text:
All | Editorial | General Tech | Graphics Cards | Networking | Motherboards | Cases and Cooling | Processors | Chipsets | Memory | Displays | Systems | Storage | Mobile | Shows and Expos
MSI's GT80 Titan laptop with a mechanical keyboard coming soon
Subject: Mobile | October 30, 2014 - 03:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: msi, GT80 Titan, mechanical keyboard, cherry mx brown, gaming laptop
The full details are still a little sparse but we do know one thing for sure, the MSI GT80 Titan will be the first gaming laptop with an integral mechanical keyboard, it also happens to be backlit. The laptop is an 18" model and though it may look large in the pictures MSI reports it will be 17% thinner and 22% lighter than similar machines. They have also incorporated the SteelSeries Engine with CloudSync to allow you to save and synchronize settings via SteelSeries cloud storage. Check out the full PR below.
City of Industry, Calif. – October 30, 2014 – MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, unveils the GT80 Titan, the world's first gaming laptop with a mechanical keyboard.
First of its kind, MSI's GT80 Titan ushers the future of gaming by integrating a SteelSeries gaming keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches into the 18-inch gaming beast. Mechanical keyboards provide superior tactile feedback, increases durability, and enhances overall gaming experience by eliminating key jamming even during the most heated battle sessions.
"Performance is key for gamers and the GT80 Titan will forever change the mobile gaming experience," says Andy Tung, president of MSI Pan America. "We are proud to be at the forefront of the gaming evolution and will continue to provide solutions that deliver the most outstanding gaming experience in the world."
MSI's newest gaming laptop uses standard Cherry switches and a standard keycap with 27mm of thickness, nearly 5 times of traditional laptop keyboards. It is also the world's slimmest and lightest 18-inch gaming laptop, measuring 17% thinner and 22% lighter than its closest competitor. To fully optimize the keyboard, the GT80 Titan features an enhanced SteelSeries Engine with CloudSync, allowing users to save and synchronize settings via SteelSeries cloud storage.
New 13-Inch Windows 8.1 Tablet Rounds Out Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 2 Lineup
Subject: Mobile | October 29, 2014 - 09:08 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: yoga tablet 2, Windows 8.1, Lenovo, Bay Trail, atom z3745, atom
Lenovo made a new 13-inch Windows 8.1 tablet official today rounding out the company's Yoga Tablet 2 family. The aptly named Yoga Tablet 2 With Windows (13") combines the design and hardware features of the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro with the smaller 10-inch Yoga Tablet 2 (Android or Windows) siblings. This tablet lacks the Pico projector of the Pro model, but keeps the JBL audio hardware, QHD IPS display, and kickstand. It further adds a larger version of the Bluetooth AccuType keyboard seen on the 10-inch Yoga Tablet 2 Windows model. Aimed at productivity tasks, the Bay Trail-powered PC is equipped with additional memory and storage along with an ample 12,800 mAh battery rated at up to 15 hours of general usage (including video/audio playback and web browsing). It will be available for purchase next month for $699.
The Yoga Tablet 2 with Windows 13-Inch is a 2.27 pound (tablet only) PC featuring a 2560x1440 IPS display, JBL audio with a Wolfson Master Hi-Fi codec (two front facing 1.5W stereo speakers with a rear firing 5W subwoofer), 1.6MP webcam for video conferencing, and a bundled AccuType keyboard cover. External IO includes one micro HDMI video output, one micro USB port, and micro SD card slot, and an analog audio jack. The tablet and keyboard are all ebony black which sets it apart from the other mostly silver-clad Yoga Tablet 2s.
Internally, Lenovo has chosen the quad core Intel Atom (Bay Trail) Z3745 clocked at 1.86GHz, 4GB of LPDDR3 memory, and 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded upon by adding a micro SD card up to 64GB. There is no cellular data support, but the tablet does include dual band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 radios. A large 12,800 mAh Lithium Polymer battery powers the tablet for up to 15 hours, according to Lenovo.
The tablet runs the full version of Windows 8.1 and comes with a one month trail of Office 365 (which recently started offering 'unlimited' cloud storage).
It will be available for purchase in November on Lenovo.com for $699.
I like the black design and the inclusion of a keyboard along with the usage of Windows 8.1 makes this a better choice for business users than the Android-running Yoga Tablet 2 Pro model. The specifications look pretty good for what it is, though I question how many Lenovo will sell at that price point. You can find older generation convertible tablets, even from Lenovo, running the faster Intel Core (Ivy Bridge and similar) chips in that price range not to mention regular laptops should you not need the hybrid/tablet nature. It is kind of in an odd middle ground between the budget Bay Trail devices and starter ultrabooks though the high resolution IPS display and audio do not hurt.
Do you think it has a place in the market and will you be picking one up?
*For reference, the 13" Yoga Tablet 2 Pro has an MSRP of $499 while the 10-inch Yoga Tablet 2 (Windows, with keyboard) has an MSRP of $399. The $200 or $300 premium (depending on the comparison) gets you (at least) a device with more memory and storage and potentially an added keyboard or a larger device.
ARM Announces Mali-T800 Series of Mobile GPUs
Subject: Processors, Mobile | October 29, 2014 - 04:30 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: arm, mali-T800, mali
While some mobile SoC manufacturers have created their own graphics architectures, others license from ARM (and some even have a mixture of each within their product stack). There does not seem to be a specific push with this generation, rather just increases in the areas that make the most sense. Some comments tout increased energy efficiency, others higher performance, and even API support got a boost to OpenGL ES 3.1, which brings compute shaders to mobile graphics applications (without invoking OpenCL, etc.).
Three models are in the Mali-T800 series: the T820, the T830, and the T860. As you climb in the list, the products go from entry level to high-performance mobile. GPUs are often designed in modularized segments, which ARM calls cores. You see this frequently in desktop, discrete graphics cards where an entire product stack contains a handful of actual designs, but products are made by disabling whole modules. The T820 and T830 can scale between one to four "core" modules, each core containing four actual "shader cores", while the T860 can scale between one to sixteen "core" modules, each core with 16 "shader cores". Again "core modules" are groups that contain actual shader processors (and L2 cache, etc.). Cores in cores.
This is probably why NVIDIA calls them "Streaming Multiprocessors" that contain "CUDA Cores".
ARM does not (yet) provide an actual GFLOP rating for these processors, and it is up to manufacturers to some extent. It is normally a matter of multiplying the clock frequency by the number of ops per cycle and by the number of shader units available. I tried, but I assume my assumption of instructions per clock was off because the number I was getting did not match with known values from previous generations, so I assumed that I made a mistake. Also, again, ARM considers their performance figures to be conservative. Manufacturers should have no problem exceeding these, effortlessly.
As for a release timeline? Because these architectures are designed for manufacturers to implement, you should start seeing them within devices hitting retail in late 2015, early 2016.
Fancy a look at the MSI GS70 Stealth Pro?
Subject: Mobile | October 17, 2014 - 02:59 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: msi, GTX 970M, GS70 Stealth Pro, gaming laptop
Hardware Heaven just put up a quick overview of the new MSI GS70 Stealth Pro with the GTX 970M, i7-4710HQ, 16GB of DDR3-1600, a pair of Toshiba m.2 SSDs in RAID0 and a 1TB HDD. The screen is 17.3" at 1920×1080 and for those using this as a desktop replacement the HDMI and two mini-DisplayPort connections will allow 4K or triple display setups. It is less than 2cm thick but thanks to the all metal design it should not bend as much as certain other recently released mobile devices. The benchmarks of a variety of games showed the i7-4710HQ to perform similarly to the i7-4800MQ but the real star was the 970M; check it out here.
To really delve deep into this new mobile GPU check out Ryan's review.
"Last week NVIDIA launched their latest mobile GPU, based on their Maxwell architecture which powers the likes of their high end GTX 980. Today in our MSI GS70 Stealth Pro Review (GS70 2QE) we take a look at a laptop which uses the new GTX 970M in games such as Alien Isolation and The Enemy Within."
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 2QE @ Kitguru
- Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro @ The Inquirer
- Up close and personal with the MSI GT72 Gaming Laptop @ Kitguru
- The Xiaomi Mi Power Bank (10400 mAh) Teardown @ Tech ARP
- Elephone G3 Smartphone Review @ Madshrimps
- iPhone 6 @ The Inquirer
- ASUS ZenFone 5 Smartphone Review @ Hardware Secrets
Google Nexus 9 Powered by NVIDIA Tegra K1, Denver 64-bit SoC
Subject: Mobile | October 15, 2014 - 01:10 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: tegra k1, tegra, nvidia, nexus 9, Nexus, google, Denver
Along with the announcement of the Google Nexus 6 phone, Google is also announcing a new tablet, the Nexus 9. Sporting an 8.9-in IPS screen with a 2048x1536 resolution (4:3 standing strong!), a 6700 mAh battery as well as the new Android Lollipop operating system, perhaps the most interesting specification is that it is built around NVIDIA's Tegra K1 SoC. Specifically, the 64-bit version based on the dual-core custom built Denver design, marking that architectures first release in shipping product.
UPDATE: Amazon.com has the Google Nexus 9 up for pre-order in both 16GB and 32GB capacities!
Tegra K1 using 64-bit Denver cores are unique in that it marks the first time NVIDIA has not used off-the-shelf cores from ARM in it's SoC designs. We also know, based on Tim's news post on PC Perspective in August, that the architecture is using a 7-way superscalar design and actually runs a custom instruction set that gets translated to ARMv8 in real-time.
A software layer and 128MB cache enhance the Dynamic Code Optimization technology by allowing the processor to examine and optimize the ARM code, convert it to the custom instruction set, and further cache the converted microcode of frequently used applications in a cache (which can be bypassed for infrequently processed code). Using the wider execution engine and Dynamic Code Optimization (which is transparent to ARM developers and does not require updated applications), NVIDIA touts the dual Denver core Tegra K1 as being at least as powerful as the quad and octo-core packing competition.
It is great news for NVIDIA that Google is using this version of the Tegra K1 (can we please just get a different name for this version of the chip) as it indicates Google's commitment to the architecture in Android going forward, opening doors for the parts integration with even more devices with other hardware vendors moving forward.
More than likely built by HTC, the Nexus 9 will ship in three different colors (black, white and beige) and has a lot of callbacks to the Nexus 7, one of if not THE most popular Android tablet on the market. The tablet has front-facing speakers which should make it good for headphone-free media consumption when necessary. You'll be able put the Nexus 9 into a working mode easily with a new magnetically attached keyboard dock, similar to the iPad accessories widely available.
