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Author: Team TD

Update Galaxy S III i9300 to Android 4.1.2 XXELKC official firmware
Samsung has had a major turnaround with their update cycles this year. From being mediocre in this aspect they are now churning out one update after another. Today is a big one. It’s the official Android 4.1.2 XXELKC firmware. It’s completely unbranded so you get the experience that Samsung intended.

To root this firmware follow this guide.

XXELKC Firmware Details
- PDA: I9300XXELKC
- CSC: I9300OXXELK4
- Version: 4.1.2
- Date: 2012-12-03
- Regions: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Step1- Download the XXELKC firmware

Step 2- Download ODIN and make sure your USB drivers are installed

Step 3- Boot your phone into download mode. Do this by switching it off and then pressing and holding the Volume Down + Home buttons together, and then pressing the Power button. You’ll see a triangle and an Android logo. Press the power button to enter download mode

Step 4- Open ODIN on your PC. Make sure USB drivers for the phone are installed. Upon successful connection one of the ID:COM boxes will turn yellow with the COM port number.

Step 5- Select all files you downloaded in step 1.
- Click the PDA button. Select the file which has CODE in its name
- Click the Phone button and select the file which has MODEM in its name
- Click on the CSC button and select the file which has CSC in its name
- Click the PIT button and select the .pit file. Ignore this step if this file doesn’t exist
Step 6- In ODIN select Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options. Select repartition only if your selected the PIT file

Step 7- Click the start button. Installation process will take a few minutes. After that your phone will reboot with XXELKC Android 4.1.2 official firmware.

Other Galaxy S III Firmware updates:

Update Galaxy SIII to Android 4.1.1 XXDLK1 firmware

Install Android 4.1.2 XXELK4 leaked firmware on Galaxy S III

Update Galaxy SIII i9300 to Android 4.1.1 ZNDLK4 firmware

Update Galaxy S III i9300 to Android 4.1.1 XXDLJ4 official firmware
January 16, 2013
Update Galaxy S3 Mini to XXALK4 Android 4.1.1 firmware
Galaxy S3 Mini is an attempt by Samsung to recreate the bigger brother, Galaxy S III in a much smaller and pocketable form factor. We won’t dwell into how much they succeeded into doing that, but we will guide you on how to update Galaxy S3 Mini to Android 4.1.1 XXALK4 firmware.

XXALK4 Firmware Details
- PDA: I8190XXALK4
- CSC: I8190OJVALK2
- Version: 4.1.1
- Date: 2012-11-23
- Regions: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Before proceeding make sure all your data is backed up. Also make sure your tablet is fully charged. Do note that as with any firmware flashing, there is always a certain amount of risk involved. So proceed at your own risk.

Step1- Download the XXALK4 firmware
Step 2- Download ODIN and make sure your USB drivers are installed

Step 3- Boot your phone into download mode. Do this by switching it off and then pressing and holding the Volume Down + Home buttons together, and then pressing the Power button. You’ll see a triangle and an Android logo. Press the power button to enter download mode

Step 4- Open ODIN on your PC. Make sure USB drivers for the phone are installed. Upon successful connection one of the ID:COM boxes will turn yellow with the COM port number.

Step 5- Select all files you downloaded in step 1.
- Click the PDA button. Select the file which has CODE in its name
- Click the Phone button and select the file which has MODEM in its name
- Click on the CSC button and select the file which has CSC in its name
- Click the PIT button and select the .pit file. Ignore this step if this file doesn’t exist
Step 6- In ODIN select Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options. Select repartition only if your selected the PIT file

Step 7- Click the start button. Installation process will take a few minutes. After that your phone will reboot with XXALK4 Android 4.1.1 official firmware.
January 16, 2013
Black Ops 2 Tip: Getting Easier Swarms And High Scorestreaks
In today’s Black Ops 2 tip we’ll be covering how to get easier Swarms and other high Scorestreaks. Now some of you expert players may already know this by now but most of you may not, so read on. With Black Ops 2 you get points for everything you do; capping flags, killing enemies, destroying UAVs, etc they all count towards your Scorestreaks which are pretty hard to get if you don’t play the objective.

So my tip to getting easy Swarms and other high Scorestreaks is simple, equip two non lethal assist based streaks with a higher streak. For a Swarm I use the Orbital VAST, EMP and finally the Swarm. Now I’m a pretty average player and had only gotten two Swarms before using this setup but let me tell you that I get a Swarm almost every game now, and yes I play in a party if you’re wondering.

