• Antec Skeleton Open Air Computer Case reviewed at Tweaknews.net
• ASUS K50IN reviewed at InsideHW
• BlackBerry Storm2 9550 reviewed by MobileBurn
• Jabra BT2080 Bluetooth headset reviewed by Tech-Xtreme
• LG Flatron W2230S reviewed by TrustedReviews
• Motorola DROID reviewed at PC Magazine
• Motorola DROID first looks at Phone Scoop
• Nokia 7705 Twist Cell reviewed at Hardware Secrets
• NZXT M59 Mid-Tower Steel Case reviewed at Overclockers Online
• Samsung UN55B8000 55 inch LED TV reviewed at Tweaknews.net
• Sandisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash Memory Card reviewed at TechwareLabs
• Thermaltake Element V Case reviewed at Hardware Secrets
• First look at USB 3.0 at PC Stats.com

Technorati Tags: Reviews of the Day

DV Hardware is out with a review of the Spire Edge Laptop Sleeve here on their website. Here’s what they had to say about the sleeve:

“If you have a MacBook and are looking for some extra protection you should consider the Spire Edge. It’s a pretty simple but professional looking bag. It’s made from good materials, it should last for years and at $20 it won’t break the bank. “

Looking for a new keyboard? How about the Hiper Superslim Alloy Series keyboard as reviewed by the folks at Bit-Tech. Here’s a snippet:

“it wasn’t the size of the Superslim Alloy that first grabbed us, but the frankly gorgeous 2mm thick aluminium alloy plating used to cover the front side of the keyboard. It’s the same high grade alloy Hiper uses in its Osiris case and is not only perfectly moulded and cut, but also feels fantastic and is machined to a wonderfully smooth, finger friendly finish.”

Super Talent’s known for manufacturing a ton of flash drives. The folks at Bjorn3D.com have reviewed one 8GB model here on their website (and man it’s suppppperrrr small). Here’s what they had to say:

“The Super Talent Pcio 8 GB flash drive is small enough for us to hide anywhere on our persons, in our purses and wallets, or even put it on our key chains. The overall looks and design to it is very appealing.“

Hardware Secrets has a new review up of the Lian-Li PC-7F case here on their website. A snippet for your viewing pleasure:

“we think this is a terrific product for the average user. It is a high-quality all-aluminum mid-tower case quoted on the same price range of good steel cases. “

Thinking about a new solid state drive? Check out the G.Skill MLC Solid State Drive as reviewed y the folks at BenchmarkReviews.com:

“the G.Skill FM-25S2S-64GB SATA-II SSD has really impressed me with a rare combination of phenomenal performance and incredibly affordable pricing”

FutureLooks takes a look at the Future Sonics Atrio Series Professional Earphones here on their site. Their conclusion?

“If you’re looking for some very portable monitoring headphones, then the Future Sonics Atrios are hard to beat”

Finally, ThinkComputers puts the Lenovo ThinkPad X200 12.1 inch Tablet PC through its paces here on their website. A snippet follows:

“If I had to get a tablet notebook this is for sure the one I would I would choose, with all the features you really cannot go wrong.”

Technorati Tags: Review Roundup,

Icrontic.com has a review up of the Chill Pill speakers – come on.. you gotta love these speakers. With a name like that – how could you possibly go wrong right? In all seriousness – you have to love these speakers simply because of the size!! Here’s what they thought of the Chill Pill speakers:

“In sum, Small Dog’s Chill Pill speakers fit the bill: they’re small, self-powered, self-contained, portable speakers with surprisingly good sound. These perfect stocking stuffers for the traveling techie run about $40 and arrive with a one-year warranty.”

Looking for a solid state drive for your desktop PC? How about one that connects via a PCIe slot? That’s right TweakTown takes a look at the Fusion-io ioDrive – a PCIe expansion card that offers 80GB of solid state storage space. Here’s what they think of it.

“The Fusion-io ioDrive is the fastest storage solution available on the market today. When compared to other types of enterprise storage, the price becomes invisible. “

LegitReviews has a review of the MSI Radeon HD4830 Video Card here on their website. Here’s their verdict:

“MSI comes through again with a well designed graphics card to fill a hard fought spot in the battle for your gaming dollars. With an excellent showing in Call of Duty 4 and Crysis Warhead, the Radeon HD4830 from MSI is definitely worth taking a look at.”

