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Humble’s 14 Days of Bundles: Day #2
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Humble’s 14 Days of Bundles: Day #2

Many were wondering how Humble Bundle would follow up the rather incredible deal they offered yesterday – over $150 worth of games (at regular Steam prices) for as little as $10 if you wanted all nine games. The answer comes with today’s new Daily Bundle, and that answer is quite simply: they won’t. Okay, that’s pretty harsh, but coming from the Deep Silver bundle of nine games to the new “Outer Space” bundle of just three potential games is a bit of a letdown. If you don’t own any of the games, it could still be worth the price, but if you like space games you probably already own at least one or two of these. Anyway, here’s the short list:

  • X3: Terran Conflict (73%, 03/2009): Open-ended space exploration sim; normal Steam price is $15.99, but you can get it with any donation (I’m not sure if the usual $1 minimum for Steam is in effect, but it doesn’t appear so).
  • Universe Sandbox (83%, 04/2011): Not a space exploration simulation but rather a space simulation – in that you can play around with the creation of worlds, solar systems, galaxies, etc. This is a game for science nerds and astronomers, and it can be a lot of fun. You need to beat the current average ($4.05 right now) to receive Universe Sandbox. The game normally goes for $9.99 on Steam, and you also get a DRM-free download option.
  • Kinetic Void (N/A, 03/2013): This is a “work in progress” game where you receive early access, and it requires at least a $10 donation to qualify. You can custom build your own spaceships, the galaxy is randomly generated with each new game, and there are factions to interact with – or at least, there will be. Many of the promised features are not yet working, so you’re basically contributing to help fund the game at this point, and maybe play around with the building and ship editors. It’s normally $19.99 on Steam (and eventually will be $29.99 when complete), so you’re getting in early for one third the price.

The value of the first two games is fine, and if you like to support developers going for a $10 donation – either to Child’s Play or the American Red Cross, or the developers or Humble – is a nice way to help out. But for those that thought Humble would ramp up the quality/quantity of games with each new daily bundle, that’s clearly not the case here. I already have more games on hand than I’m every likely to play, let along complete, but if you have a desire to leave the gravity of Earth behind and escape into the far reaches of space, there are many hours of entertainment available in this bundle, at least for the next 20 or so hours.

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GIGABYTE Z97X-UD5H Review: Choose Your Storage Option

For the first of our Z97 reviews, GIGABYTE sent us its mid-range Z97X-UD5H. This model is designed for the casual enthusiast interested in the higher end of the feature set but not so far in overclocking nor gaming. GIGABYTE has a new color scheme f…

AMD Cuts Radeon R9 280 to $249
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AMD Cuts Radeon R9 280 to $249

AMD sends word this afternoon that they’re instituting an official price cut for one of their more recently launched video cards, the Radeon R9 280. The 280, AMD’s lower tier Tahiti part and Radeon HD 7950 analogue, was launched back in…

Lenovo Launches Two Business Devices
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Lenovo Launches Two Business Devices

Lenovo utilized its Accelerate 2014 Partner Forum in Orlando to launch two new devices under its “Think” brand which are aimed at the business user. The first is a Windows 8.1 tablet, and the second is an entry level workstation.

The ThinkPad 10 is a 10.1” tablet powered by the familiar Intel Bay Trail-T Atom SoC, with this tablet sporting the 1.6 GHz Z3795 version of the chip which launched in Q1’2014. The Z3795 is a quad core CPU with a max Turbo frequency of 2.4 GHz. It includes Intel HD Graphics with a base frequency of 311 MHz and a burst frequency of 778 MHz. It supports up to 4 GB of memory in dual channel LPDDR3, and unlike most 10” Bay Trail tablets, the ThinkPad 10 will offer the choice of 2 GB or 4 GB of memory.

Also unusual in the 10” Windows tablet market is the display. The ThinkPad 10 has a 1920×1200 resolution which matches the ThinkPad 8 mini tablet announced at CES. The IPS display features Corning Gorilla glass and ten point multitouch. One of the biggest features of the display over most other Windows tablets is the inclusion of an active digitizer and pen.

To round out the offering, the ThinkPad 10 will come with Windows 8.1, a choice of 64 GB or 128 GB storage with a 64 bit OS, an 8 MP rear camera with flash, and cellular broadband with 3G/4G LTE as an option. Prices for the tablet start at $599 with availability expected in June.

A myriad of accessories were also displayed for the tablet. The first was an ultrabook style keyboard which the tablet can dock into magnetically. Unlike a true clamshell dock, there is no adjustment of screen angle however, with the tablet docking into a specified slot. The tablet will also dock into the keyboard in a closed state, so it can be used for transport. The keyboard dock also includes a spot for the pen, which unfortunately has nowhere to store it directly on the tablet. The next case is the Touch case, which also attaches magnetically and provides a keyboard much like the Surface touch cover with flush keys. Also shown was the Quick Shot cover, with the same quick access to the camera as shown on the ThinkPad 8 version. The final case shown was a ruggedized case with a silicon outer shell around a hard plastic interior, a hand strap, a screen protector, and port covers. The final accessory is a docking station to use the tablet on a desk connected to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The ruggedized case also integrates with the dock by having a fold away door so the tablet can dock with the case still attached.

