonable storage capacity should buy this. The only other way to get this kind of performance might be by using RAID on two or more very fast hard drives.

Lenovo Launches IdeaCenter A320 in India

Touted as India’s slimmest All-in-One PC, Lenovo India launched the IdeaCenter A320 for a price tag of Rs.50,990. This will be available at all Lenovo stores and outlets like Croma and Reliance. This lightweight and slim PC is targeted towards those looking for a hassle free setup.

Stylish looking

There are multiple configurations available and customers have a choice between a Core i3/i5 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 750GB hard drive among other features like USB 3.0, 7-in-1 card reader, Bluetooth, 802.11 ‘n’, all packed behind a 21.5-inch LED screen. Unfortunately there’s no mention about a discrete graphics card, so don’t expect to do any serious gaming. The A320 looks very stylish and won’t occupy much space, plus there are no messy wires to deal with.

Limbo Coming to PC and PS3

Developer PlayDead’s visually striking, action platformer, Limbo is making its way to PCs (via Steam) as well as the PlayStation Network. In case you missed out on the game nearly a year ago when it was an Xbox Live exclusive, Limbo is the story of a young boy who goes through a world of pain to rescue his sister. The game was praised for its striking art style, innovative puzzles and subtle depiction of brutal violence. It went to sell over half a million copies over XBLA, an impressive feat for an indie game.

Sure is lonely out here

This bit of news was confirmed by the studios’ CEO, Dino Patti via Twitter but beyond that we get no details nor do we get a release date. Going to the game’s official site just reveals a giant LIMBO logo along with the words “Coming Soon” so that’s 3 seconds of my life I’m never getting back.

Thanks to Cinemabland for the heads up.

Epson Launches EB-G5000 Range of Multimedia Projectors

Epson has launched their new range of multimedia projectors in India called the EB-G5000 series. Targeted at corporate users, higher education and government sector, it offers a very high brightness rating of 4000 lumens to as high as 5,200 lumens, ideal for using in auditoriums or lecture halls. The following is the pricing for the various models available –

• EB-G5600 - Rs.142,400

• EB-G5950 - Rs.173,100

• EB-G5650W - Rs.154,500

• EB-G5450WU - Rs.232,600

• EB-G5750WU -Rs.283,500

High powered!

The EB-G5000 series supports up to 1920x1080 resolution and will have functions like enhanced split-screen and multi-PC projection. The projectors are based around 3LCD technology which gives it an edge when it comes to image clarity and sharpness. Epson will also incorporate its C2Fine technology that minimizes polarized light leakage and increases contrast ratios. The split screen function is really interesting, it lets you project from two different sources and displays it at the same time. It can also operate wirelessly by using a Wi-Fi dongle. The projectors will be available, starting this month.

Computer science marks to be considered for engg eligibility

BANGALORE: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has buckled under pressure from several states to alter eligibility criteria for engineering courses: it has agreed to consider computer science and electronics as qualifying subjects along with the existing ones.

The apex regulator, however, has turned down the request to reduce eligibility criteria for general category students from the revised 50% marks (45% in case of SC/ST candidates) in qualifying subjects for admission to engineering courses. AICTE had enhanced eligibility criteria by 5% for general category students from this year.

More II PU candidates are now likely to become eligible to pick engineering seats via the state CET. Marks scored by II PU candidates in computer science and electronics will be considered while deciding eligibility criteria for engineering/technical courses, along with chemistry, biology and biotechnology.

Higher education minister V S Acharya may meet HRD minister Kapil Sibal in New Delhi on Tuesday to push for reduction in eligibility criteria for 2011-12.

IBM Introduces Single Wafer Graphene Chip

Graphene will be among the latest substances to be employed in the production of chips. Graphene, is known to be the most thinnest substance in a honeycomb structure, around, since it’s only an atom thick. Now, technology biggie, IBM will use Graphene in its circuit production. The researchers at IBM have been toying around with this concept since 2004, before which they found it painful to deal with lesser thin substances.