I didn’t realize NZXT entered the mice market but apparently they did. Two sites are out with reviews of their first mouse – the NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse. First up is Big Bruin’s review of the Gaming Mouse.Here’s their verdict:

“This may be NZXT’s first foray into gaming mice, but they have produced a solid initial offering. The Avatar seems to mix elements from other popular gaming mice with a bit of NZXT’s own innovation to create a recommendable product.”

The second review comes from ThinkComputers.org. Here’s what they think of the mouse:

“Overall the NZXT Avatar mouse is a pretty good mouse for NZXT’s first attempt at one. “

TweakNews has a review out for the Thermaltake Soprano Aluminum Keyboard. Here’s a snippet from their review:

“The Soprano is a great keyboard for general internet surfing, email and occasional document preparation. If a larger, classier version of a laptop keyboard sounds appealing to you, then it will be a welcome addition to your home office setup for years to come”

Hard drives running too hot? Check out Overclockers Online review of the Vizo Orbiter Hard Drive Cooler here on their website.  This funky looking cooler screws to the bottom of your internal hard drive and attempts to lower temps by improving the airflow around the drive. But does it work?

“All things considered, the Vizo Orbiter is a well-designed, useful, and effective hard drive cooler. It is quiet and works well but there are a couple of things that could be improved.”

Technorati Tags: Review Roundup

Review roundup for December 9th, 2008.

Hardware Secrets reviews the Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless Headset here on their website. Here’s a snippet from the article:

“The Logitech Clear Chat PC Wireless is a headset (microphone + headphone) that not only is cordless but also truly plug-and-play, being very easy to install and promptly use. It’s better for VoIP applications than gaming and listening to music..”

TechwareLabs has published a review of the Mio DigiWalker C520 Portable GPS device. (Just got a TomTom $99 GPS device myself – love it!). Here’s what they thought of the Mio C520:

“The Mio C520 is a very nice product that comes with an amazing amount of built in functionality and even more added functionality if you start thinking outside the cube.”

Thinking about getting a new heatsink for that LGA775 based Intel processor? Make sure to check out Frosytech’s billboard sized chart comparing 141 LGA775 heatsinks here. Crazy.

PCSTATS.com has a review of the Foxconn A7DA-S AMD 790GZ Motherboard here on their website. Here’s the conclusion of the review:

“Ultimately the Foxconn A7DA-S motherboard is designed well, but priced a little higher than we’d like to see it. “

ThinkComputers has a new case review up – this time of the NZXT Khaos Classic Series Full Tower Welded Aluminum case. Here’s an excerpt from the review:

“Overall Think Computers would like to award the NZXT Khaos Classic Series Full Tower Case a 9 out of 10 score and our Editors Choice Award.”

Looking to get into Wireless USB? Check out Everything USB’s review of the Cables Unlimited Wireless USB Adapter Kit. Here’s what they think of the kit:

“Teething pains, device incompatibilities, and slow performance with mass storage devices mar an otherwise significant new Certified Wireless USB product. We don’t doubt that in time, many operational glitches will be solved with a driver update or firmware patches. For now, we are left with a well-priced, underperforming product that may suit your needs – if your requirements are not that heavy and you don’t require isochronous or Mac support.”

TweakNews reviews the Icy Dock MB664UEA-1S USB/Firewire HDD Enclosure here on their website. Here’s a snippet:

“I have to say this is one of the best enclosures I’ve had the opportunity to review and what won me over is Icy Dock’s simple yet effective design. It actually took me longer to un-box everything than it did to install the hard drive, power it up, and begin copying files.””

Lost Circuits has published an extensive article about the Intel Core i7’s supply power here on their website.

Technorati Tags: Review Roundup, December 9th, 2008

We’re starting up a new feature here at Krunker (something I used to do on WhiningDog.net). Since we get so many review emails every day, I thought it would be good to simply list them out in a single blog posting for all of you to check out – a lot like how BluesNews does it.

BTW – if you have a new review that you’d like us to post up here at Krunker.com, please send it to news at krunker.com.

So without further ado, here goes nothing!

Hardware Secrets reviews the BFG MX-550 Power Supply Unit(above) and has this to say:

“The new MX series of power supplies from BFG features a modular cabling system, one 120-mm fan and one 80-mm fan that only kicks in when the temperature on the secondary heatsink is above 50º C. Let’s see if the 550 W model (MX-550 or BFGI550WMXPSU) is a good product.”

