Futuremark rolled out a major update to its 3DMark (2013) graphics benchmark suite. Version 1.2.250 introduces "Ice Storm Unlimited" to the Windows version, letting you test Ice Storm at its maximum setting, and compare scores with iOS and Android devices. The suite also overhauled its hardware detection, and uses a detection engine developed by TechPowerUp. Hardware monitoring graphs will show clock speeds and temperatures of GPUs and CPUs again.DOWNLOAD: Futuremark 3DMark v1.2.250

The N2310, the latest entry level home and small office NAS from Thecus, is now available in North America. The N2310 provides fast, safe and reliable file storage for homes and small offices, all while consuming only 5W.

The N2310 is packed with useful features. Support for RAID storage (0, 1, and JBOD) offers speed and reliability. Web-based file access allows users to manage and access their files from anywhere, even another country. There's also a built-in FTP server to distribute and share files. The BitTorrent client lets the N2310 handle downloads by itself, saving power and freeing up resources on PCs. There's also Plex Media support, allowing users to manage and stream their media to devices such as the Xbox 360, as well as mobile devices.

Attitude One is launching their first line of lifestyle audio products. First out is the stylish and comfortable street headphones, Almaz with premium sound and design which separates you from the rest. The Almaz headphones are bundled with a voice communication adapter which turns it into a headset and a large pack of premium cables for easy connection to cellphones, stereo and pc. Almaz is available in 6 different colors: Black, Blue, Green, Pink, White and Orange and will be available in stores November 2013.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, announced its second-generation smart displays today.
The 24" (23.8" Vis.) VSD241 is a self-contained Android 4.2 Jelly Bean-based smart display which delivers blazing fast performance, courtesy of an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, making it perfect for local Android apps and cloud-based computing.

Paired with a 2 MP webcam with integrated microphone for video conferencing, and built-in speakers, this dual-point optical touch screen display is ideal for commercial vertical markets such as signage, point of information, and kiosks for interactive applications in enterprise, SMB, education, POS, hospitality and more.

ROCCAT's highly acclaimed Power-Grid app is now available to the public for free download as the software reaches its open beta phase. The game-changing software consists of a smartphone app, which runs on iOS and Android devices, and accompanying host software, which runs on Windows. This technology is used to turn the smartphone into a sophisticated, fully customizable remote control for the PC, extending the environment of the gamer onto their smartphone.

Power-Grid features countless preset Grids and Controls that offer functionality ranging from adjusting Windows settings to executing in-game macro sequences in popular games such as StarCraft II and League of Legends. The software also provides gamers with the ability to create their own extensively configurable Grids and Controls, allowing them to cater to their own specific needs and desires.

Synology America Corp. is adding two new DiskStations to their SOHO/SMB product line; the DS114, and DS414. Each NAS is optimized for business. Both make remote access and file sharing fast and convenient; whether in, or out of the office.

Combined with Synology's award winning DiskStation Manager 4.3 (DSM 4.3), the DS114, and the DS414 offer a wealth of productivity enhancing features such as:

• Cloud Station with selective sync - Keep files, file-types, and folders in sync across all of your devices
• 256-bit AES encryption on shared folders - Helps keep private data private
• VPN server (and client) - Enables the creation of secure connections between networks
• File Station folder link sharing - easily share data without having to set up custom permissions
• iOS, Android, and now Windows Phone support - for convenient remote access

Multimode computing leader Lenovo, today announced the Lenovo A10, an affordable, ultra-portable, dual-mode laptop and the company's first to run on Android 4.2 OS. Weighing less than 1kg and measuring just 17.3mm at its thickest point, the Lenovo A10 is an ideal companion for users on the go, providing easy access to a wide range of apps on a unique, dual-mode platform, which enhances the user experience for entertainment and Web browsing as well as productivity.

"In laptop mode," users can take advantage of the A10's unique, Lenovo-customized user interface, which provides an app launcher, task bar and status bar for quick, intuitive access to the app library and desktop, as well as convenient multitasking and app switching. File manager software, also included with the Lenovo customized OS, makes it easy to locate and manage a library of documents, videos and music. In laptop mode, the device offers a full-size ergonomic, AccuType keyboard for safe, comfortable use.

At a time when the mobile phone has become a daily necessity and smartphone addicts are everywhere on the street, smartphones and tablets now form part of human life, whether for work or for entertainment. As the scope of applications for smartphones and tablets expand, insufficient storage space or low data transfer speed have become an annoying trouble for consumers. After hearing your needs, Team Group specially developed the Mobile USB storage series. The newest M132 UFD is equipped with dual interfaces for smartphones and tablets supporting the OTG function. The lightweight style from the COB package and the steady black tone as its cover are the shared features of all mobile devices.