The Nexus 9 weighs in at 425g (the iPad Air weighs 478g), will have 16GB and 32GB capacity options, going up for preorder on 10/17 and shipping by 11/03. Google will sell both a 32GB Wi-Fi and 32GB LTE model with the LTE version (as well as the Sand color) shipping "later this year." Pricing is set at $399 for the 16GB model, $479 for the 32GB model and $599 for the 32GB+LTE version. That is quite a price hike for LTE capability and the $80 gap between the 16GB and 32GB options is annoying as well.
|8.9" IPS LCD TFT 4:3 aspect ratio QXGA (2048x1536)
|153.68 mm x 228.25 mm x 7.95 mm
|WiFi: 14.99 ounces (425g) LTE: 15.38 ounces (436g)
|Rear Camera: 8MP, f/2.4, 29.2mm focal length (35mm equiv), Auto-focus, LED flash Front Camera: 1.6MP, f/2.4, 26.1mm focal length (35mm equiv), Fixed-focus, no flash
|Front-facing stereo speakers, complete with HTC's BoomSound™ technology
|16, 32 GB eMMC 4.51 storage (actual formatted capacity will be less)
|NVIDIA Tegra K1 - 64 bit; Dual Denver CPUs @ 2.3 GHz
|Kepler 192-core GPU
| Broadcom 802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO)
|Quad-band GSM, CDMA, Penta-band HSPA, 4G LTE
|6700 mAh Wifi Browsing: Up to 9.5 hours LTE Browsing: Up to 8.5 hours Video Playback: Up to 9.5 hours Wifi Standby: Up to 30 days LTE Standby: Up to 30 days
|GNSS support for GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou Bosch gyroscope and accelerometer AKM magnetometer & hall effect sensor Capella ambient light sensor
|Ports & Connectors
|Single micro-USB 2.0 for USB data/charging 3.5mm audio jack Dual front-facing speakers Dual microphones, top/bottom
|Android 5.0 Lollipop
Google Nexus 6 Phone / Phablet with 6-in 2560x1440 Screen, Android Lollipop
Subject: Mobile | October 15, 2014 - 12:39 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: snapdragon 805, qualcomm, nexus 6, motorola, lollipop, android l, Android
The Android mobile market just got shifted again after three key announcements from Google today to refresh the Nexus family of products that have served as the flagships for Android devices for several years.
First up is the Nexus 6, a phone or phablet depending on your vocabulary preferences, a device with a 5.96-in screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 and a pixel density of 493 ppi. Built by Motorola and sharing a lot of physical design with the recently released Moto X update, the phone is sleek and attractive and will ship in both black and white color schemes.
Other specifications include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processors running at up to 2.7 GHz and an Adreno 420 graphics core. Capacities of both 32GB and 64GB will be available.
The Nexus 6 and its 6-in screen makes it larger than the Galaxy Note 4, larger than the iPhone 6 Plus and basically anything else considered a "phone" on the market today. The resolution of the phone is also much higher than the iPhone 6 Plus (only 1920x1080) and this should give Google's flagship a big advantage in clarity and media consumption - as long as the new Android Lollipop lives up to its claims.
Camera features are updated as well to include an f2.0 lens with optical image stabilization and a 13MP resolution. Fast charging is becoming particularly important in modern phones and Google claims the Nexus 6 will be able to get 6 hours of use from only 15 minutes of charging and more than 24 hours use from a full charge. We'll see how that pans out of course.
Google says that the Nexus 6 will ship in November with a pre-order in "late October". Expect an unlocked version on Google's Play Store while you can find on-contract versions at ALL US carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and even Verizon. On a side note, this marks the first time Verizon will carry a Nexus-branded phone since the Galaxy Nexus in December of 2011.
Be prepared to pay full price for this phone though. Google lists pricing for the 32GB model at $649 and for the 64GB model at $699.
|5.96" 1440x2560 display (493 ppi) 16:9 aspect ratio
|82.98mm x 159.26mm x 10.06mm
|6.49 ounces (184 grams)
|Rear Camera: 13MP, Dual LED ring flash Front Camera: 2MP @ 1.4 um pixel
|Stereo front facing speakers; 3.5mm headphone jack with 4 button headset compatibility
|Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 805 - Quad Core 2.7 GHz
|Adreno 420
| Broadcom 802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO)
|Network (+ Mobile Sku)
|Americas SKU: GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz CDMA: Band Class: 0/1/10 WCDMA: Bands: 1/2/4/5/8 LTE: Bands: 2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/41 CA DL: Bands: B2-B13, B2-B17, B2-29, B4-B5, B4-B13, B4-B17, B4-B29 Rest of World SKU: GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz CDMA: not supported WCDMA: Bands: 1/2/4/5/6/8/9/19 LTE: Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/9/19/20/28/41 CA DL: B3-B5, B3-B8
| 3220 mAh Talk time: up to 24 hours Standby time up to 300 hours Internet use time up to 8.5 hrs Wi-Fi, 7 hrs LTE Wireless charging built-in
Turbo charger gives up to 6 hours of power in 1 minutes
|Accelerometer, Gyro, Magnetometer, Prox, Ambient Light Sensor, Haptics, Hall effect, Barometer
|Ports & Connectors
|Micro USB Single nano SIM Power and Volume key on Right Hand Side of the device 3.5mm audio jack
|Android 5.0 Lollipop
Lenovo's New Yoga Tablet 2 Pro Packs In QHD Display, Pico Projector, and 8W JBL Audio
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | October 10, 2014 - 03:58 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: yoga tablet 2, tablet, qhd, lenovo yoga, Lenovo, ips display, intel atom, business
Yesterday, Lenovo revealed a barrage of products at an event in London including two new convertible laptops and new 8-inch and 10-inch tablets running Windows and Android. The final bit of new hardware to round out the new tablet lineup is the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro which is a larger version of the Yoga Tablet 2 with several tweaks specifically aimed at media consumption with focus on high quality audio and video.
The new tablet is a 13-inch tablet weighing 2.09 pounds and is 0.1-0.5" thick. Available in silver, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro shares a similar form factor with its smaller siblings including a 180-degree rotating kickstand with a cutout to allow hanging on a wall or the back of an airplane seat. The Pro model further adds a button on the side that pops out the kickstand which is not present on the non-Pro models.
The device is dominated by a large 13.3" QHD 2560x1440 IPS multi-touch display. The JBL audio is improved on the Pro model and includes two 1.5W front facing stereo speakers in addition to a rear 5W subwoofer. A 1.6MP webcam and 8MP rear camera with auto focus remains consistent with the Tablet 2 tablets. Lenovo has added a Pico projector exclusive to the Tablet 2 Pro that is capable of displaying a WVGA (854x480) resolution image up to 50" at between 40-50 lumens. External I/O includes a micro USB (OTG capable) port, 3.5mm audio jack, and one micro SD card slot.
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is powered by a quad core Intel Atom Z3745 clocked at 1.86 GHz with 2MB cache, 2GB RAM, and 32GB of internal storage (expandable by up to a 64GB micro SD card). Wireless radios include dual band 802.11 b/g/n and optional 4G (WCDMA 900/2100) which will not be available in the US. According to Lenovo, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro has a battery life of up to 15 hours.
Curiously, the tablet is running Android 4.4 KitKat rather than Windows 8.1. As such, this is a high end tablet that likely will appeal to consumers wanting a quality media consumption device despite the exclusive (to the Pro) hardware bits that would otherwise appeal to business professionals wanting to create and deliver presentations (which was my first thought when seeing the hardware specifications). With that said, the display and audio are sure to please media enthusiasts. I have reached out to Lenovo for comment on the absence of Bluetooth support (mainly regarding keyboard support) in the documentation and will update the article if I receive a response.
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro will be available soon with an MSRP of $499. For comparison, the 10-inch Tablet 2 Android has an MSRP of $299. The $200 premium gets up a larger (and higher resolution) display, better potential audio, a projector, and a bit more internal storage space albeit at the cost of slightly shorter battery life.
Lenovo Launches Atom-Powered Yoga Tablet 2 Tablets Running Android or Windows
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | October 9, 2014 - 05:02 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: yoga tablet 2, yoga tablet, Windows 8.1, Lenovo, atom, Android
Back in January, Ryan got his hands on Lenovo's 8-inch and 10-inch Yoga tablets. The tablets ran Android OS, had good battery life, and featured a unique design that included a tube and kickstand. Despite less-than-stellar performance, Ryan came away with positive impressions thanks to the comfortable form factor and long battery life.
That was almost a year ago. Today, Lenovo unveiled updated Yoga tablets that address the pitfalls of the previous models while keeping the unique ergonomic form factor. The Yoga Tablet 2, like its predecessor, comes in 8-inch and 10-inch models and will run Android or Windows 8.1 operating systems, depending on the specific SKU. The Yoga Tablet 2 features upgrades to full resolution displays, Intel Atom Z3745 processors (the previous models used a quad core MediaTek Cortex-A7), and an improved 180-degree hinge. The Android versions come in silver while the Windows 8.1 tablets are ebony black. The table below lists the dimensions and weight of the various models.
|8" Android
|10" Android
|8" Windows
|10" Windows
|0.92 pounds
|1.36 pounds
|0.94 pounds
|1.39 pounds
The Yoga Tablet 2 systems have the same general design as the previous models including one tubular side that holds a large battery, front facing stereo speakers, a power button, and an audio jack. One difference is in the kickstand, which can now be rotated 180-degrees and has a cutout that allows it to be hung on a wall or the back of an airplane seat (for example). Further, the Yoga Tablet 2 (8" and 10" alike) features an 8-inch or 10-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1200, a 1.6MP webcam, and a 8MP rear camera with auto focus and an improved BSI 2 (backside illumination) sensor.
Internal specifications are a huge improvement over the previous models including an Intel Atom Z3745 SoC (quad core clocked at 1.86 GHz with 2MB cache), 2GB LP-DDR3L memory, and internal flash storage. The Android models come with 16GB of internal storage while the Windows versions come with 32GB internal storage. In both cases, uses can use a micro SD card up to 64GB to expand upon the internal storage. Other features include dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, optional 4G (not available in the US), and a battery life of up to 18 hours.
The Android-powered version ships with Android 4.4 KitKat while the Windows version ships with Microsoft Windows 8.1 and one year of Office 365. The Windows version is able to take advantage of Intel Burst technology to allow monitoring of usage and overclocking to improve time to idle and reduced processing time at full load to improve battery life and balance performance.