TechwareLabs reviews the NZXT TEMPEST Enthusiast Steel Mid-Tower case (right). Here’s their snippet:

“With a professional look that can fit anywhere, you’re sure to intimidate others with the very presence of this case”

TechwareLabs also has a review of the Altec Lansing SoundBar (above). Been looking for a soundbar myself for the bedroom. I wonder how these will do. Here’s a snippet:

“Looking for a set of computer speakers that are compact, but still loud enough to blow you away? Are you a audiophile that really wants to hear your music while at the office? Look no further. Today JasonD takes a look at the Altec Lansing SoundBar. Featuring XdB bass technology, the SoundBar is definitely something to check out”

ThinkComputers has a review of Xilence RAM Cooler HP Duo memory cooler. Here’s a snippet:

“The RAM Cooler HP Duo has a pair of copper heatpipes with lots of pretty copper fins, so besides providing extra cooling for those hot memory chips, you also get an excuse to add more shiny copper to the inside of your rig.”

OverclockersOnline has a review posted of the E-Power Thunder 650W 3 in 1 power supply. Here’s what they say:

“Topower manages to do an excellent job balancing price and performance. While there are cheaper power supplies available, and at the same time better performing power supplies available, Topower has managed to reach an equilibrium”

TrustedReviews has a review of the ASUS Maximus Extreme Mobo here on their website. Here’s their summary:

“You pay plenty for the Maximus Extreme, but that’s true of any X38 motherboard. We’re not convinced about the merits of three graphics slots but neither can we see any harm in the set-up that Asus has chosen and the cooling system and Fusion block are simply superb.”

The freaks at Test Freaks has a review of the HTC AT&T Fuze handset. Here’s what they think of it:

“The HTC Fuze is not a bad phone overall, it will take most users quite a bit to get accustomed to the new interface and the lack of buttons, the Fuze is meant to be navigated with the fingers primarily, and for those of us that like buttons and navigation pads, we’re out of luck”

Need a new pair of headphones for the holidays? Check out TechLounge’s review of the Sennheiser HD 595 headphones on their website.

“… the Sennheiser HD 595s are a great choice if you like listening to music alone at home. They won’t fly on a commute or in any public situation due to invading outside noise, and you might get in trouble for inadvertently broadcasting your music selections to those around you.”

Is your notebook running a tad bit hot? Check out TechPowerUp’s review of the Vizo mini Ninja II Notebook Cooler.. (I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the Ninja naming…). Here’s what they had to say:

“The mini Ninja II does the job quite well, just like the other versions from Vizo”

Digital Trends reviews the HTC Touch Diamond on their website here. Like many other earlier reviews, Digital Trends didn’t have high regards for the software. Here’s a snippet:

“..we have very few complaints about the outside of the Diamond Touch, and wish the software inside could live up to its promise.”

And finally, TweakNews has a review of a new HTPC case – the Antec Veris Fusion Remote Max Premium HTPC case that is (that’s a long name!). Here’s what they thought of the case:

“If you’re in the market for an HTPC chassis, and don’t want to spend a small fortune for it, I can easily recommend the Antec Fusion Remote Max. The combination of quality, functionality, quiet cooling performance and value is going to be difficult to beat. I like the Max a lot, and I think you will too.”

Technorati Tags: Review roundup, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Fuze, Antec HTPC case, Sennheiser headphones, ASUS motherboard, power supply, altec lansing soundbar

Introduction

From afar, it’s easy to mistake the Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W as a possible Apple MacBook. After all, this system shares many of the same qualities as a MacBook – smooth white color, rounded corners, and a solid construction. Of course, once you get closer (and you see the VAIO logo emblazoned across the top), you’ll quickly realize that this is indeed a Sony VAIO system. The Sony NR series is Sony’s value oriented notebook series which aims to deliver a balance between performance, style, and value.

On the performance front, this notebook delivers an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a bright 15.4 inch widescreen display, and a large capacity 200GB internal hard drive. For style.. well the mere fact that it looks somewhat like a MacBook says it all right? And for value, the VGN-NR385E/W is fairly inexpensive – with many places selling this system for as low as $600 dollars after rebates or instant savings. Join me as I take a look at the Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W.

