Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

5 Cool Things You Can Now Do With Windows Phone 8.1
A Back-To-School Guide For Tech Procurement
ASUS Maximus VII Formula Review
ASUS Z97-Deluxe & Z97-A Review
Corsair Carbide Air 240 Mini-ITX case review
Corsair Carbide Air 240 Review
Corsair Carbide Air 240 Review
Corsair Carbide AIR 240 Review
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK Z97 Motherboard Review
HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 Smart Phone Review
Roccat ISKU FX Gaming Keyboard Review

5 Cool Things You Can Now Do With Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 is upon us, and offers a whole new set of tools to help manage your digital and offline life. These ten tips and tricks will help you get the most out of Windows Phone, and bring the platform into line with Android and iOS. Some of these features were available in older versions of Windows Phone, but have been supercharged and enhanced under Windows Phone 8.1 (both the official update and the Developer Preview, which is easy to install while you wait for your phone to be updated).

Read full article @ MakeUseOf

A Back-To-School Guide For Tech Procurement

It's that time again. The time of year when students and parents frantically hit e-tailers that offer fast shipping in order to get that all-important back-to-school technology into a dorm room or backpack before classes begins.

It's back-to-school season, and whether you've started classes recently or are awaiting (dreading?) that first 8AM lecture, there may be a few bits of techno-shopping that need to be taken care of before you can be on your way to that straight-A report card.

In the pages ahead, we'll be taking a look at today's latest and greatest when it comes to full systems, mobile devices, and peripherals that could prove useful for any dutiful student...

Read full article @ Hot Hardware

ASUS Maximus VII Formula Review

With the Maximus VII Formula, ASUS actually surprised us, since we did not expect this board to arrive already now. Like with the predecessor you get an "Armor" and the same characteristic looks as with the Maximus VI Formula. Furthermore there is an armada of features, which should make this board appealing to overclockers, modders, enthusiasts as well as - obviously - gamers.

Read full article @ ocaholic

ASUS Z97-Deluxe & Z97-A Review

Looking at the baseline performance, I did not see anything terribly out of the ordinary as you might expect. All Z97 boards will perform within a specific envelope when equipped with identical hardware. Overclocking follows this guideline for the most part. Between the Z97-A and Z97-Deluxe NFC & WLC, the maximum overclock was within 21MHz board-to-board, showing that you get the same overclocking experience from top to bottom of the product stack. By manually tuning the Z97-A, I was able to use bclock multiplier overclocking, while the Z97-Deluxe needed a little more finesse and massaging of the bclock to reach its maximum speed of right around 4.7GHz. It took more of a time investment for the maximum clock speed on the Deluxe, but that's part of the allure of overclocking.

Read full article @ OCC

Corsair Carbide Air 240 Mini-ITX case review

Today we review a new chassis from Corsair, the Corsair Carbide Air 240. Based on the popular success of the 540, this is a small mini ITX and Micro-ATX form factor chassis that will house the smallest, but also the biggest stuff inside your computer. A high-end graphics card and liquid cooling? Not even an issue. Not mid, not full, but mini; this is intended for small form factor PCs. Now the product might be tagged as mini, the details and features however are grand.

Building a high-performance PC these days doesn't require you to have have a massive big-tower. I mean sure, taste differs, but the trend ever since last year seems to be "smaller". This is the reason why mITX form factor PCs have become so much more important. I mean you can build a simple HTPC, but within that same small form factor you can also house a Z77 mini ITX motherboard with a Core i7 4770K processor, liquid cool that processor and then even add a GeForce GTX 780 Ti or Radeon HD 290X in there.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Corsair Carbide Air 240 Review

The new Corsair Carbide Air 240 uses the same split-chamber design that Corsair introduced with the Carbide Air 540 but this time it is used in a smaller, more compact chassis with a low price under £70. A smaller chassis means you have to choose a Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX motherboard however there is still plenty of scope for building a gaming powerhouse.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Corsair Carbide Air 240 Review

Corsair has steered clear of the tiny cube chassis, while other companies like BitFenix, Xigmatek, or Aerocool have been duking it out, trying to get the attention of gamers who want a compact chassis with the ability to hold potent hardware. Well, the Carbide Air 240 is about to step into the ring and manages to impress.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Corsair Carbide AIR 240 Review

Last year Corsair introduced a new case within their Carbide series and it’s fair to say this new offering was a great success for them. Fast forward some six months and they are back again with yet another new addition to the family, the smaller brother to the AIR 540. Building on the success of this exciting and innovative computer chassis, Corsair has engineered a much more condensed workspace for those who are building with small form factors.

AIR 240 employs distinct characteristics from AIR 540 but primarily focusses on Micro ATX and Mini-ITX systems. This cube-shaped case can accommodate a wide selection of high-end hardware and does so with numerous tool-free mechanisms.

Furthermore, this petite counter-part can even house a 240mm radiator in various spots throughout the chassis to bring plenty of flexibility.

Read full article @ Vortez

Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK Z97 Motherboard Review

If you live in Markham, Ontario or Richmond, BC, it is easy to identify vehicles driven by what we call a "C-Lai". Now, what the heck is a "C-Lai"? To put it in terms most people can understand, a C-Lai is a Cantonese term that roughly translates to the American equivalent of a soccer mom. They are usually some forty-year-old Chinese woman who does not have a job; their daily routine involves making trips between the supermarket, their kids' school and any after school activities, as well as the houses of other nearby C-Lais to rant about their husbands, or show off how amazing their kids are academically. For poorer C-Lais, they typically drive dinged up -- usually caused by their poor driving skills in mall parking lots -- beige Toyota Corollas or Camrys. For richer C-Lais, they usually roll around in a brand new Mercedes C, E, GLK, or ML class. But here is always one thing in common: Their license plates almost always have 888 in there, or some variant of it, like 048, 168, or 668. In case you do not know what 048, 168, 668, or 888 mean, basically, it sounds like "especially prosperous", "all the way to prosperity", "every road leads to prosperity", and just "prosperity" times three, respectively, in Cantonese. Now, I did not grow up in a superstitious household, nor am I superstitious myself (We do not have any of those numbers in our license plates, phone numbers, etc), but because it is so ingrained in our culture, everyone knows about the implications of these numbers right off the bat. When Gigabyte released their Black Edition motherboards with 168 hour durability testing, I could not help but get a good laugh out of it. In reality, 168 hours translate to exactly one week, with nothing to do with cultural superstitions. But will it still be the start of something good? We took in a GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK to find out.

Read full article @ APH Networks

HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 Smart Phone Review

Today we are fortunate enough to look at the first Smart phone from HUAWEI to hit state side, the HUAWEI Ascend Mate2. The Ascend Mate2 looks like your typical (if there is such a thing) smart phone, but one of the biggest advantages to the Ascend Mate2 is the price. For only $299 you can purchase the Mate2 free and clear of a contract! Read on to see how it does when we take it for a test spin.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Roccat ISKU FX Gaming Keyboard Review

ROCCAT is a German company that produces gaming peripherals including gaming mice and keyboards, mouse pads, and sound systems. The ISKU FX is ROCCAT’s mid-range gaming keyboard, clocking in at $79.99. The ISKU FX features multicolor illumination, 8 configurable media and hotkeys, ROCCAT TALK, macro recording, dedicated profile switches, 36 macro keys, and an extra large wrist rest for comfort during long gaming sessions. The features and illumination options make the ISKU FX an attractive option, but can it compete with the many other gaming keyboards in the market? In this Benchmark Reviews article I will discuss the many features of the ROCCAT ISKU FX, the accompanying driver software, and how this keyboard compares to others options on the market.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews