Video and computer games controls and controllers have
gone through a large amount of change recently. The introduction of new, more immersive control technologies such as
motion sensing and touchscreens into the commercial games
market has and will change the design of games.
When you think of a budget desktop, what comes to mind? Integrated graphics, very few ports, and an extremely boring case, right? Well the Micro Express MicroFlex 1.0 does have an extremely boring case, but it's otherwise a pleasant surprise--with a discrete graphics card and USB ports to spare--considering it's labeled "budget."
The MicroFlex 1.0 costs just $600 (as of 11/2/11), but has some impressive features for the price. Sure, there's the 3.3GHz Sandy Bridge Intel Core i3-2120 processor, the 4GB of RAM, and the 500GB hard drive, but none of these features are particularly out of the MicroFlex 1.0's price point. However, the Blu-ray drive and the AMD Radeon HD 6670 are nice touches, not to mention the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium and a pair of USB 3.0 ports.
The Lenovo H2 is a slim rig that greatly resembles the rest of the budget desktop pack. But although it's lacking a little in ports and graphics support, it brings a lot to the table--including 6GB of RAM, a Blu-ray combo drive, and excellent performance for the category.
Our review model, priced at $699 (as of March 31, 2011), features a 3.2GHz Intel i5-650 processor, an Nvidia GeForce 310 discrete graphics card, and 6GB of RAM. This slender desktop also holds a Blu-ray drive and runs the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium.
The Nokia N9 is the first MeeGo-powered smartphone from the Finns, and we certainly hope it won't be the last because it's actually a rather decent piece of kit.
The unibody polycarbonate chassis might feel a little plasticky to the touch, but it seamlessly integrates into the glass 3.9-inch OLED panel, which offers ClearBlack display technology to make the dark bits darker and the colours more vivid than ever before.
TechRadar used our time with the phone wisely, and managed to bag some time for a quick video preview of the new Nokia N9 as well as the plethora of photos below:
Like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, the Nokia N9 design team has worked to improve the quality of the screen by bringing it closer to the glass, making it look darker than ever when the screen is turned off.
The chassis of the phone is pretty much free from buttons, save for the volume and power keys on the right hand side. There's no physical home button, with Nokia preferring to use an innovative swipe gesture to navigate around.
With no microSD card slot on offer (Nokia says the N9 will come in 16GB and 64Gb variants) the only ports live on the top of the phone, with the headphone jack, a pop-up cover to the microUSB connector and a pop-up tray for the microSIM.
That's right - the microSIM looks like it's here to stay as Nokia joins Apple in the teeny SIM club.
The only other thing of note on the front is the front-facing VGA camera... it's at the bottom of the N9, and it will be interesting to see how this works in day to day life. Assuming anyone ever starts thinking video calling is a great idea, that is.
The back of the phone is 'pillowed' in the words of Nokia, which means it sits rather nicely in the palm of the hand. The dual-LED powered 8MP camera is covered in some natty Carl Zeiss optics, and features an f2.2 aperture which is better for low-light situations.
The camera is positioned more centrally than many other smartphones on the market, which means it's easier to hold - in our brief tests, the pictures felt more like we were taking them on a normal compact, which is definitely a plus.
However, there's no physical camera key, which is a real disappointment as Nokia usually loves them and we're real fans, as it means less camera wobble when you're taking a snap. Touch to focus is on offer to improve the quality of your shots, although we didn't see it making much of a difference when we tried it out.
So how much do you like dragons? Your answer is likely to determine how you feel about Skyrim. Not that dragon-slaying is the game's sole activity – in fact there's an overwhelming array of things to do in Bethesda's meticulously modelled virtual continent, from plotting political coups to stewing venison. In previous Elder Scrolls titles, the price paid for this freedom was some rather homely visuals and a slew of glitches. Here, while the bugs are still in evidence, the graphics are often beautiful, increasing the immersion factor considerably – stalking the foothills at dusk amid flurrying snow, it is hard to suppress a shiver.
This $129 DirectX 11 graphics card provides plenty of horsepower for gaming on 22-inch and smaller monitors, as well as the full feature set of Nvidia’s pricier cards.
ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU; 750MHz core clock; 1GB GDDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; two dual-link DVI, one DisplayPort
port
The low-cost Radeon HD 5750 is a good choice for those on a budget who game on smaller monitors, but who still want DirectX 11 support for future games.
ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU; 700MHz core clock; 1GB GDDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; two DVI, one DisplayPort, one HDMI port; DirectX 11
The low-cost Radeon HD 5750 is a good choice for those on a budget who game on smaller monitors, but who still want DirectX 11 support for future games.
ATI Radeon HD 5670; 775MHz; 512MB DDR5; PCI Express x16; HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort; DirectX 11
The HD 5670 brings faster performance and triple-monitor support to $100 video cards. But if you’re excited about DirectX 11, consider a pricier, more powerful card.
ATI Radeon HD 5670 GPU; 775MHz Core Clock; 1GB DDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; HDMI; DVI; DisplayPort; DirectX 11
The extra 512MB of DDR5 RAM on this Sapphire version of the Radeon HD 5670 may boost performance in future games, but in most of our tests, it ran just slightly ahead of the less-costly model.
No speed limits. No rules. No allies. All you have are your driving skills and sheer determination as you battle hundreds of the world’s most notorious drivers on the country’s most dangerous roads.
In Need for Speed The Run, you’ll weave through dense urban centers, rocket down icy mountain passes and navigate narrow canyons at breakneck speeds, all the while evading a relentless police force prepared – and willing – to use lethal force to take you down
The Apple iPad tablet is not the only market making noise, in fact, there are some options when it comes to these type of devices.
From aluminum to plastic, from the IOS to Android and even Windows 7. It is important to organize your graphics options and this gives us a better idea.
