Thursday, October 22, 2009

Mac Book

One sequel that’s better than the original.

From the durable unibody enclosure to the radiant LED-backlit display, the new MacBook is the must-see notebook of the season.

Durable unibody enclosure.

A mere 1.08 inches thin and even lighter at 4.7 pounds,1 the sleek new MacBook cuts a slim profile on any desk (or in any backpack or briefcase). It features a new seamless, more durable unibody enclosure with rounded contours that make it easy to pick up and slide into and out of your bag. And it’s made of rugged polycarbonate that withstands the rough and tumble of everyday life — at school, at work, or while traveling. Even the bottom of the new MacBook feels different. Covering its entire surface is a nonslip material that keeps your MacBook right where you put it, whether on a desk, table, or airplane tray.

Unibody design

The breakthrough unibody design of the MacBook Pro comes to MacBook.

Quality screen time.

MacBook now features an LED-backlit 13.3-inch glossy widescreen display for an even more spectacular viewing experience. Documents, videos, photos, and games look incredibly sharp and detailed. The LED backlighting delivers stunning colors and instant full-screen brightness the moment you open the lid. And its 1280-by-800 pixel resolution offers an outstanding balance of luminous color and easy readability in a perfectly portable size.

Spacious glass Multi-Touch trackpad.

The new MacBook Multi-Touch trackpad has no button because it is the button. That means there’s plenty of room to move your fingers around, and you can click anywhere — left, right, center, and everywhere in between. The trackpad features a silky smooth glass surface that feels great to the fingertips. Use it to perform familiar functions such as right-click or two-finger scroll as well as Multi-Touch gestures: pinch to increase font size in a document, rotate your fingers to reorient photos, swipe to navigate through web pages, and more.

A comfortable keyboard your fingers will love.

MacBook portability doesn’t happen at the expense of key features. The keyboard is full size, with keys that are curved to contain your fingers and highly responsive to your touch. Its low-profile design integrates perfectly into the unibody enclosure, so you’ll get a comfortable experience whether you’re typing a quick email or writing a lengthy research report. The keyboard also gives you one-touch access to music and video controls and Mac OS X features such as Dashboard and Exposé.

Magnetic latch

Because the latch has no moving parts to snag, jam, or break, even opening and closing your MacBook is a pleasure.

Easy access to connections and ports.

The connections and ports on MacBook — MagSafe power, Gigabit Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, USB, and audio in/out — are all smartly integrated on the same side of the notebook. So your cables stay neatly organized, and connecting and disconnecting your devices is easy and convenient.

MagSafe Power Adapter

The power cord is held in place magnetically, so if someone should trip over it, the cable disconnects harmlessly and your MacBook safely stays put.

Clean, simple interior design.

MacBook is as well designed on the inside as on the outside. Turn it over and you’ll notice a seamless, sturdy, single-piece bottom case with no battery compartment. That’s because the lithium-polymer battery in the new MacBook is strategically built right into the enclosure. In addition to providing extra overall durability, this integrated design eliminates the space-consuming parts required by a removable battery. This allows more room for a larger-capacity battery that can run up to 7 hours on a single charge2 — all in an enclosure that is just as thin and even lighter. When you remove the bottom case, you’ll discover a clean, simple interior layout that makes it easy to add more memory or a larger hard drive.

Mac Mini features

Full - Size features.
A faster processor, more memory, more hard drive space, and more power fit inside one small square. And Mac mini makes room for even more.

Memory and processors.

Mac mini is anything but mini under its hood. With either 2GB or 4GB of memory, Mac mini gives you twice as much memory as the previous generation. So now you can run more applications at the same time. You also get a 2.26GHz or a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a blazing-fast 1066MHz frontside bus, and 3MB of L2 cache.

Graphics.

The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor in every Mac mini gives you outstanding graphics performance. It brings pure power to the latest 3D games and graphics-intensive applications. And you’ll notice a big difference when you work with high-resolution photos and high-definition video.

Wireless.

The latest 802.11n wireless technology is built into every Mac mini.1 Once you set up a Wi-Fi network, you can surf the web, print, and stream your music wirelessly. Bluetooth capabilities are also built in, so you can connect Bluetooth accessories such as a wireless keyboard and mouse.


Plenty of storage.

Choose your hard drive.

Now you can get a 160GB, 320GB, or optional 500GB hard drive2 and pack in your photos, movies, music, and more, more, more.

Room to burn.

You can play and burn all the DVDs and CDs you want with the ultrafast, slot-loading SuperDrive. So load up on photos, movies, and music, and burn them to DVDs whenever you want.

Special server configuration.

When you order Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server, you get two 500GB hard drives for 1TB of storage.2 Whether you want to bring your email in house, host wikis and websites, or record and host podcasts, that’s plenty of storage to make it all happen.

Mac Mini

Brilliance Squared

There’s nothing like Mac mini. At just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches tall, it’s designed to take up far less room — and use far less energy — than any other desktop computer.

Small. Simple. Beautiful.

Mac mini has a sleek, anodized aluminum case and clean, white surface. It’s small, elegant, and unassuming. In fact, it looks so simple it's hard to believe it’s a computer at all.



Packed with power.

Mac mini was engineered to fit a lot of computer into a little space. It’s powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, with advanced NVIDIA graphics and fast DDR3 memory. There’s plenty of storage space — up to 500GB1 — for just about anything. And it comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the world’s most advanced operating system. Who knew something so small could be so huge?

Plug. And play.

