Hasta La Gadget!

Gaming junkies know the best way to extract high performance from your computer is to have liquid coolant keep it from overheating.

While expensive desktops do that, it is difficult for those who want to build their own machines to get that.

That’s why Hardcore Computer, a firm created by two gamers, says it is launching a kit that will help users build their own liquid-cooled machines.

Called the Reactor Total Liquid Submersion PC kit, the package includes a tank, custom-built chassis, heat exchanger, pump, motherboard, power supply and Core Coolant cooling fluid.

Heat generated by electrical components is a major limiting factor in the performance of computers. Excessive heat can lead to system instability and even melt some components. That’s where liquid submersion cooling steps in. It allows for active components to maintain low temperatures even they are overclocked.

Hardcore Computer claims its coolant mixture absorbs ten times more heat than air. The company launched its first product, the Reactor range of desktops last fall. The systems came with processors from the Intel core 2 family, Nvidia graphic cards and has its components fully submerged in coolant. The machines can be pretty pricey ranging from $3000 to $5900.

“DIYers and modders en masse
have expressed interest in getting their hands on a Reactor,” Al Berning,
CEO, Hardcore Computer said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to offer enthusiasts an opportunity to build their
own."

The PC kits are priced at $2,040. Hardcore Computer says it will integrate customers PC
components at no additional charge for a limited time.

See also:
Wired Review of the Reactor Extreme PC

Photo: Reactor desktop

A few retailer slip-ups aside, we haven’t heard a whole lot about the Dell Mini 10 since it was unveiled at CES, but it looks like that’s now starting to change, with this supposedly authentic slide offering some further details on the netbook. Among the new bits of information is word that the Mini 10 will apparently have two display options: the 1366 x 768 option we heard about initially, and a more conventional 1024 x 576 WSVGA option for those less concerned with 720p content. You’ll also apparently be able to get your choice of 1.3GHz or 1.6GHz Atom processors, one of six different color options, a 3-cell or 6-cell battery, and apparently even an “optional DVD slice,” although there’s unfortunately no pics or further details on it. There’s also still no word on a price or release date, but let’s hope those details are the next to surface, officially or otherwise.

Filed under: Laptops

More Dell Mini 10 details, colors surface originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Converting a notebook into a tablet is one of the toughest — and most impressive — mods out there. Over in Mobile01forums are some pictures (above) of a 7-inch Asus Eee PC 701 netbook turned into a tablet, and it looks pretty sweet.

Keep in mind that this type of mod requires installing a touchscreen, cramming all the guts into a different case and then figuring out how to tweak the software to work like a true tablet. This one even has buttons on the side for launching applications and controlling the cursor.

See Also:

• Cheap, Easy-to-Mod NetBooks Are a Hacker’s Paradise
• Tablet Hackintosh on Dell Netbook

Mobile01 Forums [via Liliputing]

Photo: Mobile01 Forums

I’ve stomped a lot of Time Crisis pedals in my day, boy. And now, the gold standard in duck-and-cover arcade rail shooters is on the iPhone. How is it?

The App: Time Crisis Strike, by Namco. Played by many of us with light guns and stomping pedals in the arcades of our youth.

The Cost: $6

The Verdict: Fun enough, but just not the same, man. The great thing about Time Crisis in the arcade was that you felt like you were actually ducking behind incoming bullets, molotov cocktails and knife-wielding crazies. That, and the real gun kicking in your hand (if it wasn’t broken) were the essential gameplay elements. And maybe I’m just jaded, but tripping the iPhone’s tilt accelerometer forward to duck and tapping the screen with a finger just doesn’t quite capture that magic. You feel like the kid who clanked the muzzle of the Nintendo gun directly against the face of the TV to play Duck Hunt.

Then again, if you can detach yourself from the past, Time Crisis Strike is not bad. Plus, it’s on your phone, and it’s cool that even just a little taste of the duck-and-cover gameplay magic is still present.

The game consists of only three levels, which you’ll make it through pretty fast. Those three stages, plus five quick challenge-based mini games are all there is here, so if you want an epic unfolding story line or a great deal of variety, you’re out of luck. Maybe updates will bring new levels (Namco was pretty quick with the updates to fix I Love Katamari).

So if you’re a huge Time Crisis fan, this is probably worth a pickup. Just don’t expect to be hypnotized like you were twelve years old again. [Time Crisis Strike]

Here’s a gameplay video from the folks at Touch Arcade, who also have a review up here.

We’ve spent some time with Windows 7 Beta‘s new touch and multitouch features this week, and came away largely disappointed. It’s not that they don’t work, at least on occasion, it’s that they don’t really provide a comprehensive or pleasurable method for using a computer. The primary enhancements to the OS that really make touch usage possible include a taller taskbar, pinch to zoom and tap-and-drag scrolling. There’s a fancy new onscreen keyboard that’s actually usable, and those quick-swipe gestures from Vista remain for forward, back, copy, paste, undo and redo.

Continue reading Windows 7 multitouch: it’s a gimmick (for now)

Filed under: Desktops

Windows 7 multitouch: it’s a gimmick (for now) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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