With my Scorestreak setup you just have to get the Orbital VSAT at 1200 points, the EMP is just 100 points above that. So basically you get the VSAT and use it, the assist points will automatically get give you an EMP, the EMP will then go to work and all you have to do now is survive for a few seconds. The EMP is a score goldmine, you get points for destroying UAVs and other Scorestreaks along with Assist points for every kill your teammates get. After running the EMP you should get a Swarm in under 15 seconds, often quicker, and the best part about the VSAT and EMP is that they cannot be taken out so don’t worry like you would do with your UAV and Counter UAVs.

Also check out:
Hopefully this tip will have helped you out, so try the lineup and let me know how many Swarms you get.
January 16, 2013
What is Project Crystallis up to?

For those of you who are not aware, Project Crystallis is a fan-based movement that was created to gain information regarding Final Fantasy Versus XIII and convince Square Enix to localize Final Fantasy Type-0. Originally, I was very excited to hear about this and was glad to see that fans were taking some action. Like many other Final Fantasy fans, I too have been waiting for Versus ever since it was announced seven years earlier. Heck, it’s one of the major reasons why I purchased a PlayStation 3.

Square Enix has cast a veil on Versus XIII for far too long. Sure, we’ve seen a few trailers, and received some information, but that’s pretty much it. The last trailer was revealed two years back, after which fans have waited eagerly, but to no avail. Project Crystallis aims to turn that around. But so far, with no success.

As it turns out, Project Crystallis is not strong enough. This can be seen by the fact that soon after Project Crystallis was initiated, a new fan-based movement focused on trying to achieve localization for Type-0 sprung up. The members of this new fan-based movement, called Operation Suzaku, managed to gain petition signatures faster than Project Crystallis. Sure, Operation Suzaku hasn’t been quite active or successful either, but the point here is that in it’s initial stages, Project Crystallis wasn’t properly focused on it’s objective which led to the second fan-movement being started.

Though, I must say that PC has improved recently, especially after our news article which was taken a little too seriously by the fans and received some heat on the PC Facebook fan page. The fans over at the page lashed out, not being able to handle unintended criticism from a news article, mind you. Chris, a member of Project Crystallis, said “We only seek unity between all of the awesome Final Fantasy fans, and not to divide us…”

Well, Chris, you haven’t been successful so far, have you?

He also said “We have a very firm plan of action in place with many fun and interesting things to come.”

Chris was right there. Soon after, Project Playthrough commenced in which the PC members played through all the Final Fantasy games from I to XIII. This was definitely exciting and a good way to gain attention. I was an avid viewer myself, feeling a wave of nostalgia through every game. PC is right to wait and get larger before sending emails and phone calls, and these playthroughs were a good idea, but it’s been four months without any proper gain. If they wanted to wait before sending emails to Square Enix, they could at least utilize this time to get the attention of major video game websites such as Kotaku and IGN (Which, by the way, has not even written a news article on Project Crystallis yet). I see that PC is encouraging fans to send letters to Square Enix, but it’s sad to see how this is not getting enough attention. Instead, PC is too busy advertising irrelevent things on their Facebook page, as I will elaborate later.

What’s worse is that there is no Wikipedia article on the movement either. Since this is an internet-based movement, the lack of a Wikipedia article leaves the members worried and thinking of whether or not PC is serious. It’s quite obvious that fans would search for Project Crystallis to get information about it. And what’s the best place to get information? Wikipedia. See what I’m pointing at?

Furthermore, we have received reports that the donations received by PC are being put into questionable uses. Member, Chris Mix has contacted sword crafter Michaelctulhu to purchase a Buster Sword that is worth $1,200. The objective of purchasing this Buster Sword is to ‘smash through different items for each 1000 petition signatures’ PC receives. In fact, Chris is willing to pay more money to be bumped up on the crafter’s order list. I highly doubt this money is coming out of Chris’s own pocket.

According to our source, PC aims to create a video of themselves smashing items with the Buster Sword in order to garner views on YouTube and hence make PC more renowned.

