In this week’s look at miscellaneous product launches and announcements, we bring news from Antec, Genius, Lian Li, and Toshiba:
- Antec announces TrueQuiet Pro 120 fan. We don’t see press releases being sent out about fans everyday, but apparently, the TrueQuiet Pro 120 is special. Antec says it features a "revolutionary fan blade" that is "attached to the frame, forming a type of cylindrical turbine." The result, the company adds, is a "greater cooling surface area" with less turbulence than with conventional designs. The fan comes with a two-speed control switch (which lets you toggle between 600 and 1200 RPM), silicone grommets, and silicon mounting pins. Yours for $19.95.
- Genius SW-G2.1 3000 gaming speakers now available in the USA & Canada. Genius calls the bass on this $119.99 speaker setup "tremendous," "powerful," and "heart-thumping," so that gives you some idea of what to expect. (Maybe these are the ideal speakers for all those dubstep-infused game trailers.) The SW-G2.1 3000 is rated for 70 watts of total output power. Its speakers have metal drivers, and there are two input jacks "for PC/TV/DVD/Game devices." Headphone and microphone connectors appear on the remote, too, so you can plug in a headset without touching your computer. Handy.
- Lian Li announces PC-Q05. Ooh, shiny. Lian Li’s latest case is custom-designed for Intel’s DH-61AG motherboard, which has a Mini-ITX form factor and an LGA1155 processor socket, and the Intel HTS 1155LP cooler, which looks pretty close to what you might see in a laptop or all-in-one PC. The result is a slick and slim enclosure measuring only 11.2" x 1.8" x 12.1" and weighing in at 1.8 lbs. The PC-Q05 can accommodate two 2.5" hard drives or solid-state drives, and it’s coming out in black and silver. Look for it in April with a $89.99 price tag.
- Toshiba launches SDHC memory cards with world’s fastest transfer rates. Toshiba claims its new Exceria SD cards offer the "world’s fastest data transfer speed," and it might just be right. Exceria Type 1 cards are rated for top read and write speeds of 95MB/s and 90MB/s, respectively. Toshiba will offer them in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities this July. The company is also cooking up Exceria Type 2 cards. Those will be out in August, and they’ll offer twice the capacity with lower write speeds (only 60MB/s). Exceria Type HD cards are also on the way; they’ll be slower still, but you should be able to find them as soon as next month. Check out the official announcement for a full list of models.
I’ve gotta say, that Lian Li case looks pretty swanky—especially in black. Too bad it doesn’t seem to have room for expansion cards, though. That might be a dealbreaker if you’re planning to build an HTPC with PVR capabilities.