Vantec EZ-Grip Molex Connector Kit

Removing the power from devices inside your computer can bedifficult with standard molex plugs. The protrusions on the side of the molexare difficult to hold on firmly and, if you were to exert force, can leave yourfingers feeling sore. The Vantec EZ-Grip Molex connectors simplify the ordeal byputting flexible, rounded grips on the top and bottom of the molex connector.Not only do these grips make it easier to hold, pressing down on the gripsseparates the connector from the device slightly, perfect for when the molexconnector feels "stuck." Vantec EZ-Grip Molex Connectors are available in avariety of UV reactive colors.

Features:

Molex Remover Included
Easy To Install
Easily Plug And Unplug Power Molex From Any Device

Package Includes:

Molex Remover X1
EZ-Grip Female Molex Heads x10

Part Number Description MSRP

MCK-10-BK EZ Grip Molex Connector Kit- Black $ 9.99
MCK-10UV-RD EZ Grip Molex Connector Kit- UV Red $ 9.99
MCK-10UV-GR EZ Grip Molex Connector Kit- UV Green $ 9.99
MCK-10UV-YL EZ Grip Molex Connector Kit- UV Yellow $ 9.99
MCK-10UV-BL EZ Grip Molex Connector Kit- UV Blue $ 9.99

Sapphire's Pure White B75M-MA motherboard sneaks out

Intels B75 chipset appears to be popular with the motherboard makers, least not as a replacement for the H61 chipset for Ivy Bridge. As such, Sapphire has snuck out a new model based on said chipset called the Pure White B75M-MA which should end up being a very affordable board judging by the features.

The B75M-MA is most definitely a no frills board, as it has no extra peripheral chipsets beyond the basics and it even has fewer SATA ports than normally. The expansion slots consist of a single x16 PCI Express 3.0 slot and three x1 PCI Express slots. Theres only a single SATA 6Gbps port as this is a chipset limitation, although Sapphire only added three of the five SATA 3Gbps ports which is near enough bordering on mean.

Other internal connectors consist of a USB 3.0 header for two ports, two USB 2.0 headers for four ports and a serial port header. The board only has two DIMM slots, but amazingly theres a push button for resetting the CMOS rather than a jumper. The rear I/O is home to a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 5.1-channel audio and a DVI and D-sub connector.

No word on pricing or availability, although currently the B75M-MA appears to be available in the Chinese market. We cant say we like this direction if thats where Sapphires motherboard division is heading, as this is just not making the company stand out at all.

Source: Sapphire

SingTel and Ericsson Unveils 42Mbps LTE Trial

Yuen Kuan Moon (above pic, right), Executive Vice President of Consumer for SingTel and Fadi Pharaon, President and Country Manager for Ericsson Singapore & Brunei, were at the event to talk about the collaboration to push LTE technology trial.

At the showcase, we saw a laptop connecting to a huge HSPA USB dongle that provides the 42Mbps mobile data speed.

You can literally do voice calling, real-time video viewing as well as streaming high definition movie, all at the same time without noticeable lag.

A SingTel promoter showing a demoon 3D Map navigation on a tablet computer.

According to SingTel, LTE will be launchedin the second half of the year (at the time of Youth Olympics Games in July) and would be made affordable to consumers.

Ultrabooks to get price drops across the board

Good news if youre looking to pick up an Ultrabook in the near future. Digitimes reports that notebook makers are expected to significantly drop pricing on their first generation ultrabooks ahead of Intels Ivy Bridge launch early in the second quarter of the year.

Weve already seen the likes of Acer, Lenovo and HP push pricing down on several of their ultrabooks by as much as 25% in the U.S. and further cuts are expected to come into effect soon. Acers Ultrabook S3 recently dropped from US $999 down to US $799, while Lenovo has dropped its pricing by 25% and HP by 21%.

In summary, we should see the remainder of these first-gen US $1000 Ultrabooks start hovering around the US $749-$799 bracket in attempts to help clear inventories before the next wave of Ivy Bridge equipped Ultrabooks arrive in the second quarter.

Source: Digitimes

Samsung Bada phones target 10 million in sales by 1H 2011

Many were skeptical about the Samsung Wavethat was running on the company's Bada open platform when it was first launched. Not to mention, if one were to compare it to Apple and Android phones, Bada has got a lot of catching up to do especially when it comes to the number of apps a user can download and use. However, it looks like the Bada smartphones (with the launch of the Samsung Wave II S8530 in October in Singapore) have exceeded everyone's expectation. As of end of November, the sales of Bada smartphones have exceeded five million.

In a recent developer conference, Samsung introduced the new Bada 2.0 platform and also announced its plan for the Bada smartphone next year. The company plans to break the 10 million sales figure by the first half of 2011. It would be a difficult task for Samsung if it were to rely on the current Bada 1.2, and therefore a newer version is necessary with improved features and performance. (Does this mean that Bada 2.0 update could get on the Samsung Wave and Wave II smartphones?)