Not only is this move childish and immature, but it is also unethical on PC’s part to use donations to buy an expensive replica for themselves. Ultimately, this will remain with the members of PC. In other words, they’re buying a toy for themselves. If they’re really intent on making this video, why not simply purchase a cheap replica or create their own Buster Sword (trust me, it’s not hard) and save the money from the donations? It’s not like anyone will be examining the sword to check if it’s authentic. Even if it’s not, it should not make a difference. What’s more is that it is very difficult to believe that such a video would go viral. There are already a large number of such videos on YouTube and they are no way viral.

Okay, fine, if donations are used to pay domain prices and other necessary costs, that’s fine. But for a non-profit organization, PC does seem to have quite a few expenses. They also purchased two HD capture cards which were used for Project Playthrough. This is a reasonable purchase, but these cards cost about $200, maybe more. Once again, donations were being used for these purchases, when one can simply rent these, or borrow them from others since it’s only for a few games.

And then there are the giveaways. I doubt these are being funded from sources other than donations either. Giving away games and items is fine, but is it really necessary? There are a number of better ways to promote yourself without spending money. PC needs to learn. Just recently, they pre-ordered Final Fantasy Versus XIII for a fan for creating a Little Big Planet level that was related to PC. This person definitely deserves to get something, but spending $60 on him just doesn’t seem right. Now I know fans reading this will lash out once more as they read this, but they need to realize that donations are not being put to good use. Did the people really want their donations to be spent on a game for someone else?

Lastly, what’s up with the upcoming web comics? I mean, seriously? What’s the point of web comics? Are you trying to turn into a comic page now? I like comics, and a comic with FF-like characters and an FF-like story would be great, but PC is not supposed to be about comics. It’s supposed to be about some serious work regarding Versus XIII and Type-0. I hope they have not forgotten that.

Yes, these comics are based on the PC members themselves. They’ve been getting quite popular. Now, that’s not a bad thing, but could it be that they’re focusing more on their own popularity and how to boost it, instead of working? One of the PC members, Evyn, is going to dye her hair pink because 956 people saw her post. What has hair got to do with that anyway? What relation does her hair have with Final Fantasy? This is like a publicity stunt, except that it’s for Evyn itself instead of Project Crystallis.

Oh and everyone should take a look at this. Apparently, a replica of Cerberus from Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII was being given away earlier to the person who could correctly answer questions. Of course, one would expect such questions to be related to Final Fantasy, right? Wrong.

5. Who ordered Chris’s pizza?

13. What beer was Kushi drinking on camera?

18. Why did James break up with his girlfriend? (two points)

These were the questions asked. It’s like the members are considering themselves to be celebrities. They expect people to be like the paparazzi, stalking their every move. I understand that the purpose of the questions and of the giveaway were to attract more people in Project Playthrough, but this is completely immature and I’m pretty sure it didn’t attract a lot of people. No one should be desperate enough to observe these people intently and listen to stories about breaking up with girlfriends.

Basically, PC has no Wiki page, no recognition from major websites, unneeded expenses and still no clear focus. Why? Because the members are too busy having fun and indulging in unnecessary acts such as dying their hair pink to show the fans, trying to buy expensive toys, creating web comics and executing immature and irrelevant publicity stunts.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Project Playthrough (save for the useless bits) and I might enjoy the comics too. But this is not helping with the Versus XIII and Type-0 situation. Project Crystallis is like a fancy car, overly decorated with vinyls and fancy lights, but with no wheels.

Step your game up, PC.

January 16, 2013
Celebratory 25th Anniversary Final Fantasy Magazine Released

Final Fantasy, a series loved by millions of gamers, turned 25 in 2012. Many events were organized to celebrate the series’ 25th Anniversary. Now, a celebratory digital magazine has been released, as a result of the work done by UFF Site, RPGSite, Nova Crystallis and many other fans. This is purely fan-based and is meant to be free for all.

The magazine contains articles on the games written by several fans, along with informative profiles, opinions and insight into the series, offering a lot of reading material that is especially nostalgic for casual and hardcore fans alike.

You can download the magazine in it’s PDF format here.

January 16, 2013
New GTA V Screenshots Released
Rockstar has released a ton of new screenshots for their highly anticipated title – GTA V (Grand Theft Auto 5). Check them out in the gallery below (click to enlarge):

GTA V is one of the most looked forward games this decade and will be the first Grand Theft Auto to feature three multiple protagonists.

Also check out:
- GTA V Trailer #2 Is Up, View It Here
- GTA 5 Details Revealed!
GTA V is currently available for pre-order and will hit stores sometime in Spring 2013 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The release period is pretty vague right now although we’ve been hearing rumors of a March 15 release day for the past few days, but until that’s confirmed all we can do is wait.

Which platform will you be getting GTA V for? Let us know in the comments below.
January 16, 2013
New Images Of Upcoming Black Ops 2 DLC ‘Revolution’ Leak
The good folks over at CharlieIntel have received a new promo image of the rumored first Black Ops 2 DLC pack we reported on a few days ago. The DLC pack titled ‘Revolution’ is set to contain 4 Multiplayer maps and one Zombies map. The image is below:

The mobile Call of Duty website also accidentally made the ‘Revolution DLC Pack Preview’ live, the mention of the DLC pack has now been removed.

These leaks pretty much confirm the existence of the Black Ops 2 ‘Revolution’ map pack. As mentioned earlier the DLC pack will probably arrive on the Xbox 360 first on the 29th of January followed by the PS3 and PC although we’re not sure about the Wii U situation. Prices should be the same as the previous COD’s map packs at $15 or 1200MSP.

Also check out:
Will you be getting the Revolution Map pack and avail the PeaceKeeper SMG bonus, buying the maps separately or won’t be getting them at all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
January 16, 2013
SteelSeries Xai Review
Introduction

SteelSeries is a well-known brand when it comes to professional gaming. Their lineup of high-end gaming peripherals constitute of Keyboards, Mice, Mouse Pads, Headphones, and even glasses. Today weâ€™re looking at a gaming mouse from the house of SteelSeries: Xai. Compared to what the current competition offers, the Xai is a 2 generation laser sensor mouse. The current competition is at 4G sensors. Before we even begin this review, it has to be considered that Xai is already on obsolete technology. Nothing alarming though, as we are going to review the Xai to see if it still stacksâ€¦

Specification

Xai come with a plethora of features. Weâ€™ll be going through the tech of Xia shortly, but first, here is a bulleted list of the features.

Internal
- Frames per second: 12.000
- Inches per second: 150+
- Counts per inch: 100 – 5.001
- Maximum Acceleration: 30 G
- Sensor data path: True 16 bit
- Lift distance: ~1mm
- Megapixels per second: 10.8
- Polling Rate: 125 – 1000 Hz
External
- Buttons: Eight
- Cord: 2 m / 6.5 feet (braided)
- Gold-plated USB connector
- CPI high/low indicator
- On board LCD
- 3 mouse feet
- Second generation laser sensor
Features
- Ambidextrous shape
- Slip-resistant mouse coating
- Two customizable CPI settings
- Nine programmable buttons, 6 programmable macros
- Three Huge Teflon feet
- High grade sensor sporting 10.8 Megapixels per Second
- Pro-play performance with accurate tracking and extreme precision
- Best-in-class technology: 100-5001 CPI, 12,000 FPS, and 150+ IPS
- Plug-and-play, Driverless feature for LAN Gamers
- Five On-board profiles
- On board LCD, display featuring intuitive menu-system for customization of:
SteelSeries ExactSens Technology for Adjusting CPI from 100 to 5001, by one CPI increment/decrement

SteelSeries ExactAim Technology for Minimizing â€œjittersâ€ for FPS Gamers

SteelSeries ExactRate Technology for Adjusting Polling/Report Rate from 125 to 1000, by one Hz increment/decrement

SteelSeries FreeMove Technology for adjusting cursor prediction on mouse movement

SteelSeries ExactAccel Technology for adjusting hardware acceleration
- Operating systems: Win 2000/XP/Vista/7/OSX
Package

When we look at the packing Xai is placed securely in the middle of the box after opening window to the left side, which is locked magnetically.

The top of the box mentions the well-known professional teams along with their logo and, mouse was made with the cooperation these teams.

At the back of the box shows the Specifications/Features of Xai in English and German languages respectively.

When we take out the internal packing from the box we can see the mouse resting in the middle and the braided wire is stored in a compartment above and under the mouse there is another little compartment where we can find the documentation and SteelSeries sticker.

All items in the packing includes the mouse, user manual, SteelSeries gaming gear catalog and sticker.

SteelSeries shows there appreciation for trusting and buying this product and states that this manual is aimed to familiarize us with the basic aspects of the mouse usage and setup.

And further, the manual describes the System Requirements, the Basic Functionality, Advance functionality, On-Mouse menu System Using LCD display, and Updating the firmware.