Mac mini includes five USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 800 port, so you can connect your keyboard, mouse, iPod, iPhone, digital camera, DV

camcorder, external hard drive, printer, and any other peripherals you use. Mac mini even lets you connect up to two displays, including your TV, with the mini-DVI port and Mini DisplayPort. On the front of Mac mini is the ultrafast, slot-loading SuperDrive for playing DVDs and CDs — or burning your own.

The many uses of Mac mini.

Because Mac mini is so small, it can be just about anything you want it to be. And be amazing at it, too. Officially, Mac mini is a desktop computer. But because it can go places no other desktop can go, it’s been used everywhere from boats to server rooms, as the heart of an entertainment center — and even to power robots.


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Magic Mouse

It began with iPhone. Then came iPod touch. Then MacBook Pro. Intuitive, smart, dynamic. Multi-Touch technology introduced a remarkably better way to interact with your portable devices — all using gestures. Now we’ve reached another milestone by bringing gestures to the desktop with a mouse that’s unlike anything ever before. It's called Magic Mouse. It's the world's first Multi-Touch mouse. And while it comes standard with every new iMac, you can also add it to any Bluetooth-enabled Mac for a Multi-Touch makeover.

Seamless Multi-Touch Surface
Magic Mouse — with its low-profile design and seamless top shell — is so sleek and dramatically different, it brings a whole new feel to the way you get around on your Mac. You can’t help but marvel at its smooth, buttonless appearance. Then you touch it and instantly appreciate how good it feels in your hand. But it’s when you start using Magic Mouse that everything comes together.


The Multi-Touch area covers the top surface of Magic Mouse, and the mouse itself is the button. Scroll in any direction with one finger, swipe through web pages and photos with two, and click and double-click anywhere. Inside Magic Mouse is a chip that tells it exactly what you want to do. Which means Magic Mouse won’t confuse a scroll with a swipe. It even knows when you’re just resting your hand on it.

Laser-Tracking Engine

Magic Mouse uses powerful laser tracking that’s far more sensitive and responsive on more surfaces than traditional optical tracking. That means it tracks with precision on nearly every surface — whether it’s a table at your favorite cafe or the desk in your home office — without the need for a mousepad.


Wireless

Magic Mouse connects wirelessly to your Mac via Bluetooth, so there’s no wire or separate adapter to worry about. Pair Magic Mouse with your Bluetooth-enabled Mac and enjoy a reliable and secure connection up to 33 feet away. When you combine Magic Mouse with the Apple Wireless Keyboard, you create a workspace free of annoying cables.

And because Magic Mouse is wireless, it can venture beyond the confines of your desk. A quick flick of the on/off switch helps conserve battery power while Magic Mouse is tucked in your bag. Even when it’s on, Magic Mouse manages power efficiently, by detecting periods of inactivity automatically.

Make one great gesture after another.

Multi-Touch technology on the iPhone and iPod touch introduced a breakthrough way to interact with your content. Magic Mouse, with its Multi-Touch surface, does the same thing for your Mac. When you use gestures, it’s as if you’re touching what’s on your screen. For instance, swiping through web pages in Safari gives you the feeling of flicking through pages in a magazine. And scrolling with Magic Mouse isn’t your everyday scrolling. It supports momentum scrolling (similar to iPhone and iPod touch), where the scrolling speed is dictated by how fast or slowly you perform the gesture.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Laptop with flexible Display

Brave German designers are not shy about experimenting with form. Of course, the day when such a concept could be put into practice, will not soon, despite the existing achievements in the field of flexible OLED-screens.

The idea is simple - there is a small tube with a wire, standard connectors and speakers.

At his literally wound rolled in a tube display, which is practically a slight movement of the hand can be easily turned into a laptop screen with a keyboard and large display.

And with great desire in the display still appears and folding legs. We all love these concepts precisely because of what they look spectacular and much promise.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Nokia Enters Netbook Market with Booklet 3G

After months of rumor and speculation, Nokia has officially announced its entry into the netbook market with its own machine in the Nokia Booklet 3G.

Nokia has chosen the well-traveled path of many other manufacturers with specifications that equal or exceed those in other competing models with an Intel Atom processor, integrated 3G HSPA modem with A-GPS support, 10-inch glass front HD resolution display, aluminum bodyshell, HDMI port for video output and Windows XP along with a claimed 12 hour battery life.

As with other competing netbooks, Nokia will be bundling its own suite of online services with Ovi Suite which can pinpoint location in seconds with the Ovi Maps widget and built-in A-GPS.

The Nokia Booklet 3G also includes other Ovi functionality such as using Ovi Suite to sync seamlessly with a Nokia smartphone to the Booklet 3G, to the internet.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Sony to Launch New PSP Starter Pack Next Month

Sony has revealed a new PSP Starter Pack to coincide with the launch of the PSPgo.

The new Sony PSP Starter Pack will be launched next month for $39.99 and features the 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo Mark 2 memory card and the midrange MDR-EX32LP earbuds with a 6-23,000 Hz frequency response, 3.9ft cord and three sizes of earbuds.

Both the memory card and earbuds are compatible with the PSPgo.

Friday, September 4, 2009

IKEA's Switch to Verdana Causes Stir Among Typography Geeks

You probably missed this earth-shattering news, but Ikea IKEA, the Swedish furniture and other assorted home decoration products company, has switched fonts. The company always used the Futura font for its catalogues, but the latest edition has ditched it in favour of Verdana. This has caused quite the stir among typography geeks.

