switzerland | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 26 Nov 2014 17:19:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png switzerland | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Logitech wants to spark a wireless revolution https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/jon-martindale/logitech-wants-to-spark-a-wireless-revolution/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/jon-martindale/logitech-wants-to-spark-a-wireless-revolution/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:09:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=223457 If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago, whether I'd like to trade in my wired mouse for a wireless one, I'd have thanked you with a polite smirk and told you that since I work and play with mine 12 hours a day, I don't want to be changing batteries or worrying about …

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If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago, whether I'd like to trade in my wired mouse for a wireless one, I'd have thanked you with a polite smirk and told you that since I work and play with mine 12 hours a day, I don't want to be changing batteries or worrying about charging it on a regular basis. Nice of you to offer though. But that opinion was turned on its head when I visited Lausanne, Switzerland to look at Logitech's G Labs testing and development facility, where not only did I see all of the work that goes into making its peripherals, but I learned about its big push for wireless mice and how it thinks that the much-maligned technology is ready for a comeback.

Battery life, as I mentioned above is one of the first big concerns of anyone that brushes off wireless peripherals, specifically mice, as being unusuable for any big PC user and especially when it comes to hardcore gamers. Nobody wants their mouse to die in the middle of a game, that's very understandable.

But that's why Logitech's last wireless mouse in the G series, the G602, has a ‘standard' battery life of over 250 hours. In endurance mode, that extends to almost 1500 hours, which for the non-gamers out there should still deliver enough performance day to day.

Of course we reviewed that mouse back in March this year and it wasn't even new then, so this is hardly news to you guys, but Logitech didn't just put that mouse out because it wants to offer a quick alternative to its wired offerings. Logitech actually has a big investment in wireless technology, so much so that it has a half million euro test set up in its HQ's basement, just for making sure they work well.

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While called an anechoic chamber, this one doesn't absorb sound, but ‘radiation' such as phone signals. 

Remember this room? I talked about it very briefly in my recent coverage of the Logitech facility. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you check it out, as it's a fascinating insight into how some of the world's best gaming hardware is made, tested and put through its paces by the professionals.

Today though I want to focus on wireless mice and why Logitech is pushing the technology when the general consensus from gamers is that it's not what they want. Of course wireless has some lovely advantages: you aren't tethered by a cable, which means no drag and no getting caught on all the other cables behind your PC. It also makes transport easier and is perfect for some of those slightly stranger set ups, where your rig is in your living room or similar.

There are down sides sure, but battery life is no longer really one of them. Yes the G602's sensor isn't the most sensitive, but if you follow professional gaming, you'll know that actually when it comes down to it, higher accuracy is far more important than increased speed. You can always move your arm faster, you can't always make your mouse more accurate.

So what is it that Logitech is working on to try and improve gaming mice for the world of wireless? Lag is almost non-existent at this point too, so that's not too much of a problem.What is however is interference.

We live in a much more connected world than we did just a decade ago, but that world isn't connected by wires. Bluetooth devices, mobile phones, WiFi, radio, digital TV broadcasts and many other endless stream of data that we swim through everyday without even realising it.

But potentially your wireless gaming mouse could. Especially if you're on an Esports stage with nine other gamers all using wireless mice, with wireless webcams and 40,000 fans all trying to take your picture with their mobile phones. That's a lot of potential interference.

Hence the anechoic chamber with the ferrite panelled walls.

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But what happens in there? Well, that contraption above has a mouse strapped to it (you can see it poking just above the blue shelf). It then rotates 360 degrees one way and 360 degrees the other, with Logitech using that giant contraption that looks like a Dr Evil “laser,” to record the strength of its wireless signal from every angle. The anechoic chamber makes sure that no outside interference messes with the reading.

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That information then gets output here. That display there is showing you the map of how strong the wireless mouse' signal is in every direction. Logitech's aim is to make it a perfect circle, so that no matter where its customers place their wireless receiver, they'll be able to use their mouse to its fullest.

How does this test for interference though? That's why Logitech has another device (seen above, hiding behind the turn table test-setup) which is able to project all kinds of different wireless radiation out to try and mess with the mouse's receptor.

Logitech informed us that for now, none of its wireless mice can be interfered with in this manner. When I asked whether there was potential for deliberate interference with wireless mice – something that could be worth doing considering some of the big money riding on the biggest eSports competitions these days – Logitech didn't appear concerned.

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Once its wireless mice have been confirmed not to have any particular radiation drop outs, it's back to the pro gamers for more testing. While none of the ones we spoke to on the day copped to using a wireless mouse on a regular basis, they did all give positive feedback on Logitech's G602, so it is somewhat endorsed by the pros.

KitGuru Says: But what's your verdict on this? Does Logitech's stringent testing and advances in wireless response and battery life make you more comfortable with the idea of making your next mouse purchase a wireless one? It certainly wouldn't come with any cable drag and carrying it about would be much easier. 

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KitGuru visits Logitech’s G Labs in Switzerland https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/jon-martindale/kitguru-visits-logitechs-g-labs-in-switzerland/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/jon-martindale/kitguru-visits-logitechs-g-labs-in-switzerland/#comments Sat, 22 Nov 2014 10:46:11 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=222379 It's often been joked that the internet is serious business and at times, it can be. However something that you'd be unlikely to suggest as having such importance is peripheral production. Sure gaming puts a lot of strain on keyboards and mice and we all like a little competitive edge, but unless you've seen it, …

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It's often been joked that the internet is serious business and at times, it can be. However something that you'd be unlikely to suggest as having such importance is peripheral production. Sure gaming puts a lot of strain on keyboards and mice and we all like a little competitive edge, but unless you've seen it, it's hard to imagine the money, equipment and expertise that goes into their production.

