Wicked Sago

Review: BlackBerry Torch 9860

2012-01-29T14:29:00.001+08:00

BlackBerry smartphones have always been known for their characteristic QWERTY keyboards, small screens and long battery life. The new Torch 9860 however embodies everything essential in the ago of touchscreen smartphones. Aside from its 3.7-inch touchscreen, the Torch 9860 is part of the new generation of RIM smartphones powered by a 1.2GHz processor and running on the newest BlackBerry 7 OS. What it doesn’t have is the classic keyboard typical of almost all BlackBerry smartphones.

RIM departs from their usual rounded design with the Torch 9860, instead going for a more angular and minimalist look. The front is an unimpressive gloss black and a fingerprint magnet surface to boot. Nonetheless, things improve if you flip the phone over as the rear sports a metallic silver backing.

The main shortcoming in the Torch 9860’s design is in the construction of its buttons. The five key shortcut buttons are too recessed for comfortable pressing. It doesn’t stop there; the volume and camera controls on tis right profile are merely small raised rubber bumps. Instead of a dedicated power/lock button, the top of the phone is bare and flat, demarcated by a lock symbol.

The 3.7-inch screen was extremely responsive – the 1GHz processor and 768MB RAM certainly helped here, with transitions being snappy and fluid, while apps and web browsing were breezy affairs.

Typing was relatively smooth experience with few mistakes especially while in the virtual QWERTY landscape mode. On the other hand, we found it slightly uncomfortable to type while in portrait mode due to a cramped keyboard layout. The accelerometer seemed to have difficulties adjusting to the orientation of the device, with a one to two-second lag time before it finally registered. Otherwise, the touch-optimized BlackBerry 7 IS works to the Torch 9860’s advantage, offering a simple user interface that’s easy to master for first-timers.

The 3.7-inch screen, the largest in the BlackBerry family, is a feature that sets the 9860 apart from its other Torch siblings. Images and icons looked crisp and showed vibrant colors; object rendering and UI fluidity were also improved thanks to RIM’s Liquid Graphics technology. The 5-megapixel camera presented above average results: crisp details, good contrast and well saturated colors. You also get the ability to record 720p video .

Does the bigger screen impede the phone’s battery life? Not exactly. The Torch 9860 clocked in a decent 6 hours 34 minutes of usage in our battery stress tests. Otherwise, with casual use, expect this device to easily last you an entire day or more.

For those who prefer the BlackBerry 7 software but prefer a smaller screen, both the Torch 9810 (touchscreen and slider hybrid) and Bold 9900 (candybar form factor) are excellent contenders for your attention. The Torch 9860 is a decent device all by itself, but the raft of competition from Apple, Samsung and HTC make it rather touch decision to make.

Review: Belkin N750 Dual Band Wireless Router

2012-01-22T09:16:00.001+08:00

Designed to be mounted vertically, the Belkin N750 showcases a sleek black frame and silver accents. It’s safe to say the fashionable router won’t be an eyesore on any desk. And like its minimalist predecessor, there’s just a lone LED on its front panel, which lights up in blue once the router is connected to the Internet.

As a bonus, the N750 comes with two USB slots for printers or external drives. An attached label suggests the N750 also comes preconfigured with SSID's and tedious passwords for its WLAN and Guest Access, which thankfully, can be altered as you deem fit. Savvy users can tweak the router via browser interface, while those less savvy can rely on the bundled Router Monitor software for basic setup tasks.

Once again, Belkin has fancy names for simple features. For instance, applications such as “Memory Safe” actually denotes the use of an attached USB drive as backup platform, while “Video Mover” refer to the router’s ability to stream videos to gaming console or DLNA devices.

Other features include an access point-only mode, firewall, Qos and DDNS to name a few. Some are, however, let down by limited modification choices. For example, the router only supports a single DynDNS service with a rather generic QoS configuration to boot.

The N750 is a true dual-band router with discrete radios. It is also equipped with Belkin’s Multibeam antenna technology, which builds upon the existing MIMO system to minimize dead spots. Powered by Ralink chipsets (RT3883 and RT3092) and armed with five internal antennas, how does it perform?

The Belkin N750 managed an average downlink throughput on the 2.4GHz band as follows: 74Mbps at 2m, 44Mbps at 10m and 30Mbps at 25m. Alternatively, downstream figures on the less noisy 5GHz spectrum are: 84Mbps at 2mm, 59Mbps at 10m, and 51Mbps at 25m respectively. As this is a 450Mbps router, we’d say these numbers are above average at best.

The N750 was clearly unable to attain blistering speeds on the 5Ghz band like the ASUS RT-N56U did, but it does offer a relatively stable throughput across all ranges. Enabling the WPA2-PSK encryption didn’t alter the results by much either.

Generally, Belkin’s performance can be likened to the Linksys E4200, although the Linksys router is marginally faster on the 2.4GHz band. And with Linksys reducing their price tag for the E4200 further, it looks like these two dual-band models are headed for a face-off as the festive season looms.

Review: Nikon Coolpix AW100

2012-01-15T11:52:00.001+08:00

Built to withstand depths of up to (or down to) 10m, resistant to shock from heights up to 1.5m and able to withstand temperatures down to -10ºC, the AW100 is one of those rugged cameras you can take with you anywhere. It also comes with a GPS receiver, which lets you geotag your images with location co-ordinates, and even an electronic compass.

In the adverts, the AW100 says “I am an adventurer”, and it certainly looks the part. We had a matte-black AW100 which looked modern and tough enough to have come out of the Batcave (there are three other color options: Bright orange, cool blue and army camouflage). The ports – most prone to water seeping in – are safely sealed away to the side, under a circular raised lock.

To unlock it, you have to depress a small round button while twisting the lock one-quarter counter-clockwise, it’s certainly difficult enough to do on purpose, so should be near impossible to do it accidentally. The shutter release is textured, with a crisscross pattern differentiating it from the rest of the smooth camera. Especially useful in those rough situations where you need to operate the camera by feel rather than sight.

The AW100 is an automatic, not manual, camera. There are no PASM modes for you to direct shutter speed or aperture, but you can set exposure compensation. You can also set ISO sensitivity if you’re in Auto mode (not Easy Auto mode, where most controls are take off the table). Instead of a Mode dial, everything is set via a Scene button where you can toggle through a few scene modes. A handy video Record button lets you record video instantly. Zoom buttons let you zoom in and out, and they’re less precise than zoom toggles on normal compacts, but are standard on rugged cameras which can’t afford to have weak parts.

A large Action button to the left side of the camera, once pressed, is supposed to let you manipulate the controls by moving the camera, a real help when you’re wearing think gloves in tough weather, but we couldn’t get it to work as advertised. It’s too bad, because the buttons on the back of the AW100 are small, and your fingers can crop if you fiddle with them for too long.

In general, we like the design and handling of the AW100 except for the inexplicable decision to have GPS controls not within the main menu. You have to set the Action button to display a map, and then when you’re inside the map view, pressing Menu will get you into the GPS controls. It’s non-intuitive and unnecessary, when most GPS cameras simply include their controls within the main, all-in-on menu.

The AW100’s images are rich with color, but perform a lower-than-expected 1800x1400LPH (vertical &horizontal) on our resolution chart. In real-worlds images, noise levels are a tad higher than expected on lower ISO settings, and chromatic aberration can be seen. It’s not obvious if you’re not pixel-peeping, but we'd shoot at ISO400 and less using the AW100, ISO800 if we’re viewing the images onscreen. While its image quality could have been slightly better, it isn’t too far off the mark for a compact camera. Auto-focus is usually quick and on the mark, and in general shooting with the AW100 is a pleasant experience.

Review: ASUS CineVibe

2012-01-15T11:46:00.001+08:00

While Asus is known for their gaming components and laptops, they do have a lineup of computer peripherals as well which includes the Asus CineVibe Rumble Feedback USB Gaming Headset. The headset packaging is covered in marketing spiel such as “optimal bass vibration” and “breathable and antiseptic Japan-made protein ear cushions”. Running the headphones through our standard tests, we tried to gauge the validity of these claims.

Sporting 30mm drivers, the Asus CineVibe does have the hardware to back up its assertions of high-quality sound, to an extent. The Rumble Feedback, which can be turned on and off, switches impedance from 32 Ohms (at 1KHz) to 16 Ohms (at 1KHz_ respectively. The option’s effects are instantly recognizable since the vibrations and movement of the drivers in the headset can be perceptibly felt. Sound quality also benefits from the feature. With the Vibrations tuned on, the bass sounds more responsive and packs a greater punch. However, if you switch the vibrations off the lower frequencies suffer and sound muddied.

Our usual test tracks were employed to put the Asus CineVibe through its paces. Impressing us with its good response on the live version of Hotel California by The Eagles, the headphones generally gave a good account of themselves throughout with an assortment of MP3s. But as the name suggests, the Asus CineVibe came into its own when used to provide audio for video games. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty has an excellent soundtrack and the Asus CineVibe did reasonably well to provide an immersive experience.

Another important factor to consider when making a successful gaming headset is comfort, and this is where the Asus CineVibe unfortunately falls short. The leather ear cushions are said to be breathable, but in actuality they do little to stop your ears from overheating after long periods of use. While the headband is adjustable, the mechanism isn’t as smooth as we’d have liked it to be, and also clamped a bit too tightly around our ears which helped contribute to fatigue over extended use.

Asus chose to go with USB connectivity which restricts the CineVibe to use with just your laptop or computer. While it works for gaming, it does mean you will not be able to use the headset with portable music players which generally have 3.5 jacks.

Review: Olympus PEN E-PL3 Lite

2012-01-13T19:18:00.001+08:00

Olympus’ E-PL series has always been positioned as the more affordable and simpler alternatives to their flagship E-P cameras. After some recent product line reshuffling though, the latest E-PL3 ( now dubbed the PEN Lite) now stands in between its higher-end cousin and a simpler smaller series, the E-PM1 or otherwise knows as PEN Mini. Re-designation aside, just what can we expect from the E-PL3?

Design-wise, the E-PL3 is clearly inspired by the minimalist look reminiscent of the Olympus XZ-1. Like the latter, the E-PL3’s front is flat and made out of lacquered metal, with an overall look that’s classy, sleek and please to the eye. Olympus streamlined the camera by removing both handgrip and built-in flash, though you can still get the latter via a clip on accessory. The lack of handgrip, while it does keep the camera small, ends up making the E-PL3 a little too flat for comfortable handling. One noticeable feature is the sturdy 3.0-inch tilt screen, though lacking touchscreen capability like on the E-P3. Overall, the E-PL3 solidly-constructed, and with accessible and well-designed controls that are further enhanced by a straightforward user-interface.

Compared to the E-PL2, the E-PL3 sports a better processor, better AF system and higher ISO capabilities over its predecessor but retains items like in camera raw conversion and art filters. The EP-3 and the E-PL3 might differ in terms of aesthetics but they share the same sensor and internals – both come with a 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, the TruePic VI image processing engine and a 35-point AF system. Needless to say, they are identical in terms of performance.

Like the E-P3, the E-PL3 scores a decent resolution score of 1800x1600 LPH (vertical and horizontal) on our chats with images that are detailed and defined. However, its ISO performance takes a slight beating – images are clear till ISO800, with smudging of details and noise making an appearance from ISO1600 onwards. We don’t recommend shooting about that as the image quality starts to dip right after, at ISO12800, images are barely usable. Otherwise, there are plenty of positive things to like: color production is brilliant while auto-focusing is speedy and accurate.

The Olympus E-PL3 is an affordable option that appeals to the camera enthusiasts looking to transmit from compacts. It offers the same level of performance as its higher-end sibling, the E-P3, but in a smaller body that comes with a handy tilting LCD screen. The lack of a handgrip or built-in flash might be cause of concern to some but if you are willing to overlook those, you will have in your hands a very capable camera.

Review: Sony Tablet S

2012-01-13T11:48:00.001+08:00

The first thing about the Tablet S that grabs your attention is the asymmetrical form factor. Sony creatively designs the Tablet S with a tapered form factor that looks like the curve of a magazine’s folded back. From an ergonomic point of view, there is little to criticize, as the thicker side has a nice rounded edge with dotted texturing for an assuring grip, while the wedge-shaped design makes it comfortable for one-handed operation as it shifts the weight of the tablet closer to your palm.

Dominating the front of the Tablet S is a 9.4-inch display, which is powered by Sony’s BRAVIA TruBlack technology. Sony claims that the display offers higher contrast and visibility for usage in both indoor and outdoor environments while minimizing glare and reflection from sunlight or fluorescent lights. While it was a joy viewing multimedia content on the Tablet S due to the better clarity, lively colors and excellent viewing angles, we were slightly disappointed by the glossy display which attracts fingerprints and smudges easily. And as always, a glossy display also means having to constantly see one’s own face reflected.

The Sony Tablet S ships with Android 3.2 software and left much of the stock user interface untouched except for some minor tweaks. The first is the inclusion of four shortcut icons on the top left hand corner of the screen.The shortcut icons on the top left hand corner of the screen. The shortcut icons give you one-touch access to Browser, Email, Remote Control and Social Feed Reader. The second tweak is the addition of a Favorite tab on the top right hand corner of the screen, for easier access to multimedia needs such as games, music and bookmarks. We like how Sony made use of the empty space on the screen to include handy shortcuts like these. The third tweak is a redesigned virtual keyboard. Sony also designed the numeric keypad to pop up on the right whenever you need to enter passwords. It certainly saved us the trouble of pressing an extra key to switch to the number pad layout. The fourth tweak is found in the Music Player on the Tablet S. It is one of the most beautify interfaces we have seen so far as songs and albums are represented by cover art tiles, which can be moved around the screen.

It is a blessing that the tweaks to the Android UI did not degrade the user experience. However, we are a bit disappointed that the ability to close apps from the multitasking tab is missing on the Tablet S. In comparison, tablets from both Lenovo and Samsung have this feature enabled.

You have access to Sony’s SelectApp site on the Tablet S along with Google's Android Market. SelectApp highlights new and unique apps from various categories that are recommended for use on Sony Tablet devices. Sony reassured us that the more apps will be made available in the future.

It is noteworthy to mention that the Sony tablet S is also the first PlayStation-certified tablet in the market on which you can play original PlayStation (PS) games. Although the Tablet S is only pre-installed with Crash Bandicoot and Pinball Heroes, Sony also says that more PS game titles will be available in the future.

With the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHZ processor and 1GB of RAM running the show, the Tablet S felt smooth and fluid in use. Sideways swipes were snappy too. Gaming performance on the Tablet S was pleasant with hardly any noticeable lag. The web browsing experience was also consistent with other Honeycomb-powered tablets tested so far.

Staying true to its multimedia prowess, the Sony Tablet S provides cross-device connectivity. It can wirelessly connect to DLNA compatible devices such as Sony BRAVIA TVs where photos and videos can be viewed on the big screen. The built-in infrared sensor of the Tablet S allows it to function as a remote control for devices such as stereos. The Tablet S also has an SD card reader which makes it easy for data transfer between devices.

The Sony Tablet S is equipped with two camera a VGA front facing camera for video conferencing and a 5.0 megapixel rear HD camera that is powered by Exmor for mobile. The “Exmor for mobile” feature promises better image quality especially in low light conditions. Our camera test revealed that the image quality is indeed quite good for a tablet. The noise levels are within tolerable levels and a fair amount of detail was captured.

It is a shame that the Sony Tablet S didn’t do so well in our battery test, registering a rather average battery life of 4 hours and 12 minutes. We had expected better battery stamina from the Tablet S and this might be the most aggravating issue for potential buyers who are looking for a tablet to use on –the-go.

Nokia Bets Everything on Microsoft

2012-01-13T11:07:00.001+08:00

Nokia was once king of the hill when it came to mobile phones. A key developer of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), Nokia turned into one of the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturers by the late 1990s.

Every Nokia model released in that era was an icon in its own right; the Nokia 8210 was small and light, while the Nokia 9000 was able to make calls, send emails and access the internet.

By 2004, Nokia began to see their market share slide downhill. The hind had been sitting on its laurels and its competitors had come knocking on the door. Even the launch of Nokia’s N95 could not prevent its descent. And then Apple released the iPhone.

Microsoft, too, has seen a huge dip in the popularity of their Windows Mobile phones. The mighty Windows is still the world’s dominant computer operating system, with Mac OS X a distant third. But the growth-rate of iOS is aggressively outpacing even Windows, surging ahead of the Windows Phone 7 platform due to the wildly popular iPhone.

Thus when Nokia and Microsoft announced a partnership back in February this year, it wasn’t really a surprise. The two partners could leverage on each other’s strengths: Nokia providing the hardware expertise, while Microsoft delivered on the software front.

With the adoption of the Windows Phone 7 platform and Microsoft’s help, Nokia may have another shot at regaining its mobile phone market share by addressing its weak presence in the North American market. After all, it was Hollywood's endorsement of Nokia phones that gave Nokia the lion’s share back in the late 1900s, with movie like Charlie’s Angels and The Matrix.

Microsoft also has something to gain from this partnership. Nokia’s extensive experience in the mobile market and its worldwide network of operator billing agreements means Windows Phone 7 will be now be made available to a larger global audience.

Review: Soul by Ludacris SL300

2012-01-13T09:22:00.001+08:00

Who would have thought that decades of sound and engineering dating back to the 1940s have amounted to naught? That is of course, if we’re to believe that the savants of personal audio would be 21st century rappers. When Dr. Dre line of headphones in 2008, he claimed that ‘people weren’t hearing all the music”, or at least not like he did. Three years on, the unequivocal success of Beats in urban culture have led to other celebrity-endorsed headphones appearing the latest being Soul by Ludacris.

Its flagship model, the SL300 is an analog of the Beats Studio; bother are over-ear, closed-back, collapsible headphones with active noise cancelling. The SL300 is clearly designed to one-up the Studio and it makes a great first impression with packaging quality. You get a hard shell case, a 3.5,, to 6.25mm plug converter and two mini-plug stereo cables: one standard, and one with a built-in iPhone compatible microphone and remote control.

The SL300 is more flamboyant with its bling-inspired gold on black colors and light-up ear cups. Yes, it does come in a more subtle black on white, and you can disable the lights. I absolutely love the stitched headband, but don’t care much for the plastic enclosure, which feels hollow and cheap. Still, the SL300 is surprisingly comfortable. It is light, heavily cushioned, and exercises just the right amount of pressure on the ears without feeling too tight. It can ben worn over prolonged periods without fatigue; I even slept with it on while testing its noise cancelling feature.

Sound-wise, the SL300 is comparable to the Beats Studio with heavily inflated bass and treble frequencies for a very colorful listening experience. Unlike the Studio though, the SL300 has a tighter reign on its bass, and is overall more controlled. While it still carries ample oomph, the mids are actually quite pronounced, giving the SL300 more adaptable to different kinds of music.

Its active noise cancelling blocks out a substantial amount of ambient noise, and if you ever get a pair, try them out in the cinema. You can thank me later. Its main advantages over the Beats Studio is that it works even with noise cancelling turned off, or when the batteries are dry. Unfortunately, turning off noise cancelling disables its internal EQ, making everything sound muted and flat. So, even though the SL300s can operate without batteries, there’s really no reason to do so willingly.

The final hurdle is to decide if you can accept Soul by Ludacris as a high end audio brand; you will be paying a stiff premium for the SL300 after all. But, as direct comparison to the Beats Studio, the SL300 has more going for it, from packaging and price, to fit and comfort. Noise cancelling works great, plus its sonic profile is actually tuned to make more genres sound good instead of just hip hop.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

2012-01-13T08:44:00.001+08:00

Fist announced in July last year, the ThinkPad Tablet is one of the two Android slates by Lenovo. While the Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1 takes care of the mainstream market, the company plans to venture into the lucrative enterprise sector with its business-centric ThinkPad Tablet. How does it fare as an enterprise tablet?