Red Hat takes aim at Microsoft, VMware with virtualization, cloud strategy

Red Hat this week lined up nose-to-nose with VMware and Microsoft laying out its bid to become a top-tier provider of virtualization and cloud computing infrastructure software for both the enterprise and service providers. more

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Gmail outage caused by overloaded servers

A worldwide outage of Google's Gmail online e-mail system on Tuesday was caused by a traffic jam on its servers, according to Google's official Gmail blog.

The problem was that some recent changes designed to improve traffic flow on request routers, servers designed to direct Web queries to the appropriate Gmail server, overloaded the system after workers took some Gmail servers offline to perform routine upgrades.

The overload resulted in people around the world being unable to access Gmail for about 100 minutes, Treynor said, though he noted that IMAP/POP access and mail processing continued to work normally.

Nokia Unveils Booklet 3G Specifications, Price

Not too long ago the news got out that mobile phone company Nokia was about to enter the netbook market with its Booklet 3G. Specifications were unavailable then, but today at Nokia World '09 the company announced all the details around this slick netbook.

Windows 7 RTM arrives for Volume License customers

Windows 7 RTM has been made available to Volume License customers. Windows 7 Professional has been marked down 15 percent for the next six months.

Microsoft today made it possible for businesses to order Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 upgrades from a Microsoft Volume License Reseller. The Volume Licensing (VL) option is for businesses that don't already have Software Assurance and want to upgrade their existing business PCs to Windows 7.

A recent survey found that the majority of businesses were not planning to deploy Windows 7 before the end of 2010, so it's not surprising Microsoft is doing everything in its power to push the new operating system. more

AMD aims to stay in the race with Magny-Cours 12-core CPU

At the recent Hot Chips conference in Palo Alto, AMD outlined its upcoming 12-core server processor, codenamed "Magny-Cours." The new CPU will arrive in 2010, and will fit into the same power envelope as the existing six-core Istanbul processor. But to make that happen, AMD had to make some compromises.

Due in 2010 on AMD's 45nm SOI process, Magny-Cours uses the same basic core microarchitecture as the current Shanghai quad-core server processor, so if there's any improvement in per-thread performance it will have to come from better system design.

The basic idea behind Magny-Cours is simple: take two six-core Istanbul processors, downclock them a bit to reduce power, and squeeze them into a multichip module (MCM) so that they can fit into a single socket. By using an MCM, AMD will be able to fit 12 cores into the same thermal and power envelope as Istanbul.

For system architecture reasons, AMD's MCM picture is a little more complex than was Intel's, because each Istanbul chip has its own on-die dual-channel DDR3 memory controller, along with four HyperTransport links. Obviously, you can't push each chip's full interconnect bandwidth through a single socket, so AMD had to cut out some links.

The company's MCM 2.0 design has four total HT ports (two per chip) and four DDR3 memory ports (two per chip) on each MCM. For each individual chip, one of the links is x16 and another is x8. The two chips are connected inside the module by a x16 HT link.

Even with four HT links and four memory channels to keep the MCM fed, 12 cores is still a lot to pack into a single socket, and bandwidth starvation is a concern. To help alleviate the bandwidth pressure AMD's Istanbul made a very smart tradeoff in the form of HT Assist, and this tradeoff is carried over to Magny-Cours, where it's even more necessary.

One of the big challenges in multiprocessor system design is keeping the various processors' caches in sync with one another; solutions to this problem all involve some amount of communication among the processors, and this "snoop" traffic eats up valuable bus bandwidth. The solution that AMD has adopted with Istanbul and Magny-Cours involves setting aside 1MB of each chip's 6MB cache to store a directory of the contents of the other chips' caches, so that by consulting this local directory each chip can avoid broadcasting a significant number of traffic-increasing snoop requests to the other chips. more

iPhone not exclusive in China, talks with China Mobile go on

The three-year deal Apple made with China Unicom is not an exclusive one, and negotiations continue with China Mobile. Still, regulatory hurdles may prevent Apple from launching a Chinese App Store.

Apple has confirmed that its agreement to sell iPhones via China Unicom, which lasts for three years, isn't exclusive. China Mobile says it is still in talks with Apple to carry the iPhone, though Apple hasn't said what Chinese carriers it is in talks with. And while that company—China's largest mobile carrier by a wide margin—cited control issues with how the App Store is run, there may be further legal hurdles to cross before Apple can offer apps via the App Store to Chinese users.
more

Talks of RISC OS Porting to ARM Cortex-A8

"US-based company Genesi, which builds ARM Cortex-powered appliances that could be compatible with the RISC OS Open Beagleboard work, is said to be in talks with RISC OS companies over a possible port of the OS to its products. It's hoped ROS 5 could be made to run on the lightweight EFIKA MX Open Client, which sports a 800MHz Cortex-A8 processor, 3D graphics hardware, 512M RAM, wifi networking and more. Genesi analyst Matt Sealey said: 'RISC OS is really popular in the UK and the last dedicated RISC OS box - the Iyonix - has been discontinued for six months. We are currently questioning the relevant companies in the UK, including [ROS 5 owners] Castle, about collaboration and marketing efforts, and the support they'd need to make it a reality.'" more

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 Arrives for Free

Ars writes: "The final release of Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 (1541.1MB) has been posted on the Microsoft Download Center. This release of Microsoft's standalone virtualization server for small- and mid-sized business customers is a vast improvement over the first version." more

