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Netbook review - MSI Wind U115 Hybrid

MSI scored big when it released its initial Wind U100, showing other vendors how good a 10in netbook can be. The U115 Hybrid has a number of new features; however, the most impressive aspect of the U115 is its battery life. My UserBench Battery 2008 benchmark is pretty tough, but here the 5,100mAh Lithium Ion battery delivered an astonishing 6 hours 56 minutes – that leaves every other netbook I’ve tested for dead. Instead of the original Intel 1.6 GHz Atom N270 processor, the U115 features the next-generation 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor. Surprisingly, application performance was fractionally slower that the Wind U100, but it was usually only by about 2-3% at most. The other new features and the reason for the ‘hybrid’ moniker is the dual built-in storage: an 8GB PQI solid-state drive (SSD) as well as a 160GB hard drive. My test unit was configured with Windows XP SP3 operating system running on the SSD, while the 160GB hard drive was simply bulk storage. The problem is that 8GB doesn’t really give you much room as a C: drive, and sadly, both the My Documents and Program Files folders were set to the C: drive, too. I’d strongly recommend installing your bigger programs to the 160GB drive. Unfortunately, MSI’s Australian arm didn’t know the price of the U115 yet, which made it pretty hard to gauge its real value.

Overall I give the MSI Wind U115 Hybrid a 6/10 – Dual storage needs better configuration, but the seven-hour battery will do me.

Encoding Video Files To Portable Devices

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ve taken my original RockPod 2008 and combined it into RBT2009. I’ve added extra features not seen in RockPod 2008, such as the ability to encode at different frame rates as well as change the level of the audio track. There are also other changes, but without going into them all, the ‘Video Encoder’ section is aimed at quickly getting your audio and video files into any one of a range of formats.
The first thing you should aim to do here is choose your video codec. As I said up front, the video codec really determines just about everything in a video file – 90% of the data in an audio/video file is video, and it sets the file container and audio codecs that can be used with it. You can choose wither by codec or by device, whichever is easier for you. However, learning the codec options is far better because I can’t include every video-capable device on the list.
Where possible, selecting the video codec will automatically select a suitable corresponding audio codec. For example, if you choose H.264 video encoding, the audio codec option automatically changes to AAC and the file format when you save will default to MP4 – all three will combine happily to ensure you get a workable file at the other end of the process.
You’ll notice that for most settings, the default option is ‘Use original’. That’s because the key to fast encoding is to do as little as possible with the original video on its way through to your desired format. And really, mucking around with it is unlikely to make it better. The only case where that might not be true is when using the Deinterlace switch. Deinterlasing combines interlaced half-frames into single progressive frames to get rid of the comb effect, and it can make a difference on LCD screens.
The last thing that may need some explaining is the audio level shift option. I’ve set the audio amplification factor by default to 0dB, which means it won’t change anything. Move the slider into positive territory and you’ll increase the audio level. Move it to the left and it will reduce the audio level. Don’t go overboard in either direction because too much amplification (or grain) will cause overload distortion and make it sound dreadful.

Sony PS-LX200USB Turntable

Sony ps lx200usb turntable

Hang on – isn’t vinyl dead? Well, in one sense it might be, but if you’re still holding on to stacks of LPs with no playback solution, then Sony’s latest turntable might be right for you. Not only is it a regular record player, but it’s also USB compatible, meaning that you can easily connect it up to your computer and record your LPs for digital preservation purposes.
Pros: The deck itself is easy to use, with embedded stereo outputs if you just want to playback. The supplied software has an easy-to-walk through wizard that’ll help you import audio, clean it up and then burn it to CD or cut it into MP3 tracks.
Cons: I hit a few instances where the software misidentified tracks, and outside the helpful wizard it’s very tricky getting a handle on precisely what you need to do.
Rating: 4/5 – A great way to easily bring your vinyl back to life.

Kaiser Baas 8in Signature Photo Frame

Digital photo frames can be bought fairly cheaply now, so a unit with a $269 asking price needs to be something special. The Signature Photo Frame features built-in memory, a variety of card readers, and the ability to play back music and video files.

Pros: The screen display was crisp and clear when displaying photo or video, and the variety of ways you can view material – from memory cards, USB drives or via the built-in 256M of memory – is neat.

Cons: The menus are rather dull, and not always intuitive. The built-in speakers – for music and video files – are quite tinny.

Rating: 3/5 – A good photo frame at a premium price.

