Workstations aren’t normally our focus, but when Dell shows off a new Precision system that lets four media pros share its graphics hardware at once, you can be sure the company has our attention. If your IT chief springs for a Precision R5500 with four Quadro 2000 cards, each of those cards can take advantage of a graphics pass-through in Citrix’s virtualization to render 3D models at speeds much more like what you’d get if the Quadro were sitting in your own PC. Before you have visions of four-player Modern Warfare parties after-hours at work, the inherent barriers of distance and the virtual machine itself will likely rule out any game sessions. We’d add that the Quadro, Xeon processor and the $2,742 minimum price make it an expensive proposition. That engineering simulation will finish a lot faster, though, giving you a bit more time to play back home.

SOURCE via Dell

Just in case you thought NEC was done with its PC updates this week, the Japanese PC builder has thrown its hat into the Ultrabook ring with a unique contribution of its own. The LaVie Z has a 13.3-inch screen like your garden variety ultralight, but it weighs just 2.2 pounds through a new lithium-magnesium alloy shell about half the weight of the aluminum that some companies love to use. Unfortunately, that weight and the slim frame are about all we know so far: NEC isn’t providing any internal specifications, possibly because it’s waiting on Ultrabook-ready Ivy Bridge chips. Even so, if you’re hanging around Japan and want the lightest possible laptop you can get at a 13-inch screen size, the wait until the planned summer release will feel like an eternity.

SOURCE via NEC

Intel has typically kept its cool in responding to Windows 8 on ARM, but that war of words (and chips) just got a little more heated at an investor meeting. CEO Paul Otellini saw his more mobile-oriented competition facing a “big uphill fight” without the presence of legacy Windows app support. That’s a big drawback for corporate buyers that have legions of traditional apps they want to keep running, the executive said. He also used the opportunity to rib ARM over a lack of any existing Windows hardware. There’s certainly no question that Intel has a head start in Windows 8 support, but the remarks do come with a degree of irony. Intel is cutting into ARM’s territory with Atom-based Android phones, and while it won’t have as much of a problem with legacy OS support as ARM will with Windows, Intel has a lot to prove on its own.

SOURCE via CNET

Yeah, an optical drive. You know, for folks who still appreciate the passing fads of life. Bitterness aside, Commodore is following up its retro-fabulous C64x with a new small-form-factor PC, the Amiga Mini. While not much of a looker, this box houses a potent 3.5GHz Core i7-2700k CPU, 16GB of DDR3 memory, Nvidia’s GeForce GT 430 (1GB), a WiFi radio and a 1TB HDD that can be swapped out for a 300GB or 600GB solid state drive. There’s a slot-loading Blu-ray drive by default, internal space for a pair of 2.5-inch drives and a predictable Amiga logo burned right onto the front panel. Unfortunately, the well-specced base model tips the pricing scales at $2,495, but that does include a copy of its Commodore OS Vision. The company has also revealing the C64x Supreme, the new VIC mini and a more powerful VIC-Slim keyboard computer (which now includes an HDMI output).

SOURCE via Commodore USA

Recently leaked slides suggest Korean computer outfit Zalman will soon jump into the ever-expanding graphics card market, initially partnering with AMD on its Radeon series. Known best for its quiet computing technologies, the company’s move to infuse GPUs with cooling solutions could enhance the performance of the cards, making overclocking a lesson in simplicity. The slides only show the AMD 6870, 6850, and 6770, but it’s feasible more models will appear when official news is released. Given AMD’s many board partners, differentiation is important to remain competitive and on their payroll — graphics cards and their overheating habits is Zalman’s cup of tea. Hopefully this brings more innovative products in the coming future, perhaps as early as CES. Check past the break to view the specifications breakdown for the aforementioned cards.

SOURCE via Anandtech

There’s no question that cloud computing has hit the mainstream. Now, Taiwanese hardware maker Acer, the world’s second largest PC manufacturer, has just joined the ranks of the sky-high elite, purchasing Silicon Valley-based iGware for $320 million.

Acer’s acquisition of the little-known cloud computing firm will reportedly allow it to launch a cloud product next year, and is seen as a long-term strategic move for the tech giant. Despite its limited name recognition, iGware provides services that support more than 100 million consumer devices, including Nintendo gaming systems — the two companies are reportedly in talks over potential cooperation after the acquisition is complete.

iGware may be a major player in the cloud computing space, but its single-page Microsoft Publisher-designed website doesn’t exactly scream nine-figure acquisition.

SOURCE via Reuters

If you watched Conan O’Brien in his final days on NBC, you may have seen the Bugatti Veyron Mouse. Now feast your eyes on the Asus Lamborghini mouse.

A product of the same collaboration that has already turned out a series of laptop computers and external hard drives, the Asus WX Lamborghini Wireless Mouse packs Sant’Agata’s famously edgy styling into a computer peripheral. It’s available in white, yellow or black, packs a little tire for a scroll wheel and, of course, Lamborghini’s often imitated (but never duplicated) logo perched prominently on top. It even sports a USB dongle that stows inside the mouse, has a range of 33 feet and is available for $80.

So why, you ask, would you need a Lamborghini mouse? Well aside from its trademark pinpoint precision and speedy maneuvering, if you’ve already got an Acer Ferrari laptop hooked up to a LaCie Porsche Design hard-drive on your Bugatti desk, you’re not about to control it all with just any old mouse now, are you? Of course not. But if you’re looking for a mouse to match, let me introduce you to a brand call Razer.

You know the rigmarole by now — product gets introduced, product takes forever to ship, and at long last, product hits the hands of a few lucky souls. And then, the fine folks over at iFixit rip said product limb from limb in the name of science. This goes ’round, they found twelve larger chips and a smorgasbord of other bantam components within Apple’s first Thunderbolt cable, and they didn’t hesitate to suggest that the $50 asking price was at least somewhat justified. A Grant’s worth of dissection photos awaits you in the source.

SOURCE via iFixit

Porsche is known for some of the sleekest driving machines on the market. LaCie, meanwhile, makes some of the slickest hard drives. Where they intersect is the latest range of external storage devices, penned by Porsche Design for LaCie.

Collaboration between the two companies date back to 2003, and the new LaCie Porsche Design mobile and desktop hard drives feature minimalist brushed aluminum cases that would instantly look at home next to your Acer Ferrari or Asus Lamborghini laptops for the ultimate in automotive-inspired computer hardware.

The devices are available in sizes ranging from 500 gigabytes all the way up 2 terabytes with prices starting at $104.99

Four months ago, Intel and Apple debut their awesomely fast Thunderbolt I/O with 10Gbps transfer speed, and boy, that four months sure pass by fast without any sound. The MacBook Pro and iMac lines have since been refreshed with the new inter-connect, but early adopters haven’t had much more than a fancy port to stare at.

Thankfully, Apple’s $49 T-bolt cable is finally available as your ticket to the 10Gbps superhighway. Apparently, it quietly hit Apple’s web store this morning along with some fresh Promise Pegasus RAID enclosures ($1k for 4TB up to $2K for 12TB) to support it.

All of the peripherals appear to be in stock and ready to ship; so if you’ve been eagerly waiting to make use of that extra port, now’s your chance.

SOURCE via Apple Insider