Google Chrome Comes Bundled on Sony Laptops

Google said August 31 that Sony is bundling the Chrome Web browser on its Sony laptop computers, the search engine company's first such bundling deal to help the now one year-old browser reach more users. Sony did not respond to requests for comment but a Google spokesperson confirmed to eWEEK that Sony is bundling Chrome. The spokesperson declined to provide financial details but claimed: "Users' response to Google Chrome has been outstanding, and we're continuing to explore ways to make Chrome accessible to even more people." more

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Netbook Market Keeps on Growing

According to Apple, the netbook market is not a market they want to partake in, because they believe the current crop of netbooks is not good enough. Well, good enough or not, netbooks ales are still growing like crazy, according to the latest figures from DisplaySearch. more

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Universal kernel code to keep computers safe

A "microkernel" that can underpin any operating system could make computers more reliable and secure... more

Nanolasers offer super-tight focus

Lasering on the nanoscale is now possible using a laser a hundred times more tightly focused than conventional beams more

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Nokia Enters Netbook Market

Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 24th Aug 2009 18:44 UTC
In what can surely be called a surprise move, Nokia has announced that it will enter the netbook market with an Atom-based netbook which will ship with Windows 7. While many of the components appear relatively normal compared to other netbooks, it does come with a few features that will set the device apart from the rest. Instant update: Ars believes this is the first Intel Pine Trail netbook.

Friday, August 14, 2009

RAM

RAM: Random Access Memory

SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

Almost all systems used to ship with 3.3 volt, 168-pin SDRAM DIMMs. SDRAM is not an extension of older EDO DRAM but a new type of DRAM altogether. SDRAM started out running at 66 MHz, while older fast page mode DRAM and EDO max out at 50 MHz. SDRAM is able to scale to 133 MHz (PC133) officially, and unofficially up to 180MHz or higher. As processors get faster, new generations of memory such as DDR and RDRAM are required to get proper performance.

DDR (Double Data Rate SDRAM)
DDR basically doubles the rate of data transfer of standard SDRAM by transferring data on the up and down tick of a clock cycle. DDR memory operating at 333MHz actually operates at 166MHz * 2 (aka PC333 / PC2700) or 133MHz*2 (PC266 / PC2100). DDR is a 2.5 volt technology that uses 184 pins in its DIMMs. It is incompatible with SDRAM physically, but uses a similar parallel bus, making it easier to implement than RDRAM, which is a different technology.

Rambus DRAM (RDRAM)
Despite it's higher price, Intel has given RDRAM it's blessing for the consumer market, and it will be the sole choice of memory for Intel's Pentium 4. RDRAM is a serial memory technology that arrived in three flavors, PC600, PC700, and PC800. PC800 RDRAM has double the maximum throughput of old PC100 SDRAM, but a higher latency. RDRAM designs with multiple channels, such as those in Pentium 4 motherboards, are currently at the top of the heap in memory throughput, especially when paired with PC1066 RDRAM memory.

DIMMs vs. RIMMs
DRAM comes in two major form factors: DIMMs and RIMMS.

DIMMs are 64-bit components, but if used in a motherboard with a dual-channel configuration (like with an Nvidia nForce chipset) you must pair them to get maximum performance. So far there aren't many DDR chipset that use dual-channels. Typically, if you want to add 512 MB of DIMM memory to your machine, you just pop in a 512 MB DIMM if you've got an available slot. DIMMs for SDRAM and DDR are different, and not physically compatible. SDRAM DIMMs have 168-pins and run at 3.3 volts, while DDR DIMMs have 184-pins and run at 2.5 volts.

RIMMs use only a 16-bit interface but run at higher speeds than DDR. To get maximum performance, Intel RDRAM chipsets require the use of RIMMs in pairs over a dual-channel 32-bit interface. You have to plan more when upgrading and purchasing RDRAM.

Simm

Dimm

Sodimm

From the top: SIMM, DIMM and SODIMM memory modules

Memory Speed
SDRAM initially shipped at a speed of 66MHz. As memory buses got faster, it was pumped up to 100MHz, and then 133MHz. The speed grades are referred to as PC66 (unofficially), PC100 and PC133 SDRAM respectively. Some manufacturers are shipping a PC150 speed grade. However, this is an unofficial speed rating, and of little use unless you plan to overclock your system.

DDR comes in PC1600, PC2100, PC2700 and PC3200 DIMMs. A PC1600 DIMM is made up of PC200 DDR chips, while a PC2100 DIMM is made up of PC266 chips. PC2700 uses PC333 DDR chips and PC3200 uses PC400 chips that haven't gained widespread support. Go for PC2700 DDR. It is about the cost of PC2100 memory and will give you better performance.

RDRAM comes in PC600, PC700, PC800 and PC1066 speeds. Go for PC1066 RDRAM if you can find it. If you can't, PC800 RDRAM is widely available.

Older memory types
Fast Page Mode DRAM
Fast Page Mode DRAM is plain old DRAM as we once knew it. The problem with standard DRAM was that it maxes out at about 50 MHz.

EDO DRAM
EDO DRAM gave people up to 5% system performance increase over DRAM. EDO DRAM is like FPM DRAM with some cache built into the chip. Like FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM maxes out at about 50 MHz. Early on, some system makers claimed that if you used EDO DRAM you didn't need L2 cache in your computer to get decent performance. They were wrong. It turns out that EDO DRAM works along with L2 cache to make things even faster, but if you lose the L2 cache, you lose a lot of speed.

How Much Computer Memory Do You Need?

The easiest ways to boost performance for any PC is to add memory (RAM) to the system. Before purchasing that memory upgrade, however, remember to verify what type of memory your computer uses, the memory module sizes and what already exists in the system. If you are buying a new system, look for the maximum RAM available.