On the look-and-feel front, the ThinkPad Tablet reminds us of Lenovo’s ThinkPad laptops, with a signature boxy design clad in black which gives no-nonsense and strict business look. The build quality is excellent although the hefty weight (730.5g) is likely to turn off those who are looking for something lightweight.

The extra profile width is used to accommodate an extensive range of connectivity ports such as a SD card reader, USB 2.0 port and micro-USB ports, and a SIM card slot. This will appeal to corporate and power users who need to work on the go. It also has a slot to house the ThinkPad Tablet Pen, which uses N-Trig’s DuoSense digitizer for pen and touch input. The Pen worked rather well for taking notes and drawing, especially on the preinstalled Notes Mobile app.

Staying true to the robust image of ThinkPad devices, the 10.1-inch display is reinforced with scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. This will enable the ThinkPad Tablet to survive wear and tear better.

You also can find four physical buttons (Home, Backward navigation, Browser and Screen orientation lock) at the bottom of the screen when held in portrait mode. We found the buttons to be a little too stiff for our liking.

The back of the ThinkPad Tablet sports a matte-black finish that provides a better grip. The brand and model logos are splashed diagonally across the back, with the “i” in “ThinkPad” glowing red with the tablet is turned on.

Powering the ThinkPad Tablet is the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core ARM 1.0GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, which comes with Android 3.1 out of the box. Despite the reasonably fast hardware, the user experience on the ThinkPad Tablet was dotted with sluggish interface transitions, especially when unlocking the tablet and closing apps. We found ourselves tapping several times on the screen before it registered our inputs.

Apps-wise, the ThinkPad Tablet is preloaded with productivity apps such as the full version of Documents to Go. It is also enterprise-friendly by providing support through Mobility Manager, an app that gives IT departments control over the tablet such as remotely wiping the data and data encryption.

Battery performance is acceptable for a business slate like the ThinkPad Tablet, which clocked close to five hours of battery life for our battery test. Given normal use (i.e. something less intensive than our batter test), five hours of use is the least you should expect.

The ThinkPad Tablet is currently sold in a bundle, which includes the 3G 32GB model, the Pen and a Folio Case. If the ThinkPad brand and the bundled suite of productivity apps appeals to you, this is certainly one to consider, if you can overlook the average performance. In comparison however, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (with keyboard docking station) looks to be a better deal, with longer battery life and an excellent keyboard at a lower price.

Review: HTC ChaCha Smartphone

2012-01-12T12:27:00.001+08:00

HTC’s ‘Facebook phone’ (or one of them at least) has hit our shores and the ChaCha is about as odd as its name suggests. From the concept of Google’s Android playing nice with a social network other than Google Plus through to the crooked handset design, this smartphone has an identity all its own, baffling though it may be.

One look at the phone tells you a lot about its intended market. With a physical keyboard dominating and undersized 2.6-inch touch screen, the ChaCha has been designed with messaging in mind, almost to the exclusion of everything else. Despite it’s BlackBerry-ish profile this handset is not being pushed on the corporate market, and is instead aimed at the socially wired youth crowd – though I don’t know many in that demographic who could got the $500 price tag.

As well as eschewing the trend of minimum body, maximum screen size, the ChaCha shuns the traditionally dark palette of most smartphones for a cheery silver and white scheme. Along with its luxuriously spaces QWERTY keyboard the phone features dedicated buttons to receive and end calls as well a physical button just for Facebook-specific functions. The buttons, like the overall build, are solidly reliable.

The shape of the phone, on the other hand, is an entirely quirkier affair. Rather than sticking with the conveniently slim candy bar mold, the ChaCha has returned to a hang-up that HTC seemed to have (thankfully) given up – on the chin. At the midpoint the phone deviated from its vertical line and juts out on an angle, effectively thrusting the keyboard towards the user while the screen is held straight.

On a functional level it does make sense, it’s easier to view the screen while typing with that little bend. However if you’re using the phone for any other purpose or retiring it to your pocket it’s just an awkward, bulky and visually silly design choice.

The phone’s raison de’etre at the bottom right of the keyboard, a familiar blue square marked with an ‘f’. Those savvy enough with Android phones will likely question the need for deeply integrated Facebook functions when the social network already has a perfectly serviceable app bundled for most models, and rightly so. In truth, unless you’re a real dyed-in-the-wool Facebook addict the integration is not born of necessity – but it has been implemented very well.

A single press of the Facebook button instantly jumps to a status update screen, where a longer press kicks in location services for easy ‘check-ins’. As you go about the daily use of your phone the button will urgently flash whenever you’re performing some action that can be share to Facebook, be it taking photos, listening to music or browsing the web.

There's no denying the phone makes getting your life - all of it – posted to Facebook a breeze and if such a proposition doesn’t sound like a complete nightmare to you then you’re likely the sort of user the handset is targeting. If, however, you’re looking to get the fullest suite of smartphone functions for your dollar, the ChaCha is not for you.

While HTC has done a remarkable job of building its Sense interface into the smaller screen and accommodating the Facebook functions, with so little touch screen real estate the majority of functions beyond messaging are cramped and unpleasant. Browsing the net, usually a treat with Android, is an exercise is squinting frustrations and the phone’s Flash capabilities are laughable.

The ChaCha’s scaled back processor (800MHz) is forgivable as the device was never billed as a performance machine, but some of the cuts needed to make room for the Facebook integration are a bit too deep to justify.

Review: Panasonic Lumix GX1

2012-01-12T09:34:00.001+08:00

In late 2009, Panasonic released the Lumix GF1, which turned out to be a wildly popular camera. Panasonic too the GF series in another direction with the GF2 and GF3 however, tailoring them to the casual user, simplifying them, which ended up alienating the enthusiasts. The GX1, despite being the first in a new series, with its focus on user control and portable power, is really the spiritual successor of that original camera.

The GX1 comes with a brand new 16MP Live MOS sensor. Its high-speed Venus engine promises quick AF speeds of 0.09 seconds, slightly faster than the G3 and GF3’s already quick AF speeds of 0.1 seconds. It shoots up to 4.2 frames per second at full resolution, and 1920x1080 pixels full HD video with stereo sound. The touch-screen introduced in the GF2 remains, with a new feature called the Touch Tab.

Battery life is shorter than the GF1 though, which was rated good for 350 to 380 shots at full charge, while the GX1’s battery is rated to last 300-340 shots. The GX1 is slightly smaller than the GF1 by about 3mm on each side, and lighter by about 13g, but includes even more physical controls; the physical Mode dial, which went missing on the GF2 and GF3, makes a comeback with two Custom modes.

The Lumix GX1 comes in two colors, black and silver. While the silver body looks more sophisticated with the two-tone contrast playing between the silver body and the black grip, the white text on the silver body may not be as clear as on the black body.

You should try and see if the GX1’s grip ap0peals to you. In theory, the molded black grip should improve the GX1’s handling, but I could never get comfortable with it. Because it’s so aggressively shaped, it forces you to hold the GX1 in a certain way instead of giving you the liberty of holding it any way you’d like so I would suggest trying it out for yourself before buying this camera.

Life the GF1, with its wealth of physical controls, the GX1 is an ideal compact for the enthusiast photographer. The GX1 however goes one step further with added touch-screen controls to make the camera even more intuitive to use. For example, to manually set a focus area, you can tap right on the d-pad, select the 1-Area AF mode, then move the AF target around the screen to position it. Of you can simply tap the screen when you’re in the 23-Area AF mode, and the GX1 will confine its auto-focus efforts to that area of the screen you tapped.

The Quick Menu button to the bottom left of the d-pad calls up a list of controls on the screen, like flash, image quality and photos styles. And yes, these controls can be customized too. Don’t be fooled by the two C (Custom) modes on the Mode dial – there in fact four Custom modes available, one set to C1, and three can be set on C2, then selected via the menu. The dual function rear control dial, a long favorite on Panasonic G cameras gives you quick and easy access to shutter speed/aperture and exposure compensation control.

The GX1 introduces a new feature to Panasonic’s touch-screen stable. The Touch Tab is a drawer of touch commands – think of it like a small Mac OS X dock – which you can tap to show or hide. On show, you get four additional touch commands, touch to zoom, touch to shoot, and two digital Function controls which can be customized (that brings the total number of Function keys on the GX1 to four).

In short, the GX1 handles like a dream for photographers who love to be able to manipulate the camera’s settings quickly and easily. We only see one shortcoming; the Quick Menu button feels too small and awkwardly places for comfort, sitting right on the edge of the camera, and squeezed in-between the d-pad and the end of the back plate.

In case everything has sounded terribly confusing till now, all you need to know is that there’s also a control to clear the confusion. Just press the iA button below the shutter release, and the GX1 goes into intelligent Auto mode. In Panasonic’s brilliant iA mode, all you need to do is frame the picture and shoot. Because of iA, the GX1 isn’t just for the advanced user, but also easily available for the casual photographer, making it an ideal camera to share with the family.

In reviewing the Lumix GX1, we have to mention the new Lumix GX 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens which launches with the camera. The ‘X’ is supposed to denote a new premium lens series direct from Panasonic, without the Leica co-branding seen in their previous lenses.

While Panasonic’s pancake lenses have been compact and convenient, they have also been fixed focal length lenses which cannot zoom. The X 14-42mm was designed to combine a pancake lens’ compact size and a telephoto’s zoom range. The lens eschews the traditional zoom ring and instead has a zoom toggle affixed on its side, similar to the zoom toggle you find on camcorders. There is also a manual focus toggle, below the zoom. Unfortunately, the lens is confusing to use. Unlike a traditional lens, there are not focal length markings, so you cannot see at a glance what focal length your lens is in. Instead, you have to glance at the screen where a sliding indicator will show you the info, but only when you press the zoom toggle; it also takes too long to zoom.

The 16MP sensor inside the Lumix GX1 is Panasonic’s latest and greatest, building on the success of the sensor launched with the G3. In my opinion, the GX1 has the best looking images yet seen from a Micro Four Thirds camera.

The GX1 produces images with deep and rich colors, with especially vivid reds, and it garners a high 2200 x 2200LPH from our resolution chart. It also manages image noise quite impressively, striking a good balance between keeping image detail and curtailing noise – in fact, it has the best ISO performance we’ve seen yet. We’d shoot comfortably with the GX1 up to ISO1600, and it retains more detail than its closest competitor the E-P3 at this setting.

The Panasonic Lumix GX1 presents an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary upgrade from the GF1. In fact, you could pretty much think of the GX1 as the GF2, as if that actual GF2 had never happened. Those who have waited two years for a new GF1 may feel a little disappointed (even ourselves) that the GX1 doesn’t take a giant revolutionary leap, especially since both Sony and Fujifilm have redefined the mirror less camera with the NEX7 and the X100 respectively.

Have we changed our minds after having used the GX1 sports a combination of quick and accurate auto-focus, image quality and plethora of controls laid right at the photographer’s fingertips. The only thing we don’t like is the unconformable and forced grip, which can be a subjective experience, and the X 14-42mm lens, which is difficult to use for still photography. You can easily try the GX1’s grip in retail stores for yourself, and opt for the standard non-X14-42mm kit lens if you want to focus on still instead of video.

The GX1 currently sits among the cream of the crop of all mirror less system cameras today, and it is easy to recommend, especially so for GF1 users who have been waiting a while to upgrade.

Review: Sony Reader Wi-Fi Touch

2012-01-10T18:55:00.001+08:00

Despite being one of the first big players to the table, Sony has found only marginal success with its eReader line. Hedging bets with a number of different models the company was quickly surpassed by the likes of Amazon and Barnes and Noble when it came to a unified e-reading experience.

With this latest release the company has consolidated its various versions into one solid package, the Sony Reader Wi-Fi Touch. Boasting a firm build, flexible reading options, responsive touch screen and wi-fi connectivity, it’s the device the company should have launched from the get go.

The new reader takes the strengths of previous models – the Touch, Pocket and Daily editions – and merges them into one slick design. With a face 172x110mm and pencil-thin 8.9mm thick, the device weighs just 168g, which Sony claims is the lightest 6-inch screen reader yet developed. Picking it up that’s not hard to believe, the featherweight slate can be held single-handedly for hours without complaint from the wrist.

Despite its slightness the Reader does no feel cheap or fragile, on the contrary its glossy plastic front and tactile matt back convey the same solid comfort as the previous Readers in Sony’s line. In addition to the ever-welcome touch functions the device also sports five physical buttons along the bottom; two to skip pages back or forwards, a home button, back button, and options button. Anyone coming over from an Android device will feel right at home.

The display uses E Ink Pearl technology, as most of today’s eReaders do, featuring 16 levels of grey with a fine resolution of 800x600pixels. The resulting imitation of the printed page is serviceable in almost any lighting conditions (aside from total darkness as it’s not back-lit) and a welcome suite of fonts and sizes ensure most reading preferences are easily met.

The new Reader also utilizes Clear Touch infrared technology for touch functions. While it’s not the first of Sony’s readers to support touch technology the feature still puts it ahead of most other options currently available in the market today. Not just a holdover from the previous model, the Reader Wi-Fi Touch’s capabilities helpfully extend to pinch-to-zoom functions that will be second nature for tablet and smartphone users.

Other handy uses of the touch screen include handwriting notes on pages or independent memos as well as highlighting words to be cross-referenced with one of the two built-in English dictionaries, or translated using ten foreign language dictionaries.

One of the key factors in choosing Sony’s offering over the ubiquitous (at least in other regions_ Kindle option is support for a wider range of formats and stores. The device will cheerfully deal with ePUB, PDF and TXT documents and includes a headphone jack for audiobooks and MP3 playback.

The company also crows loudly about support for multiple eBook store platforms, which is very fortunate since Sony’s own Reader’s Store is not available in most region outside the United States and Canada. Unfortunately the reader Store is still heavily embedded in the device, to the degree that you even have to create a Store account (and lie about your nationality) just to allow the device to synch with a PC. Once that’s done you can easily access the predominant eBook store around these parts. Aside from adding color (which would no doubt destroy the price point) there’s not much more Sony could do to improve things on the hardware side. If only the company had got its act together sooner with its online platform the Sony Reader Wi-Fi Touch would have my unreserved recommendation.

Review: Fujifilm X10

2012-01-10T16:22:00.001+08:00

Fujifilm scored a huge hit in early 2011 with the retro-inspired X100. Spurred by its success, Fujifilm is now trying to catch lightning in a bottle again with the X10, a compact digital camera resembling the X100, but with its own impressive specs.

While the X10 and the X100 both bring retro back, there are distinct differences between the two. For one, the X10 doesn’t sport the large APS-C sensor found in the X100; it has a smaller 2/3’ sensor, which still ranks as the largest sensor found among digital cameras currently in the market today. Unlike the X100’s fixed focal length lens, the X10’s lens has a 28 – 112mm focal length. Like the X100 though, the X10 has fast glass: f/2 at its widest and F2/2.8 when racked out.

The X10 also comes with a glass viewfinder, but unlike the X100, it doesn’t have an electronic display overlay. It is really just a glass setting letting you see straight thought with an approximate view of what you will be shooting. In use, the viewfinder feels too small for comfort, with a lot of squinting involved, and it’s mostly useless since you won’t know what settings you’re shooting at looking through it.

Built-wise, the X10 feels like a solid premium camera and looks like a work of art. Its matte black body and the lack of ornamentation of the front panel give it an understated air; this is one camera that would rather recede into the background that stand out in the crowd. But, the X10 isn’t just an imitation of its older sibling. It brings its own unique identity to the table with an innovative lens design. Whereas most compact zoom via a zoom toggle, you can manipulate the lens directly on the X10, twisting it to zoom just like the lenses on a DSLR camera.

You won’t find a power button on the X10 body either; the lens itself serves as a power switch. Twisting it all the way to the right locks the lens and switches the camera off, twisting it to the left powers the camera back on and unlocks the lens. In a single swift movement, you can be switched on and composing your image straight away.

Just like the X100, a dedicated RAW button appears below the d-pad. Review of the X100 have already bemoaned how much of a waste this button is – how many people are likely to switch between shooting JPEG and RAW on the fly anyway? Where the RAW button could have been an additional programmable Function button, we are given only one on the X10’s top plate, about the exposure dial. We would have loved to map that one Function button to ISO control, but instead, we had to map it to switch between AF modes, because like the X100, the X10’s AF system is fickle. When many instances when the X10 couldn’t find the proper focus point.

We have to warn you to prepare extra batteries if you’re shooting with the X10, because it uses a lot of juice. It’s officially rated for approx. 270 frames, and we ran the battery down after about 300-odd shots, or one day with lots of shooting.

Besides these drawbacks, the X10 feels comfortable in the hands and handles well with strategically places controls for quick access. Even though it’s a compact camera, the X10 should appeal greatly to photographers used to manual shooting. Were it not for the RAW button mystery and the inefficient AF, the X10 would rank up there as one of the – if not the best – designed digital camera with manual control and handling.

The Fujifilm X10 currently have the largest sensor among digital cameras, larger than its closest rival, the Canon PowerShot S100. Generally speaking, the larger the sensor size, the better the image quality, and you’ll certainly enjoy the images you get out of the X10, especially with its bright f/2(w)-f/2.8(t) lens, which will give you the beautiful background blue you usually won’t get with digital compact cameras, though you might find its 4x optical zoom lacking.

The benefits of a larger sensor shows, as the X10 manages to keep images noise to an impressive minimum while capturing fine detail, at a level that outshines most compact cameras, currently on the market. We’d judge the upper limit for balance between noise and detail to be ISO800, but we’d be willing to shoot up to ISO1600. The clarity found in ISO800 and ISO1600 shots is superb. Casual users who aren’t zooming into their images at 100% will probably find shooting at even higher ISO settings quite acceptable.

Where the X10’s image sensor really shines is how wide its dynamic range is. The X10 manages to squeeze in image detail in areas where a lesser camera would have either washed or blacked out. Another are where the X10 excels is its color reproduction; especially in the blues. We can’t emphasize enough how much pop the X10’s dynamic range and color gives its images.

The X10 scores a high 2000 x 2000LPH on our resolution chart. In the real world, this translates to images that are more detailed that you’ll normally get with standard digital cameras. Combine this together with the wide dynamic range and punchy colors, and you get some beautiful photographs coming from the X10.

However, we need to point out that the lens suffers from obvious vignetting and distortion at its widest focal length. While, vignetting can be a matter of taste and left in, distortion will require a bit of post-production work to fix the problem.

The Fujifilm X10 shares one defining trait with its elder sibling the X100. There’s much about the X10 that is excellent, from design to build and image quality. And yet, the X10 is flawed, with spotty auto-focus, image distortion, low battery life and that RAW button.

Still, there is no digital camera out there currently in the market like the Fujifilm X10. It certainly has character, but like any great character, its flaws offset the X10’s superior qualities, which are why even though we love this camera dearly, we hesitate to recommend it fully. The X10 really is a digital camera created for the enthusiast, because it takes an enthusiast to work with the X10.

Review: Canon PowerShot S100

2012-01-10T15:36:00.001+08:00

The PowerShot S100 is Canon’s latest high-end compact camera. It has a larger than usual 1/17” sensor for a compact camera, similar in size to the 2010 PowerShot G12. It also comes with full manual controls, a control ring round the lens and a control wheel on the back to quickly change essential settings. It opens with a wide 24mm lens, combines with a fast f/2 aperture.

While the S95 before it was a general update to the much older S90, the S100 brings significant changes to the table. The sensor resolution has been upped from a 10MP CCD sensor to a 12MP CMOS sensor, video resolution has increased from 720p to 1080p, and optical zoom has been lengthened from 3.8x to 5x. A GPS module now comes built-in, and handling has been improved with a front grip.

The S100’s matte-black finish gives it an almost military feel, like it was a stealth camera straight from a covert ops unit.