Super slim

Graphene is primarily a mesh of carbon, and has gained prominence owing to the single wafer-ed thickness that the circuit is made of. The graphene circuit prepared by the researchers, according the IBM’s announcement, will operate at a broadband radio frequency of 10 GHz. It goes without saying that the ultra-thin graphene circuit is being largely looked as a replacement to IBM’S CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology, which is slowly turning obsolete. The researchers’ state that the graphene circuit will prove particularly beneficial to up the ability of mobile gadgets’ to send and receive signals. The technology,  however, is still in its infancy stage.

IBM will soon reach its centenarian year, and the graphene technology breakthrough seems to be the perfect way to welcome that.

WWDC 2011: Apple Teases Us with Logos of Upcoming Launches

Apple is gearing up for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which is set to take place at San Francisco, next week. But unlike every year, this time around they have given the world a sneak peek into some of the services which are set to be launched at WWDC 2011. Posters at San Francisco’s largest convention and exhibition complex, Moscone Center are showing off Apple’s upcoming services namely the Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud. Logos of Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud revealed The iCloud was named by Apple in a press release on Tuesday, but no image had been associated with it at the time. However, now as the posters suggest the iCloud logo has an app like appearance. The next logo to be previewed was the iOS 5; and like the iOS 4 logo it is mostly similar in design but now has a 5 instead. And finally with the OS X Lion, the logo is with a face of a Lion in a circle. In addition to these standalone posters there is a poster showing OS X Lion + iOS 5 + iCloud = WWDC 2011. Additional banners are put up at the Moscone Center which are still under wraps.

Computex 2011: ASUS Announces Crosshair V Motherboard Series

Just a while back, AMD announced their new range of 9-Series chipsets and in absolute rhythm, ASUS have launched their latest iteration in the Crosshair Series of motherboards, called the Crosshair V Formula. The motherboard not only supports the AM3+ FX socket, but also has support for Athlon II and Sempron 100 Series of processors. What’s nice to know is that this motherboard will also be supporting Bulldozer series of processors.

More power and more support

Crosshair V Formula has an ATX form factor and supports up to 32 GB of RAM on the four RAM slots that most standard motherboards feature today. Apart from that this also supports the AMD 3-Way SLI and 3-Way CrossfireX modes for NVIDIA and AMD’s graphic cards respectively. There are three PCIe 2.0 expansion slots for dual x16 speeds or x8,x8 and x16 speeds. The motherboard has plenty of USB ports with as much as six USB 3.0 ports and 12 USB 2.0 ports. Being the latest motherboard, the Crosshair V Formula also has ASUS’ UEFI BIOS menus to interact with the hardware directly.

The pricing hasn’t been announced as yet, but stay tuned for more information on the Crosshair V Formula.

Computex 2011: ASUS Eee PC X101 Runs MeeGo

Now here’s a surprise. At the Computex fair in Taipei, ASUS has unveiled the Eee PC X101, an ultra-thin netbook at 17.6mm and ultra-light at 950g, which has both Windows 7 and MeeGo variants. The Eee PC X101 has a 10.1-inch display, 802.11 WiFi b/g/n and an Intel Atom N435 processor, which will probably be unveiled later at Computex. It will also come in X101H variant, which will have a SSD hybrid hard drive.

MeeWants one of these.

Here’s what ASUS had to say about the Eee PC X101: “ASUS evolves the Eee PC further with new models that take netbooks to ever-greater heights. The new Eee PC X101 has been designed from the start to be the perfect ultraportable for modern mobile users, with its Intel MeeGo operating system incorporating full support for a wide range of social networking services. Eee PC X101 Series netbooks are also offered with the Windows 7 operating system, and models ship with both solid state and mechanical hard drive storage configurations.”

The base MeeGo model will cost a mere $200 (~Rs. 9,000) which is pretty good. We hope to hear more about this series of netbooks soon.

Origin Launches EON17-S Laptop with 4.8 GHz Processor

Now, typically, we would cover local product launches but this latest laptop called the EON17-S from Origin got our attention. Origin PC is known for its PCs and notebooks in the international market. Their new notebook is powered by Intel’s Core i7 2920XM processor, which is common on high-end gaming laptops. Origin PC has overclocked the 2920XM to 4.8 GHz from its stock speed of 3.6 GHz. Origin also gives its customers the options to choose a slower processor.

