Thermaltake's Level 10 Chassis Revealed!

The launch of the Thermaltake Level 10 Chassis upon us. This is one of the most unique computer cases to hit the market since the Antec Skeleton, the case I am using now.        

Level 10 is a collaboration between Thermaltake and BMW DesignWorks. It’s innovative and decidedly unique concept will thrill enthusiasts that will knock all other cases out of the game.

This giant chassis measures 12.5 inches x 2 feet x 26.2 inches, and is pretty heavy at 47 pounds. It’s got a central pillar and individual compartments for power supply, hard drives, and optical drives. You can do so much with this chassis, it’s unbelievable!

The design engineers took into consideration the fact that enthusiasts will work and play non-stop and this is why every compartment is individually ventilated. With big panels covering the removable motherboard, GPUs, and PCI-E cards, you now have easier access to all your components. It also has 6 slots for hot-swap SATA hard drives with a cool red LED, mounted on 2.5 and 3.5 inch drives. You will find the precious optical drives at the top right corner and the power supply on the opposite side.

The red LED strip crosses the top and rear sides, with red LED exhaust and intake fans along the motherboard panels. Hooking up your cables will not be a problem because of easy access in the rear.

A $700 chassis is a very steep a price to pay, and since this is a new concept in casing, it’s now a wait and see if everything will really pull together to change the landscape of gaming for hardcore enthusiasts.

Read more at MaximumPC.com

The Battle Of Free Antivirus Programs: AVG Free 9 Versus Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0

No computer system that goes online can be without an anti-virus application.  Luckily, there are anti-virus applications that you can download free. Here are two of the latest ones released.

Note that in a business environment Beanstalk Computing recommends a more professional antivirus solution.  This is for personal use only.

Published by AVG Technologies just this 11^th of November, AVG Free 9 will work on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It has been optimized to use less memory and slow down your computer much less than previous versions, and is trusted by many users as they are already in their ninth version.

AVG 9 also has new features such as anti-phishing and  screening websites that you visit. Furthermore, it comes with a convenient safety ranking ratings for search engines which can save you a lot of time.

Looking at the new free anti-virus of Microsoft, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) Version 1.0, you might be even more impressed. It works best on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Trying MSE, you will notice that it is has a simple, clear graphic interface that is very user-friendly. It comes with a green/red taskbar icon that quickly lets you know the status of antivirus quickly and easily.

For a free anti-virus software, MSE is surprisingly adept at what it does, and out chases AVG 9 as far as its friendly interface is concerned. Of course, AVG 9 has one solid wall to lean on: Its trust and history with users which can be hard to compete with.

The Lunar Charger from Ultralast Green

Manufactured by the makers of UltraLast Green Batteries, the Lunar Charger really looks like something from out of this world. It even comes with an intriguing green night light that pulses while charging.

You can charge all your AA or AAA green batteries quickly and efficiently. Measuring a mere 7 inches by 4.2 inches by 4.2 inches, and weighing a mere 8 ounces, this is one charger that is a handy carry-on wherever you go.

It even comes with 4 AA UltraLast Green batteries that have been pre-charged, which means you’re all set from the get-go. You can pick this up from Amazon or many other locations.

It’s all about being green, and as far as environmental concerns and saving the earth is concerned, you can do no better than this charger. Not only will your batteries hold their charge for up to 6 months, if you don’t use them for up to a year, you still can get at least 80% charge. What’s more, you get to charge over and over again up to 500 times, or the equivalent of 3 years.

With just one UltraLast battery, you get to save the earth from having to deal with a thousand regular alkaline batteries. At $29.99, you even get a 3 year Limited Warranty.

Ultralast Green is one of Beanstalk Computings Premier clients.  We have helped manage their IT needs for the last two years.

Droid Does: New Android Phones to Compete with the Iphone

Android is the an OS created by Google, running on the Linux open source kernel. Today, it’s causing quite a stir with the launch of the droid phone from Verizon.

Let Beanstalk Computing help your San Diego Small Business setup Exchange Activesync on your new smartphone!

The Motorola droid phone from Verizon is being touted as the answer to the iphone on Verizon, finally a descent smartphone from Verizon! The Xperia X10 released by Sony is another player in the field trying to wrangle a share of the huge mobile phone market. Can the droids really knock out the iPhone?  Probably not, but it will but another nail in the coffin for Windows Mobile.

Let’s look at what Verizon can offer: a bigger screen, better resolution, keyboard and touch screen, better cell signal, and multitasking. But let’s compare this to the iPhone....

The iPhone is lighter, more stylish, has a ton of apps, music and video synching, accessories, and design. Of course, it’s got a huge customer base already who are very happy with their iPhone.

Now let’s look at the Sony. Xperia X10 only uses the Android 1.6, unlike the Verizon’s 2.0 and this means it misses out on the new features that the updated Android OS offers. However, the Droid only has 5 mega-pixel while the Xperia X10 boasts of 16x zoom, and a mega-pixel of 8.1 with video recording. The Xperia X10, which was called originally Rachael, won’t be out until early 2010.

Do we go with the new droid phones, or will the iPhone still be the leader of the pack? Hard to say right now, but definitely, droids are here to stay, and that can only mean better mobile communications for everyone!