Droid Razr teardown reveals impressive guts

iFix has voided yet another warranty in order to show us exactly what makes the new Droid Razr tick. To open the phone, they begin to saw the unit apart with a dozuki, but quickly realized a spudger and plastic opening tool were also reasonably effective.

Motorola has been making a come back after being set aside for years by other companies that have had a seemingly endless stream of hipper smart phones. About two years ago though, the company introduced the Droid, which turned out to be a very successful smartphone series. Back in action, the company is betting its super-identifiable Razr namesake and styling will bring back the same "wow" factor as it did in 2004. Be sure to check out our hands on review, if you have not already.

                                                          

The Droid Razr packs a lot of technology into a "razr" thin form factor, so what we find inside the phone is an impressive amount of thoughtful engineering. The unit is packed tight with no room to spare, filled with EMI shielded chips, an ultra-thin 1750mAh battery, tiny ribbon cables and a lot of adhesive.

The website rates the Droid Razr a 4 out of 10 on its repairability score, a rating low enough to probably scare away all but the most confident do-it-yourselfers.

iFixit lists the inordinate number of chips found inside the unit:

• Toshiba THGBM4G7D2GBAIE 16GB EMMC Flash Memory
• Samsung K3PE7E700M-XGC1 4Gb LPDDR2 RAM
• Qualcomm MDM6600 Dual-Mode Baseband/RF Transceiver
• Qualcomm PM8028 Power Management IC
• Avago ACPM-7868 Quad-Band Power Amplifier
• Motorola T6VP0XBG-0001 (believed to be the LCM 2.0 LTE baseband processor)
• Texas Instruments WL1285C Wilink 7 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/GPS
• Skyworks 77449 Power Amplifier Module for LTE/EUTRAN Bands XIII/XIV
• Toshiba Y9A0A111308LA Memory Stack
• ST Ericsson CPCAP 6556002
• Hynix H90H1GH51JMP
• Infineon 5726 SLU A1 H1118 3A126586
• Bosch 2133 C3H L1ABG accelerometer

iFixit also notes some unusual design elements. The digitizer (the glass on the front) is permenantly adhered to the AMOLED LCD display, which makes breaking the digitizer an expensive accident. Also, there are a tremendous amount of chips on the system board facing the display which makes it eerily devoid of all visible circuitry on the bottom. This was done to keep the Razr slim, no doubt.

Images courtesy of iFixit. You can view the full teardown here.

Related Stories

• Get a Motorola Droid Razr for $111.11 at Amazon Wireless
• Verizon doubles 4G LTE data cap ahead of Droid Razr launch
• Motorola announces Motoactv and Droid RAZR

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Intel Sandy Bridge-E Debuts: Core i7-3960X Reviewed

Intel kick started 2011 with the release of their 2nd generation Core processors as they unleashed the Sandy Bridge architecture for the first time. Initially there were five processors, which included the popular Core i5-2500K and Core i7-2600K.

Enabling these new processors was the LGA1155 platform, which brought about three new chipsets. Two of these, the H67 and P67, went on to spoil what would have otherwise been perfect execution by Intel. Plagued by a SATA 3Gb/s bug, this put the entire platform on hold for numerous months until Intel could ramp up production of working B3 stepping chipsets to replace the defective models, effectively costing Intel a billion dollars or thereabouts.

By March the company was on the mend and before long it was all about Sandy Bridge. Intel described its production increase for the microprocessor as the fastest ramp-up of any product in the company’s history.

With the Sandy Bridge processors hitting full stride, the recent release of AMD’s Bulldozer processors was not enough to slow sales. This was largely due to Bulldozer’s inability to compete well enough with the Core i5-2xxx series. Even worse than that, it's next to impossible to actually buy an AMD FX-8150 processor thanks to chip shortages. Meanwhile, Intel is preparing to strike back by bolstering their 2nd generation Core processors even further.

Today marks the arrival of Sandy Bridge-E and three new processors released initially, which include the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, Core i7-3930K and Core i7-3820. Powered by a new LGA2011 socket, these 32nm processors provide up to six cores with a dozen threads. Intel has also upgraded the integrated memory controller with four channels supporting DDR3-1600 memory, for a theoretical peak bandwidth of 51.2GB/s.

These processors will be explored in greater detail shortly, but for now it's worth mentioning they feature a total of 2.27 billion transistors in a die size of 20.8mm by 20.9mm, which are mind-boggling stats to say the least.

