PC Supporter

Monday, 5 November 2012

Advanced Gadgets - Need or Trend

Surely you will be excited if you buy a new advanced featured iPhone 5 after recycling your ancient one. But is it your Need or its just for Trend?

Gadgets

Of course this is actually depend on your needs and requirements what you choose and why, on other hand, do this new advanced gadget suites your personality? Rarely questions these are, but we are talking about why most of people advancing to modern gadgets? Is it theirs need or just its a trend?

Regarding to many survey reports and discussions, most of people using smartphones or even a camera phone for photo-shoot obviously, it means that a camera phone is your need somehow, but buying a smartphone for photo-shoot is either a trend.

Using advanced featured gadgets is very good if it fulfils your needs and the way you will use it, but for trend I should say its just waste of money. No doubt that an advanced and latest technology device gives you more features including security benefits and more reliability as well as user friendly environment. But again depends on your requirements, otherwise it stands in style / fashion category.

So it was all about cell phone devices, now if we talk about operating systems, there are many types of it and also many cases and options which force you sometimes to select only one single operating system for your gadgets to be easily sync with all your stuff around. But to be discussed, which operating system I should select. And again according to your need and requirements you can choose which suits you most, but don't go and waste your money to buy an operating system you couldn't operate.

Suppose, if you are a good user and know every tweak about Windows operating system and you are going to buy a MacBook, only because you passionate about Mac operating system or just because its a trend for you somehow, one thing for sure you would give it time to learn its features and again can waste your money for sure, so learning new things isn't bad, but if Windows operating system can give you everything you want then no need to waste your time and money.

Curiosity and eagerness of modern day gadgets isn't objectionable, they are the best one's. But problem is that if we don't have time to use its full features then why we spend extra money for it?

For example, a person who is using Intel Pentium IV PC just for media (watching movies or listening music) in part time when he free from his work, then he actually don't need to upgrade to Intel i7 Computer, although Intel i7 stands to be more powerful and can give him full HD output. On other hand a Businessman should buy a device which connects him with co-workers & business society, he will get progress reports in Excel format via email hourly maybe on the go everywhere, so if he buy a Smartphone or a kind of gadget which suits his outputs, definitely he can choose a costly device.

Choose what suits you best, choose what fits best inside your budget and even, use an older device for your old days work, and also nothing is headache if you use them friendly.

5 Top Features Your Ultrabook Must Have

Creative Mind Hardware Review , Intel

5 Top Features Your Ultrabook Must Have if you prefer to buy one rather than MacBook Air.

According to your use and profession If you consider that Ultrabook suits you more than MacBook Air or you are interested to buy an Ultrabook rather than MacBook Air, so there are some actual features your Ultrabook must have.

According to style, features and something that called Trend, Apple's MacBook Air is a top Notebook but on other side Intel's super fast chipped Ultrabooks is more liked because of its compatibility and user friendly environment operating system (Windows).

So you have decided you want to buy an Ultrabook rather than a MacBook Air? Here are 5 top features to consider before making your purchase.

Quality Construction

Quality Construction - Ultrabook

Many of the unique or unusual characteristics about Ultrabooks come about because they're so thin, a height of three quarters of an inch, and even less in some cases. One of the most important of these is the systems' tendency to feel flimsy. Because most laptops don't sit at home on your desk all the time, you want the sturdiest on you can find, whether it's open or closed.

Keyboard

Keyboard - Ultrabook

Key travel on Ultrabooks is frequently shallow, after all, there's not a lot of room to house big, strong keys! This won't be a problem for everyone, but if you're a hard core typist or if you are going to need your laptop for work, you'll want to pay special attention to the keyboard. If you can, try typing on an Ultrabook you're interested in before you take it home to get an idea of how it feels beneath your fingers. You don't want to buy a notebook you won't enjoy typing on.

Port Selection

Port Selection - Ultrabook

The reduced height of ultrabooks causes problems with ports as well. Many systems simply don't have room for Ethernet ports, some have far fewer USB ports than you may be used to (may be only one or two), and still others may come with dongles that give you the ports but add inconvenience to the package. Knowing what you need, so you know what you'll need to put up with, is an especially good way to go here.

