Maxit Mag

Asus now offers the stylishly redesigned Eee PC 1002HA featuring a brushed aluminum LCD cover and palm rest, allowing it to feel exceptionally solid despite its thin stature.

Powered by Intel Atom N270 processor, Eee PC 1002HA is available with both Linux and Windows XP Home edition operating systems. It features a 10” LED-backlit display (1024 x 600 pixels), a digital array microphone, 1.3 megapixel built-in webcam and a built-in 4-in-1 card reader capable of reading MMC, SD, Memory Stick and MS-PRO media formats.

In addition to its 160GB of primary storage, Eee PC 1002HA comes with an exclusive 10 GB of file-encrypted online Eee Storage that allows you to store, share and access documents and multimedia easily on the move. It offers the latest wireless technology, including support for Bluetooth and blazing-fast 802.11n wireless connectivity.

A Multi-touch touchpad provides intuitive interactions between users and their multimedia via finger motions. It also offers a F9 Fast Recovery Key providing system recovery at a single touch.

Asus claims the Eee PC 1002HA can provide users with up to 5 hours of unplugged computing time. It weighs just 1.2kg with the battery attached and measures in at only 1-inch thick, thus offering users the legendary Eee PC mobility with ease of use.

The Asus Eee PC 1002HA is now available for $499.99.

OCZ has announced new Gold Series Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) flash memory cards. These premium memory cards offer photography enthusiasts incredible speeds and capacities to deliver the tailored storage they demand.

OCZ says its Gold Series SDHC cards are ideal for the latest D-SLRs and HD video cameras to deliver exceptional shooting performance, speed, and reliability. The Gold Series is designed and optimized for HD video enthusiasts and photography professionals capturing large volumes of high resolution images and video. These offer Speed Class 6 at 150X write rate.

“The new Gold Series cards make use of premium quality flash and are optimized for shooting large RAW files with the latest D-SLR cameras and exceed the performance requirements of the latest 1080 high definition camcorders,” said Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer of the OCZ Technology Group.

OCZ Gold Series SDHC cards are available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB and come backed with lifetime warranty. There is no word on pricing yet, should be available in stores soon.

VIA Technologies has announced the VIA ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage mini-server. The ARTiGO A2000 packs terabytes of storage capacity within a stylish, compact, low power and low noise system.

The VIA ARTiGO A2000 is powered by a 1.5GHz VIA C7-D processor and supports up to 2GB of DDR2 SO-DIMM 667/533MHz memory. It includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, 3 USB 2.0 ports and supports wireless 802.11 b/g module. A type I Compact Flash socket is located discreetly beneath the motherboard.

It supports up to 3.0 TB of storage on two 3.5” S-ATA hard drives with data transfer speeds up to 3 Gb/s. The VIA ARTiGO A2000 comes bundled with the VIA Security Suite and VIA System Management Tool for dedicated 24/7 system monitoring. The storage monitor utility can be configured to alert the user when free space is below a user-specified percentage.

“The VIA ARTiGO A2000 proves that small can be not only beautiful, but also substantial when it comes to storage capacity,” said Jerry Yuan, VIA Embedded Business Development Manager. “Building on the success of the ARTiGO A1000 Pico-ITX builder kit, VIA has once again broken the mould for barebones, creating a device that embodies VIA’s reputation for innovation and creativity in small spaces.”

The VIA ARTiGO A2000 is expected to be available this month from selected online retailers.

OCZ has introduced a new storage expansion drive in the form of Slate Series ExpressCard, meant for the latest generation of performance notebooks.

The Slate Series ExpressCard is ideal for the on-the-go notebook user. It offers convenience of an internal solution that eliminates peripheral devices such as a USB drive or external hard drive.

It offers read speed of up to 18 Mbps and write speed up to 12.5 Mbps. The Slate series is compatible with all ExpressCard standards, and comes backed by a 2-year warranty. The integrated mini-USB port allows the Slate Series to be connected externally from a hub when transferring data between your primary desktop and mobile system.

The Slate Series line will be available in storage capacities of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. The price and availability details are not yet released.

Link: OCZ

OCZ has unveiled the Vertex SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, offering high-performance and cost-efficient SSD for the enthusiasts demanding the latest technology.

The 2.5-inch SATA II SSD is MLC NAND-based and 200MB/sec read and 160MB/sec write speeds, and features up to 64MB onboard cache. OCZ says the Vertex Series is ideal for energy-efficient mobile computing to extend battery life and increase access time.

The OCZ Vertex drives feature a durable yet lightweight alloy housing. OCZ claims Vertex Series SSDs offer ultimate reliability with an excellent 1.5 million hour mean time before failure (MTBF). All Vertex Series SSD drives are backed with a two year warranty.

“The new Vertex Series of SSD drives are a premium MLC based SSD solution that are designed for consumers that require fast, rugged, and reliable solid state storage,” commented Eugene Chang, Director of Product Management for the OCZ Technology Group.

Vertex series SSD drives are available in ample storage capacities of 30GB, 60GB, 120GB, and 250GB for $129, $249, $469, and $869 respectively.

Link: OCZ

Super Talent has announced a new line of UltraDrive solid state drives (SSDs), the UltraDrive LE and the UltraDrive ME. Super Talent claims these enterprise class SSDs are twice as fast as the world’s speediest SATA hard drives.

Super Talent says the UltraDrive LE outperforms 10,000 RPM hard drives with sequential read/write speeds of 230/170 MB per second. The UltraDrive LE supports very high transaction speeds (IOPS). , the UltraDrive LE is based on SLC NAND Flash and is offered in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.

According to Super Talent, UltraDrive ME SSDs represent the fastest available 2.5-inch internal storage solution for SATA-II notebooks with sequential read/write speeds up to 200/160 MB per second. UltraDrive ME use company’s third generation MLC NAND based SSD and is available in capacities up to 256 GB.