More power than most desktops

Some of the other components available for customization are the memory and the graphics solution. Users can add up to 32GB of memory and even a high-end graphics solution such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX485M or AMD’s Radeon HD6970M GPU.  The notebook sells with a 17-inch full HD display and there is also the option for a 3D display in place of the standard one. If required, RAID can be setup as well and Origin provides the option of a 512GB SSD in place of the 750 GB 7200 rpm drives. The EON17-s doesn’t come cheap. The cheapest configuration of the EON17-S laptop sells for around $1759 (Rs. 80,000) and that’s including most of the components mentioned above

ASUS To Unveil an Ultra Slim Eee PC

Remember the ASUS teasing us about a new device on Facebook. Well, it looks like they are at it again, by adding another shadowy figure to the list. But this time, we may have an idea as to what the new product could be.

Another teaser...

According to Notebook Italia, ASUS is going to unveil an Ultra Slim Version of the Eee PC netbook. The website dug out a picture that looks remarkably similar to the one shown in the teaser. The image shows the familiar Eee PC netbook design, but has lost every single inch it could spare in order to gain the Ultra Slim moniker.

This is what it could look like

Nothing else is known about the device. What processor will it run on or most importantly, what operating system will it have. With Computex only a few days away, and two more products to reveal, ASUS certainly has our interest peaked.

Dell Inspiron 580 Desktop PC

Dell’s Inspiron series of laptops and desktop PCs, that target mainly home and SOHO users, are very different from the high-end and gaming rigs. However, if you look at the performance of some of them, they offer very good value for money. A fine example is the Inspiron 580 desktop PC. Design At the first glance this machine looks quite sober and elite and it is, but only in terms of aesthetics. The performance of this PC says more, but let’s leave that part for a bit later. Onward, the cabinet has a glossy piano-black front panel with a faint white design, and the combination looks quite smart. So be it at home or at work, it will suit both environments. With a very no-nonsense design, the only prominent button in front is the power button on the lower half of the front panel. The other button is slightly disguised; it’s the one next to the optical drive cover, which slides the tray out when pushed. The point is that there’s no fluff and messy buttons and lights, it’s a simple, sober-looking machine. Even in terms of build quality, the front panel is plastic and the side and top covers are metal with black matte powder coating on them. All-in-all, it’s a great-looking combination. Connectivity is quite simple, and it’s a 10-minute out-of-the box plug-n-play setup. Arrange the PC, connect the bundled monitor, and wired keyboard and mouse, and it’s ready. Features The main highlight, in terms of features, is the core hardware, rest, aspects like the ports on the motherboard and the front panel ports connected to the headers are rather common. This PC features mainstream hardware with decent graphics, which is why; it’s an ideal machine for home entertainment and even for a SOHO setup. Built around an H57 chipset and powered by a mainstream processor, the machine has 4 GB DDR3 RAM, a 500 GB hard drive and an Nvidia GT310 GPU. So, this rig suffices for daily computing chores and is able to handle video and audio editing without hiccups.

Linux vs Other Operating Systems : 7 common myths busted

Introduction

When it comes to operating systems people have always looked up to Windows and Mac OS X as the front-runners of the OS battle. However, due to recent efforts of the ever-growing Linux community, this scenario has changed only to accommodate Linux as a beleaguered underdog. Thanks to its escalating popularity amongst desktop users worldwide, the open source operating system has already been deemed as a serious competitor to Windows and Mac OS X . Similarly on the server side, many corporations are switching to Linux due to its reliability and speed. So then, what is it that makes Linux so special when contrasted with other OS’s namely Windows and Macs? Why are many people switching to an operating system that is not only free but is not even backed by any multi-million dollar corporation? This article answers many such questions.

Why not Windows or Macs?

Ok, let us tackle the problems with Windows and Macs first. Windows, developed by Microsoft Corporation, is the Operating System with the largest market share. However, this doesn’t make it the best when it comes to quality and consistency as it is constantly marred with problems of viruses and malware. Also, the initial investment in a Windows PC is much higher than what a consumer expects to pay. First it is the cost of the hardware itself, then the cost of the license to run Windows, then an Office program, and finally to protect it all, a decent antivirus software. In short, the license may carry an affordable price tag but the expenses finally pile up to burn a large hole in the consumer's pocket. As for computers that come with Windows pre-installed, the cost of antivirus, Office utilities and other non-free programs usually overrides the buyer's budget. Furthermore, the version of Windows provided is usually Home or Business edition, which lacks many features the Ultimate version provides.

