New Technology Reviews!.: a-good-idea-

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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="179" mce_src="http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8007/imwatch540x299.jpg" src="http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8007/imwatch540x299.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="324" />Ever since Dick Tracy started talking into his wrist, sci-fi aficionados have craved the watch-phone hybrid. And every few years, some company comes along to make on without really considering whether or not it’s a good idea. The latest is the i’m Watch [sic], and if buzzwords could be translated into direct sales, not even Apple would be able to stand against it.</div>
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The i’m Watch is a lot like an updated version of the old Fossil Palm watches: a full touchscreen Android device crammed down into the size of a large digital watch. Its 1.54-inch, 240 x 240 display uses a custom interface and apps to manage your calls and contacts, and the 450 mAh battery is rated for a single day of use, or five hours of constant use. Naturally the watch doesn’t conform to Google’s idea of an Android smartphone, so it’s using its own app store for software support. And here’s the kicker: the i’m Watch isn’t a really a phone. There’s no built-in voice or data connection – it needs to tether to an Android, Blackberry, iPhone or what have you via Bluetooth in order to do access anything that’s not already on its 4Gb of storage.</div>
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Check out the video below, and see how many buzzwords you can catch in four and a half minutes:</div>
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The Italian startup will begin selling the i’m Watch in January, starting at $300. And again, that doesn’t include any real connectivity – it won’t replace your current smartphone, because you have to have some method of connecting to the Internet to access calls and texts. Normally we try to shy away from declarative judgements for unreleased products, but my money’s going towards something a little cheaper and more substantial, like, say, the Sony Ericsson LiveView or the MotoACTV. Dick Tracy would be ashamed.</div>
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Android-based i’m Watch is our new favorite buzzword machine

Ever since Dick Tracy started talking into his wrist, sci-fi aficionados have craved the watch-phone hybrid. And every few years, some c...

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Right now is a slightly confusing time to buy RAM. Those upgrading from a dusty old system with DDR2 support to a current platform such as Intel's Z68 or AMD's 990FX, will need to invest in some DDR3 memory to play nicely with your new chipset.</div>
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If you're on a triple channel chipset such as Intel's X58, you'll need three DDR3 modules instead of two. Why? Because there are three slots and you need to fill them. Just keep looking at the slots, manufacturers keep saying.</div>
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Sadly for most of us the practical benefits of tri-channel memory are next to none, and the additional financial outlay for triple-module kits makes that sting all the more. Best stick to dual channel, then.</div>
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That's only the beginning of your long road of decisions as a potential RAM buyer, though. 'What capacity should I go for?' we hear you say. 'What's more important, low latency or high frequency?' Good question. Let's… 'How much difference does RAM make anyway and how much should I pay for it? Am I ugly? Why did Dad leave?'</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Multi-tasking</span></div>
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Calm down! Wipe your worried brow and consider this – if you multi-task a lot, working on a desktop full of minimised applications, multi-tabbed browsers full of flash-heavy sites, then 8GB of RAM is a good idea. More, if you can afford it.</div>
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For the gamer, those priorities shift towards low latency and high frequency, at the expense of capacity, if need be. Enter (deep breath) ADATA's XPG Gaming v2.0 Series DDR3 2000G 2x 2GB kit.</div>
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Aimed squarely at gamers with more sense than money, it hits the ground running at 2,000 MHz, which spells good news for memory throughput and CPU-heavy tasks.</div>
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Is 4GB enough for a gaming rig? Absolutely. RAM has precious little effect on frame rates at any capacity, and while doubling up to 8GB will make heavy desktop use run smoother, 4GB isn't going to hobble your favourite games.</div>
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In that regard, ADATA's Gaming series has all the bases covered. Another impressive feather in its cap is an operating frequency of 2,000MHz. 1,600MHz is the standard at this price, although overclocking headroom varies wildly between sets. Slightly surprisingly, this set won't budge up to 2,133MHz; it's apparently operating pretty damn near maximum frequency.</div>
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There is some room for manoeuvre in latency timings, though. Stock settings are an underwhelming 9-11-9-27; a rather lethargic set of figures. The first figure: CAS latency, controls CPU communication speed and has a noticeable effect on performance. We managed to clock CAS latency down to a much more acceptable seven in the BIOS menu.</div>
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Tech Labs</h4>
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Despite our own tweaking though, ADATA's XPG Gaming v2.0 Series DDR3 2000G just doesn't have the raw speed we would expect. Corsair's Dominator GT 4 GB kit is a tenner more expensive and despite running at 1,866MHz, its lower latencies and robust, overclockable build make it more attractive.</div>
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Review: A-Data XPG Gaming V2.0 Series DDR3 2000G

Right now is a slightly confusing time to buy RAM. Those upgrading from a dusty old system with DDR2 support to a current platform such...