Tech News
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MSI Nightblade MI2 GAMING PC @ techPowerUp
Is it wrong when I hear the name "Nightblade" I think of "NightTrain" from Public Enemy?
This system was a popular attraction at CES because it combined two basic things that every gamer "needs". Big Power and Compact Size and while these things aren't always popular at college social functions for a computer it can be the holy grail.
350W? 10 Litres? What sort of power can you get inside that space? MSI's Nightblade MI2 answers both those questions in a very surprising way. Packing a GTX970, Skylake CPU, DDR4, M.2 SSD, and a built-in optical drive, the MSI Nightblade MI2 is a fully 1080p-capable GAMING PC you can lug around under your arm.
I didn't get much time with the Nightblade but it looked good and came with its own version of the Mystic Lights found on the X99 Godlike so you know it will be popular with the ladies, even if it is compact.
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Deep Integration Means No Backwards Compatibility
Microsoft is drawing the line on hardware selection and choosing for you what systems their OS will run on.
The above statement is an over generalization but in a recent blog post from Microsoft they are claiming a win with Windows 10 which is nothing more than "how you look at the data". Or in this case, "We gave it away for free to create positive marketing for the future".
Last week at CES we were excited to see Windows 10 devices from many of our partners, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, and Toshiba win over 50 major awards, including Best of CES, Best 2-in-1, Best Gaming Laptop and many more. It has been awesome to welcome hundreds of new Windows 10 devices - adding even more options for people choosing Windows 10 around the world. This builds on the momentum we've seen, with over 200 million active devices already running Windows 10 and unprecedented demand from our enterprise customers.
I know for a fact (cause I was there) that many enterprise customers shield their networks from Microsoft updates and even setup their own authentication servers so they can control when updates are released so to prevent their ecosystem from going down due to a bad update or too many updates being applied at once.
The blog goes on to talk about Deep Hardware Integration which is a fancy term for saying they asked chip makers for help them make their code run efficiently on their hardware. This goes against what made Windows popular in the beginning but aligns with what they are doing with the Surface. These days if your hardware wasn't supported simply download a driver and away you go. By aligning hardware to software they are in fact telling the consumer when you buy a new PC you can run Windows 10 or you can throw it away. (Or run Linux, which isn't aways a good solution)
Granted for a retail system this isn't much to ask however, for the hardware enthusiast this forces us to be even more selective in our component choices almost to the point of eliminating a good number of options.
I would hate to think what this will do to new people just getting started with the computer hobby. You know, the type of people who think a 6700K is more powerful than a 5960X?!?.
Overall I can see why Microsoft is going down this road. The process of writing and testing software on mulitple platforms is expensive and all of the excess tends to slow things down. However, you don't agressively push something "this much" unless there is something in it for them.
I phjear what that could be.
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Shuttle H170 Skylake XPC SH170R6 Barebone Desktop review @ Guru3D
Wow blast from the past, the Shuttle "cube"
This is actually a barebones PC and in the toaster style form factor that was popular back in '03. The form factor brings with it a lot of good things like external 5.25" drive bays and several internal locations for hard drives. Older versions supported low profile coolers and full height dual slot expansion cards and this done does too.
In fact its like they took the formula and upgraded the hardware.
Shuttle recently released their first small 14 liter H170 Skylake ready barebone. W review their all new XPC SH170R6 in the their CUBE series. A barebone basically entails a chassis/casing, motherboard, power supply and Shuttle I.C.E. heatpipe cooling system. On your end you add storage, memory and a processor, and you are good to go.
One thing is for sure, there was always room for improvement, not only from the hardware side but also power efficiency, cooling and interior drive locations.
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Introducing the Spectre Xtreme & Spectre Xtreme LED
(BitFenix Design Lab, January 14, 2016): With the introduction of dual frame design of the BitFenix Spectre Pro series we raised the standards of system fans to a new level. The new BitFenix Spectre Xtreme fans offer many features redefining the standards of cooling fans. Spectre Xtreme gives you the best performance and aesthetics using the latest in cooling fan technology and innovative designs.
Cooling fans used in liquid cooling systems not only need to have a high airflow but also they need to be optimised for static pressure. The newly designed blades of the Spectre Xtreme not only look good but also improve the airflow of the fan to 66CFM while maintaining optimum static pressure. This makes the Spectre Xtreme fans an ideal choice for liquid cooling solutions.
