Genius invites all CES attendees to visit their booth during CES to get hands-on experience with the new Windows 8 touch gesture mouse, Touch Mouse 6000, that lets users tap, swipe and zoom right on the mouse giving users full use of the new Windows interface. Beside the Touch Mouse 6000, the other major new products that will be shown are the Innovations 2013 honoree GX Gila Gaming Mouse along with the Ring Mouse 2.

Following last week's reveal of next-generation 3DMark game test "Fire Strike," which is designed to make even the fastest consumer graphics setups sweat, Futuremark revealed screenshots of its second game test, titled "Cloud Gate." Going with Futuremark's "one benchmark for all platforms" strategy, Cloud Gate is designed to test DirectX 10 hardware capabilities. It uses DirectX 11 engine that's limited to feature level10_0. The lighter game test will be able to put notebook GPUs and entry-level DirectX 11 desktop GPUs to test.

Cloud Gate will see Futuremark's artists going back to space-opera mode, something we missed in 3DMark 11. Screenshots reveal what appears to be a giant machine hovering over a moon, with its parent gas-giant in the background. Perhaps it's a terraforming machine? An ion-drive spacecraft scooping up fuel? The test appears to make use of several of D3D10's illumination and bloom effects. In related news, Futuremark told us that the new 3DMark won't make it to the markets this year, and instead it will be launched for Windows PC (x86) platform in January, 2013. The Android, iOS and Windows RT versions will launch after a little more beta testing and approvals from their respective app stores.More screenshots follow.

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's leading SATA 6Gb/s RAID HBA manufacturer, announces the availability of their second generation SATA 6Gb/s storage controllers - the RocketRAID 600L series. HighPoint's RocketRAID 600L series HBA's represent the industry's most comprehensive, and affordable selection of 6Gb/s SATA PCIe host controllers. Powered by industry-proven RAID technology, SATA port multiplier support, and an intuitive RAID Management Suite, HighPoint RocketRAID 600L HBA's are the ideal SATA 6Gb/s storage solution for any PC and Mac computing platform.

NVIDIA has today made available a new beta-tagged graphics driver, the GeForce 310.61 which is a small update from the GeForce 310.54 offering improved compatibility for PlanetSide 2 and Hitman: Absolution.

The GeForce 310.61 Beta supports GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 Series cards and is available for Windows 7, 8 and Vista, in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors.

Synology Inc. today announced selected DiskStation and RackStation are officially certified for Microsoft Windows Server 2012, which delivers important advancements to help businesses increase IT efficiency as well as achieve a new level of availability.

The compelling combination of Synology NAS server and the new Windows Server 2012 operating system entitles businesses to boost performance and flexibility when migrating running virtual machine without downtime. Additionally, the full Windows Server 2012 support ensures business continuity and minimizes disaster recovery time with real-time virtual machine remote replication. The combined virtualized platform also enables enterprises to flexibly leverage the new VHDX format and its ability of supporting up to 64TB storage per virtual hard disk. Moreover, Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) 2.0 provides a highly scalable and flexible shared storage infrastructure with increased performance. CSV 2.0 will be supported with more workloads, including File Server for scale-out application data.

Futuremark has announced that the next version of 3DMark, its popular benchmarking software, will offer cross platform testing capabilities on Windows, Windows RT, Android and iOS devices. With three all new tests Futuremark says 3DMark can be used with the full range of hardware from smartphones and tablets, to notebooks and home PCs, to the latest high-end, multi-GPU gaming desktops. Futuremark expects to launch the new 3DMark before the end of the year.

3DMark is well known in PC circles as the go-to benchmark for testing the latest Windows gaming PCs and video cards. Today Futuremark announced that the next version of 3DMark will also be available on Android, iOS and Windows RT devices. Futuremark says 3DMark scores will be directly comparable across platforms providing valuable insight into the performance differences between competing devices and operating systems.

