[H]ardware Round-Up II

Cases & Modding

HAF 922 Cooler Master PC Case @ Cowcotland

Cooling

Thermaltake MeOrb Low Profile CPU Cooler @ DreamWare Computers

Triebwerk PC Fan @ PCGames & Hardware

ETC.

PC Perspective Podcast #58 @ PCPer

Dell’s Earnings Drop 63%

The New York Times is reporting that Dell’s first quarter net income fell 63% to $290 million, down from net income of $784 million in the same period last year. Hit the link for the complete breakdown and analysis.

Like most of the major hardware makers, Dell, based in Round Rock, Tex., has suffered as businesses and consumers cut back on their technology spending during the global recession. Dell, in particular, depends on sales to business customers, which have been even more reluctant than consumers to buy new equipment.

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Microsoft Bing: Much Better Than Expected

According to this preview, most people will be relieved to know that Microsoft’s Bing is "much better than expected." Ummm, whatever the hell that means. Bing will be available on June 1st.

Microsoft today took the wraps off Bing, the re-branded and re-built search engine formerly code-named Kumo , designed to replace Live Search. It's a a solid improvement over the previous search product, and it beats Google in important areas. It will help Microsoft gain share in the search business. It's surprisingly competitive with Google.

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Xbox 360 Hits The 30 Million Mark

Microsoft says they have sold 30 million Xbox 360s worldwide and currently has 20 million active Xbox Live users. Another interesting factoid from the article is that Xbox Live is now in more homes than satellite providers.

Xbox 360 is the console that most of the industry's top games use and publishers have generated $5.9 billion in sales, according to NPD Group. In April alone, Microsoft sold 175,000 units in the US, according to an NPD report. Consumers also own an average of 8.3 Xbox 360 titles each, which puts the console in the lead for games played on current-generation consoles.

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Inside the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA

It’s always cool when someone tears open a computer so you can see just what they are made of…even if I don’t understand a damn word that is being said (translator required). The site is loading pretty slow so I snagged a few pics for those of you that can’t access the page.

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International Space Station Spots Alien Landing Site

Okay, the article doesn’t say "UFO" but you know that’s what those markings are from. Got a better explanation? I’d like to hear it.

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Gaming News

Fight Night Round 4 Demo Slugs Xbox Live @ Joystiq

Marvel Super Hero Squad Screenshots & Trailer @ VE3D

Report: PS3 Slim Is Real, Won't Be At E3 @ Kotaku

UFC 2009 Cuts Fighter Due To Hair Issues @ GameSetWatch

Wolfenstein Dated for August 4 @ Shacknews

ASUS Rampage II Gene

We’ve posted our evaluation of the ASUS Rampage II Gene today for your viewing pleasure. Anyone interested in an all out enthusiast board in a Micro ATX platform, the Rampage II Gene is the board you’ve been waiting for.

ASUS has built what is likely the ultimate enthusiast board in a Micro ATX form factor. The market for the GENE will be like its footprint, small. That said, you already know if a motherboard like this is of interest to you. No doubt though, if you are in the market for a Micro ATX form factor motherboard that is packed full of enthusiast features, the ASUS Rampage II GENE should be at the top of your very short list.

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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Linked to Video Games

Carbon monoxide poisoning has been linked to playing video games. Sure, you have to playing them in a room with a gas powered generator running but it can happen. +1 for sensationalistic headline.

Dr. Caroline Fife at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston said of the 37 individuals treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after the hurricane, 20 were under the age of 20. In nine of those cases, researchers were able to speak with families to determine why a generator was being used -- of 75 percent of those cases, the generator was used to run video games.

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[H]ardware Round-Up

ETC.

Icy Box IB-MP309HW-B HD Media Player @ Bit-Tech

VIA Targets Server Market, Again @ VIAArena

Vista SP1 vs SP2 @ TestFreaks

Memory/ Storage

Windows 7 Hard Drive and SSD Performance Analyzed @ HotHardware

Video

Diamond ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB @ DSM

Using YouTube To Repair The Image Of Your Town?

What do you do when people say your town is full of pollution, foreclosed homes and bums? Do you A.) Do something about it. B.) Make a YouTube video denying it. If you answered "make a YouTube video" you qualify to work for the city of Cleveland's travel promotion agency.

"I don't really believe all of the fish in Lake Erie have AIDS," said Polk, whose YouTube contribution to Cleveland's inferiority complex landed him a job judging the mostly feel-good contest videos. The winner of the contest sponsored by the city's travel promotion agency, Positively Cleveland, will be announced today.

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The Woz Says Jobs Sounds ‘Healthy, Energetic’

Here's some good news regarding Steve Jobs’ health, Steve Wozniak says that the last time they spoke he didn't sound sick or seem to be in any kind of a "health crisis." Matter o’ fact, he said Jobs sounded "healthy and energetic."

On the sidelines of the All Things D conference, Mr. Wozniak said Mr. Jobs "doesn’t sound like he’s sick," nor did he seem to be in a health crisis. Mr. Wozniak said, however, he has never directly asked Mr. Jobs how he is.

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