The 10-inch Windows version comes bundled with a Bluetooth Accutype keyboard cover that can also be purchased separately for the 10-inch Android tablet.
Lenovo looks to have a winner on its hands with its updated Yoga Tablet 2 tablets, and I'm interested to see reviewers put them through their paces. On the Android side, the 8-inch Yoga Tablet 2 has a MSRP of $249 and the 10-inch model has a MSRP of $299. The Windows model starts at $299 for the 8-inch model and $399 for the 10-inch model with bundled keyboard. According to Lenovo these are the launch prices and rebates may be available in the future.
Lenovo Introduces New Yoga 3 Pro and ThinkPad Yoga 14 Tablet PCs
Subject: Systems, Mobile | October 9, 2014 - 03:41 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: yoga tablet 2, yoga tablet, Windows 8.1, windows, Thinkpad, lenovo yoga, Lenovo, haswell, Broadwell
At a press event in London (watch the livestream), Lenovo showed off two new convertible PCs – the Yoga 3 Pro and ThinkPad Yoga 14 – aimed at the consumer and business markets respectively that each incorporate evolutionary improvements over their predecessors. The Windows 8.1 PCs will be available at the end of October.
The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is the company's new flagship multi-mode system, and features build quality and internal processing power enhancements over the Yoga 2 Pro while being 17% thinner (0.5") and 14% lighter (2.62 lbs). Lenovo attributes the size and weight reductions to its new watchband hinge which is uses 800 pieces of aluminum and steel to achieve a thin yet flexible hinge with six focus points that resembles a metal watchband. Additionally, Lenovo has updated the display to a 13.3" multi-touch panel with (QHD+) 3200x1800 resolution. Other external features include JBL stereo speakers, a 720p webcam, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 and DC-input port, one micro HDMI output, and one audio combo jack.
Lenovo's new hand-constructed watchband-style hinge with six focus points.
Internally, Lenovo is using the Intel Core M-70 (Broadwell) processor, up to 8GB of DDR3L memory, and a 256GB SSD. Lenovo claims up to 9 hours of battery life, depending on usage. The PC will be available in Clementine Orange, Platinum Silver, or Champagne Gold.
Lenovo also announced the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14. While it does not have the kinds of form factor and hinge design improvements as the Yoga 3 Pro, it does maintain the useful Lift 'n Lock keyboard and feature welcome internal upgrades. The ThinkPad Yoga 14 measures 13.3" x 9.4" x 0.82" and weighs 4.1 pounds. The magnesium alloy frame holds a 14" 1920x1080 IPS display with 10-point multi-touch, a 720p webcam, dual microphones with noise cancelation, stereo speakers, a backlit Lift 'n Lock keyboard (which, when in tablet mode, raises the frame flush with the keys which lock in place), full keyboard, trackpad, and trackpoint nub.
This PC is noticeably bulkier and heavier than the Yoga 3 Pro, but it trades bulk for processing power, storage, and external I/O. Externally, the PC has one full HDMI video out (which is preferable to having to remember a micro HDMI adapter on the road or to meetings), two USB 3.0 ports, one combo USB 2.0/DC power/OneLink docking connector, one SD card slot, and one audio combo jack. The ThinkPad Yoga 14 is powered by an Intel Core i5 (Haswell) processor, NVIDIA GeForce 840M GPU, either 4GB or 8GB of DDR3L memory, and 1TB hard drive paired with 16GB flash for caching purposes. It comes with Windows 8.1 and "all day" battery life of up to eight hours.
In all, it has some useful updates over last year's model which we reviewed here.
Pricing and Availability:
The Yoga 3 Pro and ThinkPad Yoga 14 will be available at the end of October from Lenovo.com or Best Buy. The Yoga 3 Pro has an MSRP of $1,349 while the ThinkPad Yoga 14 starts at $1,149.
Both systems continue the Yoga family forward, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the Broadwell-powered Yoga 3 Pro performs in particular. I do wish the Lift 'n Lock keyboard technology had trickled down to the consumer models even understanding it would add additional weight and thickness. Obviously, Lenovo felt the tradeoff was not worth it though.
MSI Revamps Armory of Gaming Laptops with Latest NVIDIA GTX 970M & 980M Graphics
Subject: Mobile | October 7, 2014 - 01:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: nvidia, msi, maxwell, GTX 980M, GTX 970M, gt dominator, gs stealth, gs ghost
You've heard about NVIDIA's new GTX900M Series and MSI has released two new families of gaming laptops which contain the new GPU. The GS Stealth and Ghost series are the thinner, lighter more mobile of the laptops while the Dominator Series is more a desktop replacement and should also give you a good workout while you are carting them around. The base model will run you $1600, with more expensive options available such as the limited edition Crimson Red Stealth Pro model at the end. Before you ask, no the integral displays are not G-SYNC however since the mobile GPUs are based on Maxwell you may be able to output to a G-SYNC monitor with a variable refresh. Stay tuned for more.
City of Industry, Calif. – October 7, 2014 – MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, announces the immediate availability of the critically acclaimed GS Stealth/Ghost Series and GT Dominator Series gaming laptops with NVIDIA's latest GTX 900M Series graphics. Armed with unprecedented power and an array of cutting-edge features, including MSI's new SHIFT technology, the new gaming notebooks deliver up to 28% more graphics performance for a mobile gaming experience without barriers.
"MSI's newest gaming laptops showcase breakthroughs in mobile gaming technology that improve graphics performance, increase gaming comfort, and transport gamers into an unbelievable gaming journey," says Andy Tung, president of MSI Pan America. "NVIDIA's GTX 900M Series GPU delivers mobile graphics that are up to par with desktop graphics card models and superior to anything we've ever seen."
SHIFT Your Speed
MSI's newest gaming laptops feature their exclusive SHIFT power adjustment technology that enables easy tweaking of CPU and GPU performance to best suit the gamers' needs. SHIFT comes with three proprietary modes: Sport to maximize CPU and GPU usage for extreme performance, Comfort for a smooth and balanced ride, and Green, which enables the lowest power consumption of both CPU and GPU while maintaining the coolest constant temperatures for both.
Unprecedented Customization
MSI provides unprecedented customization in all NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900M Series graphics equipped laptops via the Dragon Gaming Center and SteelSeries Engine. Gamers can SHIFT CPU and GPU usage through the Dragon Gaming Center as well as monitor system performance, temperature, network speed, power consumption, fan speed and more. The SteelSeries Engine gives gamers the ability to personalize playing style with over a billion customization options, program individual keys for unlimited configurations, determine key color and lighting patterns, save and share configurations, and learn gaming patterns with key usage statistics.
Cutting Edge Components
All revamped gaming laptops come with 4th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, Killer E2200 Game Networking, Sound Blaster Cinema, Dynaudio Technology, XSplit Gamecaster, 4K HDMI Output, Matrix Display and NVIDIA Surround View. NVIDIA Surround is now supported on all next gen models, allowing gamers to immersive themselves in the ultimate gaming experience. Select models come with MSI's Super RAID technology which supports up to 4x M.2 SATA SSD's in RAID 0, ultra-high resolution 3K displays, and Killer DoubleShot Pro combining Killer E2200 Game Networking with Killer N1525 Wireless AC.
MSI's latest update applies to the ultra-thin and light GS70 Stealth Pro and GS60 Ghost Pro models, and the potent GT72 Dominator, GT70 Dominator and GT60 Dominator gaming laptops. All GS and GT gaming laptops equipped with NVIDIA's GTX 900M graphics are available now starting at $1,599.99.
In addition, MSI is launching a special edition GS70 Stealth Pro in Crimson Red, catering to the demands of gamers who want more choices in color and style. The GS70 Stealth Pro Crimson Red edition will be available through online retailers with next gen graphics.
New Amazon Kindle Fire HDX Features Cameras and Optional Keyboard
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | October 4, 2014 - 11:43 PM | Tim Verry
Amazon launched a bevy of new tablets and eReaders late last month. An updated Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 will be available October 21st and replaces last year's model as the flagship Kindle tablet.
Measuring 8.9" and weighing 13.2 ounces (13.7oz for the 4G model), the upcoming HDX 8.9" tablet retains the same form factor as its predecessor. The mobile device does pack in internal hardware improvements, updated software features, and an optional bluetooth Fire Keyboard accessory. The tablet features an 8.9" 2560x1600 (339 PPI) display, Dobly Atmos audio, an 8MP rear camera, and a 720p front-facing webcam. Amazon is using what it calls "Dynamic Light Control" which alters the display's color temperature to match ambient light along with a dynamic backlighting.
With that said, the major changes between the previous model and the new Fire HDX 8.9 lie in updated internal hardware and Amazon's latest operating system and UI features. Specifically, Amazon has upgraded to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC and a faster (802.11ac) Wi-Fi radio. Last year's tablet used the Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.2GHz with an Adreno 330 GPU. The new HDX 8.9's Snapdragon 805 is clocked at 2.5GHz and features an Adreno 420 GPU. Both tablets feature 2GB RAM and 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB internal storage options. Amazon claims up to 12 hours of battery life when reading, browsing the web, and watching videos.
The new tablet with ship with Amazon's latest Fire OS operating system known as Fire OS 4.0 "Sangria." Sangria is a custom fork of Android 4.4 KitKat that features Amazon's custom user interface in addition to ASAP predictive pre-loading, Smart Suspend technology, Family Library media sharing, device profiles, and Mayday help/support.
The Fire Keyboard is a 7oz, 4.8mm thin Bluetooth keyboard that can attach magnetically to the optional Origami tablet case. The keyboard features 74 keys (including shortcut and search keys), a small trackpad, Bluetooth 3.0, and a lithium ion battery that has a claimed battery life of two months of active usage. It has an MSRP of $59.99 and will begin shipping October 21.The Origami case is another optional accessory that can hold and protect both the keyboard and tablet. It will be available in black, blue, and red leather for $69.99 from Amazon.
The new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is up for pre-order now but will officially be available on October 21st. Pricing and SKU data is listed in the table below. Needless to say, this is an overall minor upgrade over last year's model and it is not something existing HDX 8.9" users are likely excited about. However, on its own, the new model has decent specifications and if you are looking into a new Kindle Fire tablet, it is worth considering, especially if you plan to take advantage of the faster processor for activities such as gaming in addition to reading books and watching movies.
Pricing Information for Amazon's New Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" Tablet
Will you be picking up the latest Fire OS flagship?
