Consumer Electronics

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6 Reasons why you need an Intel based Ultrabook rather than a Laptop

Intel Based Ultrabooks

Ultrabook is the new buzz word used to describe a certain type of a portable computer. By simple definition an ultra-book is a high end portable computer designed by Intel to reduce bulk without compromising on battery life and performance. The next question that usually pops up after is :

What is the difference between a laptop computer and an ultrabook?

Well a normal laptop has an optical drive, an Ethernet port and Hard disk drive. As for the ultrabook it uses a Solid State Drive (SDD) rather than a HDD, lacks an Ethernet port but uses Wi-Fi to connect to the internet plus it does not have an optical drive which makes it super light compared to a normal laptop.

Whom is it ideal for?

It was designed in mind for everyone, house wives, students, truckers, businessmen and women except for serious gamer.

Reasons for you to own an ultrabook

It offers a serious sensation.

It allows you to use the best and most advanced stylus in the world, your finger. With touch it offers your control and precision on your desktop applications.

It is a tablet and laptop when you need it.

With its ultra-thinness it easily transforms itself by flipping, sliding or swiveling incorporating work and play at the same time.

It is fun.

Ultrabook lets you enjoy photos, movies, play games seamlessly thanks to Intel turbo boost technology. In addition, with Intel smart technology it continually updates your email your social networks like Facebook, twitter, Google plus and many others.

Intel based Ultrabook Laptop

It is Ultra responsive.

It boots very fast compared to a normal laptop and from sleep mode it resumes to work in a blink of an eye thanks to Intel rapid start technology.

Has awesome looks.

The ultrabook does not sacrifice performance, portability and battery life for stunning looks. In fact it makes you stand out of the crowd.

Built in Security

It is fitted with Intel anti-theft technology and Intel identity protection technology that keeps your personal information personal. In addition it keeps you identity safe by ensuring popular social websites know it is really you using the ultrabook.

Which is the Best Ultrabook to Buy?

Before choosing the best Ultrabook here is a buying guide to help you out plus below here is a complete review on the best ultrabooks available in the market from top ultrabook manufacturers. Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba. Best Ultrabook Reviews 2013

Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook

Acer Aspire S7-391-9427 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook 

Video Review of Acer Aspire S7-391-9427 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook 

Acer Aspire S7 is available in white Gorilla Glass 2 or sleek aluminum, the Aspire S7 Series Ultrabook is pretty and smart. Its Full HD touch display beckons you to be social, get stuff done and have fun. The keyboard auto-illuminates. to the perfect glow for comfortable use in dim settings. Lastly it is equipped with Acer TwinAir for cooling which makes this ultra book a pleasure to hold. Get Acer Aspire S7-391-9427  today or visit Acer Store on Amazon for more. Apple MacBook Air Ultrabook

Apple MacBook Air MD761LL/A

Video review of Apple MacBook Air 13 Inch Ultrabook 

Apple MacBook Air is designed in an all flash storage for better reliability and ultra-responsiveness, features a full multi touch track pad. Despite of it being super thin it does not comprise performance and has a long lasting battery that lasts you for hours on end without charging. Get your Apple MacBook Air MD761LL/A 13.3-Inch ultrabook today or visit Apple Store on Amazon for more.

Asus Zenbook Prime Ultrabook

Asus Zenbook Prime Touch UX31A-BHI5T11

Video Review Asus Zenbook Prime Touch UX31A

Asus Zenbook Prime is designed with incredible visuals, a full HD IPS panel with 178 degrees viewing angles delivering vivid images, incredible beauty crafted with an exclusive award winning spun metal design, incredible performance with a 3rd generation Intel core processor and lastly packed with incredible sound for your entertainment. Get Asus Zenbook Prime Touch UX31A-BHI5T11 today and visit Asus Store on Amazon for more. Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook

Dell XPS 13 XPS13R2-1050sLV Ultrabook

Video Review Dell XPS 13 XPS13R2-1050sLV Silver Anodized Aluminum 

Dell XPS 13has a thoughtful design that goes beyond beauty, bonded with corning gorilla glass, aluminum and carbon fiber to enhance performance plus it feels good thanks to a comfortable design and a sleek gesture enabled glass touch pad. Lastly it is a great travel mate to be with. Get your 

Dell XPS 13 XPS13R2-1050sLV Silver Anodized Aluminum ultrabook today and visit Dell Store on Amazon for more.

Fujitsu Lifebook Ultrabook

Fujitsu Lifebook U772 14 Ultrabook

Video Review Fujitsu LIFEBOOK U772 - 14" Ultrabook

Fujitsu Lifebook U722 is the perfect choice for demanding business professionals always on the move. It has a stylish design with a unique frame less display a real eye catcher. It is equipped with an extended battery run time, ultra responsive with security features best suited for business professionals.Get your 

Fujitsu LIFEBOOK U772 - 14" Ultrabook today and visit Fujitsu Store on Amazon for more.