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Amazon increases Kindle Fire production again to 5 million units

Amazon has increased production output on its Kindle Fire tablet for the second time to the tune of 5 million units by the end of the year. The company is betting big based on strong pre-orders, according to sources from upstream component suppliers as reported by DigiTimes.

                                       

This is the second time that Amazon has ramped up production on the 7-inch tablet ahead of its public launch. In the middle of the third quarter, the Kindle maker called for 4 million units to be produced, up from the original 3.5 million when the tablet was announced.

These rumors fall in line with similar statements from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos last month during an earnings call. Bezos said pre-orders have exceeded expectations and thus they were increasing capacity and building millions more than initially planned, although he didn’t give any specific numbers.

Furthermore, Amazon believes that Kindle Fire will remain strong past the holiday season which could prompt even more orders depending on how quickly the 5 million sell out. Upstream component suppliers that look to benefit from the increased demand include Wintek, Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), LG Display, Quanta Computer, Ilitek, Aces Connectors and Wah Hong Industrial.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is expected to go head-to-head with Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet this holiday season. Amazon’s tablet is set to launch on November 15 at an attractive $199 price point while the recently-announced Nook Tablet sells for $50 more but offers double the RAM and internal storage capacity of the Kindle Fire. The Nook Tablet will be available starting November 18.

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Xbox.com getting Metro UI ahead of Xbox Live dashboard update

Microsoft will be making some changes to Xbox.com in the coming days in anticipation of the next Xbox 360 dashboard update. The familiar “My Xbox” section will be replaced by a forward-thinking “Social” area, complete with Metro UI styling.

Social builds on the current My Xbox by allowing you to see more detailed information regarding what your friends are doing. One new feature is called Beacons which lets you to mark games you wish to play with others on your friends list.

Your friends will see the Beacon and can decide if they also want to play the game, rather than you having to send multiple game invites or arrange playing together through traditional means. You can have up to three Beacons active at a time and you can optionally add a description to each one indicating things like what time you want to play or what game mode you are interested in.

Social will also display links to Xbox LIVE events, preview articles, new video and game releases, Gamer Spotlight and more. Quick links on the left of the Social screen show you things like how many friends are online and how many messages you have. Below your avatar are links to common tasks like redeeming codes and adding Microsoft Points.

Xbox.com users will also be able to search the Zune catalog and buy television shows and movies directly from the web browser.

A leaked internal email sent to PayPal employees in September revealed that Microsoft is planning to launch thenew Xbox dashboard on November 15, marking the 10-year anniversary of the original Xbox launch in 2001.

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Motorola Droid RAZR hands-on impressions

While we work on the full written review of the Motorola DROID RAZR, I thought I'd at least share some of my gut feelings and impressions of the device, now that I've been using it for a short while.

To start with, Motorola really hit it out of the park with the hardware. The 7.1mm thick body is super tough thanks to its Kevlar back cover, Gorilla Glass up front, and a steel internal frame. You might lament the lack of a user replaceable battery, but you'll love the qHD resolution Super AMOLED display, speedy dual-core 1.2GHz processor, and fine 1080p-capable 8 megapixel camera. You simply can't argue with the results.

The software is surprisingly good, too. The Motorola user interface is mostly unobtrusive and workable, and the new Smart Actions system on the phone can really make the DROID RAZR seem self-aware at times.

I pretty much love everything about the phone. Pretty much. I'm certainly thankful for the high data rates offered by Verizon's LTE network, but the DROID RAZR is every bit a battery hog because of its LTE support. Even with a 1780mAh battery, this device struggles to get through a full day under relatively light duty. With some tweaks of the battery settings, of which there are many, and some clever Smart Actions, you might be able to extend its life. But out of the box, the Motorola DROID RAZR still wants for juice, and it runs excessively hot while it sucks down those milliwatt-hours.

In the end, if LTE is what you are after, there simply is no other device on the market that can package it up as slickly at the Motorola DROID RAZR.

The Motorola DROID RAZR will go on sale on November 11, 2011 ("11-11-11") for $299.99 with a two-year contract. For a limited time, Verizon is offering double the normal amount of data on its monthly data plans for 4G LTE smartphones. As such, a $30 monthly data plan will net a DROID RAZR user 4GB of data monthly.

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Mozilla Thunderbird 8.0, Lightning 1.0 released

he Mozilla Foundation has officially released Thunderbird 8.0 and Lightning 1.0, their full-featured email and calendar clients, respectively. Mozilla added Thunderbird to their rapid release schedule awhile back, so users will continue to get frequent, periodic updates.