Coming to Macintosh computers, they, unlike Microsoft, prefer to sell their software bundled with their own hardware. Apple claims that their design, feature-set and stability are much superior to any of Microsoft products; even if it comes at a very high price point. Nevertheless, Macs, despite their holier-than-thou attitude towards Windows and Linux, are far from being the perfect computers. Consumers and Microsoft employees frequently complain that Macs are significantly overpriced than a normal laptop/PC. Apple does have many quality programs for its users but most of them are highly priced and are not open source. Furthermore, Apple has gained notoriety for making closed, locked-down Mac exclusive products thus creating a walled garden of their own.

Note: The points mentioned above are not intended to offend any Windows or Mac lovers. I'm merely pointing out that Windows and Macs, contrary to popular belief and marketing claims, are far from being perfect and flawless products.

Why Linux?

After pointing out all the downsides of Windows and Macs, I come to the main point, that is, why should anyone switch to Linux. We all know that it is for geeks, don't we? Besides, how good can an OS be if it completely free and open source? Let's tackle all these questions one by one.

Myth 1: Linux is just for geeks

Linux is for everyone. While Linux based distributions like Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Fedora are developed with the non-technical user in mind, Slackware and others appeal to the more geeky ones. Believe it or not, installing Ubuntu is actually easier than a Windows installation , and using it requires no special skills. 

Myth 2 : Linux can’t handle Excel, Word, Powerpoint

Linux can handle all the major file formats when it comes to documents as it comes with a powerful opensource Office suite called Openoffice.org (soon to be replaced by Libreoffice). So, apart from doing all the spreadsheets, presentations, and word processing out of the box, Linux can do tasks like publishing, image editing using only free and open source applications.

Myth 3 : Linux is free, so it sucks.

Many people think that Linux, because it is free, cannot be considered as a 'product', and thus, it may not be as good as Windows and Macs. This belief however, is completely wrong. Linux is the result of contributions by millions of users from all around the world, and it is through their incessant efforts that Linux continues to be free. Besides, what’s bad about being free anyway? After all, the best things in life are free; aren’t they?

Myth 4 : Desktops are dead, so is Linux

With the rapid emergence of smartphones, tablets and a myriad of handheld devices running powerful softwares, the popularity of desktops is slowly falling. However, this process is slow, and many have denied the fact that desktops will get replaced by devices like tablets; at least for the next 5 years. Whichever way the paradigm shifts, Linux enthusiasts won't be disappointed as almost all the next-gen gadgets being developed are already capable of running Linux. Consider for example, Android smartphones which are rapidly overtaking Apple's iphones; these devices are running on Android Operating System which is based on … yes, you guessed it right … Linux. Also when it comes to tablets, Android powered tablets have started appearing in the market ready to take on Apple's ipad. Finally, with the steady growth of Linux based netbooks, one can without any doubt, conclude that whatever happens to desktops, Linux isn't dead or dying; it is in fact, the future.

Myth 5 : But Linux can’t handle my favorite software XYZ which is windows-only.

Linux maybe not be capable of running a particular program like Photoshop, but it does have an opensource alternative with equivalent features called Gimp. Many such closed-source programs exist to which Linux provides great open source alternatives. A good way to find those is through this site which provides a list of quality alternatives to many leading applications. Furthermore, a popular software called Wine makes it possible for Linux users to run many Windows programs without any virtualization or emulation. If that too, doesn't suit the user, he or she can always try dual booting which many Linux users do.

Myth 6 : Linux can’t do gaming

Windows, unlike Linux and Macs can always boast of the thousands of games it is capable of running. However, that doesn't mean gaming is an Utopian concept to the Linux world. Many indie developers have started developing games for Linux , and of course many games that run on Windows work flawlessly on Linux thanks to softwares like Wine, PlayonLinux and Transgaming Cedega. Here’s a list of the much-awaited games for Linux in 2011. 

Myth 7 : Linux lacks support.