Samsung's smartphones have done wellthis year, especially the Galaxy-series. But to depend on Bada and Android platforms to exceed Nokia next year 2011will still bean uphill task for the phone maker.

Source: imobile.com.cn

SiS656 Selected by AVL in DDR2-667 Memory Test Certification Platform

SiS today announced that its P4-supporting high-end and PCI Express-basedchipset SiS656 will be used by AVL (Advanced Validation Labs) in DDR2-667 memorytest certification platform, making it a key core logic chipset to provide AVLin DDR2-667 platform validation.

AVL is a technology services company specializing in the pre-production andpost-production testing and validation of memory to industries, includingmotherboard manufacturers, chip makers and DRAM fabricators. Products selectedby AVL as the strict certification platform means the superb compatibility andstability as well as the quality assurance and promise to end customers.

In continuity of the support in DDR2 DRAM, SiS656 platform has passed DDR2-533memory validation testing at AVL. As DDR2-667 is poised to become the industrysmainstream memory standard, SiS R&D team has been actively promoting this newtechnology in step with this trend. "The SiS656 chipsets lead and qualificationfor DDR2-667 memory specification underscore product quality and performance,and highlights SiS excellent technology and innovation in chipset design," LarryHo, Director of Technical Labs, Advanced Validation Labs. "AVLs readiness ofSiS656 as one of the standard platform for DDR2-667 certification testacknowledges SiS long-term commitment in achieving compatibility and stabilitybetween chipsets and memory products."

SiS656 has recently completed the co-validation for DDR2-667 memoryspecification with the three major international memory makers, Elpida, Micronand Samsung. Motherboards and computer systems equipped with SiS656 chipset willhave optimal high-speed memory compatibility and stability. Supporting PCIExpress, SiS656 is the perfect match for high-speed memory DDR2-667, whichsatisfies new-generation system requirements for high transfer rates, low powerconsumption and high memory capacity. The SiS656 chipsets outstanding designclearly demonstrates stability and maturity in SiS' technology development. Italso points up the close partnership between SiS and international memorymakers.

Nokia Asha, the handsets for the next billion

As for the new Symbian S40 6thEdition handsets announced today at Nokia World 2011, its clear that Nokia is pushing for a death of the "dumb phone" even though its hard to call the new Asha handsets smartphones, but they most definitely fall in the feature phone category. The four new models are the Asha 303, Asha 300, Asha 201 and Asha 200, of which three comes with a full QWERTY keypad.Apparently these handsets are intended for the developing markets, or for the "next billion" mobile users, according to Nokia.

Starting at the bottom, we have the Asha 200 and 201, which are more or less the same handset, although with some minor differences in terms of the internals. Neither model offers 3G connectivity with both limited to dual band GSM/EDGE. Both models sport a 2.4in QVGA (320x240) display, up to 64MB of internal storage memory, a micro SD card slot, a 2Megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, FM radio, a micro USB port and a 3.5mm headset jack. The main difference is that the Asha 200 is a dual SIM phone, but the neat thing here is that the second SIM can be swapped without having to restart the phone. The Asha 200s have a battery rated at 1,430mAh which is good for up to 35 days standby or 7h talk time. Both models will be available in eight different colours depending on the market, with the Asha 200 expected to launch this quarter with the Asha 201 set to follow in Q1 next year with an estimated retail price of €60 (S$105) excluding tax.

Next up we have the Asha 300 which looks a lot more like a traditional “dumb phone” but the looks are deceiving in this case. The Asha 300 features an unspecified 1GHz processor, a 2.4-inch QVGA (320x240) resistive touch screen and quad band 3G/HSPA connectivity. It also has 140MB of internal storage memory, a micro SD card slot, a 5Megapixel camera that will also shoot VGA resolution vide at 25fps, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, FM radio with RDS, a micro USB port with USB OTG support and a 3.5mm headset jack. Its also the first of two Symbian S40 devices from Nokia that will come with Angry Birds Lite pre-loaded. The Asha 300 will be available in six different colours and should arrive this quarter with a retail price of around €85 (S$150) excluding tax.

The fourth and final new handset is the Asha 303 which gets a slightly bigger capacitive 2.6-inch screen, but it retains the low QVGA (320x240) resolution. It too boosts an unspecified 1GHz processor, but the rest of the specs have been given a bump. It has 170MB of storage memory, pentaband 3G/HSPA support, a QWERTY keypad, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, a 3.2Megapixel camera, FM radio, a micro USB port with USB OTG support and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Nokia claims that the 1,300mAh battery should be good for up to 30 days standby in 2G mode or 35 days in 3G mode with up to eight and seven hours of talk time respectively. The Asha 303 will come in six different colours and it too should arrive later this quarter for about €115 (S$205), again excluding tax.

Source: Nokia