BitFenix Spectre Xtreme is engineered to provide an extremely silent performance. Use of high quality Fluid Dynamic Bearings have reduced the noise levels while increasing the efficiency and life expectancy of the fans. Carrying on the signature dual frame design of the Spectre series, the new Spectre Xtreme frame design provides a high level of noise dampening due to the use of TPU the construction of the frame. The result is a fan that can operate at different fan speeds from 950RPM to 2000RPM.
The aggressively designed Spectre Xtreme comes in a wide variety of colours and options. The black Spectre Xtreme comes without any installed LEDs, while the Blue, Green, Red and White ones do. Special care has been taken to match the Green LED with the light emitted from NVIDIA GeForce GTX stock coolers. Adding to the customizability of the Spectre Xtreme, the illuminations can be toggled with the jumper cable. -
NADDI Releases End-of-Year Statistics for NPLEx System
LUTHERVILLE, MD., Jan. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) – a nonprofit organization that facilitates cooperation between law enforcement, healthcare professionals, state regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the prevention and investigation of drug diversion – praised National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) results for the 2015 calendar year.
The NPLEx system, adopted by 32 states across the country, aids law enforcement professionals by blocking unlawful purchase of medications containing pseudoephedrine (PSE) at the pharmacy counter. Additionally, NPLEx provides law enforcement officers and narcotics agents valuable information such as "watch lists" that notify them via email when a meth suspect attempts to purchase PSE. This information can then be subpoenaed by prosecutors as they build cases and put drug criminals behind bars.
Over 44,000 retailers nationwide report PSE sales to NPLEx, and in 2015, the system successfully blocked the illegal sale of 2,239,961 boxes of medications containing PSE, preventing 5,848,806 grams of PSE from getting in the hands of potential criminals. Some states have also supplemented NPLEx by using the technology to ban the sale of any PSE products to those previously convicted of a meth crime. In Alabama and Oklahoma, similar legislation was passed in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and these states experienced significant declines in meth lab seizures – 77 percent in Alabama and 88 percent decline in Oklahoma.
The breakdown by state in the report shows the total number of boxes reported as purchased, the total number of grams reported as purchased, the total number of boxes and grams that were blocked based on state and federal laws, and the total number of unique individuals reported as purchasing over-the-counter PSE. These numbers indicate the laws that are being enforced by NPLEx at the point-of-sale, in real-time, and across state lines. (http://www.appriss.com/actionable/NPLEx/EOY2015.htm)
"In 2015, NPLEx continued to be an important resource by preventing PSE from getting into the hands of criminals across the U.S.," said NADDI Executive Director Charles Cichon. The technology is invaluable for law enforcement officers and pharmacists in the fight against methamphetamine. From blocking illegal sales to preventing drug offenders from purchasing PSE to prosecuting drug criminals, the system is a proven resource that 32 states use to help reduce the illegal purchase and diversion of PSE."
About NADDI and Public SafetyEstablished in 1989, the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, Inc. (NADDI) is a unique membership organization whose members are responsible for investigating and prosecuting pharmaceutical drug diversion. The organization has proven to be a valuable asset to law enforcement, the pharmaceutical industry and health regulatory personnel. NADDI's objective is simple: to improve the members' ability to investigate, and prosecute, pharmaceutical drug diversion. You can learn about NADDI here: www.NADDI.org
CONTACT: Kathy Sue Bennett Appriss, Inc. ksuebennett@appriss.com Charlie Cichon NADDI ccichon@naddi.org 443-398-6257
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EVGA Z170 Classified K – Killer Performance
January 14th, 2016 – The EVGA Z170 Classified K is engineered from the ground up for the hardcore gamer. Featuring a next generation Intel Z170 Express Chipset with DDR4 3600MHz+ memory support, this motherboard is built to dominate. Built in Killer Ethernet helps to prioritize and reduce network latency to keep you at the top of your game. Of course, with EVGA overclocking DNA, this board is built for overclocking with a robust VRM and hardware design that is built for speed.
New and Key Features:
- Intel Z170 Platform – The latest chipset from Intel giving excellent performance and efficiency.
- Killer E2400 NIC – Helps to prioritize and reduce network latency to keep you at the top of your game.
- USB 3.1 Support – The latest USB standard gives you the ultimate transfer performance.
