Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

'Back to the Future Part II': science fiction vs. reality
ASUS Strix GTX 950 DC2OC, Strix Goes Mainstream
Asus ZenWatch 2 Review
Batman: Arkham Knight Performance Analysis Update
CM Storm Quick Fire XTi Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
Corsair Gaming Strafe RGB Review
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 WaterForce revealed
Inateck Mercury Box wireless Bluetooth speaker
Inno3D iChill GeForce GTX 980 Ti Black Review
iPhone 6S Plus Review
Leap HD 3D VR Glasses Review
MSI ThunderStorm Review: Your Desk on Top of Desk
MSI Z170A Gaming M7 Motherboard Review
Netis E1 N300 WiFi Range Extender Review
PNY GTX 950 2GB Graphics Card Update Review
Reach Cables 10 Foot Droid Charging microUSB Cable Review
Surface Book review: The hybrid that really does replace your laptop
Surface Book review: the ultimate laptop, even if it isn't perfect
Surface Pro 4 review: The tablet that still doesn’t quite replace your laptop
Surface Pro 4 review: Yes, it can really replace your laptop
Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review
The EVGA GTX 980 Ti Hybrid Review
The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Review: Raising The Bar
Two Weeks with an iPhone 6s: An Android user's account, part 1
Vertagear S-Line SL4000 Gaming Chair Review
Western Digital To Acquire SanDisk
Windows 10 Mobile Build 10572 Hands On and Gallery

'Back to the Future Part II': science fiction vs. reality

If you came of age in the late '80s, there's a good chance that Back to the Future Part II was a formative film that helped inform your idea of what society might look like in the not-too-distant future. BTTF creators Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis certainly weren't trying to predict the future as much as they were trying to build a world that worked with their story. And in fact, the entire trilogy features less than 40 minutes of time in 2015. But that doesn't mean this limited glimpse at the future wasn't thrilling and hilarious to moviegoers in 1989. Now, it's just fun to look back and see what, if anything, they got right -- particularly today, the day that Marty and Dr. Emmett L. Brown traveled forward in time to. We can now finally judge how the fictional world of Hill Valley in 2015 matches up with reality.

Read full article @ Engadget

ASUS Strix GTX 950 DC2OC, Strix Goes Mainstream

ASUS released the Strix GTX 950 DC2OC at an Entry / Mainstream price of $159.99 and previous to the GTX 950 NVIDIA was stuck at the $200 price point with the GTX 960. The GTX 960 $200 price point left them vulnerable to sub $200 AMD video cards covering that price point and after an appropriate period of time the GTX 950 was born to fill the gap in the NVIDIA pricing structure. The ASUS Strix GTX 950 DC2OC utilities the same GM206 core that the GTX 960 uses but NVIDIA trimmed away a little of the hardware to make the $160 price range. AMD put out the R9 300 series including the R9 380 in the $200 – $249 price bracket and frankly the 4G on the AMD card at that price point makes for a good seller and in most cases slightly outperforms the GTX 960, then along comes the R7 370 at the $150 dollar price range leaving Nvidia with nothing to compete at that price.

Read full article @ Bjorn3D

Asus ZenWatch 2 Review

The Asus ZenWatch launched without much fanfare last year but captivated many with its Apple Watch-esque design – even before the Apple's first wearable was out. Its small price tag also made it the most affordable Android Wear smartwatch on the market. Regardless, it wasn't the most comfortable or, frankly, interesting wearable you could own. Thankfully, the new Asus ZenWatch 2 is far more promising. Still keeping with the low sum of $129 (about £110, AU$179) for the silver face and rubber band, and $149 (€149, £159.99, about AU$210) for the same with a leather band a buckle-type strap - in both sizes - it's far cheaper than its predecessor's initial launch price of $199 (£199, about AU$252). In fact, it's so affordable that the Google Play store is out of stock already. With the ZenWatch 2 available in two sizes – with the smaller fit presumably for women, judging by the marketing – it opens up a wider pool of options, making this second-generation wearable much more appealing. Asus sent the smaller of the two options, or the W1502Q model, since I have smaller wrists. There are slight design differences between the W1502Q and bigger W1501Q, but nothing too drastic.

