It’s been a few months since HP launched their Z400, Z600 and Z800 workstations, and we’ve finally got the company’s mid-range Z600 on the SlashGear test bench. A dual-processor monster that HP envisage being used in midrange CAD, financial modelling and even high-end DCC, the Z600 would also make for a storming video editing workstation; HP also claim it’s environmentally friendly. That’s the theory, anyway: can the Z600 really deliver performance in a home or small-office friendly way?
Samsung’s original Instinct surprised many when an eager public turned it into one of Sprint’s most successful devices, so it’s little surprise that the carrier are now expecting similarly impressive things from its successor, the Instinct HD. High-Definition is certainly one of the more popular buzzwords around right now, so you can’t argue with Sprint’s branding onus; the big question is whether the device itself lives up to the billing. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
With the average user entering dozens of passwords every day, to log into their computer, their email and their social networks, it’s all to easy to forget that many files are even more valuable than our Facebook login. Drive encryption is becoming more relevant to people all the time, and there’s a good argument for doing it properly if you’re going to do it at all. CRU-DataPort’s 10 Secure caddy and accompanying SecureDock are one such system, taking a standard SATA hard-drive and locking it up with military-grade encryption and a removable AES 128 key. Peace of mind or hardware-hurdle? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
We’ve reviewed our fair share of pico-projectors here at SlashGear, and while they’ve often had impressive aspects to their performance, there’s been nothing that pushed them out of “expensive toy” and into “must-have accessory”. 3M are hoping that their latest model does just that: the 3M MPro120 is the company’s second-generation attempt at the pico platform, using a new LCoS imager and four times the battery life. Can it earn a permanent place in our bag? Read on for the full SlashGear review.
Microsoft’s first Zune attempts won it a few dedicated users but a whole lot of criticism. In the face of Apple’s all-conquering iPod touch there was only really one way to go, and that was touchscreen; the Zune HD marks not only the transition to being finger-friendly, but packs the latest OLED display technology, HD radio and by no means least 720p high-definition support. Clean reboot or BSOD? Check out the full SlashGear review to find out.
It’s not just the Zune HD that Microsoft dropped off; they also sent a bundle of the new accessories for the touchscreen OLED PMP, including the Zune HD AV Dock, Jam Jacket’s CordSaver and Action Jacket cases, and Incipio’s underground case. Check out our first impressions of the accessories after the cut.
The Bluetooth headset market has split in recent years, with the budget end of the market being served by low-cost, simple devices for $50 or under, and the high-end packing complex noise-reduction and DSP for $100 upward. Into that fray steps Motorola, whose Endeavor HX1 headset packs military-type bone conduction in order – they claim – to completely vanquish background noise. After the cut, check out the full SlashGear review and why we reckon the HX1 isn’t quite ready for the urban battlefield.
Apple’s traditional September iPod event last week failed to deliver the all-encompassing camera update widely predicted, leaving the compact fifth-generation iPod nano as recipient of the most attention. With video recording capabilities, a new radio and even a pedometer, the nano 5G certainly has a longer spec-sheet; has it managed to do what Steve Jobs predicted, though, and stomp neatly over the Flip camcorder? SlashGear set to finding out.
While expensive ultraportables may get the bulk of online attention, the real battle is going on at the budget end of the market, where netbooks, CULV ultra-thins and cheap notebooks are fighting it out for a slice of the lucrative back-to-school audience. Into the fray steps Gateway, no stranger to the segment, and they’ve brought along their NV5214u, very much the desktop-replacing notebook rather than a slick but underpowered netbook. With an MRSP of $499.99 it certainly ticks the budget box; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut to see if it can tick any others.
Where netbooks go, their deskbound nettop brethren eventually follow, and as NVIDIA’s Ion GPU has made its impact on the graphics capabilities of budget ultraportables, so it has its sights set on compact desktops too. ASRock and NVIDIA worked together on the ION 330-BD, a Blu-ray toting nettop that pairs Intel’s Atom processor with NVIDIA’s ION platform, and sent one over to prove to SlashGear that just because the footprint is small, it doesn’t mean the performance is too.
SlashGear Japan