Touch Screen

Touch-Screen - Ultrabook

Although not a part of the standard ultrabook specs, and previously impossible to find on many systems, touch screens should now be considered a necessity. The new tile based Windows 8 interface was designed for touch, and the operating system just doesn't deliver the same experience without it. A laptop with a traditional touchpad will work, but it won't be anywhere near as intuitive. To get the most out of your Windows 8 Ultrabook, make sure it comes with a touch screen.

Wireless Display

Intel's Wireless Display technology (usually shortened to WiDi) lets you stream HD content over the air to your HDTV, rather than forcing you to connect your set to your laptop with an HDMI cable. You'll need a separate adapter, like Netgear's $100 Push2TV (pictured here), to make it work, but if you're really into entertainment you'll easily find WiDi capability worth the extra investment.

MacBook vs Ultrabook - A Comparison by PC Supporter

Creative Mind Apple , Intel

Lets Compare MacBook and Ultrabooks in a slightly different angle. The source is once again PC Magazine and we just present an overall review about all features.

Although Apple's paper thin laptop has quite a bit in common with Intel Ultrabooks, in a few ways we describe below they are significantly different.

Source: PC Magazine

DESIGN

You can't ignore the Apple aesthetic the company's computers always look terrific, and the chic shape and sly silver coloring of the MacBook Air make it among the sharpest of all. Outward attractiveness is not an official part of Intel's ultrabook plan, so you may find something sparkling or something ordinary; it all depends on what choices the manufacturer makes.

COMPONENTS

Everything that goes into a MacBook Air or pretty much any other Apple computer, for that matter must meet Apple's strict requirements and interface properly with the OS X operating system, so every time you pick up an Apple computer you know what you're going to get. Many ultrabook manufacturers, on the other hand, want to keep costs down, and therefore exert less control over the hardware they include. This doesn't mean it will be inferior to what Apple uses, but it does mean that with ultrabooks, as with most other PCs, performance and compatibility characteristics are not as easy to predict. If you can, try before you buy to make sure the touchpad, keyboard, and general responsiveness are what you're looking for.

DISPLAY

The screen on the 11 inch MacBook Air maxes out at a resolution of 1,366 by 768, and the 13.3 inches display at 1,440 by 900. Those are decent specs, and the displays look good, but forget about watching full 1080p video on them, 720p is all they can handle. Most ultrabooks have screen resolutions similar to Apple's, but some out there are capable of displaying full 1080p (1,920 by 1,080) video.

Storage

All of Apple's MacBook Airs are loaded with from 64GB to 512GB of flash storage, making for incredible data access speeds; traditional spinning hard drives are not even an option on the Apple machines. Ultrabooks, however, can come with either, thus requiring the user to choose between storage that's plentiful, inexpensive, and slow, or limited, pricey, and very fast.

CONNECTORS

Any seriously diminutive system is going to have an extremely restricted port selection. What has really defined the MacBook Air to this point has been its Thunderbolt port, which combines PCI Express and Displayport protocols for high speed connections to devices as diverse as hard drives and external monitors, and is about as small as ports get. Thunderbolt ports haven't appeared on PC based ultrabooks yet, but it's only a matter of time until this changes.

HOW THIN AND LIGHT IS THE FUTURE?

As ultrabooks are scarcely more than a year old, it's tough at this point to see how they'll shake out long term. But despite some early stumbles and iffy sales numbers, the form is likely to hang on for a while maybe a long while. As computing devices grow smaller but users want larger amounts of power, they'll have to evolve to stay relevant. But because they're full, feature rich systems, they have more room to grow than is probably the case with even the best tablets and smartphones. Intel will undoubtedly face competition from other imitators, HP came out with an AMD based Sleekbook, for example but it will continue to dominate on the PC side for the time being.

