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Dell intros color-accurate U2413, U2713H and U3014 displays (updated)
Dell's UltraSharp displays still have a certain cachet among sticklers for quality, most of all at the high end -- so today's release of three advanced models might as well be a bonanza. The 24-inch U2413, 27-inch U2713H and 30-inch U3014 (above) once more center on PremierColor and the visual accuracy to match. Even the two smaller displays have a 12-bit processor that helps their LCDs reach 99 percent of the Adobe RGB color space and all of the sRGB space, or enough of the spectrum to eliminate most rude surprises with photo work. What else is new? Dell hasn't divulged full details of the screens themselves, but there's now a single-display arm and a dual-display stand to get just the right placement. Like what you see -- or rather, what you will see? The U2413 and U2713H should be available now for $599 and $999 alongside the $149 arm and $169 stand, while the range-topping U3014 is due "soon" for $1,499. Update: We reached out to Dell for more details, and the updates are substantial -- all three displays bump up to a 2-million-to-1 dynamic contrast ratio, an increase in Adobe RGB color gamut coverage (up from 96 percent), a more adjustable height and support for DisplayPort daisy chaining. The two larger screens also add Mini DisplayPort.
Henge Docks for the MacBook Air hands-on (video)
We were a little giddy when Henge Docks announced their desktop resting spot for the MacBook Pro, and perhaps even more so when they unveiled the MacBook Air model earlier this week. We paid the company a visit on the CES floor to catch a peek at products first-hand. Sure, the white, plastic exterior may a bit off-putting for some but we didn't mind it -- especially for a dock that you can snag for around $50. While the device is pretty straightforward, the rubber padding that hugs the docked laptop provided more security that we'd initially thought. One thing you'll want to keep in mind though: the peripheral does make the USB port on the machine's docked end usable on its backside, but the Thunderbolt socket is reduced to display-only functionality. The outfit assured us that it's working on a solution that maximizes that Intel potential and we're anxious to see that become a reality. An express tour awaits the curious, right after the break.
AMD Eyefinity eyes-on, prepare to fall for landscape goodness (video)
Sure we've seen it before, but we'd be remiss if we didn't share what we stumbled upon at AMD's Fusion Zone at IDF 2011. Laying before you is a 5 x 1 landscape Eyefinity setup, powered by an upcoming unreleased 8-core FX CPU paired with a single Radeon HD 6990. For those of you keeping score at home, that's four displays connected via mini-DisplayPort and the fifth over DVI. Not much more to say, so peep the gallery below or hop past the break for a video of the bodacious rig running Dirt 3. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-134018%
Kanex ships dual-link DVI-to-Mini Displayport Adapter
Already living the high life with a swank Mini Displayport monitor as your daily? That's all fine and dandy, but what happens when your desolate friends come over with machines that only tote DVI? That's where an adapter like Kanex's C247DL comes in. But unlike other adapters we've spied before, the company's latest is dual-link, allowing you get your groove on with displays that boast resolutions greater than 1920 x 1200. It also sports a USB port, giving you full control of say, we dunno, the speakers and iSight camera of Apple's 27-inch Cinema Display? At $149 it isn't cheap, but can you really put a price on friendship?
SnapX lets your Macs share a single Cinema Display
Got a pair of Macs laying around, but don't want to shell out for two Apple Cinema Displays? We don't blame you, those things are expensive. A little company called Kanex has a solution for you though, the SnapX. SnapX is, at it's heart, simply a port switcher that lets you connect two DisplayPort-equipped Macs to a single Cinema Display. But, the glossy $70 adapter does have a few neat features, like USB pass through for firing up the iSight camera and a clip for securing it to the base of the monitor. The SnapX is available for pre-order now and starts shipping to Apple devotees in September. One more pic and some PR await after the break.
Zotac adapter turns your DisplayPort into two HDMI jacks
You can never have enough HDMI ports, that's what we say at least. Heck, what does that gaming rig you just put together have? Two? And that MacBook Pro of yours doesn't have any at all. But, if there's a DisplayPort hanging around, you can add a pair HDMI jacks with an adapter from Zotac. This little dongle turns any DisplayPort or Mini Displayport into a dual HDMI hookup, with support for two 1920 x 1080 monitors -- provided your graphics card can handle it and the HDMI group doesn't kill the product first. Pricing and availability are still up in the air at the moment, but you'll find a few more details in the PR after the break. Update: Zotac just reached out to let us know both adapters will be retailing for $50.
Apple leaks Cinema Display refresh, teases dual-monitor Thunderbolt setup?
The cat Apple is out of the bag, apparently. Thanks to a leak on its website, there's evidence that Cupertino's readying a formal introduction of Thunderbolt to more devices. Keen eyes from MacRumors have spotted products on the site now sporting OS X Lion backgrounds, notably, what appears to be T-bolt connected Cinema Displays. The images showing the hook-up no longer appear to be listed, but the dual-setup above sure looks nifty. Considering Lion's got about two weeks left to rear its head and meet that July release, we'd surmise it won't be long until you'll be able to opt for a similar rig. Now can we please just get an anti-glare option? [Thanks, Trey]
HDMI group reportedly putting a stop to Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters
If you've been thinking about buying a one piece Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI cable to bring vids from your Macbook to an HDTV, you may want to get it now. According to a report from TechRadar, the group behind HDMI has decided they don't meet the requirements and cannot be tested or licensed for compatibility. Their sin? Not having a male HDMI plug on each end as required by the spec, which only allows for dongles featuring an all-female pairing of Mini DisplayPort and HDMI to get the job done. We've contacted the group to find out exactly what's going on, but until we hear back it may be prudent to keep an eye on suddenly black-market cable pricing like gasoline before a big holiday.
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cables banned by HDMI Org
HDMI Org, licensor of the HDMI standard, has demanded that Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cables be taken off the market because they are "unlicensed." According to TechRadar, the cables fall afoul of HDMI licensing standards which state that any cable with a male HDMI connector at one end must also have a male HDMI connector at the other end. Anything else doesn't meet the standards and therefore cannot be sold. This doesn't affect the sale of cable adapters, like the Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter sold on Apple's site, because said adapters have a female HDMI connector that still requires a separate, additional HDMI cable to plug into the display. Those types of adapters are okay under the HDMI standards, but a cable with one type of male connector on one end and an HDMI connector on the other apparently isn't. Picky, picky. Those of you hoping to bypass the aggregated cost of a dongle adapter plus an HDMI cable in favor of a one-stop solution for hooking a newer Mac into an HDMI display had better act fast; such cables are still available on Apple's online store for now, but MacRumors points out they've already been withdrawn from Monoprice.
Why Apple is trademarking Thunderbolt and why Sony might be left out
Thunderbolt (formerly known as Light Peak) may have been developed by Intel, but it's Apple that's been snatching up all the trademark glory. The company first filed in November of 2010 in Jamaica, then followed up in February of this year by securing the rights to the name in Canada, before registering similar claims in Europe, China, and now the US. This raised some interesting questions about Intel's claim to be the exclusive trademark holder (see the more coverage link) and whether or not other companies would be able to use the Thunderbolt brand. Intrigued, we did a little digging and you'll find what we uncovered after the break.
Sony's Thunderbolt implementation hiding in plain (web)site, uses USB connector not Mini DisplayPort?
Look closely at that picture. See that Type-A USB jack? The one with the blue stripe sandwiched between the round AC jack (with its green light) and VGA USB 2.0 and HDMI ports? Yeah, that's Sony's Thunderbolt implementation according to a trusted source. A bit of digging reveals that the "Ultimate Mobile PC" teased by Sony above is actually the same VAIO Hybrid PC leaked by Sony Insider back in March said to feature an external dock with one USB 3.0 jack, HDMI, Ethernet, AMD Whistler discrete graphics, and a Blu-ray Disc writer. Naturally, the dock attaches to the VAIO's Thunderbolt jack. What we're trying to get our heads around, however, is Sony's choice for a USB connector instead of the Mini DisplayPort used by Apple's dual-channel 10Gbps Thunderbolt implementation. The decision to go USB was first brought to our attention by site Gula Digital. We've long known that Sony would be a Light Peak partner in some capacity. And the decision to go USB certainly echoes those first prototype interconnects demonstrated by Intel that combined a hybrid USB 3.0 connector with an optical interface and electrical connection to carry power. We also like the idea of being able to connect a USB 3.0 hard disk without first attaching an adapter. What troubles us, though, is a statement made by the USB Implementers Forum last summer expressing reservations with Intel's proposed interconnect: "USB connectors are not general purpose connectors and are not designed to be used in support of other technology applications or standards or as combo connectors." Perhaps Sony has worked out a licensing arrangement with the USB-IF? We don't know. But we're told that Sony's Thunderbolt implementation is definitely using a USB connector and definitely not using Mini DisplayPort. But we'll wait until this thing ships before complaining about Thunderbolt fragmentation too loudly.