While Firefox 8.0 will probably be enjoying most of the spotlight, Thunderbird 8.0 is a substantial upgrade from its previous iteration.

                                                   

Download: Thunderbird 8.0, Lightning 1.0, Firefox 8.0

Thunderbird 8.0 highlights (more)

• Improved speed and responsiveness!
• Thunderbird is based on the new Mozilla Gecko 8 engine
• Add-ons installed by third party programs are now disabled by default
• New Search and Find Shortcuts
• Improved accessibility of the attachment list
• Folder switching pane widget removed
• Numerous platform fixes to stability
• Fixed several security issues

There is currently a known issue with using Thunderbird 8.0, Lightning 1.0 and RSS feeds together. Keep that in mind if you experience any similar issues. Users are also encouraged to remove their previous add-ons and manually install up-to-date versions. 

Lightning, which has been in beta for a few years now, is now primed, polished and ready for its official release. Lightning 1.0 is only compatible with Thunderbird 8, so you will need to upgrade. If you're stuck using an older version of Thunderbird, you may still use Lightning 1.0 Beta 7 or 1.0 Beta 5.

Noteworthy changes in this release of Lightning:

• Full offline support, when the "Cache" is enabled for a calendar
• Improve diagnostics for the ICS provider
• Fix the top startup crash. Please give Lightning another try if you previously had issues
• Some fixes for the alarm system, specifically related to snoozing and recurring events
• Allow opening events already accepted via invitation
• Fresh new UI style for all calendar views

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New carrier offers unlimited service, no contracts or overages for $19/mo

Tired of restrictive contracts and costly overages? Republic Wireless is too. The newcomer has busted onto the scene with a service that is currently unmatched by Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. For only $19 a month, the company says it can provide smartphone users with unlimited voice, data and text without lengthy commitments and hidden fees. The catch? For most users, there isn't one.

To eliminate the expense of maintaining pricey cellular networks, Republic Wireless utilizes a hybrid calling technology that sends communications over Wi-Fi whenever possible -- and that's pretty often. The company reports that mobile users are around Wi-Fi about 60% of the time. If you happen to be outside the range of Wi-Fi, your handset will still have conventional WWAN connectivity (via Sprint).

The "unlimited" part isn't entirely true, but it's not untrue either. If used as intended with Wi-Fi, Republic Wireless should theoretically provide you with all the communication you desire. However, while the carrier won't slam you with overages, there are limits imposed on your cellular account. You get the equivalent of 550 minutes, 150 texts and 300MB of data, but those numbers aren't precise.

Your non-Wi-Fi footprint is calculated with a "Cellular Usage Index" (CUI), so there doesn't seem to be a limit on any given traffic type. In other words, your usage patterns are irrelevant as long as the sum of your activity doesn't exceed whatever CUI the company deems "fair." If you surpass that threshold, you'll receive tips on how to reduce your consumption, but again, there are no fees or speed caps.

The service is currently in limited beta and Republic Wireless only offers the LG Optimus. You can't transfer your existing handset, either. The company plans to add more phones in the future (send recommendations to yourvoice@republicwireless.com). The Optimus along with your first month of service will cost $199 plus tax, which is refundable for 30 days. Subsequent months are only $19.

There are some other details worth noting. While domestic roaming is free, there's no international cellular support. Wi-Fi should let you call from anywhere in the world to the US, but Republic Wireless isn't open to international customers yet. You'll require approximately 80kb/s to chat with someone over Wi-Fi, so low-end DSL connections might be iffy when you factor in other network traffic.

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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime detailed, launching in December

Asus has announced that their Eee Pad Transformer Prime 'hybrid' tablet will be available for purchase worldwide in December. The tablet will be the first to launch with Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, codenamed Kal-El.

                                        

We had our first glance at the Transformer Prime last month when Asus chairman Jonney Shih briefly showed the tablet during an interview at conference AsiaD. Specifications at that time were limited but we now know all of the juicy details.

Nvidia’s quad-core (technically it has five cores) Tegra 3 SoC will indeed power the unit, a chip that Nvidia says is five times faster than their Tegra 2 overall. More specifically, web browsing will be four times faster and graphics will perform three times better than its predecessor.

