Presenting NextPowerUp, our sister tech-publication in the works, designed with a bigger canvas. TechPowerUp established itself as one of the top PC hardware publications thanks to our pursuit for quality reviews and relentless news delivery. We decided it was time to put these core ideals to use, in addressing the much larger consumer electronics and gadgets markets, without disturbing TechPowerUp's focus on PC enthusiast content, one of its hallmarks.

NextPowerUp is designed to keep you up to speed on the latest in over 20 markets (and growing), each with its own content channel, and editors hand-picked for them. These include Audio (personal, home, professional, concert), Business, Cinema (filming, production, exhibition), Desktops (pre-built desktop PCs), Displays (signage, projectors), Gadgets, Gaming (games, game development, gaming industry, consoles), Internet (the business of WWW), Networking (social networking), Notebooks (notebooks, Ultrabooks, netbooks), Phones (of all shapes and sizes), Photo & Video (cameras of all shapes and sizes), Politics (industry soap-opera), Robots (outside assembly lines), Science (popular science, space exploration), Software, Storage, Tablets, Televisions (TVs and technologies built around them), Transportation (wheels that don't run on fossil fuels), and Wireless (Cellular carriers, commercial WiFi).

Buffalo announced a pair of new powerline networking adapters under its HomePlug brand. These include the WPL-05G300 and PL-05H, which are sold as single-units, and sets of 2. The WPL-05G300 combines a 240 Mbps powerline network adapter with an 802.11 b/g/n (up to 300 Mbps) wireless router, which supports all common security standards. In addition to its common AC plug, it features two Ethernet ports, one of which can be wired to the internet connection link, and the other as a downstream gigabit Ethernet port. The internet connection (uplink) is shared between the downstream port, other nodes connected via powerline, and the wireless network.

The PL-05H, on the other hand, is a basic powerline adapter with one downstream port. Its powerline network controller supports up to 240 Mbps bandwdith. A single unit of the WPL-05G300 is priced at 8,925 JPY (US $113), a pack of two (WPL-05G300/2) goes for 16,485 JPY (US $209.6). The PL-05H, on the other hand, is priced at 5,565 JPY (US $70) a pop, a pack of two of these goes for 10,920 JPY (US $139).

In his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum, Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner said, "In the future, if it computes, it connects. From the simplest embedded sensors to the most advanced cloud datacenters, we're looking at techniques to allow all of them to connect without wires."

Rattner demonstrated for the first time a working, all-digital WiFi radio, dubbed a "Moore's Law Radio." The CTO explained that an all-digital radio follows Moore's Law by scaling in area and energy efficiency with such digital chip processes as Intel's latest 22nm tri-gate technology. System-on-chip designs for smartphones and tablet computers would be the most likely spot for the all digital radios to be integrated. The small size and lower cost of integrated digital radios will enable a host of new applications from wearable devices to "The Internet of Things" where devices such as home appliances with sensors can communicate with each other, exchange data and can be operated remotely.

IEEE, the world's largest professional organization advancing technology for humanity, today announced the approval of IEEE 802.3-2012 "Standard for Ethernet." IEEE 802.3 defines wired connectivity for Ethernet local area, access and metropolitan area networks around the world.

"'IEEE 802.3 technologies and the varied Ethernet networks that they enable are found everywhere, and the standard's application horizon continues to expand," said David Law, chair of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group and distinguished engineer with HP Networking. "When Ethernet networking was conceived in the 1970s and the IEEE 802.3 standard was first published in 1985, its founders could not possibly have foreseen the global transformation that their ideas and efforts would ultimately set into motion. The standard has helped spawn whole new business models, industries and ways of life. And that cycle of innovation continues today."

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender (XAUB2511). Using Powerline technology, the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender combines the ability to turn any outlet into an Internet connection, with the ability to play your music in any room in the home with an outlet.

The NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender enables you to stream music to speakers anywhere in the home from a smartphone, tablet (Apple iOS- and Android-supported) or Windows PC. Just choose music on your smartphone, tablet or Windows PC, select a remote speaker in your home connected to the NETGEAR Powerline Music Extender, and play it. For Macs and iOS devices, use the Airplay function to stream the music to your desired speaker. For PCs and Android devices, download an app for such capabilities.

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, announces today the availability of the 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapter Kit, model TPL-406E2K, which comes with two TPL-406E powerline adapters. These high performance 500 Mbps adapters are fifty percent smaller than the average 500 Mbps adapter.

New media center devices such as Internet televisions, digital video recorders (DVRs), receivers, and game consoles are capable of streaming large HD files directly from the Internet. TRENDnet's ground breaking TPL-406E2K connects all of these devices to the Internet using existing electrical lines.

