Google launches Android-powered Nexus One, opens up own Web store

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Google has finally blown the lid off of its worst-kept secret: the Android-powered Nexus One mobile phone, the first of many new smartphones that will be sold either through carriers or from Google itself, with its newly opened Web store accessible at google.com/phone.

Cheapest P55 motherboard ever now available courtesy of ECS

Asrock no longer holds the title of "cheapest P55 mobo manufacturer ever." This honor now belongs to ECS, with its new P55H-CM motherboard, now available for the low low price of just 4,780 Pesos. That's even cheaper than some LGA 775 and AM3 motherboards out there. Doubts about quality aside, the ECS P55H-CM motherboard comes with four 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets that support up to 16GB of memory, one x PCI Express x16 slot, two PCI Express x1 slots and 1 PCI slot. It's built in a Micro-ATX form factor, which would make it perfect for use in SFFs and HTPCs. It might be a good idea to wait out for reviews of this mobo before going for it, though.





Sources: [ECS, PC Hub]

Asus P7P55D EVO and PRO motherboard now available in the Philippines

Done buying up all the parts necessary for your new PC running on Intel's P55 Express chipset? If not, and you're still in the process of picking out a motherboard to use your new Lynnfield processor on, then add these two newly available Asus mobos into your list of options. The Asus P7P55D PRO and Asus P7P55D EVO are the two most affordable P55 motherboards from Asus with 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots that run in x8/x8 mode when used with 2 GPUs.

I used to recommend the cheaper vanilla P7P55D and even the P7P55D LE motherboards from the same company, until I found out that the second PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots on those ones only ran on x4 mode with a second GPU. For those that don't know, this is very bad news if you want to run your GPUs in Crossfire, and at least x8/x8 is necessary to be able to experience the benefits of such a dual-GPU configuration. And so, the Asus P7P55D PRO and EVO are yours for the picking. Happy New Year!

Sources: [P7P55D PRO, P7P55D EVO]

Intel Core i3 530 arriving on January 4, now on pre-sale at PC Hub Gilmore

First listed on the price list of local computer parts reseller Enigma Technologies, Intel's Core i3 530 processor is now on pre-sale at PC Hub Gilmore. The asking price may still be a bit steep for some -- 5,999 Pesos -- especially for a dual-core CPU with a 133MHz FSB. This new Core i-series processor will be compatible with LGA1156 socket motherboards, which are available for as low as 5,000 Pesos. So perhaps there is a point to having a CPU this affordable and, ahem, underpowered (compared to even the i5 750). Expect the first batch of i3 530s to arrive by January 4th.

Source: [PC Hub]

LG X120 netbook goes on sale in the US with AT&T contract

You may have known about it for literally months now and you might even own one yourself, but the LG X120 netbook is only now going on sale in the U.S., and it's going to come with a monthly AT&T 3G contract, at that. Available at RadioShack's web site and select brick and mortar stores, the LG X120 can be had for $179.99 plus the cost of a 2-year contract with AT&T that costs $60 per month. Somehow, I don't think that's the best way to spend your hard earned money this Christmas, but if you've been waiting out for this netbook then go on and help yourself. Continue reading for the full press release with more details.