To give you some idea of RAM requirements, according to a 2009 www.pcstats.com article, Windows Vista Basic requires a minimum of 512MB, though they advise that realistically, that number should be doubled.

No need to spend money on extra RAM that your system cannot utilize. You can easily check the specifications of the system you are considering by asking how much memory is already installed, and what the maximum memory capacity is for the system.

When buying a computer or laptop, the available memory on that system should be a primary consideration, because the more you do, the more memory you need! The applications you use dictate how much memory you need for the best possible performance, the smoothest graphics and the speediest downloads.

RAM is used every time you open an application, download, play a game or video – even turning on your computer requires RAM. Peripherals such as webcams, digital cameras, DVD players and USB harddrives require more RAM. These requirements, coupled with complicated web pages and PC-based video games may surprise you in that you have significantly less RAM than you thought. Therefore, buy the most RAM you can afford; more RAM makes for a speedier computer. Today, available PC systems range from 512MB (which is the bare minimum) to 4GB of memory.

If you already have a computer and are considering a memory upgrade, review the manuals that came with your computer or motherboard. Included in the documentation are the specifications for the memory supported. This is important because it will list exactly the type, size and number of memory modules that are supported.

The Different Computer Problems And The Ways To Avoid Them

Slowing down of processing speed - lack of maintenance
Computers need to be regularly checked and maintained for corrupted registry, spyware, and loading of unnecessary programs that eat much of your pc's memory.

Increasing the running time of your computer may involve cleaning up its registry and managing the programs.

Frozen screens are another annoyance. Imagine doing something important and then the computer suddenly stops responding. While this problem may not be easy to diagnose, spyware or virus may be responsible for this. Updating your anti-spyware software is one way to prevent this problem.

Computer virus protection is another extremely useful feature of most computers. This software detects and eliminates computer viruses that may attack your system. Thus, it prevents possible computer virus induced damage.

If no virus or spyware is found, or if they are checked and fixed, and still your pc unit freezes, then check if you have updated your hardware drives. Another cause may be insufficient memory. Thus, upgrading the RAM is another solution to increase computer power.

On some instances, your pc keeps rebooting repeatedly. This is mainly a hard drive problem. Check the power supply in this case. If the cooling fan of your pc does not work properly, your computer may reboot unexpectedly. Dust accumulation in your unit may cause build up of heat that leads to computer failure.

Other components may be subject to occasional failures. For instance, printers may not print. In this case, check power supply and connections. If it is loosely connected to the unit then that may be the problem. Jammed paper inside the printer may also be a culprit. Check printer settings. In some instances, you may need to install the printer software again.

The bottom line of this is basically maintenance of your computer because this is the way to keep it working properly for long. However, you may quite benefit well with computer disaster recovery to back up files and data so everything is secure during emergency cases.

5 Netbooks To Look Out For

Choosing the top 5 netbooks of your choice is pretty tough. The market is now flourished with an excellent range of new netbooks which are portable and easy to use. Time is an important factor in today`s world. Every minute of your life is valuable.

The new designs of the top five netbooks are very lucrative and the price is surely going to impress the buyers. A quick look at the 5 netbooks will give you a clear idea about the features and functionalities of this unique gadget:

To begin with let`s take a closer view at the Acer Aspire One which has an Intel Atom 270 processor with a 1 GB RAM. The best factor of this notebook is its secondary SD which increases its storage. The slim body is painted with lively colours. The Acer aspire one is one of the most commonly used notebooks. Acer aspire does not have Bluetooth and its battery life is quite low.

Second is the Asus Eee PC 901. Multitouch touchpad is its unique feature. Battery life of this notebook is exceptionally good. The notebook has in built Bluetooth and wireless radio. The notebook has a glossy finish and a gorgeous look. Spiffy in performance and easy to use, Asus Eee PC 901 is one of the most recommendable notebooks.

The third in line among is acquired by the Asus Eee PC 1000H. The 10.2 inch screen and the extremely comfortable keyboards are the two best features of this notebook. The notebook is ideal for those who have to work even while touring. Excellent battery life paired with Intel atom CPU makes it a wonderful package.


The HP Compaq 2133 with a VIA processor is another wonderful netbook. Inexpensive, portable, and a broad keyboard are its main feature. It is considered to be among the best of mini netbooks. The battery life is not much impressive but still it attracts buyers for its excellent functionality and portable size. The notebook is claimed to have the best keyboard.


The MSI wind netbook is teh next. The notebook posses a large screen and battery life is pretty good if not excellent. There is no integrated BG but the keyboard is amazing. The device is one of the most recommended notebooks across the globe. Dealers and buyers both claim that MSI wind is the best notebook available in the market.

You can have access to articles about notebooks in portuguese language from page Notebook

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil

Notebook

Aside from having a higher cost, notebooks have a screen size of 12 to 17 inches and were capable of running multiple applications and can handle heavy applications. Able to perform heavy work load and has longer battery life than netbook.

Optical drives (CD/DVD Rom) are standard features of a notebook. Most notebooks do not have problem with any other version of Windows while most netbooks can easily run Windows XP and Linux but will need more power to run Vista and Windows 7.

A notebook is basically a compressed PC, having the same power with that of a desktop PC in a smaller package. It can do almost everything that a desktop PC can do. Notebooks are also powered by the same processors that PC have nowadays. For now, the most obvious and true advantage of notebooks over netbooks lies in performance.

