Asian graphics card vendor Colorful is at it again with its innovative board designs. This time, the company is after a GeForce GTX 560 Ti (GF114-based) graphics card that boasts of very strong power delivery, and a few mysterious expansion options. Colorful's emphasis has always been on PCB design and choice of high-grade components. This particular card, most likely called the Colorful GTX 560 Ti iGame, is no exception to that. The PCB is particularly long (as much as a GF110-based board).

The additional length is put to use by an innovative arrangement of VRM phases in two rows of four phases. This card employs high-grade chokes with driver-MOSFETs (a component that integrates up/down MOSFETs and driver IC into a single compact package). This 8-phase VRM draws power from three 6-pin power connectors, and can deliver 300W of power to help with record-seeking overclocking feats. There are consolidated voltage measurement points to help manually measure voltages.

Seagate Technology plc today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. The company shipped 51 million disk drives and reported revenue of $2.8 billion, gross margin of 19.5%, net income of $140 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.32. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes the net impact of certain items, Seagate reported net income of $146 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.34 for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. For a detailed reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP results, see accompanying financial tables.

Additionally, Seagate returned $75 million to shareholders in the form of a dividend and repurchased $128 million of ordinary shares during the first fiscal quarter.

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, today announced the Samsung Series 7 All-In-One PC, an elegant, streamlined and easy-to-use desktop computer. By combining Samsung's powerful technology with a sleek, minimalist design profile, the Series 7 All-In-One PC offers a top-of-the-line computing experience in a sophisticated, clutter-free package. Additionally, the elegant touch screen monitor capitalizes on Samsung's renowned television technology, offering users a TV-quality experience on their PC.

"Samsung's new all-in-one PC provides all of the benefits of a full-sized desktop computer without the cumbersome tower and wires often associated with that form factor," said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "It's an ideal choice for consumers looking to upgrade their PC, as it will provide them with the latest technology while freeing up valuable desk space in their home or office setup."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun operations of its new Line-16 memory semiconductor fabrication facility, which will provide the industry's largest production capacity. It also announced the start of mass production of the industry's first double data rate-3 (DDR3) dynamic random access memory (DRAM) based on 20 nanometer (nm) class process technology, which offers significant improvements to productivity and reduces energy consumption. The announcements were made during a ceremony at Samsung's Nano City Complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where the new Line-16 is located.

Receiving the first wafer from the new memory line, Samsung Electronics Chairman Kun-hee Lee said: "The global semiconductor industry is in a period of fierce cyclical volatility, so the opening of this new memory fab and the start of mass production of the world's first 20nm-class DRAM are important milestones to reinforce Samsung's industry leadership."
"We must prepare for an intensifying storm in the semiconductor industry by further enhancing our technological capabilities and expertise in order to maintain our leadership position," he said.

Ok, let's get what's sort of good-ish about this netbook out of the way: the Pixel Qi's screen allows it be viewed easily in bright sunlight, which seems great - if you don't mind washed out colours and poor contrast under normal room conditions. The bad? Everything else. This Netbook isn't even made by Sol Computers. It turns out to be just a rebadged, refurbished Samsung netbook with a Pixel Qi panel in it. And get this: Sol Computer doesn't even hide the Samsung logo under the screen proving this is just a repackaged netbook, yet, it costs a hefty $749.00! Yes, Sol Computers' sole achievement is to have made something that is both cheap and overpriced. Amazing. Now, their Tablet PC is even worse: it's a rebranded "Alibaba special" i.e. generic Chinese tablet that doesn't even appear to support multitouch interface - yet it costs a staggering $1,099.00. It costs more than a high-end Macbook. I do wonder who their target market is for these products.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed double data rate-3 (DDR3) registered dual inline memory modules (RDIMMs) designed for use in low-power enterprise server systems at a 1.25 voltage.

Utilizing four gigabit (Gb) DDR3 components based on 30 nanometer (nm) class process technology, Samsung's new DDR3 modules deliver greener memory solutions for servers than conventional 1.5 volts alternatives or the previous leading-edge 1.35V version, while providing higher performance.

Samsung Electronics unveiled a new portable DVD writer drive that can be networked, and wireless at that. The Samsung SE-20BW can join your wireless network, or start one by working as a wireless access point (AP). As an access point, it can be used as a standalone NAS to serve data on optical discs to your PC, smartphone, and tablet. There's a USB 2.0 port that takes in an additional USB mass storage device, such as a portable hard drive or USB flash drive, and lets you share it along with the optical disc over the wireless network. The drive can stream DVDs to all DLNA-compliant consumer electronics device, such as HDTVs.