Closer Examination

Now we will take a closer look at the Mouse itself. The material used for the finishing is very smooth to the touch. Despite of being so smooth itâ€™s impossible for it to slip.

At the top middle you will see a white wheel. And just under is the white led which shows the two level of CPI selected and further down is the pointed button which used to select Two CPI configured.

There are 2 buttons on the right side and 2 buttons on the left which means it can be used by both righty and lefty.

If we look at the front part of the mouse we can see the braided cable getting out of the body.

Now we will take a look at the bottom of the mouse, firstly we can see the name of the mouse, product number, voltage specs also this that product was designed in Denmark but manufactured in China, SteelSeries logo, the laser class 1 sensor, in the middle of the mouse the laser. Under the SteelSeries embossed logo we can also find out the plastic protective cap for the LCD screen. On all edges we can find Teflon feet to ensure smooth mouse movements.

The USB connector is gold plated, for very good contact and no signal loss.

Design

Overall, the comfort of this mouse is outstanding. It feels comfortable no matter if youâ€™re a left-hander or a right. It has balanced weight and buttons click softly and swiftly. The CPI button is well placed on it. It has the best wheel with deep ridges for the grip and it is almost impossible to slip the wheel. You have to get used to the side buttons and adjust your hand not to accidentally press them. The feet are very large but they are smooth on any surface that I have tested. They are not round edged which are the main cause for its feet being a dirt magnet.

The LCD display provides to switch between one of five profiles. When not using menu-system it displays the SteelSeries logo.

We can access the profile management menu by holding the arrow shaped button for 3 seconds, for navigating through the menus the wheel and side buttons are used and wheelâ€™s button is used to select an option.

We can adjust the value of each feature either by the wheel or by buttons on the side. (as wheel provide increase/decrease in 1 unit and side buttons provide increase and decrease in 3 units)

Performance/ Durability

SteelSeries Xai 2nd gen laser sensor performed better than anticipated. Besides being old it preforms good as 4^th gen sensor and manages to provide just as smooth and precise tracking as new mouse with twin lasers. It preform very well from medium to high sensitivity, if you are fond of using low sensitivity this mouse will not live up to the mark. Tracking capabilities are one of the important features needed in a pro gaming mouse and Xai preforms surprisingly well.

Software

The software that comes for the XAI has 4 tabs and on top named as.

Button Assignments tab

Here we can customize each button and also use the macro feature on button 2 to button 7, we can also set the mouse for left or right handed mode and select between 5 profiles. Macro feature is very user friendly, The Advance Macro editor is divided in to 2 portions.

Firstly is the Macro list in which u can create macro profiles. In the 2^nd portion the profiles previously created can be customized, delay function is also available if needed and in the advance delay editor the creation of profiles is further simplified.

Hardware Settings tab

All of the options here are also customizable from the mouse itself except enabling or disabling the hardware cursor acceleration and the LCD setup and just under it is the apply button and I must say settings are applied just in a second. Signature features in this tab are.

SteelSeries ExactSense:

This feature controls how fast your cursor moves in relation to how much you move your mouse. With SteelSeries ExactSense you can donâ€™t need to relay on software to adjust sensitivity settings, freeing yourself from any and all software interpolation, which will dramatically increase your precision.

We can set two different values for your sensitivity and switch between them on-the-fly via the CPI toggle button.

SteelSeries ExactRate

Report rate (a.k.a polling rate) which is number of reports sent every second by the mouse to your computer. SteelSeries ExactRate allows us to customize the Report Rate to oneâ€™s liking and need.

SteelSeries ExactAim

SteelSeries ExactAim gives total control over the amount of jitter correction and prediction calculations. This is specially designed when the mouse is used on a surface that hasnâ€™t been optimized for high precision gaming. The settings range from â€œpureâ€ sensor data, that will the raw data without and prediction/calculation, up to high amounts of prediction calculations which are extremely helpful in jitter-less gaming.

SteelSeries FreeMove

Allows the user to determine how much the mouse should help with movements, and allows us to perform movements without any angle snapping and path correction. We can adjust how much control should be left up to the mouse and how much control should be left up to us in other words how precise the mouse should be in reproducing our movement.

