Dell STREAK, A Decent tablet

A Decent tablet, Great in the looks and hardware department..

ASUS - Eee Pad

An Android tablet from Asus for Next Gen Computing..

SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab

It's Time for A better Tablet, So Choose Galaxy tab..

Nokia N900

The Nokia N900 with Linux-based Maemo software takes us into a new era of mobile computing..

Performance Perfected: Introducing the GeForce GTX 690

GeForce GTX 680 launched last month, reviewers praised not only its record-setting performance, but also its incredible power efficiency..

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Friday, June 1, 2012

High-speed Blu-ray burner


ASUSHigh-speed Blu-ray burner

 Asus has launched the new BW-12D1S-U, the world’s fastest external 3D Blu-ray writer. It enables an easy transition from DVD, the fastest and most reliable Blu-ray burning performance, and a unique artistic approach. With burning speeds up to 12X via USB 3.0, Optical Tuning Strategy (OT S) technology for the best writing quality available, and high definition 3D playback, the BW-12D1S-U highlights the attention ASUS pays to design. Asus Blu-ray devices now support 3D playback across the range, offering 2D to 3D conversion and full 1080p HD with no quality compromise. Asus has implemented powerful upscaling of non-HD DVD content to HD standards. Audio content supports both Dolby EX and 5.1-channel DTS-HD, offering high definition sound. No degradation of original audio sources occurs, so users are guaranteed faithful reproduction and crisp sound in every application.

Toshiba Qosmio X500


"GOOD MULTIMEDAIA PERFORMER, BUT A TAD PRICEY."


ForLarge screen, good speakers, good looks, Blu-ray writer.


Against: A bit expensive, flimsy build quality, GPU is a bit
dated, no USB 3.0.



Toshiba have gone with a bold and snazzy look for the X500. The bright red LED lighting gives it a very attractive look. The chassis is made up mostly of plastic, which isn’t very strong. There’s quite a bit of flex in the lid, which should not have been. Also, most areas have a glossy finish, so fingerprints and dirt are a nightmare. The hinge seems sturdy enough, allowing the screen to tilt back 160 degrees. At 4.75 kgs, you can’t even think of lugging this around as it’s too heavy. This is the first gaming notebook we’ve come across that sports a 18.4-inch full HD screen, which is simply gorgeous. 
                    There are four USB 2.0 ports in all (one ESATA combo) with sleep and charge function; no USB 3.0 ports though. Other features include HDMI, FireWire, Blu-ray writer, Express card slot, headphone and microphone jack and a VGA port. One thing we noticed was that the fit and finish of the chassis wasn’t very good. There were plenty of gaps around the optical drive and the ports didn’t fit well in the cut-outs of the frame. Overall, the build and finish wasn’t up to the mark; certainly not something you’d expect from a high-end gaming notebook. 
There are four USB 2.0 ports in all (one ESATA combo),
but no USB 3.0 ports.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (W x D x H): 44.2 x 29.4 x 4.6 cm; Weight:
4.75 kg; Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM2.0 GHz;
RAM: 4 GB; Hard Disk: 750 GB; Optical Drive: Blu-Ray
writer; Display: 18.4 in, 1920x1080; GPU: GTX 460M;
Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n, Ethernet, HDMI, USB 2.0,
eSATA, FireWire; OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
                    The Harman Kardon speakers have large drivers, which can clearly be seen through the grill. A bunch of touch sensitive media keys are placed on the left, which is really annoying since you accidently hit them every time you start to type. The X500 is powered by the latest Intel Core i7-2630QM, which runs at a stock speed of 2.0 GHz, and can Turbo up to 2.9 GHz. Additionally, there’s 4 GB of RAM, a 750 GB hard drive and a Nvidia GTX 460M graphics card. The X500 is pretty well-equipped for a gaming notebook other than the fact that the graphics card is slightly old. While the CPU performance is solid in most benchmarks, the graphics card shows its age in the gaming tests.The X500 runs relatively cool and quiet even when stressed. The backlighting of the keyboard is even, but the keys themselves could have been designed better. The shortcut keys on the left could have been placed elsewhere as they always get in the way. They make an annoyingly loud beep every time you press them and there’s no way to disable that. 
                    The Harman Kardon speakers are one of the best in a notebook. The soundstage is wide and they are able to reproduce clear highs and mids. The low end is notvery pronounced, but then again we don’t really expect it to be. The X500 is fitted with a 12-cell Li-ion battery which lasted only 1 hour 20 mins on Battery Eater Pro, which is average.Toshiba has priced it at Rs 1,00,990, which is not bad considering the large screen and great speakers. There are some minor niggles, like the average build quality, annoying shortcut buttons, and the outdated graphics card, which makes this price tag seem rather high.