Hewlett Packard Spectre 14" Ultrabook

HP Spectre 14-3210nr 14" Ultrabook

                                       Video Review of HP Spectre 14" Ultrabook

Hp Spectre 14 is designed for people who expect extraordinary. It is made with a breathtaking ultra-performance with zero sacrifice, experience the best sound thanks to Beats Audio and in addition it transmits audio wirelessly to up to 4 compatible devices using KleerNet technology also equipped with a tough scratch resistant screen. Get your Hp Spectre 14 inch ultrabook today and visit HP store on Amazon for more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch 14' Ultrabook

Video Review Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch 14" Ultrabook

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 carbon is the world’s lightest 14 inch business ultrabook. It brings quality to a whole new level with its carbon fiber chassis that makes it ultralight, ultra durable plus it battery power makes you stay unplugged all day and you can boost your battery from zero to 80% in 30 minutes. Pretty impressive. Get your Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch 14" Ultrabook today and visit Lenovo Store on Amazon for more. 

Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook

Samsung Series 9 15" Premium Ultrabook Ash Black

Video Review for Samsung Series 9 15" Ultrabook

Samsung series 9 is built with the same material of an advanced aircraft, Duralumin which is twice as strong as aluminum and superlight. Designed with mobility in mind, simple and sophisticated at the same time. It enables you see vivid content wherever you go, be it large HD movies, games and your favorite media. Lastly, it has a powerful processing power with optimized power management system. Get your Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C-A07US 15" Premium Ultrabook and visit Samsung Electronics Store on Amazon for more.

Sony Vaio Pro  Ultrabook

Sony Vaio Pro SVP 13" Touchscreen Ultrabook

Video Review for Sony Vaio Pro 13'' Touchscreen Ultrabook

Sony Vaio Pro 13 is designed with extra durable carbon fiber that’s makes it ultra-light, ultra loaded with a comfortable palm rest. It is intelligently designed with durability that protects it against daily wear and tear also packed with a quality loud and clear audio system, a preinstalled digital da vinci art rage studio software, improved battery life and an awesome snappy performance. Lastly no need for shut down thanks to Sony’s rapid wake technology.  Get your Sony Vaio Pro SVP1325PXS 13.3" touchscreen ultrabook today and visit Sony Store on Amazon for more.

Toshiba Kirabook Ultrabook

Toshiba Kirabook 13" Touchscreen Ultrabook

Video Review of Toshiba KIRAbook 13 i7 Touchscreen Laptop

Toshiba Kirabook ultrabook introduces the powerful side of luxury with a breakthrough display, design and an optional fingerprint resistant touchscreen. It has an inspired engineering with a durable beauty, a featherweight design and high performance battery. Lastly is designed ready to compute with a keyboard ambiance, cool efficiency that keeps the kirabook cool despite of the work load, a platinum service and support guaranteed for 2years.  Get your Toshiba KIRAbook touchscreen ultrabook today and visit Toshiba store on amazon for more.

Drop us a comment, check out our previous article and follows us on Facebook.

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Things that you didn’t know about Antivirus Application software

Antivirus Software Doesn't Fully Protect

Nowadays virus, malwares, Trojan horses, spywares and worms are being cleverly made by hackers every single day plus they move from one computer to another by themselves. They know to evade antivirus software’s especially if you have been using your computer or laptop for a while without antivirus or without updating your antivirus definitions.  

Antivirus application software slow down your PC

It is for a fact all antivirus software's installed on any gadget be it a smartphone, tablet, computer ,laptops or corporate servers slow down the performance due to constant checking and scanning for any threat looming around to attack your computer.   

They are Expensive

The best antivirus software costs a lot of money plus there is the yearly or a times monthly fee to pay to receive the services.  

They are a hustle to use

The require updates periodically if not daily which they slow down your internet connection when you start up your internet every day. Plus the annoying pops whenever they detect a virus, Trojan or a malware.

They Conflict

Since they are many brands of antivirus programs they do not complement each other especially when you install free antivirus software and a paid one or a paid one with a paid one yet they fight a common enemy.

Having known the above then so next is knowing the symptoms of an infected computer but knowing whether your device has been compromised is very tricky because virus makers go to a great length of disguising their malicious software and a times symptoms of an infected machine are similar to a device that is not well maintained.Here are quick tips you can learn on maintainingyour computer before saying it is infected with a virus or a Trojan.

Symptoms of an infected computer

The obvious one is when your antivirus pops that annoying pop up and indicates your computer is under attack.

Your computer shuts down or restarts unexpectedly without your command.

Your PC does not boot to windows even though no new software was installed or any software updates performed.

Getting random Blue Screen of Death though this can be caused by a malfunction of the operating system or malfunction of hardware with in your device.

Increase of CPU activity despite you doing nothing on your computer

Slowing down of your computer i.e taking long opening Microsoft word.

Your friends receiving random emails from you, that you hardly remember sending them.

Your broadband modem showing traffic activity and yet you are not using it.

Random sounds playing on your computer speakers.

Computer programs opening randomly without your consent.

Your personal firewall being disabled.

Getting lots of system error messages.

Noticing your files and folders have been deleted or changed

A sudden computer freeze and your web browser behaving erratically.

What to be done after experiencing an attack

Do not panic it may not be a virus attack but perhaps a malfunction of the hardware part, operating system or a malfunctioning application software. Here is the action to take

Disconnect your computer from the internet or your local are network before it emails itself to your email contacts stored on your computer.

