PC Format Magazine

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Zoostorm Fizzbook Go

The Zoostorm Fizzbook Go (£269 inc. VAT) is part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative that plans to place affordable computing into the hands of predominantly under-privileged children.

The Netbook platform makes perfect sense for this initiative, as it’s lightweight, compact and affordable.

Taking the standard Netbook approach, you’ll find a tough plastic chassis sitting inside a protective sleeve. It has a carrying handle on the top to make moving it between classes easier. The body is tough and solid and while it uses lower grade plastic than found on more adult-orientated devices, we rather
liked the feel of it.

If the Fizzbook had a slightly more adult design it would be a great machine for anyone needing a solid portable, as the plastic is really tough.

Standard features

Samsung LE40A656

Samsung’s A656 TV’s were marketed as the ‘touch of colour’ range, for, subtly injected into the familiar glossy black screen surround, was a deep red tone that becomes more visible towards the screen’s edges.

This made the set look completely distinctive. What’s more, the chassis was constructed without any adhesive or screws, which was an industry first.

The set also boasted four HDMI sockets, all built to the v1.3 specification for Deep Color compatibility and all capable of receiving 1080p/24fps sources of the sort output by most Blu-ray players. A PC input, an optical digital audio output and a USB 2.0 port for playing JPEG or MP3 files also featured.

The full HD LCD screen included both 100Hz processing and a less commonly found 120Hz mode to ensure the purest playback of 24fps sources.

Nvidia releases $3500 graphics card

Nvidia’s latest uber graphics card is perhaps the ultimate PC gamingaccessory, although you are going to need a cool $3500 if you want to play Far Cry 2 or Crysis as the god of gaming intended.

That’s right, the nVidiaQuadro FX 5800 is quite possibly the costliest gaming accessory of 2008!

With its 4GB of onboard memory and a bandwidth of 102GB/s TechRadar is surethat it does the business.

Marketing beyond gaming

Nvidia is clearly aiming thedevice at markets other than gamers, with the website blurb informing us that: “The Quadro FX 5800 ultra-high-end solution givesgeophysicists, designers, scientists, engineers, and other technicalprofessionals visual supercomputing from their desktops.

Logitech G13 Gameboard unveiled

The Logitech G13 Gameboard has been unveiled – with the peripherals giant hoping to lure both hard core gamers and World of Warcraft addicts to change their habits.

Although gameboards/speedpads, which complement (read replace) the keyboard during gaming, are nothing new, Logitech has bought its customary flair to the design.

The Logitech G13 Gameboard features customisable backlit keys, a monochrome LCD display (for when you really, really need to know how much ammo you have) and masses of programmable keys.

‘With three game modes, 25 programmable keys and a programmable analogue stick, the G13 gameboard offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game (software installation required),’ explains the press release.

For the hardcore

Retro PC Plus

In the mood for a true retro kick? Our older-older-much-older sister magazine PC Plus just republished its very first issue from back in December 1987, and you can read it online here.

This was the era when parents could still buy computers and think that their kids really would be using it for their homework. Check out the exclusive reviews of the hottest Infocom text adventures, and conclusive proof that games journalists really have always chosen to play as the female characters, even in the days before graphics. You’ll find upgrading tips to get up to that 640kb of RAM that should – touch wood – be enough for anyone. You can even subscribe and get a sexy binder, although that offer may have expired shortly into the Jurassic era.

Check it out to see how good we’ve got it these days, or the way we lived back in the days before GTA4, Crysis, or even graphics that didn’t make you want to bash your eyes out with a rusty mouse. If you still want more nostalgia, you can also check out their latest issue, out March 10th, for a look at the retro gaming revolution.