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Technorati Tags: Sony VGN-NR385E/W, Review

About a month ago, I posted a little commentary about a project I wanted to embark on at home. The goal was to turn my Apple Mac mini into a full fledged Windows Vista system for the sole purpose of running Windows Media Center. Why embark on this project? Reason 1: It was about time I upgraded my original home theater PC which I built back in 2005 and was starting to creak under Windows Vista (it’s still great for XP!). Reason 2: I wanted to move to a small form factor than my previous system. Although the previous HTPC looked great within my A/V rack, it was huge, heavy, and somewhat loud due to aging ball bearing fans (which I was too lazy to upgrade).  Yes, it was time to downsize to a smaller form factor.

It’s actually funny that I even considered this route. I felt like I was tracing back to my earlier roots with this project. When I first got into constructing Home Theater PC (HTPC) systems years ago, I toyed with several Shuttle XPC based small form factor systems. In the end, I opted for a larger box since it looked so darn sexy in my home theater rack and had plenty of room for expansion. After a few years with a large box, I was finally ready to go small again. The question was – how small did I want to get?

Now, I could have gone the Shuttle route again (and I still might – more on that later) or I could have purchased something like the HP Pavilion Slimline PC. Ultimately, I chose the Apple Mac mini primarily because I had one handy and I wanted to see what it was like transforming it into a Vista based Media Center HTPC. Would it work well under Vista? Would I be able to do all the things I envisioned?  Hopefully I’ll be able to answer these questions and then some in this writeup. The purpose of this writeup is to cover all the steps that I took to build my Apple Mac mini home theater system utilizing Windows Vista and the Windows Media Center application. Is it my final setup? Probably not but it proves it indeed is a viable, solid, and reliable solution.

Finally, I apologize ahead of time if some of you think I might have “bastardized” the Mac mini by installing Vista. I also want to give credit where credit is due – primarily to two blog postings I read before starting this prokect – one over at markwilson.it and one over at Mauricio Freitas’s website here. Let’s get started shall we?

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Technorati Tags: Apple Mac mini, Windows Vista, Windows Media Center, Xbox 360 Media Center Extender, Converting Apple Mac mini to Windows Media Center

Introduction

Do you find yourself running out of HDMI inputs on your receiver or HDTV? If you’re like me, then the answer to that question is probably a resounding yes. The coming of HDMI greatly simplified home theater systems by combining the video and audio (and control) signals into a single cable. However, this simplicity also brings a problem to consumers. As more and more devices embrace HDMI, we’re running into a problem of a limited number of HDMI inputs on receivers and HDTV sets. You could get around this by buying a high end A/V receiver with four HDMI inputs but these receivers are typically rather expensive. Could we solve this by connecting to an HDTV? Problematic there also as many HDTV’s only have one or two or at most three inputs. What do you do then when you have an HDMI enabled cable box, PS3, and Xbox 360 and you only have two HDMI inputs to work with? You add an HDMI switch into the picture of course. That’s pretty much the problem I faced earlier this year when I finally caved and purchased a Sony PlayStation 3. I desperately needed more HDMI switches. Thus, today I’ll be looking at one such switch commonly found at local Best Buy stores. It’s called the Psyclone PSC47 and it’s one of the more expensive switches out on the market (at $199.99). Let’s see if the PSC47 is worth the money!

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Technorati Tags: Psyclone, HDMI Selector, Model PSC47, Review, HDMI Switch

As mentioned earlier, Apple released version 2 of their Apple TV software today (or now yesterday). You can find information about the upgrade here at Apple’s website. Some of the new features of the version 2 upgrade include:

• Supports movie rentals direct from Apple TV
• Built-in music store (via iTunes)
• Access to Flickr photostreams and .Mac web galleries – all from Apple TV
• Automatically checks for new software every week
• Rent and download HD movies
• New user interface design

I checked out the update tonight and decided to take some snapshots of the overall update process as well as some of the new user interface elements and features of Apple TV. This is NOT a comprehensive overview of the new version – just a quick early primer.

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Technorati Tags: Apple TV, Take 2, Update, Preview

Introduction:

If there’s anything anyone can agree about the Apple iPhone, it’s this – it’s absolutely beautiful. You spend an obscene amount of money for a smartphone which arguably can be considered a work of art, thus wouldn’t you want to protect it? While it might be a bit late to protect my iPhone from scratches (which I’ve had since the first day the phone was made available in late June), I thought it would be good to take a look at a couple of iPhone cases made by the folks at Incase. Today, we’ll take a quick look at the Incase Molded Rubber Protective Case for the Apple iPhone which retails for $29.95.

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Technorati Tags: Incase, Protective Cover, Apple iPhone, Review, Krunker