Additional specs include a thin 8.3mm (0.33-inch) body that weighs only 586g (1.29lbs). The 8MP rear camera features an LED flash, F/2.4 aperture and a back illuminated CMOS sensor with low-light noise reduction. A 1.2MP shooter can be found on the front and a 1280 x 800 resolution Super IPS+ display coated with Corning Gorilla Glass features a max brightness of 600 nits.

The Transformer Prime will ship with either 32GB or 64GB of internal flash storage and both feature a micro SD card slot for expansion and easy file transfers. Other standard features across all models include 1Gb of system memory, a 3.5mm combo audio jack and a micro HDMI port . Battery life is rated at a full 12 hours on the tablet and 18 hours when using the optional dock.

Pricing will range from $499 for the 32GB model to $599 for the 64GB version while the optional mobile dock accessory will set you back another $149. The tablet will initially ship with Android 3.2 although we suspect an Ice Cream Sandwich update won't be too far off.

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Kindle Fire early adopters to have access to thousands of apps

Amazon has announced that their upcoming Kindle Fire tablet will launch with several thousand apps available for download in addition to Amazon’s own feature programs. All apps are Amazon-tested on Kindle Fire and will be available exclusively though the Amazon Appstore.

Amazon started talking with app developers the same day they introduced the Kindle Fire and they claim the response has been overwhelming. All of the industry-leading social and music networks will be available – Facebook, Twitter, Pandora and Rhapsody, just to name a few.

                                            

Netflix has also developed an app for Kindle Fire that will allow subscribers to log in and watch television shows and movies anywhere with Wi-Fi access. The Weather Channel is another featured app available to Fire users.

Casual gamers have plenty to look forward to as well. EA, Zynga, Gameloft and PopCap Games were highlighted in the press release, each looking forward to porting hit titles to the Kindle Fire. Some of the mentioned titles include Words With Friends, Plants vs. Zombies and Jenga, among others.

App pricing hasn’t been specified yet but we suspect apps will be priced the same as they are in the Android Market. It’s worth mentioning that once you purchase an app through the Amazon Appstore, it becomes available on your other Android-based devices as well.

Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire is slated to ship on November 15 and features a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 IPS display, a dual-core ARM processor, 8GB of storage, a USB 2.0 port and runs a custom version of Android Gingerbread. Battery life is good for up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback with wireless disabled. Buyers will also be rewarded with a complementary 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, a service that normally runs $79 per year.

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Get a Motorola Droid Razr for $111.11 at Amazon Wireless

Motorola has launched their Droid Razr smartphone today via Verizon Wireless but it’s Amazon Wireless that is offering the best deal to new subscribers. To celebrate today’s date (11-11-2011), Amazon is selling the Droid Razr for only $111.11, down from the regular price of $299.99.

                                                        

As with most good deals, there are a few restrictions you need to be aware of. First, the deal only applies to new Verizon Wireless customers. Existing customers eligible for an upgrade are reportedly being offered the phone for $249, although we haven’t been able to independently confirm that. A two year service agreement seals the deal, which is par for the course with smartphone contacts these days.

Additionally, Amazon’s fine print states that users who receive this deal must maintain service with Verizon in good standing for a minimum of 181 consecutive days. Failure to activate the phone or if service is canceled before 181 days will result in a $250 charge per device.

This isn’t the first time that Amazon has offered Verizon phones at a ridiculously low price. Last month the company offered all Verizon phones (minus the iPhone) for one penny to new subscribers who signed a two year contact. That deal lasted nearly a week; we are unsure how long today’s deal runs. As of writing, the phone is listed as backordered on Amazon’s website with a note that suggests it will ship in 8 to 9 days.

The 4G LTE Droid Razr packs a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display operating at 540 x 960 resolution, 16GB of internal storage and an 8MP rear camera.

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Lenovo readies 10.1" Ice Cream Sandwich tablet with Tegra 3

So far Asus remains the only company to officially announce a Tegra 3 based tablet but it looks like Lenovo will be joining the fray soon. According to a report on Engadget, the Chinese manufacturer is readying a new 10.1-inch tablet equipped with Nvidia's quad-core processor as well as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The yet-to-be-named device will reportedly sport 2GB of 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM, a standard USB host socket covered by a pop-out flap, a back-facing camera of unknown resolution with an LED flash, a "Special Fusion-Skin Body" and a fingerprint scanner on the backside that apparently doubles as an optical joystick. There's no information the dimensions and weight of the new tablet but Engadget speculates it will be significantly thinner than the IdeaPad K1.

