Once upon a time laptops were "as big as a house" and equally as heavy. Today they are ultra-thin and as light as a feather, yet they have all suffered from the same design shortcomings: poor cooling and poor audio reproduction. The cooling problem becomes more of an issue when you step into the performance and gaming realm. The thermals from a high end CPU and lack of innovative cooling solutions can make for an uncomfortable combination to have sitting on your lap. The industry has made some strides in audio reproduction, but for the most part, the sound systems of even the best notebooks fall short of creating immersive experiences. Most are flat and lack range, so that even watching a Youtube video is less pleasurable. There are possible solutions to these problems in the form of standard notebook coolers and add on speaker systems. Each of those have their own draw-backs outside of not being able to address both of your problems by themselves. This is what brings us here today. We have a combined solution in the form of the Deepcool M6 notebook cooling and sound system. The Deepcool M6 combines the form and functions of a standard notebook cooler with the immersive quality of a 2.1 stereo sound system. Has Deepcool solved all of these notebook/laptop woes?

Today we are looking at a new arrival from NZXT. It is a successor to the Sentry Mix, and appropriately labeled the Sentry Mix 2. For those of you who are not familiar with its predecessor, the general design was a little gaudy with those big plastic silver sliders. It is reminiscent of some of the older styled audio mixing equipment. But boy did it perform, boosting 6 channels at 50 watts per channel. The new Sentry Mix 2 from NZXT along with its continuation of customizable lighting features, also brings with it a new look. The Sentry Mix 2 now sports a matte black finish with slim-recessed, long, glossy black sliders. Aesthetically, it is a very welcome change. But that is not all it brings; the Sentry Mix 2 also comes with a completely revamped circuitry and a PCB boosting 6 channels with a pure 30 watts per channel output, for a grand total of 180 watts! The sliders are not just there to supply power to the six fans. They also offer up a larger connector at each end for PWM fans' connectivity as well. Also on my test bench today is another new arrival from NZXT, it’s called the NZXT Grid. This is a fan hub that sports LED lighting, and is designed not only for the NZXT family of controllers, but can also be powered by your power supply’s 4-pin Molex connection. The NZXT Grid can be attached to the back side of your MB tray, and gives you the options of installing up to ten fans in any location, thus keeping your motherboard and your build free from any...

As part of our ongoing efforts to connect with industry leaders in the tech world, we reached out to interview some of the premier manufacturers who might be able to educate us on various aspects of the industry. It is not every day you get an opportunity to visit a Premier Manufacturing Company like Transcend, a world class leader in the field of memory and consumer electronics. Along with my invitation I had the pleasure of touring their facility. After our tour, I sat down with the General Manager, Clarence Chan, and Marketing Director Leslie Garcia for an interview about Transcend. Before we jump into the Q & A, below is a bit of history about the company and its products, including a video.

Introduction Do you ever find yourself suffering from sticky mouse cord syndrome? You’re just trying to move your mouse to dodge some bullets but your cord keeps getting hung up and getting you killed. Does your mouse pad lack the technology to utilize your ultra-low DPI for those massive long-range head shots? If so then CM Storm has some products that you NEED! Introducing the CM Storm Skorpion mouse bungee and the CM Storm Control-RX gaming surface. These two products from CM Storm (a division of Cooler Master) will solve all of your gaming problems! Read on to find out how!   “Ever missed the perfect shot cause your mouse cord got stuck? Are you tired of mouse cord drag and pull? Do you constantly bend and move your mouse cord around, but don’t want to compromise and go wireless? Get the Cooler Master CM Storm Skorpion and make your mouse feel like its wireless! Don’t restrict your options to a few tiny wireless mice, use any mouse you want. No added delay, interference issues, higher weight due to batteries, and constant recharging and swapping batteries like actual wireless mice.” “The CM Storm Control-RX is a mouse surface designed for gamers that prefer low DPI settings. A smooth Lycra material gives your mouse a very enjoyable gliding experience. The thickness of the surface will make sure that your hand can rest comfortable for long gaming sessions. The bottom of the mouse surface is an anti-slip polyurethane that will make the mo...

In today’s desktop environment, multiple displays are becoming more popular whether you are working or playing. However, sometimes video cards that will enable you to accomplish this are pretty expensive. Today we will be reviewing an inexpensive solution to facilitate expanding your desktop space with multiple monitors. We have the Diamond DualView Super Speed 3.0/2.0 Dual Display Graphics Adapter on the test bench today, so let's dive in and see if its just what the doctor ordered.