Netbook

[Introduction]
A Netbook is a new type of laptop computer, defined by size, price, horsepower, and operating system. They are small, cheap, under-powered, and run either an old or unfamiliar operating system.

Netbook is a fully functional laptop with a display ranging from 8-to-10-inch, so they are all easy to carry around. Weigh from 2 to 3 pounds
which mobile users will find very handy, and sport keyboards sized from 80 percent to 95 percent of normal.

Almost most models have several USB ports, a webcam, card reader, built-in Wi-Fi and integrated speakers running on 1GB of system memory depending on the operating system they were pre-installed with.

Vast majority of netbooks run on the Intel Atom platform. Typically, netbooks does not come with optical drives or CD/DVD-Roms .

[Price]

Price-wise, Netbooks start at about (all prices are rounded off and approximate) $299 for a Linux-based model and $329 for an XP-based machine.

Several netbooks comes with Express Card slot, which can expand port and wireless capabilities. The storage capacity of hard drives should be a minimum of 80GB but there are others that comes with as high as 160GB. Expanding your storage capacity is not a big problem nowadays since you can easily buy an external hard drive if you need extra disk space. For frequent travelers, the battery that comes with netbooks should also be considered. Consider buying an extra battery with 6-cell unit for a longer standby time.

[Operating Systems]
Netbooks run either Windows XP Home edition or Linux (not only is Linux unfamiliar to many, but the versions of Linux on Netbooks are not the mainstream popular distributions).

They do not run XP Professional, Vista, or OS X. Microsoft arbitrarily restricts Netbooks from running the Professional Edition of Windows XP.

Likewise, Apple arbitrarily restricts OS X to Apple hardware and it has never played in the low-end realm that Netbooks occupy.

Vista requires too much horsepower to run well on a Netbook.

HP has been the only company to offer Vista on a Netbook.

The price, however, was so high that it's debatable whether such a machine qualifies as a Netbook.

Despite a huge proliferation of Netbook models, these specs seem to be standard:
  • Screen resolution 1024x600
  • Intel Atom CPU running at 1.6-GHz
  • Wi-Fi B and G
  • Ethernet at 100Mbps
  • A slot for a flash RAM memory card
  • External VGA output jack
  • Integrated graphics
  • Two or three USB ports
  • Built-in camera
  • Headphone and microphone jacks
Overall, netbooks are great for small to medium workloads. There are other factors to consider beside the clear fact that netbooks are much cheaper than notebooks such as processing speed, video acceleration and the screen resolution which comes at 1024 x 600 dpi. Check the viewing angles and crispness of image. Every network, due to its size has undersized keyboard but there are some that have bigger ones. Make sure that you are comfortable using the keyboard especially when you do a lot of typing.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

SanDisk ImageMate® All-in-One USB 2.0 Reader

[Style]
Sleekly style

[Easy]
Press the transfer button on top of the reader to automatically launch your favourite application or website when transferring or editing your files.

[Hastle]
Transfer your files to your PC quickly, easily and safely with this USB reader. No Hastle.

[Adapter]
The All-in-One Reader works with all popular types of memory cards, without the need for an adapter.

[Speed]
With read/write speeds of up to 34MB/s, this is one of the fastest USB 2.0 readers you can find.

[Look]
The included metal stand lets you easily detach the reader and slip it into your notebook bag. All-in-One reader, sleekly styled to look great on your desk.

Laptops Skin Basics

In this materialistic world, nowadays everything is very complex and competitive and unfortunately most people don’t have enough time for entertainment and enjoyment activities in their spare time. Therefore, the only form of entertainment they know is watching movies, listening to music, playing computer games and other such activities that offer them moments of happiness and enjoyment. People want their devices unique. They want to see everything outstanding from others.

The good news for laptop users is that they can easily add laptop skins to their technological devices to provide unique and outstanding looks for their laptops. There is a variety of skins available on the market and one of the most popular is the wii skin.

Various laptop users want to design their laptop skins with stylish looks and, as a consequence, many laptop skins are introduced in the market by different companies so that users can fulfill their desires.

These laptop skins will make your laptop stand out in the crowd and at the same time you will save your device from dust particles and scratches which usually occur when the laptop is used on a daily basis. These unique and customized skins will convey your computer a unique style, being made from thin, elastic materials that are easy to install and remove.

Moreover, laptop skins are available in all sizes and shapes and if the laptop is big, you can trim the skin according to your needs. Usually, a laptop skin lasts for about six months but if you use your laptop only at home it will definitely last you longer.

To conclude, although laptop skins do not get too much attention from all laptop users, there are still people who appreciate the design and the beauty of a quality skin.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

What are opendns servers and how can they improve your surfing experience ?

We all are always searching for ways to improve the speed of the internet connection. We might be using a dial-up connection, a DSL connection or any other connection we want it to be even faster. The basic thing about DNS servers is “THEY RESOLVE THE HOST NAME TO A SPECIFIC IP ADDRESS”.

When we enter a web address in our browser (kannani.blogspot.com), our browser doesn’t know where the site kannani is located.

To find the specific address of the site in terms of IP address, the DNS server is contacted first which converts the hostname (kannani.blogspot.com) to ip address (209.85.225.191) which is the exact address of the server which is hosting the site.

In order to be able to retrieve the IP adress fast, the DNS servers i.e the computers which do the conversion must be fast enough but the DNS servers that our ISP's' provide are not fast enough.

This is where OpenDNS comes into action. OpenDNS provides a reliable and faster DNS service and the best thing is it is totally free. They are having their DNS servers located all over the world from which the server which is located near you will be used to resolve your DNS queries.