Almost everything we didn’t like about the S95’s handling has been addressed in the S100. The S95’s flat front was too smooth to hold, and it removed the thumb grip found on the S90. A new front grip is back; both make the S100 easier to hold on to. But the front grip, while improving the S100’s function, is unattractively shaped, and we wished Canon had taken a cue from competitor Panasonic’s LX5 curvier grip instead.

The stub of a zoom toggle on the S95, which always felt like it might snap off, has been changed not the zoom toggle looks thicker and feels sturdier. The mode ideal is a lot smoother than it used to be on the S95.

The Ring Func. button has been moved from the top plate to the back of the camera, and it can be used to change which settings the control ring is changing, e.g. from aperture to ISO. The button is also a customizable button which can be changed to trigger one of any twenty commands. The Func. Set button in the middle of the d-pad brings up a light of common settings via an overlay menu on the screen, very handy for switching things quickly.

What makes the S-series so special are the control ring around the lens and the control wheel on the back. Both combine to give you quick manual control over the camera, something you won’t usually find on a digital compact. For example, in Manual mode the control ring dictates aperture settings, while the wheel determines shutter speed. In Aperture Priority mode, the ring determines aperture settings, while wheel sets exposure compensation; but only after pressing up on the d-pad.

The S100’s handling is almost perfect but there are littler oddities and quirks. For one, you can’t completely toggle off all display info on the monitor, there will always be little numbers obscuring the view. You also can’t choose a ‘normal’ multi-area AF in the menu.

The S100’s battery like is short, rate around 200 shots on a single full charge. If you’re buying this camera, either charge it daily or buy a spare battery.

Image resolution is high, returning an excellent score of 2000LPH vertical and horizontal on our test chart. ISO performance is also excellent, if you’re not pixel-peeping shots up to ISO 1600-2000 can look quite acceptable. At higher ISO levels, image softness and noise is more evident, but it’s admirable how Canon has kept the noise to a fine grain, and how it’s mostly luminance noise so colors aren’t adversely affected.

If we do pixel-peep, we see noise reduction kick in quite early at ISO400, with the result that some detail is already lost at that stage. Even though eagle-eyed shooters will find a little softness from ISO4000 onwards, a good balance between detail and noise can be found up to ISO1600, and that’s an impressive feat for a digital compact when you’re not looking at 100%. You can set noise reduction to ‘low’ in the menu, or shoot RAW.

Of more concern is the corner softness that some online and we ourselves have seen in our test shots. Generally speaking, the middle aperture values from f/4-6.3 seem to fare best. But we want to emphasize that discerning user, we believe most users won’t notice either the detail or corner softness in real world images. Instead they’ll see about average images which just look better than results from other digital cameras.

With its great image quality and handling, the Canon S100 in one of the best compact camera we’ve tested yet. We’d almost recommend it unreservedly for the casual user who just wants a digital camera that take great pictures, especially in low-light, but for the low battery life. We’d recommend it with some caveats to the more seasoned user, who might mind the softness in some corners. But the benefits you get are a camera with great manual handling and the best low noise images ever to come out of a camera this compact.

What is Aperture?

2012-01-10T14:18:00.001+08:00

Definition:

The size of the opening in the lens whenever a picture is taken.

How it works:

Pressing the shutter button of the camera will open up a hole that enables the camera image sensor to capture a view of the scene you want to take. The aperture value set determines the size of the hole. The larger the hole, the more light that gets in and vice versa.

How is it measured:

Aperture is measured in f-stops (Example: f/2.2, f/2.4, f2.8). A bigger aperture value does not equate to a bigger opening, and instead, works the other way around. For example, f2/.4 indicated a much larger aperture than f/22.

Applications:

One of the most popular applications of aperture values is the depth of field that your images will have, with part of the image being in focus, and the rest out of focus. A larger aperture will result in a shallower depth of field (a tightly focused area, with less of the image in focus) while a smaller aperture will provide a larger depth of field (with more of the image being in focus).

Review: Philips DS9000 Fidelio

2012-01-10T11:21:00.001+08:00

With a bazillion or so iPod docks, mini systems and other Apple swag already on the market, making an iPod dock that’ll deliver the audio goods and get the punters excited can be bit of a big task. Philips seems to have achieved precisely this with the DS9000 Fidelio (even if its model name sounds like an act between two consenting adults).

Design-wise, the DS9000 is a real people-pleasing bit of a gear. Sporting big curvy lines, it looks more like a high-tech zeppelin than a traditional speaker. It’s an odd look that may not be everyone’s cup-of-tea but then again it definitely isn’t your typical run of the mill vanilla iPod dock widget either.

Out of the box there is no denying that the DS9000 is a pretty chunky bit of kit. Measuring 562 x 214 x 216mm and weighing in at 6.5kg, the DS9000 couldn’t be accused of being a wilting violet, and felt reassuringly solid out of the box.

In an age when there isn’t much left that you can’t plug your iPod into, the connectivity options on the DS9000 seem somewhat sparse yet functional. Apart from the now ubiquitous iPod/iPhone connector on its front, the DS9000 also has a 3.5mm aux input for hooking up a different MP3 player or laptop.

If bass is your thing, than you’re going to love the DS9000. With two 4-inch woofers deep within its innards, the DS9000 belts out an obscene amount of bass. If oodles, the DS9000’s ability to deliver surprisingly tightly controlled low-end will. Where most iPod docks struggle to reproduce fatiguing chipmunk punk style treble and mids, the DS9000 delivered audio I felt at a gut level.

Where the DS9000 really shone was in its deliver of acoustic audio. Guitars had real presence and you could almost feel Ian Dury breathing on his sweat-stained microphone. Electronica, however, felt a little flat, which I remedied using my iPod’s EQ presets.

Another surprising win for the Fidelio was its ability to shine when used as an alarm clock in my bedroom. Waking up to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck at volume is a great way to get one’s adrenaline flowing.

With the amount of sub-standard iPod docks, available, you’d be forgiven for thinking Philips had produced yet another Tupperware wonder to add to the pile, yet with the DS9000 it’s really come up with the goods. The Ds9000 is a quirky looking, yet solidly constructed beast that manages to dish out some pretty decent audio.

Review: Philips O’Neill Headphones

2012-01-10T10:56:00.001+08:00

The result of a team-up between electronics manufacturer Philips and surfing brand O’Neill, The Stretch headphones are up for a bit of rough and tumble. Aimed at a younger crowd that like jumping off and into things, often at high speeds, these phones are part of a wider range designed to take a licking a keep on ticking, while looking good.

The most extreme thing I did whilst wearing the headset was walk to the bus stop but the robust build is plain to see right out of the box. The outer headband is made from rather dystopian-sounding ‘TR55LX’ material, which is supposed to be six times harder than your garden-variety polycarbonate, while remaining extremely flexible. This means you can bend and flex that headband as vigorously as you want and it won’t snap.

The material is also supposed to be temperature resistant from 25 to -25ºC, not becoming brittle in the cold or weak in the heat. I can only attest to the Stretch’s durability over a series of punishing mild afternoons but as they are specifically designed for surf and snow I don’t doubt the claim, they’ve got the reliably functional feel of ski goggles.

Below the outer headband is a secondary, cushioned inner band from which the model derives its name. The inner band stretches as you pull the headphones on, holding the cushioned area firmly but comfortably across the top of your head. This gives it a very stable foundation and evenly distributes the weight to make the cups feel less obtrusive.

The ear cushions are not especially plush but the ‘super soft’ design does not treat your ears with respect. A lot less bulky than some models, the cushions are still prone to getting sweaty with prolonged use (doubly so if you’re actually out doing adventurous things, I imagine) but for the most part it’s a comfortable fit. They also provide an impressive level of noise cancellation for cups of their size.

The durability imperative extends to the model’s cable, wrapped in tangle-free fabric that does a good impersonation of a thin length of rope. The fabric-insulated cord itself does not stretch in any meaningful way but you needn’t worry about the cable snapping due to anything short of prodigious force. It also sports convenient dual connections – one to the source, the other to the phones – so with enough stress the cable will simply unplug itself rather than break. It’s also handy for feeing the connection through tricky clothing arrangements without over-stretching.

The effort has clearly been put into making the headphones beach and mountain – appropriate but on the sound quality front these are not the province of audio purists. As a mid-range set with a rugged emphasis the acoustics are fairly predictable but considering its wide frequency response, the Stretch is capable enough.

The high-end is the headphone's weak spot, with trebles lacking clarity. However, the mid-range is surprisingly detailed, with vocals and melodies competently distinct. The 40mm driver lacks impact in the low-end on more bass-dependent tracts for all but the pickiest of ears. If fed lossless audio with minimal compression, the phones will do a fine job.

In terms of rugged stability without sacrificing comfort, The Stretch is on point and if you’re into the extreme sports design aesthetics they make a fine accessory too. Don’t look for audiophile performance and you’ll be more than happy with this tough midrange model.

Tips to skip bad apps

2012-01-08T11:33:00.001+08:00

The rise in interest in mobile devices has predictably brought with it a rise in malware targeting smartphones and tablets, much to the chagrin of cyber safety experts.

As sales of smart mobile devices now exceed those of desktop and laptop PC’s, cybercriminals are maliciously modifying downloadable apps to infect such devices, says cyber security company McAffee.

The cyber watchdog says the amount of smartphone malware currently floating around is a lot lower than the stuff that targets PCs, but being aware it exists is the first step to keeping safe wit apps.

When downloading apps try and stick to those that have been broadly used in the market and look out for positive reviews from contacts you trust, the company advices.

Android users can increase their safety by deselecting the ‘unknown sources’ in the Application Settings menu on their device, and sticking with the proper Android Market channel for all app downloads.

Analyst Lawrence Pingree advices closely reading the services an app is asking permission to access on your phone – a game or alarm clock shouldn’t need access to stuff like your contacts or data transmission.

“As the application market continues to boom, users should be more cautious that they know what they’re installing,” he says.

Review: Sony PlayStation Vita (PS Vita)

2012-01-08T11:25:00.001+08:00

In a bit to recapture the portable gaming market Sony is reaching out to its classic gaming core wit a next-gen handheld gaming devices of ludicrous power.

There’s no denying the world of handheld games has been shaken of late thanks to the rise of smartphones and tablets.

The arena is now a far more casual affair, the charts topped by belligerent birds and produce - crazed ninjas – touch screen trifles created to make waiting for the bus a little easier. With the PlayStation Vita Sony is looking to take the mobile gaming space back for the traditional gamer while netting that lucrative social market at the same time.

The company has plenty of experience in both ends of the pool, with the PlayStation brand as strong as ever and Xperia smartphones making decent headway in the mobile area. The company has even tested the convergence waters recently with the likes of the PlayStation – certified Xperia Play, a smartphone built to play mobile – optimized titles from the original PlayStation library. But the PlayStation Vita is the most ambitious stop on the company’s mobile gamine roadmap thus far, a single bit of kit designed to be all things to all gamers.

To hear John McLaughlin, a producer working with various game studios on the new device, tell it, this attack strategy already has the industry’s minds abuzz with possibilities.

“Everyone is really excited by what this new machine can do, whether you’re after a PlayStation 4-level experience or a more casual multi-touch smartphone game, the Vita can do it,” he enthuses. “I’m seeing developers not just coming up with new games but new ways of playing existing games and new ways to use the old tools.”

What the company is rather eager to get across is how close it’s come to providing a gaming experience on par with the PlayStation 3 that you can carry around with you. It’s a claim that seems faintly absurd until you actually lay hand on the machine. The 3-inch OELD screen channeling the power of a four-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor, is dazzling, large and definitely up to pocket-PS3 claims.

The device’s chops were demonstrated with what will no doubt be the Vita’s flagship title, Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The mobile version of a blockbuster home console series like Uncharted would traditionally be a dicey affair – if it held together well enough it would be considered a success, but an experience on par with its bigger brother was unfathomable. Not any more, thanks to the Vita.

The shrunk-down version of the action-adventure franchise lacks none of the visual richness, slick mechanics or polished production of its PS3 counterpart – times to coincide with the series’ crowning glory. Drake’s Deception, that’s not small praise.

With twin control sticks emulating the conventional controller style it is easy enough to adapt to portable for but the Vita’s unique features also allow the game to be played in new ways.

Its multi-touch screen lets players literally guide the character through the level by pointing the way, with Uncharted hero Drake following finger taps to navigate the land in context-sensitive ways (climbing ladders, shimmying along ledges, jumping chasms, etc.) It offers dual analogue sticks for the hardcore gamers, simple touch controls for the newbie and both without altering the core mechanics of the sophisticated series; quite a balancing act.

Hoping to have roped in the usual gaming crowd with fabulous specs and trusted franchises, McLaughlin says Sony also has its sights trained on the casual sector, which prefers to consume games in app proportions.

“If you look at smartphones you have lots of people playing different kinds of games but they are all tiny, they’re snack-sized. With the Vita we can do those but we can also do your big PlayStation 3 experience too.”

McLaughlin works as part of Sony’s Xdev, or external development, team helping independent developers ensure their projects work within the company’s network. This is particularly important with the Vita as in features a raft of different connectivity options not seen before in handheld gaming.

For starters the machine is the first of its kind to offer a 3G connection for what the producer calls the ‘constantly-connected experience’. While the network isn’t up for fast-paced multiplayer death-matches, it is hand for all those increasingly popular social functions. The device can be used for your basic Facebook, Twitter and Skype duties and it also packs a host of its own gaming-centric social extensions.

PlayStation New lets users share what games you’re into with friends and strangers in the general vicinity; LiveArea broadcasts whatever software is currently being used; Party invites nearby users to join a game and Activity announces in-game achievements in real-time. It’s certainly the most extensively connected gaming machine around, which could be a blessing in term of finding opponents or a curse when it comes to spam.

Perhaps one of the Vita’s most nifty tricks, however, is the cross-play feature that allows it to synch up with certain PS3 games (Wipeout 2048, Hustle Kings confirmed so far). When used in tandem with the device’s cloud-saving functions, McLaughlin explains, these features cast the very idea of mobile gaming in a new light.

“Not only can you use your Vita to play against your buddy on his PS3 but you could save your PS3 game to the cloud, head out on the bus, load that game up with the Vita and keep on going.”

Packed with enough power and features to please all takers, the Vita’s hardware does not disappoint. The ball in not in the development community’s court to find creative ways of using this immense toolkit to seduce the hardcore and casual crowd alike.

Review: Panasonic PT-AE7000 3D LCD Projector

2012-01-03T18:55:00.001+08:00

Anyone who has seriously looked into home theatre projectors in the last decade will be familiar with Panasonic’s flagships such as the PT-AE3000 and PT-AE4000. Noted for their color accuracy, brightness and lack of chicken-wire effect present in many other LCD projectors, they were often cited as the best home theatre projectors in the sub – $10,000 range despite costing around half that amount.

Here now to continue this fine tradition is the PT-AE7000. Panasonic has been busy in the two year hiatus since the PT-AE4000, as this new model boasts super high speed 480Hz 3D technology. The significance of this figure is it tackled the two biggest complaints about 3D technology: crosstalk and brightness drop.

For comparison, a 240Hz 3D screen or projector will display a black screen 50 percent of the time – these dark moments need to be injected between image frames when the shutters in the 3D glasses switch between the left and right lens – whereas at 480Hz the screen is only black for 25 percent of the time, which allows a much brighter image. Panasonic also has its own proprietary 3D Overdrive Technology which analyses and enhances the 3D video signal to reduce crosstalk.

Physically the PT-AE7000 is a whopper compared to older Panasonic models and other midrange protectors. This shouldn’t be an issue unless you plan on moving your projector around a lot, which ideally you would not be doing as you really want to set up a dedicated space for a home theatre projector to maximize image quality and overall enjoyment of the experience.

Speaking of installation, you get a lot of placement flexibility thanks to the lens shift feature and 2x zoom lens. Lens shift allows you to manually more the image up or down by 100 percent of the picture size, or 25 percent to the lest or right (slightly narrowed from the 50 present horizontal shift on older Panasonic models), while the 2x zoom lens will give you a maximum throw distance of about six meters. At this distance you can still project onto a screen as small as 100-inch but you will lose a lot of brightness with the lens fully zoomed in.

Once you are set up and running you get several different picture modes to choose from. I found normal to be the best all-around mode (albeit with the color turned down a few notches just as a matter of personal preference as it delivers a bright image with accurate colors and very little washout.

In a properly configured room with no ambient light or bright walls nearby to bounce light off, Cinema 1 mode produced the most natural image with beautiful skin tones and deep blacks, whilst Cinema 2 is much the same but with a punchier brightness level. Rec907 mode is tuned to industry video standards but certain colors are perceived as more dull on larger screens so it isn’t really suited for projector viewing.

Dynamic mode should be used as a last resort if you are trying to view something in an environment with high levels of ambient light, as it basically just cranks up brightness and contrast at the expense of color fidelity and definition.

Lastly, game mode switched off a lot of image processing to reduce input lag – the latency between pushing a button on your controller or mouse and seeing the resulting action on screen. I could still detect a minor amount of input lag in this mode so I wouldn’t recommend if for fast – paced first person shooter games but for general gaming it was fine. In fact the cinematic experience of Battlefield 3 was significantly enhanced compared to playing on my 21.5-inch LCD monitor.

The first movie I used for testing (as always) was the 3D and 2D Blu-ray versions of Avatar. I would love to say that I finally enjoy watching 3D material, but sadly that is not the case despite the PT-AE7000 delivering the best home 3d experience I have had to date. The 3D image was bright and crosstalk suppression was immaculate, yet I still personally cannot tolerate 3D viewing for more than an hour or so. Whether this is a shortcoming of mine or the technology is yet to be decided but given that my experience varies wildly between devices I am going to lean towards the latter for now.

Happily, switching back to 2D mode absolutely blew me away. I can honestly say that watching Avatar at 1080P on a 120-inch screen though the PT-Ae7000 has been the best home theatre experience I have ever had, period. Pixel structure was non-existent (Panasonic’s Smooth Screen technology has always been good in this regard), colors were exactly how I remembered them from the cinema and black levels were nice and low to give a deep, vibrant image.

One other feature worth mentioning at this point is Frame Creation. This is Panasonic’s motion compensation technology which also featured on the two earlier models. Modes 1 and 2 create subtle jitter-free experiences with negligible artefacting while Mode 3 delivers motion which is so smooth it is actually a bit disconcerting with some material – basically it makes everything look like it was filmed and shown at 60 frames per second or more, which is fine for TV, sports and live content but can detract from the cinematic experience for movies.

In high brightness scenes with the lamp at full power the fan started to spin up quite audibly but in eco mode (which actually looks better in a darkened room anyway) the unit was virtually silent. The backlit remote is small and easy to use and the 3D glasses that shop with the projector are not as geeky as some that I have seen.

On the rear of the projector you get three HDMI inputs and one each of VGE, component, composite, and SVHS, plus two 12v trigger/3D shutter outputs. Some network connectivity wouldn’t have gone amiss but most home theatre players and receivers have this feature so that shouldn’t cause issue for anyone. Overall I enjoyed the PT-AE7000 as much as the older Panasonic models and then some. It has a slightly higher asking price than its predecessors but I believe it is worth every penny and still sits competitively in the market in its price point.

Best Outdoor Apps

2012-01-03T17:51:00.001+08:00

Many romanticize the great outdoors as a tech-free frontier to escape the hectic pace of our hyper-connected daily lives. Truth is, a little helpful technology never hurt anyone – in fact it can significantly enhance your wilderness adventures. Check out the best mobile apps to take on your next trek.

IBIRD EXPLORER [iOS + Android]

If bird spotting is your outdoor calling then you will find the iBird range of apps immensely useful. If you’ve caught sight of a species you can’t pinpoint off the top of your head iBird offers a hugely comprehensive search functions that can call up photos, location-based information and even recorded bird songs.

The range varies from a free Lite version through to a US$14.99 Pro edition what would make a stack of encyclopedias blush.

