Daily Reviews Summary 03/14/12

The Streacom FC8 Fanless is a unique all-aluminum, small form factor/HTPC case compatible with Mini-ITX motherboards, designed for quiet computing. It comes with a passive cooling system that cools down the CPU by connecting it to the chassis using two heatpipes. Let's take a look at it.

While the motherboard side of things has been a bit quieter recently, a couple of good looking ones have arrived that we need to get stuck into. While it looks like the video card market isn't going to slow down any time soon, the motherboard market on the other hand is about to go into overdrive as we see the launch of the Intel Z77 Express Ivy Bridge platform soon.

The most recent board we're looking at today comes from MSI and is the latest to be part of the Big Bang series. The Intel X79 Express based Big Bang XPower II looks the part, but how does it go when we get past its looks?

There exists a plot to rid this world of all its mice, man! The touchy-feely conspirators behind the movement have already carried out major attacks on the Macintosh with Magic hardware and reversed scrolling directions, but today even the Windows crowd is being targeted by overhauls to the Windows UI and fingertip devouring hardware. I'm talking, of course, about Logitech's Wireless Touchpad. Will it be a viable agent of change to displace the mouse from the desktop? How does it stack up against other touchpads? Is this paragraph a poorly disguised attempt at generating pageviews, or am I just another paranoid writer? Find out the answers to all these and more in my in-depth review.

Verdict:
Powered by DisplayLink's top-end silicon, the Targus USB 3.0 Dual Video Adapter is a great option for users looking to add multiple displays to a laptop or small form factor PC who require excellent performance and compatibility.

Pros:
+ Smooth tracking performance
+ Oversized discrete buttons
+ All gestures can be used without drivers

Cons:
- Lacks pinch-to-zoom, rotate
- Lacks two and three finger taps, clicks.
- Cannot be paired with Bluetooth
- Uncomfortable for extended use