If your computer won’t start boot it in safe mode by pressing F8 as soon as it boot or use your rescue disk.

Update your antivirus software and scan the whole computer if the threat does not disable you from accessing your computer programs.

Contact your antivirus customer care website and inform them about your attack and follow their instructions.

If you are using free antivirus software chances are they will not respond quickly to your problem since you are not a prime client as their paying one.

If your updated antivirus software does not find any threat then check your hardware if not your hardware then uninstall any unlicensed computer program on your computer.

Overall Solution

In as much as we are not fully protected from computer viruses, malwares and spyware programs by the antivirus software’s available in the market that does not mean they are useless. It is better having antivirus program than having none and getting attacked losing your precious documents, pictures or videos. Plus think of the great inconvenience it would cause work and money for fixing the problem. 

Lastly practice safe internet browsing like avoiding free wares from un -trusted websites and constantly updating your operating system plus the antivirus security software.

Here is a List of the best and top antivirus software.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013

                Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 Now

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013

                                        Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 Now

Norton Antivirus 2013

                   Norton AntiVirus 2013 Now

AVG Antivirus 2013

                                                                                          AVG Anti-Virus 2013 Now

Whats your opinion? Drop us a comment, check out our previous article and follows us on Facebook

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How to Speed up Your Computer & Laptop Tricks Manufactures Don’t Disclose

How to Speed up Your Computer & Laptop Tricks Manufactures Don’t Disclose

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There is nothing as exciting has having a computer or a laptop that performs and works to your liking. It boots fast and opens application software faster than Usain Bolt. One year down the road it is slows down to a point where you pull hair waiting for it to perform basic routine stuff. 

At this point most people start budgeting for the next new computer on the market or make a rush decision, flash their wallet and buy the new PC in the market while a simple computer maintenance tip fix would have sorted it out your slow computer restoring it to bolt days. 

80 percent of slow PC’s or laptops is attributed by software rather than hardware. Here are computer maintenance tips that you can use on your PC, Laptop or Ultra-book whenever you experience a go slow.

Be Realistic

If you bought your high end computer or laptop five years ago and you are running on the current operating system on the market do not expect it to run like the current computers on the market since in these case your hardware is outdated. It is time you opened your wallet and buy a new computer/ Laptop. Here is a buying guide to help you out.

Computer Cleaning

Computer Dust

Dust is a contributor to a slow working PC. Dust clogs around the computer fan hence preventing the air flow within the computer therefore making the processor overheat and slowing it down. 

In order for you to clean your PC you need the following tools. A cloth moist with water or rubbing alcohol, a dust blower or a portable hand vacuum and cotton swabs for places you cannot reach with you moist cloth. 

Make sure when you are doing these exercise the computer, notebook, or laptop is completely shut down and off.

Emptying your Recycle Bin

Recycle Bin

When you delete files and documents you no longer need they are temporarily stored in the recycle bin for easy restoration if need be. 

You need to empty the recycle bin so to get more space on your hard disk especially when you are running out of space on your hard drive. Without enough disk space on your computer your pc eventually slows down.

Uninstalling Application Software’s you no longer use 

If you have installed application software’s that you no longer use, it is advisable you uninstall them correctly so remove them from the start up list during booting to which they are allocated a memory space depending on their demand. The heavier the application software the more disk space it occupies and the more memory it is allocated hence a waste of resources if not used e.g. computer games.

Avoid Downloading free software’s from un-trusted sites

Free software’s come with spywares, worms, malwares and viruses. They hog most your computer resources’ hence slowing it down.

Install Anti-virus software and keep it up to date

It is a fact they slow down computers but not as much as a malware, spyware or a virus therefore a basic necessity as soon as you acquire a new laptop or computer. Here is a list of the top 10 ten antivirus soft wares.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus

Kaspersky Antivirus 2013

Norton Antivirus

F-Secure Antivirus

Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus

G Data Antivirus

AVG Antivirus

Panda Antivirus Pro

Eset Nod32 Antivirus

Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus

Defrag your PC

Defragmentation

Defragging your computer improves the read and write times on your hard drive therefore improving the speed of your pc. Go to your c drive and right click then select properties then click on defragmentation. Defrag all drives that are available on the list. Note defraging takes alot of time advisably do it overnight or on a weekend when you are not busy with your laptop or computer.

Cleaning your registry errors

The registry is the place where all application software instructions are stored in a computer. Even after correctly uninstalling or updating your application software's usually new instructions are loaded and the old ones remain there. Every time your PC will be trying to execute instructions of a program that does not exist eventually slowing it down. Here are the top registry cleaners.

Registry Utilities

Registry Mechanic

Registry Repair

Regcure

Follow the above advice, our  ultra books, notebooks, net books or PC's will stay fast, safe and without need of computer repair services.

Whats your opinion? Drop us a comment, check out our previous article and follows us on Facebook

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Do you really need a laptop-buying guide?

  Gone are the days when people used to consult IT professionals on which laptop to buy. Nowadays we just follow trends set by media who manipulate us into buying laptops that we do not certainly need. At times we are influenced by friends who own a certain type or model of a laptop to fit in their social status.

