As the most important computer show for new products and prototypes that may or may never be seen on North American shores, COMPUTEX Taipei is truly a geeks paradise. This is the event where things like the ANTEC Skeleton, Thermaltake’s Top Secret Universal Freon Cooler, and the newest ASUS Eee PCs and compact notebooks all come out in full force. However, strewn across the showfloor, there are quite a few treasures that go unnoticed and after detoxing from our journey overseas and dumping out our memory cards, we’ve remembered a few interesting things that we came across during our show coverage.
abit Does More Than Motherboards
There were two significant showings at abit this year at COMPUTEX. We were expecting motherboards, but we weren’t prepared for this. Instead, we saw a small, Linux-based internet browser tablet and a digital picture frame that can also make 4×6 prints.
The FunFab P80 printer (yes, the name is a bit ridiculous) is an 8″ digital picture frame with a 800×600 resolution. It’s a bit thicker than usual but with the press of a button, it very quickly pumps out 4×6 prints. The paper and ink come in the same cartridge (cost is roughly 30 cents a print) and the frame itself will retail for $199.
abit’s internet tablet is similar to those made by Nokia. Small seems to be the name of the game these days with everyone releasing something similar to Asus’ immensly popular Eee PC. There isn’t too much information right now as the product is still a prototype at press time. There are some kinks that need to be worked out, such as the camera’s location. I swear I thought it was some kind of button as it is right under my left thumb. The ExpressCard in the slot is also probably not part of the final product.
ASUS Goes Audiophile
When ASUS fired across Creative Labs bow with the announcement that they would support EAX 5.0 with their XONAR Audio Cards, we expected the PC audio market to heat up. Although their cards already boast some of the cleanest output on speakers or headphones, I was totally blindsided when I saw this contraption.
ASUS showed off a brand new two channel audio card called the XONAR Stereo X with a built in 1/4 inch (6.5mm) headphone plug built specifically for serious headphone audiophiles. The card drives the headphone jack with a full 1 watt amplifier so that your highest end cans will sound just right. The card also features full left and right channel RCA outputs for plugging into your favourite tube or high end two channel amplifier.
Based on the same AV100 chip that the other XONAR cards use, it also features a 120db S/N ratio. The only thing missing were the tubes onboard. ASUS is currently investigating the viability of bringing this product to market, but if enough people pound on their doors, or SPAM our Forums with request, I’m sure your pleas will be heard and this may become a reality. Believe me, there are headphone geeks at ASUS and they want this just as much as you and me.
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ANTEC Takes Care of the Laptop User
A laptop power brick isn’t one of the most glamorous items, but it is essential for the care and feeding of your portable computer. However, in many cases, it seems that all the looks went to the machine, but this often neglected part of the package gets the beat with the ugly stick. Not to mention, it leaves a huge unsightly bulge in your laptop bag. ANTEC took it upon themselves to do something about this.
The ANTEC NP-65 (which denotes 65 Watts) is a replacement power brick that works with virtually any PC laptop on the market. It was so well hidden at the ANTEC meeting suite, that if it wasn’t for my snooping around, I probably would have ignored it. I’m glad I didn’t miss it because this device brings to the table a remarkably slim form factor in a footprint that isn’t much bigger than a standard power brick. That means no more bulge in your laptop bag and more space for your other gear.
The port on the side is for a car adapter or aircraft power adapter. Because it’s an ANTEC power supply, it has features like Over Voltage Protection, Over Temperature Protection, Short Circuit Protection and Over Current Protection. It’s also up to 85% efficient under load. When this puppy arrives later this year, I’m ditching my power brick immediately. Now if only ANTEC could match the coolness of the Apple magsafe plug.
COMPRO Gets Voyeuristic
It’s true that we live in a surveillance society where everything you do is watched. Well, why not join in the fun! COMPRO, makers of a whole whackload of TV Tuner products unveiled something cool at COMPUTEX this year: The IP 50 series and the IP 100 series wireless IP surveillance cameras. Typically the domain of rich bastard houses and high security areas, COMPRO has set out to invade the WiFi IP Camera market with a quality product at a very affordable price point.
The IP 50 series comes equipped with built-in Smart Motion Detection so that it can record when it sees movement, two-way audio so you can heckle your intruders, and IR support so you can see in the dark…sort of.
The IP 100 series is the most fun. It comes equipped with a High Dynamic Ranging (HDR) CMOS sensor, day and night functionality, smart motion detection, and built-in 2-way audio transmission. Over the IP50, this one sees you better in the dark and can follow you around. Creepy, but cool.
Both cameras are proudly produced and developed right in Taiwan and include an in house developed video management software called ComproView that supports both multi-channel IP cameras and analog video capturing cards including data storage management. A wide range of built-in intelligent detection tools are capable of handling individual channel customizations and event triggered alarm functions. It will even work with your PDA, Smartphones and Web Browsers to allow you to keep an eye on your home when you’re away on Vacation.
GlacialTech Lights The Way to a Greener Tomorrow
GlacialTech, makers of cooling fans, computer cases and CPU coolers seems to have gone off the deep end, but not really…
Combining their experience in all aspects of their business from power supply design to heatsink design, they announced at COMPUTEX 2008 this year that they would be forming a completely new company to build LED lighting solutions. This very green technology uses only a fraction of the power of even a flourescent bulb while providing an even greater amount of light. The demo lights in the booth were certaily bright and also seemed to put out illumination that was comfortable to the eye, especially when compared to fluorescent bulbs. They also boast an average lifespan of 30,000 hrs.
GlacialLight will be rolling out replacements for all your power sucking bulbs very soon, even fluorescent tubes and halogen work lamps.