Over the last few days however, that's exactly what I was given the chance to do, when Logitech invited KitGuru to fly out to its G(aming) development labs in Lausanne Switzerland, for a tour of all of its mouse, keyboard and software production facilities. To say that I was impressed, would be an understatement.

The facility itself is a conservative mixture of concrete and glass, situated a couple of miles from the heart of Lausanne, which itself is on the shores of lake Geneva. It's a beautiful spot, with the Alps peeking above the clouds in the background, offering a stunning view from the upper floors of the facility.

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Logitech has been here since these buildings were put together around four years ago and actually had a say in its construction, asking the developers to dig down deeper so that it could fit in all of its advanced testing equipment. You'll understand why shortly.

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The ground floors and up are modern, clean and bright, with plenty of space between offices for workers to relax and grab a cup of coffee. However, one particular sight on the first floor caught my eye and set the tone for most of the day:

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This display constantly scrolls through reviews from professional critics and end users alike and not positive ones; they're all negative to some degree. Logitech's senior director of engineering and gaming development, Maxime Marini, said that this was there to remind staff that there was always something that could be improved upon.

Logitech doesn't take that idea lightly.

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Switzerland is cloud backup du jour in wake of PRISM https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/switzerland-is-cloud-backup-du-jour-in-wake-of-prism/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/switzerland-is-cloud-backup-du-jour-in-wake-of-prism/#respond Thu, 04 Jul 2013 10:17:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=140859 The US has been leading the way with regards to data backup and remote computing for some time now, but in the wake of recent allegations and revelations over the PRISM controversy, Switzerland has seen a big upsurge in people taking out cloud backup services with companies from its nationality. Swiss banks have long been …

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The US has been leading the way with regards to data backup and remote computing for some time now, but in the wake of recent allegations and revelations over the PRISM controversy, Switzerland has seen a big upsurge in people taking out cloud backup services with companies from its nationality.

Swiss banks have long been considered the final solution for those wanting to keep finances safe and private and now the cloud backup industry looks to grow there for the same reasons. According to one report from, PR Agency One, server rental firm, Artmotion has seen its revenue grow as much as 45 per cent since the PRISM scandal.

One of the major attractions for those looking to take out an account with a Swiss backup firm, is that the country's EU status, means it isn't bound by the same agreements to share data with other countries, like the US. Of course, for commercial cloud providers like Dropbox or AWS, this is not the case and has many users worried.

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No US drones up here. Nothing but flag throwing… apparently.

And in reality, they probably should be, whether they have something to hide or just want their fundamental right to privacy. Likewise businesses with important corporate secrets, might be wise to think about where they store them.

Founder of Artmotion, Mateo Meier said while discussing the news: “Unlike the US or the rest of Europe, Switzerland offers many data security benefits. For instance, as the country is not a member of the EU, the only way to gain access to the data hosted within a Swiss Datacenter is if the company receives an official court order proving guilt or liability. This procedure applies to all countries requesting any information from a Swiss data center and unlike in the EU there is no special law for the US.”

KitGuru Says: So what about it guys? Are you considering moving your cloud backup to Switzerland?

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Green pioneers direct current data centre with HP https://www.kitguru.net/professional/server/jules/green-pioneers-direct-current-data-centre-with-hp/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/server/jules/green-pioneers-direct-current-data-centre-with-hp/#comments Wed, 30 May 2012 09:08:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=92814 While Dell is packing big and bad with the news that it has a brand new line up of tiny and powerful Copper servers with ARM technology, HP has not been resting. Instead, its engineers have been working with the biggest IT/communications service providers in Switzerland, to try and save time/money/energy/effort by implementing a DC …

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While Dell is packing big and bad with the news that it has a brand new line up of tiny and powerful Copper servers with ARM technology, HP has not been resting. Instead, its engineers have been working with the biggest IT/communications service providers in Switzerland, to try and save time/money/energy/effort by implementing a DC power system. KitGuru licks a 9v PP3 battery to remember what real juice tastes like.

Green is a colour. It is also a major technology and communication company in Switzerland. With that kind of name, you need a strategy that’s dedicated to ‘doing more with less and leaving less crap behind’.

Green’s CEO, Franz Grueter, has been studying the data and believes he has a solution. With customers implementing around 6 millio0n new servers a year, overall demand for electricity at data centres is increasing by around 10% every year. With that in mind, Franz sent his best scientists off with beer, pizza and Toblerone (eaten THIS WAY, we believe), to brainstorm a way for Green to stay ahead of the curve.

The solution seems to be remarkably simple and obvious.

Instead of moving current back and forth between AC and DC, why not design your data centres to run on a 380 volt DC system – from day one?

According to Franz’s numbers, the resulting saving is huge – “around 20% less power consumption from grid to chip”.

Not only are they cheaper to run, these new breed of DC data centres are actually around 15% cheaper to build. Who knew?

Ron Noblett wasted no time in breaking out the fake tan, Speedos and champagne, “Green was looking for an IT partner that could provide HVDC-enabled IT solutions to meet its specific data-centre needs. At the heart of HP's Converged Infrastructure strategy is our commitment to develop new energy-saving technologies that can lower data-centre capital costs, as well as ongoing operations costs and complexity”. Hmmm, KitGuru so horny when HP man speak.

KitGuru was relieved to see that Franz Grueter wasn't just just happy to see us - he actually did have a giant Toblerone in his pocket

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KitGuru says: You can't help but wonder what might happen if Dell's Copper division got together with Franz. The companies involved in this project have operations in around 100 countries across the globe, so expect to see a 20%-power-saving-DC-data-centre in a town near you, soon.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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