At the end of the day, we end up having a lot of expensive e junk at our homes that we hardly use. Put this way, buying a Ferrari while all you needed is a van or a truck. The first thing I would advice is first knowing or identifying your needs depending on the nature of your work. Here is sample of questions to ask yourself to identify your needs.

Am I a socialite?

Do I travel a lot?

Am I a gamer?

Am I graphics designer?

Am I a businessperson or woman?

 Am I a Student?

Am I a stay at home mum?

Am I a schoolteacher?

After identifying your needs the next step is coming up with a budget of how much is reasonable price for you to spend on acquiring your new laptop ($500 - $2000). The next step is doing window shopping and consulting on relevant people on the industry like the geeks and sales people on the world of computers and laptops. Be prepared psychologically to hear very geeky terms like Intel i3, Intel i5, Intel i7 and such. While doing your window shopping you should keep in mind the following.

Total Cost of Ownership 

This is overall cost that you incur from the time you purchase the laptop to when you dispose it. Most consumers only see the onetime cost the buying price, yet there other unforeseen costs for application soft wares like Microsoft Word, Antivirus, laptop accessories such as a wireless mouse, laptop bagsand the rest. In addition, we forget that there are running costs up ahead like regular maintenance or a sudden breakdown like spilling coffee on your keyboard or a sudden crash on the operating system and such. Other additional running cost that we should keep in mind is insurance of your laptop incase of theft. Lastly is the cost we incur when disposing the laptop long after it has served you or no longer in need for it. Like selling it on eBay or to a friend or donating it to an institution. There are costs involved like shipping costs repackaging it that why it is advisable to keep the original package nicely when the above need arises. After dealing with cost the thing to have in mind is the features to look for in your desired laptop.

Size and weight 

This is a major factor to consider depending on your work lifestyle. If your work entails a lot presentations and mobility then you need to consider an ultrabook rather than a usual laptop. The next question you might be asking your self is what is a ultrabook?. In simple terms, an ultrabook is a laptop that is super light compared to a usual laptop and most of them lack optical drives and an Ethernet port. They mostly use Wi-Fi as a means to connect to the internet.If your work does not involve a lot of rush then you can buy a normal laptop or best selling laptop.

Processor type

The common ones are Intel and AMD. Chances are if you ever owned a pc or a laptop then the processor is from Intel. Currently they have three types of processors.

Intel Core i3 commonly found in many budget and midrange laptops it is ideal for everyday computing. It has a 4 way multitasking capabilities and built in performance.

Intel Core i5 it is Intel’s mainstream processor packed with a 4 way multitasking capabilities with built in turbo boost technology to deliver extra speed whenever you need it.

Intel Core i7 It is designed for expensive performance machines for gamers, serious graphics designers, video editors and people who love ultimate laptops. Comes packed with a 8 way multitasking capabilities.

Hard drive and storage

Your new laptop with either behaving the traditional HDD(Hard disk drive) or SDD (Solid hard drive) which is flash memory commonly found on your iPhone.The difference is HDD’s are large, inexpensive, weighty and generate a lot of heat. Useful when editing large video files or playing heavy computer games. SDD’s are quiet drive, produce less heat and much more expensive. They are the future of computer storage but not ideal for large video collections.

Memory/RAM

This is no longer a worry most computer laptops come with more than in enough.

Battery Life

These is a sit on the fence kind of thing the most the performance of a laptop the more it demands energy but these is relevant to work you are handling and the size of the laptop. But most laptops average between 5 hours to 9 hours without need of power.

Operating system

Here is a largely dependent on which operating system you are comfortable with. Windows OS has a large software library compared to Linuxand Mac OS. Apple’s OS is available to handful of desktops and laptops which makes it predicable and stable plus you can install windows applications on it or dual boot windows OS on apple laptops and not vice versa.  On the other hand Linux is free to everyone does not come with licenses to purchase and it is less prone to virus attacks.

Brand

Which Brand to settle for? This is personal choice but here is a list of well-known brands to choose from. Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba.

Most Frequently Asked Question.

Do I buy a Laptop or a tablet?

If you skype, twitter,facebook, googleplus, pinterest, myspace,stumbleupon, LinkedIn, Orkut, Ning, cafemom and email then you are better off with a tablet rather than a laptop.

Do I need an optical drive?

Sure, you do need one once in a while when you get data or video on a dvd or in need to burn data on a disk. But it’s good to have an external optical drive for your ultrabook though you have to purchase it separately.

Do I need a graphics card?

Not not unless you are playing heavy graphics PC games like God of War and such.

These takes us to our original question of do you really need a laptop-buying guide.The answer is yes we all need a buying guide to refer to when buying a computer laptop or laptops. Whats your opinion? Drop us a comment, check out our previous article and follows us on Facebook

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Does the word laptop have a future?

Does the word laptop have a future?

Laptop word does it really have a future? Before we discuss the future of the word let me take you to a trip down memory lane. Remember when you first heard the word “laptop” it never rang any bell in your head unless you were a geek or had a background information technology or electronics. I remember when I first saw one on a magazine cover it looked a fascinating machine that was portable. It was the era of mobile computing.