KickStarter: MatchStick Is Chromecast-like with Firefox OS
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | October 1, 2014 - 03:17 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Kickstarter, Firefox OS, web, chromecast
When Google released the Chromecast, it was a surprisingly clean solution for streaming video (my apologies if solutions existed before it). Just plug it into HDMI and connect to it with a PC or a mobile device to use the TV as monitor for content, and it is cheap. I figured that the open source community would like one of their own, but I did not think it was going to be done. Now there is a Kickstarter up, with FirefoxOS.
I constantly struggle with whether to discuss crowdfunding because, on the one hand, you never know if something will tank. On the other hand, is it really any less sketchy than pre-release information for computer hardware or video games (especially pre-release news for video games)?
In this case, I found out that it was promoted by Mozilla on their Hacks blog. It is based on a Rockchip 3066 SoC with 1GB RAM, 4GB of storage and 2.4 GHz Wireless-N. As stated earlier, it runs FirefoxOS which means that apps are websites. The SoC has a Mali-400 GPU that is capable of OpenGL ES 2.0, so it might even be able to support WebGL if the software and drivers are certified. Don't expect jaw-dropping 3D graphics, though. The GPU is rated at about 9 GFLOPs. For comparison, the Tegra K1 has a peak compute throughput of about 365 GFLOPs; alternatively, it is fairly close to later-model Intel GMA graphics (not Intel HD Graphics... GMA). Still, it might allow for some interesting 2D (or simplistic 3D) games.
Just a day-or-so in, it is already at over 150% funding.
HP Releases Cheaaaaaap PCs and Windows Tablets
Subject: Systems, Mobile | September 30, 2014 - 04:15 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Windows 8.1, hp, cheap tablet, cheap computer
Before I get into the devices, the $149 HP Stream 8 tablet and certain models of the HP Stream 13 laptop (the ones with an optional 4G modem) includes "free 4G for life" for customers in the USA. Reading in the fine print, the device company apparently signed a deal with T-Mobile for 200MB/mo of 4G service. Of course, 200MB will barely cover the Windows Update regimen of certain months, but you have WiFi for that. It is free, and free is good. I can guess that T-Mobile is crossing their fingers that dripping a drop of water on the tongues of the thirsty will convince them to go to the fountain.
If it works? Great. That is just about the most honest way that I have ever seen a telecom company attract new customers.
Back to these devices. Oh right, they're cheap. They are so cheap, they barely have any technical specifications. The $199.99 HP Stream 11 laptop has an 11-inch display. The $229.99 HP Stream 13 laptop has a 13-inch display and can be configured with an optional 4G modem. Both are passively cooled (more fanless PCs...) and run on a dual-core processor. Both provide a year of Office 365 Personal subscriptions. Both are available in blueish-purple or pinkish-purple.
The two tablets (7-inch Stream 7 and 8-inch Stream 8) are a similar story. They run an x86 processor with full Windows 8.1 and a year's subscription to Office 365. Somehow, the tablets are based on Intel quad-core CPUs (rather than the laptop's passively cooled dual-cores) despite being cheaper. Then again, they could be completely different architectures.
While HP is interested in, you know, selling product, I expect that Microsoft's generous licensing terms (see also the Toshiba alternative we reported earlier) is an attempt to push their cloud services. They know that cheaper device categories cannot bare as much royalties as a fully-featured laptop, and not having a presence at those prices is conceding it to Google -- and conceding that to Google is really giving up on cloud services for those customers. The simple solution? Don't forfeit those markets, just monetize with your own cloud service. I doubt that it will harm their higher-end devices.
The four devices (Stream 7 - $99, Stream 8 -$149, Stream 11 - $199, Stream 13 - $229) are coming soon.
Apple A8 Die Shot Released (and Debated)
Subject: Graphics Cards, Processors, Mobile | September 29, 2014 - 01:53 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: apple, a8, a7, Imagination Technologies, PowerVR
First, Chipworks released a dieshot of the new Apple A8 SoC (stored at archive.org). It is based on the 20nm fabrication process from TSMC, which they allegedly bought the entire capacity for. From there, a bit of a debate arose regarding what each group of transistors represented. All sources claim that it is based around a dual-core CPU, but the GPU is a bit polarizing.
Image Credit: Chipworks via Ars Technica
Most sources, including Chipworks, Ars Technica, Anandtech, and so forth believe that it is a quad-core graphics processor from Imagination Technologies. Specifically, they expect that it is the GX6450 from the PowerVR Series 6XT. This is a narrow upgrade over the G6430 found in the Apple A7 processor, which is in line with the initial benchmarks that we saw (and not in line with the 50% GPU performance increase that Apple claims). For programmability, the GX6450 is equivalent to a DirectX 10-level feature set, unless it was extended by Apple, which I doubt.
Image Source: DailyTech
DailyTech has their own theory, suggesting that it is a GX6650 that is horizontally-aligned. From my observation, their "Cluster 2" and "Cluster 5" do not look identical at all to the other four, so I doubt their claims. I expect that they heard Apple's 50% claims, expected six GPU cores as the rumors originally indicated, and saw cores that were not there.
Which brings us back to the question of, "So what is the 50% increase in performance that Apple claims?" Unless they had a significant increase in clock rate, I still wonder if Apple is claiming that their increase in graphics performance will come from the Metal API even though it is not exclusive to new hardware.
But from everything we saw so far, it is just a handful of percent better.
Intel Expands x86 SoC Program to Tsinghua Unigroup
Subject: General Tech, Processors, Mobile | September 27, 2014 - 02:38 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Intel, spreadtrum, rda, Rockchip, SoC
A few months ago, Intel partnered with Rockchip to develop low-cost SoCs for Android. The companies would work together on a design that could be fabricated at TSMC. This time Intel is partnering with Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd. and, unlike Rockchip, also investing in them. The deal will be up to $1.5 billion USD in exchange for a 20% share (approximately) of a division of Tsinghua.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Intel is hoping to use this partnership to develop mobile SoCs, for smart (and "feature") phones, tablets, and other devices, and get significant presence in the Chinese mobile market. Tsinghua acquired Spreadtrum Communications and RDA Microelectronics within the last two years. The "holding group" that owns these division is apparently the part of Tsinghua which Intel is investing in, specifically.
Spreadtrum will produce SoCs based on Intel's "Intel Architecture". This sounds like they are referring to the 32-bit IA-32, which means that Spreadtrum would be developing 32-bit SoCs, but it is possible that they could be talking about Intel 64. These products are expected for 2H'15.
HTC Making the Google Nexus 9 with NVIDIA Tegra K1?
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | September 26, 2014 - 01:45 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: tablet, Nexus, google, nexus 9, nvidia, tegra k1
The Nexus line is due for an update, with each product being released for at least a year. They are devices which embody Google's vision... for their own platform. You can fall on either side of that debate, whether it guides OEM partners or if it is simply a shard the fragmentation issue, if you even believe that fragmentation is bad, but they are easy to recommend and a good benchmark for Android.
We are expecting a few new entries in the coming months, one of which being the Nexus 9. Of note, it is expected to mark the return of HTC to the Nexus brand. They were the launch partner with the Nexus One and then promptly exited stage left as LG, Samsung, and ASUS performed the main acts.
We found this out because NVIDIA spilled the beans on their lawsuit filing against Qualcomm and Samsung. Apparently, "the HTC Nexus 9, expected in the third quarter of 2014, is also expected to use the Tegra K1". It has since been revised to remove the reference. While the K1 has a significant GPU to back it up, it will likely be driving a very high resolution display. The Nexus 6 is expected to launch at around the same time, along with Android 5.0 itself, and the 5.2-inch phone is rumored to have a 1440p display. It seems unlikely that a larger, tablet display will be lower resolution than the phone it launches alongside -- and there's not much room above it.
The Google Nexus 9 is expected for "Q3".
Upward mobility for both Linux and Windows
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | September 18, 2014 - 01:11 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Red Hat, microsoft, Feedhenry
Red Hat just acquired Feedhenry for around €63.5 million to enhance their ability to support mobile apps. Feedhenry designs mobile apps on both the client and server side which run on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, QNX and HTML5 as well as integration with apps from companies such as Salesforce, SAP and Oracle. This purchase could help Red Hat become an attractive alternative for companies wishing to serve apps across all platforms and increased usage of Openshift and Openstack. The Inquirer also posted news on a extension to the price discount on Microsoft's licensing for mobile developers. They are still offering lifetime accounts for Dev Center for $19.99 for individuals and $99.99 for businesses, which compares favourably to the one time Android fee of $25 and even better against Apple's $99 per year. If they could just get their phones to play nicely with O365 this could well increase their market share for mobile phones.
"RED HAT HAS ACQUIRED Feedhenry, a designer of mobile apps for the enterprise market. The company sees the acquisition as a key driver to offer cross-platform support for its existing software products, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux Openstack 7, which it released earlier this year."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Micron cackles as it unveils its chameleonic FLYING DISK KILLER @ The Register
- Synology bakes word processor, groupware, into its NAS OS @ The Register
- Mathematica hits the Web @ The Register
- Scientists Twist Radio Beams To Send Data At 32 Gigabits Per Second @ Slashdot
- Can Certification Get You a Linux Job? @ Linux.com
- Vimeo snags 'MST3K' catalog and exclusive access to future releases @ Engadget
- Win One of Three be quiet! Straight Power 10 CM Semi-Modular PSUs @ eTeknix
Microsoft's Universal Mobile Keyboard Is Coming Soon
Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling | September 17, 2014 - 06:57 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: windows, mobile, microsoft, keyboard, ios, Android
Let me share a story. There was a time, around the first Surface launch, that I worked in an electronics retail store (and the several years prior -- but I digress). At around that time, Microsoft was airing ads with people dancing around, clicking keyboards to the Surface tablet with its magnetic click or snap. One day, a customer came in looking for the keyboard from the TV spots for their iPad. I thought about it for a few seconds and realized how terrible Microsoft's branding actually was.
Without already knowing the existence of their Windows 8 and RT tablets, which the ads were supposed to convey, it really did look like an accessory for an iPad.
Doing Microsoft's job for them, I explained the Surface Pro and Surface RT tablets along with its keyboard-cover accessories. Eventually, I told them that it was a Microsoft product for their own tablet brand and would not see an iPad release. The company felt threatened by these mobile, touch devices and was directly competing with them.
So Microsoft is announcing a keyboard for Windows, Android, and iOS. Sure, it is very different from the Type and Touch Covers; for instance, it does not attach to these devices magnetically. Microsoft has also been known to develop hardware, software, and services for competing platforms. While it is not unsurprising that Microsoft keyboards would work on competing devices, it does feel weird for their keyboard to have features that are specialized for these competing platforms.
There are three things interesting about this keyboard: it has a built-in stand, it has special keys for Android and iOS that are not present in Windows, and it has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 6 months. The peripheral pairs wirelessly with all of these devices through Bluetooth.
The Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard is coming soon for $79.95 (MSRP).
Android One sub-$100 Phones for Overseas Announced
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | September 17, 2014 - 05:03 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: google, Android, android one
In much the same way as FirefoxOS is targeting foreign markets with low-cost phones, with the Intex Cloud Fx as the extreme example, Google is pushing for the overseas markets with Android One. Based on Android 4.4 and updated as new versions launch, for up to two years at least, the devices will not be old and outdated.
In terms of hardware, the platform is said to feature front and rear cameras, a quad-core processor, a microSD card slot, and dual SIM slots. Google has several partners involved with the initiative: Acer, Airtel, Alcatel, ASUS, HTC, Intex, Karbonn, LAVA, Lenovo, MediaTek, Cromax, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Spice, and Xolo. Besides a baseline standard, and a bit of marketing, there does not seem to be much to the platform itself.
Of course, delivering a quality standard, at an affordable price, to places which normally cannot obtain smartphones at all is noteworthy.
Acer has a Switch you would actually want
Subject: Mobile | September 16, 2014 - 03:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: acer, inspire switch 12, core m, 5Y10a
The Inquirer had a chance for some hands on time with the new Acer Aspire Switch 12 convertible tablet and keyboard. It is powered by the new Core M 5Y10a at 1Ghz, which does not require a fan and has 4GB of RAM and runs Win8. The screen specifications were not listed but their eyeballs suggest the screen is a full 1080p which is a great improvement from the usual 1366x768 on these convertible devices. They were not overly impressed by the quality of the keyboard or the process to attach or remove it from the screen but the sacrifice in aesthetics does help to keep the device very light and thin when the keyboard dock is attached. You can see their preview here, hopefully a full review will appear soon.
"The Aspire Switch 12 is the successor to the Taiwanese firm's previous affordable multi-mode device, the Aspire Switch 10. It boasts a slimmer design thanks to Intel's new 14nm fanless processor, has a 12.5in display and features five alternative viewing modes."
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro @ Kitguru
- Samsung Chromebook Review @ Hardware Secrets
- Samsung's Galaxy Tab Active is a rugged Android tablet aimed at businesses @ The Inquirer
- Galaxy Tab S 8.4 @ The Inquirer
- IFA: Nokia Lumia 830 hands-on @ The Inquirer
- UMI C1 Smartphone Review @ Madshrimps
PC Perspective
Upcoming Events
Get notified when we go live!
PC Perspective Live! Google Calendar RSS


text:
Come celebrate "No Work Monday" at our annual Labor Day Eve yacht cruise with 200+ members from 20+ Meetup groups as we set sail around Manhattan for a four hour tour & party!
Mix, mingle, drink & dance the night away with a panoramic view of NYC skyline on a 100 foot long, 2-deck private yacht.
Boarding begins at 5:45pm. The boat takes off 6pm sharp and returns at 10pm.
What's included:
• Light Appetizers
• Ice-Breakers
• Cash bar
• Prizes
*50% off limited tickets available for $25 ($50 otherwise)
MUST PREPAY AT THIS LINK (No tix will be sold at door):
*Only 25 tix available at this price. Don't wait because these tickets will sell out quickly!
• The boat will sail rain or shine! The boat has two levels. The main level is air-conditioned and enclosed and there is an outside deck on the second level.
• The boat will depart at 6pm - please arrive on time - if you arrive 10 minutes late, the boat will be gone!
• There is paid parking at the marina, or you can try to find parking on the street. To get street parking, please arrive early to look around. By subway, take 6, N, Q, R lines to 23rd Street, walk 4 blocks east - the Marina will be in front of you.
• There is no strict dress code, but we recommend "neat casual". It is a 21 and older event.
• You must get your ticket in advance. RSVPing without pre-payment will not get you into the event. We're expecting a sell out. Tickets are only refundable if cruise is cancelled.
• The # of RSVP's reflect only a portion of those attending. We have 20+ groups co-organizing and 200+ members will be attending.
200+ already prepaid for tonight's cruise, only a few tickets left. The boat will sail rain or shine but don't worry about the weather because most of the boat is enclosed. Boat departs at 6pm & returns at 10pm.
No work tomorrow so come party tonight!
Tickets will not be sold at the door. Must prepay here - http://dljparty.ticketleap.com/yachtcruise/
0 · September 1, 2013
Meetup members, Log in
By clicking "Sign up" or "Sign up using Facebook", you confirm that you accept our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

subset: commoncrawl


text: My house is 30 years old. In the living room there is a crack that runs down the middle of the ceiling. I believe that it's do to the settling of the house. We have a fine popcorn finish on it. Any suggestions on how to fix this would be very helpful, as I am not sure of what to do. Thanks!


text:
About this AMI
- Published by Eminent Consulting Group ([http://www.djangoconsulting.com]).
- Django on Gentoo (DoG) Linux System
- This image contains a Gentoo Linux 2007.0 installation with Django application support.
- Gentoo Linux
- dhcpcd,
- logrotate,
- all packages are recent and updated,
- AMI tools have been installed and are fully working even for volume imaging,
- EC2 meta-data is fetched from 169.254.169.254 into /var/spool/ec2/meta-data,
- EC2 meta-data and user-data include files in /var/spool/ec2/meta-data and /var/spool/ec2/user-data respectively,
- Disabled password authentication in /etc/ssh/sshd_config
- Modifications to startup according to Amazon documentation
- the portage tree has been bind-mounted to /mnt/usr/portage to preserve space on the root file system,
- the /tmp directory has been bind-mounted to /mnt/tmp to preserve space,
- the /var/lib/postgresql directory has been bind-mounted to /mnt/var/lib/postgresql,
- the root home directory contains a dev-copy directory that is needed to build the volume images,
- all packages have been recompiled to correctly respect the Xen environment.
- Django
- Apache 2.2.4 installed (not in startup) and configured with Python support,
- Python 2.5.1,
- mod_python,
- Postgresql 8.2.4 (not in startup),
- psycopg2
- Subversion 1.4.3 (no repositories are setup)
- Django trunk version checked out into /home/django/django and installed as normal into the Python site-packages directory (django-admin.py copied to /usr/local/bin/),
- Support packages: libjpgeg, zlib, freetype2, zip, and unzip,
- Python packages: PIL 1.1.6, FeedParser 4.1, Markdown 1.6, Unipath 0.1,
- This image contains the following daemons / services:
- local
- net.eth0 / net.eth1
- netmount
- dhcpcd
- sshd
- syslog-ng
- vixie-cron
- apache 2 (disabled by default)
- postgresql (disabled by default)
Special Instructions
Sample Application
The instance can accept a set of user data parameters for setting up an application. I've provided a default application to indicate the process for creating your own application setup scripts. If you run the instance with the following parameters it will startup a complete running default application based on the Django Vote tutorial.
ec2-run-instances ami-29947140 -k gsg-keypair -d "app=mysite-setup&url=http://s3.amazonaws.com/eminent-ami/mysite-setup.tgz"
Once the server is up and running you should be able to to enter the public hostname (starts with ec2) into your browser and view the application. The Admin section of the application is in the location /admin. Credentials are:
Username: admin
Password: password
The default application will be installed into the /home/django/mysite directory. The setup scripts for the application will get installed into /opt/mysite-setup. The Admin media directory and the mysite media directory are both symbolically linked to the /var/www/mysite/htdocs directory.
Postgresql Configuration
Postgresql is installed but there is no database setup and the service is not started by default. The database directory /var/lib/postgresql is bind mounted to /mnt/var/lib/postgresql. The configuration files have been configured according to the Gentoo Postgresql How-To (http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Configure_Postgresql) document with the included logging changes. Configuration files are symbolically linked in from /etc/postgresql for those that like that sort of thing. A sample of creating and restoring the database can be found in the mysite-setup scripts for the Sample Application. Write Ahead Logging (WAL) is not implemented, but would be necessary implementation detail for most sites.
Creating an Application Setup Package
The mysite-setup package (http://s3.amazonaws.com/eminent-ami/mysite-setup.tgz) is the base requirements for your own application setup package. At a minimum you are required to have a bin directory with a file in it called setup.sh. Within the setup.sh script you are free to put any setup instructions you need or pass those tasks off to other scripts written in the language of your choice.
Currently the configuration of this image requires that the application setup package is publicly available and downloadable via curl (see the application-setup.sh script). I plan to add security implementation details in the future.
What's New?The following changes were made on 2007-06-01.
- Initial release
Grateful thanks to Geert Bevin for his initial Gentoo image.
Special thanks to RightScale for ideas and guidance provided by their startup scripts


text:
© Thomas G. Barnes, University of Kentucky
Common Name(s):
Tufted Evening-primrose
Stemless Primrose
Fragrant Evening Primrose
White Stemless Evening Primrose
Gumbo Lily
Scientific Name(s):
Oenothera caespitosa Nutt.
Scientific Name Synonyms:
None Known
Origin: Native
Growth Characteristics: The flowers of tufted evening-primrose open late in the day and turn pink and wilt the following morning. It can grow up to 1 foot tall, is nearly stemless, and grows from a thick taproot. It blooms April-September.
Flowers: Large white flower with four heart-shaped petals and eight yellow stamens. Flowers can measure up to 3 inches across and have a wonderful fragrance.
Fruits/Seeds: Rough seedpods, about 1 inch long, form soon after flowering.
Leaves: A basal rosette of lance-shaped and toothed leaves, growing up to 12 inches long. The leaves are crinkly, gray-green, and fuzzy.
Stems: Very short
Ecological Adaptations:
Found in pinyon-juniper woodlands and shadscale scrub communities. Common on roadsides, and is often abundant on steep dry slopes and sandy soils. Found at elevations of 2980-9500 feet.
Soils: Well-drained, rocky, sandy soils.
Associated Species: Pinyon pine, Utah juniper, shadscale.


text:
Officials Are Cracking Down on Illegal Fireworks
Regional and state agency heads in California say they're cracking down on illegal fireworks this Fourth of July.
This Fourth of July holiday, authorities regionally, and around California, are taking a zero tolerance approach to the use of illegal fireworks.
Dennis Revell is with the Greater Sacramento Area Fireworks Safety Task Force.
"Law enforcement agencies and fire departments throughout the state will need everyone's help to protect their communities against the dangers of these illegal items," Revell said.
They say more than 175 tons of illegal fireworks have been confiscated in California this year alone.
Deputy Sacramento County District Attorney Ruanne Dozier says they're going prosecute vigorously.
"Individuals caught using illegal fireworks could be required to serve a minimum of 10 days in the county jail. We take these cases very seriously," Revell said.
Authorities also say sales of illegal fireworks often fund gang and even terrorist groups.


text:
Krystle Jones was born and raised in the small, southern town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Reading and writing have been lifelong passions of hers. In addition to being a novelist, she is also an award-winning flutist, and moonlights as a voice actress. Her voice can be heard in the popular online game, Alice is Dead 3.
The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)by Krystle Jones
The strength of Sloane's heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.
After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the/p>
- LendMe LendMe™ Learn More
The strength of Sloane's heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.
After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.
When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister's twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn't dead, and she vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life. But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. The city is harboring a devastating secret, one that could change the tide of the war and threaten to destroy everything Sloane has come to believe in.
Product Details
- 9781498952408
- Publisher:
- Krystle Jones
- Publication date:
- 03/12/2017
- Series:
- Red Sector Chronicles , #1
- Sold by:
- Draft2Digital
- Format:
- NOOK Book
- Sales rank:
- 69,577
- File size:
Meet the Author
Customer Reviews
Average Review:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
See all customer reviews
I received this book to review from the R2R (Read 2 Review) program. Thank you for the book and the chance to read it. I devoured this book in a few short hours. It was about 180ish pages on the Nook, and I did enjoy it. This was a dystopian about a teenage girl named Sloane. In the beginning she starts out in the white sector, a place where she is safe. She soon travels to the red sector which is full of vampires to look for her brother who is presumed dead. The author's world building is honestly really good. You get transported easily, through her wonderful details. The plot was interesting enough, and had a little bit of mystery as well as a lot of excitement. Sloane is quite an awesome heroine. Very strong AND smart. She can handle herself, and she doesn't become all stupid when she meets a guy like so many other characters I've been reading about lately. (sorry for that little rant) But yeah. I loved Sloane. The story moves very fast and that's a good thing. It's never boring, but I believe it went almost too fast at times. Some parts felt rushed and contrived. Sloane does get out of some sticky situations too easily. The book could have probably been a little longer, but for a first novel I think it's very good. The story had some fun twists, and ends with a nice cliff hanger. I will continue this series when book two comes out!
This was a very entertaining young adult read. I was surprised and thoroughly enjoyed it! Sloan is a 17 year old vampire hunter who ventures out of the safety of the ¿white sector¿ to the vampire infested ¿red sector¿ to look for her missing twin brother. She meets Aden a young handsome vampire and is shocked because she has only seen the rogue vampires who are little more than animals. Aden turns her against her will and Sloan has to deal with her feelings towards vampires, her previous human friends and fellow vampire hunters, and her attraction to Aden. Sloan is a wonderful female heroine, she is strong and independent. I enjoyed this dystopian novel immensely and would recommend it to Teenagers and Adults. Thank you to Krystle Jones, read and review from the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics! on goodreads!
I really enjoyed this suspenseful story of Sloane. It is a futuristic story about vampires taking over and almost wiping out humanity. Reading about Sloane who has such love for her brother Orion, is just poetic about what siblings would do for each other. Sloane is the exact character I love, strong willed, hard headed and not easily persuaded by love. She's tough and when she sets her mind to something, nothing can stop her. She is no damsel in distress although she is saved often but she goes down fighting every time, never giving up. Her attitude and dedication alone is what makes this book enjoyable. I liked that there are 2 types of vampires, rogues who have no humanity and feed off of humans, and then the "normal vampires" who still have their humanity and live like normal human beings. When Sloan risks her life to go searching for her brother, she believed that all the vampires were like rogues. Then she meets Aden, who is your "normal vampire". Aden realizes she is the daughter of the Sovereign, leader of the Pennsylvania White Sector, and decides to change her. Sloan must now learn how to live as a vampire and somehow get back to her family. Sloan's adventure begins here, finding out that the vampires aren't as bad as she thought they would be and didn't expect to fall in love with one. I would definitely recommend this one to my PNR YA readers. Enjoy.
I wasn't too sure about this one but I decided to give it a try. The next time I looked up an hour had passed me by! This is a very fast-paced story with a few twists and turns along the way that keep it interesting. Worth the time to read!
I got this book through a GoodReads Giveaway... and boy was I glad to get it! The author did a great job of creating a world that was interesting and characters that you can cheer for and want to learn more about. This was a great read that sucked me right in. When I finished it I quickly went in search of the next book in the series and devoured that one too. Can't wait for the third book! I have become a Krystle Jones fan!
This book was so good! I was literally holding my breath the whole time! It BLOW MY MIND! This Author kept the plot going. There was NEVER a dual moment in this book and that's really rare to find a book that always has something going on! Well look no farther because if you like Vampires, Apocalypse, Action (Lots of Action) Blood-shed, with a touch of Romance then you finally found it. This book is a hidden gem! AMAZING, Really! Here's the Plot This books starts off a couple years after the night of the eclipse. The night the vampires decided to let their bloodlust get the best of them. The vampires came out of no where slaughtering people, and they weren't you're regular kind of vampires you usually read about. These vampires are the mindless rabid creatures that only craves blood and blood only! So after the vampires wiped out a big chunk of the human population, the remaining humans were rounded up and sealed off in their own little city called "The White Sectors" cut off from the rouge vampires who are in "The Red Sectors". But before the night of the Vampire-Eclipse. Sloane a seventeen-year-old girl's brother went missing after he was attacked by a rouge vampire and never seen again. Everyone told Sloane that her brother was dead but Sloane won't except he's dead until she found out for herself. So that's when the adventure starts! Sloane leaves the safety of "The White Sector" to venture out into "The Red Sectors" in search for the truth of her brother. And that's when Sloane finds out that everything she once believed is a lie. She is captured and turn by a "Normal" Vampire (Not the rabid blood thirsty kind). And Sloane finds herself being the very thing that she once hated since her brother went missing, A Vampire. So that's when the real fun starts! As Sloane fights the undenying attraction that she is having towards her "Maker" (The one who turned her) Captain Knight she learns secrets that will destroy her life and if unchanged destroy the rest of the world. Sloane has to put her trust in the very thing she once hunted as a vampire hunter and before all is said an done, Sloane may find that a vampire may be trusted more then her own family! This book has SO MANY Twist and turn that you won't see coming and leaving you on the edge of your seat as the truth emerges and worlds are turned upside down and shattered! This is definite MUST-READ! I give this book 5 stars and would definitely give it more! If you like "Immortal Rules", "Reign Of Blood", "Darkness Before Dawn", and "The Vampire Apocalypse" then you'll LOVE this book!
The Scarlet Dagger satisfied my craved for a kick butt heroine in an completely action packed read. This alternate universe was quite intriguing. It has been three years since that awful night. The night that Scartlet along with most everyone see knows lost someone they love. The night the Vampires took over. Now they have found a way to exist even if that is in seclusion. Or rather an entire city surrounded by walls that will keep everything outside. Scartlet has carried the scar from that terrible night that she not only lost her life as she knows it, but also the life of her twin. Feeling the guilt that she has carried for the past two years, this book jumps immediately into action. Scartlet is venturing out into the red zone; the area outside of the walls where all of these creatures still live. Only what she finds on this mission to find any trace of her brother will change that world she knows it yet again. Trying to sort through her prejudices she will be forced to look at the world in a new light. This is a story full of who can you trusts and whys... The Scarlet Dagger was a powerful and excellent story. It is fresh and inventive, and leaves me anxious to see what will happen in the next. ~BookWhisperer Reviewer JO~
Fantastic Series Start Three years ago, during an eclipse, the world changed forever. Vampires attacked and about a third of humans were killed. The land is now divided by sectors, and not all of them are deemed safe. Government as we know it ceased to exist, and a new government popped up in its place. The White Sector is clear of vampires, and a new sovereign is in charge. That new sovereign is Sloane's mother, and that means everyone's eyes are on Sloane, which makes her plan to cross to the Red Sector to save her twin brother a bit difficult. But Sloane is no ordinary seventeen year old. She's a hunter, a member of the Black Cross Guild, and they are identified by the tattoos of black crosses on their wrist. While she is in the Red Sector she is attacked and changed into a vampire. Sloane learns that vampires aren't just mindless killing machines, they are people with thoughts, hearts, and feelings. And a hidden society underground. And furthermore, she carries the mark of The Creator. Oh yeah, things are about to get real for Sloane. The world that Krystle Jones created is a terrific post-apocalyptic lover's fantasy. The vampire society underground is, in many ways, much better than how the humans are living above ground. It was absolutely so cool to read about all the different aspects. There is housing, entertainment, law, hospitals. It's really a sight to behold. Every time something new was introduced I was absolutely in awe. And that's not only the amenities – the vampires inhabiting it are terrific too. She's created characters to adore and fall in love with… or despise. Of course there is Aden, the vampire who turned Sloane. There are times you wonder whether you can trust him or not. He certainly seems trustworthy, but the man has some secrets, that's for sure. I really loved him throughout the entire story. There are other characters I really liked. Angel, for one. She is bubbly and fun, and not at all what you'd expect. And she turns out to be a true friend to Sloane, in many ways. I really enjoyed reading about her. Rook is another vampire who intrigued me. I won't blow the secret about Rook, but I definitely want to see more of him. Whatever makes him tick has got to be one heck of a story! As for romance, don't expect too much of it in this story. There is a bit, and there's potential for more, but it's definitely not a PNR. If you want good ol Urban Fantasy action and mystery, then this is definitely the story for you. The author has proven she has a terrific imagination and the story will keep you turning pages until the end. There is a bit of treachery, wahoo! And surprises are around every corner. I definitely recommend this story to vampire lovers! And once you learn the meaning behind the title, The Scarlet Dagger, it definitely adds a game changer to the vampire/vampire hunter story.