Western Digital, the world's leader in external storage solutions and maker of the popular WD TV media player family, today unveils its first line of wireless home networking products, designed specifically to accelerate movies, video and gaming, delivering a premium high-definition entertainment experience. With the My Net family of powerful and easy-to-use home networking products, WD debuts its exclusive FasTrack technology that instantly detects entertainment traffic on the network and fast-forwards it to gaming consoles, media players, smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, computers and other Wi-Fi connected devices.

MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, announced today the world's first 1T1R 802.11ac dual-band concurrent Wi-Fi router and dongle solutions. MT7620 + MT7610E and MT7610U provide the mass market with 1T1R 802.11ac router and dongle to enable high quality data transmission, voice and video applications in connected homes. MediaTek will demonstrate its latest wireless technologies, connectivity devices and applications to its customers during Computex Taipei 2012.

MT7620 family integrates a 2T2R 802.11n Wi-Fi radio, a 600 MHz MIPS 24KEc CPU, 5p FE switch, 2xrGMII, USB, PCIe, SD-HC. The PCI Express interface will connect to 2nd Wi-Fi chipset for 11n 2x2 DBC router or to an 11ac chipset for 1x1 DBC 11ac routers. The high performance USB 2.0 allows MT7620 to add 3G/LTE support on a router or can add a UVC cam to enable the best cost/performance IP-Cam. And to support the wireless storage application, MT7620 supports NAND flash interface, SD-HC, USB 2.0 and storage accelerator for NAS, Wi-Fi HDD and Wi-Fi card reader. Audio interface I2S and PCM will enable wireless speaker and VoIP applications. MT7620 also steps up to the leading Hardware Network Address Translation (HNAT) milestone by supporting 2Gbps wired speed with IPv6 forwarding. The cost effective rGMII iNIC interface (2.4G or dual-band concurrent) can be utilized for cable, PON, xDSL and broadband wireless router.

MSI will be rolling out its latest generation of G Series gaming laptops, including the GT60, GT70, GE60, and GE70, June 5-9 at Booth L0810 on the fourth floor of TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall. Other notebook computers to be displayed include the U270 with AMD's latest Brazos 2.0 processor, the high performance, highly mobile U180 netbook, the CX70, CR70, CX61, CR61, and CR41--five multimedia laptops from the solid C Series. The slender and powerful MSI Slider S20 will also be there. Popular the world over, this ultimate in ultrabooks sports an 11.6-inch screen and classy looks. Tipping the scales at just 1.3 kilograms, it is less than 2 centimeters thin. What's more, the Slider ultrabook can be collapsed to give you the most powerful tablet in the world.

HP (NYSE: HPQ) today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2012. For the quarter, net revenue of $30.7 billion was down 3% year over year both as reported and when adjusted for the effects of currency.

GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.80, down 24% from the prior-year period. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.98, down 21% from the prior-year period. Second quarter non-GAAP earnings information excludes after-tax costs of $356 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, related to amortization of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, today announced that its Wi-Fi system-on-a-chip (SoC), the RT6856, has been incorporated into D-Link's latest Wi-Fi cloud routers. As a global leader in connectivity, D-Link will be shipping several new cloud routers this spring.

The MediaTek RT6856 Wi-Fi SoC contains a powerful 700 MHz MIPS 34KEc CPU core and dual PCI Express interfaces to simultaneously enable two Wi-Fi streams for "dual band concurrent" home networks providing high quality data, voice and video applications. This powerful SoC allows consumers to create two wireless networks both running at full bandwidth speeds, thus offering a significant increase in total network capacity.

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced the industry's first 100 Gbps full duplex network processor unit (NPU). Enabling the next wave of 100GbE optimized switches and routers for service provider networks, the fully programmable BCM88030 family features 64 custom processors running at 1GHz, delivering more than 2X the throughput of any NPU on the market. With the industry's highest level of integration, the BCM88030 solution eliminates costly external components, dramatically reducing system cost and power by up to 80 percent per 10 GbE port.

In 2012, the number of connected devices is set to exceed the world's population with an estimated 7 billion devices connected to the network(1). By 2015, 90 percent of content viewed on mobile devices will be streaming video and application downloads are expected to reach 47 billion per year(1). To satisfy this overwhelming appetite for bandwidth, service providers around the globe are racing to transform their networks by adopting higher bandwidth links. Analysts estimate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 170 percent from 2011 to 2016 for 100G Ethernet ports as service providers rush to meet this demand(2).

Super Micro Computer, Inc., a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology and green computing, today announced additions to its Ethernet switch product line with a pair of powerful new 52 port 1 Gigabit Ethernet switches. The SSE-G2252 and its companion SSE-G2252P are IEEE 802.3az compliant providing Energy Efficient Ethernet services and offer 1 GbE connectivity over 48x RJ45 ports and 4x SFP ports. The SSE-G2252P model is IEEE 802.3at compliant and supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), offering the most flexible power budget allocation in the industry.