I was fascinated by the idea of having a portable computer whenever I was. All you needed was to charge the rechargeable battery on the laptop and you were good to use it anywhere you were. The backup you had was the adapter cable in case you out of charge was simply look for a power outlet and plug in the adapter and you are good to go again even when it is charging of which up to date the same happens.

In terms affordability the elite purchased the laptop in business or very technical people handling sophisticated equipments.  Later things changed it was affordable to the working middle class. For those who could not afford then it gave rise to company’s buying them in large quantities and renting them out. Currently the laptops are affordable to everyone and there are always on sale deals on laptops on every corner of the town or mall that you visit.

Laptops have contributed to increase of insecurity since its inception due to their demand. Being mugged and robed your laptop has give rise to need of insurance of your laptop and other portable electronics you posses. It is no longer a prestige to own a laptop but a necessity in the current world that we are living from a toddler, a student all the way to the elderly we all need laptops.

In fact, our needs keep on changing every day. We are looking for the best business laptop that is if you are a businessman, you do not want a laptop that is cheap and keeps breaking down all the time and need of repair hence lowering your output. As for students, they are looking for the best discounts they can get when purchasing a laptop for their schools needs.For people who travel a lot or mobile all the time, they are looking for the ultra thin and lightweight laptop.

Which brand is best to use Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Samsung Electronics, Sony or Toshiba? However, the need that is common to all people is which laptop has the best operating system for your laptop (XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux, or Apple OS)? Which is the fastest laptop to own? Which is the best selling laptop? Lastly but not least where is the best place to fix my laptop whenever it breaks down. Lastly, which is the best insurance company to insure your laptop but the list of needs and wants is endless they vary from corporate to personal.

In my opinion, the word laptop in a few years time or soon will no longer be use because currently there are the new buzzwords being used in place of laptop. Notebook, net-book and the most recent Ultrabook. Whats your opinion? Drop us a comment, check our next article and follows us on Facebook

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ASUS Mini PCs - Eee Box B206 and B204 announced

ASUS seriously wants to conquer that part of market which was always ruled by Apple - starting with "all-in-one" PCs, and now with a miniature "PC in a box" models. Apple was one of the first companies, who offered fully functional PC in a small and compact form. They named the main idea of these PCs with a strange letter combination: BYODKM, which stands for "Bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse" - this, by the words of Apple, is all you need to connect and have a working PC. However, Apple discontinued Mac Mini production, so ASUS has a lot of possibilities to overcome its competitor from Cupertino. In the recent press-release, ASUS presented two new models: ASUS Eee Box B204 and B206, which are continuing the Eee Box lineup. Let's look what they added in the new models, details follow. ASUS Eee Box B204 and B206 look just like previous models looked like. The only difference is hardware, which is now more advanced, and is fully prepared for our HD era. Largest improvement over the past models is updated graphics card that now possess HD capabilities: both model has ATI Radeon HD 3400 inside, with 256 MB of graphics memory and HDMI output. Main processor remained the same - Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz. Other hardware details include 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB HDD (SATA II), card reader for many card types, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Gigabit Ethernet, DVI port and four USB 2.0 ports. For an operating system ASUS chose Windows XP Home edition that is preinstalled on every Eee Box PC. In addition, they offer Eee Storage feature, which equals in 10 GB of online storage. One can ask, what is the difference between B206 and B204 models? The differences are simple: B204 has Bluetooth and internal battery, while B206 hasn't. On the multimedia side, both mini PCs have some bonus features. They have remote control included, so user will be capable of using Eee Box from the distance without any hassle with settings. ASUS packed them with its own multimedia program, named Eee Cinema, which is made for simple and comfortable way to play HD video. Although new ASUS gadgets look pretty interesting, they are only planned for release. These mini PCs will be a good choice for a media center PC, not only because they offer quite good performance in a small and elegant case, but also they are much quieter than usual PC.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Jolicloud - a new OS for netbooks

Netbooks is what everyone is up to today. As they become more and more popular, it becomes more and more obvious that netbooks are very different from laptops and should be treated differently. It is the meaning that small display, keyboard, poor performance all together are willing to have a little bit different software, and sometimes maybe completely different program interfaces. Or probably what netbook users need is a new operating system, light weight and user friendly. Tariq Krim, Netvibes Founder, is also one of many, who are not satisfied with what OS his netbook is running, so here he is with an operating system aimed to fit well netbook user's needs. It is called Jolicloud and Tariq Krim says he will be realesing beta version of it pretty soon. Since Tariq Krim has left Netvibes, I thing he had some time to figure out what exactly his operating system will look like, what will it offer and what will be cut away. As there is not too much RAM in netbooks to play with, Jolicloud will have to be on a memory diet in order to not occupy too much of it. Currently most of netbooks are running Windows XP which can easily be stripped a bit by unticking needless services and startup objects in System Configuration menu, but that is not an ultimate recipe. Tariq Krim suggested a Linux based operating system which is up to be more useable on cheap hardware. Interface is also an issue. On Jolicloud it will be a bit like iPhone's one might observe. Icons will be similar to iPhone's because on a small netbook's display they will be better seen. It will also matter because Jolicloud is a touchscreen supporting platform. Once again, Jolicloud isn't yet even in a beta version, and though it will be soon, Tariq Krim doesn't hurry to give out juicy details on Jolicloud, he only says to wait till '09.