Roccat is known in the gaming world for producing some of the top rated gaming peripherals like mice, keyboards, headsets and mousepads. In this review we will be going over three of their latest products: the Kone XTD Mouse , the ISKU/FX Keyboard and the Apuri Active USB Hub & Mouse Bungee. The Kone XTD is the predecessor of the award winning Kone[+] gaming mouse. The XTD maintains its original look and style but with more features packed into it. The ISKU/FX is a multi-colored keyboard that supports a multitude of macros and colors to suit any color scheme. The Apuri USB Hub and Mouse Bungee ties everything together and gives you some added functionality. The mouse and keyboard are very important pieces to any setup. We use them on a day to day basis for surfing the net, productivity, gaming sessions and more. It's very important for them to be functional in day to day activities on the computer. The Kone XTD and ISKU/FX bring some very cool features like the ROCCAT Easy-Shift[+] button. This allows you to have an unprecedented amount of macros as well as control over how you game and/or use your keyboard and mouse. The ROCCAT talk lets the Kone XTD and ISKU/FX talk between each other allowing them to function in unison, making your gaming experience more enjoyable. The Apuri is designed to help free up cable clutter and reduce mouse cable dragging lag. It's USB hub capabilities are gravy and allow it to serve as your peripherals' central hub. These three de...

With all the content now available to us on or computers we are always looking for simple ways to share and display that content, not just from our laptops or computer screens, but also on a big screen TV. With bulky set top boxes and cable connections we can do just that. However, there are alternatives. Today I have the pleasure of reviewing a device from Diamond Multimedia that is one such alternative. We have their WPCTVPRO VideoStream Wireless USB PC to your TV device on the bench and are going to put it through its paces. The Diamond Multimedia WPCTVPRO VStream wirelessly streams HD video and internet content to your HDTV. Enjoy and share your home computer content and stream movies from your laptop from sites like Hulu®, Netflix®, Boxee, iTunes® and YouTube from the comfort of your own living room. Watch 1080P video and 6 channel HD 5.1 audio content, share pictures, presentations, office documents, web content and other types of data, on your HD display without wires. Read on and let’s see how well the VideoStream from Diamond performs on a larger size display streaming video and content without any cable limitations.

Bluetooth is a secured wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices. The concept was created in 1994 by Ericcson with the intent of connecting headsets and other small devices to cellular phones. After joining forces with nine other technology companies to develop the standard and the transformation of the modern day smartphone, Bluetooth is now found in millions of devices. One of the companies taking advantage of Bluetooth technology is Eagle Tech with its Arion Foldable headset. Eagle Tech sent us the Arion ET-ARHP200BF headset for review today. Thanks for the opportunity.

When it comes to headsets we have a great deal of choices that are available from a wide variety options. While we have headsets that are dedicated to gaming and others for music and movies, its always nice to see a headset with the options to do both. Today we are excited to share a new line of gaming/media headset that has recently hit store shelves. We had a chance to take a look at two models from Oblanc: the NC-2 U.F.O and NC1-1 Cobra headsets. Just from the exterior packaging of the headset when they arrived for review, we noticed the designs from Oblanc were unique to say the least. We are looking forward to seeing what this new entry into the market is all about. Before we dive in to the review, here's a little something about the company.

Introduction With CES 2013 going into full swing and manufacturers showing off their new line of tech gadgets that will be released this coming year, we took a short drive out to the CES 2013 show in Las Vegas, Nevada to check out some of the exciting news. While this Massive show was impossible to fully cover with the few days we were there, we managed to catch up with a few of our sponsors and check in with them to see what we should expect for this coming season. First we would like to thank: Cooler Master, Kingston, MSI, Sapphire Tech, Zalman and Lian Li for meeting with us during the show and showing us the new gadgets for this year. While these were the manufacturers we managed to meet with, we also headed down to the massive convention hall to check out some other items by: LG, ViewSonic and nVidia.   Cooler Master Let’s first thank Lulu and Nic from Cooler Master for inviting us up to the suite to check out the items we are excited to talk about. We have here the Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid Mechanical keyboards. While this keyboard already has a model release for sale we are actually looking at a different model. This is Cooler Master’s new line of the QuickFire Rapid Stealth keyboards, the keys are blacked out at the top and each letter has been moved to its front side as you can see from the picture. This is great for those that don’t really need the letter visible from the top and are really looking for that sleek look. Also this will ...

Today I have the pleasure of reviewing The Rosewill USB 3.0 External all Aluminum 6X Blu-ray/DVD reader/writer, that will not only play all of your prized digital media collection, but also gives you the ability to back it up as well. The USB 3.0 Rosewill RDED-12001 Blu-ray writer offers the most comprehensive disc media Read & Write capability including up to a whopping 128GB BDXL disc, at up to 6X BD-R speeds. The Rosewill RDED-12001 also supports state-of-the-art 3D technology together with the enclosed Cyberlink Media Suite 10 to bring a true-to-life 3D experience to your desktop or laptop. The aluminum case offers enhanced durability as well as heat dissipation, and the lightweight, ultra-thin profile can easily fit into your notebook case or backpack without adding too much bulk. Read on to see what else it brings to your laptop, notebook or desktop.

Today we will be taking a looking at one of Azio's newest gaming keyboards on the market, the Azio Levetron Mech5 mechanical keyboard. The Mech5 is Azio's most innovative mainstream mechanical gaming keyboard available today. As of the last few years, mechanical keyboards have gotten really popular and we are seeing many competitors releasing their own designs in an attempt to capitalize on this new craze. Azio designed the Levetron Mech5 to be completely modular, so fit and finish will be an important aspect to keep in mind; however, let's not forget that functionality is just as important when it comes to mechanical gaming keyboards. So today we are going to put the Azio Levetron Mech5 to the test and see how it stacks up.

Today we have the pleasure of reviewing two very unique designs and new arrivals from the NZXT family of coolers, the NZXT CRYO V60 and the NZXT CRYO X60 Notebook Coolers. First, the NZXT CRYO V60 is ultra slim with a very sleek design, and an entirely new concept that features a Vortex Air design blade-less fan. This new tech produces an uninterrupted stream of cool air and is powered by two integrated dual low-noise adjustable 75 mm blower fans. The NZXT CRYO V60 comes available in black or white, and features three USB charging ports for external devices, built in fan speed control, and a power on/off LED button. The CRYO V60 will also support notebooks up to 15 inches and may be perfect for people on the go. It should be sturdy enough to support some of the heaviest laptops. Next, the NZXT CRYO X60 is not your traditional laptop cooler. It was created for optimal comfort for laptop users with a thin and lightweight design. Also, its asymmetrical aluminum body and vertical cutouts offer the user improved air flow to their laptop. This is bolstered by its two 12 mm X 120 mm fans and five speed fan controller. The NZXT CRYO X60 also provisions four USB 2.0 ports, three for peripherals, and one to power up your X60 Via USB connection. It also includes an AC adapter as an additional power source. With the high temperatures we often experience from our laptops (especially when gaming), we are always looking for ways to keep it running cooler. Read on as we put thes...

The era of digital media has grown at faster rate then we might have guessed 20 years ago. The world of media streaming, sharing and Social Networking has taken a big step forward in the last few years and so has the technology behind it. Who remembers the days of sitting popping in a VHS to watch a movie on your 27" Tube TV? Obviously those days have changed. In the recent years we have seen the progression from the old school VHS, to DVD players, to Blu-ray players. Now, media players are the popular medium for entertainment. Today we have the opportunity to look at the New Pivos XIOS DS Media Player. The XIOS DS Media player combines the power of digital home theater and its powerful Android OS and aims to provide you the best overall solution. You can watch TV, stream movies (live or locally), follow your favorite social network like Facebook or even browse the internet right from your TV. All of this is without having to turn on a PC. This simple device developed almost like a "mini PC," and can be considered one of the smallest media devices available today. Can it fill nearly all of your digital entertainment needs? Let's give the Pivos XIOS DS Media Player a thorough look and find out.

When I think of In-Win the first thing that pops into my mind are PC cases and power supplies, not mouse pads. That will all change in today's review. We will be looking into In-Win's newest edition to their line-up, the Rocker Mat. The mat itself is made from an all aluminum design, with a large surface area of 9' x 12' covered by In-Win's new nano coating. The Rocker Mat sample we received is orange, but if orange is not your color don't worry, the Rocker Mat comes in a variety of 6 colors; blue, purple, red, yellow, pink and orange. In-Win's Rocker Mat comes with a $39.99 price tag. Will this Mat be worthy of the price? We will find out later in our review.