Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

All-in-One Sidebar for Firefox Review
ARCTIC S113BT Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review
Benchmarking Linux 3.16 File-Systems On An SSD
Can You Really Use the Nvidia Shield as a Desktop Replacement?
Favi SmartStick Wireless Keyboard Review
Intel Pentium G3258 Processor Review
Kanto YU2 Desktop Computer Speakers Review
Rig of the Month June 2014
Rosewills Apollo RK-9100xBBR mechanical keyboard reviewed
Thecus N5550 NAS device Review

All-in-One Sidebar for Firefox Review

While going through the best Firefox add-ons list here on Ghacks I noticed that I missed to review some of them. The first add-on that caught my eye was All-in-One Sidebar for Firefox, a browser extension that improves the sidebar in the Firefox browser in several ways. Reason enough to review it.

Read full article @ gHacks

ARCTIC S113BT Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

One thing that we all admit is that Bluetooth connectivity opened new horizons for many things related to wireless data transmission and although i do think it still has a long way to go before it's capable of doing things we only see in the movies it has reached levels we didn't really think possible a decade ago. One of the markets especially influenced by Bluetooth connectivity has been the audio electronics one since it (along with Wi-Fi in the case of Apple) allowed the design and manufacture of both wireless headsets and speakers just in time for the smartphone revolution. Granted at first the available products were not what one would call impressive and had numerous flaws (although back then they weren't really seen as such) but nowadays we see many decent offerings by a very large number of manufacturers established and not. ARCTIC may not new to Bluetooth connectivity since we've seen compatible headsets by them in the past but today is the first time we're taking a look at a portable wireless speaker by them the S113BT.

The increasing heat emission of modern CPUs and graphics cards has gone beyond the capability of most manufacturers to design powerful enough yet quiet coolers. An increasing noise level was the result, which had a negative impact on productivity. A quiet computer is the basis for pleasant working conditions. ARCTIC initiated the trend towards quiet cooling systems for desktop PCs in 2001 and has given distinction to it ever since. Today ARCTIC is one of the leading manufacturers in computer cooling and has acquired profound knowhow in consumer electronics. ARCTIC is a privately-owned company with its headquarters in Switzerland and offices in Hong Kong and the USA. ARCTIC contributed significantly to the development of computer cooling solutions, created a number of patented technologies leading to greater efficiency and remarkable noise reduction. Within the cooling industry ARCTIC is recognized for offering innovative solutions with a fair price tag. Our products are sold in over 45 countries across the globe. Up until 2009, ARCTIC COOLING focused solely on cooling solutions. In 2010, we became ARCTIC with the additional aim to provide a comprehensive set of innovative consumer electronics and peripherals. ARCTIC's long term goal is nothing less than being present in everybody's home. Our philosophy is still the same since the very beginning - offering consumers value-for-money, innovations at affordable prices.

Ever since i first heard about ARCTIC roughly 10 years ago (it was ARCTIC Cooling back then) I’ve known that their primary aim has been to bring affordable products to the masses and so if you're hoping to see something similar to the Jabra Solemate MAX or the A73 Boombox by TDK you will be somewhat disappointed since the S113BT is in the same league as the Solemate Mini and the A26 TREK. As you can see from the above picture it does have a more "pleasant" design than the other two largely thanks to the rubber bumper which i was surprised to see that it's actually available in 6 colors to cover both men and women of all ages (black, white, green, orange, blue and pink). The S113BT also comes ready with support for NFC (Near Field Communication) compatible devices and features several standards like Bluetooth 4.0 (with EDR, A2DP, AVRCP and Hands-Free support), aptX and AAC (for lossless audio streaming). It’s hardware specifications include two 1.5" full range drivers (frequency response of 30Hz-20KHz) with bass radiators (2x3W RMS), an Omni-directional microphone (-44 ±3dB sensitivity) and a Built-in 1200mAh lithium polymer (Li-poly) rechargeable battery which according to ARCTIC gives the S113BT up to 8 hours of playback. So after this detailed introduction let’s take it for a spin and see how it does.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Benchmarking Linux 3.16 File-Systems On An SSD

With the Linux 3.16 kernel coming along nicely, here's our first tests of this forthcoming major kernel upgrade when it comes to the mainline file-systems and their performance from a solid-state drive.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Can You Really Use the Nvidia Shield as a Desktop Replacement?