Two in One Computers
  Lenovo ThinkPad 10 Asus Transformer Book T100 Microsoft Surface 2
Dimensions H: 177mm
W: 256.5mm
D: 8.95mm (16.95mm w/ Smart Card Reader)		 H: 0.41″ (10.5mm)
W: 10.35″ (263mm)
D: 6.73″ (171mm)		 H: 0.35″ (8.9mm)
W: 10.81″ (274mm)
D: 6.79″ (172mm)
Weight 598g (WiFi), 610g (WWAN), 660g (Smart Card Reader) 1.21lbs (550g) 1.49lbs (676g)
CPU Intel Bay Trail-T Z3795 Intel Bay Trail-T Z3740 NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
GPU Intel HD Graphics Intel HD Graphics NVIDIA Tegra 4 T40
RAM 2/4 GB LPDDR3 2 GB LPDDR3 2 GB LPDDR3
Storage 64-128 GB 32-64 GB 32-64 GB
Display Size and Resolution 10.1″ 1920×1200 10.1″ 1366×768 10.6″ 1920×1080
Battery Rated at 10 hours, no size specified 31 Wh 31.5 Wh
Price $599 with pen $349 with keyboard $449 without keyboard

The second device announced today is the ThinkStation P300, available both as a Tower and Small Form Factor. CPU options include Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or Xenon X3-1200v3 processors. On the GPU side, Intel HD P4600 Graphics is the baseline, with optional NVidia Quadro K600 in the SFF, or K4000 in the tower model. As with any workstation class device, ECC memory is available, with up to 32 GB of capacity.

The Tower version has room inside for up to four 3.5” hard drives with the SFF supporting two 3.5” and one 2.5” internally. Both models offer 24 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB of storage in mSATA. There is a large selection of PCI-E slots, as well as a PCI slot, as well as optional ports such as Firewire and Serial. Unfortunately the device only ships with a single Ethernet port. The optional ports are part of what Lenovo calls its FLEX module which allows customers to specify ports required at the time of purchase.

The ThinkStation P300 starts at $729 with availability in June. Once available on the Lenovo site, we should have a better idea of what kind of hardware options that can be configured.

I’ve reached out to Lenovo to get a full set of specifications for both announcements, and will update this post with them when they are available.

Update: Lenovo has provided the detailed specs for the ThinkPad 10 and ThinkStation P300. In addition to other features noted, there will also be a verison of the ThinkPad 10 with a built-in Smart Card reader which should appeal to many companies which rely on Smart Cards.

Source: Lenovo, SlashGear, SlashGear

Humble Bundle: Two Weeks of Daily Bundles
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Humble Bundle: Two Weeks of Daily Bundles

Humble Bundle just started their latest bundle, but this time there’s a twist: instead of a single bundle that will run for two weeks, they’re doing fourteen different daily bundles. Obviously we don’t know what each day holds in store until the bundle for that day starts, but if today’s bundle is any indication we could be looking at some great values. I’ll update this post daily with information on the new bundles, but kicking things off, the first daily bundle comes courtesy of Deep Silver and includes between four and ten games, depending on your donation. Here’s the list, sorted mostly by release date (newest to oldest)

  • Dead Island: Riptide Complete Edition (61%, 04/2013): The latest addition to the zombie shooter/RPG series; includes Fashion Victim and Survivor Pack DLC; $9 or higher donation required. This is basically like a cross between Left 4 Dead with Diablo loot gathering.
  • Sacred Citadel (61%, 04/2013): Hack and slash side-scroller with 4-player support; requires $6 or higher donation.
  • Dead Island GOTY (N/A, 07/2012): Survival-horror FPS RPG; must donate $6 or more. Includes Dead Island (80%, 09/2011), Bloodbath Arena DLC (N/A, 11/2011), Ryder White DLC (~55%, 02/2012), and the Ripper “Blueprint” DLC.
  • Saints Row: The Third (84%, 11/2011): Open world gang violence and driving mayhem – think Grand Theft Auto series, but with more “humor” (violence, mayhem, etc.)
  • Saints Row: The Third Full DLC Pack (N/A, 11/2012): Must donate $6 or more; includes the following DLC packs: Genkibowl VII, The Trouble with Clones, Gangstas In Space, Explosive Combat Pack, FUNTIME! Pack, Genki Girl Pack, Horror Pack, Invincible Pack, Money Shot Pack, Nyte Blayde Pack, Penthouse Pack, Shark Attack Pack, Special Ops Vehicle Pack, Warrior Pack, Witches and Wieners Pack, Z Style Pack, and Steelport Gangs Pack. (Yes, that’s a lot of DLC!)
  • Risen 2: Dark Waters (69%, 04/2012): RPG similar to the Gothic series (basically, a somewhat simplified Elder Scrolls), generally considered inferior to the first game in the series.
  • Risen (77%, 11/2009): RPG akin to Gothic and Elder Scrolls; requires $6 or higher donation.
  • Metro 2033 (81%, 03/2010): Post-apocalyptic Russian FPS; requires $6 or higher donation.
  • Saints Row 2 (72%, 01/2009): Open world shooter/driving game
  • Sacred 2: Gold Edition (N/A, 12/20112): Action RPG that comes with Sacred 2 (71%, Nov 2008) and the Ice and Blood expansion

Assuming you go for the entire package, that’s nine full games (including plenty of extra DLC packs) for $1 each. Some are maybe worth a pass, and the DLC packs are oftentimes a questionable value, but nearly every game in the list has a normal retail price on Steam of at least $10, and most are priced at $20 or more – the one exception being Sacred Citadel, which is only a $2.49 game. Basically, if you can find even one game in the list that you’re interested in playing but haven’t purchased yet – there were several on my list, chief among them Dead Island and Risen – then this is a great deal and worth your money.

And you’ll want to act sooner rather than later, as the clock is ticking – just over 20 hours remain on this first daily bundle. Should you choose, you can give some or all of your donation to Child’s Play or the American Red Cross – or give it to the developers or Humble Bundle if you prefer.