As predicted, HP today announced that they will immediately begin taking orders for the TouchSmart TX2, the first multi touch laptop widely available to consumers. The laptop, priced starting at $1,199, will begin shipping at the end of November.

The TX2’s multi touch interface will work with any program that already supports multi touch, as well as with HP’s integrated MediaSmart media suite. The laptop features an array of gestural controls, including all of the multi touch standards, like pinch-zooming and two finger rotation, as well as the ability to open MediaSmart at any time by drawing an “m” on the screen with both fingers. The screen uses capacitance-based touch detection and is designed to accept input either from the pad of a finger or from a built-in digital pen.

With a 12.1 inch screen and weighing in at 4.3 pounds, the TX2 is physically nearly identical to its predecessor, the TX2000. The only thing differentiating the two visually is the TX2’s glossy, charcoal-colored finish and “Reaction Imprint” design.All but the cheapest loadouts of the TX2 come equipped with Turion X2 dual-core processors. All models will ship with Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics, and consumers can opt for up to 8GB of DDR2 SDRAM and 500GB of hard disk storage. The laptop also features a webcam and optional fingerprint reader.

What do you think of the TX2? Are multi touch laptops going to become the norm? Let us know after the jump.

Hewlett-Packard launched the HP G60, its first laptop to feature a 15.6-inch display, yet it made it pretty quietly. The new mobile machine is powered by an AMD Turion X2 RM-70 Dual-Core Mobile Processor which has a 2.00GHz core frequency and 1MB level 2 cache. The notebook can pack up to 3GB of DDR2 memory and includes an NVIDIA GeForce 8200M graphics card which comes with up to 1470MB of memory.

Besides the 15.6" High Definition HP Brightview Display (1366x768), the HP G60 also comes with a 250 GB (5400 rpm) hard drive and a LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support for storage. Along with a High speed 56K modem, Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN, Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLA, there is a wide range of external ports for connectivity, including 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards, 3 Universal Serial Bus USB 2.0 ports, 1 VGA (15-pin), 1 HDMI, 1 RJ-11 (modem), 1 RJ -45 (LAN), 1 headphone-out, 1 microphone-in.The Touch Pad features an On/Off button and comes along with a dedicated vertical scroll Up/Down pad and a full size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad. The notebook also has a built-in WebCam with Integrated Microphone and Altec Lansing speakers. When it comes to security, the HP G60 includes a Kensington MicroSaver lock slot, a power-on password and also accepts third party security lock devices. Coming with a 6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion), the machine weighs 6.06 Ibs.

The operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, and it comes along with some other software solutions included for security, support, multimedia tasks, or Internet surfing. The notebook can be bought from Circuit City for $629.99 after a mail-in rebate.

Although NVIDIA's new low-profile GeForce 9400 graphics card has been officially announced for quite some time now, one of its add-in-board partners decided to keep its customers waiting for a while. However, the company has officially launched its version of the new GeForce graphics card earlier today, offering four new models, based on the same GPU.

As we mentioned in our previous articles, NVIDIA's new GeForce 9400 card has been designed to accommodate the graphics requirements of entry-level users who don't spend their entire budget on just one video card. In addition, the GeForce 9400 GT features several NVIDIA technologies and supports Microsoft's DirectX 10 API. Furthermore, this is also one of the few NVIDIA cards that have been developed using a 55nm process technology, which AMD has been adopting for quite some time now.Back to Sapphire's latest GeForce cards, the four new models have been designed to deliver a maximum of 1GB of DDR2 memory. However, two of them will be equipped with only 512MB DDR2 memory on a 128-bit memory interface. There is another way you can differentiate the four models from one another, as the two 1GB DDR2-enabled cards are equipped with a passive cooling solution. All four of them are based on PCI-Express 2.0 interface and have the same clock settings as the reference model, with 550MHz for the GPU and 800MHz for the memory.

In addition to the new GeForce 9400GT models, Sparkle can also offer four GDDR3-equipped cards, all of which have only 512MB of memory. In total, Sparkle has 12 graphics cards, based on the same 9400GT GPU. So we could say that if you are an entry-level user and you are searching for a new low-profile graphics card, you should find what you are searching for in Sapphire's product lineup.

Now that mainstream users are starting to flock towards 64-bit desktops with 4GB of RAM, some enthusiasts will be looking for new ways to stay ahead of the curve. Luckily, memory makers are right there with them. OCZ has introduced a batch of four new DDR2 memory kits that feature meaty 8GB and 16GB densities.

OCZ bases the kits on 4GB memory modules, so even the 16GB pack only features four DIMMs. Specs-wise, the firm isn't aiming for anything outlandish: all modules run at 800MHz, have CAS5 latencies, and only need a standard 1.8V of juice to function. Exact timings range from 5-4-4-18 on the "P45 Special" Platinum 8GB Edition to 5-6-6-18 for the "P45 Special" Vista Upgrade 16GB Quad Kit. OCZ is also launching 8GB Gold and 8GB Vista Upgrade kits.If you're wondering about the "P45 Special" in the product names, OCZ says it uses that label because the DIMMs are "optimized specifically for Intel's latest chipset." P45 or not, you'll probably want to double-check motherboard compatibility before splurging for these kits. Also, we should mention that memory support tops out at 16GB for Windows Vista Home Premium x64 and 8GB for Windows Vista Home Basic x64.

Love him or hate him, Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel has managed to get his branding slapped onto nearly every PC component it takes to build a computer, leaving only hard drives and processors left to conquer. Don't believe it? Have a look for yourself. Motherboard? Check. Videocard? Check. Case, soundcard, mouse, keyboard, and headset? Check, check, and check ad nauseum. And thanks to a recent partnership with OCZ now coming to fruition, Fatal1ty can notch both DDR2 and DDR3 memory into his belt too."OCZ worked closely with Fatal1ty and his team to design new memory kits that pair perfectly with the top selling motherboards for a superior gaming experience," commented Alex Mei, cheif marketing officer of OCZ.

The press release works hard to tie Fatal1ty to its new line of memory, claiming the branded kits "were co-developed with the expertise of Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, 12-time World champion, to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers." Is anyone else having trouble picturing Wendel developing memory kits somewhere in his free time between gaming tournaments and honing his skills on company sponsored hardware? Maybe Wendel really is a master of module design, but marketing mojo aside, here's what the collaboration has come up with:

* OCZ DDR2-800 4GB, 5-4-4-18
* OCZ DDR2-1066 EPP, 2GB 5-5-5-15
* OCZ DDR3-1333, 2GB/4GB 9-9-9-26

OCZ claims each Fatal1ty Edition kit is "designed to help deliver exceptional gaming visuals and overclocking potential," and it's the latter claim that will ulitimately decide where these kits belong in the marketplace. Tighter timed modules already exist at each speed grade, some of which OCZ sells, so the Fatal1ty nomenclature will have to bring more to the table than a spiffy heatspreader to win the hearts of enthusiasts. Then again, hardcore enthusiasts have never been quick to jump on the Fatal1ty bandwagon in the first place, so maybe a flashy package will be all that's needed to attract whoever's buying these products.

After announcing its Wind low-cost laptop, MSI has decided to take a crack at a low-cost, small-form-factor desktop PC. The company has announced the Titan 700, a system that seems to take after Apple's Mac mini, but with a more affordable price tag and less potent hardware.

MSI designed the Titan 700 around the Mini-ITX form factor, and it packs a 2GHz VIA C7 processor, a VIA CN700 integrated graphics chipset, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB 2.5" Serial ATA hard drive, and a slim DVD burner into its enclosure. At the back of the machine, you'll see ports for DVI, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, USB, analog 5.1-channel audio, and (oddly) old-fashioned RS-232 connectivity.The Titan 700's hardware may not be the greatest, but MSI has managed to cram it into a very tight space. The whole PC measures only 185 mm × 240 mm × 70 mm (7.3" x 9.4" x 2.8"), and it's powered by a laptop-style 60W power supply. MSI has taken care to keep the system quiet, too: it quotes noise levels of 35dBA at load and only 20dBA at standby.

So, how much does this all cost? In its UK press release, MSI names a price of £234.99 including value added tax. If you strip out the VAT and do the currency conversion, that works out to $389.68—quite reasonable for a full-featured SFF desktop and a couple hundred bucks cheaper than the most affordable Mac mini.

Who ever said you needed to compromise between memory density and speed? Defying convention somewhat, Super Talent has announced the release of a new dual-channel DDR3 memory kit that packs 4GB of RAM capable of operating at a blistering 1800MHz.

The kit is part of the Project X lineup, and it's rated for operation with 8-8-8-24 timings at a voltage setting of 1.9V. Just like the cheap 4GB DDR2 kits we've seen around online stores lately, the W1800UX4GP is made up of 2GB modules. Unlike those cheap DDR2 offerings, though, Super Talent's new kit is launching at a very pricey $499.Super Talent also offers other Project X kits that have densities of 2GB to 4GB and are rated for speeds of 1600MHz to 2000MHz. According to the pictures and descriptions on the company's website, all Project X DIMMs are cooled with finned heat spreaders that extend above the module to increase surface area.

A company founded by former AMD Chief Technology Officer Fred Weber that has been operating in stealth mode for the past couple of years has finally unveiled its first product. As Ars Technica reports, MetaRAM has developed technology that can quadruple the density of DDR2 memory modules. MetaRAM-enhanced DIMMs will come with densities of up to 8GB, and they'll theoretically be able to slip into any server that supports regular DDR2 memory. Ars describes MetaRAM's technology as follows:
MetaRAM uses a 3D chip stacking technology to cram extra SDRAM chips onto the DIMM, with the result that each DIMM is actually two or four DIMMs worth of memory. Also on the DIMM is a pair of custom chips that are the secret sauce that makes MetaRAM work. This MetaRAM chipset sits in between the system's main memory controller and the on-DIMM DRAMs, routing reads and writes to the appropriate DRAM and hiding its own presence. This isn't some far-away promise of a technology for the distant future: the first MetaRAM-based modules and systems are due to ship within the next month or so. MetaRAM itself doesn't have any fabrication plants, so it has enlisted Hynix and SMART Modular to produce the actual DIMMs. Both manufacturers are currently sampling 8GB DDR2 modules, Ars says, and we can expect workstations and servers based on them from Rackable and others to be available at launch. One of MetaRAM's partners is apparently cooking up a server with 256GB of memory and a price tag under the $50,000 mark.

Foxconn has launched a new board in its Digital Life series. Branded P35AP-S, the board is based on Intels P35 chipset. The new board features a combo memory design or, in other words, it supports both DDR3 and DDR2 memory.

According to Foxconns press release they have managed to eliminate crosstalk and other electrical interference that is usually present with a combo memory design.The new board features support for up to 8GB of DDR2 1066/800/667MHz or 4GB of DDR3 1333/1066/800MHz memory, thus making it an excellent upgrade solution since DDR3 pricing is still a bit on the high side.

The P35AP-S also features two PCIe x16 slots with ATI Crossfire support, two PCIe x1 slots and three PCI slots. Other specs include six SATA, two eSATA, two FireWire, eight USB 2.0, one ATA and that strange Foxconn Digital Connector which provides a link to future Foxconn Digital Life products. There is also Gigabit LAN and 7.1-channel HD audio with S/PDIF outputs.

Since then we've returned the KHX11000 to Kingston and had a number of conversations with the company's Tech bloke and the whole thing is something of a puzzle. It seems that the methodology we used was fine and dandy as the other memory all worked well enough but it also looks like the Kingston modules were fault free. Kingston tested the memory after it was returned and sent us these four screen grabs from CPU-Z that show the memory running at an effective speed of 1400MHz with an overclocked Core 2 Duo E6550.

Clearly this was something of a mystery so we asked Kingston to send another batch of KHX11000 DDR3 for us to have another go at.