The device is expected to hit the market before the end of the year -- though it's not clear if that launch window is for the company's home country of China or elsewhere.

Other tablet manufacturers, including HTC and Acer, are also expected to announce Tegra 3 and ICS powered tablets during the CES and Mobile World Congress shows early next year. There are no details on HTC's device at this point other than the possibility that it will be joined by a quad-core smartphone. As for Acer's tablet, all that's been said is it will reportedly launch as the A510 -- an obvious successor to the Iconia Tab A500 sporting a similar design.

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Google giving away 10 Galaxy Nexus smartphones on Twitter

Google has launched a contest on Twitter to give away 10 Galaxy Nexus smartphones in 10 days to promote the phone’s pending release. The promotion started on Saturday and will run until Monday, November 21.

                                     

To enter, you must first have a Twitter account and follow @googlenexus. Each day Google will post an essay question or puzzle for hopefuls to answer. To submit a solution, reply to Google's tweet and include the #googlenexus hashtag.

To give you an idea of what to expect, the first challenge presented contestants with an image and asked them to decipher a code to finish the following sentence: “#GalaxyNexus is well-traveled, coming to @googlenexus from [answer].” The answer was “The Sandwich Islands”, although I have no clue how to arrive at that answer based on the hint. Any ideas?

Challenge two required users to make something geeky and edible. Photo and video submissions were accepted for this challenge and entries were evaluated based on creativity, originality and use of humor. The third challenge is set to kick off today at 3pm PST. A complete list of rules can be found here.

Samsung and Google announced the Galaxy Nexus at a press event in Honk Kong on October 18. The handset features a curved 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display running at 1270 x 720 resolution, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, your choice of 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, a 5MP rear camera with zero shutter lag, backlit-illuminated sensor, built-in stabilization and LED flash and a 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chat.

Aside from its impressive hardware specifications, the device is the first to ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google’s latest mobile operating system. The phone will be sold exclusively by Verizon Wireless in the US although an exact launch date hasn’t been announced.

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Secret "Google X" lab reimagines our future

Many large enterprises are known to tinker with blue-skyprojects from time to time. Google is certainly no exception but the blue sky itself may be no limit for the search giant, a company run by two young idealists, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Word of Google's clandestine facility first oozed its way into public eyes this summer. Dubbed "Google X", only a handful of people actually know where the facility is located. Very little is known about the lab itself or the people involved, but you can bet Google has been working on some fascinating concepts behind its closed doors. 

When Google employees were asked about the project, very few know anything at all. Even fewer know more than it just exists, the New York Times reports

, although the location of the lab is thought to be somewhere in the Bay area of Nothern California.

                                               

One of the people pegged as being involved with the project is Sergey Brin. When Larry Page was announced as CEO, Sergey was appointed as "head of special projects". Internally, Sergey is known as the "Head of Google X", sources close to Google told the Business Insider. Larry Page and Eric Schmidt are also known to participate, having contributed many of the 100 ideas found on Google X's research and development list.

Little is also known about the list itself, but the projects found on it include a "space elevator", not to mention a number of ideas involving robotics and artificial intelligence. Many of these items are still conceptual in nature, but New York Times sources claim one of these projects will be released by the end of this year. No one was able to provide details about what we can possibly expect.

Google spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, wouldn't comment on Google X specifically, but said:

"While the possibilities are incredibly exciting, please do keep in mind that the sums involved are very small by comparison to the investments we make in our core businesses"

Google's autonomous vehicle experiments are a good example of the company's seemingly eccentric interests. Headed by Sebastian Thrun, the co-inventor of Google Street View,  the "driverless car" project has logged over 15,000 miles of autonomous driving since 2010. Sources claim Google continues to investigate having such vehicles manufactured.

Will we be seeing a space elevator soon? Probably not. But armed with one of the world's largest piles of money, Google is in a very good position to pursue the impossible.

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HP X7000 Wi-Fi Touch Mouse has dedicated Facebook button

HP has quietly launched their X7000 Wi-Fi Touch Mouse, combining wireless connectivity and touch-sensitive technology into a slick looking pointer. The unique curved shape which arcs to the right, however, means left-handed users need not apply.
We looked at HP’s Wi-Fi Mobile Mouse earlier this year and despite a poor click zone on the primary left and right click buttons, the mouse worked flawlessly. HP has brought that same Wi-Fi technology to the X7000 which means that instead of pairing it with a Bluetooth adapter or a USB dongle, the mouse connects directly to your notebook’s wireless connection.