The wait is over. The groundbreaking Call of Duty: Black Ops II is now available at retail locations across the globe. The highly-anticipated sequel to the best-selling Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 console game in history has been called "the most ambitious Call of Duty ever," pushing the boundaries of the blockbuster franchise to new heights by propelling players into a world full of advanced weaponry, robotics and drone technology in the year 2025. Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which has shattered pre-order records set last year by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, is on its way to a historic launch, and is poised to usher in a new era for the 30-million Call of Duty fans worldwide with a host of new innovations to deliver the complete gaming experience. Providing great value to the Call of Duty community, starting today Activision's Call of Duty Elite services for Call of Duty: Black Ops II are free, providing fans with deeply integrated features, including Clan Operations, Zombies Leaderboards and more.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows and Windows Live President Steven Sinofsky will be leaving the company and that Julie Larson-Green will be promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering. Tami Reller retains her roles as chief financial officer and chief marketing officer and will assume responsibility for the business of Windows. Both executives will report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

These changes are effective immediately.Julie Larson-Green

HP today strengthened its mission-critical Converged Infrastructure portfolio with innovative and enhanced HP Integrity systems, HP-UX software and services to triple performance, boost resiliency and deliver investment protection for critical workloads deployed into the next decade. Based on HP enhancements and the Intel Itanium processor 9500 series, transactions are processed up to three times faster than previous generations, while using 21 percent less energy. As a result, clients can realize a 33 percent savings in total cost of ownership (TCO).

Today's announcement delivers against HP's commitment to industry-leading innovations for the HP Integrity platform. With advancements in availability and reliability, HP's mission-critical Converged Infrastructure will continue to enhance established HP Integrity platforms supporting HP-UX, HP NonStop and OpenVMS operating systems. Over time, these advancements will cascade to mission-critical x86 platforms delivering a single, unified infrastructure for UNIX, Windows Server and Linux environments.

Imation Corp., a global scalable storage and data security company, today announced availability of its next-generation IronKey S250 and D250 hardware-encrypted flash drives. Widely known as The World's Most Secure Flash Drives, the newest IronKey flash drives feature faster performance, a redesigned control panel that supports multiple languages, and new remote management capabilities in its signature rugged, high-security design.

The IronKey S250 and D250 flash drives are available in Basic, Personal and Enterprise editions for enterprise and personal use. The IronKey flash drives deliver powerful protection against data loss and are validated to meet the stringent Security Level 3 requirements of the FIPS 140-2 standard, which fully support corporate and government compliance strategies.

Acer announced a delay of its planned Windows RT product line from early-2013 to closer to Q2-2013. The company is keeping a close eye on how Microsoft's recently-launched Surface RT tablet is faring in the market, and could take strides towards its Windows RT-based products, perhaps even redesigning them, based on its performance in the market.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Acer President Jim Wong said "Originally we had a very aggressive plan to come out very early next year but because of Surface, our R&D development doesn't stop, but we are much more cautious," adding "Originally our plan was Q1, but now I don't think it will be earlier than Q2." Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 designed for the ARM machine-architecture, which allows for low power non-x86 tablets that compete with Apple iPad, and various Android-driven tablets.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that its new PC, Microsoft Surface, is now available for purchase at all Microsoft retail, holiday and online stores in the United States and Canada. Designed to be the ultimate stage for Windows RT, Surface is unique and represents exceptional value, providing an immersive entertainment experience and a foundation for getting things done. With a starting price of US$499,1 Surface will be available online at www.microsoftstore.com in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. In China and Hong Kong, Surface will be available online at Suning. More details are available here.

A variety of Surface accessories are also available for purchase, including Touch Covers in five vibrant colors - black, white, magenta, cyan and red - priced at US$119.99, so customers can express their personal style.2 Customers also have the option to purchase a Type Cover in black for US$129.99, which adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

Microsoft Corp. kicked off global Windows 8 launch celebrations today in China. In the first of a series of celebrations around the world, Microsoft customers and partners joined top company executives at a gathering at Shanghai's 1933 Grand Theatre to give consumers and commercial customers a sneak peek at new hardware and apps in advance of the Windows 8 worldwide general availability on Oct. 26. Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, and Ralph Haupter, corporate vice president of Microsoft and CEO of Microsoft Greater China Region, attended the celebration.

"Microsoft has a more than 20-year history in the Greater China Region, and we are excited to start our Windows 8 launch series in Shanghai, China, the largest PC market in the world," Haupter said. He reaffirmed the importance that Microsoft is giving to China and complimented the commitment of our hardware and developers in preparing for Windows 8 over the last couple of months. "Windows 8 ushers in a new era with amazing experiences for Chinese consumers and commercial customers and creates new opportunities for Microsoft partners," he said.

Synology Inc. introduced the DVBLink package, a 3rd party application for live streaming and recording TV programs with Synology NAS servers. The DVBLink package was developed by DVBLogic.

The DVBLink package is compatible with a wide range of digital TV broadcast standards which include DVB-S2 and DVB-T/T2, and supports up to 4 DTV tuners. By installing the package and plugging the supported DTV tuners into Synology NAS servers, users can view TV programs live and record their favorite channels. TV content can be streamed to XBMC or DLNA compatible devices. What's more, DVBLink mobile apps allow iOS, Android, and Windows Phone users to watch TV live and manage recording schedules remotely.

Microsoft Corp. and StorSimple Inc. today announced that Microsoft has reached a definitive agreement to acquire StorSimple, a leader in Cloud-integrated Storage (CiS) solutions. The addition of CiS will advance Microsoft's Cloud OS vision and help customers more efficiently embrace hybrid cloud computing.

"Customers faced with explosive growth in data are looking to the cloud to help them store, manage and archive that data. But, to be effective, cloud storage needs to integrate with IT's current investments," said Michael Park , corporate vice president, Server and Tools Division for Microsoft. "StorSimple's approach helps customers seamlessly integrate on-premises storage with cloud storage through intelligent automation and management."

PC giant Dell will continue to offer Windows 7 pre-installed on its Precision, Optiplex, and Latitude brands of notebooks and business desktops, post-Windows 8 launch, the company said. Dell's gaming PC subsidiary Alienware, too, will offer Windows 7 as an option. Microsoft has been generally laxed about OEMs offering older versions of Windows pre-installed, after the launch of a newer one. PC makers were allowed to pre-install PCs with Windows Vista for two years after the launch of Windows 7, however, Windows XP was allowed to be loaded for nearly a decade after its launch.

"We're still moving our business customers from [Windows] XP to Windows 7," said Alison Gardner, director at Dell. "The OS migration for a large company is no small feat. We make it easier but it takes some planning and work," he continued. "For Alienware customers, they know what they want and we give them that choice," Gardner continued. Analysts expect Windows 7 to maintain its popularity post Windows 8 launch, at least with computing devices that lack touch interface.

Handheld Group, a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers and smartphones, today announced the launch of its new rugged mobile device for field professionals: the Algiz 10X rugged tablet PC. The powerful Algiz 10X can withstand tough weather elements and harsh handling, and its large, 10.1-inch touchscreen provides the best screen visibility on the market.

"The new Algiz 10X is perfectly suited for field professionals who need a rugged tablet computer that is lightweight and built to withstand the harsh conditions that come with all kinds of industry fieldwork, and that can display detailed maps and other visuals even in bright sunlight," said Jerker Hellström, CEO of Handheld.

This coming Tuesday Microsoft will release a total of seven software updates (one rated 'Critical' and six rated 'Important') to address bugs that could lead to Remote Code Execution, Denial of Service attacks or Elevation of Privileges.

These new patches address vulnerabilities found in Windows (XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008 (R2)), Office, SQL Server, Communicator, Lync, SharePoint Server, FAST Search Server and Groove Server. For more info check out the Security Bulletin Advance Notification for October 2012.

Today Agawi, the cloud-based games streaming platform for "any game, anywhere, instantly," is announcing a collaboration with Microsoft that will enable a variety of games on Windows 8 devices, utilizing the Windows Azure platform for streaming from the cloud.

Agawi, formerly iSwifter, recently launched its version 2.0 to offer cloud streaming of all forms of games content-including social Facebook games as well as mid-core and hardcore titles-to all devices. Popular AAA games will be made available in the coming months for instant play on Windows 8 devices with no additional work required by developers, who are encouraged to contact the company at Agawi.io to be included in the developer partner program.

Today in a global online launch event Satya Nadella, president of Microsoft Server and Tools Business, announced the general availability of Windows Server 2012. In his keynote speech, Nadella described how Windows Server 2012 is a cornerstone of the Cloud OS, which provides one consistent platform across private, hosted and public clouds.

"The operating system has always been the heartbeat of IT and is now undergoing a renaissance in the new world of continuous cloud services, connected devices and big data," Nadella said. "Microsoft's unique legacy in the most widely used operating systems, applications and cloud services positions us to deliver the Cloud OS, based on Windows Server and Windows Azure, helping customers achieve a datacenter without boundaries."

Buffalo launched a 2 TB variant of its MiniStation 3.0 portable hard drive (model: HD-PCT2. 0U3-GBJ). Slated for late-July, the drive will be priced at 29,925 JPY (US $380). The drive is built into the conventional MiniStation chassis, which is available in piano-black and pearl-white finishes. The drive is completely bus-powered, and connects to the host over USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface (backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 HiSpeed).

The drive comes pre-formatted with FAT32+ file-system, with the volume storing Windows and MacOS X installers for Buffalo Tools (disk management software) and TurboCopy (speeds up file-transfers). The drive can later be re-formatted to the file-system of your choice, after backing up the installers. Measuring 144 x 77 x 20 mm, the drive weighs about 255 g.

Infortrend today announced the North American availability of two new product lines in its EonNAS family of unified storage solutions, the EonNAS Pro and EonNAS 1000 Series. Although NAS is fast becoming the storage solution of choice for the SOHO and SMB markets, when it comes to data protection, current offerings from other brands come up short. Infortrend's new EonNAS Pro and EonNAS 1000 Series, running on ZFS file system fill this void by offering an unprecedented collection of advanced data protection features -- including data deduplication, corrupt data self-healing, snapshot and pool mirror -- bringing enterprise-level data protection and storage features to the SOHO and SMB markets.

Synology Inc. today launched DiskStation DS112+, an all-in-one NAS server that offers high performance with energy-efficient and quiet design for small and medium businesses.

"With DiskStation DS112+, Synology has introduced an invaluable selection for SMB users where high performance meets eco-friendly design," said Peter Chen, product manager of Synology Inc. "This is the best option for providing users with fast and reliable solutions to share, sync and backup data with minimal time spent on setup process and management."

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.

COUGAR, leading German PC case and power supply brand, reveals a preview of their entry into the high-end gaming keyboard market. As COUGAR have themselves already well-positioned as first choice for games when it comes to top-notch cases, PC power supplies and ventilation solutions, they are now reaching out into the even more hands-on and all-decisive keyboard segment. For their debut model they have chosen nothing less than Cherry Red mechanical switches as very basis. In doing so, the COUGAR ATTACK offers leading reaction sensitivity even by low impress force.

Each key is LED-backlit, and the light can be changed to individual preferences. In the current development stage those colors will probably be white, black, blue and red. Bundled key-caps and an included key-puller allow the user to individually highlight those keys he is most dependent upon in his individual game-play. Furthermore, the COUGAR ATTACKS gives users the option to lock most of the keys while self-defining which ones to remain active for current use.