TRAILHEAD [iOS]

Developed by one of the outdoors most dependable names, North Face, Trailhead is a one-stop shop for hiking and biking tracks across the planet. you can freely search through a staggering library of trails prioritized by your current location and customized by activity, length and intensity. With GPS functions you can also chart your progress in real time and record or share your stats online.

PROJECT NOAH [iOS + Android]

A brilliant {and free} wilderness – focused social app to hook kids into the wonders of nature, Project Noah turns anyone with a smartphone into a ‘citizen scientist"’.

In Spotting mode you can geo-tag photos of interesting plants and animals and upload them with relevant notes, then access the Field Guide and explore the finds of others in your area. You can even partake in Field Missions where you gather data for real-world ecology projects being run by the app’s partner organizations.

STAR WALK [iOS]

You can’t do the outdoors thing without a little stargazing thrown in, but sometimes the simple act of craning your head to the sky just isn’t an option. For those who refuse to let circumstance get in the way of amateur astrology, Star Walk has you covered.

The program picks up your location and projects a beautifully detailed map of the very stars above your head. You can search for specific points, zoom and scroll, as well as speed up time to see how the cosmos will morph in coming days. The US$2.99 iPhone edition is great but the more expansive US$4.99 iPad version is better.

Wikileaks founder’s appeal denied

2012-01-03T17:14:00.001+08:00

Julian Assange, founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, has had his appeal against extradition to Sweden to be tried for alleged sex crimes denied by the British court.

The website creator has denied the allegations, saying they are part of an attempt to discredit WikiLeaks.

High Court appeal Judges John Thomas and Duncan Ousely rejected Assange’s claim that it would be unfair and unlawful to hand him over to Swedish authorities on inaccurate, politically motivated charges.

He remains on bail in the UK, under virtual house arrest in southern England, and will now consider whether to take this appeal to Britain’s Supreme Court.

The allegations against Assange include the rape of one woman and the molestation of a second in Stockholm last year; relationships he has continually claimed were consensual.

He and his legal team claim the allegations are trumped up as a way to attack WikiLeaks, which is 2010 released hundreds of thousands of confidential diplomatic cables from US embassies around the world.

Review: Samsung MV800

2012-01-02T08:06:00.001+08:00

You have probably seen images of this camera on television and in magazines. Yes, it’s the one where you see the LCD panel fanning out in various angles. The first thing you will notice, therefore, is the LCD that opens up rather like a page in a book. It allows you new viewing angles, though it achieves half the 360 degrees movement of the display in more advanced cameras. The second thing you will notice is how thin the camera is. It is less than an average finger width with the LCD closed down and, therefore, could deceive you into think it is a smartphone. These features make the MV900 a device of which you could proudly claim, “Mine is smaller than yours.”

Unlike most other cameras, the various options are accessed on a smartphone-like “homepages”. Places like widgets on the monitor,you can touch these icons to get to the modes (smart auto, smart movie, 3D photo, scene mode, beauty shot, etc.) as you would on a phone. It’s amazing how such a tiny device is capable of so much, including 3D photographs and “live panorama shots (essentially video panoramas that also double up as stills). The results are good, though some functions seem a little fussy.

Review: Apple MacBook Air

2011-12-25T15:27:00.001+08:00

Apple Inc. had a goal when designing the latest, MacBook Air - "created an incredibly thin and light notebook computer that's every bit as powerful and capable as one as one twice its size". Hats off to Apple for its vision. As the new MacBook Air proves, the company manages to do what others haven't even thought of.

Design

Believe us or not, the new Air is super slim at 0.11 inches swelling up to 0.68 inches from front to back. So don't come complaining about the missing CD drive. Without compromising on specifications, it had added two USB ports, one on each side along with a card reader. Fro this review, we received the bigger of the two sized available: 11.6 inches and 13.3 inches. It has a high resolution, glossy backlit wide-screen display on which watching multimedia content was a delight. The keyboard is desktop size and so, comfortable. The built-in sensor automatically detects ambient light and adjusts the brightness of the keyboard and backlighting. Apple smartly embeds controls on the top row of the keyboard, like brightness adjustment, desktop view, volume controls, Wi-Fi. And don't forget the multi-touch track pad. Yet, the Air still weighs a meager 1.35kg.

Performance

Apple has successfully managed to complement the sleek looks with a lot of power. It has graded it with a dual-core Intel i5 processor clocked at 1.7Ghz along with a 4GB RAM. This gives it enough power to handle graphics, games and iMovies smoothly. To achieve the ultrathin form factor, Apple switched to flash storage. The Air comes with 256GB storage on board. Even within its slim contours, Apple has managed to fit in a battery with backup of seven hours (and a standby time that could last a month).

Review: Acer K330 Projector

2011-12-25T15:20:00.001+08:00

Board room meetings can be tiring for the eyes, with minuscule charts and writing on 55-inch displays. The bigger projectors can take ages to power up and can only be linked to laptops. Acer's latest, the K330, puts these concerns to rest. The big projector not only starts quickly but is also USB compatible, immediately opening up new sources for projection content besides the laptop.

The K330 is in rich white and should fit in with most office decor. All the essential controls - the power key, menu, enter and navigation keys - are neatly placed at the top. They do not interfere with the design of the projector. The main menu comprises settings, office, videos and images.

The lens casing can be used to adjust the focus manually. Thanks to the sleek body, it can find room in any corner of the office if it doesn't have its own permanent niche there. At 1.24 kg, it is light enough to be carried around. The box has a smart sleeve that protects the machine from dust.

The biggest plus point of this projector is the huge variety of connectivity options at the back - a VGA port for connecting it to a PC, USB port for microUSB port, HDMI port and a memory card reader along with the video, AV in an audio out ports. Unlike other projectors where the shut down and boot up times take 30 seconds or more, the K330 starts up in just seconds.

Using the K330, you can project presentations, videos, pictures, etc. As LED projector; it provides brightness of 500 lumens in the normal mode. The text images projected are crisp and clear. you have the option to switch to the eco mode where the brightness dims to 400 lumens. The difference is not a merely in the lumen figures; it is noticeable in the quality of the projected imagery also.

The sound output is average as the K330 has a 2W internal speaker. Compared with other projectors, this Acer machine does not make much noise during operation. Also, since it uses LED illumination, it does not generate much heat. With projection distance of close to 1-10m, the image it projects from 30 inches to 100 inches. The menu contains other features such as auto-shut off feature, high altitude mode, alarm, etc. Acer claims the LED lamp life is around 20,000 hours.

Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia Active

2011-12-25T15:15:00.001+08:00

Just when we were getting tired of the typical Android device, Sony Ericsson combined the concept of fitness with a smartphone and came up with the Active. Sporty looking, the Active has been engineered to withstand water and dust. For this, the company has given it a scratch resistant, 3-inch capacitive display along with two layers of cover at the back. The charging port and 3.5 mm jack are neatly covered with air-tight lids. The phone has accessories such as changeable rear covers, a rubber wrist strap and an arm case and ear-hooks.

The Active successfully survived a water test, and sweat test during a workout. It also has fitness applications on board. The Walkmate application, when launched, keeps a count of the daily footsteps while showing the weekly average. It also comes with the iMapMyFitness+ application using which you can create a profile and record workout and calorie budgets, etc. Along with the fitness apps, it behaves like a typical android smart-phone by Google mails, Search, MarketPlace, for downloading applications, etc. There is a 5MP camera onboard that manages to capture decent images.

Simple Twitter Tips for Beginners

2011-12-21T20:16:00.001+08:00

In its five years of existence, Twitter has polarized opinions like few other communication mediums – a useful tool, the true democratization of web communication for some, and an addictive time waster for others. If you find yourself agreeing with the latter, maybe it’s time you considered some handy tools, tips and tricks to get the most out of your Twitter experience while still maintaining some semblance of a real social life.

USE HASH TAGS: With millions sent out each hour, more so when important events are taking place or news is creaking somewhere in the world, tweets can be difficult to follow. Hashtags helps you overcome this – just place a hashtag (#) directly before relevant keywords or topics (many events even publicize their hashtags in advance). What this does is allow others to find your tweets easily – most twitter clients let you click a hashtag to see all the tweets associated with it – as well as allow you and others to ‘mute’ out hashtagged tweets if they’re not interested in the event/news. Use them wisely though, too many hashtags in a tweet looks plain horrible.
USE A TWITTER CLIENT: While the Twitter website is getting better to use, it is still woefully inadequate in many departments. With features like custom URL shortening, Twitter style retweets and old-school comments based retweets – dedicated Twitter clients are still the way to go on a PC/Mac or your favorite mobile device. If you like a ‘busy’ interface with plenty of columns for your @mentions, specific hashtags, try out Tweetdeck, and for folks who like cleaner lines, try the echofon app for the iPhone and the iPad.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE: If you’re only following people you know in the real world on Twitter, it can get to be awfully quite and boring (depending on who you know, of course!) Twitter has its own built-in search engine to help you find relevant people to follow. You can either see who Twitter suggests under the “Who to Follow”, clicking on View Suggestions, Browse Interests or Find Friends or you can use the search box to find something more specific. Search for people in your line of work or interest, and soon you’ll be following and interacting with folks that you may never even have met otherwise. And ever so often, if you end up following too many people, don’t be afraid to spring clean and unfollow people.
BE CONSISTENT: Set yourself a daily schedule for Twitter, so you don’t overdo it on just one day of the week and remain silent for the rest. Consistency brings with it rewards in the form of new followers and increased interaction. Tools like Buffer and Twilert help as well. Buffer is a really simple tool, in that whenever you read an interesting article on the web, you can send it via a browser extension to buffer. The Buffer service will send out the tweets well spaces out over the day, so you never flood your followers with too many tweets at once. Twilert on the other hand keeps an eye out for important terms you may want to track on Twitter (say for your bran, competitors or some news you’re waiting for), and sends you notifications if these are mentioned on twitter. Think of Twilert like a Google Alerts for Twitter.
ANALYSE THIS: If you’re a numbers-driven sort of person, and want to track your Twitter performance, give TwentyFeet a shot. Sign up, and so you will start receiving very interesting graphs on details such as retweets, mentions and followers and how they are changing over time. Tweriod on the other hand tells you when your follower are only and most active on Twitter. Simple drop your username into Tweriod, and it give you two helpful graphs showing you the time of day and the day of week when you should be tweeting.

Review: BlackBerry Curve 9380

2011-12-21T20:08:00.001+08:00

In an effort to strengthen its market share in the Philippines, Research-In-Motion has recently launched a new set of devices. Of the three the Curve 9380 is yet again an all-touch device that has ditched the QWERTY keypad. The 3.2-inch capacitive display is bright and easy to navigate around. Although typing using the onscreen keypad had improved drastically, we still ended up typing wrong alphabets. Powered by an 800 MHz processor, it comes with 512 MB RAM and runs on the BB OS7. It smartly handles personal and official email accounts and the social networking feed brings all Twitter and Facebook updates under one hood.

However, for data connectivity – be it for email or internet browsing – the user has to subscribe to a special data plan. Wikitude, a mobile augmented reality application, comes pre-loaded on this device. And for backing up data, the BlackBerry Protect is onboard. It can come in handy while switching between two BlackBerry smartphones. At 98gm, the new Curve is really very easy to carry around. It quietly slips into the pocket and is equally comfortable to hold in the hand. A number of BlackBerry smartphones have the New-Field Communication (NFC) chip and a 5MP camera at the back, and this one isn’t an exception. As for the battery backup, it is decent and goes through a whole day.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations review

2011-12-20T17:02:00.001+08:00

Our favorite Italian assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze is back – for the last time. Assassin’s Creed game developer Ubisoft has decided to let him retire in peace after this one last mission. This will also be the game’s final installment of the Renaissance era, which is good news as you can hardly distinguish Rome from Constantinople.

Ezio is no longer a young assassin. With his grey hair and a visible paunch, it is obvious that a graceful exit was the order the day. Yes, we are still stuck in protagonist Desmond Miles’ mind. The part bartender, part assassin is strapped on to the Animus, the machine that accesses his ancestral memories – the master assassin Altair ibn-La’Ahad and Ezio.

The cinematic sequence in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations are breathtaking. With vibrant graphics, it successfully makes the characters can Constantinople as real as they can get. The sound track too gets you into the groove. But these are too similar to the previous AC editions. So it’s not exactly something new. Nonetheless the game keeps you engrossed. The plot is to find the keys of Altair, hero of the first edition.

The most important addition in this version is undoubtedly the Hook Blade, which not only helps Ezio climb roof tops but also helps him slide down cables. The hook also helps reach out to and grab walls as you falls, reducing your chances of becoming street pizza. the hooded assassin also gets his hands on bombs. But despite having an explosive arsenal, you (or Ezio) invariably end up using the traditional weapons as they are a lot more fun to wield. Perhaps, the addition of bombs in this version was a bit of a waste.

There are also mini games, like Brotherhood, where you can train assassins and send them off on contract missions. your aim is to extend the assassins’ influence and defend your turf from Templar attacks. To keep things interesting, Revelations gets back the multi-player feature. Now from being the assassin, you can become the target. There are other play modes like Capture the Chest and hide-and0seek games that have new characters with new special abilities, maps and modes.

Review: iPhone 4S 16GB

2011-12-20T16:16:00.001+08:00

The much awaited smartphone of the year, the Apple iPhone 4S, was launched in October. Within two months, it reached the Philippines – but at a hefty price tag of Php37,499.00 for the basic 16 GB model. We know what you are thinking: is the iPhone 4S really better than the excellent iPhone 4?

The Apple iPhone 4S looks exactly like the iPhone 4 and there is no way you can differentiate them from their physical appearance. But under the hood, the iPhone 4S is a completely new phone.
The first big inclusion is Siri, the intelligent voice assistant. This is an integrated app that understands voice commands and responds accordingly. It worked well for me when adjusted to English (US).
From dictating text messages to browsing the web to checking weather, it responded well. But at times, it did respond saying, “I cannot understand what you are saying.” When asked to look for restaurants nearby, it replied saying “I can only look for business in the United States”. We don’t blame Sir as it is still in the beta state for many countries, including the Philippines.

Unlike the iPhone 4 that had antenna issues, there were no call drops on the 4S. The call clarity was superb. even with a single-core processor, the iPhone 4 never felt slow, but Apple is joining the bandwagon, having put an A5 dual-core chip in the 4S. This made it quick and responsive. Apple has also replaced the 5 MP camera with an 8 MP one. The quality of the images captured is excellent; it even comes with an HDR more for special images. The 4S in undoubtedly the best camera phone around. Also, the 1080p video capture is studding.
Although, the iOS5 is available for upgrade to the iPhone 4 and iPhone #GS, it comes pre-installed on the 4S and provides access to iCloud for storing data on the clod. Twitter integration, notification bar and alerts, camera key on the home screen. etc.
Overall, the iPhone 4S is among the best phone but it is the price that will deter many enthusiasts from buying it, at least in the Philippines.

Review: BlackBerry Bold 9790

2011-12-20T15:43:00.001+08:00

It was commendable for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 to integrate capacitive touch with a QWERTY keypad in a bar design. Walking in its footprints is the Bold 9700, which is priced lower than that phone.

The 2.45-inch capacitive touch display comes handy while launching the app tray, applications and scrolling through emails and messages. The rest of the phone is easily operated using the keypad and the regulars – call receive/end, back, menu and track pad. What we found attractive about the design was the curved shape of the corner keys, almost melting into the metal bezel. At first you might miss the volume controls and the camera keys on the right edge as the keys are really very sleek. The only color in this black beauty come from the liquid graphic of the BB OS7. The app launcher tray had various categories – all apps, favorites, media, download and frequent. Emails, web browsing and BlackBerry Messenger worked smoothly over the smartphone. The call clarity was good, the sound output of the media player too was okay. The 5 MP camera sensor at the back is superfast but good only in daylight. What disappointed us was the VGA resolution video recording, which is good enough only for the phone’s display. It also has a good battery backup of 1.5 days.

Review: Nokia Lumia 800

2011-12-20T14:55:00.000+08:00

The wait for the first Windows Phone from Nokia ended with the release of two devices. We reviewed the Lumia 800, a gorgeous smartphone. Available in black, cyan, and magenta, it has a curved 3.7-inch glass AMOLED display that gets smoothly with the unibody design. The power, volume control, and camera keys are in silver metal placed on the right edge with the charging jack. The microSIM slot is neatly covered with a lid.

Complementing the outer design is the Windows Phone platform with its Metro UI. The customizable tiles on the home screen with the app menu is similar to any other Windows Phone device. But thanks to the tie-up between Nokia and Microsoft, users get the best from both worlds. Onboard apps include Nokia Drive for navigation, App Highlights for recommended apps by Nokia, Nokia Maps, Bing Maps, TuneIn Radio and timesPoynt, to mention a few.

Starting the phone prompts you for a Windows Live ID for downloading applications and SkyDrive for data storage and the Nokia account. Typing using the onscreen keyboard is a pleasing experience and all communications appears under a single hood. Users can update their status on various sties from the "’Me’ tile that appears on the home screen and check friends update and post comment from the people hub. The Office app addresses the issue of downloading a third-party documentation app and lets one read and edit documents on the move. The sound output is impressive, as is the video playback. However, the 8MP camera isn’t the best and captures average images only. The phone’s smooth functioning is due to the 1.4 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM.

However, there are a few drawbacks. The onboard memory of the smartphone is a measly 16GB and it doesn’t support a memory card for expanding memory. The applications available for Windows Phone Mango are very few in comparison to those for iOS and Android.Another drawback of the Windows Phone platform is one its inability to transfer content over Bluetooth. The battery backup too is just about average.

20 interesting facts about Linux

2011-09-30T09:12:00.001+08:00

Linus Torvalds posted a message on the group to Minix 20:57:08 GMT , ie, just the time when this entry was published to coincide, so much more accurate, with the anniversary date. However, with respect to date there is some controversy because if the August 25 published their intentions Linus Torvalds, the October 5, 1991, in another message to the forum, announced the publication of the first kernel .
Linux has caught on in many sectors and probably one of the least known is the film industry. 95% of the servers used by Hollywood studios for animation films have installed a GNU / Linux. In fact, the Oscar-winning visual effects of the Titanic by James Cameron came from machines with Linux and, according to James Cameron, Avatar was the first film shot entirely in 3D applications using free software on Linux machines.
Linux programmers are often associated with living "isolated" in the world, however, over 75% of the code developed for the Linux kernel came from private sector developers. In fact, large technology companies like Intel, Google, IBM, AMD, Sun Microsystems, Dell, Asus, HP, Analog Devices, Oracle, Novell or Red Hat help developing applications, contributing to the core or pre-installing any GNU / Linux their machines. In fact, during the 2003 Super Bowl (which paralyzes the United States and remains glued to the TV for many Americans), IBM delivered a beautiful ad talking about Linux and open source options.
90% of the world's most powerful supercomputers using an operating system GNU / Linux, in fact, the top ten of supercomputers use Linux. In fact, the penetration of Linux in data centers is very high, 33.8% of the world runs on Linux servers compared to 7.3% does so in a Microsoft operating system. For example, Google's servers run on Linux, like the server hosting the website of the White House (which is done in Drupal, by the way).
The idea that Linux had a pet penguin comes from Linus Torvalds himself. A small bit him and it seemed funny that was the mascot of your system.
The name of the penguin, Tux , is not entirely clear. On the one hand, it is said that the origin of the name comes from the fact that penguins appear to be wearing a tuxedo, which in English is said max tuxedo tux and is abbreviated. In contrast, another source comes from the letters of the logo of Tux are Unix Torvalds.
The first Linux kernel occupied 65 KBand, thanks to the collaboration of developers, has become a project you are working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The first commercial distribution GNU / Linux was Yggdrasil was launched Lice-CD format in 1992. Red Hat was one of the first distributions to settle within companies and data centers in 1999.
Linux is present in highly critical applications such as Japan's bullet trains, traffic control, San Francisco, the New York Stock Exchange, CERN, many air traffic control systems or control of nuclear reactors of submarines and ships many nuclear war.
In 1994, William Della Croce Jr. Linux registered as a trademark in the United States and began to borrow money to GNU / Linux by the use of its trademark. Torvalds took this character to trial and, in 1997, recovered to register the Linux trademark.
The GNU project in 1991, had no drivers and kernel, that's what led to Linus Torvalds to address the Linux kernel development. If GNU had had, perhaps, Torvalds had not been put to work on that.
There are over 300 distributions GNU / Linux activities ranging from the well known Ubuntu or Debian distributions through governmental or educational level.
Debian was one of the first GNU / Linux that was constituted and organized as a community of developers.
In 2005, the prestigious Business Week magazine recognized Linux as a case study in the field of business.
Linux has facilitated the creation of a network of service and support companies that are expected to bill more than one billion dollars worldwide.
Linux has more than 9.2 million lines of code and this amount grows 10% each year. Of the 9.2 million lines, the kernel itself accounts for 5% and 55% drivers. Add lines 4500, 1800 and 1500 are removed are changed every day.
In 2002, Microsoft had accumulated a $ 421 million cost of fighting the spread of Linux, according to The Register.
Countries such as Russia, Brazil and Venezuela have put their focus on Linux as a basis for interoperable management , cost efficient and technologically independent.
Toyota based computer systems of their vehicles on a GNU / Linux.
The authorities in the Siberian city of Tyumen, Russia, authorized last year, a group of Linux supporters Leventer a monument to this system. This statue would be a Tux.