- Built for Overclocking – Robust GUI BIOS focuses on functionality and gives you incredible overclocking performance.
Learn more at www.evga.com/articles/00952/EVGA-Z170-Motherboards/
Video Overview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL7pecsSS_gAbout EVGA
EVGA is the #1 NVIDIA authorized partner in channel sales throughout North America and Latin America and a leading Power Supply Manufacturer. Based on the philosophy of intelligent innovation, market knowledge, and the real time operation, EVGA continues to identify the need in the market place and providing the solution to that need. By offering product differentiation, 24/7 tech support, a 90 day Step-Up program, and other customer focused programs, EVGA is a clear leader in all categories: etail, retail, distribution, and system integration. With headquarters in Brea, CA, EVGA’s global coverage includes EVGA GmbH in Munich, EVGA LATAM in Miami, and EVGA Hong Kong. For further information online about EVGA, visit: www.evga.com -
ConnectWise® and LabTech® Named 2016 Best Channel Vendors by Business Solutions Magazine
TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ConnectWise, a company that transforms how technology solution providers successfully build, manage and grow their businesses, today announced it has been named a 2016 Best Channel Vendor by Business Solutions Magazine. ConnectWise was hailed as a leading business management platform in the Best Channel Vendor survey, ranking highest in both the service & support and channel friendliness categories. Additionally, LabTech, the industry-leading IT automation software developed by ConnectWise to streamline IT service delivery, was also recognized as a Best Channel Vendor, ranking highest in the product features and channel friendliness categories.
“We are honored to have ConnectWise and LabTech be chosen for this prestigious award by our peers,” said Arnie Bellini, CEO of ConnectWise. “We remain committed to expanding our suite of solutions to ensure our partners have the tools they need to provide exceptional services and accelerate their business.”
To view the list of the 2016 Best Channel Vendors, please visit Business Solutions Magazine.
Since the founding of the Best Channel Vendor survey in 2009, ConnectWise has been named a Best Channel Vendor on seven separate occasions, while 2016 is LabTech’s inaugural year on the list. BSM VAR subscribers were asked to rate their vendor partners on a scale of 0-5 in seven categories, with 5,401 validated votes cast for this survey. As with last year’s survey, the top 5% of vendors in each surveyed technology category, including Business Continuity, Data Collection Labeling & Consumables, and Professional Services Automation, were selected as Best Channel Vendors.
The ConnectWise business management platform is the only offering of its kind developed exclusively for technology companies, enabling users to streamline their organizations and maximize profitability. Developed by ConnectWise, LabTech is the only remote monitoring and management platform developed by an IT service provider for IT service providers, driving automation and efficiency in its partners’ technology business.
Business Solutions Magazine provides advice to VARs, integrators and solution providers with customers ranging from Fortune 1000 to SMBs on how to increase sales, improve profits and better serve customers by integrating complementary technology. Additional information is available online at http://www.bsminfo.com/.
To learn more about the entire ConnectWise Business Suite, including ConnectWise and LabTech, please visit the ConnectWise Business Suite page.
Follow ConnectWise
www.connectwise.com/linkedin
www.connectwise.com/blog
www.connectwise.com/twitter
www.connectwise.com/facebook
http://www.youtube.com/user/connectwiseAbout ConnectWise
ConnectWise® transforms how technology solution providers successfully build, manage and grow their businesses. Through the ConnectWise® Business Suite™ – a comprehensive set of award-winning solutions that deliver a seamless user experience – ConnectWise gives its partners the ability to increase productivity, efficiency and profitability. Just as importantly, ConnectWise’s relentless commitment to innovation and unparalleled passion for partner success assures its partners have comprehensive business support through every step of their journey. Today, more than 100,000 users in over 50 countries take advantage of the competitive edge that comes from ConnectWise solutions and its powerful network of ideas and experts. For more information, visit www.ConnectWise.com or call 800-671-6898.Copyright ©2016 ConnectWise.com, Inc. 4110 George Road, Tampa, Florida 33634. All rights reserved. All trademarks, trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.