SteelSeries ExactAccel

With acceleration we can bridge large distances quickly, while still being able to work flawlessly in small areas of the screen, without having to switch our CPI with the CPI toggle all the time. The main difference between this setting and Windows acceleration is that this setting is running in the hardware, we are also able to set the degree of dynamic acceleration.

Windows Settings tab

We can set the scroll wheel speed, double click speed and the pointer speed, settings that are also available in Windows, Control Panel.

Options tab

We can see the installed software application version, the current firmware version that is running in the mouse and the language of the interface; here we can also access multiple links like product information, additional downloads or support for the device.

Conclusion

Personally, despite its second gen laser sensor I liked this mouse from the moment I started using it. Its software is easy to use and modify according to your needs and the fact that everything can be customized of the mouse without need of any driver or software is totally unique. I have tested it in many games including CODBO and Counterstrike Source and as far as gaming is concerned it works absolutely outstanding.

Its price is a bit high as compared to others but because of its comfortable grip and rich features it will definitely make its mark & will stay for years to come.

Pros
- Soft Comfortable Grip
- High Quality Material
- LCD for on go customization
- Ambidextrous Shape
- Outperforming Sensor
- Simplicity in usage
Cons
- Bit expensive
- No weight management
January 16, 2013
SteelSeries 7H Review

Introduction
SteelSeries is a well-known brand when it comes to professional gaming. Their lineup of high-end gaming peripherals constitute of Keyboards, Mice, Mouse Pads, Headphones, and even glasses. Today weâ€™re looking at a gaming headset that is unfortunately the least of concern for gamers. People buy rigs and mice overlooking keyboards, mouse pads, and sound. Having a good headset while in an intense situation might become the reason for you coming on top. The 7H is what we are playing with today and this is going to be an interesting read.

Specifications
Headphones
Frequency response: 18 to 28 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
SPL@ 1kHz, 1 Vrms- 112 dB
Cable length: 1 + 2 = 3 m (9,8 ft.)
Jacks: 3.5 mm
Microphone
Frequency response: 50 to 16 Hz
Pick up pattern: Uni-directional
Sensitivity: -38 dB
Features
Crystal clear high, low and mid-tones
Interchangeable ear-cushions
Pull-out microphone
50 mm driver units provide rich reproduction of all acoustic details
Dismantles into 4 separate pieces
Improved passive noise reduction

Packaging and Design

The 7h from SteelSeries is securely packed in orange, gray and white livery with black base, and some features in four languages on front with a plastic window showing glimpse of the product.

At the back of the box there are detailed specifications mentioned in several languages and also with the package contents which we will take a look at

Excluding the headset itself there is detachable cord, 2m extension cord and pair of ear-cushions. The documents includes SteelSeries catalog, SteelSeries signature sticker, pictured guide for the removal of ear- cushions and a warning note stating the repercussions of loud and extensive usage.

Now we will take a closer look at 7h.

The 7H comes in matte-black with very aggressive look while maintaining elegance and is a lot less likely to pick up marks and scratches. The body is sturdy made and has a very smooth feel to it, the metal trim around the ear cups and on the ends of the band really brings uniqueness to it, ear cups are labeled clearly with R, L for individual ears they also rotatable at 45Âº.

Pre mounted ear-cushions is made out of leather covered foam which is extremely soft because its designed to have superior noise-isolating and spacing for the ears are oval shaped rather than circular this ensures a comfortable fit for extensive usage. The other one is covered with fiber which can be used during LAN parties as it lacks isolating thus allowing you to communicate between your team members

The left ear-cup has a cavity for retractable microphone it can be held into shape to your likingâ€¦ a must have when you are gaming.

SteelSeries logo is engraved across its Headband that is shiny in appearance and feel. And under it is a thick strip of leather covered foam which adds support and comfort

7h is designed so it can be dismantled into 4 parts which is a very slick feature incorporated in it which is useful in its safe transport

The detachable cord that 7h uses is braided for better durability and has mini-USB to plug into the left sided earphone, half-way along the cable there is a small control which is used for volume control and to mute the microphone by sliding down the large button the other end of cord has two standard 3.5mm gold-plated connectors a 2m long extension cord is also provided which is quite useful if your CPU is far way.

Performance
The 7h provide substantial comfort while being stylish and lightweight. The microphone preformed remarkably well as its noise cancellation is outstanding. Though, itâ€™s primarily a gaming grade product, we will check its performance in music and movie as well.