To ensure broader and more convenient applications, M132 of the Team Mobile UFD series is equipped with Micro USB and USB3.0 interfaces for mobile devices supporting OTG. The Micro USB allows users to store multi-media files and documents from an Android-based mobile device in the M132 or to directly browse data and files that have been stored in the M132. More importantly, the transfer speed of Micro USB is much faster than the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Besides saving on mobile network fees, you can get rid of the hotspot restrictions to freely enjoy the fun and convenience of true mobile life. The M132 is also a high-speed UFD equipped with USB3.0, with a read/write speed of 85 MB/s and 20 MB/s, respectively, enabling you to easily access multi-media files and documents to and from a PC.

Measuring just 14.4x7cm and 9mm thin, the pocket-sized server is evolved from the WG-C10, now adding even more possibilities to manage all your content while you're on the move or at home. Styled to match the latest Xperia smartphone, it's also a great companion for other phone and tablet users. Slip in an SD memory card and use the WG-C20 to view and share all those photos, videos and MP3 music? even office documents and other PC files. For even more storage capacity, hook up USB devices like a flash memory, digital camera or portable hard drive1.

It's the first Portable Wireless Server from Sony that supports NFC for fuss-free wireless connection. Just touch your Xperia or other NFC-equipped mobile device briefly against the WG-C20: the app wakes up and automatically makes a direct Wi-Fi connection with no fiddly set-up codes. Then enjoy wireless streaming of photos and movie clips from the server onto your smartphone. With support for DLNA, the WG-C20 is just like a mini home media server. Stream stored video, photos and music to your TV, hi-fi, PCs, tablets and other networked DLNA client devices around the house - with no cables needed. You can also hook up an external hard drive via USB cable and share the contents.

ASUS today showcased two new Transformer Book ultraportables at an ASUS product launch event during Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2013. The event was hosted by ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih and featured special guest Tom Kilroy, Intel Vice President. Transformer Book T100, and Transformer Book Trio are the latest models in a wide range of mobile and desktop computers from ASUS that will transform your expectations about technology. "The ASUS Transformer Book T100 is the perfect transformation of the Eee PC with full compatibility, detachable touch screen, immersive entertainment and enough battery for all-day computing," said ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih. "It is truly a game-changer for our mobile lifestyle."

The ASUS Transformer Book T100 and Transformer Book Trio both feature a two-part dockable design that combines the productivity features of a laptop with the portability of a tablet and the flexibility to switch between the two in an instant. Transformer Book Trio goes further still, with a keyboard dock that packs its own processor, so it can be used as a self-contained desktop PC when its display is detached for use as a tablet.

ASUS today announced the new Transformer Pad TF701T, a 10.1-inch Android tablet with a stunning 2560 x 1600 IPS display, the latest high-performance NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor and a lightweight Mobile Dock with USB 3.0.

The new ASUS Transformer Pad is perfect for on-the-go entertainment, thanks to a durable metallic design that's just 8.9mm thick and weighs 585g. A high-quality speaker with ASUS SonicMaster audio technology gives loud, clear sound for music, movies and games, while the 17-hour battery life when docked means the new ASUS Transformer Pad lasts for two full working days between charges.

ASUS today announced Transformer Book Trio, a new breed of ultraportable device with a two-part dockable design that can be used by one person as a laptop, or by two people as a separate tablet and desktop PC. With the ability to switch between Windows 8 and Android at the press of a button, Transformer Book Trio offers unmatched three-in-one flexibility for users who want the best of all mobile worlds.

Dual processors and dual operating systems
ASUS Transformer Book Trio features a sleek and durable metallic design, and is powered by a 4th generation Intel Core processor for seamless multi-tasking performance and outstanding energy efficiency in Windows 8 laptop mode. When it's time for entertainment to take over from productivity, the 11.6-inch display detaches from the 'PC Station' keyboard dock for use as a multi-touch Android tablet with its own Intel Atom dual-core processor and up to 64 GB of solid-state storage.

The Khronos Group today announced the ratification and public release of the OpenCL 2.0 provisional specification. OpenCL 2.0 is a significant evolution of the open, royalty-free standard that is designed to further simplify cross-platform, parallel programming while enabling a significantly richer range of algorithms and programming patterns to be easily accelerated. As the foundation for these increased capabilities, OpenCL 2.0 defines an enhanced execution model and a subset of the C11 and C++11 memory model, synchronization and atomic operations. The release of the specification in provisional form is to enable developers and implementers to provide feedback before specification finalization, which is expected within 6 months. The OpenCL 2.0 provisional specification and reference cards are available here.

