I’ve been waiting desperately for Sony Ericsson’s K850i cell phone ever since it was announced couple months ago. Watching its live pics only got me drolled more and more. But the wait is over. Two weeks ago, this gorgeous Cyber-Shot handset has finally arrived in my country, and without further thinking, I purchased one. And now I’m one of many happy owners of K850i.

While I didn’t own SE K810i phone (the button is ugly, and the specs aren’t different than K800i), I do have K800i. Compare to its predecessor, K850i is slightly fatter. That’s probably because the company now placed the camera cover under the case, unlike K800/K810. This cover will automatically open when the camera is active, and vice versa. This is really a good improvement, ’cause when I put my K800i on my pocket, the cam cover often accidentally opened. Hate that.

Joystick controller is always on love/hate situation. Some people love it, some don’t. This time, Sony Ericsson did vote for the opposite group and replace the joystick with standard four-direction buttons. The cool thing is, the OK and Cancel buttons are also gone. Seems like the company wants to give a little PDA experience to K850i and that’s why you get a small area of touchscreen at the bottom of the screen. The left side is the OK button, while the right side is the Cancel button. I admit that this feature requires some practises to master though.

Other missing button is the gallery shortcut. Not quite missing though, but I do love the old one from K800i. It’s much easier and more convenient that the new shortcut mechanism introduced in K850i.

Another adorable improvement is the SIM card house. On K800i, you have to take off the battery to replace the SIM card which isn’t easy either. You even have to use your nail or paper or card to help you pull that damn card. Thankfully, K850i gives us more humanly experience. SIM card, battery, and memory card housing are now reside on the bottom of the phone, and you simply have to push ‘em down their house. If you need to take them off, push them gently and pull. Can’t be that easier.

On a side note, be careful when pushing the SIM card. I once did it carelessly, and the card ended up stuck between its house and the phone case. It took almost an hour to pull it off.

Regarding specs, K850i cell phone boasts 5 megapixel camera and HSDPA connectivity instead of the old 3.2MP and 3G. Other specs, including the menu, aren’t much different than K800i/K810i. Except the new media center interface, horizontal-vertical orientation detector (you can play MarbleMadness by moving the phone around, just like when you play it on Wii), improved web browser, improved contact info, easier calling system (upon typing phone number, you’ll get a list of people on your contact which have phone number started with the number you currently typed), and FM radio. Note that current GMail Mobile won’t work with K850i’s new touchscreen UI (the app does run and you can view your inbox, but there’s no way to press Select to view the email), so you have to access it directly from web browser.

I’m really satisfied with K850i. But if only it came with WiFI connectivity, this phone would be perfect.

Virtual-Hideout recently posted a review for Asus Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme series motherboard. Both boards utilize Intel P35 chipset and support the whole Intel Core 2 family (Quad / Extreme / Duo), as well as previous Pentium 4 series processors. The difference between Blitz Formula and Extreme is that the former uses DDR2 SDRAM, while the latter supports the faster DDR3 main memory. For the detail on each motherboard, check out Asus product page here and here.

Excerpt from the review:

ASUS has been gracious in providing us with two enthusiast minded solutions for both DDR2 and DDR3 utilizing the same P35 chipset, in the Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme. Why would ASUS consider offering the two options? Well in a nut shell, it simply saves you some money since new memory standards are always costly at the start and some users would like to really maximize their DDR2 based system. ASUS is well aware of this and felt that there was no reason why both kinds of memory module owners couldn’t have a little bit of cake and ice cream. The only question you would need to ask yourself is, which flavor ice cream you would like.

[ Full Review ]

Priced at around $1169, Toshiba’s 42-inch HDTV, “Regza 42X3000P”, features a contrast ratio of 6000:1, a brightness of 500cd/m2, an aspect ratio of 16:9, a response time of 8ms, and a resolution of 1920×1080p. It adopted an active backlight control, along with PIXEL PROcessing III PRO, 3D color management and Cross Color Noise Suppression engines; promising sharp and clear images on the screen. Moreover, the HD-Ready TV is also equipped with 2 x HDMI ports, analogue / component / RGB connectors, and 2 x 20W build-in speakers with SRS WOW sound processing engine.