Read full article @ TechRadar

Batman: Arkham Knight Performance Analysis Update

It’s not very often that we return to a game, but in this case, we couldn’t say no. Batman AK was one of the most anticipated of early 2015 and the final game in the Batman: Arkham series, so the hype surrounding it meant the game had to hit the top marks from launch. Sadly we all know that Batman AK had a very rough start to life with PC performance being the major issue. Users complained of the lack of graphical settings and the 30FPS cap. While we brought Batman AK performance figures in this state; it wasn’t always going to be as reliable with the game undergoing major work.

Developers decided to pull the game from Steam and other outlets to prevent more consumers purchasing a digital copy. This worked for a while and developers have managed to implement a good amount of updates to improve stability, graphics, and overall player enjoyment.

With the overhaul to the graphics portion, we have decided to return to the game and re-test all of our current generation graphics cards on the newest drivers available. To maintain consistency with our previous Gaming performance articles, these graphics cards will be pitted against the game at the highest optimal settings across three of the most popular resolutions.

Read full article @ eTeknix

CM Storm Quick Fire XTi Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Founded in 1992, Cooler Master is an aftermarket computer part manufacturer, with a primary manufacturing facility located in Huizhou, China. Launched in 2008, the CM Storm subsidiary of Cooler Master features products designed with the needs of PC gamers in mind, with an emphasis on performance, durability and aesthetics. Popular CM Storm products include gaming headsets, cases, mice and keyboards. Cooler Master has been successfully producing keyboards tailored towards gamers for several years under the CM Storm brand.

Just several years ago, PC gamers weren’t focusing on mechanical keyboards as a viable upgrade, but now, it’s almost unheard of for a high end gaming system budget to not including a provision for a mechanical keyboard. With gamers now viewing mechanical keyboards as a necessity, it’s no surprise that so many manufacturers are now releasing keyboards aimed specifically towards gamers. This competition is great, as the selection for mechanical keyboards continues to rise and consumers are offered a decent amount of choices when it comes to their keyboard selection. Cooler Master, with most of their keyboard releases, have gone the minimalist route, offering solid build quality on keyboards devoid of dedicated media keys and extraneous features that are of dubious value to gamers. With the Quick Fire XTi ($145.91 shipped), Cooler Master is offering gamers a simplistic, clean keyboard design with red and blue LED lighting effects for the first time on any of the CM Storm gaming keyboards. For competitive gamers, the 1000hz polling rate of the Quick Fire XTi ensures fast, accurate input.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Corsair Gaming Strafe RGB Review

With their Strafe RGB, Corsair has a first gaming keyboard ready, which is using Cherry MX Silent RGB switches. These switches feature a noise reduction system while maintaining the resopnsiveness of the classic Cherry MX. In addition, the keyboard offers RGB backlighting and customizable keys thanks to the Corsair software.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 WaterForce revealed

Gigabyte has announced the GeForce GTX 980 WaterForce (GV-N980WAOC-4GD). As you might guess, this is a graphics card based upon an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 GPU, with 4GB of GDDR5 memory (on a 256-bit bus), and fitted with a 'WaterForce' all in one closed loop water cooling system. Out of the box users can enjoy this graphics card running at Base: 1228 MHz / Boost: 1329MHz (or 1253/1354MHz in OC Mode).

Due to its adept liquid cooling solution the new Gigabyte graphics card facilitates "superior overclocking capabilities". The usual Gigabyte OC GURU II software is supplied for easy speed tweaking. We are told that Gigabyte's full coverage cooling apparatus covers the GPU, VRAM and MOSFET, requiring no additional fans to be fitted to the board. The radiator connects to the water cooling block via robust 45cm SFP tubes transporting fluid from the low-noise pump. The coolant is chilled using a 120mm 'silent fan'. Overall Gigabyte says its GeForce GTX 980 WaterForce card "is able to perform up to 38.8 per cent cooler than the reference cooling in operating temperature for ultra-stable gaming in near silence".

Read full article @ Hexus

Inateck Mercury Box wireless Bluetooth speaker

It can prove difficult getting all the features you want in a Bluetooth speaker while keeping it affordable, but that is what Inateck has attempted to do with its Mercury Box. Made of anodized aluminium, this compact wireless speaker is certified IPX5 waterproof, packs two strong five watt drivers into its casing and has a battery life that is said to last up to 15 hours on a full charge.

And it claims to do all this for as little as £40.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Inno3D iChill GeForce GTX 980 Ti Black Review

Face-melting performance from a liquid-cooled powerhouse. Following Nvidia's high-profile launch at the back end of May, HEXUS has put half-a-dozen custom GTX 980 Ti graphics cards through the wringer and come away suitably impressed - they've all been lustworthy in their own right and if you were looking to spend big bucks on a new GPU, GTX 980 Ti would be an obvious choice.