As an optical drive, the Samsung SE-20BW reads DVDs and CDs at 24X speed. It writes DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-R discs at 8X. DVD-RW, double-layer DVD+R and double-layer DVD-R discs are written at 6X. DVD-RAM discs are written at 5X. CDs are written at 24X. Measuring 140 x 21.5 x 200 mm, this network-attached optical drive is quite pocketable, if it isn't for the power adapter it lugs. Market release is expected in early 2012.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new slim portable Blu-ray Writer, the SE-506AB optical disk drive (ODD).

SE-506AB features a slim and sleek design with a hi-glossy anti-scratch surface. It is 12 percent smaller than Samsung's conventional Blu-ray drive to accommodate today's hectic mobile lifestyle. The slim form factor is also supported with a USB power interface that eliminates the need for a separate electrical outlet.

Samsung launched a new PC monitor targeting 3D gaming (as in gaming with stereo 3D). The SyncMaster S27A750D is a 27-inch LED-backlit LCD monitor that is geared for stereo 3D, thanks to support for 120 Hz refresh rate. The display boasts a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, with 2 ms (GTG) response time. Other panel specifications include 10,000,000:1 Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio, 1,000:1 static contrast ratio, and 300 cd/m² brightness.

The SyncMaster S27A750D is equipped with ambient light sensors to adjust brightness accordingly, and a motion sensor that detects if the user is away, so it can dim down the panel and save power in the process. Display inputs include HDMI and DisplayPort. A pair of 3D shutter glasses come bundled. The SyncMaster S27A750D is priced at €518, on pre-order.

Samsung Electronics unveiled three new high-resolution desktop displays under its Professional Series 3 family, the S27A850, S24A650, S24A350T. The 27-inch S27A850 is targeted at the professional media industry, it provides the benefits of 100% sRGB colorspace coverage, LED-backlighting, and more importantly, a native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Its panel provides viewing angles of 178 degrees, horizontally and vertically. The S24A650 and S24A350T are 24-inch screens, with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. The two are capable of 3000:1 static contrast ratio, and are equipped with Samsung's Eco Saving features that reduce power consumption by up to 50%. Pricing of these three displays are unclear at this point.

HP surprised many last week, when it announced its move to spin off its PC products division, which sells all HP-branded PC products. That sparked off speculation about which company will acquire it. There are feelers in the industry, particularly in Taiwan, which houses several OEMs, that Samsung could be in the run for acquiring HP's PC business. The Korean conglomerate deals with the IT and consumer electronics industries under the Samsung Electronics company. Samsung is reported to have contacted Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics and Pegatron Technology, major Taiwan-based OEMs of notebooks, to evaluate the possibility of outsourcing notebook orders.

Samsung manufactures its notebooks though OEMs in mainland China, and had in older occasions, contacted Taiwan-based OEMs for outsourcing manufacturing, without any result. The move to contact them now is fueling speculation that Samsung is planning to expand its PC business in a big way. Sources note that Taiwan's notebook manufacturing industry is unmatched worldwide, in terms of cost control and production efficiency. If Samsung takes over HP's PC department, HP's over 40 million PC shipment volume will still need to depend on Taiwan OEMs. However, related suppliers of components such as panel, memory and battery may be affected as Samsung has a rather strong vertical integration supply chain.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced the development of 32 gigabyte (GB) double data rate-3 (DDR3) registered dual Inline memory modules (RDIMMs) that use three dimensional (3D) through silicon via (TSV) package technology.

Samsung's advanced 30 nanometer (nm) class technology leverages module performance and power features to deliver a substantially greener memory solution than the preceding 40nm-class based modules. Engineering samples have been released for evaluation.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, announced today volume production of SSDs (solid state drives) that support the Serial ATA Revision 3.0 interface with data transmissions at six gigabits per second (6Gb/s). The new high-performance PM830 SSDs are available at up to 512 gigabyte (GB) densities.

Samsung's new high-speed SSDs are ideally suited for use in high-performance OEM notebooks and tablets. Sample production of the SATA 6 Gb/s 512 GB SSDs began in May, with volume production initiated earlier this month. The new drives are expected to replace SATA 3 Gb/s-based SSDs by year-end.

Last week at Cisco Live in Las Vegas, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., unveiled the world's first zero client monitor using Cisco Universal Power Over Ethernet (UPOE) technology, heralding a new era of virtual desktops that will help businesses conserve energy and reduce cost and complexity. The Samsung NC220 monitor with Cisco UPOE powers and connects individual monitors via the network to a "virtualized" central server that executes all tasks and applications, offering businesses a flexible and convenient cloud computing alternative to the traditional workstation setup.

Samsung designed the NC220 with its new LED BLU technology, which offers bright and clear pictures on an ultra-slim, eco-friendly design-and markedly reduces energy consumption when compared with conventional CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) monitors. Such innovations have allowed Samsung to remain the undisputed global leader in monitors for 19 straight quarters, according to a recent report from market research firm IDC.

Samsung is launching a new SSD 470 package with greatly enhanced user convenience features compared to the existing SSD 470 series. This July, all Samsung 470 Series SSDs will include a full copy of Norton Ghost 15.0 to greatly reduce the frustration of data migration, backup, and recovery. While the physical installation of the drive is trivial to many users, the tedious process of installing the OS, running OS updates, installing patches, reinstalling software, setting up user preferences, and migrating old data is frustrating and time-consuming. With the inclusion of Norton Ghost 15.0, the time it takes to migrate to a new SSD is reduced by up to 75 percent, meaning your new drive can be up and running in under an hour instead of nearly four.

Gigabyte is constantly revising designs of its already-launched graphics cards. This time around, it's the Radeon HD 6970 WindForce 3X (GV-R697UD-2GD). This custom design graphics card sticks to AMD's reference clock speeds, but creates some overclocking headroom with its WindForce 3X cooler, and a strong VRM on the PCB. The new revision 2.0 packs an NEC/Tokin Proadlizer, which is a high-grade multiphase capacitor, that helps in conditioning the power to the GPU.

Apart from this small yet important change, everything else is the same. The PCB uses Gigabyte's Ultra Durable VGA+ construction, which includes 2 oz copper PCB, low RDS (on) MOSFETs, ferrite core chokes, hand-picked tier-1 GDDR5 memory chips by Samsung or Hynix, hand-picked GPU, and clock speeds of 880 MHz core and 5.50 GHz GDDR5 effective memory. There is 2 GB of memory. Expect the new revision to cost roughly the same as the original.

Microsoft's leap of faith into the tablet OS market which is dominated by Apple iOS and Google's Android OS, with Windows 8 operating system will be driven by two distinct hardware platforms - x86, led by Intel and its Clover Trail Atom platform, and ARM, and its swarm of client manufacturers such as Samsung, Qualcomm, etc. The third player out to claim its share of the pie is AMD, with its Brazos-T platform. Similar to Intel's Clover Trail, Brazos-T is an x86-based platform, it uses an ultra-low power accelerated processing unit (APU), codenamed "Hondo".

Hondo is a low-wattage, low-footprint APU that packs two x86-64 "Bobcat" architecture cores, an AMD Radeon HD 6250 DirectX 11 compliant graphics core, single-channel DDR3 IMC, and integrated PCI-Express. Like Clover Trail, it is a 2-chip solution, with the other chip being the "Hudson" M2T chipset, which provides an array of display connectivity options, SATA and USB connectivity. The key feature with Hondo APU is its low power consumption of just 2W, and TDP of 4.5W. The chipset is designed to consume just 1W. Both the APU and chipset are built on the 40 nm process. The platform is slated for Q2 2012, just in time for Windows 8 tablets to hit the market.

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today announced an expanded Series 9 laptop line that is scheduled to arrive on store shelves in time for the back-to-school shopping season. The expanded line of sophisticated, ultra-thin and lightweight models includes five different configurations designed to meet the needs and budgets of a variety of users.

"We've seen a very positive reception to the original Series 9 models introduced at CES earlier this year," said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "As we look to expand the line for the remainder of the year, we've maintained the premium duralumin design and form factor while offering consumers a wider range of options and powerful performance."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it is the first in the industry to start mass producing 32 gigabyte (GB) memory modules, essential for cloud computing and advanced server systems, using 30 nanometer (nm) class* four gigabit (Gb) DDR3 DRAM chips.