While the pricing is yet to be announced, Super Talent says both the UltraDrive LE and ME SSDs will be available in January 2009.

Link: Super Talent

Logitech has introduced the G13 advanced gameboard, a hybrid gaming keyboard designed to complement your keyboard and mouse.

With three game modes, 25 programmable keys and a programmable analog stick, the G13 gameboard offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game. You can set up custom button-profiles for each one of your favorite titles. It also allows you to create macros on the fly without having to pause your game.

The 160-by-43-pixel GamePanel LCD shows live game stats, system info and messages from other players. The backlit keys help you easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play. The contoured design of G13 complements the natural shape of your hand and fingers, while the smooth, concave home-row keys make it easy to locate buttons by touch.

The G13 gameboard offers pre-configured settings for many popular games like World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Call of Duty 4 and many others.

Logitech says the G13 advanced gameboard is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe for $79.99 this month.

Link: Logitech

Dell has announced its smallest commercial desktop system ever, the OptiPlex 160. The OptiPlex 160 is designed to deliver energy efficiency and reliability in a space-saving design while maximizing productivity and reducing workspace clutter.

Designed for space-constrained offices, the OptiPlex 160 includes innovative mounting options to save on the space. It weighs in starting at less than five pounds. The OptiPlex 160 Helps reduce energy consumption with highly efficient power supply and a low-voltage Intel Atom processor.

The new system features up to 160 GB hard drive or up to 64 GB solid state drive and optional wireless networking and up to 4 GB of memory. The single Core Tiny Desktop offers up to 87 percent efficient internal power supply.

“With today’s release of the 160, we are rounding out a complete refresh of OptiPlex products from the world’s top seller of business desktops. The OptiPlex 160 adds yet another low-profile, entry-level option to our diverse portfolio of enterprise solutions, delivering essential performance for common office applications,” said Darrel Ward, director, Dell Product Group.

Dell says the 160 comes with a long, managed lifecycle and the support of Dell systems management solutions such as the Dell Client Manager console like all of Dell’s OptiPlex desktops.

The OptiPlex 160 is available now with a starting price of $563.

Link: Dell

Logic3 has launched i-Station25 portable speakers meant to work with Apple's iPhone and iPod. This stylish and sleek unit can accommodate the iPhone/iPod in vertical or horizontal orientations. It allows users to watch music videos & movies in portrait or landscape mode.

The i-Station25 features a built in accelerometer, which ensures correct Left & Right sound output when the i-Station is placed on its side. The four built-in speakers deliver a total of 8W RMS of power. The advanced circuitry incorporated within the speaker minimizes TDMA noise.

The i-Station25 also offers composite video output for connecting to TV. The included remote control operates the speaker & simple functions of iPod. The stereo line-in cable lets users play other audio devices including iPod shuffle, MP3, or CD players.

The i-Station25 is available in the UK market, priced at £68.50.

Link: Logic3

Zepto, after announcing the world's fastest 14-inch notebook with its Nox A14, is now offering 12.1-inch Notus A12 notebook.

The Notus A12 offers a screen resolution of 1,280 x 800. The heart of the system is an Intel Low Power CPU running 800MHz. It features 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB 4,200RPM SATA hard drive. It includes gigabit Ethernet, Wireless LAN 802.11 a/b/g. Operating system options include windows XP or Windows Vista.

Notus is designed to withstand accidents like the spilling of water on the keyboard. Zepto claims the 6 cell battery will last between five and ten hours of run time, depending on the usage.

The Zepto Notus A12 is priced at €1068.59 ($1,360) for the base configuration.

Link: Zepto

SanDisk reaches out to Mac users with SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise, the first secure USB flash drive to fully support Apple Mac OS X computers.

Cruzer Enterprise in Mac OS X and Windows PC environments has the same features and data security- even if used in both environments. Cruzer Enterprise safeguards all files stored on the drive with advanced hardware-based 256-bit AES USB encryption, combined with advanced password protection.

Features include log in and shut down access to the encrypted storage area, change and manage passwords. Users can also change contact information, language and other preferences, and also launch online support, view current firmware and drive information.

Available in 1, 2, 4 and 8GB configurations, Cruzer Enterprise supports Apple Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.4 ‘Tiger’ and Mac OS X 10.5 ‘Leopard.’

Existing Cruzer Enterprise can also be upgraded by downloading a firmware update available at http://www.sandisk-enterprise.com/macupdater.

Link: SanDisk

With Logitech G9 Laser Mouse, gamers have the ability to tune their mouse for the way they play - including features such as weight tuning, interchangeable grips and custom-color LEDs. Logitech now introduces G9 Laser Mouse ID Grip to make it even more personal with the image of your choice printed on the palm area of the grip.

You can choose from a gallery of designs created by Logitech, or provide your favorite image. A rub- and fade-proof image is applied with a specially designed custom printing process that infuses it into the surface of the grip. This helps to provide a durable image that won’t fade even after intense gaming.

“In surveying gamers who own a Logitech mouse, we learned that more than 65 percent want to mod their hardware,” said Rory Dooley, Logitech senior vice president and general manager of the Control Devices business unit. “The Logitech G9 Laser Mouse ID Grip provides gamers with a new level of personalization.”

Logitech’s grip also presents a new shape. The broad-shaped grip provides exceptional palm and wrist support during gameplay, and can make even those gamers with large hands feel comfortable. A soft-touch side grip offers a comfortable texture that feels good during short gaming sessions and epic battles. The ID Grip can be attached or detached with the push of a button.

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse ID Grip is available online at Logitech for $20 in the U.S. only.

Link: Logitech