Not that this means there's any chance the MacBook Air will go anywhere. One of Apple's defining (and most striking) products, it's still the first thing people think of when they think of ultrathin laptops and so far no Intel ultrabook has come close to changing that. The biggest threat to the MacBook Air is Apple itself; Can company devise something better to replace it? If not, expect it to continue receiving yearly updates that make it thinner, more powerful, and more exciting.

In any event, super thin laptops are here to stay, all that remains to be seen is where they go next. How much smaller and skinnier can they get? Time will tell, but with Intel and Apple leading the charge and squaring off against each other every step of the way consumers will only benefit by seeing computers that get ever more portable even as they get ever more powerful.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 - Review

Creative Mind Cyber-shot , Digital Camera

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 - An Imaging Device for Professionals - Put it in Your Pocket & Carry With You for Dream Photography.

Source: PC Magazine

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 is the point and shoot camera that many Professional's dreamed of. With a large image sensor its 3.6x zoom lens opens up to f/1.8 on the wide end, and it can slide into your back pocket easily to carry everywhere you go. The 20 megapixel RX100 picture quality superb that can justifies its cost.

Structure - Features & Design

Measuring 2.4 by 4 by 1.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 8.5 ounces, the RX100 is only slightly larger than the Canon PowerShot S100. This is impressive considering that the S100's image sensor is a mere 1/1.7 inches in size, the RX100's 1 inch sensor boasts more than 2.5 times the surface area. Though the lens is fast and the sensor large enough to create a nice out of focus blur behind subjects, you shouldn't expect the RX100 to produce images that are quite as good as those from a D-SLR camera; they are better than you'd expect from a point and shoot camera, but you are still sacrificing some image quality for portability.

The lens is a 3.6x zoom (due to its compact size), covering a 328-100mm (35mm equivalent) field of view. It opens up to f/1.8 at its widest, narrows to f/3.2 by 50mm, and closes down at f/4.9 at its extreme. One of the weak points of the RX100 is its lack of any sort of eye level viewfinder. There's no accessory pot to add one, nor is there a hot shoe. What you'll use to frame and review images is the rear LCD. At 3 inches, it features a staggering 1,1229k-dot resolution, about a third more than a competing 921k-dot displays. Sony has added white pixels in addition to the standard red, green, and blue, resulting in an LCD that is brilliant even when viewed in bright sunlight.

Controls will satisfy the demands of serious shooters, but aren't perfect. Save for the shutter release, zoom rocker, Mod dial, Menu, Playback, On/Off. Display, EV Compensation, and Help buttons, the RX100's physical controls are largely customizable. The front and rear control wheels are a bit quirky when you're adjusting ISO, you need to move the wheel to the left to increase the sensitivity and to the right to reduce it, the opposite of the wheel's usual behavior, but the control system is otherwise well designed.

The Camera's flash hides inside the body when not in use, popping up at the half press of the shutter button once it's been enabled. It sits on a hinged neck, which makes it possible to tilt it back with your left index finger and to bounce light off of a ceiling. It's not powerful enough to act in this capacity in, say, a ballroom, but for snaps around the house using this method will help to soften the light. Of course, there's also Flash Compensation available, so you can reduce the power output to provide just a little bit of fill when you're not using it as a bounce flash.

Performance & Actions

The RX100 is a little slow to start up, but is otherwise a speed demon, there's virtually no shutter lag thanks to quick, accurate autofocus. When shooting JPEGs in its Speed Priority mode it can capture a burst of ten shots in a second, although if you're shooting in Raw the camera takes 2 seconds for the same ten shot burst.

As measured by Imatest, the RX100's lens helped it deliver highly sharp shots through the entirety of its zoom range with, at most, 0.2 percent pincushion distortion. Noise is also not an issue, it stays below 1.5 percent through the camera's top ISO of 6400. JPEGs look excellent through ISO 800, very good at 1600, and pretty good at 3200; comparing Raw and JPEG files side by side, there's very little evidence of noise reduction in the JPEGs at the top ISO settings.

Video is recorded in AVCHD format at 1080p60 or 1080i60 resolution. The lens zooms in and out quietly while recording, and the focus keeps details clear and sharp.