While Microsoft and Apple both boast of an excellent support, Linux, by default doesn't offer any professional support. To make up for the lack of support, Linux offers multiple ways of seeking help; one such way is through forums .The Linux community is very large and simply posing a question in a forum, one gets a reply within a few minutes and sometimes seconds. Don't believe me? Try asking a valid, Linux related question on linuxquestions.org and a helpful reply will come quicker than you expect. For the impatient ones, there is IRC; that is, internet relay chat, where many developers and users hang out to helping other users. If that isn't adequate, one can always buy professional support offered by Ubuntu, which comes at a fair and reasonable price.

Conclusion

Summing up, Linux in almost all aspects matches up to its closest competitors and in some areas outstrips them hands down. That said, Linux’s market share still stands at a meager 2% thanks to widespread vendor lock-ins and a general lack of awareness amongst non-technical folk. This fallacy however, is slowly being overcome only to make the software world a free and better place.

Simmtronics Launches LED Monitors

Simmtronics Semiconductor Ltd. has launched three different LED-backlit monitors with screen sizes of 15.6, 18.5 and 21.5 inches. Manufactured at the company s Roorkee Plant, they are advertised as being completely manufactured in India.
With an wide screen aspect ratio of 16:9, the largest of these monitors has a display resolution of 1920 x 1080, while the other two have a 1360 x 768 pixels. These monitors support VGA and HDMI ports and also have speakers built inside. Being LED-backlit monitors, they boast of lower power consumption than that of ordinary LCD monitors, with the power consumption of the 15.6 and 18.5 inch monitor being less than 20 W, while that of the 21.5 inch less than 25 W. The rest of the specifications are as shown below

With 3 years warranty, these LED monitors are priced between Rs.4,000 and Rs.8,000. Exact pricing for each of the monitors was not available at the time of this news being published, but we will update the prices as they become available to us.

Latest GPU market numbers spell bad news for NVIDIA

It's Intel's fifth consecutive quarter of producing CPUs with GPUs integrated into the same package (if not on the same die), and, predictably, the shift has not been kind to NVIDIA. The latest numbers from JPR show the increasing bind that NVIDIA is in, with the GPU maker's shipping volumes down a whopping 28 percent from a year ago. Mind you, the rest of the PC market has largely returned to some semblance of normalcy, so this drop in shipments is not good for NVIDIA.

Meanwhile, Intel and AMD are both up at NVIDIA's expense, with AMD posting 15.4 percent growth in GPU shipments and Intel posting 9.4 percent growth.

The quarter-over-quarter story tells much the same story, but less starkly. NVIDIA is down 1.7 percent from last quarter, while Intel is up 14.2 percent and AMD is up 13.3 percent.

In all, it looks like a combination of in-package or on-die GPUs from Intel and AMD, and NVIDIA's bus licensing dispute with Intel, which prohibited the company from making chipsets with integrated GPUs for Intel's CPUs, has taken its toll on the GPU maker. Right now, the pain is isolated to NVIDIA's integrated graphics processor business, a business that dropped sharply this past quarter and that NVIDIA itself admits will continue to decline. But soon, the pain will begin to spread up through NVIDIA's still-strong discrete GPU business.

The simple fact is that, with performance from integrated GPUs rising at a rapid pace, the discrete GPU market is about to start shrinking right out from under NVIDIA. Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge platform will feature an on-die GPU that begins to threaten the mid-range of the discrete market the way that Sandy Bridge threatens the bottom end; and the on-die GPU with AMD's Llano is rumored to be some three times the performance of Intel's Sandy Bridge.

So with its bread-and-butter discrete GPU poised for slow and steady cannibalization by integrated GPUs, NVIDIA will increasingly rely on a combination of ARM mobile products and HPC-oriented coprocessors (i.e., Tesla) to see it through the transition to "NVIDIA 3.0". And then, once Project Denver arrives, NVIDIA will have to compete head-to-head with Intel on Intel's home turf.

Fortunately for NVIDIA, ARM mobiles and HPC are both growth markets, so it's not all bad news. Then there's the fact that NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsuan Huang is a ruthless, wily competitor who has managed to grow NVIDIA despite some long odds. So while NVIDIA is probably poised for a rocky few quarters ahead as its discrete GPU comes under attack serious and sustained attack from both Intel and AMD, it's way too early to declare the company doomed.