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New Solutions For Computer Cooling From GELID
Futurelooks got a sample of GELID Solutions secret thermal goop a while back and came away pleased with the results, especially at the price point they plan to put the product out there at. They also gave you more per tube and made application even easier for the user which is always a bonus. At COMPUTEX, they were doing secret meetings in various coffee shops around the convention center to show off a few of their new, soon to be released products.
One of the products that I can talk about is their new cooling fan that runs on a floating bearing. The bearing is waterproof and the fan can even be run under water, though they don’t recommend doing that for the long term. Not to mention, that would mean your computer would be underwater as well. This is actually more of a feature that allows you to remove the fan blade assembly and wash the bearing in case it becomes contaminated with too much dust and debris. The bearing is completely frictionless and features a unique blade configuration with winglets on the end of each blade to provide more air pressure without increasing noise.
Other new products coming up from GELID Solutions include a unique universal CPU cooler design and another fan solution that is geared towards quiet computing users.
IKONIK Wants to Become an Icon in the Crowded Case Market
It’s no secret that the case market is very crowded. It seems that everyday, I get some press release about XYZ company’s new case. That’s why new startup, IKONIK, has set their sites purely on the gaming market. By concentrating on unique features integrated in their products, they are hoping that they can achieve icon status in the near future.
IKONIK launched at the show with their impressive Ra X10 chassis, named after the Egyptian Sun God. This chassis features load of fans, but what sets it apart from other competing premium gaming cases is the fact that it is truly, completely tool less…well except for motherboard mounting, but I wouldn’t trust a tool-free mobo mount anyway. The mobo tray is completely removable using a quick release system though.
The case also comes completely integrated with a high quality watercooling solution with a flow meter at the top of the chassis. The case will come in a version without the cooling system so that you can install your own aftermarket system and take advantage of the external hose routing holes. You can still take advantage of the integrated flow meter which looks nicely integrated on the top of the case. Speaking of the top of the case, the IO ports are covered with a magnetic silicon cover that keeps dust out and will be a feature of their entire case lineup from top to bottom along with toolfree installation and watercooling options.
This chassis also features over 13 fans from 80mm to 140mm. Although there are a large number of fans, it actually wasn’t noisy at all and this is due in part to the fact that everything possible was mounted and lined with vibration damping material where applicable. The case also features a hardware control system called SIM (System Intelligent Management), similar to nVIDIA’s ESA, which will allow monitoring of power supply and cooling through the use of a control module integrated into the case.
IKONIK will also launch with a line of power supplies that will integrate with SIM and allow total control and monitoring of all components. All of the products certainly looked high quality in person and we look forward to checking out their products once they start to roll out.
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InWin With a Twist…
One of my very first cases was an InWin, and even then, I only bought it because it was huge honking and on sale. Recently, InWin has been trying hard to break out of that mould of “Generic Case” manufacturer. Although I saw lots of evidence of that at their booth, nothing convinced me more than this product…
I seem to have developed an allergic reaction to hard drive enclosures. They’re like a generic plague these days. That’s why when something different comes along, I take notice. InWin showed off something pretty cool in a hard drive enclosure that I’ve dubbed the “Bento Box”. This product does double duty as a storage device for data when you load it with a hard drive, but also for your desktop items like office supplies. The design also looks pretty good on your desk with the goldfish motif. How very Feng Shui.
Sans Digital in the “Why Didn’t Someone Think of This Sooner?” Category
There are so many ways to differentiate hard drive enclosures. InWin’s unique “Bento Box” is one way and Raid 0 performance is another. The only problem is that you can’t have performance and redundancy at the same time with most dual drive enclosures. SANS Digital seems to have figured that one out…
Their new MobileSTOR MS2UT+B dual drive enclosures not only support your usual connections (USB 2.0/eSATA), but they’ve solved the problem of performance versus security by introducing something called SAFE 33 and SAFE 50. Combining the performance of RAID 0 with the redundancy of RAID 1, this enclosure will either reserve 33% or 50% of the capacity for mirroring activity, while leaving the rest of the drive wide open for RAID 0 performance. Early warning systems let you know when a drive will go south via the LCD so that you can swap it out in time.
Since Solid State Drives are all the rage, SANS Digital has also developed a new dual CF Card 2.5 inch enclosure that takes advantage of RAID 1 for security while giving you a low cost alternative to regular SSD drives through the use of readily available and cheap CF cards up to 32 GBs. Since CF cards have a certain number of write cycles before they are toast, this drive’s mirroring function not only backs up your data simultaneously, but an early warning system lets you know when a card is going south so you can swap it before disaster happens.
Z for ZOTAC and G for Graphics Cards
ZOTAC is pretty new to the North American market, but they sure had a huge honking booth at COMPUTEX, which means business is good over here. At their booth, they showed off something interesting for those high performance users.
Instead of factory overclocking something and charging a premium for something you could pretty much do with any stock card, out of the box, ZOTAC built some value into their offering. For the premium price you pay for most pre-overclocked cards on the market, ZOTAC decided to include a watercooling system which was co-developed with help from CoolerMaster.
This watercooled 9800GTX graphics card gives you everything you need to push it while giving you the warm fuzzy feeling that you actually paid for something worthwhile. Not to mention, with a watercooling system attached, you can easily take this higher than some of the overpriced pre-overclocked variants on the market. Way to go ZOTAC.
That’s all from COMPUTEX 2008 in Taipei. See you all again next year for COMPUTEX 2009 and of course, more exciting new products and treasures from the show where stuff is sometimes so new, you might not see it in production till next year.
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