Friday, May 25, 2012

DELL STREAK


Great in the looks and hardware department, but lacks in performance and features."


DELL STREAK
VERDICT: Great in the looks and hardware department,
but lacks in performance and features.
FOR: Good looking device, camera image quality is
good, decent music player.
AGAINST: On-screen keypad could have been better,
volume on calls is low, low battery life, comes with Android 1.6.



The Dell Streak is a lot smaller than your average tablet and a lot bigger than a large touchscreen mobile phone. So the question is, just where does it fit in? Dressed in all black, we have to admit that it’s quite a looker. It’s just 10 mm thick, which actually makes it a lot slimmer than quite a few smartphones. Weighing just 220 g, it’s comfortable to hold as well. It’s got 2.2 GB of internal memory and it also supports microSD cards of up to 32 GB. Although there’s a hot swap under the rear panel for the memory card, for some strange reason, thhandset tends to auto switch-off if the panel is opened. The 3.5 mm hands-free port is located on one side, or rather the top of the device, since it’s typically supposed to be used in landscape mode like the Nokia N900. The volume/zoom keys, screen lock and the camera’s shutter release are also
located on this side.
                                                       Dell’s first mistake is incorporating a proprietary USB/charging port (bottom) into the Streak. Since it’s pretty much a large mobile handset, it would have been a whole lot simpler on us if they went with a standard micro USB socket. Dell has gone with touch-sensitive buttons on one side of the display. A microphone is also located on the same side. A light sensor and front-facing VGA camera are located on the other side just near the phone’s speaker. Using this rather large device to answer calls takes a lot of getting used to, so we’d recommend using the hands-free instead. The large 5-inch touchscreen display sports a 480x800 pixel resolution, which makes it clear and easy to view even in the bright outdoors.
                 Dell’s second mistake is launching a device like this with an outdated version of the operating system. The Streak comes with Android 1.6 and we were told that it’s upgradeable to 2.1 (although we were unable to do so). Donut just doesn’t cut it anymore, and while Éclair has its fl aws, it left 1.6 in its dust long ago. If you’re removing shortcuts/ widgets from the desktop, there’s no click-anddrag- to-Trash option; you’ll have to select the icon and then select the menu button to remove the item. It allows you to create multiple desktops, and wallpapers can be set individually to each. The drop-down menus make it easy to access various options, notifi cations and settings. We had a couple of issues with the UI. Firstly, multi-touch wasn’t a universal function. On any Android 2.1+ handset, Angry Birds would allow you to pinch zoom out so you can see just where you’re firing. Thankfully, the browser and image gallery allow for multi-touch zooming without a hitch. It still isn’t as smooth as the iPhone’s, but it’ll do. We expected a bit more in terms of speed from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor. It’s not a slow handset, but activating apps and opening menus wasn’t as smooth as we’d hoped. The keypad could also have been a little better designed. With the num pad on the side, it means your right thumb is going to have to do a bit of stretching. In portrait mode, the Zero and ‘O’ are too close together since the num pad moves above the QWERTY keypad. It’ll take some getting used to. 
                     There was quite a bit of confusion while syncing Facebook and Google accounts with the device’s phonebook. Most contacts that were downloaded didn’t allow us the option of sending them text
messages until we had synced them with those transferred from the SIM phonebook, which is strange.
The music player is pretty standard in functionality, and it’s loud enough to listen to comfortably in a crowded train. The problem is that neither the hands-free nor the device’s earpiece provide proper clarity on calls. The volume on calls was just too low most of the time. The device also features a voice recorder, but no FM radio. Dell has included an MP3 Store application with the Streak that lets you search for music files and albums to download for a fee. The media player has no frills, except that it allows you to create playlists on the go. Sadly, the device doesn’t support DivX or XviD formats, so you’re going to have to convert videos before you can play them on the Streak. Once converted properly and optimized for the resolution,
though, the viewing experience is not bad at all. Like any high-end mobile phone, the Dell Streak is also well equipped for connectivity. From 3G (HSDPA, HSUPA), EDGE and Wi-Fi to Bluetooth (just version 2.0) with A2DP and USB 2.0, it’s all packed into this device. The Streak also comes with support for Microsoft Exchange and regular POP/IMAP accounts. For added functionality for Exchange, Dell has thrown in the TouchDown App with Active Sync support. Browsing the Internet on the large screen is absolute bliss and the native Android browser works just perfectly for rendering pages in a convenient, easy to read format.
Great in the looks and hardware department, but lacks in performance and features.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (WxHxD): 79x153x10 mm; Weight:
220 g; Display: 5-inch 480x800 TFT Capacitive;
Memory: 16 GB internal; CPU 1 GHz;OS: Android:
1.6
; DATA: GPRS,EDGE,3G,Wi-fi-b/g, Camera: 5 MP
                    While the integrated Facebook widget worked out just fine, the one for Twitter refused to let us sign in. Images can be easily shared or sent to email accounts, posted on Twitter, Facebook, Picasa or Flickr with just a couple of easy clicks. The Streak also has a GPS module, but there’s no preinstalled application other than Google Maps. There really aren’t too many other extras thrown in that are worth mentioning. A sync option for your Outlook Notes and tasks is available, Voice Control (which incidentally works really well) from Nuance Technologies, and Google Voice Search are on board as well. Productivity app QuickOffice is also available. The 5 megapixel camera on the Streak comes with a dual LED fl ash and features that include a few scene modes, white balance, multi-shot, self timer and flicker adjustment. Image quality is not bad at all. Whether outdoors or indoors, colors remain quite vivid and the details are quite good for a mobile phone sensor. The Streak isn’t going to win any awards for its 1530mAh battery. Thanks to its large display, battery life is quite low. On an average, it ran for a little over a day and a half with just over three hours of talk time. So here’s the Rs 35,000 question – should you buy the Streak or go in for a mobile handset like the  HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy S? The handsets off er the same functionality as the Streak does and more, especially with Android 2.2 on board. Stick to a handset, we’d say. Don’t forget that the Galaxy S also comes in a 16 GB capacity and it’s more convenient to carry around. The Dell Streak
just doesn’t fit in. Had it come with Éclair and better preloaded apps, it could be worth considering. On the plus side, it’s still smaller than a standard tablet, so you could just hold it up to your ear to talk, but
it’s really not worth the price when a smaller device that does more is easily available.