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

The good: The new 27-inch iMac offers the best performance among current all-in-ones, along with the largest display, the best design, and exciting potential from its Thunderbolt ports.

The bad: We still miss built-in HDMI inputs for easy media component integration, and, as usual, custom hardware options for the iMac remain more expensive than those for its Windows-based competition.

The bottom line: We recommend Apple's new 27-inch iMac to digital media editors and others with serious performance needs on the strength of its impressive speed, its connected device potential, and its market-leading 27-inch display.

With a fast new second-generation Core i5 CPU, a high-end 3D card, and support for promising Thunderbolt high-bandwidth peripheral connection ports, the new, highest-end iMac has plenty to offer media professionals and enthusiasts in terms of performance and peripheral device flexibility. For consumers, while the iMac still claims industry bests in terms of its display and its design, this system will feel like overkill in some respects, and underfeatured in others. We don't recommend the most expensive new iMac for those looking for an OS X-based alternative to the recent crop of Windows-based all-in-ones that act as home entertainment kiosks. For serious media editors, or those looking for a vanity desktop, the $1,999 Apple iMac remains one of the fastest, most attractive systems available.

Windows all-in-one makers like Dell, HP, and Sony have improved their all-in-one designs over the last year or two, but none of them approaches the iMac for sheer visual appeal. The metal-and-glass unibody chassis, along with the expansive 27-inch display, still have no design peers roughly 18 months after their debut. We actually find it strange that you still won't find a 27-inch all-in-one from anyone other than Apple. We wonder how long that will last.

While the new iMac's design hasn't changed on the outside, its internal components have been completely revamped from those of the previous model. As it upgraded its MacBook Pro laptops earlier this year, Apple has introduced to the iMac Intel's second-generation Core CPU family (formerly code-named Sandy Bridge). It has also added AMD's latest generation of graphics processor, the Radeon HD 6000-series. iPhone users, and those who love them, will appreciate that Apple has brought FaceTime support to the new iMac, which allows for cross-device video chatting over the Internet.

The iMac's new Thunderbolt ports offer exciting potential for digital media professionals.

Lastly, Apple has incorporated the new Thunderbolt data throughput standard into the iMac, and two Thunderbolt ports on the back of the 27-inch models replace the single Mini DisplayPort input found on older iMacs. Developed in conjunction with Intel, Thunderbolt is designed to replace USB and FireWire inputs by offering simultaneous 10Gbps throughput both in and out of the system via the same port. The standard supports both data and video connections, and is on track to both simplify the experience of connecting peripheral devices, and also allow for a greater, more powerful variety of external components.

Thunderbolt devices aren't expected to hit the market until this summer, which means we have to speak mostly about the potential it offers the iMac. Announced Thunderbolt products include external RAID arrays, video conversion hubs, and other devices that will take advantage of the iMac's fat new data pipe. Thunderbolt will eventually roll out to Windows PCs as well, and we may see more consumer-oriented devices before too long, but for now the early supporting hardware is clearly geared toward digital media editors and others who will appreciate Thunderbolt's ability to move large amounts of data between workstations at great speed.

Because it can work as a video port, Thunderbolt, in conjunction with the Radeon HD 6970M graphics chip, also allows you to connect two additional monitors to the iMac. That capability is certainly welcome, and it makes extending the iMac's display easy, but multimonitor support in general isn't unique to the iMac. Among other multidisplay technologies, AMD showed us its Eyefinity graphics card series last year for Windows desktops that can support six LCDs.

	Apple iMac 27-inch	Dell XPS 8300	HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd
Price	$1,999	$1,619	$1,789
Display size/resolution	27-inch, 2,560x1,440	N/A	24-inch, 1,920x1,080
CPU	3.1GHZ Intel Core i5 760	3.4GHz Intel Core i7 2600	2.93GHz Intel Core i7 870
Memory	8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics	1GB AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics card	1GB AMD Radeon HD 5870	2GB AMD Radeon HD 5570 graphics card
Hard drives	1TB, 7,200rpm	1.5TB, 7,200rpm	1TB, 7,200rpm
Optical drive	Dual-layer DVD burner	Blu-ray burner	Blu-ray/DVD burner combo drive
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless
Operating system	Apple OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.7	Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)	Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

We've compared the iMac here with one of the fastest Windows-based all-in-ones we've tested, HP's TouchSmart 610q 1065qd, as well as a less expensive Dell XPS 8300 desktop.