Google buys Zagat

2011-09-09T13:26:00.001+08:00

Google just closed the purchase of Zagat, an online guide company that recommends hotels, shops, restaurants, movies and services in the US.

However, the sale price has not been made public.

According to a source, the director of the company will be Bernardo Hernandez, a Spanish businessman who also maintain his position as Director of Emerging Products Marketing at Google. Hernandez was one of the creators of idealista.com and responsible for Android, Google's mobile platform.

Note that the location-based marketing is one of the emerging sectors on the Internet.

Philip R. Reitinger: Sony’s New Cyber Security Head

2011-09-08T09:11:00.001+08:00

Sony has appointed new head of security and privacy. Philip R. Reitinger, is responsible for years of cybersecurity at the Department of Defense of the United States.

As reported Sony through its website, Reitinger, whose appointment is effective from today, will be responsible for securing the services and assets related to information security company and its customers and users.

The appointment comes four months after the platform online for Sony consoles.

PlayStation Network, is affected by a "trespass", due to a failure in its security systems, allowed attackers to access data privacy of users of that service.

Rumor: Yahoo For Sale?

2011-09-08T09:00:00.001+08:00

Yahoo's announcement revived speculation about a possible sale of the company to various organizations and private investment groups, with the possibility of being split in two, and a possible interest from companies such as AT & T, Verizon and News Corporation.

The position will be filled temporarily by the company's chief financial officer, Tim Morse, who will combine his duties with their own CEO.

In a statement, Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock, thanked the work of Bartz in what he called "a critical time of transition in the history of the company and in the midst of very challenging macroeconomic conditions," but did not mention the reasons that led to the withering dismissal.

The executive landed at Yahoo in 2009 after more than a decade leading the software design company Autodesk and after the giant Silicon Valley closed one of the worst years of its history under the command of one of its founders, Jerry Yang.

In 2008 the company was cutting short its alliance with Microsoft and an advertising agreement with Google, and was forced to put out more than 2,500 workers.

During Bartz management, which aimed to improve the response speed of Yahoo to changes in the market, the company eliminated more than a thousand jobs and announced the closure of services such as Yahoo Buzz, MyBlogLog, Delicious, and Yahoo Picks AllTheWeb.com.

Yahoo in the last quarter reached an annual net profit growth of 11%, although revenue fell 5%.

"We are committed to explore and evaluate possibilities and opportunities that will put Yahoo in the path of growth and innovation, and imply a value for our stockholders," Bostock said in a press release today in which the company also reported that reconfigured its top management.

Yahoo! reorganizes its board after Bartz exit

2011-09-08T08:52:00.001+08:00

The Yahoo board of directors announced the dismissal of its CEO, Carol Bartz, after more than two and a half years of management, as part of a reorganization of its top management in times of crisis.

Bartz, 63, will be replaced temporarily by Tim Morse, who will combine the new features in his current position as CFO of the company.

"Our main goal is to influence the leadership of the company and our current business assets and platforms to take advantage of opportunities, "said Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock.

Bostock was one of the greatest supporter for Bartz when she became chief executive of Yahoo in January 2009 with the aim of reforming the company to regain its competitiveness , the same purpose for which it was made the new restructuring in the cockpit.

"We are committed to explore and evaluate possibilities and opportunities that will put Yahoo in the path of growth and innovation and will involve a value for shareholders," said Bostock.

The company did not elaborate on the reasons that led to the hasty departure of Bartz. Bostock thanked Bartz for his service in what he called "a critical time of transition in company history amidst a very challenging macro-economic situation. "

Bartz's dismissal comes just two weeks after the resignation of Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, another major Silicon Valley companies.

"Cybercrime" cost U.S. $ 114,000 million a year

2011-09-08T08:43:00.001+08:00

About 431 million adults were victims of attacks on the web in 2010, according to Symantec.

The global cost of crimes committed over the Internet is U.S. $ 114,000 million annually, according to research by Symantec, the maker of Norton computer security applications.

The 2011 report of the signature indicates that 431 million adults were victims of such crimes in 2010 at a cost that exceeds the global black market for marijuana, cocaine and heroin.

"Over the past 12 months, three times the adults surveyed have been online crime against conventional crimes, although less than one third of respondents believe that there are more chances of being a victim of" cyber crime "than a conventional one in next year, "said Adam Palmer, Lead Cybersecurity Advisor Norton.

The study also identified the men between 18 and 31 years, accessing the Internet from their mobile phones as the most likely victims.

Top 5 Free Online AntiVirus

2011-09-05T10:01:00.001+08:00

If you don’t want to install an AntiVirus on your computer, you came to the right place. Here are the top 5 online AntiVirus you can use for free to scan your computer for malware and viruses.

Panda ActiveScan

Detects and removes: Virus, spyware, trojans, rootkits, key loggers
Works only with Internet Explorer
Available in several other languages

ESET Online Scanner

Detects and removers: Virus, spyware, trojans, rootkits, key loggers
Works only with Internet Explorer
Available in several languages
Allows the user to customize the advanced analysis
Prior to scanning, it automatically update its database
In 4 easy steps you can analyze and detect viruses on your system
Free and you need administrator privileges to use

BitDefender Online Scanner

Symantec Security Check

Detects and removes: Virus, spyware, trojans, rootkits, key loggers
Works with Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox (and extension)
Available in several languages
It is free, one of the fastest and most powerful I've ever had

F-Secure Security Check

Detects and removes: Virus, spyware, trojans, rootkits, key loggers
Works with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome
Need JavaScript to function properly
Available in several other languages
It is free, simply run and start to analyze all

Download | Monitor the temperature of your computer with CPUID Hardware Monitor

2011-09-05T09:26:00.001+08:00

Overheating CPU’s cause major problems to users. Failure to routinely check your computer temperature might lead to data loss, or worse, irreversible computer meltdown.

CPUID Hardware Monitor is a program that allows us to monitor the temperature of the components inside our computer (motherboard, processor, and hard drive). If you use this program in a laptop, it will give you information about the status of your battery and video card.

HWMonitor is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fans speed. The program handles the most common sensor chips, like ITE® IT87 series, most Winbond® ICs, and others. In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature.

Download | CPUID Hardware Monitor

Google+ Review

2011-08-25T12:54:00.001+08:00

A while ago, I had the opportunity to sign up for Google+ thanks to my good friend JeysiBoi. Because of him, I was able to check what’s new and the functionality of which so much has been spoken in past couple of weeks.

For those who still doesn’t know what Google+ is, it is a new social network designed to compete with Facebook. The new social networking site from Google integrates your Gmail, Google profile and other services currently linked to your Google account. The main goal of Google+ is to outperform the competition in the social networking sphere. Right now, Google+ is still in closed beta, and you can access it by invitation only.

The overall design resembles that of Facebook. The large white space offers an intuitive interface for user experience.

The tab bar located at the top contains the Home, Photos, Profile, and Circle buttons.

Watch these videos to learn more:

Google+: A Quick Look

Google+: Sparks

Google+: Hangout

Google+: Huddle

Google+: Instant Upload

These are just some of the awesome features of Google+. In my opinion, Google+ is lean, fast, and very well done. If the search engine giant can convince a reasonable number of Facebook users to migrate to their Google+ platform, their success would be assured.

10 products that defined Steve Jobs' career

2011-08-25T11:08:00.001+08:00

Steve Jobs had no formal schooling in engineering, yet he's listed as the inventor or co-inventor on more than 200 U.S. patents. These are some of the significant products that were created under his direction:

1. Apple I (1976) — Apple's first product was a computer for hobbyists and engineers, made in small numbers. Steve Wozniak designed it, while Jobs orchestrated the funding and handled the marketing.

2. Apple II (1977) — One of the first successful personal computers, the Apple II was designed as a mass-market product rather than something for engineers or enthusiasts. It was still largely Wozniak's design. Several upgrades for the model followed, and the product line continued until 1993.

3. Lisa (1983) — Jobs' visit to Xerox Corp.'s research center in Palo Alto inspired him to start work on the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface, with icons, windows and a cursor controlled by a mouse. It was the foundation for today's computer interfaces, but the Lisa was too expensive to be a commercial success.

4. Macintosh (1984) — Like the Lisa, the Macintosh had a graphical user interface. It was also cheaper and faster and had the backing of a large advertising campaign behind it. People soon realized how useful the graphical interface was for design. That led "desktop publishing," accomplished with a Mac coupled to a laser printer, to soon become a sales driver.

5. NeXT computer (1989) — After being forced out of Apple, Jobs started a company that built a powerful workstation computer. The company was never able to sell large numbers, but the computer was influential: The world's first Web browser was created on one. Its software also lives on as the basis for today's Macintosh and iPhone operating system.

6. iMac (1998) — When Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, the company was foundering, with an ever shrinking share of the PC market. The radical iMac was the first step in reversing the slide. It was strikingly designed as a bubble of blue plastic that enclosed both the monitor and the computer. Easy to set up, it captured the imagination just as people across the world were having their eyes opened to the benefits of the Internet and considering getting their first home computer.

7. iPod (2001) — It wasn't the first digital music player with a hard drive, but it was the first successful one. Apple's expansion into portable electronics has had vast ramifications. The iPod's success prepared the way for the iTunes music store and the iPhone.

8. iTunes store (2003) — Before the iTunes store, buying digital music was a hassle, making piracy the more popular option. The store simplified the process and brought together tracks from all the major labels. The store became the largest music retailer in the U.S. in 2008.

9. iPhone (2007) — The iPhone did for the phone experience what the Macintosh did for personal computing — it made the power of a smartphone easy to harness. Apple is now the world's most profitable maker of phones, and the influence of the iPhone is evident in all smartphones.

10. iPad (2010) — Dozens of companies, including Apple, had created tablet computers before the iPad, but none caught on. The iPad finally cracked the code, creating a whole new category of computer practically by itself.

The Philippine Arena: The World’s Largest Dome Arena

2011-08-25T09:03:00.001+08:00

The Philippine Arena, a 50,000-seater indoor performance hall will soon rise at a 74,000-square-meter area near the Philippine Capital, Manila. The ground breaking ceremony was already held this week and was attended by the Hanwha and INC officials.

The “World’s Largest Dome Arena” is expected to be finished by 2014 and will cost the Iglesia ni Cristo $175 million.

The Philippine Arena is going to one of the Church’s centennial project since the Christian organization is going to celebrate its 100th founding anniversary in July 27, 2014. Major projects includes: The EVG Convention, the EGM Medical Center and the New Era University – Bocaue.

The Philippine Arena will be built on 74,000 square meters of land and will be three times bigger than the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Stadium, the country’s largest indoor arena according to a Hanwha official.

Dota 2 Official Game Trailer Revealed

2011-08-22T07:51:00.001+08:00

What does a hero truly need?

Drow Ranger (Traxex), Axe (Mogul Khan), Bloodseeker (Strygwyr), Anti-Mage (Magina), Earthshaker (Raigor Stonehoof), Rogue Knight (Sven), Storm Spirit (Raijin Thunderkeg), Shadow Priest (Dazzle), Lightning Revenant (Razor), Night Stalker (Balanar), Butcher (Pudge), Sand King (Crixalis), Crystal Maiden (Rylai Crestfall), Slayer (Lina Inverse), Netherdrake (Viper), and Dragon Knight (Knight Davion)

Valve announces that Dota 2 will make its first public appearance at the Cologne Gamescom. There will also be a tournament for a million dollars with 16 of the best Dota team in the world, which will be broadcast free online.

Gabe Newell, president of Valve, has said the event “will give tens of millions of Dota players a chance to see the game for the first time.”

Dota 2 Gameplay

Radiant Team: Prophet, Clockwerk, Vengeful Spirit, Mirana, Pugna.

Dire Team: Windrunner, Earthshaker, Weaver, Beastmaster, Witch Doctor.

Building Windows 8 Videos

2011-08-21T17:22:00.001+08:00

Building "Windows 8" - Video #1

The demo showed some of the ways Microsoft reimagined the interface for a new generation of touch-centric hardware. Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact.

Here are a few aspects of the new interface showed in the video:

Fast launching of apps from a tile-based Start screen, which replaces the Windows Start menu with a customizable, scalable full-screen view of apps.
Live tiles with notifications, showing always up-to-date information from your apps.
Fluid, natural switching between running apps.
Convenient ability to snap and resize an app to the side of the screen, so you can really multitask using the capabilities of Windows.
Web-connected and Web-powered apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript that have access to the full power of the PC.
Fully touch-optimized browsing, with all the power of hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10.

Upgrade Windows Phone 7 to Final Version of Mango (RTM)

2011-08-21T16:58:00.001+08:00

The final version of Windows Phone 7 (Mango), which according to the rumors will be officially released on September 1, has already been leaked, and now we will teach you how to install it on your Windows smartphone.

You can follow this guide if you have installed: node (7392), Mango 7661 (Beta) or Mango 7712 (Beta Developer).

Download archive with everything you need from the link at the bottom of the article and extract it to your desktop.
Install MANGO / Zune / 04.08.2147.00 / StartZuneLocal.exe
If necessary, install UpdateWP which is located in the UpdateTool (choose the correct version for your operating system).
Connect your phone to your PC with the USB cable.
Close the Zune
If you have already installed Mango Mango 7712 7661 go to step 8, otherwise continue with step 7.
Install Mango beta following this guide.
Copy the folder RCTtoRTM in C:/
Run the file as administrator ISVTo7720.bat
- If you receive an error, try uninstalling and reinstalling Windows Phone Flashing Tool Engineering.
- If it does not work yet, uninstall Windows Phone Flashing Tool again and Engineering Zune Beta and reinstall both.
- If you have problems with reboot, follow this guide.
Wait for the installation of updates.

What you have now is the Windows Phone 7 Mango RTM, the final version of the first major update from Microsoft. Enjoy!

Download | RTM Windows 7 Phone Mango

Microsoft presents the development team of Windows 8

2011-08-21T10:53:00.001+08:00

In a blog post Building 8, Steven Sinofsky has presented the composition of the development team of Windows 8.. There are 35 feature teams, and each includes 25-40 developers, testers and program managers as well.

We organize the work of Windows into “feature teams,” groups of developers who own a combination of architectural elements and scenarios across Windows. We have about 35 feature teams in the Windows 8 organization. Each feature team has anywhere from 25-40 developers, plus test and program management, all working together. Our teams are all focused on building a global product, and so some of our teams are located outside the US and are also delivering globally. –Steven Sinofsky

These are the following Windows 8 Teams:

App Compatibility and Device Compatibility
App Store
Applications and Media Experience
App Experience
Core Experience Evolved
Device Connectivity
Devices & Networking Experience
Ecosystem Fundamentals
Engineer Desktop
Engineering System
Enterprise Networking
Global Experience
Graphics Platform
Hardware Developer Experience
Human Interaction Platform
Hyper-V
In Control of Your PC
Kernel Platform
Licensing and Deployment
Media Platform
Networking Core
Performance
Presentation and Composition
Reliability, Security, and Privacy
Runtime Experience
Search, View, and Command
Security & Identity
Storage & Files Systems
Sustained Engineering
Telemetry
User-Centered Experience
Windows Online
Windows Update
Wireless and Networking services
XAML

The number of teams is significantly increased compared to Windows 7, from 23 to 35.

It is interesting to note the presence of an App Store team, which then reveals the central role of this feature in the next system of Microsoft.

There is also a group called the XAML (the language used to build interfaces in Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation), so presumably it will be possible to create immersive applications without being limited to HTM5.

There is also the Hyper-V team, but we do not know if this virtualization tool will also be present in builds consumer, or only on servers.

It is very reassuring that there is also a team “In Control Of Your PC”, in which Microsoft will try to get rid of bloated pre-installed software by PC manufacturers, unwanted toolbars and programs from starting automatically without prompting you.

Microsoft is hunting for ideas for Windows Phone 8

2011-08-21T10:35:00.001+08:00

Windows Phone 8 was officially mentioned in an advertisement published by Microsoft, which sought developers and designers that are dedicated specifically to OOBE (out-the-box-experience0 of the next generation Windows smartphone.

The Redmond company was in fact looking for professionals to be included in the team consumer experience of Windows Phone 8, here’s the notice:

Want to be part of making Windows Phone 8 a reality? Want to work on a strategic and exciting product targeted at the next version of Windows? Then the Consumer eXperience (ConX) team is the place for you! The Windows Phone team is taking on a huge challenge stirring up the out of box experience for Windows Phone 8 and is committed to building/improving a compelling and dynamic high quality look and feel to our end user experience.

The objective of the company seems to want to create a unique ecosystem which includes PC and smartphone, seen not as separate units but are part of the same family.

New details may be revealed at the conference BUILD scheduled for next month. We will keep you posted.

Backup and restore applications on Windows Phone 7

2011-08-21T09:56:00.001+08:00

One of the shortcomings of Windows Phone 7 is the inability to create backups of any kind of data through the Zune, which can lead to lose almost all of our data in case of reset of the phone or the purchase of a new one. Fortunately, they have developed a program called WPV App Data Backup which solves this problem.

Windows Phone 7 images, music, calendar, contacts, and email data will always be safe thanks to this new application. The data of the various applications we are installed in the device, however, can be lost because there is no way to save them because they are stored in an Isolated Storage dedicated to the various applications and games. Sorry.

Requirements:

WP 7.1 SDK beta 2 (or later) installed on your PC
Unlocked Phone
Backup
Download and install the SDK beta (link at the bottom of the article).
Download and extract the application WPV Data Backup App.
Connect your phone to your PC via USB cable and when you open the Zune do not close it (be careful, remember that Zune could re-lock your phone if you do not take precautions).
Run the file WPV Data Backup App.
Click on Browse to select the folder where you store the backup.
Click on BACKUP and wait.

Unfortunately, this app will not work on applications downloaded on your Windows Phone device from the marketplace, because of the digital signature embedded on the apps.

Restoration

Install the applications on the phone you want to restore. Note: Because the backup only contains data and not the applications themselves.
Connect your phone to your PC via USB cable and when you open the Zune and do not close it.
Run the File WPV Data Backup App.
Click on Browse to select the folder where you had stored your backup.
Click on RESTORE and wait.

For many applications, it may wise to run them once after installation before restoring the data, because the first when you run them, it creates a folder structure in the phone’s memory.

Download | WP SDK 7.1 beta 2
Download | WPV App Data Backup

Dota 2 Available in 2012

2011-08-03T09:21:00.000+08:00

The creators of Half-Life have confirmed that the RTS Dota 2, will be shown at Gamescom and will be released on PC and Mac around 2012.