"The OpenCL working group has combined developer feedback with emerging hardware capabilities to create a state-of-the-art parallel programming platform - OpenCL 2.0," said Neil Trevett, chair of the OpenCL working group, president of the Khronos Group and vice president of mobile content at NVIDIA. "OpenCL continues to gather momentum on both desktop and mobile devices. In addition to enabling application developers it is providing foundational, portable acceleration for middleware libraries, engines and higher-level programming languages that need to take advantage of heterogeneous compute resources including CPUs, GPUs, DSPs and FPGAs."

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced the launch of its LinkStation 400 Series of high performance network storage devices. Ideal for the novice to the tech enthusiast, the LinkStation 400 Series provides secure central storage and backup and offers an assortment of features, enabling consumers to organize and protect content, stream their favorite media and access files from any computer, smartphone and tablet device, at home or on the road.

Buffalo's LinkStation 400 Series provides up to 8 TB of ultra-fast shared storage and backup for all PC and Mac computers on a home network. Simply connect it to a wireless router for high capacity centralized storage and backup. Equipped with a high performance processor, the LinkStation 400 Series boasts transfer speeds up to 100 MB/s, nearly three times as fast as a standard NAS device. Additionally, it is DLNA Certified, it can be used as an iTunes server and it features an integrated BitTorrent Client for simplified media storage and streaming, and P2P sharing. While on the go, Buffalo's WebAccess service allows users to create a free personal cloud for easy remote access over the Internet, and even on smartphone and tablet devices. The LinkStation 400 Series allows users to back up multiple computers simultaneously and enjoy uninterrupted access to terabytes of storage anytime, anywhere.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced today the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R Wireless GamePad for mobile and smart devices expected to launch Summer 2013. "Smart devices have made considerable inroads in delivering all forms of entertainment including music, movies, books, social media, and games. Mobile gaming is a vibrant and exciting space and we don't see controller-based games replacing touch screen games, we expect them to enhance and enlarge the smart device gaming experience to include the living room experience. The C.T.R.L.R delivers the performance, interface modes, and connectivity to deliver a console-quality experience from the broadest range of mobile and smart devices," said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. "We believe the C.T.R.L.R with proprietary GameSmart technology fits perfectly with our long-term strategy of designing innovative products for passionate gamers."

QNAP, Inc a global network attached storage (NAS) company announced the release of the new TS-x70 series NAS featuring an Intel i3 CPU with the latest QTS 4.0 OS with powerful storage backup, capability to stream with on the fly transcoding, integrated XBMC v12, and local video playback up to 4K resolution. In addition QNAP also unveils new powerful storage applications such as the developer's platform (App Center), innovative digital signage web server, and capacity expansion solutions by scale up and scale out.

In its 33rd year and as Asia's largest B2B (Business to Business) computer exhibition, COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2013 is kicking off on June 4. Today, the winning list of Best Choice Award, the official award of COMPUTEX TAIPEI, is unveiled. MSI's Z87-GD65 GAMING motherboard and Funtoro HD MOD (Media on Demand) vehicle infotainment system have proudly stood out from over 400 competitions. The only Golden Award winner in the IC & Components category, the Z87-GD65 GAMING motherboard literally sparkles in every way and proves MSI to be a true pioneer of mid-range/high-end motherboards.

The Best Choice Award has always focused on Functionality, Innovation and Market Potential as the main judging guideline. Bringing the Z87-GD65 GAMING to global gaming enthusiasts' attention, the Best Choice Golden Award also highlights the industrial and official affirmation toward MSI's technical innovation and design capabilities. Specifically designed for operators and passengers of long-distance coaches and high-end tour buses, the HD MOD System integrates infotainment and telematics in one pack and is clearly the top choice for multimedia entertainment on mass transportation.

HP today announced the HP SlateBook x2 and the HP Split x2, two detachable PCs that offer the full functionality of a notebook with a removable screen that also is a sleek tablet. Powered by the Android and Microsoft Windows 8 operating systems (OS), respectively, these versatile two-in-one devices combine power and portability, giving customers the flexibility to create, consume and share content in more places.

HP's unmatched portfolio of next-generation PCs is designed to enable users to connect with their information on devices that easily adapt to their needs. By releasing the magnetic hinge, users can move elegantly between the two form factors -- tablet and notebook PC -- all in one device.

