Reviews 52118 Published by

Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

AOC U2868PQU 4K UHD 28 inch Monitor Review
Asus engineers confirm 120hz 4k still some time away
AudioFly AF56 Earphones Review
CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Review
Computex 2014 In-Win D-Frame Mini
Deck 87 Francium Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review
Enermax ETS-T40 White Cluster CPU Cooler Review
Gamdias Demeter GMS5010 Gaming Mouse Review
Genius Ergo 8800 Wireless Mouse Review
Genius Widecam F100
Kingston FCR-HS3 Memory Card Reader Review
Lenovo B750 All-in-One 29-Inch Desktop Review
Misfit Shine Wearable Fitness Activity Monitor Review
SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB Review
Schenker Element 10.1in Tablet Video Review
Surface Pro 3 deep-dive review: Has Microsoft finally got it right?
The Mystery Of TrueCrypt's Disappearance
Thecus N7710-G



AOC U2868PQU 4K UHD 28 inch Monitor Review

2014 is the year of Ultra HD 4K. Prices have been dropping steadily in recent months and today we look at the latest 4K panel from AOC, the U2868PQU. This WLED/ TN panel has onboard speakers, a 60hz refresh rate, 1ms GTG response and a 1000:1 typical contrast ratio. At £499.99 inc vat (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-019-AO) it is priced £100 less than the Asus PB287Q 4K UHD that we reviewed earlier this week. Is it worth the cash?

Read full article @ KitGuru

Asus engineers confirm 120hz 4k still some time away

KitGuru was one of the first adopters of Ultra HD 4k testing in graphics card reviews – back last year. We are regularly asked when 120hz or 144hz 4K monitors will be available and we decided to try and get some answers for you all. ASUS engineers responded and were very helpful indeed.

Read full article @ KitGuru

AudioFly AF56 Earphones Review

When you think about buying headphones the first few brands that come to mind would probably be, Beats, Sony, Bose and Skullcandy, more than likely. I'm here to introduce to you a fairly new company, with a lot to pack, AudioFly.
They are a company based in Australia and they both design and build headphones. They base their design with an old school touch but with new inspiring technology for audio. They currently have 4 headphones out, the AF33, AF45, AF56 and the AF78. In this review I'll be testing the AF56, their second best that they have on the current market.
AudioFly AF56 is packing their largest in-ear driver and ..delivers uncompromising sound, pumping out astonishing clarity over the whole spectrum with a rich and detailed bottom end... according to their website.

Read full article @ TechwareLabs

CM Storm Sirus 5.1 Review

Designed to provide the ultimate in comfort and performance, the CM Storm Sirus 5.1 gaming headsets are true 5.1. The Sirus provide true surround sound with 8 speakers (4 on each side) and the practicle and comfortable "Tactical Mixing Console", a sort of remote station to control all volumes. Let's find out together in this new review.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Computex 2014 In-Win D-Frame Mini

When it comes to open air computer cases there are a couple of options that come to mind. You could take the route of simply setting up your PC on a cardboard box which allows you access to every component but doesn’t do much to protect the components. Or, you can elect to use one of the many different variants of a PC test bench. A test bench will protect your components better but was never really designed to be portable or compact.

At Computex 2014 In-Win will be showing a variety of new cases including the new In-Win D-Frame Mini and we got a special look of the case before the opening of the show. The new D-Frame Mini is as Mini-ITX variant of the popular D-Frame chassis that was shown at CES a few years ago and promises to bring portable protection to your SFF computer build.

Read full article @ Hardware Asylum

Deck 87 Francium Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review

If there's something that people value more than a good mouse that is a good keyboard and although in the past there weren't that many models to choose from and almost every single one of those used regular membrane technology keys. To date only 5 keyboards have had the pleasure of sitting on my desk for long periods of time since the early 90s' the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard (which i got in 1995), it's successor the Microsoft Natural Pro Ergonomic Keyboard (year 2000), the Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (got it back in 2005 if i recall correctly), the Professional Model S by Das Keyboard (roughly two years ago) and finally the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E.7 Adjustable Keyboard (slightly just over a year ago). So as you can imagine i don't easily trust keyboards especially since i don't primarily use them for gaming and thus i only use the best for me but specially designed models like the 87 Francium Pro by Deck (a subsidiary of TG3 Electronics) which arrived on our doorstep a while back are certainly very good candidates.

TG3 Electronics, Inc. is a leading supplier of engineered input solutions. These solutions include; standard and custom keyboards, bump bars, and control panels. TG3 was incorporated in 1986 by its founder, Tom Giles. With an international sales force and the best engineers in the industry, TG3 has grown steadily over the past 23 years. Headquarters is located in a 45,000 square foot, state of the art facility in Kenosha, WI. TG3 also has a major manufacturing interest in Zhuhai China and Hong Kong. TG3 sells into a very diverse marketplace that includes but is not limited to; medical, industrial, point of sale, military, mobile data, telecommunications, white goods, and gaming. Whether your input requirements are large or small, complex or simple, TG3 can handle your application from concept to completion.