OpenDNS

The steps to use the DNS servers of OpenDNS are very easy.

In windows XP,

from the Start Menu > Control Panel > Network and Internet Connections.
It would list out the options for Internet and Network connections options.
Then select Network Connections option.
It would open up a window, listing out ur existing connections.
Right click any of ur connections and select the properties of the connection you are using,
then scroll down to the bottom of the General Tab,
where you will find the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
Click the properties button.
This would open Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) properties,
under General Tab, Select the radio button
"Use the following DNS Server Addresses",
following which change the values of the DNS servers to manual
(if its initially automatic) and set the values to-

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

OpenDNS not only provides a faster DNS service but also protects us from pishing sites, sites containing malware etc. You can even set shortcuts to your favourite sites and block unwanted sites if your family has children.

7 Points to Ponder Before U Purchase a Computer

The decision to by a new desktop computer or a laptop is not a hugely expensive proposition. You need to have adequate knowledge about the ins and outs of buying a computer because it can save you both time and money, as well as spare you with the hassles and loss of productivity when you make the wrong choice. Consider some of these points when purchasing a new desktop or laptop computer.

Budget

How much can you afford to spend? Given today’s economic crisis, this is the single most imp
ortant question when buying. Just because there are many financing methods in purchasing a computer, it doesn’t mean you can buy the really expensive ones. Unless you are confident you can pay for it, do not bother choosing credit over cash again. Determine the right budget for your computer, and have the willpower to stay within that budget.

Function

What is the computer for? Think about your personal intended function. A businessman/ woman may have different
ideals about his/ her computer from that of a college student. A teenager may want a computer built for hours and hours of fun with computer games, while a filmmaker may want to have an enormous storage space for his movie files. Some models have functions that you do not need and will add to the cost. A laptop with all the features and hi-tech accessories may seem cool, but you may just be wasting your hard-earned dollars.

Ergonomics

How does it feel when you use it? Are you comfortable with its size and weight? Do your fingers fit perfectly unto the keyboard? Make sure the laptop makes it easy for you to use. Just as you need to test drive a car, you need to test type your computer.

Finance

There are many sad stories about people being trapped in high interest finance arrangements, as well horror stories about fraudulent acts done by unscrupulous financiers. Avoid this by entering into completely legitimate dealerships. Even if the interest rate would be higher than the usual, make sure you will be dealing with safe financiers. After all, u cant put a price tag on security.

Warranty

How long is the warranty period? Obviously, you would want a longer period. Many people do not realize how important the warranty is until the day the computer needs to be repaired, and often it’s already too late as the warranty has expired. Read the fine print and don’t hesitate to ask questions with your dealer. Make sure you get a good deal from the warranty. Take advantage of it; you might regret it when it expires.

Accessories

What comes with the computer? Some dealerships offer additional accessories like a printer, speakers, or head phones. You better get a hold of these sweet deals because they will provide the best value for your money.

User reviews

Finally, how did other people find your computer of choice? Visit the web and read your computer’s reviews. This way you would have an idea of what people think of the brand you intend to purchase, and hopefully the reviews would aid you further in your decision.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Facebook User Name Change

Facebook Now Allows One More User Name Change

It's been a month and change since the mad scrable for Facebook vanity URLs this past June. And seemed like an awesome way to gimick the system back then--here's looking at you, www.facebook.com/epicfail--has surely left some users a bit unhappy with their spur-of-the-moment choice.

All you have to do to edit your vanity URL is log onto Facebook and click the "Settings" button in the upper-right corner. From there, click on the "change" button next to "Username." Select the name that will now become your new vanity URL, click Check Availability, and cross your fingers!

Does anybody really care about vanity URLs anymore, or have the message-board-style jokes by the Internet's www.facebook.com/31337 already jumped the www.facebook.com/shark (still available!)



Friday, July 24, 2009

சமூக பிணைப்பு - Social Networking

இன்றைய உலகில் இந்தப்பத்தை கேள்விப்பட்டிராதவர்களே இல்லை எனலாம். ஏன் என்றால் இளையவர்கள் அதன்மீது ஏற்பட்டிருக்கும் அவ்வளவு கவர்ச்சி. இந்த தளங்கள் அனைத்தும் இளைஞர்களை கவர்ந்து இழுக்கின்றன.

இவை சினிமா, காதல், கவர்ச்சி, செக்ஸ், பட இசை, பட நடிகர்கள்/ நடிகைகள் பற்றிய விபரங்களை தன்னகத்தே சுமக்கின்றன. பல பில்லியன் டாலர்களை சம்பாதிக்கின்றன. அவை முறையே, Myspace, Facebook, ibibo, bigadda மற்றும் Friendster போன்ற தளங்கள்.

உதாரணாமாக, சமூக பிணைப்புக்கும் ஷாருக்கானுக்கும் என்ன சம்பந்தம்? ஷாருக்கான் படத்தை பார்க்க வாருங்கள் என்று தான் big adda விளம்பரம் கொடுக்கிறது. இந்தியாவை பொறுத்த வரை சினிமாவை வைத்து தான் மக்களை கவர்ந்திழுக்க முடியும் என்று முடிவு செய்து விட்டார்கள் போலிருக்கிறது. அமெரிக்கா இணைய தளத்தின் இந்திய பிரிவு கூட "தமிழில் படங்கள் பற்றிய சூடான செய்திகள்" என்று தான் விளம்பரம் செய்கிறார்கள்.