Gaming and Music Headphones


RAZERGaming and Music Headphone


Razer has released the Razer Orca Gaming and Music Headphones. This stylish pair of headphones features a comfortable design with quality sound an ultra sleek look featuring Razer’s distinct venomous green color. the music enthusiast with the hardcore gamer to bring you the coolest pair of headphones to hit the streets. Equipped with a plug and switch cable, the Razer Orca provides a quick and convenient solution for seamlessly switching between gaming and listening to music. With enhanced drivers crafted to optimize both in game action and the thumping bass of your favorite artists, the Razer Orca excels in providing a dualpurpose solution for gamers and music lovers. Crafted for a secure yet lightweight feel, the circumaural design provides a comfortable fit for hours on end.



website

USB multimedia device


SONY - USB multimedia device

 Texonic Instruments has introduced IRadioPOP, a first-of-its-kind USB plug and play device in India. With this entertainment device, one can listen to and watch up to 20,000 Internet radio channels and 5,000 Internet TV stations worldwide respectively. The TV stations are categorized country, genre and language. Once the device is plugged in any PC or laptop which is connected to the Internet, one can choose their favorite radio and TV channels from the menu. The device serves as an online link for the selected TV and radio programs. A broadband Internet connection of 1 to 2 Mbps for radio and TV respectively is required.


Powerful portable laptop


Sony - Powerful portable laptop


Sony India has announced the launch of the new VAIO YB series, a combination of high performance, fine aesthetics and competitive price. Fitted with the latest Vision Technology from AMD, users can now enjoy smooth and comfortable HD contents playback, faster Internet operation and finer online gaming experience with the new VAIO YB series. Best quality HD content can also be enjoyed on a large screen by simply connecting to a monitor or TV. Stylishly designed for user-friendly operation, VAIO YB will be available in trendy colors—pink, silver and green. VAIO YB offers superb graphics performance yet consumes less power. It comes with an 11.6-inch wide display for convenient and delightful viewing. The isolation keyboard assures comfortable, precise typing and an ergonomic touchpad for precision gestural control.


website

New-gen Graphics Card


SPARKLE  New-gen Graphics Card


 Abacus Peripherals has launched the Sparkle GeForce GTX 560 Ti Graphic Card. The Sparkle GeForce GTX 560 Ti adopts the Fermi 2.0 architecture which upgrades core algorithms such as texture filtering and Z-axis compression over Fermi 1.0 architecture, so that the corresponding instruction operation efficiency is greatly enhanced. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti is thoroughly improved on power consumption, heat dissipation and working noise and is built ground up for tessellation, bringing games closer to reality without sacrificing the high frame rates gamers enjoy. With great OC headroom, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti tears through complex DirectX 11 environments and cinematic effects at blazing frame rates.



Premium Smartphone


DELL - Premium Smartphone



Dell has announced the new Venue Pro. Designed to be the ultimate socialnetworking and entertainment hub for professionals, families, students, gamers and more, the latest smartphone from Dell is available in India on all GSM networks. The Venue Pro is designed to take productivity, social networking and on-the-go entertainment to new heights. Dell’s first Windows Phone 7 smartphone, the Venue Pro features a unique vertical sliding keypad and comes with XBOX Live and pre-loaded work/life applications that make everything easier and more beautiful on its 4.1-inch AMOLED touch display, which features rugged Gorilla Glass for durability. The Dell Venue Pro exudes a premium look and feel, with smooth shapes and lines. A 5-megapixel camera, high-speed 3.5G wireless, and cloud-based services make it easy to keep in touch, share experiences  and enjoy music, movies and more.


Versatile IP camera

D-LINK - Versatile IP camera



D-Link has introduced the DCS- 930 Wireless N Network Camera, a versatile, high performance and affordable network camera that allows users to connect to an Ethernet or 802.11n wireless network to remotely view live streaming video over the internet. The DCS-930 is a complete system with a built-in CPU and web server that transmits high quality video images for security and surveillance. The DCS-930 allows high-quality video to be streamed to remote sites and mobile devices. A Site Survey feature also allows you to view and connect to nearby wireless networks with ease. Owners may sign up with one of the free Dynamic DNS services available on the web to remotely access the camera without having to remember its IP address.





iPhone backup device


IOMEGAiPhone backup device




Iomega's SuperHero Backup and Charger for iPhone. Users who have suffered the loss, theft or damage of their iPhone know what it means to suddenly lose their vital contacts and one-of-a-kind photos because they didn't regularly sync their iPhone with iTunes. The new Iomega SuperHero does away with all that anguish by automatically backing up contacts and photos on an iPhone (or multiple iPhones) every time you charge the phone. The SuperHero Backup and Charger comes with a 4GB SD card that provides the storage for iPhone contacts and pictures. When an iPhone loaded with the SuperHero app is placed in the dock, the app launches automatically, giving the option of backing up contacts and photos while it charges the phone. Multiple iPhones can be charged and backed up with the same SuperHero.


website


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Asus F1A75-V Pro



"An excellent motherboard for building a top-notch AMD Fusion-powered PC."



Asus F1A75-V Pro


For: Heat pipe cooling, excellent layout,
graphical UEFI BIOS, OC switch.
Against: Asus should have included a
USB 3.0 bracket.


Premium motherboards are built for those who don’t want to compromise on features and performance, and the Asus F1A75-V Pro is one of them. It’s built using high quality components and with attention
paid to the layout. The full ATX form factor gives a lot of head room for components and Asus has used it well. A shiny heatpipe connects the heatsinks for the voltage phases and the chipset. Unlike most vendors who have gone in with a 4+1 phase design, Asus has used a 6+2 phase design for efficient power delivery. This is backed by Asus’ Digi+ VRM, which uses two on-board processors – TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) and EPU (Energy Processing Unit). These chips optimize power delivery and overclocking as specified by the user. TPU and EPU can be toggled using switches near the memory slots. There are two PCIE x16 slots, two PCIE x1 slot and three PCI slots. The second PCIE x16 slot runs at 4x speed and you have the option to configure two graphics cards in CrossFireX. The SATA 6 Gb/s ports are oriented sideways so that they aren't obstructed by long graphics cards. However, with dual-slot graphics cards installed, you’ll have to sacrifice a PCIE x1 slot and a PCI slot. Four USB 2.0 headers supporting two ports each are lined up at the base and a USB 3.0 header is placed next to the first PCIE x16 slot. The rear panel looks elaborate, with multiple options for display connectivity, four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, optical S/PDIF output and audio jacks for 7.1-channel setups. The performance is top notch, but it shines when you correctly use the TPU and EPU features for maximizing performance and overclocking. The board features a graphical UEFI BIOS, which makes it easy to navigate sections and change values. The BIOS has the easy mode for those who aren’t well-versed with the various parameters. If you’re planning to build a high-end HTPC or a gaming PC and budget is not a constraint, this board is one of the best options in the market.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Lenovo IdeaCentre B320


"A powerful entertainment PC for living rooms and crammed desks."

