Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Nokia Lumia 1020 Preview, Intel Broadwell CPU Lineup Arrives in 2H 2014, Hands On with OS X Mavericks, NVIDIA's Linux Driver On Ubuntu Is Very Competitive With Windows 8, and Gigabyte F2A85XN-WIFI Mini-ITX Motherboard review



Nokia Lumia 1020 Video and Photo Shoot Preview

Nokia has been trying hard to play catch-up in the smartphone race for a long time now, and as Microsoft's strategic partner with the Windows Phone operating system and ecosystem, they've got their work cut out for them, with a gridiron full of Android and iOS devices offering compelling and powerful solutions. And so, Nokia, perhaps more-so than any other smartphone manufacturer in the game right now, needed to find a way to make something special. The new Nokia Lumia 1020, though it sports essentially the same internals and display as Nokia's Lumia 920, most definitely is different, and perhaps even a very attractive alternative, depending on your specific needs.

41 megapixels of resolution, floating image stabilization and a powerful camera app to back it up, will make the Lumia 1020 pretty "special" to a lot of people, some of whom might be considering a Windows Phone for the first time as a result. We're quickly working up a detailed review on Nokia's new Lumia 1020 but wanted to give you our initial impressions of the device and its camera performance, here in this quick-take preview.

First, we'll give you our nickle tour and hands-on demo of the Lumia 1020, then we'll let some pictures we took with the phone weigh in with their worth of a thousand words or so.

Read more: Nokia Lumia 1020 Video and Photo Shoot Preview

Intel Broadwell CPU Lineup Arrives in 2H 2014 @ techPowerUp

Intel is expected to unveil its Core "Broadwell" processor family in the second half of 2014. "Broadwell" is an optical shrink of "Haswell" to Intel's new 14 nanometer silicon fab process, with a few tweaks. It's being reported that the "Broadwell" silicon will make it to mobile (notebook) platforms before desktops. Within 2H 2014, a bulk of Intel's Core mobile processor lineup will be based on the silicon, including H-series (for desktop replacements and all-in-one desktops, BGA), U (for Ultrabooks), Y (for tablets), and QM/XM (for mainstream notebooks).

It's the common desktop plaform that's shortchanged by Intel. There won't be socketed Core "Broadwell" CPUs any time in 2014. They'll probably arrive in 2015, they probably won't. Instead, Intel has a "Haswell" platform refresh planned for 2014, which will see Intel roll out speed-bumped Core i5 and Core i7 parts based on existing "Haswell" silicon, and at existing price-points. To compensate, Intel is expected to roll out the Haswell-E HEDT (high-end desktop) platform in 2H 2014, which succeeds the upcoming Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" platform, and introduces DDR4 system memory support.

Read more: Intel Broadwell CPU Lineup Arrives in 2H 2014 @ techPowerUp

ROCCAT Kone Pure Color Gaming Mouse Review @ Madshrimps

The latest anniversary Kone Pure Color mice from ROCCAT can be picked up in different flavors, feature a high performance laser sensor and can be controlled by powerful customization software. The EasyShift[+] function allows us to double the button functions and the ROCCAT logo LEDs can be set with the color of our choice.

Read more: ROCCAT Kone Pure Color Gaming Mouse Review @ Madshrimps

ASUS Intros Ivy Bridge-E BIOS Updates for X79 Motherboards @ techPowerUp

ASUS began rolling out BIOS updates to its socket LGA2011 motherboards based on the X79 Express chipset, which lets them support Intel's upcoming Core "Ivy Bridge-E" processors, namely the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, the Core i7-4930K, and the Core i7-4820K. The company's flagship LGA2011 motherboard, the ROG Rampage IV Extreme, gets support for these chips through BIOS version 4206. ROG Rampage IV Formula gets it through BIOS version 4004. The micro-ATX ROG Rampage IV Gene gets it through BIOS version 4206. Elsewhere in ASUS' LGA2011 lineup, the TUF Sabertooth X79 gets it with BIOS version 4104. The mainline P9X79 series gets it with BIOS version 4104. These updates are now available on ASUS support website.

Read more: ASUS Intros Ivy Bridge-E BIOS Updates for X79 Motherboards @ techPowerUp

ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU II Graphics Card Review @ Bjorn3D

ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU II OC Graphics Card After the GTX 760 card launched we were quite surprised as to the power on tap, and were more excited to see what exactly can be done when put in the capable hands of some of the board partners.

Read more: ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU II Graphics Card Review @ Bjorn3D

Raijintek Ereboss @ techPowerUp

Raijintek, being a newcomer to the PC DIY market, seeks to flex its cooling muscles with the launch of the Ereboss CPU cooler. It features a massive single tower design with six 6 mm heatpipes and a 140 mm x 13 mm fan. Add it all up and you get a design that will turn more than a few heads.

Read more: Raijintek Ereboss @ techPowerUp

Asustor AS-604T NAS Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Today on our test bench we'll be taking a look at the AS-604T NAS from Asustor. Asustor are a relatively new entrant into the home and small business digital storage business however as a division of the Taiwanese PC giant Asus they certainly have the backing to make a big splash.

Read more: Asustor AS-604T NAS Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

ASRock Z87 Extreme6 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

The ASRock Z87 Extreme6 is a top mid-range socket LGA1150 motherboard targeted for the "Haswell" processors (fourth-generation Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors). Let's see what this motherboard has to offer.

Read more: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Rosewill Helios RK-9200 Mechanical Keyboard Review @ TechwareLabs.com

Whether you're typing up an essay, simply scrolling through a web page, or gaming your night away, more often than not, these activities in some way involve your keyboard. This vital utility can come in every size and shape imaginable, and most of us have extremely personal preferences when it comes to what it is we type on. Today for review, we have the Rosewill Helios RK-9200 mechanical keyboard. This portable, dual-illuminated, Cherry MX Black equipped keyboard comes with many surprises, and starts at around $139.99. Lets take a closer look.

Read more: Rosewill Helios RK-9200 Mechanical Keyboard Review @ TechwareLabs.com

Withings Pulse Review @ TestFreaks

A few years ago during a press event show I came across one of the early fitness tracking devices designed to work in conjunction with iPhones. At that time I wondered whether these devices would make serious in roads into the health and fitness conscious consumers mindset. That answer seems to be yes as the market for these devices keeps growing with numerous models from companies such as Nike, Jawbone and Fit Bit. Withings another health focused company have decided to enter this field with the release of their own activity tracker – the Pulse.

This portable dongle is worn by the user to track numerous metrics such as steps taken, distance travelled, elevation climbed, calories burned, heart rate, sleep duration among others. Using Bluetooth 4.0 it wirelessly connects to Android and iPhones and works with the free Withings HealthMate app, which collects and interprets the data collected by the Pulse and other Withings devices such as their Wireless Scale and Blood Pressure monitor.

Read more: Withings Pulse Review @ TestFreaks

Hands On with OS X Mavericks @ TechReviewSource.com

A hands-on preview of the latest operating system coming to Macs: OS X Mavericks. The next version of OS X adds power, flexibility, and features to the existing version, OS X Mountain Lion, but if you upgrade from the most current version, you won't notice much of a difference at first glance.

Read more: Hands On with OS X Mavericks @ TechReviewSource.com

SanDisk Extreme II Solid State Drive SDSSDXP Review

In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the 240GB SanDisk Extreme II SSD, model SDSSDXP-240G-G25, against the leading competition. This slim 7mm solid state drive is advertised to reach 550 MB/s reads and 510 MB/s writes with its Marvell 88SS9187 SSD processor, while also reaching 95,000 IOPS for random reads. SanDisk then goes beyond simple transfer speeds and TRIM garbage collection by including proprietary nCache non-volatile write cache technology for its 19nm Toggle NAND Flash.

Read more: SanDisk Extreme II Solid State Drive SDSSDXP Review

CM Storm Pulse-R Headset Review @ HiTech Legion

I’m probably just cranky and feeling violent because I have not played any video games in a while. The activity is always such a comfortable stress relief but it seems to have become tedious and monotonous as of late. It may be because I have been playing with the volume down for fear of disturbing my neighbours while playing late at night. I could probably take a page from the attention whores in the bus or the bikes and just not care who I am disturbing. A more practical solution would obviously be a headset, except for the fact that finding the right one is can be more stress inducing than its worth. Plus, users often find themselves compromising between having a good booming gaming audio with excellent noise isolation but poor multimedia and music performance which should not really happen considering most gaming headsets are pricey. Apparently, Cooler Master believes that getting both in a single headset is not impossible and are putting forward the Pulse-R headset as a possible candidate for the task.

