AMD Memory Goes Worldwide

In August, AMD introduced Radeon-branded memory modules and is running a test in Japan market. Looks like the results of that test were successful, since the company is coming with the whole product line globally.


AMD partnered with Patriot Memory to bring this type of products to the global market, while VisionTek is selected to be the North American retail partner. AMD will offer three lines of system memory, all in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities: "Entertainment Edition", "Performance Edition" and "Radeon Edition". The line is fairly standard - DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600 and DDR3-1866.


DDR3L is making an appearance inside the "Performance Edition" with modules operating at 1.35V, while "Radeon Edition" operates at 1.5-1.65V at 1866MHz and supports overclocking via AMD Overdrive software.

Long DIMM RAM is not the only thing AMD silently launched. The company also launched its own brand of graphics memory, and we should see some vendors of graphic card use an NVIDIA GPU with AMD GDDR3 or GDDR5 memory :-P

40-years of Microprocessor

The timeline of the most significant PC microprocessor developments that have shaped our information technology landscape over the last four decades:



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Sixth Anniversary of Vic Computer Medan

Today is the 6th Anniversary of Vic Computer Medan :-)

On November 19, 2005, we officially started to use the name Vic Computer for our business and below is the first and our updated logo :-D

Nabi - Tablet for Kids

Toys R Us has released their latest toy, a tablet for kids. The toy manufacturer hired Chinese/American Web 2.0 properties and app developer FUHU to create the "Nabi" tablet aimed at educating with fun for children. From first impressions, a very smart choice of reinforcing the corners of the tablet with seemingly soft material implies it can take some hard hitting from playful or careless children.


It features a 7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, 4GB of storage, and a 533Mhz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9, all packaged with the requisite Wi-Fi and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera.


The most interesting here is the software. A custom UI skin provides large tappable homescreen targets, a custom browser offers "kiddified" web surfing, and lots of children's software is pre-loaded, including Fooz Kids University which teaches mathematics, design and art oriented apps that allow for creative exploration, and not forgetting support for popular games. 30 children's ebooks to encourage reading are also included, and a special Nabi App Store will carry over 500 additional software titles aimed at children.

The tablet also features a “Mommy mode” which unleashes the full Android experience without any kind of restriction. The Nabi will satisfy both mother and child as it ships on December 1st. Pre-orders can be made at Toy R Us for US$199.99.

Asus Transformer Prime

Asus has officially unveiled the next-generation Transformer Prime. This slimmed-down successor measures just 1/3" thick, almost exactly matching the slender profile of the iPad 2. At 1.29lbs, the Prime is actually a little bit lighter than Apple's latest.


The Transformer Prime powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 system-on-chip. Otherwise known as Kal El, this quad-core chip doubles the number of CPU cores in the Tegra 2 SoC found inside the original Transformer. The Tegra 3 also has an additional companion core designed to extend battery life when the system isn't being taxed. Asus calls the chip's graphics component a "12-core GeForce GPU."

Transformer Prime features a 10.1" IPS panel with a 1280x800 display resolution. The Prime also boasts a "Super IPS+" mode that's claimed to deliver a brightness level of about 600 nits. Asus says this mode offers better color reproduction and should make the screen easier to read in outdoor environments. The panel's scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass has been skinned with a "hydro-oleophobic" coating that's said to resist smudging. The same coating has been applied to the Prime's textured metal exterior.


The dock is thinner now, but it still packs a touchpad in addition to the chiclet keyboard. There's also an auxiliary battery in the dock that purportedly extends the Prime's 12-hour run time to an impressive 18 hours.

The dock host a full-sized USB port and an SD card slot, while the tablet has a Micro HDMI port, a Micro SD slot, and a 3.5-mm audio jack. Amazingly, the built-in speakers are actually slightly larger than the ones in the original Transformer—and Asus says they sound better, too. The cameras have also been upgraded to 8MP rear and 1.2MP front units, which can record 1080p videos.

The Prime will start at $500. Asus is going to keep selling both models (Transformer original & Prime), so it makes sense to price the Prime at a premium. Besides, it's still a better deal than the iPad 2. The base iPad model only gives you 16GB of built-in memory for $500, while the Prime offers 32GB. A 64GB model will be available at $600, the same price as the 32GB iPad 2.

Asus Transformer Prime is slated to launch in December. It will arrive with Android 3.2, a.k.a. Honeycomb, and receive an over-the-air upgrade to Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich, when the new OS code has been "optimized, tested and approved."

HDD Prices SkyRocketing

Worst flooding at Thailand in over 50 years made the HDD prices skyrocketing wildly. PC makers face the very real possibility of running out of hard drives, and they're reportedly turning to the gray market to secure supply.

Here's how the Newegg pricing of a handful of popular desktop drives has changed since the beginning of October:


Some drives have been impacted more than others, the overall trend is clear. We're looking at price increases in the 80-190% range, with the uptick beginning around the middle of last month.

Those results only cover 3.5" desktop drives, but 2.5" mobile models are similarly afflicted. In fact, they may be in an even more precarious position as notebook makers scramble to ensure they have enough drives to put into systems.

The Reuters news agency reports that Asus only has enough mechanical hard drives in its inventory to last through this month.

The supply problems are expected to persist through the current quarter, which means we could see prices climb even higher in the coming months.