We bring the traditional Dell box into the discussion particularly to compare its price-performance ratio with that of the new iMac. The XPS 8300 isn't as visually attractive as the iMac, but for those who might already have a large display, it's reasonable to ask how the two compare in terms of raw speed.

From a features standpoint, the iMac and the HP TouchSmart compare well. The large screen remains the iMac's most obvious advantage, but it also boasts a faster graphics card and a more up-to-date CPU than the HP system. HP, in turn, offers a Blu-ray drive, a lower price tag, as well as a touch screen and HP's accompanying suite of touch software. HP can't match the iMac's Thunderbolt ports, but it also offers two HDMI inputs, which means, unlike the iMac, you can connect current-generation home entertainment devices to the TouchSmart without having to buy an adapter.

In truth, comparing the speed-oriented iMac with the Dell feels more relevant than matching it up against the family-oriented HP all-in-one. The iMac does include its user-friendly iLife digital media software, but the TouchSmart all-in-one and its almost kitchy touch software clearly have home users in mind.

Which is not to say that the iMac and its large screen wouldn't make an excellent, attractive media PC for a den, an office, or a dorm room. With the right, though expensive, adapters, you can even integrate a cable box and a game console with the iMac to make a powerful, versatile media hub. We're unclear how a more casual home user would take advantage of the iMac's Thunderbolt ports, though. As well, the fast CPU and graphics card would be going to waste without some robust digital media files to put them to work. The OS X gaming library certainly won't keep them busy for long.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 image-processing test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Dell XPS 8300

60 

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

63 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)

75 

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd

77 

Sony Vaio L21SFX

81 

Adobe Photoshop CS5 image-processing test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Dell XPS 8300

214 

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

236 

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd

242 

Sony Vaio L21SFX

255 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)

257 

Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

86 

Dell XPS 8300

92 

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd

113 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)

115 

Sony Vaio L21SFX

136 

Multimedia multitasking (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

121 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)

147 

Dell XPS 8300

275 

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd

328 

Sony Vaio L21SFX

368 

Cinebench 11.5
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Rendering multiple CPUs

Rendering single CPU

Dell XPS 8300

6.79 

1.5 

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd

5.3 

1.18 

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

4.88 

1.3 

Sony Vaio L21SFX

4.77 

1.12 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)

3.81 

1.09 

The new 27-inch iMac offers the best all-around performance among all-in-ones. It loses to the HP only on the Cinebench 11.5 multithreaded CPU test, and that's likely because of the HP's 2.93GHz Core i7 820 chip, which, although from Intel's previous CPU generation, has effectively eight processing threads from Intel's HyperThreading technology. The iMac's 3.1GHz Core i5 2400 CPU lacks HyperThreading, and thus remains a pure quad-core processor.

As expected, the Dell XPS 8300 and its current-generation Core i7 2600 CPU give the iMac a tougher fight. The iMac excels in converting audio files in iTunes, as well as multitasking between iTunes and QuickTime, but that's no surprise given those are Apple-made programs. The Dell's speed advantages on both iterations of Photoshop aren't too troubling for the iMac's performance outlook since the two aren't that far apart on those tests, but the Dell has a noticeable edge on Cinebench multithreaded testing, with both a faster core clock speed for its CPU, as well as the Core i7 2600's HyperThreading benefits.

The solution for the iMac lies in the Core i7 option available from Apple for an additional $200. With that CPU, the iMac will likely approach, if not bypass, the XPS 8300's performance, and it will still offer a better deal for its complete hardware package thanks to the iMac's large, high-resolution display. We'd only recommend the upgraded CPU option to digital media professionals who know they will see real benefits from an increase in processing threads, however. For others, the Core i5-based iMac's competitive performance, combined with its large display, make it a well-priced high-end desktop package.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Time demo 2,560x1,440 (in fps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz Core i5, Spring 2011)

56 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz Core i5, Summer 2010)

42 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz Core i7, Spring 2010)

31 

Game testing on the iMac always feels like a bit of an academic exercise. Apple's gaming prospects brightened when Valve Software's game library and its Steam digital distribution service arrived on OS X last year. The number of games available to the iMac still remains a fraction of what you can find on the PC, though. Yes, Windows gaming on a Mac through Boot Camp or other virtualization remains an option, but if gaming is your goal, we recommend a less convoluted approach.