Valve will also host a tournament called “The International” in Cologne, Germany during the Gamescom which will put 16 teams head-to-head for a chance to win a million dollars.

“The International will be the first public event dedicated to Dota 2 and allow the world’s best players to compete for USD1,000,000.00.” said Gabe Newell.

4 Ways To Use Google +1 Button

2011-06-10T07:37:00.001+08:00

Google +1 button is now available for all websites and blogs across the Internet. +1 button aims to compete with Facebook’s Like button because they both have similar goals – both let you easily recommend Internet content that you like to your friends or your network.

An Introduction To The Google +1 Button by Timothy Jordan

There’s however one big reason why web publishers are more likely to embrace Google’s +1 button – it can bring in more traffic. How? In simple English, if enough people +1 a page on your site, Google could see that as a positive signal and that may help improve your site’s ranking in organic search results.

Introducing the +1 Button

Google made it quite easy for users to integrate Google +1 to their websites or blogs. Here are some ideas on how you can integrate Google +1 to your website or blog:

The Official Method

Google has made it easy for those with basic knowledge of HTML to integrate the Google +1 button to their site. You just have to select a range of options to get a custom button, and copy the code to your website. Some parameters that can be configured are the style, language, and the inclusion of a counter. Then after you are done modifying your button, simply copy and paste your code to your website’s HTML editor.

Extension for WordPress

Editing a WordPress template can be difficult sometimes specially if you lack basic HTML and CSS knowledge. But do not worry, if you want to put Google +1 to your WordPress blog, you can use the WordPress Google +1 Plugin.

AddThis Share Links

For some time now, I have been using AddThis tool to make it easier for my visitors to share articles they find useful to their friends and network. This third party sharing service is fairly easy to customize according to your taste, and provides very comprehensive free statistics.

If you already have integrated this service to your website, just update your code that includes support for Google +1.

Chrome Extensions

When you install Google +1 extension to your Chrome web browser, you can recommend any page you visit to your friends, and network.

Download | Google +1 Chrome Extension

Download | BitDefender Internet Security 2011

2011-06-09T08:53:00.001+08:00

BitDefender Internet Security 2011 shields your computer from all dangers from the Internet. The software protects your computer from viruses, rootkits, spam e-mails, and phishing schemes. The real-time protection warns you when a virus tries to attack your PC. The program also prevents confidential content to be spied on an prevents unauthorized access to your system. The built-in firewall monitors your Internet and network connections and makes your Internet surfing invisible to others. The child lock prevents opening of websites with offensive contents.

Download Trial | BitDefender Internet Security 2011

Buy this from Amazon | BitDefender Internet Security 2011

Skype Hacked: Source Code Available For Download

2011-06-05T09:44:00.001+08:00

The source code of Skype, the popular video/voice communication software has been cracked, and the hacker posted the source code in his website.

The feat has been achieved by Efim Bushmanov, a Russian independent research who has used the technique of reverse engineering to crack Skype’s source code.

All this comes after only a few weeks when Microsoft officially announce that it acquired Skype for $8.5 billion dollars.

Although Bushmanov’s goal is to achieve a complete software reversal, which would allow people to create an alternative to Skype, he only published part of the source code to encourage other people willing to spend time and effort in helping him make Skype an open source software.

While the legal terms specified in Skype’s TOS does not allow reverse engineering to access Skype’s source code, both the European Union and the United States have laws that allow it as long as it helps in terms of interoperability and provided that the technology is not patented. That’s one thing Microsoft should consider.

Downloads | skype_part1_binaries.zip | skype_part2_ida.zip | skype_part3_source.zip

Download via Github | Skype Open Source

Download via Pirate Bay | Torrent

5 Unknown Alternatives To Google

2011-06-05T08:29:00.001+08:00

Are you tired of using Google search? Perhaps it’s time to test these 5 unknown search engines on the web, and find out if they are worthy to replace Google as your default internet companion:

1. DuckDuck Go

Secure, private, and clean interface.

2. Yebol

It has a strange interface design, but search results are pretty decent.

3. Yandex

Made from Russia with love.

4. Exalead

Conventional. Search engine for those who prefer a very corporate design.

5. Ecosia

Web Search environmentally inspired. Supported by Yahoo.

iPad App | Real Racing 2 HD

2011-06-04T20:29:00.001+08:00

Real Racing 2 is the sequel to the classic Firemint Real Racing for iPhone. This new iPad App has much improved starting with its awesome graphics, excellent user interface, and perfect control system. It features 30 original renowned car manufacturer that you can test drive in 15 exciting detailed race track routes.

The career mode has been developed by Firemint further because it now offers hours of fun and excitement to anyone who will play it. You can also play this game in multi-player mode via wireless network and over 3G network giving hours of endless fun with friends.

If you really want to push this racing game to the limit, Real Racing 2 HD can support up to eight iPads via Game Center with up to 16 players.

Get ready for the most exhilarating handheld racing experience! Take control of 30 officially licensed cars, each with unique performance characteristics. Feel the thrill of authentic pack racing action in an incredible 16-car grid – the first on iOS!

Download | Real Racing 2 HD for $6.99

How To Activate/Deactivate SMART Roaming Feature?

2011-06-04T16:46:00.001+08:00

For Postpaid Subscribers:

To activate/deactivate international roaming via Web Connect:
- Go to www.smart.com.ph/connect.
- Register and log-in to Web Connect.
- Under the Service Activation/Deactivation block, select "International Roaming".

For Prepaid Subscribers:

To activate via SMS, text ROAM ON <country name> and send to 333.
To deactivate via SMS, text ROAM OFF and send to 333.
To activate/deactivate international roaming via SIM Connect:
- Text Get Menu to 9888 for FREE.
- Upon downloading, go to SMART Menu and choose SIM Connect menu.
- Select International Roaming Activation or Deactivation.
To activate/deactivate international roaming via Web Connect:
- Go to www.smart.com.ph/connect.
- Register and log-in to Web Connect.
- Under the Service Activation/Deactivation block, select "International Roaming".

Supported countries for Prepaid Roaming:

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Jamaica, Kuwait, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA

Dialing Procedure:

While roaming:

Calling a local landline: Dial 0 + Area Code + Tel. No. + Send

Calling a local mobile phone: Dial 0 + Mobile Access Code + Tel. No. + Send

Making International Calls:

Calling the Phils:

Landline: Dial +63 + Area Code + Tel. No. + Send

Calling to Mobile Phone:

SMART - Dial +63 + 918 + 7-digit Mobile No. + Send

Others - Dial +63 + Mobile Access Code + 7-digit Mobile No. + Send

Calling another country:

Dial plus sign (+) + Country Code + Area Code + Tel. No. + Send

Voicemail Retrieval : Dial +639189000100 + send

Emergency Numbers of foreign operator: Dial 112 + Send

Incoming Calls:

Callers can reach the subscriber by dialing the Mobile No. as if the subscriber is in the Philippines:

Dial 0918 + 7-digit SMART GSM Mobile No. + Send or

Dial +63 + 918 + 7-digit SMART GSM Mobile No. + Send

Awesome Apps For Dropbox

2011-06-04T12:45:00.001+08:00

1. Dropbox

Dropbox in a free alternative to Apple’s MobileMe. The app synchronizes all your files from your Dropbox account to your PC, Mac, Linux, laptop and smartphone. In order to use the program correctly, you need to sign up for a free DropBox account. After you sign up, you will have a free 2GB storage space that can be accessed through Dropbox.com website or an app. You will be able to share files to your friends (Documents, Pictures, Video Clips, and more). You can also set up a public folder that can be accessed by anyone with a link.

Dropbox iPhone app is not dependent on a constant internet connection. After synchronization, all files can be accessed even if you are offline. The free Standard Account had 2GB of memory, if the space is not sufficient for your needs, you can upgrade your account for additional storage space for an additional fee.

Download | DropBox

2. DropVox

DropVox is an audio memo app that is integrated with DropBox. This iPhone apps is suitable for recordings, dictation and other voice memos. After you’re done recording an audio, it will be compressed by DropVox, it will instantly save it as .M4a file and automatically send it to your DropBox account.

Download | DropVox

3. BoxyTunes

BoxyTunes is an extension for your DropBox account. this is a cloud-music player that lets you play music files that are stored in your DropBox account. This app is awesome specially if your iPhone is running out of storage space. The app is simple but ingenious: The app connects to your personal DropBox account and allows the download of individual music file or even entire music folder.

Download | BoxyTunes

4. GoodReader

This PDF viewer is suitable for displaying large PDF files on your iPhone. Compared to other readers that loads every single PDF page, this app loads pages on demand. This feature will allow you to view large PDF files on your iPhone without hogging your bandwidth or slowing down your mobile device.

Download | GoodReader

5. ReaddleDocs

This primary purpose of this app is to deal with large PDFs, and other email attachments. This app also supports popular document formats (PDFs, MS Office, iWork), and it won’t freeze your iPhone if you are viewing large files.

Download | ReaddleDocs

Facebook Game | Mafia Wars: Beginners guide for aspiring mobsters

2011-06-02T18:49:00.001+08:00

In this free Facebook game, you will learn how to become a virtual godfather of your very own mobster clan.

In “Mafia Wars”, you will learn how a mafia works. Unlike other Facebook games, “Mafia Wars” lets you attack players on the network, even if they are not your friend on Facebook. But as a small time crook, you first have to gain experience and money. You can do this, by doing jobs like attacking other people or robbing banks.

Distributing Character Points

Once you sign up and log on to the “Mafia Wars” game, you should first distribute your character points. It’s up to you how you want to build your character, but you have to remember that each job requires energy. As you play that game, you have to decide where to put your character points as you level up. You can concentrate on attack, defense, health, stamina or energy.

Jobs

Jobs gives you money and experience points. You have to collect enough points so you can go head-to-head to other players. Try to do all the job in a category so you can master it. If your energy to do a certain job, you can buy energy packs or you can just wait for your energy to fill up.

Land For Sale

Try to invest in lands because lands will produce money over time. However, you must be online at the right time to collect the revenue. You can also sell lands to gain profit or if your are short on cash.

Download | Second Life For Mac

2011-06-02T15:12:00.001+08:00

“Second Life” is a three-dimensional online simulation. To participate in this internet-based world, you have to register an account.

In this game, you create your own avatar according to your own personal preference. After creating an avatar, you can explore your “Second Life” by meeting other people, chatting with them via voice or text.

With a premium account, can start your own business and purchase land so you can build your very own virtual home.

Download | Second Life (Mac)

Android Market: Beware Of Virus-Infected Apps

2011-06-02T14:13:00.001+08:00

Mobile operating system “Android” is one of the most popular operating platform for smartphones and tablets – and of course this popularity has attracted hackers worldwide. This weekend, multiple applications from the official Android Market were found to contain malware that can significantly compromise users personal data.

Android has thousands of applications in its online application market that can be download easily in Android mobile devices – and many of them are free. Security reports now say that many of these apps are infected with viruses.

How do you protect yourself against malware from Android Market? Install only those apps that are developed by trusted and well know developers.

The list of infected applications (by developer name) includes:

Magic Photo Studio

Sexy Girls: Hot Japanese
Sexy Legs
HOT Girls 4
Beauty Breasts
Sex Sound
Sex Sound: Japanese
HOT Girls 1
HOT Girls 2
HOT Girls 3

Mango Studio

Floating Image Free
System Monitor
Super StopWatch and Timer
System Info Manager

E.T. Tean

Call End Vibrate

BeeGoo

Quick Photo Grid
Delete Contacts
Quick Uninstaller
Contact Master
Brightness Settings
Volume Manager
Super Photo Enhance
Super Color Flashlight
Paint Master

DroidPlus

Quick Cleaner
Super App Manager
Quick SMS Backup

GluMobi

Tetris
Bubble Buster Free
Quick History Eraser
Super Compass and Leveler
Go FallDown !
Solitaire Free
Scientific Calculator
TenDrip

Avira Premium Security Suite: firewall, spam filter, child protection

2011-06-02T10:10:00.001+08:00

Avira Premium Security Suite offers more comprehensive security features. The integrated firewall protects against hacker attacks and it has a backup system to back up your data either manually or automatically, so you’re protected against data loss. Using the built-in mail guard, it will also check your incoming e-mails and their attachments for viruses and malwares. It will also filter your e-mails to reduce the risk of receiving unwanted junk mail.

In addition, the software provides a “game mode”: it ensures that when you are playing a game on your PC, it will not start scanning your system or update its virus definition to ensure uninterrupted gaming. The integrated child safety feature locks the PC from dangerous web pages and can be configured based on the age of the child using the computer.

Buy this from Amazon | Avira Premium Security Suite

Download | Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011

2011-06-02T08:35:00.001+08:00

The virus scanner Kaspersky Anti-Virus will help you detect viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, rootkits and other malware on your computer and delete them safely. In addition, the antivirus software, a real-time protection that runs in the background and protect you from danger. The anti-virus program also scans Web pages and e-mail threats and tells you about potentially dangerous content. With a few clicks, you can delete the detected malware safely.

About Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011

The basic software any computer should have is a powerful and reliable anti-virus program like Kaspersky Anti-Virus. This software will not only detect and remove all know viruses and Trojans on your computer, but it will also protect your e-mail, monitor Internet traffic, and shut down suspicious macros. In addition, the program logs all operations on your PC’s registry system for suspicious changes and warn you before something bad happens to your computer.

A growing number of viruses spread by e-mail. Therefore, Kaspersky Anti-Virus scans your mailboxes (POP3, IMAP and NNTP for incoming and SMTP for outgoing messages), regardless of what kinds of e-mail program you use.

The program can also check all files, directories, and drives in your computer. You can also set Kaspersky Anti-Virus to perform scans every time your system starts, or at an specified time.

Download | Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011

Download | Windows Live Mail 2011

2011-06-01T23:04:00.001+08:00

“Windows Live Mail 2011” is a free mail program. With this software from Microsoft, you can manage multiple e-mail accounts, either POP3, IMAP or Web mail accounts from AOL, Google Mail (Gmail), or other e-mail providers. “Windows Live Mail 2011” offers all the usual functions for writing messages, managing your personal contacts or receive RSS feeds directly in your inbox. To ensure that your privacy, Windows Live Mail has a built-in spam filter that checks your messages and rejects mail from unwanted senders. The calendar is also a nice addition that lets you keep appointments and events in plain view.

Download | Windows Live Mail 2011

Download | CCleaner

2011-06-01T20:22:00.001+08:00

With “CCleaner” you can optimize your PC. This free software will remove garbage data files from your hard drive and cleans up the entries in your browser. Also, the delete program removes invalid entries from the registry and uninstall programs faster than Windows. Furthermore, it is possible to erase hard disks completely or by sections of the volume by repeatedly overwriting the files.

About CCleaner

The longer you work with Windows, the more garbage is left on the hard disk. This is part of programs that were not removed completely from the PC. Even browsing you are browsing the web, you are collecting data fragments will eventually fill you hard disk. You can remove all this and optimize your PC at the same time by using CCleaner.

In addition, this free program will remove invalid entries from Windows registry and delete programs very quickly and safely, even faster than if you do it through Windows Control Panel.

The automatic startup of certain programs when Windows starts can also be prevented, and files that are longer than 48 hours in the “Temp” directory can be removed automatically if desired.

Download | CCleaner

Download | Avira AntiVir Personal

2011-06-01T16:20:00.001+08:00

The free anti-virus software AntiVir Personal detects and removes viruses and other malicious programs like spyware, Trojans, backdoor software and rootkits. A safe protection against dialer programs and phishing attacks.

Avira AntiVir Personal

Computer viruses are becoming more dangerous. Therefore, you should make sure that your PC is protected from malwares and viruses that often go unnoticed on your computer that might destroy your data. Avira AntiVir Personal is free for private use.

Download | Avira AntiVir Personal

Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper: Removes Malware and fixes Windows

2011-06-01T13:47:00.001+08:00

Since Windows is the most popular computer operating system in the world, it has become the primary target for malware developers because they can infect most people. There are many ways to protect your computer system from viruses and malwares, such as installing an anti-virus or anti-malware programs, anti-spyware tools, and many more. But sometimes, having these protecting is not enough. In response to this, Microsoft has developed and released a beta of a system recovery software. Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper has been developed to help users in starting an infected PC and performing offline, malware scans to remove viruses, trojans, rootkits, and other forms of PC infections.

It will also help users when a malware hinders them from installing or starting an anti-virus program.

However, the creators of Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper made it clear that this free software from Microsoft is not intended to replace your anti-virus or anti-malware program installed on your PC.

The beta of Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper is now available for both 32, and 64 bits. You need to have a blank CD, DVD, or USB drive with at least 250 MB of space. Next, you have to download the software and run the too - the tool will help you create a bootable media required to run the software on your PC.

Download | Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper 32 bit
Download | Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper 64 bit

Awesome Dropbox Apps

2011-06-01T12:09:00.001+08:00

I will assume at this point that every knows about Dropbox, the popular cloud storage and file synching service. Apart from its simplicity and space available, this service is free of charge. Its API for developers is very interesting too. The platform lets app developers to create all kinds of tool that can run under Dropbox.

I also find the referral system very tempting. For every Dropbox referral, Dropbox in turn will give you additional 250MB for free. There is a limit of 8GB. All in all, you can increase your Dropbox storage space by up to 10GB if you can invite 32 friends to join Dropbox.

Here are some Apps I found on the web that will improve your Dropbox experience. I hope you like them.

Jshot

This online service lets you take screenshots, edit them and share them via the Internet in a few easy steps. This service is particularly useful for people who works regularly with public computers.

Pixelpipe

Pixelpipe is a site that offers to publish pictures, videos, audio and other files from your mobile and other device for multiple platforms (Dropbox is one of them). You can upload media from your Email/MMS, iPhone, Android, and Palm Pre. It will also allow you to upload files using Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger.

AirDropper

With AirDropper, you can send a file to your DropBox account via Email. Once you’ve send the file to your Dropbox via AirDropper, it will automatically synchronize it with your computer.

TunesBag

The latest craze from music listeners everywhere is the ability to store songs in digital lockers, a trend that is being implemented by big online companies such as Google and Amazon. TunesBag is one of the many options in the industry, which focuses on the importation of materials directly from Dropbox and play it in the cloud . It offers more features than DropTunes , but also more complex.

Sourcekit

A textmate inspired app, the famous text editor for Max. This offers the possibility to edit your documents stored on your Dropbox using Google Chrome browser.

Windows Store: An App Store In Windows 8

2011-05-22T12:59:00.001+08:00

Digging among the system files of Windows 8, a Windows enthusiast on his blog mswin has managed to reveal a system file and a process in Windows 8 Build 7955 that points to Microsoft’s app store which will eventually be called as “Windows Store”.

These are the following main features that you can expect when Windows Store is finally released bundled with Windows 8:

Support for purchase of online goods and services directly within the app.
You can install applications for trial, and then pay for it if you want to get the full version.
Windows Store users can rate and review applications.
Users can report a problem regarding applications directly to their developers.
Each application on the Windows Store will have its own:

Minimum System Requirements
End User Agreement
Feature requests
Category and Description
Application and Functionality
Rating the content
Screenshot
Link to support forum
Types of supported architectures (x86, x64, or ARM)
List of enhancements in applications latest versions (change log)

It is important to remember that you can only use Windows Store if you have a Windows Live Account.

Facebook Fights Child Pornography Using Microsoft Technology

2011-05-22T09:03:00.001+08:00

Facebook takes child pornography seriously, and the social networking giant has implemented a Microsoft technology to clean out Internet’s vilest by-product by using a photo recognition technology called “PhotoDNA”.

PhotoDNA was developed by Microsoft and Dartmouth College in 2009, it is a technology that aids in finding and removing some of the “worst of the worst” of child sexual exploitations from the Internet. Soon after its development, the software giant donated the PhotoDNA technology to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Now, Facebook has decided to implement the technology in their website. Facebook aim’s to disrupt the spread of child pornography in their social networking website by analyzing all photos uploaded to Facebook and running them through PhotoDNA. PhotoDNA will then compare the uploaded photos to its database, and if it finds a match, it will immediately remove the photo from Facebook servers.

