Today LaCie announced the Rugged RAID mobile drive featuring user selectable RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration.  The new drive featuring Seagate hard drives will be available later this quarter.

The Rugged RAID mobile drive is a drive featuring two hard drives that can be put in RAID 0 for speed or RAID 1 for data redundancy.  RAID 0 uses two drives to store one piece of data, allowing it to read and write faster by storing half of it on both drives to form the single piece of data.  RAID 0 is much faster than a single hard drive (by about 2x) while being less secure for data since if one drive goes then the data is gone.  On the other hand RAID 1 stores the same data on two hard drives so that if one of them were to ever fail you will still have the data on the other.  This is a much more secure way to store sensitive data that is important for a user to protect.

The Rugged is exactly what it is called, rugged and that is thanks to its design.  The drive is resistant to shock, with it being able to withstand drops of up to 1.5m (about 5 feet) and 1 ton of pressure.  It is also resistant to water with its cap in place, and when it is the drive is IP 54 rated.  That IP 54 rating means that the drive is dust tight and will withstand splashes of water on the drive.  The drive also features USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connectivity, which means that users will be able to use RAID 0 to its fullest.  The drive in RAID 0 will be able to get up to 240MB/s sustain performance.  The drive is compatible with all operating systems and it also includes LaCie Private-Public software.  The software enables users to password protect the entire device or just certain volumes with AES-256 encryption.

The LaCie Rugged RAID will be available in 4TB capacity with a MSRP of $449.99 later this quarter from LaCie’s online store and authorized LaCie resellers.  The drive will carry a three-year limited warranty that users can extend or upgrade.  The warranty provides worldwide repair and/or replacement, so this drive is ready for your adventures around the world.

The post CES 2015: LaCie Announces The New Rugged RAID Mobile Drive appeared first on VR World.

Schiit Audio, a US manufacturer of high end headphone amps, DACs, and preamps rolled out its newest creation today: the new “Fulla”.  The Fulla is a USB dongle DAC/AMP is an inexpensive high quality way for users to upgrade their audio from their computers or portable devices.

Schiit Audio is a good-humored US manufacturer of high end audio components which prides itself.  As such it tries to reduce costs for consumers by selling direct and cutting dealers out of the equation.  Yesterday the company introduced the Fulla USB DAC/Amp via its Facebook page.

The $79 Fulla is one of the company’s most affordable items and combines its experience with their previous DACs and Amps.  The dongle is plug and play with both PC and Mac computers that have a USB port, without the need for any additional drivers to be installed.  The Fulla can also be used with Android devices that support USB host function and allow USB DACs.

The Fulla employs a CM6631 USB 2.0 receiver and a very high quality AK4396 digital to analog converter, which is commonly found in equipment much more pricey than the Fulla.  The gain stage uses thin-film resistors and film capacitors that filters and boosts the output, up to 300mw into 32ohms.  Schiit Audio states that the Fulla would be great for IEM (in-ear monitor) usage due to the very low noise floor and low ouput impedence.

The Fulla is covered by a 1 year limited warranty that covers both parts and labor.  Schiit Audio also says that if in the situation where the user does not like the Fulla that they can send it back for a refund, minus a 15% restocking fee.  The customer has 15 days in which to decide to send it back for a refund.

The post Schiit Audio Introduces The Fulla USB DAC/Amp appeared first on VR World.

A new YouTube ad from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) says its “game over” for the Macbook Air when it tries to take on the Yoga 3 Pro from Lenovo (HKG: 0992) .

The ad from Microsoft — which is similar to a campaign comparing the Surface Pro 3 to the Macbook Air — highlights the Yoga 3’s thinner body, multiple formfactor modes thanks to its 180-degree rotation of its display, and touchscreen as strengths compared to the Macbook Air.

Finally, a Macbook killer

Lenovo’s Yoga series has created something of a renaissance in the Windows notebook, particularly Ultrabook, space. The second generation of the Yoga was nearly universally praised by reviewers, with many calling it the best Windows notebook on the market. Its long battery life, sharp quad-HD screen, and thin form factor was warmly received by the market  with the Yoga 2 Pro becoming a strong seller. While Lenovo doesn’t disclose sales numbers for individual products, the company became the world’s top PC manufacturer in 2014 and saw its profits jump by 36%.

When the Macbook Air first came out, and was later refreshed, it made many PC vendors stumble as they tried to build something as aesthetically pleasing as the Macbook Air. First came the Ultrabook form factor, and from that the Yoga series was born.

However, Lenovo should not get too confident. In Apple’s most recent earnings statement it disclosed that it sold 8.9% more Macs quarter-over-quarter. Of course this also includes desktop computers, but it also means that the likes of Lenovo will have healthy competition in 2015.

The post Mac vs PC War Returns With New Microsoft Campaign appeared first on VR World.

A new game to enliven your summer vacation developed by Cuve Games and put out by Phoenix Online Publishing is one month from delivery. Heroes and Legends: Conquerors of Kolhar blends combat and strategies with story-driven and randomly generated adventures in fantasy role playing game (RPG) fun.

Evil lurks in Kohlar

Gamers will custom make their own weapons and armor to be used by their warriors, wizards and assassins. Fire and ice complete the arsenal for battling more than 130 monsters in an attempt to overcome an ancient evil. Scenarios become more and more challenging to be met with collected mystical artifacts that enhance your ability to win.

Jerome Bodin, game designer and owner of Cuve Games claims: “Challenges will appeal to the older hardcore as much as to the newcomers.” Jerome, self-proclaimed tinkerer, says he and his partner Fred, the arts and graphics guy, work out of their “small independent studio somewhere in France.”

Silver Lining Cast

An initial offering from Phoenix Publishing Online, an independent video game publisher, grew out of the Kings Quest series from Sierra Entertainment. Originating in 1984, the series was the very beginnings of the graphic adventure game genre. The concept has continued in several episodes of The Silver Lining which debuted in 2010 from from Phoenix Publishing.

Erica Reed, FBI, stars in Cognition

Another early title, Cognition, features Erica Reed an FBI agent who can see into the past in a point and click game funded by Kickstarter in 2012 and developed cross platform for Windows, Mac, and iOS. There are 24 videos about the episodes on YouTube. TGN (Those Gaming Nerds) gave Episode One a good review while Adventure Gamers gave the fourth episode low marks saying “The Cain Killer, the fourth and final episode in the series, is best described as a strangely dull thud of a climax that generally abandons intuition and reasoning in favor of blunt melodrama.”

Finding the Lost Civilization

Lost Civilization released in early 2014 by Phoenix requires puzzle solving to rescue a kidnapped fiancé. This archaeological adventure that takes you into the Mayan civilization sells for $6.99 to GameHouse members. TouchArcade gave it three stars.

April 2014 saw the company’s paranormal mystery adventure game Moebius: Empire Rising written by Jane Jensen and releasedfor both PC and Mac. It was followed by Quest for Infamy, a humorous role playing game with customizable spells. Players must lie, cheat, and steal to win. You can get it for PC and Linux.

August 21 brings the latest offering, Heroes and Legends: Conquerors of Kolhar  to the marketplace for PC, MAC, and Linux. It will be available via Steam, the Phoenix Online Store, and the usual major online retailers.

The post Fire and Ice Combat Evil in Conquerors of Kolhar appeared first on VR World.