Powercolor expected to unveil double-barreled Radeon at Computex
An unnamed, undressed dual-GPU prototype of AMD's latest in southern-island graphics cards surfaced over the weekend. Flaunting twin Bart chips with 1,120 stream processors a pop, this card totals up at 2,240, with each GPU packing its own memory for a total of 2GB of GDDR5. Although PowerColor is staying tight lipped on specs and official name until Computex in June, two DVI ports, double mini DisplayPorts, and one HDMI-out paint obvious similarities to the existing Radeon HD 6870. One last notable difference? The unknown soldier is powered by two eight-pin PCIe connectors, as opposed to the HD 6870's six-pin variant. We're probably looking at the latest in the Radeon HD 6800 series, we'll know for sure in about a month.
Some Thunderbolt MacBook Pros causing flicker on Cinema Displays, Apple investigates (updated)
In a world of sophisticated electronics these days, there are always risks to being an early adopter. Alas, it appears that our latest victims are owners of Apple's Thunderbolt-laden MacBook Pros. Since launch, a number of frustrated customers have been reporting that their new unibody laptops -- of all three sizes -- are causing random flicker on both 24-inch and 27-inch Cinema Displays when connected via their Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt combo port, and now we have video proof to share the pain. Some also confirmed that even replacement machines from Apple are exhibiting the same behavior, though a source of ours says this doesn't seem to be a widespread issue, and that the company's hardware engineers are already looking into this. Either way, we're likely to see a firmware fix for this bug soon -- it's no good having a large monitor constantly blinking at you. [Thanks, Armando] Update: sja3274, the creator of the original video above, informed us that his Cinema Display actually had a faulty connection anyway, but he still saw flicker on a new display -- much like the behavior shown in the second video. As such, we've replaced our first video embed with our second one. Additionally, sja3274 was originally told to expect a software update last Tuesday or Wednesday, but obviously that didn't happen, so perhaps this is a trickier fix than Apple expected.
AMD launches Radeon HD 6990 powerhouse for $699, maintains 'world's fastest' title
If you're scoring at home, NVIDIA currently holds the lead in single-GPU graphics cards with its GeForce GTX 580, but ATI's dual-chip Radeon HD 5970 has been holding down the absolute speed crown for a good long while. Now, bearing the name of AMD Radeon HD 6990, its successor sidles up to the throne and demands attention as the fastest single expansion board you can plug into your shiny new motherboard. The 6990 boasts a massive 4GB of GDDR5, 3,072 Stream Processors, 64 ROPs, and an 830MHz core clock speed. A dual-BIOS switch will let you crank that clock up to 880MHz with a corresponding increase in voltage, but don't expect to see much overclocking headroom above that. Reviewers note, alongside their fawning assessment of the world's best performance, that the HD 6990 is a massively power-hungry card (375W TDP) and one that makes quite a bit of noise while going through its herculean tasks. That's in spite of a new vapor chamber cooling system that allegedly supports up to 450W of thermal output. If all this strikes you as a somewhat flawed execution, maybe you'll join us in hoping NVIDIA's imminently upcoming response, dubbed the GTX 590, will be able to offer a neater, more efficient assault on the extreme peaks of graphical performance. Read - HardOCP Read - AnandTech Read - Tech Report Read - PC Perspective Read - techPowerUp! Read - Hot Hardware Read - Hexus
iPad 2 cases surface, rekindle SD card slot fire and add a pinch of mystery with topside cutout
There's usually as much fun to be had before an Apple product launch as there is after, and this upcoming iPad 2 device is no exception. The latest scuttlebutt it has succumbed to comes courtesy of some cases that have cropped up in China -- AppleInsider and MIC Gadget have independently found iPad 2 shells that feature nearly identical cutouts -- with the resulting allegations pointing toward a rear-facing camera, an SD card slot, and perhaps even a Mini DisplayPort receptacle. Our own sources have confirmed the former two, but the latter, a miniaturized video output already featured in MacBooks, is a new development and less of a certainty. Then again, looking at the size of the hole leaves few alternative options (and a USB slot is extremely unlikely), so we're willing to believe that a Mini DisplayPort will be an inclusion Apple makes for the sake of offering choice -- even if it prefers you to send your video streams over an untethered AirPlay connection.
New Mini DisplayPort video adapters from StarTech
All of Apple's new offerings in the Mac line use Mini DisplayPort to pump video out to other monitors or video displays. Whether it's an 11" MacBook Air, a fully-loaded Mac Pro (with two Mini DisplayPort outputs), or any of the machines in between, Apple has standardized on Mini DisplayPort for video output. To connect to different types of displays, Apple also sells a number of video adapters through Apple retail stores and the online store. There are Apple-branded adapter cables for VGA, DVI, and Dual-link DVI, as well as a Moshi HDMI adapter. Now a new source of these adapters has hit the market. StarTech is a maker of parts, adapters, KVM switches and the like, and it apparently saw a big potential market for these cables due to Apple's standardization. StarTech has just announced a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (US$21.99), a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter ($21.99), and a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter ($33.99). The pricing is great on the HDMI and DVI adapters; the HDMI adapter is a full $13 less than the Moshi HDMI adapter, while the DVI adapter is about $8 cheaper. The VGA adapter is about $5 more expensive than the Apple equivalent. If you need to connect your Mac to another video display, it's good to know that you have another alternative for the necessary cables.
AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 officially pictured, coming this Friday
AMD said it's bringing the new heat this week, but, in a classic act of showmanship, it's teasing out only imagery today and insisting on making us wait until Friday to truly learn what the next generation of Radeon graphics is made of. For now, we have the full titles of its leading lights, namely the Radeon HD 6870 and Radeon HD 6850, along with plenty of pictorial evidence of their existence in a lab somewhere. We note with glee that the default output arrangement includes no less than five ports, including two DVI, one HDMI (1.4a), and two Mini DisplayPorts. We'd rather the latter two were full-sized, but it doesn't look like ATI AMD had the room to fit them in. As to power requirements, the HD 6870 will need two 6-pin connectors to augment the juice it gets from the PCI Express port, while the HD 6850 will sate its needs with just the one. Anyhow, enjoy the gallery below and make sure to have your popcorn ready for the benchmark-heavy reviews coming up at the end of the week.%Gallery-105362%
ATI FirePro V9800 runs out of ideas, shoots up with 4GB of GDDR5 and six mini DisplayPorts
If somehow you were able to choke up the FirePro V8800 and its 2GB of graphics buffer -- traveling across an autobahn-wide 147.2GBps interface -- here's the card for you. ATI has just announced the V9800, which doubles its predecessor's memory allowance to a mighty 4GB of GDDR5, but otherwise looks an almost identical beast. It maintains the 1,600 stream processor count of the V8800 and makes some small advances in performance and power efficiency, but on the whole it's the same card, just strapped up with more buffer muscle. We shouldn't neglect the new array of six mini DisplayPorts -- the retail package will include six DVI adapters, worry not -- which will let you have your full six-screen Eyefinity cake driven by just this one card. So, is this future collector's item worth your time? Well, at $3,499, the V9800 is a whole two thousand dollars pricier than the V8800, but then if you have the highly specialized needs it's looking to cater for, we're guessing that won't be too much of a hurdle for you. Update: Oh, about the price, AMD just got in touch to say it'll suggest a $3,499 tithe, not the $2.5K indicated on the slide below. Sorry is we misled you into selling up your entire 3D rendering farm with the lower price we had before.
Belkin's AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter lets you play Xbox 360 on iMac, costs as much as an Arcade
If you're inhabiting one of those quaint, downtown studio apartments in which your sink, oven, computer, and toilet are all within reach of your swiveling desk chair, and if that computer happens to be a 27-inch iMac, we have good news for you. Belkin has introduced its AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter, which takes an HDMI input at up to 1080p and squeezes it into a Mini DisplayPort connector at 720p for display on your iMac. It'll also push stereo audio through and is HDCP-compliant, so even protected content from your Blu-ray player will get by. The cost? $150, which is cheaper than getting a second display, but an awful lot for a converter box with a single input -- especially when MonoPrice has similar offerings (which admittedly lack audio and HDCP) for under $10. But, if you don't have room for anything else, this will fit in nicely with you and your minimalist/affluent lifestyle. Update: We got it wrong on the MonoPrice reference here. That adapter goes the other way!
New MacBooks support audio and video out of Mini DisplayPort
I recently faced an audio/video problem with my MacBook. I subscribed to the great MLB.TV service so that I could watch my Cubs games out here in Los Angeles. However, instead of just watching them on my MacBook, I wanted to actually watch them on my HDTV. My first solution was to go get a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, but there was an issue; I would have had to figure out some way to hook up the audio since MacBooks, before yesterday's update, only output video over the DisplayPort. Audio would have needed to come through the headphones or the USB port separately. Fortunately, that problem is now fixed for new buyers; the most recent MacBooks, according to this support document from Apple, will send both audio and video out through HDMI as long as you've got a VESA compliant adapter (which most DisplayPort adapters are). Of course, I'd need to buy a new MacBook (which is much more expensive than just figuring out an audio solution), but at least the issue is fixed on the latest hardware. My eventual solution? I was saved by Sony, of all companies. MLB released a free app on the PlayStation 3 (which I have hooked up to my TV via HDMI as well) that lets me watch my subscription without the computer. That leaves my MacBook open for other tasks, like blogging, while I watch the game. Let's go Cubs! [via MacRumors]