                                            

Additionally the X7000 features a touch-sensitive strip not found on the mobile mouse. This looks similar to the strip found on Microsoft’s Explorer Touch Mouse in that you can speed through web pages with the flick of your finger.
Other technical specifications include an adjustable laser sensor that tops out at 1600 CPI, six programmable buttons (one dedicated button to upload to Facebook), rubber side grip, Teflon feet and nine months of battery life. Do note that you will need a machine running Windows 7 to use the X7000.
Product dimensions of 4.86-inches (L) x 3.52-inches (W) x 1.83-inches (H) indicate this is a full-size desktop-style mouse, something to consider if you were hoping for a slimmer addition to your travel bag. Of course, the mouse could still be used with a traditional desktop, provided you have a wireless card installed or your motherboard supports this feature natively.

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Bulldozer Arrives: AMD FX-8150 Review

It's been a long and arduous past few years for AMD’s processor division as they've constantly been one step behind primary competitor Intel. The pain started back in 2006 when Intel launched its Core 2 Duo series, which disposed of the ill equipped Athlon64 X2 range.

With no immediate answer, AMD moved the Athlon64 X2 architecture to the 65nm design process, where they ended up with the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ clocked at 3.1GHz. However just as the Athlon64 X2 architecture was meeting the end of the road, AMD unleashed their long-awaited Phenom processors. By that time AMD was doing battle with a hardened Core 2 Quad range.

AMD struggled again as the new Phenom X4 processors didn't perform up to expectations. Yet this was the least of AMD’s worries. Their latest creation was plagued by a design flaw that became famously known as the TLB Bug. The quick solution was to disable the CPU's L3 cache, a key feature that when disabled reduced performance further.

Around the same time AMD was dealing with the Phenom issues, Intel was ready to show their first Core i7 processors with the arrival of the Core i7-920, 940 and Core i7-965 Extreme Edition.

This is when the shift in AMD's strategy became more evident. Unable to compete for the performance crown, the company targeted their entire processor lineup toward mainstream markets. The Phenom II X4 920 and 940Black Edition processors were released on January 2009. For $200 the X4 940 was the cheapest route to get your hands on a quad-core processor.

AMD has continued to improve the Phenom II range to this day, with the Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition leading the charge for the quad-cores, and the six-core Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition remaining as the flagship offering. The Phenom II has had to deal with the Intel Core i7 on multiple platforms, as well as the Core i5 and Core i3 processors, for almost 3 years now.

After all this time, is the pain finally coming to an end for AMD? A code-name has been tossed around for years now that is meant to do exactly that, that name is Bulldozer. Today AMD is launching its new FX processor lineup comprised of the flagship FX-8150 along with the FX-8120, FX-6100 and FX-4170 processors.

The Bulldozer desktop processors are based on the "Zambezi" 32nm architecture and will feature up to 8-cores. This means AMD is featuring the world’s first 8-core desktop solution that's been designed from the ground up.

For better or for worse, AMD doesn't seem completely interested in charging for the performance crown. Eight cores or not, AMD will keep working the value angle by delivering processors that provide unbeatable bang for your buck. The fastest of the bunch, the FX-8150 will retail for $245, making it 20+% cheaper than the popularSandy Bridge-based Core i7-2600K.

Keep reading as we explore the inner details of AMD's new FX series and we benchmark all four new processors being launched today.

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Tuesday tech deals: 46" Sony Bravia for $600 + free shipping

Tiger Direct offers the Sony BRAVIA 46" 1080p LCD HD Television, model no. KDL-46BX420, for $659.99. Coupon code "HYO48241" drops it to $599.99. With free shipping, that's $98 under a deal from three days ago and it's $48 less than the lowest total price we've seen for any new 46" Sony BRAVIA LCD HDTV. (We've listed refurbs for as low as $550 shipped.) This TV features a 1920x1080 (1080p) native resolution, USB port, two HDMI inputs, and VGA and other video inputs. Deal ends November 19.

83 Lenovo ThinkPad Dual 2.5GHz 14" Laptop, $100 credit for $799 + free shipping

Microsoft Store offers the Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Intel Core i5 2.53GHz 14.1" Widescreen Notebook, model no. 2518-QBU, with a $100 Microsoft Store Coupon for $799 with free shipping. Even excluding the coupon, it's the lowest total price we've seen for a Core i5-equipped ThinkPad with SSD. Sales tax is added where applicable. Features include an Intel Core i5-540M 2.53GHz dual-core processor, 14.1" 1280x800 widescreen LED-backlit LCD, 4GB RAM, 160GB SSD, DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, 6-cell battery, and Windows 7 Professional.