"With this module, Samsung has secured the highest level of product and solution competitiveness in the DRAM market for PC, server and mobile applications," said Wanhoon Hong, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. "We also plan to ship more energy-efficient 4Gb DDR3 DRAM based on 20nm-class* process technology in the second half of this year, which will significantly expand the rapidly growing market for green IT memory solutions. Moreover, we intend to keep delivering the greenest memory products with optimal performance for customers," he added.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced its 500 gigabyte per platter, one terabyte internal hard disk drive, Spinpoint M8 for use in mobile computing applications such as notebooks. Samsung's Spinpoint M8, which consists of two 500 gigabyte platters, provides users with one terabyte storage space. The form factor support the 9.5mm height to comfortably fit in mobile computing applications.

The high density was achieved by utilizing advanced format technology (AFT), which raises the data storage density per unit area, enabling efficient and convenient data storage. A reduced number of components such as disks and heads also contribute to approximately seven percent increase in operation speeds and eight percent decline in power demand.

GIGABYTE Technology Co. LTD., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to present overclock edition of GeForce GTX 560 graphics card (GV-N56GOC-1GI). With NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 GPU and high speed GDDR5 memory, GIGABYTE GTX 560 Overclock Edition delivers outstanding 1080p gaming experience. What's more, it features GIGABYTE's new WINDFORCE 2X thermal solution with king-size 100mm inclined fans and Direct Heat Pipe Touch technology.

With these innovative technologies, new WINDFORCE 2X runs at only 31 dB within full loading. GIGABYTE GTX 560 Overclock Edition also adapts GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA materials and guarantees best gaming experience. It also features NVIDIA 3D Vision, 3D Vision Surround, SLI, CUDA, PhysX, and Microsoft DirectX 11 technologies.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has started the industry's first production of a high-performance toggle DDR 2.0 multi-level-cell (MLC) memory chip. The new NAND flash chip features a 64 gigabit (Gb) density, made possible by using an advanced 20 nanometer (nm) class* process technology. The chip is designed to support the high-performance requirements of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and solid state drives (SSDs).

Equipped with a toggle DDR (Double Data Rate) 2.0 interface, the new 64Gb MLC chip can transmit data at a bandwidth of up to 400 megabit per second (Mbps). This provides a 10-fold increase over the 40Mbps Single Data Rate (SDR) NAND flash memory in widespread use today, and a three-fold boost over 133Mbps toggle DDR 1.0, 32Gb NAND flash memory, which Samsung was first to produce in 2009.

FinalWire today released the latest version of AIDA64, the industry's popular system diagnostic tool for IT administrators, engineers, and PC enthusiasts. Version 1.70 of AIDA64 includes mainly updated device support database. To begin with, AIDA64 features the ability to tell LGA1155 motherboards with B3 stepping Cougar Point chipsets from the older stepping; it features preliminary support for AMD's upcoming FX-Series CPUs, and A-Series APUs.

A host of new SATA SSDs are supported, including Intel 320 series, OCZ Vertex 3 series, and Samsung PM810. Support is added for AMD Mobility Radeon HD 6770M and Radeon HD 6790 GPUs. Support is also added for a scores of NVIDIA GeForce 500 series GPUs, including GT 520, GT 520M, GT 550M, GT 555M, GTX 550 Ti, GTX 590.DOWNLOAD: AIDA64 v1.70 EXE Installer, ZIP Portable Package

Seagate Technology, the world leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions, and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Seagate and Samsung will significantly expand and strengthen their strategic relationship by further aligning their respective ownership, investments and key technologies. Major elements of the agreement include:

• Samsung combining its hard disk drive (HDD) operations into Seagate
• Extending and enhancing the existing patent cross-license agreement between the companies
• A NAND flash memory supply agreement under which Samsung will provide Seagate with its market-leading semiconductor products for use in Seagate's enterprise solid state drives (SSDs), solid state hybrid drives and other products
• A disk drive supply agreement under which Seagate will supply disk drives to Samsung for PCs, notebooks and consumer electronics
• Expanded cooperation between the companies to co-develop enterprise storage solutions
• Samsung receiving significant equity ownership in Seagate

Korean multinational conglomerate Samsung is planning to sell its hard disk drive (HDD) business held by Samsung Electronics. The company wants to focus on other kinds of storage products that are flash-based. Samsung is planning to sell the unit for an estimated US $1.5 billion. HDD major Seagate Technology is the front-runner to buy it. The HDD industry is under pressure after the market success of tablet and netbook industries, which use more compact and inexpensive SSDs instead of 1.8-inch HDDs. With Samsung's exit, the consumer HDD industry will be reduced to just three players: Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba.