iTwin USB file sharing solution now available in America

You need not to wait for the iTwin to ship to the US of A, 'cause it took just over a year to do so. The company's own-named device at last listed for sale in America this week, with just 50 limited editions builds able to head out prior to Christmas. If your memory has washed-out somewhat over the past 14 months, this twin-stick solution is meant to pass files between two USB-enabled devices, but unlike Infinitec's IUM, it's not making any bold promises linked to media streaming. The concept is simple enough; just plug one of the twins into your computer, and the other into your friend's computer. It works on 256-bit AES encryption to keep data secure, and if that's good enough for you, the source link is the where you need to be. These first-run kits are selling for $99 (plus $10 shipping), with a choice of gunmetal gray and lime green awaiting you, and if you miss your shot now, general availability will hit early next month.

Smartfish Whirl Mini Laser Mouse brings comfort to notebook users

The Smartfish Whirl Mini Laser Mouse offers "antigravity" comfort and an ergonomic design...and up to 1,600 dpi accuracy.



Smartfish has made a name for itself by designing computer input devices designed to have actual ergonomic benefits—rather than designs that address one or two of the multiple ergonomic shortcomings inherent in many devices. Now the company is getting ready to ship its Whirl Mini Laser Mouse, bringing its ErgoMotion pivot system to notebook users for a feeling that the mouse is “floating on air” rather than being dragged across a surface (or dropped on the floor).

“Conventional notebook mice lack comfort not only because of their smaller size but also due to the fixed, rigid position your hand is forced into for hours on end,” said Smartfish CEO and president Dr. Jack Atzmon, in a statement. “Whirl’s comfort pivot system provides the natural fluid movement your body needs.”



The Whirl Mini Laser Mouse’s ErgoMotion pivot system works for both left-handed and right-handed users, and adapts to users’ own natural hand motions rather than forcing users to hold their wrists in a particular fixed position. The Whirl pivots naturally as users moves, leaning and pivoting and swiveling, changing its angle to match a user’s write and hand, finding a “dynamic neutral position” no matter how users hold it.



The mouse also features up to 1,600 dpi laster sensitivity and 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity. It works with Windows XP or newer, or Mac OS X 10.2.8 or newer.



The Whirl Mini Laser Mouse ships on December 1 for a suggested price of $49.95, and s available in six colors (red, blue, white, silver, black, and carbon fiber).

Samsung Launched external DVD burner for Notebooks / Net-books

Samsung's new SE-S084F external DVD burner is expected at netbooks and ultraportable notebooks without an optical drive..but whose owners have $60.

One of the upsides of netbook and ultraportable notebooks is their compactness: they’re small, have long battery life, and can easily be carried around most of the day. However, the downside of stripped-down portable systems is that they leave out features you might need: like a DVD burner. Samsung is hoping to address that need with its new SE-S084F external optical disc drive that enables users to read and burn DVD + and draws power directly from a USB port, no AC adapters or extra cables required.





The SE-S084F can handle 24× CD-ROM and CD-RW recording; 8× DVD±R and DVD+RW recording; 6× DVD+R Dual Layer, DVD-R Dual Layer and DVD-RW recording; and 5× DVD-RAM recording. The drive uses Write Master technology that enables high-performance burning even on low-performance PCS and incorporates Buffer Run Under technology to help prevent write errors. It can be used with PCs and Macs, and complies with RoHS guidelines for toxic materials. Plus, it’s small enough to put in a bag with a notebook—and smaller than Samsung’s preceding SE-S084C optical drive if you think you’ll be need to tap into optical media on the road.



The SE-S084F will be available from selected online retailers for suggested prices starting at $59.99—although a quick scan shows asking prices are a bit below that mark. Plus, the drive will be available in five colors to complement those glamorous design schemes so common on notebooks and netbooks.

Qi technology introduces wireless charging stations

The day when you can place your laptop on a table that has a wireless charger embedded into it and automatically charge your electronics is closer than you think.Qi (pronounced “chee”) is the new global standard for wireless charging stations, set by the Wireless Power Consortium. The goal is life unplugged, without all those wires, chargers and power cords. Anydevice with a Qi-enabled accessory or with Qi built directly into it can charge on any Qi inductive charging pad. You’ll be hard pressed to find a Qi-enabled device today, so if you want to get in on the action, expect to purchase a Qi-enabled accessory to make your devices compatible.

This is a burgeoning industry with a variety of players looking to get in on the action:

Energizer recently unveiled a new inductive charger for smartphones. All a user needs to do is place their phone in a Qi-enabled sleeve and onto the charger, in this case a mat, and the device will begin charging. Its coverage is limited to the iPhone and Blackberry Curve 8900 for the time being. Look for this to be widely available in November. Pricing starts at $89.



The furniture manufacturer, KI, is one such company committed to making it easy for consumers to access wireless charging systems. They plan to build Qi technology into their furniture, removing the need to chords and cables. Charging a device with KI will be as simple as placing you Qi-enabled device on their furniture and letting the inductive technology do the rest of the work.



KI expects its first customers to be educational institutions, but I can’t imagine it will be long before larger organizations jump on the bandwagon.

Marvell Armada 628 3-Core Processor For Smartphone Market

It is common to have single, dual or quad coreprocessors but you may think it is odd to have three asymmetric cores to build a new processor. Just recently, Marvel has confirmed a next generation three-core processor which is already in progress suitable for smartphonemarket. Named as Armada 628, it will be clocking at 1.5GHz with load sharing between dual-cores, while leaving the third core to manage these two cores as well as routine tasks targeted for whole performance per watt boost.

Impressively, the new Armada 628 is claimed to be able to handle two full HD 1080p media clips simultaneously with extra ability to handle 3D applications as well. Specifically, its integrated graphics core is powerful enough with quad programmable shaders that can achieve 200 million triangles per second to meet gaming requirements. Not to be compromised with high power consumption, the end device is expected to last up to 10 hours or 140 hours with 1080p media clips playing and music playback respectively. Other integrated functions into the chip includes USB 3.0 as well as HDMI controllers that can help minimizing external discrete component counts for much compact form factor design with higher cost efficiency.



No pricing availability yet, Armada 628 is already in sampling stage now for early access customers with high potential that Blackberry’s next generation RIM products is already in the list. However, we may need to wait until early next year before it reaches volume production to be ready for final smartphone products.

Cooler Master 690 II Advanced [Review]

With its unique features and a market price of around Rs. 5,833, it is a good option for those looking for a base to build their new system, and a great option for those investing at least Rs. 50,000 on a decent mid-range gaming system. Existing 690 users will not find reason enough to upgrade to this new version though.

With the success of the 690, Cooler Master has come up with the new version mid-tower cabinet named the "CM 690 II". The CM 690 II Advanced variant is available in two options - one with and one without the transparent side window. Gaming enthusiasts need a chassis that can hold more than two or more graphic cards, a powerful SMPS, and several hard drives to store their games and media. Cooling is an also an important factor especially for overclocker. Money is the next important factor. Considering all of these factors, Cooler Master has designed this new cabinet. Remember that the older 690 was a very popular case among people all around the world and even here in India.

Package Contents:

VGA card bracket

Mesh dust filter

Different sized screws

Small motherboard speaker and plastic bolts.

User manual.

Look and Feel

The CM 690 II Advanced like the old 690 is stylish and has retained its tough look. The chassis comes in all black color with chrome lining running along the edges. The front face is made of steel and is easily detachable for plugging in DVD drives. The older CM 690 had some problems with the power button which has been overcome in this model. The buttons are now located at the top of the cabinet. SATA drives can be connected externally to the X-dock port provides on top. The case has huge rubber feet which raise the chassis from the ground.

The top panel contains two USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA connector and two audio jacks which support HD audio. There is also a LED on/off button to control the front fan LED lights. The rear end of the cabinet has two water cooling outlets and eight expansion slots. There’s also space for a graphics card support arm.

The interiors are clean and spacious. The cabinet comes with three fans attached to the front, top and rear. The front and top fan are 140 mm and rear is a 120 mm. The drive bays are well designed with simple locks and sliding trays for installation. The top drive bay has provision for two drives which can include 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch drives. The expansion slots are held in place by thumb screw. The maximum CPU cooler height is 6.96-inch which should suffice for any cooler. The maximum length allowed for graphic card is 11.96-inch, so the monstrous 12.2-inch Radeon HD 5970 is going to be too long to fit.

Features

The CM 690 II Advanced comes with the unique features like SATA X-dock. SATA X-dock allows connecting the SATA drive externally by simply placing SATA drives in dock, just like you would an iPod in an iPod dock. We tried installing 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives on the SATA X-dock and we faced no problems. It supports up to 10 fans varying from 80 mm to 140 mm in size. It supports up to five 140 mm fans, four for exhaust and one for intake. The VGA holder arm helps in providing support if you set up multiple graphic cards in a CrossFire or SLI setup. The chassis is well ventilated with a net which helps keep away dust. Rear holes for water cooling outlet make it ideal for those going in for water cooling solutions. Gaps inside the cabinet allow the user to channel cables from behind the case and reduce congestion.

Pros:

Stylish and sturdy

External SATA X-dock

VGA card racket

Good cable management

Good air flow

Provision for 120 x 240 mm radiator

Dust control filters

Cons:

Somewhat thin side panel

Not enough length for cards like the Radeon HD 5970

Conclusion:

The overall build quality of the chassis is good. The design and quality of the trays used ensures that noise and vibrations are reduced. The side door panels are somewhat thin and so is the meshed top. Cables used are also of average quality.

At a market price of around Rs. 5,833, it’s a good option for those looking for a base to build their new system. It is more expensive than the old 690 though. We feel existing 690 users won’t find a reason enough to upgrade to this new version. Features such as the SATA X-dock are unique. This chassis is a great option for those investing in at least Rs. 50,000 on a decent mid-range gaming system.



Ratings

Features: 7.5

Performance: 7.5

Build Quality: 7.5

Value for Money: 7

Overall: 7.5

Contact: Sanket Naik

Phone: +91-98204 65067

Web site: www.coolermaster.co.in

Price:

• Rs. 7,250 (Without transparent side panel)


• Rs. 7,550 (With transparent side panel)
  
   

Illuminate with Pocket Projectors LUMILEO P100 and LUMILEO M200

When travelling, pocketdevices come in handy because they perform the same functions but take up a fraction of the space in one’s luggage. For personal or business use, Toshiba offers the latest stylish pocket projectors which can project anything from songs and movies for personal enjoyment to business presentationsfor prospective clients.



The LUMILEO P100 and LUMILEO M200 project crisp 60-inch images and feature a stylish design with a dial and a keypad. These handheld projectors can be connected tolaptops, digital cameras, games consoles, smartphones, and portable media players. The projectors have a resolution of 640 x 480 with 14 lumens of light output. The energy-saving LED can project images in full brightness for up to 80 minutes before a recharge. The LUMILEO M200 has the added feature of displaying video (including DivX), Word, PowerPoint, Excel and PDF files directly from a microSD card or its 2GB of internal memory.

New Breakthrough to Shrink Computer Chips Even Smaller

Scientists at Rice University may have overcome a fundamental barrier to the continued miniaturization of computer chips, clearing the way for faster and smaller chips than have ever been possible with traditional silicon.

For a while, it seemed like the proverbial good times would never end when it came to computer development. Everyone wants things smaller and faster, and manufacturers have been more than happy to provide.

In 1965, Intel’s co-founder Gordon Moore famously claimed that the number of transistors that can be realistically and inexpensively placed on an integrated circuit should double approximately every two years. The observation became known as Moore’s law, and for over four decades, it has driven the computer industry to continue to push to increase capacities while shrinking computer chips. But eventually things have to stop. The limitations of the current generation of technology are beginning to show, and soon manufacturers will hit a fundamental block based on physics and expenses. Enter a new generation of technology.

Scientists at both Rice University and HP are separately reporting that they have both found ways to overcome that fundamental, and fast-approaching barrier. And they’re not alone. Intel, IBM, and others are also expanding their research into new ways to make sure the “good times” continue to roll.

According to the NY Times, researchers from Rice claimed to have discovered a way to build small, vitally needed digital switches at scales that have previously been thought impossible, by using silicon oxide. Silicon oxide is a common chemical compound used primarily as an insulator by the industry. Its ready availability and ease of manufacturing make it commercially appealing.

Working with a Texas-based startup called PrivaTran, Rice scientists have begun to make prototype chips. The new chips use filaments that are five nanometers in width — a nanometer is one billionth the size of a meter. That makes the filaments already thinner than what the computer industry hopes to produce within the next ten years using current manufacturing techniques. The discovery was made by Jun Yao, a graduate researcher at Rice, who said he accidentally discovered the switch. At the moment, the chips can only hold 1,000 bits of data, but within five years scientists promise that these new chips could rival any current chips for capacity.

HP is also planning an announcement of a partnership with an unnamed semiconductor company regarding similar, but competing technology. Both HP and Rice are developing what are called memristors (memory resistors), switches that can retain information without power in the same way that flash memory can retain data. The technology being developed by Rice and HP has existed in theory since the 1960s, but there has not been a practical way to realize it until now.

Currently chip manufacturers have made finding or developing next-generation technology a priority. Each new advanced chip-making factory can cost in excess of $4 billion to properly stock it with the tools and equipment needed to make the current generation of chips. One current method for expanding on existing technology is to increase the density of chips by layering them, and stacking circuits on top of each other. The process is costly, it is producing results, and it still has room for growth — but it is a stop gap measure, and will eventually reach its limits.

Not to be out done by Rice or HP, IBM, Intel and others are developing competing technology called phase-change memory, which relies on heat to transform a glassy material into a crystalline state, then back again. The technology has shown promise, especially for flash chips which retain memory without power.

Don’t expect any major new technologies to hit the shelves for a while yet, but the future for computer chips once again looks limitless.

Logitech H760 Wireless Headset With Integrated Equalizer

Logitech has announced the launch of new Logitech Wireless Headset H760, which features a rotating noise-cancelling microphone for reducing background noise, and an integrated equalizer that designed to optimize sound for voice, music, movies as well as games, aiming to deliver a clear, crisp and superior audio quality.



In addition to built-in equalizer, Logitech H760 wireless headset that utilizes plug-and-play 2.4GHz RF wireless connection (up to 40 feet range) also enables users to adjust volume, pause music and navigate playlists right from the headset, thanks to the quick-access audio controls that are compatible with Windows Media Player and iTunes.

“Our newest headset gives you the freedom to roam when you’re connecting with your co-workers and loved ones, or when you just want to be entertained,” commented Frederic Boutin, European product manager of Logitech. “Our plug-and-play wireless headset is easy to set up, easy to wear, and easy to use.”

Logitech H760 Wireless Headset that offers up to 6 hours of long battery life is expected to hit the market in coming September for about €100.

WD Livewire Powerline kit: Use good old electrical wiring for computer networking

Homeplug technology was conceptualized nearly a decade ago. A fantastic idea, it has come a long way, ‘intending’ to use the electrical wiring inside your home for data transmission! The technology initially provided rates of about 14 Mbps, and after 2005, at rates of 200 Mbps. ‘Intending’, because the technology has taken its sweet time to enter out homes (and hearts?), which is always a case as technology trickles down slowly. But with the increasing width of data streams (videos being the main culprit), Homeplug is knocking incessantly on jittery Wi-Fi’s feeble doors. So much so that even WiFi’s latest ‘N’ avatar has been found to stutter while streaming high resolution videos from online services like YouTube or Netflix, calling in for an alternative.

Storage giants Western Digital are providing the perfect partner for their colossal storage media, as sharing is set to become easier with the uncomplicated ‘WD Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit’ that will use the good old copper wires running inside your house, in place of Ethernet cables, for data transfer.

The kit contains two Livewire adapters that will act as the intermediates between your devices and the electricity grid. One fo these adapters is to be plugged into your main router and an AC supply, and the other to be plugged in the AC supply of the room that needs to be networked. Each adapter has four Ethernet ports for further connectivity with HDTVs, Home Theatres or the plain ol’ PC. The kit is priced at $139.99. 

Microsoft beats Intel, AMD to market with CPU/GPU combo chip

At Hot Chips today, Microsoft's Xbox team unveiled details of the system-on-a-chip (SoC) that powers the newer, slimmer Xbox 360 250GB model. Produced on the IBM/GlobalFoundries 45nm process, it's fair to say that the new SoC (pictured above) is the first mass-market, desktop-class processor to combine a CPU, GPU, memory, and I/O logic onto a single piece of silicon. The goal of the consolidation was, of course, to lower the cost of making the console by reducing the number of different chips needed for the system, shrinking the motherboard, and reducing the number of expensive fans and heatsinks.

The SoC also makes the new Xbox design more power efficient, which is nice for consumers, but the real motivation behind boosting the console's efficiency is to reduce the size and cost of the power supply unit, and to realize the aforementioned savings on cooling apparatus.

Microsoft engineers presented the new SoC and apparently did a lot of the layout (or perhaps all of it) themselves. Given the unique requirement of consoles—the system must perform exactly like the original Xbox 360—and despite a five-year gap and multiple iterations of Moore's Law, the consolidation presented a few interesting challenges.

If you take a look at the block diagram above, you'll notice that most of the blocks are fairly obvious: the triple-core CPU is there, as is the ATI-designed GPU, and then you have the dual-channel memory controller and I/O. But the purpose of the "FSB replacement block" may not be obvious. This particular block essentially implements a kind of on-die "frontside bus" with the exact same latency and bandwidth characteristics as the older bus that connected the CPU and GPU when they were discrete parts. 

It would have been easier and more natural to just connect the CPU and GPU with a high-bandwidth, low-latency internal connection, but that would have made the new SoC faster in some respects than the older systems, and that's not allowed. So they had to introduce this separate module onto the chip that could actually add latency between the CPU and GPU blocks, and generally behave like an off-die FSB.

Compared the discrete, 90nm CPU/GPU combo in the original 360 from 2005, the new 45nm SoC draws over 60 percent less power and reduces the total silicon area by over 50 percent. The power and die area savings mean that Microsoft can do with a single fan and heatsink what previously required multiple heatsinks and fans.

The new SoC has only 372 million transistors, which is just not very many by today's standards. For reference, the old 65nm Pentium D 900 from 2006 has almost the exact same number (376 million), while the upcoming 45nm Core i5-760 has almost double the transistor count (774 million). So, despite the fact that the new SoC contains all the silicon brains of an Xbox 360, it's still very svelte by modern standards.

One thing that probably was not a factor in the new design is the infamous "Red Ring of Death" that afflicted earlier iterations of Microsoft's console. That problem has been solved for a while now, so the new SoC approach was really about making the console smaller, cheaper, cooler, and quieter.

THQ uDraw GameTablet to Bring Drawing to the Wii

THQ's uDraw Tablet for the Nintendo Wii will let users draw, color, and manipulate art on screen...and will ship for $69.99 in time for the holidays.

Game publisher THQ has decided to get into the NIntendo Wii accessory business, announcing it plans to launch the uDraw GameTablet for the Wii in time for the end-of-year holiday season. The uDraw tablet docks with the standard Nintendo Wii remote, and offers a 4×6-inch drawing surface with a pressure-sensitive stylus that players can use to draw on screen and manipulate objects. The tablet draws power from the Wii remote, and also features tilt-and-roll sensors so players can control on-screen characters in standard games. However, the tablet’s real appeal will be enabling users to express their creativity by drawing and manipulating art on screen—and the tablet will ship with the gameUDraw Studio to get folks started. Users can also save their work to SD cards, which can then be taken to computers or other devices for sharing and printing.

“We’ve designed the uDraw GameTablet to offer something for everyone: the kids can doodle, save their creations on an SD card and print their artwork for display on the refrigerator,” said THQ executive VP Martin Good, in a statement. “Students can improve their skills through in-game tutorial lessons. And the whole family can sit down together for family game time with products likePictionary.”

In addition to UDraw Studio—which will ship with the device—THQ is planning to bring outPictionary andDood’s Big Adventure for play with the uDraw GamePad. (Dood’s Big Adventure features four gameplay modes and 60 levels where coloring books come alive, and user-created art appears in-game.)

THQ says the uDraw Gamepad will be available for a suggested price of $69.99 in time for the end-of-year holiday buying season.Pictionary andDood’s Big Adventure will be available separately for $29.99 each.

Microsoft Arc Touch: Coming Soon

The Microsoft Arc Touch will be priced at $69.95 and hopes to compete with the Apple Magic Trackpad on the oddity scale.

When it comes to alternative input devices for desktop computers, it’s kind of hard to top the good old mouse and keyboard. However, Apple is trying to bring its popular multi-touch technology from its MacBook/MacBook Pro offerings to the desktop with the Magic Trackpad.

Now, Microsoft appears to be on the verge of releasing its latest take on the mouse with the Arc Touch. Despite its unconventional shape, the Arc Touch appears to be a true “mouse” at its core and glides over surfaces like a traditional optical mouse using BlueTrack technology. The “touch” part of its name comes from its touch-based scrolling instead of scroll wheel.

However, the Arc Touch — as its name implies — has an arching palm rest to perfectly match your hand. The device can also be flattened out to make it easier to transport.

The device is constructed of glossy plastic, metal, and a rubberized material for the palm rest.

Despite the Arc Touch’s futuristic looks, the device still relies on RF technology and a USB “nano transceiver” for connectivity instead of Bluetooth. The dongle can be stored in the battery compartment when not in use according to product details from notebooksbilliger.de 

TVS launches TVS Gold Bharat - India's first keyboard with Rupee symbol at Rs. 1,495

TVS Electronics, one of the leading IT hardware products manufacturer and distributor company in India, has reportedly launched the 'TVS Gold Bharat' keyboard with a Rupee symbol etched on the ~ key.

Being a popular Indian keyboard manufacturing company, TVS Electronics has made a groundbreaking industry first by introducing India's first keyboard with Rupee symbol etched on it. This should come as a welcome relief to computer savvy users who were till now looking for alternative means of downloading the Rupee symbol from such online service providing companies as Foradian Technologies.

The keyboard is rated to be operational at 5volts with an additional +10% leverage for an input current of 10mA, with an operating temperature ranging between 40-50 degrees Celsius. It is expected to support both USB and PS2 interface connectivity and available at a very affordable price of Rs. 1,495 in the Indian market.

Is India ready to manufacture hardware? Notion Ink's CEO on Adam's tribulations

We’re all proud of the Indian tech startup - Notion Ink - and its Adam tablet. Competing against the Californian giant, Apple, and its now wildly successful iPad was never going to be a simple feat, but the brilliantly specced Adam gave the critics pause, realising that it indeed was a serious contender in the global tablet market, and one of Android’s major hopes in the segment. Unfortunately, the Adam was a little too slow out of the stables, facing delays with Flash and Nvidia Tegra 2 issues, and let the iPad take a massive lead in the race. 

Currently headquartered in Bangalore, Notion Ink was established in Hyderabad in May 2009, with the sole purpose of creating Adam. Digit's Nash David recently spoke with Notion Ink’s founder and CEO, Rohan Shravan, and learnt much about how the company managed to develop a cutting edge tablet like the Adam in the Indian environment, and the many challenges they faced here. Their perspective is certainly unique, gained trying to make a place in the almost non-existent Indian computer hardware industry, which unlike China is still unable to pull off cheap manufacturing due to its lack of the necessary infrastructure, incentives and skilled labour. These problems are unfortunately symptomatic of the absence of focussed vision from the Indian government, which metaphorically but undeniably, is unable to provide the oxygen for the acetylene torch of hardware development. Active, well-planned steps are now the order of the day, supporting and nourishing the nascent industry. 

Though he maintained the current environment was infinitely better than back in the 90s, Shravan made it clear that mindsets still need to change before the ecosystem will improve, “especially on the product side”. Painting a vivid picture of the Indian scenario, Shravan said:

“Everyone says, India needs to manufacture, but when it actually comes to it, they back off. Manufacturing is too costly, too expensive, and too risky. It’s extremely difficult for a start-up to raise funds in consumer electronics space. Consumer electronics move very fast, if one has idea, the time to implement and gain market is so very small, and all the time in Indian environment would be spent in conveying the differentiation, which is again tough given the awareness for quality products and a decade of delay in technology adoption...”

Revealing that the Adam has been in development for nearly three years now, Shravan also spoke about how expensive it was finding the resources to develop hardware and software for Android within India. Instead, Notion Ink took an innovative step to jumpstart indigenous development, training students of engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh:

“We take care of their courses, examination preparation and in return we get complete infrastructure. It’s a win win. We get virtually free resources that we trained (in far better industrial standards) the way we wanted (with friends working in Infosys, Accenture, Oracle and likes) and college gets the far superior education for their students, visibility and latest technology!”

After all this preparation, if you are wondering where the Notion Ink Adam tablet is, and when it will finally come out, you are not alone. But we won’t have to wait much longer, for the Adam is on its way, and will arrive by around November. We also learnt that Notion Ink has other tablets up its sleeve, as well as “an accompanying device which has a smaller form factor (and can act as a phone as well)”. Things are certainly looking up for India now, with path-breakers like Notion Ink stirring up the ranks.

You can find our interview with Notion Ink'sRohan Shravan in its entirety on the next page, where he spoke with Digit's Nash David about the various challenges faced by the company, as well as the genesis, vision and future of Notion Ink...

OCZ Behemoth Mousepad

While there are SSDs in the mix, today's prize is an OCZ Behemoth Mousepad. The mousepad measures 380 mm x 260 mm and is 4mm high, that's almost 15" x 10"! You can find the full spec sheet here.

We've also heard your requests so we're making a slight change to the way we accept entries, you now only need to email your info in once. You still have to post a comment in any giveaway thread you are trying to enter though, but you don't have to keep sending emails. And if you've already sent in an email we'll hang on to your info until the end of the contest period.

To enter the giveaway all you need to do is two things:

1) Respond to this post with a comment, and
2) Send an email to giveaways AT anandtech DOT com with your AnandTech user name, full name, birth date, telephone number and mailing address. This will be the address your prize is sent to if you win. If you've already sent an email with this information to giveaways AT anandtech DOT com since June 21, 2010 you do not need to send another.

Now the rules. This contest is unfortunately only available to US residents in one of the 50 states. I realize that AnandTech is an international site and I do highly value all of our readers, unfortunately extending the contest rules outside of the US is a bit more than we're able to reliably handle today. That's not to say that we won't at some point in the future, we just have little experience doing such things and don't want to get burned early on.

Secondly, you are only allowed to enter once. Multiple entries will disqualify you.

Entries will be accepted from 11:45 PM PDT on June 25, 2010 through 11:45PM PDT on June 26, 2010. Winner will be selected by June 28, 2010.

Good luck everyone :)

Official Rules and Regulations for AnandTech Sweepstakes
No Purchase Required to Enter or Win

Upon entering any contest, sweepstakes, or promotion (a “Promotion”) offered by anandtech.com (the “Site”), a website owned and operated by AnandTech, Inc. (“AnandTech”), you must agree to the following Official Rules and Regulations (the “Rules”) as well as any additional rules governing a specific Promotion that AnandTech publishes on the Site.

BEFORE ENTERING A PROMOTION, READ THESE RULES AND THE SITE’S TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY INFORMATION. BY ENTERING THE PROMOTION, YOU AGREE TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES AND THE SITE’S TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY INFORMATION. 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility. Promotions are open to entrants who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry, and a legal resident of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico). Entries are limited to individuals only who are not presently banned from AnandTech’s website or comments section; commercial enterprises and business entities are not eligible. Directors, officers, employees, contractors, and agents of AnandTech (excluding volunteer AnandTech forum moderators) and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, and children) are not eligible. Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and AnandTech’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters relating to a Promotion.

2. Entry Period. Each Promotion will contain a specific time period within which entries will be accepted (a “Promotion Period”). The Promotion Period for this Promotion shall run from 11:45 p.m. PDT on June 25, 2010 to 11:45 p.m. PDT on June 26, 2010. Only entries received during the Promotion Period will be accepted. 

3. How to Enter. Each Promotion will describe an entry procedure. AnandTech is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by AnandTech. All entries must be in English. Individuals are automatically entered in this Promotion by (i) signing up for AnandTech’s Comments at http://anandtech.com/Account/Register and posting a reply to this post AND (ii) individuals must also email giveaways AT anandtech DOT com including name, complete mailing address, telephone number, AnandTech user name and birth date.

4. Limits on Entry. An individual may enter a Promotion once only. The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other means that permits an entrant to automatically enter repeatedly or in excess of the entry limitations is prohibited. 

5. Prizes. Winning a gift, prize, or other promotional item (a “Prize”) in a Promotion is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements in these Rules. Winners will be selected in a random drawing of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. AnandTech will notify Prize winners using the contact information provided in the winning entry. Failure to claim a Prize by the time or in the manner specified in the particular Promotion will invalidate any claim to the Prize. Prizes are not transferable. The odds of winning a Prize or the Grand Prize depend on the number of entries received by AnandTech. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ARE NOT EXCHANGEABLE FOR FAIR MARKET VALUE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANANDTECH DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. For this Promotion, one winner will be selected by June 28, 2010 and will receive OCZ mousepad described above (“Grand Prize”). The Total U.S. Retail Value of the Grand Prize is $10.00. The Grand Prize may not be substituted for cash. The Grand Prize winner will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges associated with receipt and/or use of the Grand Prize. After the Grand Prize winner has been notified and has complied with all applicable Rules, AnandTech will post the Grand Prize winner’s name on this website.

6. Publicity. The winner of a Promotion agrees to allow AnandTech to use his or her name, photograph, likeness, voice, prize information, and biographical information for publicity and promotional purposes without further compensation where permitted by law.

7. Governing Law. These Rules and all Promotions are governed by and controlled by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without reference to the applicable choice of law provisions. All actions, proceedings or litigation relating hereto will be instituted and prosecuted solely within Wake County, North Carolina. By entering a Promotion, entrants consent to the jurisdiction of the state courts of North Carolina and the federal courts located within North Carolina with respect to any action, dispute or other matter pertaining to or arising out of that Promotion.

8. General Terms. Any failure by an entrant, including any prize winner, to comply with any of the Rules or the Site’s Terms, Conditions and Privacy Information may result in disqualification from the Promotion. All entries, whether they are eligible entries or ineligible entries, are the exclusive property of AnandTech. AnandTech is not responsible for any typographical errors in the Rules or in any other communication surrounding a Promotion or for any technical malfunction or error relating to the Promotion. AnandTech reserves the right to amend or interpret the Rules at any time, upon published notice to participants on its website. Promotion participants agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless AnandTech and its directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability regarding the Promotion, including any injuries, losses, or damages (compensatory, direct, incidental, consequential, or otherwise) regarding the use or misuse of any Prize, any event beyond AnandTech’s control resulting in the disruption, cancellation, or postponement of the receipt of the Prize, or any typographical errors or technical malfunctions associated with the Promotion. AnandTech reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it, in its sole discretion, determines (i) to be in violation of the Rules, (ii) submitted by fraud or by tampering with the entry process, or (iii) contains inaccurate or fraudulent information. ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROMOTION IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. IN THE EVENT SUCH AN ATTEMPT OCCURS, ANANDTECH RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

D-Link DSL-2640T Wireless G ADSL2+ Router

Decent for a small network



The D-Link DSL-2640T is a three-in-one device—an ADSL modem, a 4-port router, and a wireless access point all packaged in stylish silver-grey plastic.



The D-Link DSL-2640T is just what you need if you have more than one computer and need to share your ADSL broadband connection. It is ADSL2/2+ compliant, and is therefore capable of theoretical download speeds up to 24 Mbps. 802.11 b/g wireless capability allows it to transmit data at up to 54 Mbps. The 4-port fast Ethernet switch lets you connect four computers to it, and you can also add a few laptops to your home network using the integrated Wi-Fi access point.



You can set up the DSL-2640T in a jiffy. The easy-to-understand browser interface has a Wizard that puts you in the driver’s seat and lets you configure the router the way you want. Security has not been neglected either, with support for enhanced wireless security using WPA and WPA2. The integrated firewall with NAT, SPI, and DoS capabilities further strengthen the safety of your PC from hackers. You can even block out offensive URLs or complete domains.



Though we could not test the ADSL performance, we tested the Wi-Fi capabilities of the device. Scores were average compared to the other two ADSL routers we tested earlier this year. It could transfer sequential files at a rate of 1.22 MBps in the closest zone, while it managed 0.55 in the farthest zone, putting it a shade ahead of the ASUS WL-600G but a step behind the Netgear DG834G as far as overall performance is concerned.



D-Link has provided an ADSL splitter so you can connect the telephone line to the router and still not miss a call. The accompanying CD contains a manual and a Wizard that are good enough to ease any of your worries about installing the device. In sum, this is a decent ADSL router for setting up a small office or home network.



Specifications

ADSL/ADSL2 compliant; Ports: 1 x ADSL RJ-11 for 24/26 AWG twisted pair telephone wire, 4 x 10/100 LAN RJ-45; Wi-Fi standard: 802.11b/g

RATINGS

Performance  3.5

Features  3.5

Build Quality  4

Value for Money  4.5

Overall  4



Contact : D-Link India Ltd

Phone : 022-30616666

E-mail : sales@dlink.co.in

Web site : www.dlink.co.in

Price : Rs 4,300 (plus taxes)