The CM Storm Pulse-R is a stereo gaming headset meant to replace the soon to be EOL CM Storm Sonuz. The CM Storm Pulse-R is equipped with 52mm drivers and 97mm ear pads for excellent performance and comfort. Just like the CM Storm Sonuz, the Pulse-R headset also comes with a detachable omni-directional microphone and in-line remote for volume control and microphone muting. Laser etched aluminum plates on the CM Storm Pulse-R ear pads can easily be removed and customized to sport specific gaming clan colors and patterns. White LEDs on the ear cups, inline remote and microphone are powered via USB. For better portability, the CM Storm Pulse-R’s cables are also detachable while to ensure durability, CM storm braided the 2 meter long cable while each end is outfitted with anti-fraying protection. For further peace of mind, Cooler Master also provides warranty should the Pulse-R start exhibiting issues within two years of purchase.

Read more: CM Storm Pulse-R Headset Review @ HiTech Legion

NVIDIA's Linux Driver On Ubuntu Is Very Competitive With Windows 8 @ Phoronix

In recent days on Phoronix I have published benchmarks showing Windows 8 beating Ubuntu Linux for Intel Haswell performance and the Radeon Gallium3D driver losing to AMD Catalyst Legacy on Windows. As some good news for NVIDIA Linux users, the performance on Ubuntu Linux can beat out Microsoft Windows 8 on modern GPUs. However, the strong Linux performance can only be found if using the closed-source NVIDIA driver and not the open-source Nouveau alternative.

In years past on Phoronix when delivering Windows vs. Linux benchmarks with NVIDIA graphics, the performance has generally been comparable with the performance being more or less the same. With Windows 8 and the latest Linux stack, it's still largely this way but there are some nice performance wins too. However, if using the Nouveau driver, it remains a rather dire situation.

Read more: NVIDIA's Linux Driver On Ubuntu Is Very Competitive With Windows 8 @ Phoronix

Fwd: CM Pulse-R Headset Review @ OCC

A headset is quite the key element in communication during game play – nothing is worse than "that guy" who tries to type talk in the middle of an epic battle to ask for a health potion. He dies and you let him go – his fault for refusing to "chat." Okay, that may be a little cruel, but really it doesn't take much to have some type of mic plugged in for play. If you can get a headset with some serious sound behind it and a mic that doesn't sound horrible for just a bit a coin; I'd say it's worth it.

Today I will introduce you to the Pulse-R headset from Cooler Master, which I"ve had the blessing to play with for the last couple weeks. It's been so pleasant, I nearly forgot to write up something for you to read. The headset is of the usual CM quality and somehow it comes out to be more affordable than my last favorites at just $89.99 MSRP. Everything about it, spoiler alert, made me fall madly in love with it – you can't have mine, go buy your own. Now get to reading to find out why this headset is definitely worth saving up a few bucks to buy it.

Read more: Fwd: CM Pulse-R Headset Review @ OCC

CM Storm Pulse-R Gaming Headset Review @ Overclockers Club

A headset is quite the key element in communication during game play – nothing is worse than "that guy" who tries to type talk in the middle of an epic battle to ask for a health potion. He dies and you let him go – his fault for refusing to "chat." Okay, that may be a little cruel, but really it doesn't take much to have some type of mic plugged in for play. If you can get a headset with some serious sound behind it and a mic that doesn't sound horrible for just a bit a coin; I'd say it's worth it.

Today I will introduce you to the Pulse-R headset from Cooler Master, which I"ve had the blessing to play with for the last couple weeks. It's been so pleasant, I nearly forgot to write up something for you to read. The headset is of the usual CM quality and somehow it comes out to be more affordable than my last favorites at just $89.99 MSRP. Everything about it, spoiler alert, made me fall madly in love with it – you can't have mine, go buy your own. Now get to reading to find out why this headset is definitely worth saving up a few bucks to buy it.

Read more: CM Storm Pulse-R Gaming Headset Review @ Overclockers Club

Diamond Multimedia Radeon HD 7790 (7790PE51G) Graphics Card Review @ Futurelooks

The graphics card is like the front man of your PC band as it often attracts the most attention. It is the first thing you list as the difference between a regular PC and a gaming PC. Diamond Multimedia, the company that brought our own front man, Stephen Fung to custom PCs, was nice enough to send us their Diamond Radeon HD 7790 1GB.(7790PE51G). We are going to put the Diamond HD 7790 on stage, put a spotlight on it, and see if the pressure can bring out a “Monster3D” performance. Features and Specifications Diamond Multimedia Radeon HD 7790 (7790PE51G) Graphics Card Review The Diamond Radeon HD 7790 1 GB (7790PE51G) is a custom all black PCB card with a custom cooler.

Read more: Diamond Multimedia Radeon HD 7790 (7790PE51G) Graphics Card Review @ Futurelooks

Intel aims to reinvent the data center @ The Tech Report

Last week, Intel hosted an event for press and analysts where it provided some updates on the state of its data center business. Then it proceeded to confound our expectations by demonstrating how it's gearing up for a protracted fight with ARM.

Read more: Intel aims to reinvent the data center @ The Tech Report

Gigabyte GTX 780 OC Windforce @ PureOverclock

When Nvidia launched the Kepler-based 600 series graphics cards, it represented a revolution of sorts from the previous generation cards, with engineering innovations and features to improve not only gaming horsepower but also power efficiency and temperatures. Nvidia succeeded quite well, proving popular with gamers and enthusiasts alike. Kepler was, quite simply, a resounding success. The question later became: where to go from there?

Indeed, you’re only as good as your last success, and today we’re looking at a custom implementation of the behemoth GeForce GTX 780. This one is from Gigabyte, the GTX 780 OC Windforce, sporting a very aggressive factory overclock and a stunning cooler.

Read more: Gigabyte GTX 780 OC Windforce @ PureOverclock

Kobo Aura HD E-Book Reader @ MEGATech

Even though so many of us have come to rely on our smartphones and our tablets for just about every practical mobile purpose known to man, those displays aren’t exactly the best things for our eyes, especially with extended sessions. We’ve also run into all sorts of frustrations when it comes to mobile battery life too. So, if you’re the kind of person who likes to do a lot of reading on the go, a dedicated e-reader is still a very viable product to consider. The e-reader market is increasingly competitive and while it may feel like it’s a race to the bottom in terms of pricing, companies like Kobo are still trying to elevate their game. One of the newest additions to the Kobo family is the Kobo Aura HD, an e-ink reader that boasts some of the best specs in the segment.

Read more: Kobo Aura HD E-Book Reader @ MEGATech

Turtle Beach Ear Force XP SEVEN Review @ KitGuru

Today we will be taking a look at the Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven, aimed at professional gamers and enthusiasts alike. Packed with features such as customizable presets, an Audio Control Unit, adjustable surround sound angles, Dolby surround and even auxiliary input, Turtle Beach claims these headphones offer the ultimate in game tournament and lifestyle performance. These headphones come in at a hefty $279.95 (http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/xbox-headsets/ear-force-xp-seven/340) or around £185 pounds inc vat.

Read more: Turtle Beach Ear Force XP SEVEN Review @ KitGuru

Gigabyte F2A85XN-WIFI Mini-ITX Motherboard review @ Guru3D

Recently AMD released a spin-ff APU series called Richland, basically in short wording it was a re-spin of Trinity. Alongside that A10 series APU release multiple motherboards have been updated to match the channel demand a little better. And yeah, what we'll see today is impressive for what it is. We review the cute and tiny mini-ITX based Gigabyte F2A85XN-WIFI motherboard and arm it with a Richland based AMD A10 6800K APU processor. The motherboard is only 17x17 CM yet offers great features and is incredible fun. Value and fun is what the platform offers. Pop on a nice seriers 6800 APU from AMD and for normal daily usage is just fine and heck, it's great for HTPCs and even a game or two.

Before we start off this review, let me state this like we always do with APU reviews; see we are a bit of an enthusiast based website so I want to make it very clear here, the A10 and A8 APU processors are entry level to mid-range targeted processors, please do understand that very clearly. That means you are looking at reasonable desktop CPU experience versus (in AMDs case) an enhanced integrated GPU, and all that for very interesting prices. But they are not intended as enthusiast class PC gaming rigs, okay?

Read more: Gigabyte F2A85XN-WIFI Mini-ITX Motherboard review @ Guru3D