Over the last few weeks I’ve been playing around with the Nvidia Shield quite a lot, I’ve reviewed it, I’ve used it to stream games around my house and I’ve pushed its limits as a games console emulator, so what else can it do? USB OTG is not exactly a new innovation, there are many mobile devices out that that use USB OTG, or USB On The Go. The feature allows you to plug-and-play a multitude of devices into a USB port on your device, in the case the Nvidia Shield, and use them much in the same way you can when plugging those devices into your PC. Having forgone the use of a tablet over the last few months, I now use the Shield and my Smartphone for many tasks, but I wanted to push the limits and see if I could not only game on it, but also work from it, much as I would from my Ultra Book or desktop PC.

With so many productivity applications now available for mobile devices, there are virtually no reasons you cannot complete most of the tasks you normally would from your desktop PC. Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Dropbox, a multitude of web browsers, multimedia applications and many more. This is helped further by the powerful internal components of the Sheild, most importantly being the Tegra 4 quad-core processors and 2GB of ram.

Read full article @ eTeknix Reviews

Favi SmartStick Wireless Keyboard Review

A little bit ago I reviewed the Rapoo E2700 wireless keyboard and I liked it a lot, but today I have a keyboard that for my uses will replace the Rapoo as I like it much better overall. Today for review I have the Favi SmartStick Wireless Keyboard and it’s just what it sounds like, a wireless keyboard. The Favi keyboard is very small and meant to be used with an HTPC or Android system and it even has a touchpad built-in for navigation along with numerous special buttons like those used with Android and multimedia buttons. The keyboard also has a built-in laser pointer and presentation buttons so you could even use it for work if you wanted to, but it’s real use I think is for Android or Windows computers and their multimedia uses. Read on to learn more…

Read full article @ TestFreaks

Intel Pentium G3258 Processor Review

The Intel Pentium G3258 20th Anniversary Edition processor was released to the channel this week and Legit Reviews and we have been waiting for weeks to pick this processor up. Why have we been highly anticipating a low-end Intel Pentium processor? Well, we remember the old days when you could get massive overclocks on inexpensive processors and get some decent performance out of them. The days of using a pencil or rear window defogger kit to get a sick overclock are certainly a thing of the past, but that doesn'€™t mean that there still aren’t budget friendly processors that can be overclocked to the hilt. Read on to see how the Intel Pentium G3258 performs and just how high it can be overclocked.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Kanto YU2 Desktop Computer Speakers Review

For someone who is in engineering, I have heard quite a number of jokes regarding our profession; some shining the spotlight on our common inner pride, while others throw a tongue-in-cheek outlook at our personalities. One particular story came to my mind when I began to compose this review. It talks about a mathematician and an engineer sitting at a table drinking at the bar when a very beautiful woman walks in and sits down across the room. The mathematician lets out a sigh and says, "I'd love to talk to her, but first, I will have to cover half the distance between where we are and where she is, then half of the distance that remains, then half of that distance, and so on. The series is infinite. There will always be some finite distance between us." Meanwhile, the engineer gets up, and starts walking. "Oh well, I figure I can get close enough for all practical purposes." As you can see, while the mathematician is correct in his assertions, the engineer in the story sheds a bit of insight on the difference between theoretical limitations and practical implications. I will let you ponder that for a moment as we reflect on the conclusion of my Audioengine A2+ review last month. I have asserted that "audio is a very special breed of product to review", and "hearing good sound shoots straight for the heart. It will tingle a sense of passion that simply does not resonate the same way when anything else is tested. It will feel right, and I will recognize it the first time I hear it." Ostensibly, the Kanto YU2 and Audioengine A2+ look and function in a very similar way. Just pull up some photos, and you will see what I am talking about. Economically, the former is only two-thirds the price of the latter at press time. Will the Kanto YU2 still be able to resonate the heart the same way the Audioengine A2+ for all practical intents and purposes, or will it be a case of "close, but no cigar"? Here at APH Networks, we will leave no audio questions unanswered.

Read full article @ APH Networks

Rig of the Month June 2014

We just adore hardware. And sometimes some you guys really make a PC that really stands out. We ask you to answer a few simple questions and send in photo's of your rig. Each month we'll have a look at the entries and perhaps pick you and post your PC with photo's and everything here at Guru3D.com Here you can find out what you need to do and win a nice prize package courtesy of Corsair.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Rosewills Apollo RK-9100xBBR mechanical keyboard reviewed

These days, Rosewill is establishing a presence in the realm of premium mechanical keyboards. The company may not have the cachet of, say, Corsair or Razer, but some of its new high-end keyboards are priced right alongside offerings from those companies. Today, we're going to look at the Apollo RK-9100xBBR, a fully featured gaming keyboard that currently sells for $119.99 at Newegg.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Thecus N5550 NAS device Review

Next in our line of NAS reviews is the Thecus N5550. This five bay NAS also includes features not seen on most devices, including an LCD panel, HDMI output, and audio jacks, but how well does it work? Read more...

Read full article @ Neowin