In any case, this iMac is a capable gaming system. Apple demonstrated Valve's Portal 2 for us to show off the iMac's new Radeon HD 6970 graphics card. Though that title is more up-to-date than Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the latter still offers a greater 3D-processing challenge, particularly at the iMac's native 2,560x1,440 pixel resolution, and with high-detail settings enabled. At close to 60 frames per second on that test, the iMac is up to the task of Call of Duty 4, and offers the most robust Mac gaming experience of any high-end iMac to date.

Should you demand more performance or features from the iMac, Apple has a few options for you, including up to 16GB of RAM, a larger platter hard drive, a solid-state drive, and even the same Radeon HD 6970 3D card but with 2GB of RAM instead of the default 1GB. As it typical from Apple, all of those upgrades will cost you more than you would pay for the same hardware from Apple's Windows-based competition. The most significant option might be the ability to trade out the Apple Magic Mouse for the Magic Trackpad, with no extra charge. Before, you couldn't opt out of the mouse.

Aside from a pair of Thunderbolt ports replacing the previous 27-inch iMac's single Mini DisplayPort, the rest of the new iMac's external connectivity remains the same. You get four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, an Ethernet adapter, and audio in and out. Apple has bypassed eSATA for Thunderbolt and its legacy FireWire 800 support, a reasonable trade. And while we still miss native HDMI input or output support, adapters like the Belkin AV360 remain a viable, if more expensive, alternative.

Juice box
Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)	Average watts per hour
Off (watts)	0.44
Sleep (watts)	1.18
Idle (watts)	38.37
Load (watts)	137.65
Raw (annual kWh)	180.56988
Energy Star compliant	Yes
Annual operating cost (@$0.1135/kWh)	$20.49

Annual power consumption cost

Sony Vaio L21SFX

$13.96 

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)

$20.09 

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, Spring 2011)

$20.49 

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd

$23.65 

Dell XPS 8300

$43.60 

Power efficiency is one of the hallmarks of Intel's second-generation Core CPUs, and given the new iMac's performance edge over the previous model, the fact that it consumes only marginally more power speaks highly of both Intel and Apple. Also note that while the Dell XPS 8300 has a small but noticeable speed advantage over the iMac on certain tests, it uses more than twice as much power, and doesn't include a screen. Vendors often say to us that consumers like environmentally friendly hardware but that they're not willing to pay for it. If that's true, kudos to Apple for pressing forward on power efficiency anyway.

Apple's phone support receives high customer satisfaction ratings, but as always we wish it were available to customers beyond the first 90 days of purchase without having to pay $169 for an AppleCare coverage plan. Apple's network of in-person help via its Genius Bar and its authorized services providers remains unique as well, but for desktop customers in particular, extended phone-based help would be far more convenient.

Conclusion
A fast new Intel CPU and an AMD graphics chip provide Apple's new 27-inch iMac with competitive performance for its price, and the advent of Thunderbolt offers the iMac the potential for exciting peripheral devices later this year. Apple seems less concerned with engaging family users than some of its Windows-based all-in-one competition, but for digital media professionals, or others in need of a fast, serious-minded all-in-one with a large display, we can make no other recommendation.

Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations:

Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, spring 2011) 
Apple OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.7; 3.1GHz Intel Core i5 (second generation); 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB ATI Radeon HD 6970M graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

Apple iMac 27-inch (2.8GHz, Summer 2010)
Apple OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.4; 2.8GHz Intel Core i5; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5750 graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

Dell XPS 8300
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; 3.4GHz Intel Core i7 2600; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB AMD Radeon HD 5870

HP TouchSmart 610q 1065qd
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.93GHz Intel Core i7 870; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 2GB AMD Radeon HD 5570; 1TB 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive Sony Vaio L21SFX
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.0GHz Intel Core i7 2360qM; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M; 2TB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive