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

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

ADATA Technology has launched the company's second foray into wireless storage, announcing the release of the DashDrive Air AE800. Incorporating a wireless HDD that can serve data to multiple mobile devices, the AE800 delivers the added functions of power bank and wireless hotspot, simultaneously meeting the most common needs of smartphone and tablet computer users.

Mobile devices continue to surge in popularity, bringing forth a new set of data storage and transmission requirements. The AE800 packs a robust 500 gigabytes of storage, and can stream data to iOS & Android mobile devices through the freely downloaded DashDrive Air Elite App (Apple App Store and Google Play). Wireless enabled desktop computers as well as notebooks can also read and write data easily, providing fast and secure storage either with or without the use of a transmission cable. In wireless mode, up to 3 users can simultaneously stream 1080P video, and up to 5 users can simultaneously stream 720p video.

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 third quarter ended June 29, 2013. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $35.3 billion and quarterly net profit of $6.9 billion, or $7.47 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $35 billion and net profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.9 percent compared to 42.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 57 percent of the quarter's revenue.

The Company sold 31.2 million iPhones, a record for the June quarter, compared to 26 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 14.6 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 17 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 3.8 million Macs, compared to 4 million in the year-ago quarter.

The piano black Satechi 10-Port USB 3.0 Hub, available now, is a useful, multipurpose Mac or PC accessory that allows users to connect a wide array of devices including digital cameras, printers, external hard drives, keyboards, flash drives, smartphones, and tablets in one easy solutions. The sleek, linear design of the hub allows for easy cable management and takes up little desk space for a clutter-free home or office environment.

The plug-and-play 10-Port USB Hub features 9 USB 3.0 ports compatible with most USB-based devices and one 2.1 Amp charging port on the right hand side of the hub powerful enough to charge iOS and Android tablets. The 9 USB 3.0 ports are divided in sets of three, each with an on/off switch and blue status indicator lights for each connected device to maximize efficiency. The 2.1 Amp charging port also has an on/off switch to distribute the additional power to other ports when not in use.

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's next big installment of the 3DMark franchise is set for a February 4th release, according to the developer. The Windows PC version of the suite, which includes the Fire Strike DirectX 11 and Cloud Gate DirectX 10 game tests, in addition to various feature-tests, will be released on the 4th. The company did not give out release dates for its Android, iOS, and Windows RT versions. In the run up to its release, Futuremark kept enthusiasts interested by timely release of teaser images and videos of its two game tests, starting with Fire Strike in early December, and Cloud Gate, a couple of weeks later. The new 3DMark faced several delays, given that the first reveal of Fire Strike dates back to June 2012. Yet Futuremark is hopeful the new 3DMark will reach out to many more users thanks to its relaxed system requirements.

German peripherals maker Fantec rolled out the MWiD25, a 2.5-inch SATA drive enclosure (strictly speaking, a NAS). The enclosure connects to standalone hosts over USB 3.0, but can also connect to multiple devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets) over 802.11 b/g/n WLAN and 10/100 Ethernet. The enclosure packs a 3,000 mAh battery which can keep it running for hours on a full-charge. It can enclose HDDs and SSDs up to 9 mm-thick. The company posted apps for Android and iOS that speeds up the process of connecting to it, in addition to backup, sync, and a file-manager. Measuring 80 x 128 x 25 mm, the enclosure is sold either empty, or with HDDs pre-installed. Capacities offered are 320 GB, 500 GB, 750 GB, and 1 TB.

EVGA doesn't stop at selling awesome PC hardware, it draws customers into its own private army, its Folding@Home rank #2 community. What better way to keep them engaged than an iOS social app? The company announced the EVGA Social, an iOS app, which is geared more towards the iPhone and iPod Touch and the iPad. It gives you access to most social networks EVGA is part of, its forums, lists of game servers, and promos. The game server aggregator could prove useful when you're in the middle of a game and can't minimize. Point your iOS device to this page.

Acer today announced cross-platform support for AcerCloud, the company's file sharing and media management solution, free to Acer customers. Consumers can now share, retrieve and enjoy their multimedia and data files using a variety of computing devices, regardless of which operating system they are running -- Windows, Android or iOS.

AcerCloud uses the free space on a PC's hard drive as cloud storage space. Users simply designate one of their PCs as their "Cloud PC," enabling them to use the available hard drive space on their own PC, giving them security and full control over their storage needs.1 And unlike other cloud solutions, consumers won't receive constant reminders about exceeding capacity with solicitations to pay for more storage.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, today announced the release of three new NAS Apps for its well-received AS 6 Series NAS devices. These new Apps consist of Symantec Backup Exec's RALUS, an acclaimed backup solution, Dropbox, a popular cloud storage and sync service and DVBLink TV Server, a digital television App. Additionally, two of ASUSTOR's existing Apps are being upgraded with advanced features and enhancements. Download Center now features the new and convenient Smart Download Folder function. Its mobile App, AiDownload, has added a push notification function and is now available for both iOS and Android. Not to be outdone, the Surveillance Center App now boasts added Daylight Saving Time adjustments along with full compatibility with Panasonic's BB and BL camera lines. Interested users may begin enjoying these new Apps and upgrades by downloading them through ASUSTOR's App Central.

Leading mainboard and graphics card maker MSI and the world's best system benchmarking software developer Futuremark have partnered up to jointly announce the newest version of the 3D benchmarking program 3DMark. The new version of this 3D benchmarking utility supports Windows, Windows RT, Android and iOS platforms, and has an all new user interface that will provide enthusiasts with a rich and novel user experience.

The 3DMark series has long been acclaimed among gamers for its original visual design and wide range of special effects. 3DMark 11 in particular has been the No.1 choice for testing graphics card performance since it was released in 2010, and remains the benchmarking utility of choice for enthusiasts today. Due to the previous successful cooperation on 3DMark 11, MSI has partnered with Futuremark again to release the next generation of the world renowned 3DMark benchmarking utility.

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.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced new Turbo NAS V3.8 firmware; which incorporates sought-after improvements to Turbo NAS multimedia applications and new business features. New features of Turbo NAS V3.8 firmware include support for Windows 8, improvements in Turbo NAS multimedia capabilities, the addition of Surveillance Station Pro, and proxy client for flexible yet secure Internet access in business environments. Firmware V3.8 supports the newest Microsoft Windows 8 operating system, allowing Windows 8 users to enjoy their Turbo NAS experiences which are optimized for Windows 8.

"QNAP is pleased to announce compatibility of our award-winning Turbo NAS lineup with the global launch of Windows 8," said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. "Our customers will be delighted to know that their Turbo NAS experience has been optimized for Windows 8."

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.