MacBook 2.4GHz

Macbook 24ghz

Apple’s updated MacBook lines feature an all-aluminium body, improved graphics capability and a touchpad that does away with a conventional mouse button – the entire trackpad is one massive clickable button.
Pros: The new MacBooks run a fair bit faster than the older ones – no great surprise – and the new design is highly eye-catching. The one-button trackpad is large and surprisingly easy to learn how to use, including new gestures that quickly minimise all applications or switch between them.
Cons: At the same time Apple updated the line, prices also went up alarmingly. I’ve tested the top of the range model, but even the entry-level aluminium MacBooks are now up by around $400.
Rating: 3/5 – A great notebook but less affordable than it used to be.

New Apple iPod Touch and Apple iPod Nano

Apple iPod Touch

Apple Ipod Touch

The new iPod touch comes with more memory and a new curvy one-piece back shell. And for those on a tight budget, Apple has dropped the price on the 8G model from $399 to $329.
You can basically think of it as an iPhone without the phone, so you will still get access to Apple’s app store, and its built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking means you can connect to your wireless network at home and download music, games and other files straight to the touch.
The screen is a large 3.5in and 480 by 320 pixels, which is ideal for movies, although the player comes with no video conversion software for this task. Battery life has improved significantly – up from 24 to 36 hours for audio, and up to six hours for video.
It also has the accelerometer feature – you’ve probably seen the TV ads where someone is playing a car racing game and turning the touch like a steering wheel to change direction.
The touchscreen interface is as simple to use as I’ve seen from a media player, but as a result of the fancy extras, it’s not brilliant value in terms of storage per dollar.
Still, it’s an excellent player for those who have the cash to spare. It gest a 4.5/5 from me.

Apple iPod Nano

apple ipod nano

Apple’s popular portable media player has had a facelift and some new features added, including a new lower price.
The 8G version is better value at just $199, but not everything is improved. The nano still delivers 24 hours of battery life for audio, but video playback has dropped from five hours to four.
Apple has gone back to the slender design of older nanos and reorientated the screen from landscape back to portrait. The major new feature is the accelerometer, a component that enables the player to measure movement. It’s also used in the iPod touch and the iPhone and it allows you to use a feature called ‘shake to shuffle’. To get a new song playing, just shake the player and it will choose a song randomly from your playlist.
Another useful feature available for users of Windows Vista or Mac OS X Leopard is a spoken-word interface, allowing the visually impaired to use an iPod by listening to the menu options.
The nano comes with Apple’s standard – but still excellent – in-ear phones, but you need to download the latest version of iTunes to make it work with your Windows XP, Vista or Mac OS X Leopard computer or notebook. I give the nano a 4.5/5.

Online Password Security

No matter what way you turn your head these days, there’s a high chance you’ll see someone entering a password somewhere, whether it be someone getting cash from an ATM, sending messages through Bluetooth, a person in a coffee shop connecting to a wireless network, or just someone sitting somewhere by a good old fashioned computer hammering away at the keys as they punch in their password. The trouble is the majority of the people you see entering these passwords are all under the illusion they are safe, even when their password is just a good old 123456. So I’ve made this article to show you some of the most commonly used passwords and give you some tips on making your passwords much more secure.

First off, the importance of a strong password online is similar to the difference between life and death, well not quite. As more and more people are now venturing into online banking, online shopping and just regular online activity, it has never been more crucial to have many passwords so your money and identity can’t be stolen by some hacker in a foreign country that can barely speak a sentence of English. I know the amount of information in your head is probably already overflowing and the idea of having to remember not one, but several passwords is probably overwhelming, so make it easy on yourself and use one of the many programs made specifically for remembering passwords.

These programs are mans new best friend, as the amount of usernames, passwords and personal information you can put into them to recall at another point in time is often unlimited. Firefox itself has a built in password bank, so when you enter a password to a new site for the first time it offers to remember the password for future visits. This is great and saves the hassle of having to install another program or manually stretch your brain to remember the password next time you visit the site, but the best part about it would be the master password that controls the memory of all the other passwords. For example, if you had a friend around and they use your internet, you wouldn’t have to worry about Firefox recalling your passwords so they can login as you, as every time you start a new session, Firefox prompts you for the master password. By all means you can choose to install another program but Firefox’s master password and general password security should be enough for most people.

So now if you have some of the most common passwords, as your password, like secret, password, 123456, dragon, charlie, qwerty, abc123, letmein, monkey, myspace1, password1, blink182, god, sex, money, love, manchester, liverpool, arsenal or thomas (these are some of the most used I kept coming across on the net that were taken from surveys and studies) then it might be time to change them. Many people are even stupid (unknowing) enough to use their username as their password. So if you have one of the above or a variation of it, then change it today. Remember you no longer have to remember them as there are programs to do that tedious work for you.

When selecting new passwords, your primary ones that should be different from all the other forums and social networking sites, and from each other, are your email and bank passwords. The reason they should be 100% unique is if someone hacked one of your accounts from another site and then the passwords were the same, well they could get all your money and then take control of your email and hence change all your passwords on other sites. When this happens to someone it is the worst feeling, therefore to stop it from happening make these few passwords very strong by throwing in something only you would know, for example try adding CAPS and/or !@#$%^&*()-_  and/or regular lower case and/or numbers into it. Mix them up and make it something you could remember if needed. So maybe the first letter of everyone’s second name in your family in CAPS then a – then the day your mum and dad were born then a * and finally the last letter of the first name of everyone in your family. So it might look something like this: JSPB-12023004*eraf. With a password like this even your closest friends that know you inside out won’t be able to guess what it is.

Hopefully you’ll follow these few simple but effective guidelines and act on them today, this will likely save you from being at the mercy of some hacker from another country, who once has your details, can exploit you in ways you dare not imagine. Just remember, be creative and don’t be afraid to try software to help you remember those passwords.

Palm Pre phone: Binding appearance to functionality

palm-pre

Pre is a proprietary venture from Palm. In the past too, Palm has made some very smart phones. Pre also tries going the same way and it has really made life quite simple for many of its users.

Attractive appearance

The keyboard slides out beautifully. This permits quicker texting. The screen is wide and it’s a delight to watch videos, images and web programs on it. Roll it, whirl it, listen to most hip and soothing music. With Pre, you are the boss. The phone is formatted beautifully and packs functionality with style. Even the menu board is user friendly and gives way to an extremely intuitive interface.

Unified contacts and calendars

Palm Pre brings all your separate calendars together. This means that you will be accessing your Facebook, Google and other calendars in one single frame. For the purpose, it uses Synergy, a Trademarked Solution from Palm. You can also link your various contacts with the Unified Calendar Program. This way, you will be able to reach out to all the information you might need in one go.

Web-network through applications

You have a browser that expeditiously connects you to the outer world. The network connectivity is terrific and lets you check the latest news. This can be done through RSS Feeds which bring you the latest blogs and articles.

Universal Search

This is another proprietary program from Palm. All you have got to do is type. You will get a ready library of Google, Face Book, Wikipedia and other utility venues. With Universal Search, your expected results will keep narrowing down as you keep typing.

Combined message features

It has a single chat-style view which holds all your conversation with any given person together. This program is also attributable to Synergy. Through the contact list, you will be able to find out those contacts that are online. Within a second, you can begin conversing with them.

Wayfinder technology

GPS is the Way Finder tool this mobile uses. It helps you to keep track of your navigation. You also get the facility of Wi-Fi Hotspot among other things.

To sum it up

The gizmo appeals to different sections of people. This is because it has something for everyone. The fun-freaks love the video, music and Wi-Fi facility. Serious people love the fast network access. Corporate love the messaging, contact and calendar features and all of them, just all of them, love the design.

Here is raising a toast to this new beauty from Palm.

SAMSUNG i780

Samsung i780

INTRODUCTION:

The Samsung i780 is a smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, the “I’range has five of the exact same phone. The Samsung i780 is the only one from the lot that is a Pocket PC.

DESIGN:

At the top front panel sits an earpiece slot covered with a smooth metallic grill. This is also used as a loudspeaker. The i780 sounds pleasant to listen to in both calls and music. VGA video calling camera resides on the right corner. The LED used forBluetooth and charging battery is on the left corner. A square 2.55”65K color and 320×320 pixel resolution TFT touch-screen display is very unusual piece from Samsung i780. This screen has its disadvantages like it doesn’t have auto resizing. You have good display indoors in terms of brightness and legibility but in the sunlight it’s not that good.
The QWERTY keyboard and display is separated by the navigation keys and the control in the centre of this layout is the dual modetouchpad . On either side of the central section you have two soft buttons the Call/End keys; these keys have a dual function. When the Call key is pressed and held it activates the speaker and when the End key is pressed and held this locks the phone.
There are 37 keys on the QWERTY keyboard these are set in 3 rows a fourth row is for special function buttons. Every key has two symbols except for the Shift, Enter, and Backspace keys. The keyboard has a strong whitebacklight.