I4u recently reviewed this HDTV. An excerpt from the review:

Performance highlights of the Toshiba Regza 42X3000P (similar to 42X3030D but without digital TV Tuner) include 6.000:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m² brightness, 8 msec response time, active backlight control, PIXEL PROcessing III PRO, 3D color management and Cross Color Noise Suppression. When connecting the Sony PS3 and using 1080p output the Toshiba Regza 42X3000P shows what it really is made for. The HD image is stunning and very crisp. Game footage looks sharp and clear.

[ Full Review ]

I4U recently posted a review for HP’s w2207 LCD monitor. This widescreen 22-inch display features a resolution of 1680×1050, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, a response time of 5ms, and a pixel pitch of 0.252 mm. Measures 18.9 x 20.5 x 11.3 inches and weighs 19.8 lbs, it comes with both VGA and DVI-D connectors, 2 x USB ports, OSD (On-Screen Display), and HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) supports.

Excerpt from the review:

The integrated speakers are rear-facing units so you don’t have to look at speaker grills on the front of your display. The speakers sound good with decent mids and highs, but lack bass for my tastes. The display stand on the HP w2207 22-inch widescreen monitor adjusts for height only.

[ Full Review ]

I4U recently reviewed Logitech Premium Notebok Headset. Priced at just $9.99, this headset comes with an analog to USB adapter, allowing users to use the device even when their laptops aren’t equipped with a headphone or microphone jacks. Features include an adjustable behind-the-head design, easily slideable ear pieces, a frequency response of 20~20,000 Hz, and a cable length of 1.8m. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating system.

Excerpt from the review:

If you are looking for a notebook headset that works well for music, movies and casual gaming plus has the ability to work with Skype or other VOIP services this is the review for you. Sound quality is impressive; the Logitech Premium Notebook Headset has decent levels of bass along with crisp highs and mids. Volume levels are good; I found anything higher than mid way up the inline volume controller was uncomfortable in my use.

[ Full Review ]

Measures 305 x 245mm (ATX form factor), aBit’s “IP35 Pro Off Limits” motherboard features an Intel P35 chipset, ICH9R chipset, support for various Intel dual-core and quad-core processors, onboard Dual Gigabit LAN connector, and onboard 7.1-channel HD audio codec. Moreover, it is equipped with 2 x e-SATA slots, 4 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x PCI-e slot X16, 1 x PCI-e X16 slot (4x bandwidth), 1 x PCI-e X1 slot, and 3 x PCI slots.

Virtual-Hideout recently reviewed this motherboard. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

The abit IP35 Pro comes packaged in a black box, with a picture of a monster truck on the top that has “Ride On the Wild Side” written under the truck. The four sides of the box have the same information on them, and the back of the box has all the features and specifications. The contents included are 6 locking SATAII cables, IDE and FDD ribbon cable, Dual USB2 and IEEE PCI bracket, IP35 Pro user manual, uGURU user manual, a sticker with jumper settings that you stick in the case, and a rear I/O cover. All this gear is tucked away into 2 small boxes which keeps the inside of the box looking tidy.

[ Full Review ]

Measures 3.4 x 5.9 x 7.1-inch and weighs 2.6kg, “Quattro Power” from Antec is a wonderful power supply that provides up to 850W of power to your PC. It comes with a Universal Input that automatically adjusts for 100V ~ 240V power grids, long with Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) that helps reduce electrical waste and Gold-plated connectors for superior conductivity. Furthermore, Quattro Power is equipped with 2 x 8-pin PCI-E connectors and 2 x 6-pin connectors for PCI-Express graphics cards.