As you can definitely see from the list of keyboards I’ve used in the past only one out of the five that have landed on my desk for extended periods of time featured mechanical switches so I’m not going to tell you that mechanical keyboards are the only way to go since that would obviously go against what I’ve been doing for over two decades. The truth of the matter however is that mechanical switches have a much longer lifespan (up to 50 million actuations) and far better audible/tactile feedback compared to regular membrane ones features that go a long way especially for hardcore gamers and professionals. The 87 Francium Pro may seem way too basic and it lacks the numeric keypad but with it Deck takes things a step further compared to everyday mechanical keyboards since they didn't only use LED illuminated Cherry MX mechanical switches (brown ones in our sample) featuring Full N-Key rollover but they have also made it so that the user can create his own LED effects thanks to the built-in NUC123 32-bit Cortex:tm:-M0 microcontroller (runs at 72MHz and features 10-bit ADC with 20KB SRAM) and use macros linked to keys directly from the keyboard (without the use of software). I'm certain that you're all quite curious to see how all these translate in real-world use so let's not keep you waiting any longer.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Enermax ETS-T40 White Cluster CPU Cooler Review

While we mostly know Enermax for their cases they have been making cooling solutions for some time now. The CPU cooler we are taking a look at today is quite interesting as it is all white. The heatsink is white, the fan is white and it even has white LEDs. This makes it perfect to match with other white components or even a white case. The CPU cooler I am talking about is the ETS-T40 White Cluster. It features a tower heatsink stack design with four 6mm copper heatpipes that make direct contact with the CPU and a 120 mm cooling fan. The ETS-T40 has TDP support of 200W+ and can fit pretty much any Intel and AMD socket out there. Read on as we take a look...

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Gamdias Demeter GMS5010 Gaming Mouse Review

The Gamdias Demeter is one of their more entry level products for gaming. The Demeter features an array of options for macro creation, timers, built-in memory, adjustable DPI and poll rates, 6 smart keys, 10 million click life-cycle switches, and LED color choices to display. The Demeter’s design is aimed at gamers who have needs that exceed your standard 3-button mouse designs. To use all of these features Gamdias has a program interface called Hera, that you can download from their website.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Genius Ergo 8800 Wireless Mouse Review

In this review we will take a look at a mouse from Genius, a new sponsor here at Bigbruin.com. While their Ergo 8800 wireless mouse is the first product to be featured in a review here, they are definitely not a new company. They have been in business since 1983, and have a strong global presence with thousands of employees. They offer a wide variety of accessories and peripherals for computers and mobile devices, and even just focusing on their computer mice shows they have dozens of models to choose from.

The Ergo 8800 is shown in the promotional image above, where we can immediately see that it features some key elements that people look for in a mouse. It has a broad, ergonomically shaped body, a variety of buttons for desktop and gaming use, and the wireless communications are handled by a compact USB receiver. Before taking a look at the unit provided for review, let's look at what Genius has to say on their official product page for the the official product page Ergo 8800...

Genius introduces the Ergo 8800; a new wireless infrared mouse. The advanced design maximizes wrist comfort while making navigation effortless. Shaped to encourage a more natural hand, wrist, and forearm posture, this device helps prevent possible pain from repetitive stress injuries.

Read full article @ Bigbruin.com

Genius Widecam F100

With the prevalence of Skype and the rise of personal YouTube and TwitchTV channels, the webcam is becoming as necessary as the keyboard and mouse and much like other accessories there is a wide array of options for the user to choose. Today we take a look at the Widecam F100 from Genius which boasts to be the world’s first full HD 1080p ultra wide angle webcam. Boasting many useful features for video conferencing as well as personal use, will the F100 prove itself or simply be just another webcam with just another gimmick? Join me to find out.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Kingston FCR-HS3 Memory Card Reader Review

When Lenovo Canada made a "mistake" of selling an IdeaPad Y410p with an Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor, dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GT755M graphics, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and 1TB hard drive for $279 CAD last week, no one could have imagined it to turn out to be its worst ever public relations disaster ever recorded in the company's history. If you do not know what is going on, we here at APH Networks has the entire story covered live as it unfolded. Lenovo's Facebook page was filled with messages from angry customers, Twitter activity with related hashtags was almost impossible to keep up with, and when mainstream media jumped on the story, the whole thing became an utter and total shipwreck. Who knew? While we here at APH Networks are not going to judge whether it is an honest human error or a deliberate scheme by Lenovo, one thing we can all learn from this story is, there are times in life when what appears to be small, irrelevant things at first turn out to be much more significant than first imagined. For example, I take a lot of pictures. In order for me to transfer the photos from my camera to my computer, I used to depend on my Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP's built in card reader. Nothing special. However, when that monitor died in December of last year, it was then I knew how often and how dependent I was on that card reader. Every time I needed to copy a photo to my PC, I would reach for the temporary monitor, only to keep rediscovering several times a day I am only reaching in vain. For those few months in between until I got my replacement Dell UltraSharp U2413, I began to appreciate the benefits of having a desktop card reader. It sits nicely on my desk, reads almost every card in existence, and does not require me to physically readjust my monitor after I pop in and out cards. What is this card reader in question, you may ask? It is none other than the Kingston FCR-HS3.

Read full article @ APH Networks

Lenovo B750 All-in-One 29-Inch Desktop Review

We've all heard the phrase "Go big or go home," but how about "Go wide or go home?" The latter is the message Lenovo is sending with its B750 All-in-One Desktop PC, which offers a spacious and brilliant 29-inch super-widescreen In-Plane Switching (IPS) display to play with. It has a Full HD 2560x1080 resolution, which works out to a 21:9 aspect ratio with copious horizontal screen estate to maneuver your documents and windows. It's also adept at watching movies, as the aspect ratio is very close to the true value of 64:27, allowing for little or no discernible black bars.

Oddly enough, Lenovo opted against touch support, an increasingly rare decision in the Windows 8/8.1 era. Touch enthusiasts aside, there's a little bit of something in the B750 for just about everyone. If you're not watching movies on the 21:9 panel, you can get busy with that research paper you've been working on and have several different source materials open alongside your Word document. And if you need to take a break for gaming, there's a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M GPU inside that's ready to spring into action when duty calls...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

Misfit Shine Wearable Fitness Activity Monitor Review

There are literally hundreds of different products in the activity and sleep monitor market, so when you walk into Best Buy or get onto Amazon you'll see either an entire isle or landing page dedicated to wearable tech. Today, Legit Reviews will be taking a closer look at the Misfit Shine Activity Monitor that is available for around $96.25 shipped. Misfit was able to bring this product to market after a successful $100,000 Indiegogo campaign that began in 2012.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB Review

SanDisk has been supplying consumers with storage solutions since 1988 and are considered one of the forerunners in this department. Regardless of the intended use, SanDisk has a vast portfolio spanning from SD cards through to Solid State Drives – all tailored for users who require fast and convenient ways to back up, share and transfer data. Today we are to look at a product which sits within SanDisk’s USB flash storage category.

The Extreme Pro is a USB 3.0 flash drive which arrives with a healthy 128GB of capacity and promises to deliver up to 260MB/s read and up to 240MB/s write performance. SanDisk has given this drive a stylish enclosure and a rather generous lifetime limited warranty. On the subsequent pages we’ll be placing Extreme Pro within a number of trying scenarios to demonstrate and highlight the performance which can be experienced from this new drive.

Read full article @ Vortez

Schenker Element 10.1in Tablet Video Review

Today Kaeyi takes a look at the Schenker Element 10.1" Windows tablet with keyboard dock and Intel Atom processor.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven.com

Surface Pro 3 deep-dive review: Has Microsoft finally got it right?

Microsoft's new Surface Pro 3 is supposed to work as both a tablet and a laptop. After working with it for a week, does our reviewer agree?

Read full article @ Computerworld

The Mystery Of TrueCrypt's Disappearance

Sometime on the 28th of May, 2014, the anonymous developers of TrueCrypt mysteriously pulled the plug on their popular encryption software. They shut down the TrueCrypt.org website and redirected visitors to a simple page hosted by SourceForge, with a disturbing warning :

WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues

This page exists only to help migrate existing data encrypted by TrueCrypt.

The development of TrueCrypt was ended in 5/2014 after Microsoft terminated support of Windows XP. Windows 8/7/Vista and later offer integrated support for encrypted disks and virtual disk images. Such integrated support is also available on other platforms (click here for more information). You should migrate any data encrypted by TrueCrypt to encrypted disks or virtual disk images supported on your platform.

That warning is then followed by instructions on how users may migrate from TrueCrypt to BitLocker. Right at the end is a link to TrueCrypt 7.2, the first update since TrueCrypt 7.1a was released in 2012. However, this version of TrueCrypt will only decrypt TrueCrypt containers - its encryption ability has been disabled / removed.

Read full article @ Tech ARP

Thecus N7710-G

Thecus has recently released a SMB NAS server, the N7710-G. This unit is equipped with strong components that easily support the needs of a business environment. Among others, it supports RAID 50 and has a 10GbE Ethernet port through which very high network transfer speeds can be achieved, given you have the right network structure in place.

Read full article @ techPowerUp