| Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X gives audiophiles 7.1-channel analog sound, overpriced cables thankfully optional Jul 23rd 2012, 23:17  There haven't been many choices in PC motherboards for audiophiles -- the 'real' kind that might see even a good dedicated sound card as slumming it. Biostar wants to fill that untapped niche with the Hi-Fi Z77X. Along with run-of-the-mill expansion for an Ivy Bridge- or Sandy Bridge-based desktop, the board's built-in 7.1-channel audio flaunts six 3.5mm analog jacks, an amp and the kind of exotic-sounding language that leads audio addicts to buy $2,000 cables they don't need. We're talking "metal-oxide film resistors" and "non-polarized electrolysis electric audio capacitors," here. Whether or not the changes have an appreciable impact on sound quality, listeners are ironically left out of S/PDIF audio, which exists only as a header on the board unless buyers spend a little more on parts. That said, if we assume the as yet unknown price isn't stereotypically high -- and that audiophiles don't mind a big, potentially noisy desktop as a home theater PC -- the Hi-Fi Z77x could be a treat for those who want to wring every nuance out of music and movie soundtracks. Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X gives audiophiles 7.1-channel analog sound, overpriced cables thankfully optional originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Bit-Tech.net |  Biostar | Email this | Comments | | USB Power Delivery spec upped to 100W, aims to make proprietary power connectors obsolete Jul 23rd 2012, 22:37  The battle between Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 has only recently begun in earnest, what with mobo's finally emerging to give non-Mac computers access to the 10Gbps interface. While USB 3.0 can't match Thunderbolt in terms of data throughput, it now has the upper hand in power capabilities, as last week the 100W Power Delivery spec was approved for both USB 2.0 and 3.0. That's ten times what Thunderbolt can do, and it means that you can charge up your laptop or power most any peripheral via Universal Serial Bus. Naturally, the new specification relies on beefier cables to deliver maximum juice, but we won't have to go replacing all our old wires -- it includes a means to check attached cables and devices and set the voltage and amperage accordingly. Perfect, that means we won't have to carry around bundle of proprietary power cords when we travel, and we get peace of mind that charging via USB won't have any, ahem, unpleasant side effects. Continue reading USB Power Delivery spec upped to 100W, aims to make proprietary power connectors obsolete Filed under: Misc. Gadgets USB Power Delivery spec upped to 100W, aims to make proprietary power connectors obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink SemiAccurate | USB Implementers Forum | Email this | Comments | | Sally Ride, first American woman in space, dies at 61 Jul 23rd 2012, 22:01  It's a sad day for space travel. Sally Ride, the first American woman to ever travel to space, has died at the age of 61 after a bout with pancreatic cancer. She's best known for breaking NASA's gender barrier by flying on Space Shuttle Challenger on June 18th, 1983, but she spent much more of her time guiding our future in space while here on Earth -- she founded NASA's Office of Exploration and directed its early strategy, and she later went on to lead the California Space Institute as well as teach physics at Stanford University. Her final decade saw her establish Sally Ride Science to encourage students wanting to follow in her footsteps, especially girls. Ride blazed one of the brighter trails in technology, and she'll be missed. [Image credit: National Archives] Filed under: Transportation, Science Sally Ride, first American woman in space, dies at 61 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink NPR | Sally Ride Science | Email this | Comments | | A50 Audio System review: Astro Gaming's latest wireless headset (mostly) pwns in 7.1 Jul 23rd 2012, 21:45  Alright, so you've been successfully pwning n00bz in Battlefield and Call of Duty, but lately you've decided your rig could benefit from one of those surround sound headsets that everyone says will make you so much better at first-person shooters. You might remember Astro Gaming's latest offering from E3, the A50 Wireless Headset -- it's the company's second try at a wireless Dolby Headphone-enabled 7.1 surround sound system. Its previous attempt, the MixAmp 5.8 (sold alone and bundled with the $229 A30 / $280 A40 Wireless Audio Systems), was a solid solution for folks wanting traditional MixAmp controls and enough versatility to use with any pair of wired headphones. (What's up, audiophiles?) However, it didn't provide as seamless a setup for gaming on the couch as headsets with embedded wireless radios like Turtle Beach's X41. So, does essentially shoving the MixAmp 5.8 into an A40 make for a better living room-geared solution? Does it manage to retain that MLG-bred DNA Astro is famous for? Does it trump headsets in its range like the $270 XP500? Most importantly, should serious gamers consider dropping 300 bones for it? We'll explain it all after the break. Continue reading A50 Audio System review: Astro Gaming's latest wireless headset (mostly) pwns in 7.1 Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals A50 Audio System review: Astro Gaming's latest wireless headset (mostly) pwns in 7.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Juggernaut Alpha with Windows Phone 8 appears in benchmarks, shows how sharp it might be Jul 23rd 2012, 21:24  A while back, we spotted the Juggernaut Alpha's unique and hard-to-forget moniker in a document listing a number of alleged upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets, and now the device has managed to land itself in a purported set of early benchmarks. According to WMPoweruser, the Juggernaut Alpha results are from a Windows Phone app called WP Bench, where it clearly shows how much faster it is than its closest challenger -- nearly doubling its speeds when compared to those of the HTC Titan. Needless to say, if true, this kind of outcome is to be expected given all the improvements Microsoft announced last month, but this only gives us more to look forward to come that eventual WP8 fall release. Filed under: Cellphones, Software Juggernaut Alpha with Windows Phone 8 appears in benchmarks, shows how sharp it might be originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink MobileSyrup | WMPoweruser | Email this | Comments | |