75 Samsung Galaxy 16GB Google Android Tablet for Sprint for $275 + free shipping

Bid Allies via eBay offers the Samsung Galaxy 16GB Google Android Tablet for Sprint, model no. SPH-P100ZKASPR, for $274.95 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $60. It features a 7" 1024x600 touchscreen display, Cortex A8 1GHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB internal memory, Bluetooth, 802.11n wireless connectivity, and Android 2.2 OS.

Sony 1,000W 5.1 WiFi 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System for $291 + $40 s&h

Electronics-Expo offers the Sony 1,000-watt 5.1-Channel 3D Blu-ray Disc WiFi Home Theater System, model no. BDV-HZ970W, for $345.79. Coupon code "BIGBEN" cuts it to $290.90. With $39.99 for shipping, that's a buck under a deal from last week and the lowest total price we've ever seen for this system. (It's also a current price low by $56.) It features 1,000 watts of total system power into four satellite speakers (two wireless rear speakers), a center-channel speaker, and subwoofer, 3D Blu-ray player, BRAVIA Internet Video (Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, more), USB connectivity, WiFi support with included adapter, and more.

AMD 6-Core 2.6GHz Barebones Bundle for $350 + $11 s&h

Ending today, TigerDirect offers the Biostar AMD Phenom II X6 2.6GHz Barebones Kit for $349.99 plus $11.48 for shipping via the directions below. That's $70 less than the best total price we could find for these items if purchased separately elsewhere. This barebones bundle includes the Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G microATX Motherboard, AMD Phenom II X6 1035T Thuban 2.6GHz 6-Core Processor, Patriot 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 PC3-10600 RAM, Samsung Internal DVD Burner, OCZ 60GB Internal SSD, and Thermaltake V2 ATX Mid Tower Case with 450-watt power supply. To get this deal: Add the Biostar Barebones Kit to your cart for $409.99, redeem this $20 MIR, this $20 MIR and this $20 MIR for a final price of $349.99.

Used Video Games: Dead Space 2 for PS3 for $10 + free shipping, more

Gamefly again discounts selected used video games for various platforms, as listed below. With free shipping, each is at least $8 under the best price we could find for a new one. The deals: Duke Nukem Forever for Xbox 360 $5.99, Homefront for Xbox 360 $6.99, Child of Eden for Xbox 360 for $9.99. Browse for more discounted used games at GameFly. Separately, Best Buy offers Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for PS3 for $10.

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Rumor: Ultra-thin 15-inch Macbook coming Q2, 2012?

News of an ultra-thin, 15-inch Macbook has been circulating for awhile now. A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Apple was rumored to have completed development of a LCD test component. There are now reports that Apple's suppliers are shipping low volumes of other components suitable for a newer, skinnier Macbook.

                                         

Digitimes reports that sources upstream from Apple's supply chain claim the new Macbook should appear as early as Q2, 2012. Although Digitimes often proves to be a good source for what is going on in China, predicting the release date for Apple products has proven to be an unsolvable enigma for everyone but Apple. This remains especially true when are discussing release dates several months in advance.

Digitimes cites: "Estimated by the product planning, mass shipments of the notebook device will start in March and could be cataloged in either the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro line. Apple currently has three screen sizes for the MacBook Pro - 13.3-inch, 15.6-inch and 17-inch."

There is much speculation about what a razor-thin, 15-inch Macbook will look like. There is little doubt that Apple will stick with its all-aluminum, unibody design. Some sources also suggest the new Macbook will ship without an optical drive, be married to a solid state drive (SSD) and that mechanical hard drive options will unavailable. Some speculate it may be part of the Macbook Pro family while others believe it will fall under the Macbook Air umbrella, but of course, it is difficult to know for sure.

In short, for now, everyone should take these rumors with a liberal sprinkling of sodium chloride.

There is also a question of whether or not Apple is aiming to meet "Ultrabook" standards. In the likely event it is, the laptop will need to be 0.8 inches or thinner, an unprecedented feat for a full-featured, higher-end laptop measuring 15-inches or more. 

Regardless of the release date, the competition seems not content to rest on laurels. Asus and Acer both have plans to release their own 15" notebooks with an ultrabook form factor, although no release dates are currently available. If the past is any indication of the future, Apple has a tendency to set trends when it comes to forms and design. The race is on.