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Super Talent UltraDrive SSD - the world's fastest?

This week should be considered a milestone in world of SSD hard drive production if guys from Super Talent are honest about what they have prepared for the early January '09. They say they will hit the market with world's fastest SSD. They are called UltraDrive LE SSDs which are aimed for enterprise servers and data centers, and UltraDrive ME SSDs for notebooks. OK, let Super Talent be the fastest in this field for instance, but what then to say about SanDisk? Mind you that this November '08 they have unveiled their ExtremeFFS (Extreme Flash File System). What they have said about it was that ExtremeFFS increases random read and write speeds up to 100 faster than the existing once. Such kind of result is achieved by splitting physical and logical location of data on the disk. However Super Talent is not likely to say how they achieve their speeds and just present us the figures. The figures of Super Talent UltraDrive are quite impressive I should say. Let us start with LE series, the one for enterprise servers and data centers. Why primarily those? That is because manufacturer declares "a quantum leap forward in storage performance", and better reliability. As long as reliability seems to be the only parameter in which SSDs don't outperform HDDs, enhancing it is a key to success. Super Talent is exactly right about IOPS and MTBF (Input / Output operations Per Second and Mean Time Between Failures) are essential for servers and data services, but I bet end users will like to have it too. UltraDrive provides 230 MBps read speed and 170 MBps write speed. Such a way it can outdo 10.000 rpm HDDs if we say that SSDs have vrpm (virtual revolutions per minute) as SanDisk likes to call it. 2.5 inch disk is built on SLC NAND Flash technology, requires SATA interafce and comes with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB of storage space, which is odd because ME has up to 256 GB. Super Talent UltraDisk ME SSD is very much like the LE, but obviously there are differences. The biggest difference is the speed. It is a bit lower – 200 MBps read speed and 160 MB write speed. Not a big difference actually, and no difference in the size at all, ME also has 2.5 inches. As it was said before, capacity can be twice as bit as top LE which brings it to 256 GB on it, and all that for yet unknown price. Anyway, prices on SSDs are higher than on HDDs, but this is not for long. Experts say prices are going to average out till '10, but by that time I'm looking forward to see Super Talent SSD versus SanDisk's.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Addonics NAS adapter makes you a big sharer

The modern computer user's code says: high quality movie and music files require a lot of space on hard drive to store it. For instance, an average movie in HD quality takes more than 4 GB to store it and a music album in lossless format will take up to a half of 1 GB on your drive. The problem of the space increases with lots of possibilities to download whatever content you need via bit torrent trackers. But space is not a problem if you have an external hard drive. There are external HDDs with more than 1 TB of space on it. Good, but what to if you want to share these tons of data. Here is the issue: external HDDs are usually connected via USB port, but that makes no use if a need to add the HDD to a local network arrises. Luckily, Addonics Technologies save the situation. Here is what they have developed: a gadget that allows you to add USB storage devices to a local network. The gadget is called the Addonics NAS adapter, where NAS comes for Network Attached Storage. Apart from just adding storage device to network, Addonics NAS adapter can do a lot more. But for wide compatibility with modern operating systems (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris) and both SMB (Server Message Block) and Samba protocols, the Addonics adapter is capable of turning your external HDD into a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive / Independent Disks). It will require some more gadgets like I / O converters and port multipliers, but anyway it is possible. NAS adapter can also provides up to eight users with FTP access to the Internet at the same time, and access to Ethernet with speed up to 100 Mbps. This is totally like having optical fiber connection. One more humble feature is ability to charge USB gadgets. All that for 55 USD. Not much at all, but I think it would be a bargain only if you are going to use all of its features to the max.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

iPod Nano 2G Black Canvas Sport Case

Accessorize and protect your iPod nano with the stylish Canvas Sport case! Inspired by classic sneakers- this case boasts a cool, sporty look and gives great protection to your iPod. Features a canvas body, rubber edges, sewn-in screen protector and belt clip!

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Windows 7

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the next release of Microsoft Windows, an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs.[1]

Microsoft stated in 2007 that it is planning Windows 7 development for a three-year time frame starting after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista, but that the final release date will be determined by product quality.[2]

Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade with the goal of being fully compatible with existing device drivers, applications, and hardware.[3] Presentations given by the company in 2008 have focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup,[4] and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, most notably Windows Mail (formerly Outlook Express), Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are no longer included with the operating system; they are instead offered separately as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Windows Vista SP2 beta now publicly available

It's December 5, 2008 and - as promised - Microsoft has made the Vista SP2 beta publicly available. Early adopters can install it now and take advantage of improvements like 10% better power saving, reduced resource consumption in sidebar gadgets, Windows Search 4, and a long list of security and bug fixes. According to Wired's post, you should be aware that you'll have to uninstall the beta in order to install SP2 final once it's released. Currently Microsoft is anticipating doing that some time in April 2009. If you're looking for more details before grabbing the file, check out PC World's article Vista SP2: Six Things You Need to Know. Downloads for both 32 and 64-bit users are available at the Microsoft Download Center. Instructions are also available here for users wanting to install SP2 through Windows Update. So far, I'm glad I ran the update. Overall my x64 Ultimate install seems a bit more responsive than before, and I've yet to encounter any annoyances. If you've upgraded, share your thoughts in the comments!

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Vista SP1 still vulnerable to activation hacks

Oops. One of Microsoft's big goals in releasing Vista SP1 is the closure of a pair of known Vista activation exploits. While the OEM BIOS hack and grace timer hacks are now indeed useless in the face of SP1, a third remains. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes over at ZDNet tracked down a hack that required "a few seconds in the command prompt" to trick Vista SP1 into thinking it was genuine. Now that SP1 is riding the torrents, we can't say we're surprised.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Sanyo's Z2000 Projector, Your HD Video's Best Friend

Recently, Sanyo gave us the opportunity to use and review one of their home theater projectors, the FUll HD LCD LP-Z2000 (overseas known as the PLV-2000). This projector was originally launched last year, and while we might be a little late in getting it, Sanyo assured us that one reason for the review now was so we could become familiar with this technology in order to review new models that will be released later this year. To start, the Z2000 is not necessarily the sexiest projector we've ever seen. It can't match R2D2 in style, but what it lacks in outward appearance is not a measure of its true capabilities. With HDMI inputs (one of the first projectors to use them) available and a nifty sliding door shutter for the lens, it has the feel of Gadgetdom all over it. Taking this projector and reviewing it as though I had just purchased it for myself, it was very easy to take out of the box and setup. It was ready for initial projection in about 5 minutes. After pulling it out of the box, putting the batteries in the remote control, and even setting up the screen (Sanyo was also kind enough to lend us an 80' widescreen to check out this projector), we played around with it, watching some of the videos we put up in HD for NihonCar.com and ManualGear.com (we're proud of our work you know!). We put it on a table off to the side and lens-shifted the image to its extreme limits to project as far left as it could go, and it did a fine job. We then played around with some of the modes, finding that at the distance we were using it looked best with zoom turned on. Although it was bright in the office (no curtains on the window) we were able to see very well with the lights partially turned off--1200 lumens should be plenty for a dark home theater! Let's quickly return to the basics, and talk about the projector itself before we go nuts on performance. The projector body has a total of 9 buttons on the top, and lens controls on the side. There are also 3 indicator lights on the top, indicating when to change the lamp, power, and general warnings. The projector also came with a wireless remote control (also provided were Sanyo batteries, we checked!), and what was interesting was that they actually have all the inputs using separate buttons to select them. I found this to be a little unique, as usually you just hit the TV/video button to scroll through the various inputs, but the Sanyo remote had a special button for each. As long as you know which one you want, it's as easy as pushing a button. The screen said Sanyo on it, so it might be custom-made for them, and seemed a little more thin than the type you can buy at the local market, but still a high-quality. It might have seen a little more use than one I would have purchased for myself, but it performed well at its job. It was a floor-up screen, and all I had to do was put the legs out and pull up, attaching it to the hangar-like structure on the top. I pulled out my computer and connected it, adjusting various settings on my desktop to make it as close to HD as I could for the first check. It looked really good, and I could even read the text on the screen. "Just wait until this is connected to my PS3!" I thought. As for video quality, the colors weren't too bad for an out-of-the-box projector. The video was mostly smooth, although there was some choppiness, partly the fault of the source I was using, but typical of LCD projectors. With a contrast ratio of 15,000:1, the blacks looked really good, and image quality actually surprised me during the darker scenes. When loading up some of my favorite games and movies, all I could say was "Wow!" I did notice some small problems when I was using my Mac as opposed to my PC. I wanted to set the video to run in 1920 x 1080, but I struggled a little, which is more likely my computer not having the output I desired than the projector. The menus were very easy to use, very straight-forward. What seemed like I was unable to get adjusted on the computer, I was able to adjust on the projector (changing modes, zooming in, etc.). The video also completely stopped for a minute when running one of the videos, although it was playing on my computer just fine. I'm not sure if it was the cable I was using or because the projector I used was a loaner unit that had probably been through a lot already, but it only happened once...

Conclusion: All said, for the price of this projector overseas, it's a bargain. The only downsides are that you have to replace the lamp after so many hours, which is not inexpensive. But for a home theater--WOW! This would sure inspire me to stay home and watch movies--and save the 1800 yen it costs to watch them in Japan! On that note, purchasing this projector in Japan at the current going price of 268,000 yen in a store would be equivalent to watching 148 movies in a theater. While that sounds like a lot, it only translates to about 300 hours of video time, and upon asking, the lamp should last about 3,000 hours on the brightest setting, meaning that you have only covered 10% of your lamp by the time you finish watching the movie theater price equivalent in Japan. Not bad at all--especially when you add that you can use this to play your video game consoles as well. The Sanyo is also very cheap compared to similar models, providing amazing lens shifting for a similar price that others sell theirs for. I suggest you go pick one up if you're a hardcore movie watcher or gamer! Note to self...Never test these types of products at the office, or staff productivity will be damaged... Now if I can unglue Kei (our intern) from playing with the projector and make him start working again, I'd be very pleased!