Facebook’s Statement

Since our founding, Facebook has continually been iterating on its technical systems and investigative techniques to proactively prevent abuse on our site. We view Photo DNA as the next logical step in helping protect children online.

The implementation of this technology was not a response to a specific increase in volume or particular incidents. Instead, it’s the more than 200 million images uploaded to our site daily that gives us the unique opportunity to prevent the further spread of these images & catch more bad guys.

Facebook also said that it is required by law to report all detected images of child pornography to NCMEC, which will forward the incident to appropriate law enforcement agency.

According to NCMEC CEO Ernie Allen, child pornography had been nearly eradicated in the 1980’s. But the advent of the Internet opened up a new way – an easier, safer and more anonymous way – to transmit and share illegal content.

Here’s a video from Microsoft about the partnership with Facebook and the NCMEC:

Firefox 5 Beta Available For Download

2011-05-22T08:33:00.001+08:00

Mozilla has just made Firefox 5 Beta available for download for all curious guys out there who can’t wait to get their hands on the new browser.

The final version of the browser will be released in June 24, 2011.

This new Firefox version will have some exciting new features like support for the new CSS Animations standard to allow developers build more amazing Web experiences, upgrade to its JavaScript engine, and improvement of Firefox’s memory performance. Firefox (codename Aurora) 5 will have the new channel switcher that will let users move between Firefox Aurora, Beta and Release channels to test features at various levels of development, quality and polish.

Firefox Beta 5 (Aurora) | Download

BlackBerry Playbook Tablet [Video, Pictures, and Review]

2011-05-22T08:04:00.001+08:00

Research In Motion (RIM) announced the launch of BlackBerry Playbook a few months ago when the first version of the iPad was released in the American market. The BlackBerry Playbook is now on sale and it has to go head to head with the popular iPad 2, a much more powerful compared to its predecessor. It will also have to compete with the first Android (Honeycomb), an operating system specifically designed by Google optimized for tablet devices. Today, I will compare the iPad with the BlackBerry Playbook because I believe that Apple’s iPad is a suitable benchmark for all the current and newly released tablets in the market.

Available in the U.S. the BlackBerry Playbook will have the same price as the basic model of iPad Wi-Fi ($499) with the same capacity of 16GB. Playbook will only have Wi-Fi, but RIM said that they will release a 3G version soon. For now, the only way to get a wireless connection is if you pair a Playbook to a Blackberry phone or creating a Wi-Fi access point from a personal mobile phone.

I think Playbook is going to be a serious competitor in the tablet market. These are the three main points that I found that favors the BlackBerry Playbook:

1. It has a great browser. Fast and well designed, enabled with tabbed browsing and a powerful java script engine. You can also display Flash content on this device, but my recommendation is to disable this function because it tends to consume a lot of battery power.

2. Multitasking is very well thought out and works great. Sufficiently close to the interface that uses Palm WebOS and the interface is clean and very intuitive. It helps that the very framework of the device is attractive and can recognize simple gestures. To see all program that are running, simply slide your finger up from the bottom frame of the Playbook.

3. Great multimedia performance. The sound of the speakers is so good, it really dwarfs the iPad. The back camera records high-quality HD video though of course as a recording device, tablets are not the ideal device to do it because of their size.

These are three points that somehow highlights what RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook can do that Apple and Google can’t seem to perfect.

There are some problems with the BlackBerry Playbook as well. BlackBerry phones are well known for their business savvy native applications such as the flawless handling of e-mails and calendar. With RIM’s tablet, you won’t find these applications integrated to the device. However, RIM has promised to have the Playbook’s native email and calendar application during the summer.

Another problem is that the applications in BlackBerry Playbook’s market are still very limited. RIM boasts more than 3,000 available at launch, but most of these are apps are shortcuts to webpages and not really applications developed for the device. The selection of application games in its application store is quite poor even though the company is trying to market the Playbook as a tablet built for entertainment.

Order a BlackBerry Playbook on Amazon:

Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (16GB) $498.00
Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (32GB) $598.00
Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (64GB) $699.00

Greatest Marriage Proposal [Video]

2011-05-18T20:18:00.001+08:00

Video Description:

My girlfriend Ginny gets taken to the movie theater to see "Fast Five". After a preview for the Hangover 2, a trailer for a movie comes on. A trailer I made of her father and I where I ask her father for her hand in marriage. After he gives me permission, I race off to the theater she is at to ask her to marry me.

What she doesn't know is our family and friends are in the theater with her watching the whole thing, along with about 100 strangers ;-)

Facebook Places: Let Your Friends Know Where You Are

2011-05-18T10:37:00.001+08:00

SMART To Deploy 4G Network In The Philippines

2011-05-16T19:13:00.004+08:00

In response to Globe Telecom’s unveiling last month, SMART Communications is deploying its own fourth-generation (4G) network to 30 cities and municipalities in the Philippines this May.

According to SMART Head for IT and Network Systems Rolando G. Peña, Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be available to Metro Manila residents by the end of May with Cebu, Davao, and other major cities and municipalities in the Philippines.

The LTE format was first introduced by a mobile network operator and internet service provider NTT DoCoMo of Japan and has been adopted as the international standard for high speed data connection, primarily for mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops. The first LTE commercial services were launched in Scandinavia in December of 2009 followed by the United States and Japan in 2010.

LTE (3.9G) is the primary stepping stone in achieving 4G connectivity (beyond 3G but pre-4G). The 4G classification was put to shelves when the first release of LTE did not meet the IMT Advanced requirements for 4G’s peak data rate up to 1Gbit/s.

With an LTE connection, subscribers will be able to experience download speed of 50-60 Mbit/s allowing them to explore the wonders of the web without being constrained by slow internet connection speed. Task such as watching high definition movies, listening to music, and accessing large amount of data on the web can be now completed in an instant.

SMART Communication’s Press Release

Wireless leader Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) has announced that its fourth-generation (4G) network will soon make its way out of the white sand beaches of Boracay and into the concrete pavements of major urban centers around the country.

According to Smart Head for IT and Network Systems Rolando G. Peña, Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be made available in Metro Manila by the end of May with Cebu, Davao, and other major Philippine cities and municipalities following shortly.

“We are excited to see how people will take to LTE in a real world setting.” Peña said. “Deploying the technology in areas where Filipinos live and work is a great way to see just how LTE will affect their lives.”

Ready for the future

First introduced in the midst of the hustle and bustle of summer, in the hottest vacation destination in the country that is Boracay, LTE is the next step in wireless data technology. It is by far, the most advanced means of meeting and exceeding the demands of a content-hungry subscriber base as proven by its rollout in Japan (NTT DoCoMo) and in Europe (TeliaSonera).

“Being able to just call and text no longer cuts it in this new age of mobile telephony” Peña said. “Data access and Internet connectivity have become just as essential and it will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.”

With LTE, Smart subscribers will experience blazing fast download speeds of 50 – 70 megabits per second—allowing them to benefit from the wonders of the web faster than ever before. Tasks that once required long wait times such as downloading applications, watching high definition videos or accessing large documents will now take no more than mere seconds with the power of the new network.

The developments however, do not stop there as Smart has already announced that they are ready to increase LTE’s throughput to up to 100mbps as soon as the market demands for it. This, as defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), makes Smart’s LTE network a genuine 4G infrastructure as it exceeds the minimum required speed (100mbps) for high mobility connections.

Getting more out of 3G with HSPA+

As part of its continuing commitment to 3G, Smart is also enhancing its existing network by simultaneously upgrading more base stations with High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) technology.

“We have been testing HSPA+ technology since 2009 and we feel that it is an opportune time to expand 3G’s capabilities to better complement LTE” Peña said. “We are looking to have HSPA+ connectivity in 30 cities and municipalities around the country by the end of this month.”

Although not as advanced as LTE, HSPA+ improves on the existing 3G network by making it capable of download speeds of up to 27.8mbps.

“Smart is always ready to take on the latest technologies” Peña said. “We were the first in the country with 3G, we are the first in the country with 4G, and we will continue to be the first in many more endeavors in the years to come.”

Extensive fiber optic network

Equally important as the wireless connections however, are the Fiber Optic Cables (FOCs) that connect base stations to the core network. To date, Smart and its parent company, PLDT, boast of a comprehensive loop of over 42,000 kilometers of fiber optic cabling nationwide.

By year-end, the combined network of Smart and PLDT is expected to have an additional 3,000 kilometers of FOCs, giving its HSPA+ and LTE services unparalleled resiliency and stability.

5 Successful Original Marketing Campaigns On Twitter

2011-05-16T14:31:00.001+08:00

Many companies and websites knows that in order to have a successful business, one must be able to create a presence on the web using popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. And to achieve the desired attention online, nothing beats an original idea and the establishment of surprising and totally unexpected surprises via popular social networking site such as Twitter.

1. Orange UK and its Rockabella Singers

All you need to do is use the hashtag #singintweetagrams after your tweet and the Rockabella will sing that your for you. This idea was conceptualized by Orange, a mobile network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom. By visiting this page, you can listen to all the tweet sung by these 3 ladies. Genius idea!

2. Canada.travel and their Interactive Wall

To promote tourism in Canada, Canada.travel decided to install a huge interactive touch screens in three U.S. cities (New York, Chicago and Los Angeles), displaying thousands of tweets and twitpics from costumers who spent their vacation in Canada, published live through the use of specific keywords.

3. KLM Surprise

This airlines has done something incredible with Twitter. Watch the video below to find out more.

4. Jimmy Choo and His Treasure Hunt in London

When they launched a new collection of footwear, the popular shoe designer company proposed a treasure hunt in the streets of London: a pair of shoes was temporarily placed in a street, and clues were revealed on Twitter. People who uses Twitter has a few minutes to locate the pair of shoes and get it before someone else does. 4000 Londoners participated in this event and shoe sales grew by 33% the day after the hunt. Isn’t that nice?

5. Coffee Groundz Reservations via Twitter

A coffee house in Houston called The Coffee Groundz has responded positively to one of its customers who wanted to book an order via Twitter. The company decided to implement it and accept orders and reservations via Twitter. The Coffee Groundz has over 11,000 followers on twitter and said that their sales grew by more than 30% after they introduced the new booking system.

Twitter Could Help Fight Spread Of Disease With Kazemill

2011-05-16T13:23:00.001+08:00

Twitter is currently one of the most powerful and most influential social media tools on the web today. But, twitter is more than just a micro blogging site.

Kazemill, is a new social media-powered health map that warns about the spread of disease in Japan based on people’s tweets. The social media service has been developed by McCann Healthcare Worldwide for Japanese pharmaceutical company SSP Japan.

Kazemill monitors tweets that mentions various colds and flu symptoms and put it through an algorithm and applies it to a real time 3D map of the country to show how and where sickness is spreading. The orange dots on the map translate to itchy throat, green represents runny nose, purple stands for cough and red indicates fever. For now, the map is only available to Japan but the client has plans to expand it internationally over the next year.

Facebook Denies That Its Applications Have Lead To Leaks

2011-05-15T13:07:00.001+08:00

Symantec says that a programming error in the API used by developers of Facebook applications could have been leaking personal information of Facebook users to advertisers and other third parties for years. However, Facebook has responded quickly to deny that their application have exposed their users personal information and violated their privacy rights.

According to Symantec, any third party associated with any application developer had used the faulty API to gain access to passwords by using tokens of members provide every time they grant an application permission to access their account information. Symantec said that developers could have taken advantage of the faulty permission process that are associated with each token.

Symantec recommends that users should change their passwords on Facebook immediately, because even though the company had already solved the error, the filtered tokens could still remain in circulation or might be stored somewhere in the network.

Facebook has played down the problem raised by Symantec, and said that the information revealed by the security firm is somewhat “inaccurate.” “We are pleased that Symantec has discovered the problem, our engineers are working with them to resolve the problem immediately,” said Facebook spokesperson Malorie Lurich. “Our users privacy and security is very important to us, no private information can be passed to third parties because vast majority of the tokens expires after two hours.”

10 Strange Twitter Accounts You Should Follow

2011-05-15T13:03:00.001+08:00

Today, you can find almost anything on Twitter, from inanimate objects to fictional characters, to landmark buildings, they all have something to say. For years we have seen the growth of fake Twitter accounts that makes fun of politicians, celebrities, and sports icons. These Twitter accounts continually collects followers because they are funny, and sometimes more interesting compared to the real one.

Today I’m going to list 10 of the most interesting strange Twitter accounts. I’ve been following them and they never fail to make my day. I hope you’ll follow them as well.

@NatHistoryWhale: I am the whale on the ceiling of the Natural History Museum in New York City.

Sample Tweet: Don't you get it Japan? Dolphins and whales want to be friends!! Stop being such jerks!

@IndianaJones: Archaeologist, Professor of Archaeology at Marshal College, and Obtainer of Rare Antiquities

Sample Tweet: Trying to get that chick Lara Croft to be my date to the premiere of my new documentary...she seems like my kind of girl!

@Lord_Voldemort7: I'm apparating in your windows. Snatching your people up.

Sample Tweet: Apparently it is Rob Pattinson's birthday. I have no idea who "Rob" is. I only acknowledge his proper name: Sparkly Cedric.

@Sockington: I am Jason Scott's Cat.

Sample Tweet: hey what happened to the pile of catnip snakes under the couch WHAT YOU WHAT oh noooooooo THAT WAS MY 401K

@Tweance: Angels Fancy Dress conduct the first-ever Twitter seance.

Sample Tweet: Michael Jackson: My masks have all fallen off now. I am just myself and I feel pure, and I want people to know that. Be happy in your lives.

@GhostOfPeter: Kitty Heaven

Sample Tweet: my human's brains are so revved up. if they could see the flowing of the leaves and know that the wind is good, they would be more happy.

@SFSiren: The San Francisco siren (An unofficial account)

Sample Tweet: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

@DarthVader: Evil Orphan Annie™

Sample Tweet: I am altering the holiday. Pray I don't alter it further. #sithodemayo

@Queen_UK: By the Grace of God, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, wife to the DoE, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.

Sample Tweet: OK Great Britain, have a gin and rest assured that we have retained moral, cultural, intellectual and military superiority. #eurovision

@FakeNoynoy: I am the President of the Republic of the Philippines. Follow me, and I shall tell you where Gloria Arroyo hid the good candies.

Sample Tweet: Me: "What is the shape of the Earth?" Bimby: "Cirkol!" Me: "No! Oblate spheroid." Bimby: "Hellow der..." -I think my nephew is retarded.

There you go. I hope you had a blast reading the tweets! Do you know any funny and strange accounts on Twitter? Let me know by leaving me a comment below.

Add Books To Your iPad Without iTunes

2011-05-14T13:00:00.001+08:00

As you know, Dropbox is a free service that lets you take all your photos, documents and videos anywhere. After installing Dropbox on your PC or iPad, any files you save to your Dropbox will automatically be saved on all your computer, including your iPhone and iPad, and even on Dropbox’s website.

Currently Dropbox offers 2GB of free online storage. You can also upgrade your free membership to increase your storage capacity for a fee.

Today, we are going to explain how to add books to the Apple’s iBook iPad app without using iTunes.

With is, you can easily transfer any book format EPUB or PDF stored in your PC to your iPad via Wi-Fi and create your own library.

1. You need to have a Dropbox account. Register here.

2. Download the software for your operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux), and run the application and sign in with your Dropbox account information.

3. Download and Run Dropbox’s free application for your iPad, and sign in using your account.

4. From your PC, upload your collection of books in EPUB format of PDF to Dropbox. Remember, you can create folders.

5. From your iPad, tap your Dropbox app, select any book in your Dropbox folders and tap “Open in iBooks”.

That’s it! You now know how to transfer EPUB and PDF files to your iPad without using iTunes.

Google Docs Now Native On Android

2011-05-14T10:07:00.001+08:00

Google’s document service in the cloud has a new application for Android, which includes some great features.

Google Docs is now available as a native application for Android, giving users a lot of features not available through the Web browser. The application, available for free through the Android Market, provides an advanced interface to access documents and spreadsheets.

What are the advantages of an Google Docs Android app compared to a Web application? The Android application for Android comes with a lot of features such as:

Widget: The widget of Google Docs homepage allows users to access their favorite documents, create new documents, or take a phone via their smartphone and upload it to Google Docs.

Scan-to-text photo: The Google Docs app can use optical character recognition to convert new or existing photos into text documents. The technology is still in its infancy, so it does not recognize written words and some fonts.

Share with contacts: The native application allows you to share documents with your contact list from your Android phone with a few taps on the screen.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no online support for this app at this time. A user on Google’s forum found out that the application includes a cache of up to 20 MB, and there is a “synchronization of documents” under the setting “Accounts and sync”. Perhaps the online support will be added in the future, but since the editor is being managed through the browser, it does not seem that this will happen anytime soon.

Google Docs is now available for Android versions 2.1 and higher.

How To Download Torrents Faster

2011-05-14T09:19:00.001+08:00

Downloading torrents can be very frustrating, and very unpredictable sometimes. However, the download speed of a torrent is not about luck, it really depends on how fast your internet connection is and what country you’re from. But with some simple tweaking, you can probably improve the speed of your torrent download.

Here’s how:

1. Bypass The Firewall

The firewall is very important for your computer’s security, but your firewall can also slow down your torrent download. If you know what you are downloading, and you are confident that the source is clear, you can add your BitTorrent to the list of firewall exemptions.

2. Port Forwarding

The next step to speed up your torrent download is to open the ports used by your BitTorrent. It is best to assign a static port and redirect it from the modem or router.

3. Maximum open connections

Windows limits the number of connections (TCP/IP) that we can use at the same time to about 10. The reason behind this is to guard the system from possible attacks from the Internet, but it also limits our download speed. If your torrent client gives you the option to increase these number, you can open your ports to increase your download speed.

4. Trackers

Having more trackers available improves our connection and download speed. Trackers are the number of seeds and peers.

5. Seed

This is the simplest and most useful advice I can give you. If you want your torrent download to go faster, you should seed. This is will eventually encourage other people to do the same. The transfer of the torrent file is done between many different peers. Rather than the data being transferred from one machine to the next, the various pieces of the file are held on many different computers. Seed the file forward…

Chromebook YouTube Walkthrough

2011-05-14T07:49:00.001+08:00

This week, during the celebration of Google I/O, Google has unveiled the mystery behind the Chrome OS, the first operating system developed specifically to support cloud computing. Now that the Chromebook is nearly here, what do we really know about it?

If you want to know more about this latest product from Google, check these interesting collection of videos in YouTube that can give you an idea about Chromebook. With these videos, you can familiarize yourself with Google’s latest product before it arrives in June.

Guided Tour

With respect to the features provided by Chrome OS, Google has also released some videos that illustrates some important details about Chromebook’s operating system.

Security

Automatic Updates

Synchronization of profiles in the cloud

WebApps for Chrome

Connectivity

Starting speed

Google has also released a couple of lines focused on the introduction of Chromebook for corporate environment for $28 for business and $20 for academic institutions. This package includes the hardware and software, plus support from Google.

Google’s Chromebook is indeed a huge leap in the development of cloud computing. I can’t wait to test it when it arrives in June.

Facebook Introduced New Security Measures

2011-05-14T06:25:00.003+08:00

The security on Facebook is an issue that is gaining attention lately, not only because Sophos requested the social networking giant to increase its efforts in protecting its users, but also from a recent applications-related bug that prompted an investigation by the United States government. Finally, the social networking site introduced a number of security measures to make the site’s environment more secure.

In response to these security and privacy concerns, Facebook is introducing a series of security measures for the whole site to make Facebook more secure.

The interesting thing is that the three new features focus on different aspects of the safety of the members of the service, including monitoring each logon, analyzing the reputation of the links shared on profiles and other areas of the site. It will also gives a user more options to recover a forgotten password.

Blocking Malicious Links

WOT will be integrated directly into the social network. In a way, WOT will warn people of potentially damaging links to prevent them from clinking it. WOT is an online service that offers browser apps that informs users of the reputation of the site.

Approval of Logons

This is similar to Gmail’s mobile authentication code. When you log on to a different computer, Facebook will send a code to your mobile phone. You can only be allowed access to your account if you enter those codes.

Social Verification

Social verification in a way provides a last resort to people who have lost or forgotten their Facebook account password. And this is how it works: A Facebook user needs to select three trusted friends who will each get a verification code. The user then calls each of those friends to get the code and enter it on Facebook to gain access to the account.

Social verification: this feature was in evidence for several months and aims to remember a password that we forget, without having to resort to questions that could be guessed. Facebook chooses three close friends and send codes of verification that we enter. Once we complete this step, we recover access to the account.

Approval of logons: already a time Facebook indicates from what locations we have logged in to our account, and may end the session with a click. This function is now more complete because, when we try logging into your account from a computer that we did not previously authorized, are we asked for a confirmation through a code that we will receive on your mobile.

I personally love the integration of WOT because it an excellent way to prevent malicious links from spreading on the social networking site.

Blogger Down For More Than 30 Hours

2011-05-14T06:25:00.001+08:00

Blogger, a popular web publication website by Google has been down and has changed the status of the posts of its users to read-only mode for more than 30 hours because of system wide failure that led to all comments and updates (made after 7:37 a.m. PDT on May 11, 2011) inaccessible.

“We are very sorry that users are unable to publish to Blogger right now. We have rolled back the maintenance release from last night and as a result, posts and comments from all users made after 7:37 am PDT on May 11, 2011 have been removed. Again, we apologize that this happened and our engineers are working hard to return Blogger to normal and restore your posts and comments. We will post a report once this work is complete.” –The Blogger Team

Google has not released a status report on what they are doing to restore the service. The company has posted a few updates on their Twitter account, but still hasn’t released any explanation yet on what caused the down time, how widespread it is, and what will happen to users’ content.

The last post from Blogger’s homepage only confirms that the service is disabled for maintenance and that blogs hosted by Blogger are running in read-only mode until they fix the problem.

Blogger said via Twitter that the outage was not related to the launching of the new design.

‘Verify Your Account’ Is A Facebook Scam [Do Not Click]

2011-05-12T13:57:00.001+08:00

Another Facebook scam has been detected on the popular social networking site this morning. This scam claims to want to help prevent spam asking you to click on a link to verify your account. If you click this link, it will grab your personal information and they will sell it to anyone who wants it.

Please do your part in PREVENTING SPAM by VERIFYING YOUR ACCOUNT. Click VERIFY MY ACCOUNT right next to comment below to begin the verification process...

In order to PREVENT SPAM, I ask that you VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT. Click VERIFY MY ACCOUNT right next to comment below to start the process...

No matter what happens, do not click the link!

Chromebook Arrives In June 15 | Google I /O

2011-05-12T13:06:00.000+08:00

Fast startup, long battery life, and the ability to upload/download files through the cloud will be among the most significant features of the new Google device that will be available in the United States, and to five European countries on the 15th of June. Estimated price will be below $500.
Chromebook will feature a native PDF viewer, and its own integrated media player that will allow users to view videos and listen to music stored on an external hard drive or a USB flash drive.

What makes Chromebook different from other laptop or netbook is that it stores all information and data in the cloud, giving the user the ability to upload pictures directly to Picasa and full access to Google Docs with a few simple steps. You can also share, manage and access all your contents online via box.net.
On the security of the operating system, Google guarantees the security of your data using the a platform that has been designed by Google from the ground up. The Chromebook will be providing continued and automatic updates to ensure that you are protected from vulnerabilities that may occur.

Google Launches 'Music Beta' Cloud Service

2011-05-12T12:17:00.000+08:00

Internet giant Google on Tuesday launched a music storage system in the cloud that will allow its users to upload and access their songs from Google’s network infrastructure through an Android app.

The service is called Google Music Beta, and is somewhat similar to what Amazon has reported last March. The new service from Google was born without the involvement of record companies, and is available only in the United States. The service will allow users to upload 20,000 songs free of charge. Currently, the service is by invite only.

Google Music Beta was unveiled as part of the conference of software developers Google I / O 2011, which began last Tuesday in San Francisco, and is accessible Android tablets as part of the updated Honeycomb 3.1, which is already available. The platform will be opened to more people gradually, as Google announced in the event.

Google Music Beta has a content manager that allows users to host their music in the cloud and listen from any Android device connected to the Internet. The software will also allow the user to download the latest songs that can be accessed on their portable device even if they are offline.

Google chose to launch its music service despite not meeting its objectives, as acknowledged by Zahavah Levine, who represented the company in talks with record companies to try to incorporate them in the project. "We've been in negotiations with the industry for a different set of features, with mixed results. But a couple of major labels were less focused on innovation and more on demanding unreasonable and unsustainable business terms.”

It is not the first time that Google brings to light a product without explicit permission from content providers. Google TV was blocked shortly after its launch last year by major TV companies in the United States.

How To Disable AutoPlay/AutoRun in Windows 7

2011-05-12T10:09:00.001+08:00

When you insert a disk or plug in a USB stick on your computer, Windows 7 will detect it and runs it automatically. AutoPlay is a great Windows 7 feature, but it can also put your computer at risk.
USB devices can sometimes be infected with a virus that can harm your computer and the files in it. With AutoPlay enabled, you won’t have the the ability to scan the USB for viruses because Windows 7 automatically runs it.
In Windows 7, it is very easy to disable this feature. With AutoPlay disabled in Windows 7, you can scan disks and USB to prevent unwanted viruses from taking over your system.
Follow these steps:

Access the “Control Panel” on the Start Menu
Click “AutoPlay”

Disable the “Use Autoplay for all media and devices” by unchecking the check box.

Restart your computer.

By disabling the AutoPlay feature in Windows 7, you will have the option to scan USB flash drives and other storage devices for virus before your computer runs it. By applying this procedure to your computer, you will greatly reduce the possibility of accidentally infecting your computer with unwanted viruses.

Angry Birds Arrives In Chrome Web Store

2011-05-12T08:37:00.000+08:00

On the second day of Google I / O 2011, Chrome, Google’s web browser seems to be the centerpiece of the day. Google reported that the growth of the number of Chrome users has experienced an spectacular increase in the past year! And the surprises keeps getting better.

Chrome seems to be focusing more on developing its Chrome Web Store. The team has announced a line exciting new applications and features such as the voice recognition app, support for integrated payment system for applications, and the arrival of Angry Birds.
Angry Birds is a game that invaded the world of smartphones and tablets. Now, the addicting game comes as a web app for Chrome, and it’s almost free! The popular game also comes with exciting new features that gamers would certainly enjoy. You have to be connected to the Internet to download and play the game, of course.
Peter Verterbacka, CEO of Rovio, the company behind the Angry Birds has been responsible for making the announcement during the conference. He also explained that the game has been developed in WebGL.

“Lemme tell ya, these ain’t no ordinary finches we’re talkin’ about. These here are the Angry Birds, the ones that’s gonna kick you in the ‘nads. And they’re the ones on your side. They must be from Galapadapados, or sumptin’.” – Col. Angus, Bird Expert.

In addition, this version of Angry Birds includes a new integrated payment system that will allow users to buy upgrades and expansions directly from Chrome’s web store. Google will have 5% commission with every transaction.

Windows 7 Sold 350 Million Licenses

2011-05-11T18:52:00.001+08:00

Microsoft has revealed recently that the giant software company has sold more that 350 million licenses of Windows 7. This data confirms the growth of Microsoft in the operation systems industry.

Only 18 months ago that Windows 7 was released to the world market and sales figures have been shocking. Everyone agrees that Windows 7 has been a great success for Microsoft. Clear evidence of this is that in the United States, Windows 7 has surpassed the number of Windows XP available on the market.

Today, more than 20% of Internet-connected computers around the world use Windows 7. The success of Windows 7 began even before the operating system’s release. In November of 2009, Windows 7 managed to exceed the market share of Apple’s OS “Snow Leopard” in just two weeks. In early February it was revealed that Windows 7 had reached 10% market share in just three months.

Windows 7 has also driven changes in the 64-bit computing. It also reveals that IT managers of big companies are looking for ways to migrate over 65% of its computers to Windows 7. Of that percentage, 50% will be on 64-bit systems. Microsoft also confirmed that in July last year, half of the Windows 7 is already working on 64-bits.

This recent development is a clear indication that the effort of Microsoft to create a stable operating system, safe and reliable is finally starting to pay off.

3 Simple Steps To Optimize Your Site For Search Engines

2011-05-11T16:00:00.001+08:00

Optimizing your site for search engines is a long, tedious, and continuous process. You should study your visitors behavior using tools such as Google’s Analytics to better understand what you need to do to improve their experience while they are in your site.

According to Google, the four most important for SEO are:

Links
Design
Content and
Site structure

Links:

Consistently monitor the quality of backlinks you receive on your site. Backlinks from relevant sites in your same niche will greatly benefit your site compared to non-relevant backlinks from other sites. You also have to pay close attention to outbound links. Link to sites, which you think is relevant to your content and is useful for your visitors. Do not participate in any scheme to garner backlinks. Do not buy or sell links to get higher position in PageRank.

Design and site structure:

When you design your site, you have to keep your potential visitors in mind. Keep you site structure and pages as clean and uncluttered as possible to attract more visitors and backlinks.

Create a clean page and relevant backlinks to your internal pages. To learn more about the keywords on your site and backlinks, consider using Google’s Webmaster tools. Create a sitemap and submit it to Google. The <title> for the site of the page is very useful for the ranking of keywords or key phrases. Describe your images using the ALT attribute.

Content:

Add content regularly to your site. This will help attract a larger number of backlinks and visitors. Search engine crawlers are very smart, only produce original content because copying content from other sites will not help when it comes to making your site and your pages rank in search engines. UPDATE YOUR SITE FREQUENTLY!

What Is SEO?

2011-05-11T15:24:00.001+08:00

Do you own a website or a blog and often have heard other website owners talk about their SEO tactics and you suddenly realize you have no idea what SEO means? Well you’ve come to the right place, I will give you all the information you need to understand what other website owners are talking about and I help you understand the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) for us website owners and blogger.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is a practice adopted by website owners who want to increase the amount of traffic they receive from search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. It works by improving internal and external factors to achieve a higher position in search engine results pages (SERPS). In achieving a higher ranking in SERPs, a website owner or a blogger can get more traffic on keyword searches. As you can imagine there are usually hundreds, if not, millions of sites struggling to be on the top of the ranking in search engines, that is why site owners optimize their site so they can get have the edge over their competitors.

Is it necessary to use SEO?

SEO can be a time consuming process and I have heard many webmasters ask the question “Do we really need SEO?”. Instead of asking yourself that question, you need to ask “Do I want people to visit my website?”. You could have a great website with lots of interesting and original content, but if nobody is visiting or reading your articles, is it wise to continue doing it?

The fact is that when people want something on the Internet, the first thing they do is to go to their favorite search engine and look for it there. If your website is not listed or is low in SERPs then you won’t be able to receive the visitors you deserve.

The bottom line is, search engine traffic can make or break your site. Anyone who wants to have a successful website or blog should invest time or money on SEO to gain visibility in search engines so you can get the visitors your website or blog deserves.

Tips For Maximizing Profits With Google Adsense

2011-05-11T13:26:00.001+08:00

We all want to receive huge amounts of money from Google Adsense, but without considering some important aspect of the program, it won’t happen. In this post, I will discuss some tips you can use to your website or blog to help increase your maximum earning potential with Google’s Adsense program.

The first thing you should know when planning to integrate Adsense on your website is ad placement. Because your Adsense revenue will depend on how many clicks you get, it is essential to know where the best place to put your Adsense units.

Google recommends using the “heat map” to boost the potential earning of a website.

A web page offers an ideal location for Google ads based on their content. When deciding where to place one of your ads, you should ask yourself these questions:

What do you look for in a site?
What do usually do when visiting a page?
What place is more likely to focus your reader’s attention?
How can I integrate ads into this area without disturbing the content or the user’s concentration?
What can I do to keep the page looking clean, uncluttered and inviting?

Some positions are more effective than others. This “heat map” illustrates these ideal placements on a sample page layout. The colors fade from dark orange (best ad placement) to light yellow (worst ad placement). Other elements do not change the ads that appear above the mark to perform better than those below it. The ads that appear near the test content and elements of your page’s navigational links usually provide optimal results because users are more likely to focus on that part of the page.

While this heat map serves as an ad placement guideline, I strongly recommend that you should study your page layout yourself, and ask your friends about what they think of the layout. Observe them how they behave and the data you gather will help you decide where to place your adsense units. Remember that the heat map guide provided by Google is a guide, you should follow your instincts and common sense when placing an ad.

2Adsense Heat Map for Blogs

When you plan to put Adsense on a blog, you will face some interesting challenges, such as a predetermined page format, highly targeted content and regular visitors. to get the most out of your readership and content, here are some suggestions:

Blend ads into your blog

To increase the likelihood of readers who access your blog to see your ad and click them, integrate ad units into the bottom of your blog

Experiment with multiple ad formats and various placements

In general, wider ad formats tend to be more effective when attracting the attention of your readers. Placing an ad after the first post will likely catch the attention of your readers.

Take a look at Google’s sample blog implementation above to get some ideas about ad placements on blogs.

Also, consider placing a Skyscraper (120 x 600) or vertical link unit on the right side of your blog.

Give your readers more options with search a referrals

To ensure you get the most out of Adsense, go beyond ad units and use Adsense for search and Adsense for feeds. You’ll maximize your earnings, provide readers with valuable information and take advantage of Adsense flexible ad format.

iPhone 4: Black vs. White

2011-05-11T10:58:00.001+08:00

The white iPhone 4 was released last April 28. This new version is 200 microns thicker compared to the iPhone 4 black which was released ahead of time. The white iPhone 4 was delayed because of various design problems. Starting from the color itself, it seems like Apple has found it very difficult to getting the right shade of white that houses the device because it seems to interfere with the flash of the camera dramatically reducing the image quality of the shot. Fortunately, the problem has been solved.

For those who have had the opportunity to take a closer look at the device noticed that the white iPhone 4 is 200 microns thicker compared to the iPhone 4 black model. The reason behind this was, Apple slightly modified the proximity sensor to correct problems plaguing iPhone 4 black users.

Modern Reader For Windows 8

2011-05-10T05:55:00.001+08:00

Windows 8 will be the first version of Windows to features its own PDF reader software, rumored to be called ‘Modern Reader’.

This Windows 8 native app will utilize the new AppX application package type. The interface will be clean and simple. Modern Reader will be a great alternative to Adobe Reader program, which looks out of place in a Windows operating system.

The native Windows 8 reader is simple enough. It will have full zoom in and out capability, and there’s a page scrubber to boot for easy document navigation.

If you jump to a document page using scrubber, a Back button will automatically appear in the upper left corner so you can go back to your previous position. It will also support side-by-side page view, a great feature when you are using a tablet.

Apple Shows The New iMac

2011-05-09T18:11:00.001+08:00

Apple just upgraded its most popular line of computers, the iMac with a new version much more powerful and faster.

The new iMac comes with a quad-core processor, the Thunderbolt data transfer technology, video conferencing program FaceTime, and a high definition camera.

According to Apple, the new iMac is 70% faster than its predecessor with improved graphics up to 3 times faster and better resolution.

The price of the new iMac starts at $1,199 for a model with 21.5-inch screen, Intel 2.5 GHz Core i5 and 500 GB hard drive. The most expensive model costs $1,699 and it comes with a 27-inch screen, an Intel 3.1 GHz i5 and 1TB hard drive. Apple also gives you the opportunity to add more power to your iMac, you have the option to increase your RAM (DDR3) and your hard disk drive capacity for an additional cost.

Excessive Facebook Use Can Lead To Depression Among Young People

2011-05-09T17:50:00.001+08:00

The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a statement warning that excessive use of Facebook among young people may cause symptoms of depression.

“Those young people with low self-esteem may feel isolated, especially when they compare their lives with their friends, who are continually updating their Facebook pages with activities and new friends,” said Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe a pediatrician from Boston, USA.

Other doctors also warned about the effects of criticism and negative comments that your people write in the pages of their friends on Facebook. For a person with low self-esteem, negative feedback from one of his friends can have devastating results.

The AAP recommends that parents talk to their children about their Internet activities, and to monitor the time young people spend on social networks.

A 16 your old who uses Facebook regularly, admitted that many of their friends use Facebook as a popularity contest. Those who tent to have more friends on Facebook, tend to be the most popular boys and girls in school.

What Is Windows 8 BluePoison?

2011-05-09T16:10:00.001+08:00

Windows 8 Blue Poison is a multi-function tool developed by the team at Windows8Italia. Windows 9 BluePoison is a third party Windows 8 unlocker app that lets you access hidden features that are not currently accessible through Windows 8 Tweaker. With this app, you can access the following Windows 8 features such as, the new Ribbon user interface, the metro user interface for logging in, the new task manager, as well as the Windows 8 webcam application. BluePoison also gives you the option of downloading build 7995. The program also offers automatic updating for future improvements or leaks that will soon become available.

With Windows 8 BluePoison you can:

Download the latest leaked builds of Windows 8.
See the build-list, automatic and regular updates of Windows 8.
Unlock the Ribbon UI interface
Unlock the new task manager
Unlock the webcam application
Unlock the immersive browser
Unlock the pattern logon
Unlock the application folder
Download the hack to activate Windows 8
The guide on how to activate Windows 8

Other BluePoison Features:

Automatic notification for BluePoison software updates
Notification for new Windows 8 build
Notification for new hacks and activation
Recognize installed operating system and shows only the compatible hacks

Download | BluePoison 1.4

Download Windows 8 Build 7955 [LEAK]

2011-05-09T15:39:00.001+08:00

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the new Microsoft operating system, you’re in luck! Windows 8 Ultimate build 6.2.7955.0.fbl_srv_wdacxml.110228 8-1930 is now available for download.

This Windows 8 build is for testing and educational purposes only. This is a leaked Windows 8 6.2.7955.0.fbl_srv_wdacxml.110228-1930 and should be used at your own risk! This version was completed in February 28,2011 and can be considered as post-Milestone 2.

Windows 8 Build 7955 can only be installed using BluePoison.

Windows 8 Build 7955 offers the following features:

Ribbon UI
Applications Folder
Full DWM
Webcam
Logon Metro
Pattern Logon
TaskUI
Modern Reader
Immersive Browser

Download Instructions:

Download the file using a torrent client.
After the download, burn the .ISO image to a DVD.
You can install Windows 8 side-by-side with Windows 7 (if you have two or more partitions on your hard drive), or you can upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 (the easiest way to install Windows 8).

Download | Windows 8 Build 7955 - Milestone 2 (windows 7 installer)

Download | Windows 8 Build 7955 - Milestone 2 (original installer)

6.2.7955.0.fbl_sev_wdacxml.110228-1930_x86fre_client-ultimate.iso
ISO Size: 2.47GB
ISO MD5: 40861A02CB14B0D2D7930910DB6CC6E4

Twitter Adds Philippines To Trending Topics Locations

2011-05-09T10:37:00.001+08:00

The Philippines was finally added to Twitter’s Local Trending Topics algorithm. With this new feature, the people from the Philippines will be able to get the latest local topics in the country.

The Philippines is part of the new 70 local trends that Twitter has added to its trending list of countries. These trends capture the most talked about topics in the Philippines, and make it even easier to find more locally relevant topics in the country.

Twitter’s Local Trending Topics identifies topics that are immediately popular based on the amount of tweets being generated by users, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help people discover the “most breaking'” news stories in the Philippines.