Lenovo IdeaCentre B320



For: Good build, great performance, well priced.
Against: Discrete graphics should have been more powerful.


The rear panel can be opened for upgrading crucial
components such as the RAM and storage drives.
The IdeaCentre B320 can easily be mistaken for an LCD TV, and that’s exactly what Lenovo has tried to do. With great aesthetics it can seamlessly blend with the interiors of your living room, bedroom or kitchen. Despite its compact design, it doesn’t compromise on features or performance. The variant of B320 that we received from Lenovo packs powerful hardware suited for an entertainment PC. It is powered by the Intel Core i3-2100 CPU along with 3 GB of RAM and offers 1 TB of storage, which is common in mainstream desktop PCs. Although the CPU features an integrated GPU, Lenovo has gone a step ahead and added the AMD Radeon HD 6450 discrete GPU with 1 GB of dedicated memory.
                The IdeaCentre B320 boasts a large 21.5-inch full HD display, which is great for watching movies. A pair of stereo speakers is housed within the grille below the display and a full HD webcam is located at the top. On the right, the only component you’ll find is a tray-loading DVD-writer. Two USB ports, a card reader and jacks for headphone and mic are placed on the left side. Four additional USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, an Ethernet port and a PS/2 port are placed on the rear. The USB 3.0 port should have ideally been placed on the side to easily connect external USB 3.0 storage devices. The design of the B320 is brilliant. It looks sleek and doesn’t consume too much desk space. We also like the provision of removable back panel for upgrading or replacing the hard drive, optical drive and memory. The PC comes with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse whose design and color go well with the PC. The keyboard sports a brushed metal-like finish and has a standard layout. It has a good tactile feel, but the [Fn] key at the bottom left corner can be annoying. The optical mouse features an ambidextrous design and offers good grip due to the rubber finish on the sides. The keyboard and mouse both use two AA batteries. 
                 The IdeaCentre B320 scored 6403 points in PCMark Vantage and 803 points in 3DMark 11 (Entry mode). The time taken to encode a 1 minute MPEG video to H.264 format was 60 seconds. The Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 drive installed in the PC logged nearly 100 MB/sin sequential read and write tests. However, random read and write scores were quite average at around 50 MB/s. We tried running Crysis Warhead at 1920x1080 with minimal settings, but the Radeon HD 6450 GPU could only manage 23 fps. The speakers sound great thanks to SRS Premium Sound enhancement, which actually makes a big difference. A desktop PC with a similar configuration would definitely be cheaper, but here, you get everything in one package. It looks great and doesn’t occupy much space, making it a great option for small and crammed desks. This PC is an excellent option if you’re looking for a powerful panel PC for entertainment and casual gaming.


Website
Download Product Brochure









Thursday, May 10, 2012

Dual-GPU graphics card


XFX - Radeon HD 6990 dual-GPU graphics card



XFX has launched the XFX Radeon HD 6990 dual-GPU graphics card. This highpowered beast creates the ultimate in intense, immersive HD gaming with raw performance, 4 GB GDDR5 high-speed memory and an array of ground-breaking features. As the fastest graphics card in the XFX HD 6000 series the XFX Radeon HD 6990 makes full use of AMD’s multiple technologies including Eyefinity, EyeSpeed, PowerTune and AMD HD3D. The XFX Radeon HD 6990 graphics processor harnesses the power of dual GPUs to unleash flawless image quality and lightning speed performance. The HD 6990 GPU features advanced DirectX 11-capable architecture to enable seamless visuals, allowing the most demanding consumers to power through the most draining applications as well as tap into stunning video quality
website

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

High-capacity hard drive


Western Digital -  High-capacity hard drive



WD is shipping the world’s largest capacity SATA hard drive. The new hard drive delivers up to a massive 3 terabytes (TB) of storage capacity by utilizing 750 GB-perplatter areal density and Advanced Format (AF) technology. WD Caviar Green drives are an eco-friendly storage solution with WD GreenPower Technology, reduces power consumption by enabling lower operating temperatures for increased reliability and decreases acoustical noise for quiet operation. The WD Caviar Green is designed for use as secondary external storage and next-generation PC storage in 64 bit-based systems. Drives with capacities in excess of 2.19 TB currently present barriers for PC hardware, firmware and software. WD is bundling its WD Caviar Green 3 TB hard drive with an Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)-compliant Host Bus Adapter (HBA), which will enable the operating system to use a known driver with correct support for large capacity drives.