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Study: Banner Ads on Mobile Devices See Higher CTR Than On PCs

There’s been a lot of debate regarding CTR for banner ads on mobile devices.  Many argue that mobile users click on banner ads by mistake and therefore can’t compete with traditional banner ads viewed on PCs.  A new study out by MediaMind, however, aims to debunk this myth.

                                         

The company analyzed 230 million impressions of the same banner ads on both mobile devices and traditional browsers and found that the average CTR for mobile ads was .61% compared to .07% for browsers.  MediaMind disagrees with the notion of errant clicks on mobile devices and instead says that mobile is simply “experiencing the same kind of new and fascinating curve that banner ads had when they first asked people to punch the monkey.”

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European Telecom Chief Leaks iPhone 5 Release Date?

In what potentially comes as the most compelling information released to date surrounding the forthcoming launch of the iPhone 5, Stéphane Richard (CEO and Chairman of France Telecom-Orange) has “accidentally” revealed that the 5th generation iPhone will be released on October 15 in France and throughout much of the European continent.

                                    

This revelation sparked an almost universal consensus among industry experts (at least those who weighed in on the matter) that the iPhone 5 will first reach U.S. consumers on or around October 7th. Given that Apple products are commonly released in the United States one week prior to their European debut, many are now banking on October 7th for the domestic launch of this much-hyped and long-awaited device.

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T-Mobile Executive Reportedly Cans iPhone 5 Rumor

The iPhone 5 is not coming to T-Mobile USA this fall, according to a provocative new report that casts doubt on a longstanding mobile rumor that has persisted for nearly ten months.

                                

TmoNews has obtained information suggesting that T-Mobile USA Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman has confirmed that the carrier will not debut the iPhone 5 on its mobile network – at least not for the remainder of 2011.

“Our business is working very hard to improve performance over the last couple of years and we’ve had some great success,” Brodman said, adding that “new products and value plans are fueling customer response.”

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Mobile Devices Claim 10% of All YouTube Downloads, Says Google

YouTube is a popular destination for mobile users. According to YouTube director of global platform partnerships Francisco Varela, mobile users are responsible for about 10% of all videos downloaded from Google’s ultra-popular video sharing platform.

                                               

Coverage from Mobile World Live at the Huawei Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2011, where Varela spoke, revealed that YouTube subscribers are using mobile devices to create content at a rapid pace..

More than two hours of video is uploaded from devices every minute, Google revealed, with Varela adding that Google and YouTube are “working to optimize use of the mobile network, for example offering different default quality depending on infrastructure type.”

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Google Adding +1 Buttons to Mobile Web, Mobile Display Ads

It was announced today that Google will begin adding +1 buttons to their Web and mobile display ads in early October, adding user photos and recommendations to the ads themselves.  The buttons were recently added in the same way to Google search results.

                              

On its “Inside AdWords” blog today, Google said that +1 buttons have been installed on over a million Websites across the Web with more than 4 billion daily impressions.  By adding the buttons to display ads across both the Web and mobile, advertisers have the ability to run social-enabled ad campaigns that work across millions of sites on over 40 countries around the world.  The new feature is being added to display ads by default, though users can opt-out manually via their AdWords account.

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Intuit’s Mobile Efforts Look to Make Big Splash on The Small Screen

Intuit’s dominance in the realm of mobile solutions for business owners is growing at a rapid pace.

                                  

Late last week, the venerable name in business and financial management solutions, raised the curtain on its next generation of mobile products that will expand its portfolio of connected services.

According to Intuit, these range from innovations that will make it easier for the smallest of businesses to accept credit card payments, to others that will help doctors and patients communicate quickly, to a banking application that allows consumers to deposit a check from anywhere with just their mobile phone.

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Sprint Joins the iPhone 4S Club with AT&T, Verizon Next Week

In the world of smartphones, there’s an exclusive club of carriers in the US, much like the exclusive stable of actors who have played James Bond on the silver screen.

On Tuesday, Sprint earned its “license to thrill” by welcoming the iPhone into the Sprint family.

                                  

Beginning October 14th, when Apple’s iPhone 4S goes on sale, Sprint will join AT&T and Verizon as the only US carriers to offer the iPhone.

Despite what would otherwise seem to be positive news for both companies, shares of Apple and Sprint fell sharply after the announcement of the iPhone 4S.

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