MESSAGING

Receiving and sending messages are done from the centralized inbox. SMS, Email and MMS have a separate folder you can also save as many messages as you like there no limit on memory for messages. Email supports IMAP and POP3 accounts you can have many accounts also supports all attachments. The i780 also supports Direct Push meaning you will receive a message immediately you have received an email

VIDEOS AND MUSIC:
The multimedia player is pre-installed with Windows Media Player. Besides music you are also allowed to watch streaming TV and video. The user can sort music by album, artist, and genre or by creating a custom play list.
A pleasant enhancement is a mini player, a feature Samsung prioritized it works same as the Windows Media Player mini mode used for PC. Bellow the screen is a music control bar this displays volume button, title of the song, Forward, Rewind and Play buttons.
We installed the TCPMP player and necessary codecs for playing XviD and DivX video files. When movies played at VGA resolution on the i780 was flawless. Videos played on i780 ran smooth even zooming in didn’t worsen things.

CAMERA:

The Samsung i780 has a 2 megapixel camera with an average photo quality. Correct colour and the sharp photos produced are its strong points the menus of the camera can be used easily. The entire camera interface is in light green making it easy to distinguish between video mode and photos and thevideocam is set in a light orange.
The camera and video menu interface is identical videos are recorded at QVGA or QCIF resolution, 3GP format at 15fps.

CONNECTIVITY:

Now let’s see what PocketPCs are all about- connectivity, both wireless and wired. The Samsung i780 is geared in this department. USB connectivity provides seamless synchronization on MS Outlook Bluetooth 2.0 can also be used for this purpose.  A2DP support makes it possible to listen to music on the Bluetooth headset. It doesn’t support infrared but Wi-Fi is available. You will always have data connectivity with EDGE, GPRS and HSDPA.
Software-wise Samsung i780 comes installed with Explorer Mobile web browser and Opera Mobile 8.65.

FEATURES OF THE KEY:

Built-in GPS with A-GPS support
Unique dual mode touchpad navigation
Excellent preloaded content
TFT touchscreen display with large 2.55’ 320×320 pixels
3.6 Mbps, HSDPA
Bluetooth – A2DP, Wi-Fi
Fast PXA3xx processor
2 megapixel camera
QWERTY keyboard
128MB RAM  and 256MB ROM ( 150MB user available)
Innovative  home screen

CASING AND ERGONOMICS:

Although not a design sensation the Samsung i780 feels and looks good its ergonomics i780 is on par with most QWERTY smart-phones on sale now.
The i780 is very user friendly and a pleasure to use. The side panels are glossy black plastic. This unavoidably catches fingerprints. The back of the phone is not scratch-resistant the slot for memory card  is universal which is covered in soft plastic giving the phone clean  line keeping moist and dust away.

DISADVANTAGES:

* The number-pad is overly crammed.
* Camera lacks in auto focus and flash.
* Poor compatibility with other software creates unpopular resolution.

PICTURES AND VIDEOS:

An application, Pictures&Videos is found in the picture gallery in Windows Mobile. You use this to browse multimedia files you looking for. Its integrated in OS this doesn’t offer much difference from one phone to another. You are able to zoom in or out. You will also be able to do some simple editing on these images.
Apart from the normal software, Samsung i780 has some applications that deserve attention. Firstly the Content Manager, this offers advancement on imaging capabilities such as sorting files, editing, sending, reviewing etc. theslideshow works great.
Options bar below the screen includes frequently used tools such as filters, editing option and zooming.

GPS NAVIGATION:

While most applications on the i780 worked well the GPS navigation didn’t budge at all. After 2 hours of tests it couldn’t pickup a satellite. There was no response from the GPS hardware button either. Since it wasn’tpre-installed GPS software we ran Google Maps and the results where rather pleasing.

CONCLUSION:

The Samsung i780 is a smart and trendy PocketPC, offers a compact design and is user friendly with a large screen and full QWERTY keyboard. It has advanced Pocket PC capabilities excellent application and innovation bound to attract most Window Mobile users.
After all the tests done on the Samsung i780 we where very impressed with the improvements made to the`I” series. The Samsung i780 is a magnificent QWERTY Pocket PC is a great smart phone, could be one of the bestsellers on the market.