The micro USB port doubles as a charging mechanism for the battery, and there's a micro HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV. In addition to SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards, Sony also supports its own proprietary formats.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 doesn't have the largest sensor of all zooming point and shoots, but it focuses fast, is consistently sharp, and can capture images with a shallow depth of field. You won't find better photos forma a camera that fits in your pocket.

(by: Jim Fisher)

Will Windows 8 be More Secure?

Creative Mind Laptops , Malware

Martin Cooper takes a step back from all the Windows 8 fanfare and examines whether the cyber criminals will love or loathe Microsoft's new OS.

Window 8, Win8 phone and Surface tablets - it seems it's all happening over at Redmond. As Microsoft's readies its new operating system roll out, we've every right to get excited, but with all eyes distracted by the new system's sheen, it's easy to overlook the mundane but essential business of security.

Over last 12 to 18 months, security - of the lack thereof has cast a growing shadow over Windows and the antivirus firms we trust to keep us safe online. Indeed, some have suggested that the bad guys might be winning in the never-ending game of high stakes chess. So the question is, will Windows 8 let us sleep sounder in our beds?

Security as Standard

To help protect Windows machines Microsoft has for a long time offered its Security Essentials antivirus program as a free download. Despite this, it's reckoned that almost a quarter of all Windows 7 PCs have no anti-malware software installed.

To address this problem, Microsoft has opted to install Windows 8 Defender by default.

Windows 8 Defender is a combined system. it's comparable with Security Essentials, with basic protective features thrown into combat common threats.

We certainly applaud the move, as it makes the initial hurdle that much tougher for virus writers. However, when PC Format asked Collin Davis, senior director of engineering at Symantec, about Defender, his response was unequivocal. "It's not enough".

Davis says circumventing Defender will become the virus writer's first mission. "It's just not worth their effort releasing malware that can't beat it," he warned. Speaking from California. Davis explained how the bad guys had breached Windows 7's security features and Security Essentials.

As Windows 7 and 8 have so much in common under the hood, Windows 8's default security isn't - in his view - likely to overly challenge malware writers.

Boot Level Protection

Dig a little deep into Windows 8 and the story doesn't seem so bleak. During the PC boot phase, Microsoft has made strides to see off future malware.

Booting through the BIOS has remained largely unchanged for nearly 30 years. At its heart is a chain of module that tare executed in order. The process begins with the BIOS waking up, taking in ROM-based operations and calling on the master boot record.

The chain culminates in the Windows kernal and drivers being loaded and run. If malware can penetrate this initial process, the next program to run can be corrupted. In short, no process after the point of exploitation can be trusted.

Malware such as Mebroot, TidServ and StuxNet insert themselves into this critical chain of events, compromising Windows at a very low and fundamental level. From such a privileged position it makes itself hard to detect and difficult to remove.

To combat this problem, Windows 8 includes a trio of technologies which are known collectively as Secure Boot Architecture. The first component is the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or UEFI. Assuming that your hardware is current and supports it, UEFI should make the lives of the virus writers' considerably harder.

Liek the BIOS, a UEFI system executes a sequence of baton-passing modules that lead to the OS . In a UEFI system, however, modules are security-signed and each module must check the subsequent operation's signature before it allows the next process to execute. The UEFI chain can be updated with a white list of trusted certificates.

Features and Flaws

The UEFI system isn't without a couple of flaws. Though all contemporary Windows systems will come with it as standard, older PCs still use the BIOS loading process and therefore remain vulnerable. The UEFI certification system has also enraged Linux users, as it makes it difficult to install the open source OS.

The next technology of note in Windows 8 is Early Load Anti-Malware. According to Microsoft, "|ELAM| starts before other boot-start drivers, enables the evaluation of those drivers and helps the Windows kernal decide whether they should be initialized." It is, in essence, a way of detecting malware during the boot process and blocking it.

Most Malware that Runs on Windows 7 will work on Windows 8

Windows 8 is designed to boot very quickly through, which places limits on what ELAM can achieve.