Cisco today unveiled a new line of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers with app enabled capabilities for consumers to power and enjoy their connected homes of today and tomorrow. The three new Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers offer exceptional wireless performance and maximum throughput, as well as support for Cisco Connect Cloud, the next generation of Cisco Connect software, which provides simple anytime, anywhere management of multiple home networks. Cisco also announced it is working with top device manufacturers to simplify their networked products, (such as TVs, entertainment devices and home appliances) enabling new consumer experiences in the future.

"The proliferation of wireless devices and the explosion of video streaming have redefined the importance of the home network. Today's connected consumer has high expectations for reliability, simplicity, and software and apps that grow with them over time," said Brett Wingo, vice president and general manager, Cisco Home Networking. "Our new Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers are game-changing products that put intelligence into the home network so consumers have a platform that makes it easy to manage and optimize their devices, and enjoy apps that deliver great new experiences."

NEC and Access Technica launched a trio of 802.11n 450 Mbps-capable wireless networking products, including the Aterm WL450NU-AG, the Aterm WR9500N, and Aterm WR9300N. The star product here is the Aterm WL450NU-AG, an 802.11n USB network adapter that's capable of 450 Mbps over the 5 GHz band, and other speeds over 2.4 GHz band. Measuring 28 x 85 x 15 mm, this adapter includes an easy network configuration utility called "Easy Start". It is priced at 6,000 JPY (US $73).

Moving on, the Aterm WR9500N is a bundle of an 802.11n/a/b/g-compliant wireless router that's capable of 5/2.4 GHz dual-band operation, and the Aterm WL450NU-AG. It is priced at 10,000 JPY (US $121). The Aterm WR9300N, on the other hand, is a bundle of an 802.11n/a/b/g-compliant router that's only capable of the 2.4 GHz band, and includes the Aterm WL450NU-AG. This one goes for a little lesser. All three products reach stores this week.

MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, today announced availability of its MT7650, the world's first and only 802.11ac plus Bluetooth 4.0+HS combo chip designed for mobile consumer platforms. The MediaTek MT7650 combines the latest IEEE 802.11ac technology, Bluetooth 4.0 LE functionality, and the company's unprecedented Wi-Fi/Bluetooth coexistence algorithm onto a single die to support high quality voice, data and video transmissions up to 433 Mbps, while enabling ultra low power Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity with health, fitness and other sensors. Moreover, with the complete 802.11ac system (MAC/Baseband/Radio) integrated, customers adopting the MediaTek MT7650 also benefit from easier implementation, faster time to market and reduced manufacturing costs.

The MediaTek MT7650 is compliant with the new 802.11ac standard and leverages the strengths of MediaTek's industry leading Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth combo chip technologies that are currently shipping in laptops and smartphones. It dramatically improves user experience with 2.8x data rate increase from 150Mbps of single stream 802.11n. This highly integrated chip supports dual band 2.4/5GHz configuration with 80 MHz channel bandwidth, 256-QAM modulation scheme for increased data transfer efficiency, receive beam forming for extended range and capacity, and Space-Time Block Codes (STBC) coding technologies for better wireless coverage. This chip also supports Wi-Fi Display, Wi-Fi Direct and TDLS for full peer-to-peer functionalities between mobile and home consumer products.

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of the IES8100POEGB - an 8-port IEEE Power over Ethernet switch capable of delivering up to 15.4 Watts of power, as well as network data, to up to 8 PoE-compliant devices - double the capability of most IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet switches to date. The switch can be used as a PSE (Power Sourcing Equipment), eliminating the need for peripheral power supplies for end-point powered network devices such as IP phones, wireless access points and video cameras.

The new PoE switch features a compact, yet rugged metal design that makes it suitable for industrial environments and other applications that require durable equipment. The switch can be used with existing network wiring (Cat5, Cat5e or Cat6), making it easy to situate without having to re-run network cables.

Today, Intel announced the Intel Ethernet Controller X540, the industry's first fully integrated 10GBASE-T controller. This space-saving single-chip solution delivers outstanding performance for low-cost, low-power LAN on motherboard (LOM) and Converged Network Adapter (CNA) designs. The Intel Ethernet Controller X540 will help drive broader 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) adoption by providing connections that are backward-compatible with existing Gigabit Ethernet networks. Like other Intel Ethernet 10 Gigabit products, the Intel Ethernet Controller X540 features advanced I/O virtualization, supports Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and takes advantage of platform I/O enhancements in the Intel Xeon processor E5 family.

NEC Corporation of America (NEC), a leading provider of innovative IT, communications, and biometrics solutions, today announced the launch of NEC's new generation of servers based on the new Intel Xeon E5-2600 product family supporting ProgrammableFlow networking.