Multimedia Tablet Device



VIEWSONIC - Multimedia Tablet Device


 ViewSonic has launched the ViewPad 10, the latest intelligent communications tablet incorporating full mobile phone functionality and computer and gaming capabilities. Users can surf the Internet, take and share photos, play games, listen to music, and connect with friends via the ViewPad tablet. The ViewPad 10 is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel processor and comes with integrated memory of 1GB and 16GB SSD storage space. Equipped with dual operating systems (OS), users can opt for the innovative Google Android OS for browsing and simple application or the familiar Windows 7 OS for VPN, Outlook and other high-end requirements. This high-performance but lightweight and stylish model offers the full PC experience when required. Its low battery
consumption feature also boosts mobility and efficiency.



Colorful music player


SONYColorful music player

Sony has launched its E-Series Walkman in delightful colors like Gold, Red and Black. This Walkman delivers rich audio performance with clarity and precision and has an easy user interface. Consumers will be constantly entertained as the player offers up to 50 hours of audio and 10 hours of video playback time on a single charge. Scroll through music albums with large views of album artwork on its 2.0-inch QVGA screen. The Walkman also comes with a handy Bookmark function which lets users create, add to or edit up to five personalized playlists on the Walkman itself. Drag & Drop enables you to easily transfer data to and from your Walkman. Karaoke Mode which automatically reduces the volume of original performer’s vocals, allowing users to hear
the backing audio easily.

Connected Media Hub

WESTERN DIGITALConnected Media Hub


Western Digital has introduced the WD TV Live Hub media center, a Full-HD 1080p media player with a 1 terabyte (TB) built-in network hard drive that gives users the freedom to play all their personal media on any screen in the home. WD TV Live Hub plays a wide variety of media file types, including popular Full-HD 1080p video formats such as MKV, MP4 and MOV. The integrated 1 TB hard drive enables users to centralize their digital media from multiple sources. Digital media can be easily transferred to the internal drive from shared folders on PCs and Macs on the network or directly from external hard drives, thumb drives, camcorders or cameras connected via one of the two USB ports. Users also can stream videos from home network drives with a DLNA/ UPnP server.




Saturday, May 5, 2012

The Perfect Mouse For Casual Gamers

Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 - The Perfect Mouse For Casual                        Gamers





The Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 isn’t for the hardcore gunslinger. It’s more in tune with the casual Call of Duty player who is looking for better performance and features than he’d get out of a standard computer mouse. Its budget price tag makes it an easy choice for first-person shooter players on a budget, and gamers who may not appreciate why you would possibly want to spend $129.99 on a gaming mouse like the Razer Mamba (2012). And though its configuration software may look anemic to enthusiasts, beginners and everyday fans of first-person shooters (fps) will be perfectly satisfied. Undiscriminating against right- or lefthanded users, the G300 has a symmetrical, ambidextrous design. The top of the mouse has a grey matte finish that’s smooth under hand, and doesn’t attract stains or smudge marks. The sides have a black, rubberized coating to help you get a grip during long or intense gaming sessions. The G300 has nine programmable buttons in total: rightand left-click, scroll button, two just below the scroll wheel, and two on either side of   the left- and right-click buttons. The G300 feels light and hollow in-hand compared with other mice; I prefer a gaming mouse with a little more heft to it, so I don’t feel like I’m about to fling the mouse across the room at the slightest jerk. The G300 is wired, and while casual gamers may prefer to clear out the clutter and go for a wireless solution, you won’t be able to get a true 1,000Hz ultrapolling rate that will help keep your shots accurate and your connection stable. There is a plug-andplay functionality when you first connect the mouse to your PC, however, in order to take full advantage of the G300, you’ll want to download the configuration softfirst ware off Logitech’s site. The software is only available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7—no Mac support. The mouse does come with on-board memory, so you’ll be able to go to a foreign PC and play without having to download the software again—with all your pre-configured settings intact. The Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 is the perfect mouse for casual PC gamers to cut their teeth on. Its bare-bones configuration software keeps it simple for newbies and users who want to spend more time playing and less time tinkering. On top of all this is the low price, making the G300 a safe investment. If you want more customizable options in your mouse, however, check out the Gigabyte M8000Xtreme or Razer Mamba (2012).—Natalie Shoemaker