Antec P180 low-noise case
 Looking for a stylish, silent case with shedloads of storage? The Antec P180 might just be up your alley: 11 drive bays, noise damping panels and a trio of low-noise 120mm fans. Perfect for a home media server.
Conclusions
The benefits of both a silent and an effectively temperature controlled case are hard to ignore, particularly if you would like to use it as a media server or a large HTPC housing. Its understated good looks should be at home most places, from under your desk to beside your entertainment center. Don't be surprised if people try to open it and grab a beer, however.
There are, of course, some issues. The cable routing screams a need for a better design, and I'm frankly not sure how you could accomplish that. It seems Antec have done the best they could with it, but one would expect you to use a quiet PSU with a quiet case, and the top brand name for that was a nightmare to install.
It would also be nice to see Antec round out such a beautiful outside and thoughtful inside with a front panel that doesn't make you hope you closed the door on it.
The little extras that Antec include show a true dedication to hitting one out of the park with the P180. They've thought of everything from HDD grommets to clips that hold the pull rings, and even a little box built into the case to hold your spare parts. Everything fits, everything has a place.
The addition of three Tri-cool fans should not be overlooked, either, even though a true silence freak would probably replace them with Nexus "Real Silent" fans (though preferably not in that ugly orange). The particular care that they have gone to in order to silence the hard drives makes this box a particular blessing for a media server, which could have multiple hard drives spinning regularly in a living room.
All in all, the Antec P180 is a wonderful case. The build quality is absolutely fantastic, and it's as close to silent as you can get right out of the box (I know this will disappoint some of you modders). The minor annoyance of a full system install happens once or twice for most users, so my gripes and bloody hands are more of the rarity than the normal day to day.
In fact, if I had it all to do again, I'd get this case once more in a heartbeat. That decision is made even easier by its extremely reasonable price. We can happily provide this product a Bit-tech award of excellence, without the slightest bit of hesitation. Good job, Antec, you've truly raised the bar.
![Antec P180 Tri-cools fans]](http://www.bit-tech.net/content_images/antec_p180/17.jpg)
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New DoD:S HDR map: dod_kalt
Gamers gasp as booth babes banned
 Held in Los Angeles every summer, it's a showcase for the best and brightest in the gaming industry. This year, E3 will play host to the Nintendo Revolution and the PS3, which should make for an entertaining show. According to reports, there always has been a 'dress code' at E3 - but it's never been enforced strictly. Of course, E3 is legendary for the large amount of attractive female models hired by games companies to promote their games. Well, this year, they're going to have to think again: any girls in skimpy outfits are going to result in a $5000 fine for the offending games company. Read more..!
 The IEEE board has unanimously approved a new wireless networking standard, dubbed 802.11n. The standard will be the first to implement Multiple-Input/Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, which sends data at speeds up to 10 times faster than the current 802.11g standard. 802.11n utilizes multiple antennae to transmit the data at speeds of up to 600 Mbit/sec. It also avoids a lot of the interference which has plagued users of 802.11g, allowing for its maximum throughput over a much longer range. Intel President Craig Barrett stated, "The Enhanced Wireless Consortium (set out) to break the 802.11n stalemate and accelerate a draft that defines significantly higher wireless LAN performance. We have achieved this objective and are confident that our customers can now manufacture products with unprecedented performance based on our technologies that conform to this new draft".Read more..!
Firefox 2.0 features revealed
 This version will concentrate mostly on interface and functionality improvements, rather than significant backend overhauls. Those, it is suggested, will come in version 3.0. Here's a quick summary of what's going to make it in: * New bookmarks and history navigation * Better tabbed browsing with more intuitive interface * More flexible web search * Improved RSS handling * Interface facelift * Squashing of easy bugs * Integrated spell-check function Read more..!
MPAA illegally copies movies
 The MPAA is being forced to justify its actions today, after reports emerged that it has been engaging in unauthorised copying of movies. The movie in question is called This movie has not yet been rated, and is a documentary featuring examining the actions and the structure of the MPAA. The MPAA itself is a collection of anonymous individuals who are solely responsible for the ratings of films in the USA, yet have little-to-no accountability. By way of justification, the MPAA said that the spying and intrusion on its employees warranted it distributing copies of the movie to its employees. Here's a quote from the Ars story:
"Director Kirby Dick submitted the film for rating in November. After receiving the movie, the MPAA subsequently made copies without Dick's permission. Dick had specifically requested in an e-mail that the MPAA not make copies of the movie. The MPAA responded by saying that "the confidentiality of your film is our first priority."
Dick later learned that the MPAA made copies of the film to distribute them to its employees, despite the MPAA's stance on unauthorized copying."Read more..!
 It's confirmed: Disney has bought Pixar for US$7.4 billion. The move means Pixar Chairman and CEO, Steve Jobs, will be appointed to the Board of Directors at Disney. Jobs also stands to profit substantially from the deal, which involves no cash - each Pixar shareholder will receive 2.3 Disney shares for each Pixar share they hold. Jobs was the majority shareholder in Pixar, owning 50.6 percent of the company. At the time of writing, Disney shares are worth US$26 each.
Pixar's creative lead, John Lasseter, will become Chief Creative Officer of the new, joint animation studios. And will also advise on the design of new rides for the various Disney theme parks around the globe, which now includes Disneyland Hong Kong and a rumoured new park in Shanghai set for 2010.
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Bentley posts strong 2005 with help from parent VW
 With the use of free capacity in VW's Dresden 'glass' plant, Bentley has managed to increase sales 31% over 2004 to 8,627 units. Demand for the Continental GT two-door has remained robust, and the Bentley Boys will likely have all the work they can handle this year: an Azure drophead is slated for release in the spring, and orders ahead of production have already claimed this year's entire allotment, and a Continental GT convertible, the GTC, releas in autumn. Bentley is not expected to require space in big brother VW's Dresden plant after next year, at which time it's own Crewe factory will be able to churn out 9,000 units per year.
Pics of the VW Dresden 'glass' plant
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-Lytir1