[consumer-electronics-blog]

LG Develops the World’s First LTE Handset Modem Chip

LG Electronics (LG), a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced today that it has independently developed the first handset (user equipment) modem chip based on 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology standards. The modem chip can theoretically support wireless download speeds of 100Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of 50Mbps. This represents a significant step toward creating a market-ready 4G phone. The Modem Chip is the most crucial component required to create a viable 4G handset with LTE technology, the leading candidate to become the fourth generation mobile phone technology standard. LG demonstrated the chip today at its Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab in Anyang, Korea, achieving wireless download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones currently on the market use HSDPA technology and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps. Higher download speeds are becoming more and more important as people are increasingly using their mobile phones to watch movies, listen to music and browse the internet. With LTE technology, users can download a 700 MB movie file in less than one minute at speeds of 100 Mbps. LTE technology would also allow consumers to simultaneously stream four HD movies without any buffering. For the past three years, LG have been pursuing 3GPP LTE standardization, working to develop and test commercially viable LTE technology with approximately 250 of R&D staffs. The result is a 13 by 13 mm modem chip, perfectly sized for the next generation of slim-yet-powerful handsets. For its demonstration today, LG used a test terminal running Windows Mobile to play back high quality, on-demand video. In addition to this handset modem, LG is also developing the first preliminary LTE-based data card, which can replace the wireless cards currently used in computers. “Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon,” said Dr. Woo Hyun Paik, CTO of LG Electronics. “This latest breakthrough gives us a strong technology advantage that we will use to bolster our industry leadership.” Most of the major mobile operators are pursuing LTE-based 4G technology. Because it is based on the existing WCDMA technology evolutionary path, 85 percent of WCDMA service-provided carriers will be able to upgrade their networks to LTE with far less cost than building a new network based on a different technology. According to market research company Strategy Analytics, the global LTE handset market will double from 70 million sales units in 2012 to 150 million sales units by 2013. Dr. Paik added, "Our successful development of this LTE handset modem signals the start of the 4G mobile communications market. LG will continue to advance this technology and develop further technologies to maintain global leadership.” Mobile phone carriers have now built LTE test networks and are currently working on early stage handsets. The first LTE mobile phones will likely reach the market in 2010.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Zoombak GPS locator tracks your pets James Bond-style

Worried about your girlfriend/dog/local Royal Mail worker?

This covert tracking device from Zoombak would have been more useful to Bond in The Quantum of Solace than any of those purposefully placed Sony products. Simply activate the matchbox-sized bug and drop it into your target's pocket to track his progress anywhere in the world on your computer or mobile phone.

And if you're not an international spy, it's perfect for keeping tabs on your car/pet/children/employees/ partner. A SIM card inside the GPS locator gives its location away via the Vodafone network, so that you can log in to the Zoombak website at any time to see its precise whereabouts right down to the same building on Microsoft's Virtual Earth map.

You can even set up safety zones on the website that will trigger an email or text message if the device is carried across it. For instance, if your dog wanders out of the garden and suddenly shows up in France, you'll know that you left the gate open.

Once you've bought the £99.99 device - one option comes with a dog collar and another is bundled with a car adapter - you simply pay a £9.99 monthly fee that includes all the text messages you might send. Then just sit back and plot the progress of up to nine devices from your secret mountain lair.

[consumer-electronics-blog]

Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player Revolution review

Set of varifocals tied on with a piece of garden twine not inlcuded

We weren’t sure what to expect from the new Trevor Baylis-branded environmentally-aware PMP.

In fact, we were pleasantly surprised by the Eco Media Player Revolution. It does pretty much everything you’d expect from a PMP and then some. It plays a decent selection of digital music and movie file types, it lets you view photos, comes with an integrated FM radio, features an e-book reader and includes an audio recording facility. It’s even got a built-in flashlight, for heaven’s sake. Even the accompanying accessories are touched by the hand of Baylis. The USB lead, for example, comes integrated into its own cunningly crafted cable-tidy.

Okay, the screen’s a bit tiddly and the unit itself is a tad corpulent, but then which other media player do you know of that works by the power of clockwork alone? Yup, that’s right. Clockwork. For normal day-to-day charging, a USB power cable is provided and battery life is very reasonable – up to 50 hours of audio playback on a full charge. Should you find yourself running on empty whilst rambling far from your PC’s powered port, however, then a mini-handle on the rear of the device lets you crank out your own juice. Each minute of physical winding will generate the equivalent of around 45 minutes of musical listening pleasure or 10 minutes of video playback.

Gimmick? Maybe. But the fact that the Revolution will also let you pump a few valuable minutes of talk time into an ailing mobile phone (and comes with adaptors to fit most models) means that the feature could have and extremely practical use if you find yourself caught short and need to make that emergency call.

You might not want this as your main media player (especially if you watch a lot of movies), but if you’re a gadget fan, then you’d probably be extremely pleased to find a Revolution in your Christmas stocking. It’s versatile, easy to use and, quite apart from anything else, audio quality is excellent.