The Windows 8 specification also limits the amount of memory it can consume. Because it runs so early in the boot sequence and under such limitations, Symantec has already stated that "ELAM does little to improve security".

Remote Attestation is an optional feature. Implementing it inevitably slows down the boot process, which may not prove very popular with PC builders. If you upgrade or tinker with your PC, the timing check system will also need to be recalibrate. Remote Attestation, therefore, looks like a feature that we think will be best suited to corporate environments where systems remain unchanged by design.

The Metro Question

Windows 8 is all about the Metro interface - a collection of tiles linked to programs. Simply sweep though the wall of information and images, then tap the program you want to run. If you don't have a table or other touch enabled devices, you can use the interface with a mouse and keyboard instead.

There are two versions of Windows 8 - one designed to run on x86 chips and another complied for low-power ARM processors. The PC firms we spoke to had little to say about the latter version, and it's unlikely that malware authors have been able to research it much either. If Windows RT (as the ARM version is called) becomes a success, it will probably become the focus of malware writers, but at the moment it's impossible to say.

Looking at the x86 incarnation, Collin Davis explained that Windows 7 and Windows 8 classic are very close cousins. Therefore, most malware that runs on Windows 7 will work on Windows 8. Metro is however a different beast to a degree.

The Janus OS

From a security perspective it's easy to think of Windows 8 as two operating systems; Metro and Classic. Neither will run programs designed for the other. Metro is the more restrictive of the two, as you'll only be able to get programs from Microsoft's App Store, but the separation between Metro and classic Windows isn't clear cut.

Each Metro app works in a sealed environment or sandbox, which means it can't interact with other programs. In other words, Metro works in much the same way as Apple's sandboxed iOS - an OS that has so far avoided any major security silver bullet though. it is, in the words of Davis, "One of many tools that works well if it's done well."

Asked if Microsoft has implemented its sandboxing well, Davis replied, "It's too soon to tell."

There is one major chink in Metro's sandbox Armour. Metro is much like Windows Media Center-an environment that effectively sits on top of Windows Classic. Davis says this means that "a Metro app can't attack a Classic app, but a Classic app can attach a Metro one."

He adds that developing malware for Metro would be no harder or more expensive for virus writers.

It seems then Windows 8 makes the business of securing your PC subtly different, yet largely the same. The same rules, requirements and risks apply, so users should install a well-rated security suite and keep it updated.

Source: PC Magazine [UK]

The LaptopLock - Free Tracking and Data Protection Solutions

Creative Mind Laptops , Netbooks

The LaptopLock is a tracking software, A free package offering a solid basis for your own security solution.

LaptopLock is a free offering that eschews a fancy interface for a simple, no-frills look. Signing up for the service is quick, you simply need to enter your email address and a password, and you're taken straight to the online control panel. From here you can add a computer, giving it a name for easy reference. From this page you can download software.

During installation you can choose whether or not show a splash screen when the laptop starts up - it's nice that you're given the choice.

There are no tracking features with this program, so ideally it should be installed alongside a free service that does, such as Prey. What LaptopLock concentrates on is protecting your data if your laptop is lost or stolen; and is broken into three parts. The first security - here you can select the data you want LaptopLock to delete if you flag up your laptop as stolen via the web interface.

Choosing the files and folders is very easy, and you can select to securely delete the data, so that data recovery tools can't access it. If you're not too keen on the scorched earth policy, you can choose to encrypt the files instead.

The second part is notifications. You can select to show a message or play a sound when the missing laptop is in use. The final part is that you can select a program to launch when the laptop is reported stolen - a good chance to run a tracking program, or activate your webcam and upload the photos it takes. The laptop can also be marked as stolen, notifying a recovery team that will begin collecting evidence to hand over to the police. LaptopLock might appear simple, but with it you can make your own laptop security solution.

PC Format Magazine UK

Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB SSD

Creative Mind Data , Hardware Review

Best Price, Top-End Performance | Best Solid State Drive

Where once the SSD was the preserve of enthusiasts with deep pockets, these days there are so many drives to choose from that the struggle to get them out to the market at a competitive price has become especially cut throat.

Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB SSD

As price continue their slow downward fall, the 120/128GB capacity has become the sweet spot, so much so that at these capacities the magic �1 per gigabyte barrier has at last been broken for SSDs. And that's been a long time coming.

To try and leverage a better price point of the HyperX 3K series, Kingston has used 3K NAND memory (hence the 3K tag) instead of the 5K NAND of the original HyperX drives.

The 3K label means the NAND should last up to 3,000 full writes of the new drive's maximum capacity versus the 5,000 full writes of the original HyperX. Because of this the NAND is less expensive helping to drive the price down while retaining the pace you expect of a drive carrying the HyperX branding.

Kingston quote sequential read/write figures of 555MB/s and 510MB/s respectively for the drive, confirmed by a quick bas through the ATTO benchmark. Our drive produced figures of 551MB/s and 512MB/s for read/write speeds respectively.

As with all SandForce controlled drives its handling of incompressible data isn't anywhere near as impressive as it is with compressible files; something that is quite nicely illustrated in the AS SSD benchmark. When tested in the default incompressible mode the drive gives up a sequential write score of 171MB/s. Switching to testing compressible data with CrystalMark this jumps to an impressive 466MB/s.

Hyped Drive

For incompressible performance, then, it drops behind the likes of the Marvel-based Corsair Performance Pro, but eh HyperX 3K still manages to hold its own against the other SandForce drives.

When it comes to the drive's internals, Kingston has turned to Intel for the NAND chips. With eight chips housed on either side of the PCB, and with the SancForce 2281VB1 controlled joining group on the board.

Although the new drive uses NAND with reduced program/erase cycles than the original HyperX drives, in practice most people will come nowhere near the drive's write limits. What it does do, however, is put a drive with enthusiast performance at a price point in reach of a lot more people.

Our review drive was standalone product that comes with just a 3.5in bracket and mounting screws. If you're looking for more extras, then the drive is available in a full upgrade bundle, which adds a 2.5in USB external enclosure, cloning software, a fancy screwdriver and SATA data cable to the mix for �130.

At the standard price tag there is simply nothing not to like. It's great performing drive for a fantastic price. The SandForce controller may not be the fastest any more, but will still make a difference to your PC.

By: Simon Crisp

at PC Format Magazine UK

Monday, 5 November 2012

Surely you will be excited if you buy a new advanced featured iPhone 5 after recycling your ancient one. But is it your Need or its just for Trend?

Tuesday, 30 October 2012

5 Top Features Your Ultrabook Must Have if you prefer to buy one rather than MacBook Air.

Quality Construction

Keyboard

Port Selection

Touch Screen

Wireless Display

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Lets Compare MacBook and Ultrabooks in a slightly different angle. The source is once again PC Magazine and we just present an overall review about all features.

DESIGN

COMPONENTS

DISPLAY

CONNECTORS

HOW THIN AND LIGHT IS THE FUTURE?

Monday, 22 October 2012

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 - An Imaging Device for Professionals - Put it in Your Pocket & Carry With You for Dream Photography.

Structure - Features & Design

Performance & Actions

Saturday, 11 August 2012

Martin Cooper takes a step back from all the Windows 8 fanfare and examines whether the cyber criminals will love or loathe Microsoft's new OS.

Security as Standard

Boot Level Protection

Features and Flaws

Most Malware that Runs on Windows 7 will work on Windows 8

The Metro Question

The Janus OS

Friday, 10 August 2012

The LaptopLock is a tracking software, A free package offering a solid basis for your own security solution.

Best Price, Top-End Performance | Best Solid State Drive

Where once the SSD was the preserve of enthusiasts with deep pockets, these days there are so many drives to choose from that the struggle to get them out to the market at a competitive price has become especially cut throat.

Hyped Drive

Translate This Site

Popular

Blog Archive

Contact Form

Twitter

Followers

Feed | Top Gadgets Review

Most Popular

Recent

Featured

Total Pageviews