CONTACT: Amy LegereGreenough for ConnectWisealegere@greenough.biz617.275.6517
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Videotel, Inc. - A Leading Digital Signage Manufacturer, is Set to Exhibit and Display its Product Line at the Digital Signage Expo 2016
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Videotel Digital announces its plans to exhibit the highly recognized Digital Signage Expo (DSE) in Las Vegas. A new exhibitor of last year's Nevada event, on March 15th-18th the manufacturer will showcase their latest product line. Networking with potential corporate, small business, and individual clients from around the world, Videotel reps will share their unique solutions for engaging consumers and employees alike. Their products include industrial digital media players, looping DVD players and interactive signage solutions - all of which are designed to continuously play and seamlessly loop digital and image content without the need for a remote if desired. For use in venues where marketing content can effectively auto-loop for consumers and patients or provide solutions that create an impactful interactive display or experience for any audience. For corporate employees, they manufacture reliable and industrial products with simplicity at its finest.
Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in order to accommodate the plethora real time marketing and audio video professionals, Videotel Digital will be in excellent company. A booming market, digital signage and interactive signage are most effective for video walls, menu boards, kiosks, HD screens and the like.Lisa Schneider, VP of Sales & Marketing said of the event, "We had such a tremendous response from exhibiting at the DSE trade show and conference last year. We couldn't help but be a part of what has become an iconic industry event in the 16 years since its inception. We're thrilled to interact with attendees and show our unique product line."
For more information about Videotel Digital visit http://www.videoteldigital.com.
About Videotel Digital:Videotel Digital is an award winning and leading manufacturer of Industrial Digital Signage Media Players, Industrial DVD Players and Interactive Digital Signage Solutions. The company provides Industrial Audio/Video products that Auto Start, Auto Play, Auto Loop and seamlessly Auto Repeat for continuous play without manual interaction. The industry leader service numerous industries from retail to healthcare, EDU, hospitality, events and museums among others.
CONTACT: Information: Videotel Digital 681 Anita Street Suite #104 Chula Vista, CA 91911 Contact: Lisa Schneider VP of Marketing & Sales lisa@videoteldigital.com (619) 670-4412
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VSMPO-Tirus, U.S. Selects Aptean Axis ERP to Align U.S. Operations
ALPHARETTA, Ga., Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VSMPO-Tirus, U.S., which offers sales, distribution and service center processing for the world’s largest titanium manufacturer VSMPO-AVISMA, has selected Aptean Axis ERP to bring all of its U.S. operations onto the same software platform. VSMPO launched the first of their planned implementations of Axis ERP on August 1, 2015 and will complete the rollout to their other facilities in 2016.
VSMPO selected Axis ERP to increase accuracy and speed in their transactions while providing real-time material information to improve inventory turnover and control. The ability to track materials throughout the manufacturing and distribution process, “birth to shipment,” along with the usability and ease of implementation were key factors in VSMPO’s decision to choose Axis ERP.
“Axis ERP was designed specifically for the metal manufacturing and distribution industry, and this industry expertise meant we could be up and running on a new system with minor modifications, setting Aptean apart from the competition,” said VSMPO President, Michael Metz. “We are able to replace our outgrown legacy systems with a solution that can meet our current and future needs, while standardizing our ERP solution across the company. We are looking forward to achieving the same success we experienced with the first implementation as we bring additional facilities onto the Axis ERP system.”
“The Axis ERP solution has been meeting the specialized needs for the metals industry for more than 10 years. Aptean has effectively partnered with companies like VSMPO to solve near term-challenges and create an information technology infrastructure to support long-term success,” said Peter Weymouth, Axis ERP product manager. “Since the solution addresses the unique needs of VSMPO, they can realize a faster return on investment and better long-term business results than they would with a more generic ERP solution.”
Axis ERP software makes it possible for metals companies, and wire and cable manufacturers to manage their business operations using a common base of industry-specific information and business processes. Axis ERP contributes to the long-term success of companies by helping them:
- Quickly develop, quote, and produce new products to exact customer expectations
- Consistently deliver high-quality products while decreasing lead times
- Reduce costs and improve profitability
- Effectively manage complex business models, including distributed production facilities, multi-currency environments and the design and delivery of customized products to multiple customers
- Efficiently manufacture products with low volume or high volume requirements
- Put high-cost capital equipment to the best possible use
About VSMPO-Tirus, U.S.
VSMPO-Tirus US operates manufacturing of forging bar, close tolerance machining bar, and coil products through its subsidiary NF&M Titanium, as well as service center processing of titanium mill products through its distribution operations in Pittsburgh, PA and Ontario, CA. The distribution business handles product made at VSMPO as well as product manufactured at NF&M, providing a full line of titanium mill products and custom closed die forgings to its customers on a JIT basis. Distribution operations in the United Kingdom, Germany, and China perform similar services to customers on a global basis. The company’s products support aerospace, medical, automotive, energy, and other end market uses for titanium.
About Aptean
Aptean is a leading provider of industry-focused mission critical enterprise software solutions. We build and acquire solutions to support the evolving operational needs of our customers. Our solutions help nearly 5,000 organizations stay at the forefront of their industries by enabling them to operate more efficiently, thereby ensuring higher customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.aptean.com.
CONTACT: FOR MORE INFORMATION Media RelationsMelissa Floyd, Aptean melissa.floyd@aptean.com
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SingleHop Extends Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Offerings with Support for Veeam Availability Suite v9 and Veeam Cloud Connect Replication
CHICAGO, Jan. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SingleHop, a leading provider of on-demand managed cloud services, today announced that it is among the first service providers to fully support Veeam Availability Suite v9, enabling completely integrated, fast and secure Disaster Recovery as a service (DRaaS) to protect mission-critical applications and data in the cloud.
Through the multi-tenancy and networking capabilities built into Veeam Cloud Connect, SingleHop provides full failover capabilities for virtualized, production environments to a remote DR site, providing all of the CPU, RAM, storage and networking resources DR customers need. This eliminates the substantial infrastructure costs and complexities customers experience when maintaining their own DR sites. Customers can easily select which workloads to replicate to the SingleHop cloud, right from their Veeam consoles, without making any changes to the environments themselves.
SingleHop has seen more than 300 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in its business continuity product lines in the last three quarters of 2015. The growth has largely been driven by SingleHop's Backup as a Service (BaaS) offering, delivered through Veeam Cloud Connect to customers looking to take advantage of the seamless integration between Veeam and cloud service providers like SingleHop.
"SingleHop is one of the fastest growing Veeam Cloud & Service Provider partners in North America, increasing their commitment to Veeam by more than a factor of 10 in 2015," said Matt Kalmenson, North America vice president of service and cloud provider sales for Veeam. "The company's innovation, execution, and technical expertise make them a leader among the VCSP partners in our program."
Meeting the Needs of Modern Businesses
Today's businesses require 100 percent availability and have extremely limited tolerance for downtime and data loss. SingleHop's Veeam-powered disaster recovery service delivers both a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of just 15 minutes.
"We're making disaster recovery less of a pain point and business risk to our customers," said Jordan Jacobs, vice president of products for SingleHop. "Veeam's latest DR technology puts reliable, cost-effective and secure failover capabilities within reach of hundreds of thousands of customers. When combined with SingleHop's enterprise grade production cloud storage, our joint customers can enjoy a worry-free failover solution. That's huge for IT administrators struggling to meet strict RTO and RPO objectives set by their managers."
As part of its disaster recovery service, SingleHop developed a proprietary, secure seeding system that allows customers to safely and securely transfer large amounts of data into SingleHop's enterprise, production-grade cloud storage without the need to transmit it over the internet, which can take a disproportionate amount of time, bandwidth and expense.
Holistic Continuity Solutions for Every Level
Disaster Recovery thresholds differ dramatically across applications and companies depending on several factors including the critical nature of the data and regulatory compliance requirements. SingleHop offers multiple cloud-based business continuity and DR solutions, affording customers the right balance of RTO, RPO and cost to meet their unique business needs.
For more detail on the suite of SingleHop business continuity and Disaster Recovery solutions, please visit this webpage. Free trials for each of SingleHop's backup and DR services are available with no credit card required.
About SingleHop
SingleHop, a leading global provider of hosted IT infrastructure and cloud computing, brings together a unique combination of enterprise-class technologies from industry-leading vendors, and a proprietary automation engine, to deliver a customized cloud infrastructure experience for enterprises of all sizes. The company's powerful portal and award-winning automation platform make it simple to design and support the optimal cloud environment. Their service includes full life-cycle, white-glove support, instantly-scalable solutions, and comprehensive integrated security. SingleHop serves more than 5,500 customers in more than 124 countries with data centers across the United States and Europe.
Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38421
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38422
CONTACT: Anastasia Bullinger SingleHop abullinger@singlehop.com 312-386-6224