இங்கே நாங்கள் சில சமூக பிணைப்பு தளங்கலையும் அவை எப்படி தோன்றின என்பதையும் பார்ப்போம்..........

Facebook, Myspace,

Facebook is a social networking website launched on February 4, 2004. The free-access website is privately owned and operated by Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profile to notify friends about themselves. The website's name refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of a campus community that some US colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff as a way to get to know other people on campus.

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook while he was a student at Harvard University. Website membership was initially limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Ivy League. It later expanded further to include any university student, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 120 million active users worldwide.

Facebook has met with some controversy over the past few years. It has been blocked intermittently in several countries including Syria and Iran. It has also been banned at many places of work to increase productivity.

How can i make use of it?
You do have to make an account to use Facebook, but it's very easy and simple to do.

Precaustions!????????@@@@%%%########
You do have to be careful though, because whatever information you put on your Facebook page is now out on the internet. You can make your profile private so only your friends can see it, or public so anyone can view it. It's very important to not put info on like your address or phone number if you don't want a specific friend with access to your Facebook site to see!

Privacy has also been an issue, and it has been compromised several times. It is also facing several lawsuits from a number of Zuckerberg's former classmates, who claim that Facebook had stolen their source code and other intellectual property.

என்னை பொறுத்த வரைக்கும் சமூக பிணைப்பு என்பது just hype. 14 - 24 வயதினருக்கு டைம் பாஸ். என் தெருவில் இருக்கும் ஒரு மூஞ்சீறு myspace மற்றும் facebook தளங்களில் நண்பர்களை தேடிப் பார்க்குது. ஆனால் தெருவில் இருக்கும் எல்லோருடனும் சண்டை போட்டுக் கொண்டிருக்குது. நம்மை சுற்றியுள்ளவர்களுடன் சந்தோஷமாக வாழ்வது தான் உண்மையான சமூக பிணைப்பு.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Microsoft's Bing Comes To Hotmail's Inbox

Hotmail users can now decide and Bing, in a limited way, right from their e-mail inboxes. While not the sort of thing likely to cause people to switch from Gmail, the feature shows Microsoft has some clues about leveraging one online service off another.

"With Hotmail’s quick add feature, now enhanced with Bing, you can easily search, find, and insert content from the web straight into your e-mail messages. With just one click you can add restaurant reviews, movie times, images, videos, maps and more," Microsoft said yesterday in a blog post announcing the enhancement.

The search categories are limited and so are the geographies where the new feature is available. Hotmail users in Australia, Canada, China, India, US, and UK are the only ones able to Bing from their inboxes.

Five Reasons Google Chrome OS Will Fail

1. Netbooks aren't the world

Netbooks may be important, but they remain a tiny part of the world's PC sales. Google's bet is predicated on strong demand for weak computers.

Google is counting on users of small computers not being tied to specific applications and being willing to accept low cost and, perhaps, ease of use over a more familiar and more powerful environment.

Some doubtless are, but enough to really challenge Microsoft? Not anytime soon.

2. Microsoft Can Shoot to Kill

Microsoft introduced Windows 7 NB system in order to revolutionize the web world. In order to beat its competitors Microsoft has to offer it for free. Anything Google can do, Microsoft can--at least theoretically--do better. Google wants to give away a netbook operating system? So can Microsoft.

It will be hard for regulators to complain as Microsoft is now reacting to a powerful competitor's frontal assault on Windows. And placing and end date on the freebie--which can always be extended--allows MS to charge once Chrome is vanquished.

But, does Microsoft even have to do this? No. There is strong evidence--Linux on netbooks, for example--that Microsoft can still successfully charge for what other's give away.

Do not underestimate what can happen when Microsoft gets mad. The company's biggest enemy in recent years has been itself. A new external threat may help Ballmer & Co. sharpen their thinking and respond like an angry immune system to isolate and overwhelm a foreign organism, like Google.

3. Google Docs is the best they can do

So far, Googles efforts at creating cloud applications have been pretty feeble. Look at all the things Google Docs don't do that people need, at least occasionally. Google needs to prove that applications-as-a-service can match those users install. So far, it hasn't come close.

Google's cloud computing strategy so far is "applications lite," which may be fine for occasional use, just like a netbook, but don't meet enough needs to be a real solution.

4. Chrome isn't a "real" operating system

If I were building Chrome, I'd do everything possible to hide the operating system and hope users don't notice what's been left out.

But is that possible? At what point must something that looks and acts like an operating system be presented to users? How much functionality can be sacrificed to provide ease-of-use? Google describes Chrome almost as though an operating system can do all its work behind-the-scenes. I am not sure this is as possible as Google might like to believe.

The closer Chrome comes to being a "real" OS, the more Linux-y it will become. Oops! A one-way ticket on the Voyage to the Bottom of the Market awaits.

5. Compatibility matters

Compatibility, both hardware and software was the major reason why the world anointed Microsoft its King of Computing. You may not remember the days of incompatible word processors, spreadsheets, and file systems, but I do.

Microsoft became a monopoly because a single vendor could best meet the needs of the largest number customers by imposing standards. Customers voted Microsoft the winner and they like not having to worry about compatibility issues.

My sense is that Chrome will be a lowest-common-denominator operating system for computers so small and inexpensive as to be essentially disposable.

It is true such a computer will do 80 percent of what I need to accomplish each day, but the other 20 percent requires specialized software, sometimes specialized hardware, and maybe more horsepower than a netbook can possess.

Compatibility really matters and while Chrome's world may be complete as far as it reaches, there is always more.