We tried to take OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator seriously, we really did. But unable to suppress those recurring images of Geordi La Forge, we simply couldn't help ourselves from having a laugh at this thing's expense. Nevertheless, the way-more-solemn dudes and dudettes over at HotHardware managed to give this brain-computer interface a fair shake, and overall, it was pretty impressed. Still, the bottom line is this: "the NIA is a very unique input device and possibly the first true brain-computer interface to hit the retail market," but it's not "a replacement for traditional input methods." Granted, critics did point out that it would supplement current devices quite well, but only after "slogging through" hours upon hours of training. The hardcore among us may be willing to put in the time necessary to really get a lot out of this; for everyone else, just continue to point and laugh while masking your ignorance.

Now that all the SSD efficiency drama has mellowed out a bit, the guys over at Hot Hardware got their hands on an OCZ Core Series SATA II 64GB SSD and already pitted it against a WD VelociRaptor. The early numbers are impressive: The OCZ averaged read speeds of over 140MB/s and was writing at 87MB/s while the WD topped out at around 136MB/s read and 134MB/s write times. When it comes to applications and random-access times, though, the OCZ SSD scored some crazy fast times. In Windows Defender, gaming, photo import, and Vista startup tests, the SSD was getting things done at as much as 5 times the speed of the VelociRaptor. Sure, the tests are incomplete, but the future is undoubtedly bright for solid state storage once prices roll into realistic range.

All the big names might have gotten their Centrino 2 lappies out the door today, but there hasn't been much action from the shady rebranders and fly-by-night system builders we love so dearly -- good thing OCZ is here with its Centrino 2-based OCZNBIM17A "whitebook" reference design. Get ready to see this bad boy appear in the back of vans everywhere with random company names on it -- you'll recognize the 17-inch laptop's boxy shape and available X9100 Core 2 Extreme processor, or perhaps the dual CrossFire-capable graphics slots with HDMI output will tip you off. Pricing will vary wildly depending on how various system builders configure this thing, but we've got a feeling generic doesn't mean cheap when it comes to this particular machine.

Looks like Tom's Hardware fessed up and apologized for their slip-up in that recent controversial power test, which found SSDs consuming more juice than their spinning-platter counterparts (or, well, not exactly). We're giving 'em a pass, not just because we've always had a fond place in our heart for Tom's, but because they did another comprehensive SSD test (this time under more consistent conditions) which basically confirms that many newer SSDs are, in fact, power savers in most usage scenarios. Not all drives and scenarios, but many. Tom's also namechecks OCZ's Core SATA II SSD (a Samsung in disguise) as the clear winner by a longshot, having "unmatched" power efficiency. Sold.

[Thanks, Chuckles and SNP]

¡Aye carumba! OCZ Technology just made us do a double take this morning with the introduction of its all new Core Series SATA II 2.5 SSDs. Hailed as the "world's first truly affordable high-performance SSD for consumers," these drives check in at $169 (32GB), $259 (64GB) and $479 (128GB), which -- as you undoubtedly recognize -- are amazing price points. Each unit utilizes NAND flash technology, possesses a 1.5-million hour mean time before failure and delivers 120 - 143Mbps read / 80 - 93Mbps write speeds. The sub-0.35ms seek times are also worthy of a tip of the hat, and the low power consumption just makes things unnecessarily sweeter. OCZ doesn't mention a definitive ship date, but we're hoping that "available" mention means "right now."

[Via Electronista]

We've seen this attempted a few times before, but it's hard to imagine OCZ's entry into build-it-yourself laptops will be any more successful. The new OCZ DIY Gaming Notebook is a 7 pound 15.4-inch backbreaker, which comes standard with an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card, Intel PM965 northbridge, SATA support for hard drives, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, four USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard and a fingerprint leader. The problem is that the "optional components" are WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and a TV tuner, with only the last of those being truly optional on a regular enthusiast laptop. It's nice of OCZ to provide documentation and a warranty for those who really want to get under the hood of a modern laptop, but we're guessing most gamers these days would give up a bit of a customization for a straight-up well priced performer. No word on price or availability.

32 and 64GB capacities aren't all that impressive when it comes to SATA II 2.5-inch solid state drives, but OCZ's new devices do claim 120MBps read and 100MBps write speeds which would put it up there on the ranks. Unfortunately, OCZ neglected to clue anyone in on price or release date for these puppies.

If the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) from OCZ could really read thoughts, it'd be a little disappointed right now. In our short time with the "brain mouse" controller, we had some difficulty figuring out what exact "thoughts" did what, with our primary accomplishment being repeated backwards jumping motions while getting destroyed in a match of Unreal Tournament 3. To the NIA's credit, however, we could already tell that we were getting a bit of a sixth sense for the controller, and with the hour or so of recommended time for learning, we're sure we could be fragging with the best of them. "Brain mouse" is a bit of a misnomer, since we used the NIA in conjunction with a real mouse for actually looking around. NIA took over everything else, including strafing, jumping, running and even shooting if you concentrate just right. The unit seemed to primarily concern itself with our forehead muscle contractions, but other subtle motions seemed to come out of nowhere when we moved our eyes or concentrated just right. Just for novelty alone we'd say the NIA is worth that $300 pricetag, but we don't expect to be besting Fatal1ty with this strapped to our head.

It's certainly not the first to toy around with mind control as a means of fun and games, but OCZ looks like it may be among the first to actually get a product out the door, with it now set to launch its Neural Impulse Actuator "brain mouse," or NIA for short. According to Daily Tech, the device makes use of a combination of EEG readings, muscle movement, and eye movement to control a given application which, in this case, is mainly intended to be games. Needless to say, the contraption will take a little getting used to, but OCZ says that most users will get the hang of it "within hours" after a little practice, and that they'll eventually even be able to increase their reaction time compared to a standard mouse. You'll also not surprisingly need a fairly decent PC, as the NIA has been designed specifically for multi-core systems, and a good bit cash to spare, with it set to run $300 when it launches sometime in the not too distant future (it's going into production next week).

Get ready, OCZ is comin' atcha with some newfangled RAM technology that's likely to scare off the very market it's hoping to attract, but we're here to break things down for digestion. Put (sort of) simply, the firm's DDR3 PC3-12800 Intel XMP Ready Titanium Edition RAM will become the first memory to feature Intel Extreme Memory Profiles, which work exclusively with Intel's X38 chipset to enable the average joe (or jane) to overclock their RAM without even knowing what latency means. The sticks will come configured to run 8-8-8 latencies, but a secondary profile featuring a 7-6-6 latency can be easily activated if ran on an X38 chipset to squeeze a bit more performance out of the setup. There, that wasn't too hard, now was it?

[Via TrustedReviews]

We wouldn't guesstimate that OCZ's newest duo of flash drives were the toughest we've ever seen, but the styling alone is pretty intimidating, we must say. Both drives reportedly tout weatherproof "rubber tread" housings and can withstand being submerged in water, and while the ATV will hum along "at mainstream speeds," the ATV Turbo promises read rates of up to 35MB/per second and write rates of up to 30MB/per second. No official pricing details look to be available just yet, but both iterations should be available shortly in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB sizes.

[Via SlashGear]

Don't look now Kingston, but OCZ is already going mano-a-mano with your DDR3 offering by introducing PC3-8500 (1066MHz) and PC3-10666 (1333MHz) RAM modules of its own. Designed to play nice with Intel's Bearlake chipset, the noticeably flashy DIMMs will be offered initially in in 2 x 512MB and 2 x 1024MB dual channel kits. The Gold DDR3 modules will sport the outfit's proprietary gold-mirrored XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) heatspreaders for boosting their heat dissipation abilities, and as with other premium products from OCZ, these too come with a lifetime warranty. Interestingly, the company claims that these are currently available but in "limited quantities," which means that you'll probably want to hold up on busting out your credit card if at all possible.

[Via TGDaily]