Gaming
Call of Duty Series
We tested tremendously popular titles with 7H Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops and I must say all three preformed about the same, the footsteps were crystal clear, you could even hear the footsteps of crouched enemies nearby and background noises were prominent which contributed in locating enemy positions.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
As being a fast FPS game itâ€™s vital that you know about whatâ€™s happening around for this 7h correctly identifying gun fire, explosions, footsteps and vehicle noise feel very atmospheric and did a cracking job at pinpointing sound from other players.
As 7H high, low and mid tones are conspicuous. Picking out each individual sound can sometimes be a difficult task with other solutions but I found the 7H to be a worthy contender. On the audio side of things in-game the 7H is a superb audio solution.

Music and Movies
The music and movie experience is superb if the audio is of good quality. A low grade music/movie will remain garbage regardless of your sound setup. The bass is not that deep but it is very good for games if not for late-night movie sessions. The clarity is excellent and overall, itâ€™s a winner.

Conclusion
SteelSeries always deliver their product based on functionality and quality. 7h is no exception to this. Its performance is outstanding in gaming. The atmospheric, rich, and definite sound quality is truly remarkable. On the outside, the look and feel is very elegant. A very professional headset.

Pros
Great craftsmanship
Good quality material
Very Comfortable fit
Interchangeable ear-cushions
Retractable microphone
Breaks into parts good thing when you are traveling

Cons
Volume could be louder
Bass could be deeper

January 16, 2013
Review & Download: Tune Up Utilities 2011

When it comes to keeping your PC at its best, it can’t be accomplished by merely defragmenting your hard disks every now and then and thinking you need more RAM. Sometimes, the computer itself is very powerful but it’s not living up to the expectations you thought it would or has lost its touch and speed over time. This is not usual for computers that are thoroughly taken care of with some nice utility programs. There are a lot of them available, shareware and freeware alike. We have tried out most of the leading brands, including SystemWorks and Advanced System Optimizer but both left us with questions both in functionality and user-friendly behavior which they lacked. I personally did a research on utility programs some five years ago, and to this day I am glad to say I am still a user of Tune Up Utilities. From their early version to the latest 2011, Tune Up has never disappointed with their vast tools and extremely easy to use interface (which they have massively tweaked in the latest version). Below is an in-depth review on the program, illustrating all of its features to the best of their abilities.

THE INTERFACE

As you can see from the screenshot above, Tune Up Utilities 2011 has a very fresh and intuitive interface which welcomes users and gives them a comforting experience. The learning curve in this one is pretty short and requires minimum amount of time to familiarize. The drastic change in design from the previous 2007-2009 versions to this one makes this software stand out from the competition, namely Advanced Optimizer which used almost the same interface as Tune Up’s 2007 version. Overall, Tune Up looks classy.

THE NEW FEATURES

TUNING STATUS

Tuning Status is one of the easiest features in Tune Up 2011, it’s a little panel which shows step by step procedures to tune your computer technology wiz. Starting from the most critical changes which happen in Sector A, then moving on to the smaller ones in Section F. An amazing new addition to an already souped up software.

TURBO MODE

Turbo Mode returns in this version of Tune Up and is highly refined. This mode helps you use your computer to the max while tweaking every little thing about the way your computer works. Giving an average user with minimal computer knowledge the ability to access things the pros do.

STANDALONE REGISTRY CLEANER

Tune Up is notorious for having the most powerful and effective Registry Cleaner in the market. I’ve done my fair share of research on standalone cleaners and when it comes to registry Tune Up comes on top. Next to Tune Up is PC Tools with their Registry Mechanic but it’s still not as affective as this software.

ONE -CLICK MAINTENANCE

Tune Up’s One Click Maintenance roots back to the first version that ever came out. This feature combines some of the most effective features of Tune Up and makes them into a single process for users to just click and use. One Click can also be scheduled to occur according to the users’ liking. It includes registry cleaning, defragmenting registry, removing broken shortcuts, deleting temporary files, optimizing system startup and shutdown speeds and finally defragmenting hard disks. Truly puts users at ease.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Tune Up Utilities is a must-have for computer users worldwide. It is an essential requirement for every computer to keep them up-to-date and as good as new even after years of usage without having to upgrade expensive hardware and still getting frustrated. We recommend Tune Up Utilities 2011 to all our users. Happy optimizing!

To download Tune Up trial with every feature for 15 days: Click here

January 16, 2013