Great vampire read.. Three years ago the Eclipse occurred. Humans were attacked by vampires. The remaining humans live in the white sector while the vampires remain in the red sector. Seventeen year old Sloane McAllister lost her twin brother Orion to the vampires that night. If there is any chance he is alive, she must try to find him. And that's why she heads to the red sector armed with a scarlet steel dagger, which is deadly to vampires. Here she meets Aden, a vampire who seems just like a human to her. She had been led to believe that vampires were bloodthirsty monsters with no self control. They fight and he changes her. She wakes up in an underground city and tries to come to terms with being a vampire, her natural enemy. She fears that if she goes home, she will be killed by her friends and family because she is a vampire. But she feels that she has to try to escape and plays along to gain the trust of the vampires. But unexpectedly, she finds herself making friends among the vampires and falling in love. This is a dystopian, urban fantasy full of action, friendship and romance. It was a unique take on vampires and completely unpredictable. The characters were well written and the protagonist was a very likeable character. As was her love interest. I love books about vampires and this one didn't let me down. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to fans of this genre.
(Source: I won a digital copy of this book. Thanks to Proserpine@ Proserpine craving books, and Krystal Jones!) Sloane lives in a dystopian Pittsburgh, where vampires live in the 'red sector' surrounding the city, and humans are kept safe inside high fences. When 'the eclipse' happened 3 years ago, and the vampires came out, Sloan's brother Orion was taken, and Sloan is determined to find him. Stealing her best friend Leo's scarlet dagger – a weapon made with scarlet steel that is harmful to vampires, Sloan runs away and into the red sector, searching for any trace of her brother. Once in the red sector she's attacked by a rogue vampire. She kills him, but her next encounter with a vampire ends in disaster, and she wakes to find herself a vampire! Still determined to find Orion though, Sloane perseveres in her search, but all she ever thought she knew about vampires is about to be proved wrong though. Can Sloane find her brother? What will she do now that she herself is a vampire? And does she really have feelings for the vampire that turned her? I enjoyed this book. Although it was about vampires, it didn't feel like your average vampire story, and I liked the idea of the scarlet steel. Sloane was a great character, although she seemed older than her 17 years, and I admired her determination to find her brother, even if it was a little misguided. I liked Aden (the vampire that turned her), and thought that the subtle romance between them was done really well. He was a totally loveable character, and I liked the way he behaved towards Sloane. I liked the storyline, and didn't guess the major twists and turns in the tale at the end! I'm intrigued as to what will happen in the next instalment now! 7.5 out of 10.
Tell me how long it is please
I was given a copy of this novel from the author for any honest review! WOW! The overall composition of this novel was Jedi mind trickery at its finest! There is no way I could have guessed all the events as they played out in this dystopian, urban fantasy thriller. This novel takes us into a world riddled with a devastating discovery of vampires. Sloane lost her twin Orion and friend Rook the day the vampires revealed themselves in the most horrid manner. Three years later, unable to cope with the mystery of her brother's death, she ventures back to the forbidden sector that was once her family's home. It is there, she meets Aden, and her life is taken on a whirlwind of an adventure! Sloane wasn't the most kick butt heroine, I've ever met but she was definitely someone to be reckoned with. Here's my all time favorite scene: "I raced for the kitchen, careening into the cabinets as I flung open the knife drawer. Footsteps thundered toward me. Whirling around, I hurled one knife after the other as the men came through the doorway. Blades embedded themselves in their chests and foreheads, spraying blood along the wall. When I ran out of knives, I grabbed the biggest fork I could find and launched myself at the final man blocking my way. When he first saw the fork, he laughed- Right before I shoved it into his open mouth, so hard the prongs dug into the back of his skull." I was like a washed out high school quarterback watching the pros slam a touchdown at the Super Bowl on Thanksgiving when I read that scene. Like a proud papa bear, I leaped up so quickly, I almost broke my Nook! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! YEAH! *Clearing my throat* *brushing the nonexistent lint from my lapel* Pardon my outburst! This story almost read like a mystery novel, but like I said before, there was no way I could have guess all the events that took place. There's --> Betrayal, --> Romance, --> Secrets, & --> Assassination plots. Oh and to just leave your heart in your throat, we're left on a cliff hanger! The next installment of The Red Sector Chronicles is definitely on my radar!
The Scarlet Dagger is an impressive and original take on a dystopian vampire society. Sloane McAllister hails from a world that's split between the White Sector and the Red Sector (home of the underground vamps). Sloane escapes into the Red Sector, against the law, to find the twin brother that she doesn't believe is dead. The characters she meets along her journey, or she leaves behind, are all definitely unique. Some, like General Frost, are downright terrifying. It's just a shame that some characters, like her best friend Leo or her distant mom, are mostly in her thoughts and readers don't spend much time with them. Her discovery of the underground base begins with the ridiculously sweet vampire soldier, Aden. It's interesting to read how he changes from the 'Captain Knight' face of Aden to the carefree guy he is around Sloane. Aden is there for her throughout her struggles but might not be quite what he seems. The changes and decisions she faces are brought on by allies and enemies alike. Ms. Jones jumps right into the story weaving lies and truths to the very end. The slowly developing romance is sweet with an undercurrent of passion. Sloane is not without her trials and extreme bouts of paranoia (which were actually quite funny), so it's a smart move she makes when she doesn't immediately give in to Aden's charms. Despite her Hunter background and extreme dislike of all things vampire, Sloane is actually an honorable teen. It's a breath of fresh air to read about a girl with her head on straight, especially in the kind of world she's living in. The Scarlet Dagger keeps readers on the edge with several fast-paced action scenes. The ending is quite a surprise (as in nothing in the story gives it away) and leaves readers with a taste of foreboding and anticipation for the next book in the series, Dark Horizons. On a side note, I appreciated that Sloane was written as a bi-racial. It's not an important factor, but having variety in the stories I read is a definite plus.
I devoured this book in just two days! What's better then to come across a book that made ¿¿us live a lot of emotions! The author managed to create a fantastic, dark and mystical world. Boost with action from of wall to wall, mysterious, dark and endearing characters and a plot that will leave you breathless at the end of each chapter! The Scarlet Dagger isn't the first book of the author Krystle Jones and she totally handles her art! I loved her writing style: trendy, easy to read and at the end of each chapter, I asked for more and I received it! Krystle Jones portrays our world, ravaged by a virus a few years earlier, in which transformed much of the population into vampires. Humans that haven't been infected have trained and form a ''militia'' to destroy those who were infected. This new world is divided into sectors for separate humans from vampires. Sloane, the main character, is part of the ''militia''. She knows how to fight; she is intelligent and very strong girl. She's a natural beauty and I liked the fact that she's not childish even if she's young. She got values ¿¿in the right place and will fight for those she loves and cares. She has one thing in mind: to find her missing brother who has disappeared into the vampire's side a few years ago. Just with the summary of the book, the author had me hooked! I couldn't pass over this one! Kick-ass/Warrior girl, some sexy vampires: Oh my! Aden is a dreamy/vampire/sexy/hotness boy and I really enjoy reading about him and his grin! Who would not fall under the fangs of Aden!?!?! Wonder.... Even if he turns Sloane into a vampire against her will, Aden's still an interesting character. I can't see the ''monster'' in him... really! Very protective of Sloane, we often misunderstood his true intentions. Enigmatic and attractive, Aden will likely become a very important character in the books to follow! Can't wait to read the rest of this series and see how Sloane will manage what happens at the end of The Scarlet Dagger! Jeez, it's kind of love and hate ending for me!!! Krytle Jones's surely made of me a new slave to her Red Sector Chronicles!
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't find the heroine annoying which sadly happens in a lot of YA books. Looking forward to the second book, so please write faster Ms. Jones.
This book was like a hidden treasure, unexpected, and totally awesome. Sloane McAllister had a pretty good life; she lived with her twin brother Orion and her father. She had always resented her mother because she left their family to be in the military. Sloane's mother got pregnant with twins by a black man when she was 18, and her parents kicked her out. Although her mother said she left to make money, she didn't care about the money all she cared about was family. Sloane's life was pretty good other than that fact until the night when Vampire Rogues attacked everyone killing her twin brother Orion and his best friend Rook. Sloane and her father escaped in their car and made it to safety. Sloane still felt guilt for her brother's death and felt like it was her fault. Sloane finally decides to leave the safety of the White Sector of which her mother is the leader, and venture into the Red Sector (home of the Vampires) to look for her brother Orion. While on the ride to the Red Sector her best friend Leo called asking why his father's Scarlet Dagger was missing, and he figures out her plan and notifies her mother to try to stop her. Despite the warning to the Scarlet Guard, Sloane manages to slip past the guard into the Red Sector only to find a Vampire Rogue who wants to kill her. She kills him with The Scarlet Dagger (Scarlet steel is designed to kill Vampires, and if stuck deep enough it can burn them from the inside out). After this she decides to return to her old home. When she steps foot into her old home she is flooded with memories of the past, and wishes things were the way they used to be. Sloane was so caught up in memories that she barely noticed that someone was in the house with her, and when she turned to fight she is surprised to find that it is a Vampire who looks and talks just like her. All of this time she thought that Vampires were just soulless animals who kill and give in to blood-lust. While fighting the Vampire he turns her into one which goes against her very being, seeing how she is a Vampire Hunter sworn to kill the monsters who prey on innocent people. Aden is a Captain in the Underground Vampire Community and the Vampire who turned Sloane. When Sloane wakes up in a hospital, and doesn't remember anything except that she was turned into a Vampire she tries to escape twice. Both times Aden saves her life. Aden is placed as the guardian of Sloane because he was the one to stick up for her. When Sloane actually gets to know Aden her perspective and feelings on Vampires start to change. Sloane quickly realizes that the Vampires underground acted more human and caring than the humans she knew. Torn between loyalty, love, guilt, and pain Sloane must make the choice whether she will forsake mankind and all that she has ever fought for and believed in. Living underground with all of the Vampires has shown Sloane that not all Vampires are bad, just like all Humans aren't good. These Vampires are totally not what she expected and she soon starts to care for them. The end was totally mind blowing. I never expected what happened was going to happen. There are many secrets and mysteries that are uncovered in the end. I wish that I could tell you but you just have to read to understand. This was a perfect ending to lead in a series or a sequel, and I am really excited about the next book. I love the world that Krystle Jones had created, it's not your ordinary Vampire World. I love it! This book is different and
Everything begins when Sloane leaves everything behind to look for her brother, Orion, who everyone believes died when a vampire attacked them one night. But Sloane managed to escape leaving her brother and a friend, Rook, behind and now, three years after the tragedy, she is still blaming herself and her only hope is to find him and bring him home... or what is left of it. You see, Sloane's mom is Sovereign McAllister, the one who protects them from the vampire menace... but she reached that by abandoning her family; a family that her dad tried to save but failed when he died. But now Sloane is strong and with the scarlet dagger that she took from her best friend's dad she is ready to go into the Red Sector. That is until Leo calls security to stop her (he doesn't want to see her die). Major mistake... that only makes Sloane run faster to reach her goal... until she falls in a trap and a vampire almost kills her. And then, the impossible happens: a guy that can't be more than 16 is in the Red Sector (which is almost impossible) and he saves her... only to kill her himself. Yep, he is a vampire too, but a good vampire. And soon Sloane realizes that humanity is wrong: there are good vampires, bad vampires (rogues) and nut vampires. Forced to live within them for a mark that she is supposed to carry a journey begins: now she is a soldier working for the vampires, the guy who turned her is a Captain and she has to live with him and his mom and to make things worse they implant a chip in her neck that will electrocute her if she tries to run away... But could she truly turn her back to Leo and humanity to become a fully vampire? Could Captain Knight ever explain her what is the Mark of the Creator? Is she truly falling for the guy who ruined her life? And why on earth is someone trying to kill her every single day?! Personal opinion: First of all, I have to be honest, the beginning was a little bit slow for me but don't worry too much about it because after a few chapters the book improves a whole lot. The story develops perfectly and characters like Angel are the top of a perfect cake where twists and secrets have a lot to hide. And to make things better Aden, the one who turned Sloane, is a good and huge reason to like this book. Here we have a bad boy that feels and makes us feel. My final thought? I can't wait to see what happens next with everybody. Honestly, the end leaves so many things open that I need to read the next book soon!
Three years ago the moon turned blood red during the Eclipse and the world as Sloane knew it ended. While out with her twin brother Orion and their friend Rook, both guys get attacked by vampires and go missing. Not long after that, Sloane loses her father to cancer, leaving her with her mother who cares nothing for her, blaming her for her Orion's death. So after years of training with her best friend Leo as a vampire hunter, Sloane sets out into the Red Sector in search of her brother. What she didn't plan on was being turned into the very thing she was trained to kill. But soon Sloane finds out that not all vampires are crazy, blood driven animals. That some are actually are more human than the people she left behind in the White Sector. WOW oh WOW! Where do I being? This book was crazy good, crazy romantic and crazy suspenseful! I fell hard for Aden right from the start and when picturing him, I pictured Alex Pettyfer. *le sigh* Is that wrong? I mean, when she talked about his hair and his heavenly looks, Alex came to mind. Sure Aden can be a complex individual, but it¿s obvious he cares for her. Sloane is instantly easy to love. Just when you wouldn¿t blame her for shutting down, she steps up and gives it everything she has. I loved her feisty, cleaver quips, always saying what the rest of us are thinking. Immediately taken with this book from the very start, I couldn¿t put it down. The book¿s plot was so addictive and intense I feverishly read needing to know what would happen next. Now I am dying to get my hands on book two, Dark Horizons. Jones gives us a well written book with a nail biting storyline and amazing characters. Fans of vampires and the book Divergent will love this story. The Scarlet Dagger is one of my most fav reads of 2011!
A few words for this book: Amazing, Suspenseful and Funny. Everyone who reads this book is sure to fall in love with the characters just as I did. Salone is 17 and three years ago the Eclipse happened. It was Halloween night when everyone learned vampire weren't just myths and fairy tales. On this night, the Eclipse, vampires came out of hiding and slaughtered at least half of human kind, possibly including Salones' twin brother Orion. Now three years later, in her home town, it is divided into the White Sector, for humans, and the Red Sector, for vampires. Then one fateful night Salone "borrows" her best friend Leo's Scarlet Steel Dagger, which is lethal to vampires, and Leo's dads code to get through the gate and into the Red Sector to search for her lost twin brother Orion. Once out in the Red Sector Salone is soon caught by a Rogue vampire and must fight for her life against this monster. She barly makes it when she spots the house she lived in before the Eclipse, the house she had a family in. Drawn to the house she steps inside and is amazed at how similar yet different everything is when she is caught again by a vampire! But this isn't any ordinary vampire, this is Aden Knight. Can Salone make it out alive and find her brother Orion? Read this exceptional book to find out!
The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles #1) by Krystle Jones This is the first book I¿ve read by Krystle Jones, her writing style was easy to read and she told us a good story, I really liked this book and I can see a lot of potential for this series. The descriptions were good and not overly done, good plot, I definitely will be looking forward to reading Dark Horizons book 2. So we are introduced to 17 year old Sloane McAllister, vampire slayer. She is strong, independent and makes a great heroine, Sloane goal is to find her twin brother Owen who was taken by the vampires and she is unsure if he is dead or alive. Three years ago the world changed dramatically when the Eclipse occurred and the vampires tried to slaughter the human race. This lead to the remaining human living is the White Sector and Vampires living in the Red Sector. Sloan has trained hard and decides she is going to enter the Red Sector with a weapon called the scarlet dagger which is deadly to the vampires. The guilt she feels deep inside will not allow her to give up hoping that she will find Owen alive. Shortly after entering the red sector she is attacked and turned into a vampire by Aiden, you just know he is one of the main characters in this book, he is handsome, strong and Sloane of course is very attracted to him. But can she get past the fact that he destroyed her life and has turned her into the monsters she was meant to kill. She has always believed the vampires were monsters, blood thirsty and is she is having a hard time coming to terms with being a vampire. She still wants to get home even though she knows they may want to kill her. She decides to play along with them and get them to trust her knowing inside she is going to leave. She begins to make friendships and starts to fall in love with Aiden. This novel has romance, drama, friendship and of course the vampires so who wouldn¿t love to read Krystle¿s book, I for one really enjoyed it. The best part is the villain and I won¿t say anymore on that just go read the book. I want to thank Krystle Jones for giving the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics group the opportunity to read and review your book. It is great that an author gives her hard work away for free for us readers to review. So thank you for the opportunity to read your hard work. I would recommend this book to all my friends who enjoy reading YA PNR/UF.
The Scarlet Dagger is a fun dystopian young-adult paranormal romance...perfect for a quick easy read. The story is set in what I believe to be the near future after an apocalyptic event that divides the world into two sectors (vampire and human). The heroine of the book is a 17 year old girl and there is quite a bit of action with her kicking some serious butt. There is also the beginnings of a nice romance (this is the first of a series so I imagine, we'll be seeing the romance develop over time) I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book and liked the author's new spin on vampires and human/vampire relations with regards to fear and prejudice but I was disappointed with the final 1/4 of the book. It seemed to me that it was wrapped up too quickly, with too many details left out, making it seem disjointed and almost like a completely different book. Now, that being said, I would still recommend The Scarlet Dagger because the first 3/4 of the book is worth a read. I'll definitely be giving the second book in the series a try with the hope that the author is able to get back to the writing of the middle portion of this book and will spend more time with the story rather than trying to cram the last chapter or two full of revelations and high action. I gave the book three stars but because I was disappointed in the ending, it really should be more like 2 1/2 stars. I do foresee good things in the future from this author, though. A few more pages would have slowed the final action down making it more believable and earning it more stars.
I was toying with how many stars to give this book. On finishing it, I immediately rated it four stars but then I contemplated giving it three, then thought maybe it should actually be three and a half but on final thoughts, I decided that in all honesty, this book simply deserves four stars. This book had me captivated from page one. It drew me into a dystopian world that was so well described and thought out throughout the entire story that there wasn¿t ever a time when I was confused about what was going on. It was the perfect balance of everything and I simply adored it so very much! It is a story with captivating and realistic characters, raw emotional storylines, normal and realistic vampires and enough action to keep the reader motivated and intriguied. The romance is real and raw and the dilemma that the protagonist faces is just brilliantly written! The only thing, I felt, that ruined this book and stopped me from giving it five stars and which nearly made me give it three stars, is that the plot is slightly predictable. And say slightly, because, on seconds thought, I realised that there were two plot twists that I hadn¿t seen coming and, if anything, these were the two things that really made things more interesting for me. It was for this reason that I stuck with four stars because, this book just truly deserves it! Better yet, this novel is only the start of The Red Sector Chronicles and it ends on an extremely interesting and gut-wrenching cliff hanger that makes you practically scream for more. I was given the chance to read this novel for free through Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Group¿s R2R and I can honestly glad that I was given this amazing gift because it was a novel that I love and one that I hope arrives in paperback so I can own a copy. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys vampire novels or dystopian novels and even more so to the people that like them both, like me!
The synopsis is clear enough, so I won't summarize the book. What I truly enjoed about this book was how fully the author developed the dystopian world throughout the book. It was detailed from top to bottom, leaving you with a good idea of where the story was taking place and how their lives were lived. The characters were amazing, both the principal and the secondary. Sloan was great, strong, independent and not afraid of challenges even though she was vulnerable inside, like any girl her age. Aden was a perfect match for her, strong, confident, mysterious with enough sweetness to melt your heart. The plot was different from any other I have read, which was a plus. I truly could not put the book down once I started because I did not have a clue of who was the villain, who was an accomplice or who was innocent. It kept me guessing all throughout. The ending was not what I was hoping, since I don't like cliffhangers, but it won't stop me from reading the next one. All in all, a great, exciting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopians, urban fantasies.
"Heart-stopping action and scorching romance collide in this dystopian, urban fantasy thriller" First of all, I want to say Krystle Jones is a very talented writer. This story held my attention from page one right to the very end. I just had to know what was going to happen chapter after chapter. The story follows Sloane McAllister, three years after the 'Eclipse' (when vampires became known to the mortal world) on her quest to find her twin brother. I really liked this book. Krystle has created a dark and compelling dystopian world in 'The Scarlet Dagger'. Sloane is a kick-butt heroine who readers cannot help but love. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love of dystopia, urban fantasy and paranormal romance as it blends the best of all three into one amazing story.


text:
Search by
Motivational Workshops for Teens
This event has already taken place. Click here for the latest events.29-03-2012 12:00:00 29-03-2012 12:00:00 America/New_York Motivational Workshops for Teens | 5pm This workshop will deal with the everyday issues that young people are confronted with in life. To change behavior, we need to change our way of thinking. Various topics will be discussed and participants will be encouraged to ask questions. The presenter, Dr. Hall is a resident of Laurelton and a retired administrator of New York City Social Services. http://www.nymetroparents.com/2015neweventinfo.cfm?id=103470 Queens Library: Laurelton Branch Queens Library: Laurelton Branch
If you go: Please tell them you saw this event on