The new generation of Express5800 E5 Generation Series servers will benefit from the performance boost and energy-efficiency of the new Intel Xeon processor E5 family combined with NEC's own innovations for higher manageability, energy efficiency and higher scalability. Combined with NEC's new ProgrammableFlow support, these new features will become an important factor to help accelerate cloud computing by maximizing the effectiveness of operational expenditure, especially business critical applications and database consolidation at corporate data centers. The Express5800/R120d-2M and R120d-1M family of platforms will be powered by these innovative features.

Qualcomm Atheros Inc., the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), announced today the launch of its 802.11ac Wi-Fi ecosystem. With the growing number of devices and bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications placing greater demands on wireless networks, 802.11ac-the newest chapter in the Wi-Fi technology evolution-expands performance and coverage to enable HD video-grade connectivity across increasingly crowded networks. Qualcomm's portfolio of 802.11ac products target mobile, home and office networking, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops, televisions, home routers, gateways and enterprise access points. Qualcomm is introducing its multi-channel portfolio to enable end-to-end 802.11ac performance benefits to speed adoption of the new Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking technology.

"Qualcomm Atheros is enabling a client-to-infrastructure 802.11ac ecosystem by combining its Wi-Fi expertise across virtually all segments with Qualcomm's position in mobile channels," said Craig Barratt, president, Qualcomm Atheros. "By enabling client devices, such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks, with easy migration from 802.11n to 802.11ac, Qualcomm Atheros is paving the way for rapid adoption of products based on the new Wi-Fi standard. This should provide for a smooth, full-scale transition to Gigabit-capable Wi-Fi networking within the next two years."

Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking, today announced a suite of Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline solutions that allow consumers to use their home network by using their existing home electrical wiring. The HomePlug AV Powerline standard provides speeds of up to 200 Mbps* to bring streaming video, gaming, and other data-intensive applications to computers, tablets, consoles, televisions and other Ethernet-enabled devices.

"Cisco's Linksys products set the standard for great home networking experiences with their ease of use and outstanding performance," said Scott Kabat, director of marketing, Cisco Home Networking business unit. "Our new Powerline products deliver on this promise. Just plug them in, and they start working."

TrendNet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, announces today from 2012 International CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapter, model TPL-406E, and the 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapter Kit, model TPL-406E2K, which comes with two TPL-406E adapters. These high performance 500 Mbps adapters come in the smallest form factor to date.

New media center devices such as Internet televisions, network video recorders (NVRs), receivers, and game consoles are now network ready-meaning they are capable of streaming large HD files directly from the Internet. TRENDnet's ground breaking 500 Mbps Compact Powerline AV Adapters connect media center devices and computers to the Internet using existing electrical lines.

Broadcom Corporation, a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced its first family of 802.11ac (5G WiFi) chips designed for a broad range of product segments. The new IEEE 802.11ac chips are three times faster and up to six times more power efficient than equivalent 802.11n solutions. Visit Experience Broadcom @ CES for more news, blogs and multi-media from CES and www.5GWiFi.org for more information on consumer advantages of 802.11ac.

5G WiFi is the next generation Wi-Fi standard required for today's mobile and video era. Based on 802.11ac, 5G WiFi is a major evolutionary step from the existing 802.11a/b/g/n networks. Broadcom's 5G WiFi dramatically improves the wireless range in the home, allowing consumers to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously. The increased speed enables consumers to download web content from a mobile device faster and quickly synch large files, such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device. Since 5G WiFi transfers the same volume of data at a much faster rate, devices enter low-power mode faster, which results in significant power consumption advantages.

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of the (SKU: ST1000SPEXD2) Low Profile Dual Port PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Network Card - a PCI Express Network Adapter Card that supports high performance, dual-channel networking and maximum data transfer speeds of 1000 Mbps in each direction (2000 Mbps total) - up to 10 times faster than 10/100 Ethernet.

The network card is ideal for adding two separate Gigabit network ports to any PCI Express-enabled client, server or workstation, which enables the host system to connect to two networks simultaneously. The network card features a low profile design that makes it suitable for small form factor computers (servers, desktops), and includes an optional full profile bracket for installation in full-sized computer systems and larger servers.

Thecus is well known in the market for always putting innovative hardware and state of the art technology on the table for a fair price in order to guarantee our customers the best value. Thecus's new N4100EVO NAS offer a broad range of advanced features and differentiate themselves with low-energy hardware for those who place strong value on cutting down their electricity costs and carbon footprint. This cost-effective hardware is the first four-bay NAS on the market to feature the speedy and efficient dual-core Cavium CPU to get the quick transfer speeds necessary for large backups and heavy use. The N4100EVO is designed to change the way you run your office, at home or at work.