D-Link today expanded its line of award-winning Cloud Routers with the availability of the Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router (DIR-850L), offering next-generation wireless speeds for seamless HD video streaming, online gaming and file sharing.

The Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Cloud Router delivers concurrent wireless dual band speeds of up to 300 and 867Mbps, eliminating Wi-Fi interference for faster and more reliable Internet. The router is also backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n devices for seamless connectivity.

Synology today released the official version of DiskStation Manager (DSM) 4.2. "Synology has once again pushed the possibilities of NAS servers to new dimensions by releasing DSM 4.2," said Vic Hsu, CEO of Synology Inc. "It helps businesses achieve agility as well as productivity in big data storage, and reshapes users' multimedia experience with a suite of advanced features." DSM 4.2 delivers:

DSM 4.2 features LUN Snapshot and Clone to provide up to 256 snapshots per LUN and near-instant duplication of virtual copies of a LUN, with no impact on system performance and minimal extra storage space. Synology High Availability (SHA) now supports more DiskStation/RackStation, and together with Global hot spare disks, ensures business continuity across enterprise and SMB environments. Two-step verification reinforces security with a pre-defined password and a one-time six-digit code.

Futuremark released the newest installment to its 3DMark franchise. It's the first 3DMark to lack a version name, making it a "reboot" of sorts. For starters, the new 3DMark is a collection of three independent benchmark suites, each with its own demos, game tests, physics tests, and combined tests, and scoring.

Among the three suits are "Ice Storm," designed for tablets, mobile devices, and entry-level desktops, which needs nothing more than a DirectX 9.0c GPU to get going; "Cloud Gate," for notebook and home desktops, which needs a DirectX 10 feature-level GPU; and "Fire Strike," an over-the-top suite designed for today's gaming desktops, which can make even the fastest graphics cards sweat (for example, our GTX 680 in the screenshots below). The physics tests of each of these can benefit from having multiple cores and advanced instruction sets. TechPowerUp is a premier launch partner, hosting downloads on behalf of Futuremark. Grab yours below.DOWNLOAD: 3DMark (2013)

EVGA released an Android version of the EVGA Social app. Its iOS version was launched a couple of weeks ago. The app is a one-stop solution to engage in the enthusiast PC hardware maker's community activity, be it the forums, or social media pages, promos, or its game server browser. It is designed more for smartphones than tablets. Find it on Google Play here.

Panasonic, an industry leader in rugged, reliable mobile computers since 1996, today expanded its Toughpad line of enterprise-grade tablets with the introduction of the Toughpad FZ-G1, a 10" tablet featuring Windows 8 Pro, and the availability of the Toughpad JT-B1, a 7" Android-powered unit. Both devices follow the original 10" Android-powered Toughpad FZ-A1 which became broadly available late last year. With the Toughpad (#Toughpad) family of ruggedized tablets, businesses and government institutions have a single partner delivering a selection of highly reliable and purpose-built devices ideal for numerous operational needs.

"For nearly 20 years, Panasonic has engineered the most reliable mobile computing devices on the market," said Rance M. Poehler, president, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. "Because our customers know they can count on our products to deliver performance and return on investment, Panasonic - through its Toughbook brand - holds nearly 80 percent market share in the rugged mobile device space. We believe our engineering acumen, vertical market expertise and reputation for reliability, backed by our world-class service, will result in the Toughpad family being the leading B2B tablet solution in the coming years."

One Laptop per Child Association (OLPCA), the world-renowned project to provide a modern education to children through a connected computing device, announced today that it will introduce at CES three new products. OLPCA will unveil for the first time the XO Learning System, an Android compatible software suite for child-centric learning, which is available by license to computer manufacturers, governments, NGOs and content providers such as book publishers. Tablets under such a license will be called the XO Tablet, the second product announcement. Third, OLPCA will show the fourth generation of its iconic green and white laptop with both a keyboard and a multi-touch screen using Neonode technology.

Every child has dreams and XO Learning directs the child's passion, creativity and energy for these dreams into a new user interface that has 12 dreams. Such dreams include "I want to be" an artist, a musician and a scientist. Each dream features a rich learning experience and applications, books, games and videos that allow children ages 3 to 12 to naturally explore their dreams and learn at the same time.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, today unveiled its innovative smart display product family, adding the 24" VSD240 to the recently launched 22" (21.5" Vis.) VSD220.

Aimed at changing the way people compute, the VSD240 integrates a 24" (23.6" Vis.) 1920x1080 Full HD LED screen with the quad-core, 1.7Ghz processer from nVIDIA and an Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" operating system, delivering a lightning fast and silky smooth computing experience.