Excerpt from the review:

Is the Antec 850 Watt TruePower Quattro power supply the ultimate 850 Watt power house? If you want that answered based on looks and appearance, the answer will depend on you. If you base that answer off of exceptionally stable rail voltages all the way to 100% load, then the answer is a very clear yes. Most users needing this kind of power have some serious hardware connected and demand serious results. There are far too many important components that you don’t want to chance on a lesser power supply. This is exactly the audience the Antec 850 Watt TruePower Quattro will best suit. Of course, anyone can pick one up just for the racy appearance and great power.

[ Full Review ]

I4U recently pushed a review about Intel’s Core 2 Duo E6750 processor on their website (link below). This LGA775-based processor is manufactured using 65nm technology and uses a 65W thermal power design as well as a 72 degree Celcius thermal specification. E6750 is Intel’s first CPU that takes advantage of 1333MHz FSB (Front Side Bus). Other features include a 4MB L2 cache, enhanced halt state (C1E), enhanced Intel Speedstep technology; execute disable bit, Intel EM64T, Intel thermal monitor 2, and Intel virtualization technology.

Excerpt from the review:

If you are looking for a processor to be the brains of your new gaming machine, but don’t want to break the bank the E6750 is a great option. You will want to be sure if you opt for the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 that your mainboard supports the 1333MHz FSB speed. Mainboards that do support the FSB are the Intel P35 and the NVIDIA 680i and 650i mainboards. The P35 offers DDR3 support while the NVIDIA chipsets don’t, right now that’s not much of an issue with DDR3 not affecting performance much.

[ Full Review ]

Measures 130 x 126.5 x 165mm and weighs 960 grams, Kingwin’s Gladiator Hybrid Liquid (model number: GA-10025S) is a CPU cooler that is compatible with Athlon 64 Opteron (Socket 754/939/940/AM2), Intel Pentium D/P4(LGA775), and Intel Core 2 Duo (775 Dual-Core) processors. It comes with an 8mm thick copper tube, injected with an anti-freeze gel, along with an innovative 12-pole magnet motor design which guaranteed a long-lasting efficiency. Moreover, the cooler uses both liquid and air cooling hybrid technology to improve cooling efficiency as well as keeping the sound to minimum level.

Virtual-Hideout recently wrote a review of Kingwin’s Gladiator CPU Cooler. An excerpt from the review:

Who here hasn’t wanted a water cooled CPU, but was too worried about leaks or pump failures ruining their systems? Well, I know that back in the day I wanted such a setup, but cost and lack of experience held me back. Fast forward to today, and we now have a simple, self-contained, compact, water-cooled cooler from Kingwin that attaches directly to the processor. The KWI Gladiator Hybrid Liquid Cooler uses air and water to cool a set of heatpipes that attach to a copper plate. Once again, this is done in a small, all-in-one, compact package.

[ Full Review ]

PS3 is out (in Japan) and some of you might be lucky to get one of the early 80,000 units shipped worldwide. I *could* join the lucky-ps3-owners club right now if I want to, as I just saw this huge baby in the local game store, but the price is killing me. The original price for this next generation of gaming console in Japan is around $500, but the store in my place is selling it for $1,444 (today’s currency convertion rate)! I know that they have to pay for the shipping and such, but isn’t that too much???

The console itself looks… BIG. And honestly, that’s my first impression. It’s bigger than XBox 360 and it’s too big for my little bedroom. However, the Ridge Racer 7 that was running on a Sony Bravia LCD TV (not remember the exact model number) with around 40-inch size looks AMAZING. Eventhough I only saw the demo, not the in-game event, the graphics is quite impressive.

Anyway, for the real review, check out the PS3 Review from Danny of DannyChoo.com. Lot of pics too.

The verdict? Prepare 5 changes of underwear and a mop to clean up all the skid marks you are going to leave behind. Fan bloody tastic. It does get a little hot and I did have to update the system software as soon as I turned it on but apart form that it really does rock!