But all our reviews thus far have focussed on air-cooled solutions and, perhaps inspired by the rival Radeon R9 Fury X, we've received numerous reader requests asking for a liquid-cooled GTX 980 Ti to be put under the microscope. We're ticking that box today with a full evaluation of Inno3D's iChill GeForce GTX 980 Ti Black.

Read full article @ Hexus

iPhone 6S Plus Review

Apple phablet gets minor but worthy update. The iPhone 6S Plus offers a large, good quality screen and great performance, while 3D Touch is an impressive piece of tech and a useful addition. The 6S Plus is a great choice of handset for anyone looking for a phablet with a premium build, although the cost could prove prohibitive.

Read full article @ V3

Leap HD 3D VR Glasses Review

Today we have the first gadget test on OCinside.de - Gadgets on OCinside? Yes, because in addition to the great PC hardware, which we regularly test and daily publish in our news, there are plenty of interesting gadgets for the PC and of course for the mobile devices, without we no longer want to leave the house - the smartphone. Today's smartphone gadget we want to introduce according to the recently published gamescom report. These VR glasses are designed to provide the world of virtual reality for just 20 Euro in combination with a smartphone. And that may be something? For sure! For this purpose we test also a Bluetooth gamepad that you can use as a camera remote release alike, as well as for smartphone remote control and operation of the Cardboard VR goggles.

Read full article @ OCInside

MSI ThunderStorm Review: Your Desk on Top of Desk

I have tried gaming mouse pads in the past, most of which are Razer brand, but this is the first time I've owned a solid aluminum mouse pad. MSI's ThunderStorm mouse pad has unique traits that help differentiate itself from other aluminum mouse pads on the market. The most noticeable trait is the cutout on one side of the pad that is meant to … Read more.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

MSI Z170A Gaming M7 Motherboard Review

As hardware enthusiasts we are often asked for recommendations on what components we recommend for new computer. Normally this is a rather easy process of elimination, for instance if you have a tight budget then you often look to gradually upgrade or live with budget parts. On the other hand if money is no object (in which case it rarely is) you’ll be looking for not only a wealth of features but also that everything works together nicely.

In this review I’ll be looking at the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard. This is a Z170 Skylake motherboard complete with high quality Military Class components and the famed MSI Gaming feature package. You will notice that MSI has changed many of their Gaming motherboards to include current industry trends while still keeping with their mission to deliver hardware that gamers want.

Read full article @ Hardware Asylum

Netis E1 N300 WiFi Range Extender Review

Wireless networks have one big flaw and that is their coverage. The longer the distance, the slower the transfer speeds will get. There are two ways you can combat this, you can either get completely new equipment with stronger signals or you can get a wireless range extender to boost your signal. For today’s review, I’m taking a look at Netis E1 N300 WiFi range extender.

The Netis E1 is a very basic unit, both feature and design wise. It has the same shape, size, and design as the Netis Power over Circuitry kit that I reviewed not long ago and it would go well with that. Then again, the design doesn’t really matter here and it is very likely that it will be more or less hidden once set up. However, it is nice that it is a small unit and that it won’t take up so much space around the plug it is inserted into.

I personally really like this design and hope that Netis will continue it in future products. It reminds me both of a futuristic style that we often see portrayed with everything round as well as a flashback to the 60s and 70s. It’s a universal design that will fit almost anywhere.

Read full article @ eTeknix

PNY GTX 950 2GB Graphics Card Update Review

With all of the hype surrounding the GTX 900 series recently, it has been hard to imagine what the lower end of the graphics card market would hold for the refined Maxwell architecture. We originally saw Maxwell in the mighty GTX 750Ti, but it was only when the GTX 900 series was released that we received the Maxwell that we know today. Our reviews and news have focused heavily on the GTX 980Ti and Titan X graphics cards, so information on the GTX 950 has been scarce to say the least; that is about to change. In today’s review, there is not one, not two but three GTX 950’s in for punishment; the ASUS STRIX GTX 950 2GB, Inno3D iChill AIRBOSS ULTRA GTX 950 2GB and the MSI GAMING GTX 950 2GB.

The GTX 950 is hot off the manufacturing line and features some lack-luster, but pokey specifications; knowing NVIDIA, less is more and we should see a stormer of a graphics card here regardless. Most of the options will feature 2GB of VRAM due to the product placement, but we will see some 4GB models which should make for a very capable SLI configuration for not a great deal of money. So with a price tag of around £120 depending on the manufacturer, performance isn’t going to be outstanding compared to the bigger options. However, the estimated performance and price tag makes this an extremely attractive option for 1080p and online gamers. Personally, I feel that this GTX 950 will be the final piece in the puzzle for NVIDIA; it will then have a great graphics option at almost every price point.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Reach Cables 10 Foot Droid Charging microUSB Cable Review

Up for review today I’ve got a simple product but one that’s very useful, it’s a microUSB cable but it’s 10 feet long, the longest USB cable I’ve ever seen that’s for sure. The cable is from a company called Reach Cables and it’s braided for durability and it looks nice as well. Read on to learn more…

Read full article @ Technogog

Surface Book review: The hybrid that really does replace your laptop

This is the machine that I've wanted Microsoft to build ever since it embarked on its Surface adventure in 2012.

The build quality, materials, and design of the Surface line have always impressed, but the tablet form factor continually limited its appeal. Changes to the Surface Pro 3 enabled Microsoft to carve out a niche for its "productivity tablet," and the Surface Pro 4 is a solid upgrade and refinement, but there's one thing those devices are not—a laptop.

The laptop form factor, with a stiff hinge that can hold the screen up, is tried, trusted, and tremendously popular. It is equally at home on a desk in the office, on your lap on a train or a plane, or even at home in bed or on the sofa. It can be used in all these places while still offering high quality keyboards and pointers, large screens, abundant ports, big batteries, and high performance. The Surface offered some of these things, but the laptop form factor always offered more.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

Surface Book review: the ultimate laptop, even if it isn't perfect

Microsoft's first laptop raises the bar for other notebooks, with fast performance, best-in-class battery life and a design that manages to be both premium and unforgettable. The detachable screen is also comfortable to use as a tablet, thanks to both its light 1.6-pound design, accurate pen input and some well-thought-out dimensions. Overall, we recommend it, especially to people who value performance, design and battery life above all else, and are willing to pay dearly for it. We just hope that next year's model is a little lighter and that it offers longer battery life in tablet mode.

Read full article @ Engadget

Surface Pro 4 review: The tablet that still doesn’t quite replace your laptop

Since the first Surface RT released in 2012, Microsoft's ambition has been to build a tablet that can replace your laptop. This was always a dangerous way to position the systems, because it drew comparisons with real laptops. Microsoft didn't even shy away from those comparisons, explicitly comparing the Surface Pro 3 to the contemporaneous MacBook Air.

In terms of size, weight, price, and performance, the comparison made some sense, but it was double-edged. While it highlighted the Surface Pro 3's undoubted advantages—better screen, touch and stylus input, tablet form factor—it also made clear the Surface Pro 3's big deficit relative to the laptop: it's not actually very good on your lap.

This is either crippling or irrelevant. There are plenty of laptop users—and I used to be one—who need a laptop because they want a machine that is portable, easily moved from desktop to coffee shop to kitchen table. In this role, the Surface Pro 3 had few real issues. Its footprint was a little larger than a similarly sized laptop due to the kickstand, and its touchpad remained a weak spot. But as a package it worked well: the Surface Pro 3 was a flexible, capable machine that was effective as a tablet but offered much of the productivity of a laptop.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

Surface Pro 4 review: Yes, it can really replace your laptop

With the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft's surprising hybrid tablet journey finally makes sense. It's as if Microsoft was laser-focused on fixing the issues we had with the Surface Pro 3. We liked that device quite a bit, but its Type Cover was endlessly frustrating, with a sloppy keyboard and wonky trackpad. The new keyboard, on the other hand, is far sturdier and more laptop-like, and its trackpad is no longer a thing of nightmares. It's taken a while, but the Surface Pro 4 shows Microsoft has finally accomplished everything it set out to do when it unveiled its crazy hybrid tablet concept three years ago (which makes the announcement of the Surface Book even more curious). Aside from improving the battery life and bundling in the Type Cover (just do it, already), it's hard to imagine how much better the Surface Pro line can get.

Read full article @ Engadget

Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

After using this keyboard for a week, I found it is quite comfortable. This was not the case at first. With as much as Tensoro put under the hood, this keyboard stands tall. Once I was used to it, I learned the benefits of having the Brown mechanical switches equipped. Tensoro has regarded this switch simply as for "the weathered soldier." With easy actuation and rebound, I found extended periods of use did not create excessive fatigue or discomfort. This alone made my experience much better than other mechanical keyboards I have used.

Read full article @ OCC

The EVGA GTX 980 Ti Hybrid Review

As NVIDIA’s GTX 980 Ti moves on with its life, board partners have been releasing some increasingly unique cards. EVGA has their KIngpIn, MSI’s Lightning received no small amount of attention and GIGABYTE is on the cusp of launching a brand new series in a few weeks. Amidst all of this excitement, the liquid cooled cards have been near the forefront of innovation and performance. While MSI’s GTX 980 Ti Sea Hawk was recently featured here, EVGA’s own GTX 980 Ti Hybrid was, at least in North America, the first water cooled 980 Ti on the market.

Much like the newly released Sea Hawk, the GTX 980 Ti Hybrid’s claim to fame is its integrated All In One water cooling unit. With its addition, the card may be a bit more challenging to install but the benefits are multi faceted. Not only will the core run cooler than many air-cooled alternatives but its acoustical profile should be substantially lower as well. Those two factors alone should make the Hybrid a prime candidate for use in small form factor gaming systems that pull double duty has HTPC’s as well.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Review: Raising The Bar

Microsoft moved the yardsticks with the Surface Pro 3, a surprise hit after multiple generations of Surface Pro. With the Surface Pro 4, they look to take what worked in the Surface Pro 3 and refine it, improve it, and pack it with technology. This is our first look at Intels 6th generation Core processor in the 15 Watt range, and the outgoing Surface Pro 3 was two generations behind so expect nice gains in performance. Lighter, thinner, and a larger display, but in the same dimension chassis, this is the AnandTech review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Two Weeks with an iPhone 6s: An Android user's account, part 1

With the recent launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, I decided to pick up one of Apple’s latest smartphones and use it exclusively for two weeks. What follows are my thoughts on the phone and the ecosystem as primarily an Android user, how the two experiences compare, and whether long-time Android users should contemplate an iOS switch.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Vertagear S-Line SL4000 Gaming Chair Review

We all rant and rave about our components, who has the best keyboard or fastest graphics card, but we neglect what we use the most; the chair. Personally I have two, both costing well under £100 each, but of massively different build qualities. Something that these ‘racing’ chairs hope to bring is bucket seat comfort and support to our gaming sessions.

Haven’t heard of Vertagear before now? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. The company has just three seats available, the budget orientated SL2000, mainstream SL4000 and executive SL5000. They each come under the S-Line brand and roughly look the same with key differences to design and overall size.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Western Digital To Acquire SanDisk

Western Digital announced today that they have entered in to an agreement to acquire SanDisk for approximately $19 billion. Western Digital is one of the few remaining hard drive manufacturers, but their only presence in the solid state storage market has been the enterprise SSDs sold by subsidiary HGST. SanDisks joint venture with Toshiba on the other hand - one of the four major manufacturers of NAND flash - allows SanDisk to develop a wide range of solid state storage products. This acquisition will give Western Digital some much-needed diversification and potential for growth as hard drives are becoming a niche storage medium.

Without a major SSD-related acquisition, Western Digital would have faced diminishing relevance or the daunting task of carving out a significant piece of the highly competitive SSD market. Over the past several years the solid state storage industry has seen a lot of consolidation, leaving Western Digital with few options for acquisition, of which SanDisk was the largest they could afford.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Windows 10 Mobile Build 10572 Hands On and Gallery

For the second time in less than a week Microsoft has released a test build of Windows 10 Mobile to its Fast Ring Insiders group. If you came of age in the late '80s, there's a good chance that Back to the Future Part II was a formative film that helped inform your idea of what society might look like in the not-too-distant future. BTTF creators Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis certainly weren't trying to predict the future as much as they were trying to build a world that worked with their story. And in fact, the entire trilogy features less than 40 minutes of time in 2015. But that doesn't mean this limited glimpse at the future wasn't thrilling and hilarious to moviegoers in 1989. Now, it's just fun to look back and see what, if anything, they got right -- particularly today, the day that Marty and Dr. Emmett L. Brown traveled forward in time to. We can now finally judge how the fictional world of Hill Valley in 2015 matches up with reality.

Read full article @ WinSupersite