Aeon Lumina

Asus VivoBook E200HA for $199

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 06:09:00 +0000

Asus has recently launched a new laptop to be added in to its entry-level list of VivoBook series. Codenamed E200HA, this new model features the latest Intel Atom quad-core Cherry Trail X5 processor with Windows 10 and is aimed primarily for students and young working adults looking for a budget and lightweight full functioning PC.

The laptop comes with a 11.6 inch screen with a 1366x768 resolution, 32GB eMMC storage, 2GB RAM, weighs 0.98kg and one year free subscription of Office 365. It does not have impressive specs but can manage basic multitasking tasks such as writing email, web surfing, office documents but don't expect it to be able to play GTA5 as it is a budget laptop overall.

Boasting up to 14-hour battery life, the VivoBook E200HA also comes with Asus proprietary Tru2Life display technology, SonicMaster audio technology, MU-MIMO Wifi and webstorage. It is available for purchase in gold or dark blue colors in Asus retail outlets or the Asus online store for just $199.

Full Specifications
Processor: Intel Atom quad-core Cherry Trail X5-Z8300 1.44Ghz - 1.84Ghz

Memory: 2GB DDR3

Storage: 32GB eMMC

Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics

Display: 11.6" 16:9 HD (1366x768)

Operating System: Windows 10 Home

Networking: Integrated 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.1

Ports: 1xHeadphone, 1xUSB3, 1xUSB2, 1xMicroHDMI, 1xAC Adapter, 1xMicroSD Slot

Courtesy of ASUS

Ways to speed up your old computer

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 18:40:00 +0000

Hi guys, its been a while since I posted something new here and today I'm going to share a few ways to speed up your old windows computer. If you have a computer that have gotten more and more sluggish day by day, you don't necessarily have to spend money to get a shiny new computer. Well, I'm currently typing this post using a 5 years old sandy bridge laptop which has no lag issues with office apps or gaming and I don't intend to get a new computer for the next couple of years.
Here's the secret;

1) Uninstall programs that is no longer in use

This is pretty straight forward, if you notice having toolbars or anything unwanted on your list of installed programs, uninstall them as well.

2) Uninstall features that is not needed
On the same previous window, click on the turn windows features on or off and untick those that you are not using such as windows dvd maker, media center, tablet PC components (for non-touch PCs), windows gadget platforms and reboot the computer.

3) Reduce virtual memory (pagefile)
As virtual memory is slower than ram as it uses some space on the hdd, I would recommend reducing the size of this if you have more than 4GB of ram to reclaim back the space. This option is pretty deep, go to computer properties, advanced system settings. on the advanced tab under performance, click on settings, on the 2nd advanced tab under virtual memory click on change. untick the automatically manage paging file and set the same custom size for initial and maximum to be anywhere from 1024MB to 2048MB.

4) Turn off system protection
This is one feature in windows that many people seldom use but takes up a lot of space. System protection basically creates restore points before installing major updates or programs. However, majority would just use their backup image of the computer created using symantec ghost, acronis true image, clonezilla or from the network if something happens. Turning off this feature will delete all the restore points and save quite a lot of space. This one is under advanced system settings, under system protection tab and select turn off system protection.

5) Disable hibernation
On newer computers running windows 8 and above, this feature has been remove as windows has implemented a new feature called fast startup. On older computers, hibernation will create a Hiberfil.sys system file located in the root folder of the drive the same size as your ram. Recommended to disable hibernation to reclaim back the space by opening a command prompt as administrator and typing this command
powercfg.exe /hibernate off
Reboot the computer to take effect

6) Reduce recycling bin size
This is a pretty neat trick. Simply right click on your recycle bin icon on the desktop, select properties, set a custom size and click ok. I would recommend setting the size anywhere from 1024MB to 10240MB depending on the size of your hdd.

7) Limit the programs that is running on startup
If you have a lot of programs running during startup or in the background, it will make your computer slow. open command prompt and type in msconfig and hit enter. after the dialog box open, click on the boot tab and at the timeout box, enter 3 and click apply. next, click on the startup tab and untick whichever programs you do not wish to be running during startup. examples would be adobe acrobat updater, dropbox, microsoft office, steam. However, do not untick your antivirus program.

Next open command prompt and type in services.msc and hit enter, when the dialog box open, double click some of the services you'd like, to change the startup type to manual instead of automatic. examples would be adobe acrobat updater, dropbox update service, google update service. these kind of updater services will frequently check for updates, consuming resources and slowing down your computer. However, you can still install the updates manually when your computer is idling.

8) Turn off scheduled disk defragmentation
Disk defragmentation is a good start to improving your system performance but running it at regular intervals is not good for your hdd lifespan and having it to run automatically in the background consumes your disk I/O activity and eventually slows down your computer. I would recommend turning off the scheduling and run defragmentation manually once a month. go to control panel and search for disk defragmenter. click on turn on/off schedule and untick the run on a schedule.

9) Change windows update settings
For windows 8.1 and earlier, there are multiple options for this setting. however for windows 10, there is only one option which is to install updates automatically. by doing this, windows will frequently check and install updates automatically, using your computer's resources regardless whether you are doing something important or not. If you are still using windows 7 or 8, personally I would prefer setting the option to check for updates but let me choose whether to download or install them or never check for updates (as I prefer checking for updates manually)

10) Use a trusted PC cleaner and optimization tool
There are many third party softwares claiming to clean and make your computer faster but the one that is going to be featured here is Piriform's CCleaner. I've been using this one-click tool for the past few years on my computer to clean out all the temporary files, cache, history, cookies and also helps to fix issues in the registry.

11) Scan for viruses
Sometimes a virus or worm may be the cause of a slow computer, by running a full scan using your antivirus program will eliminate the threat and restore the full operations of your computer.

12) Upgrade RAM and SSD
Last but not least, if you have about a hundred bucks to spare, adding more ram or changing your hdd to ssd would make a big difference to an aging computer.

Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:47:00 +0000

This isn't just an ordinary wireless keyboard. It is the world's first environmentally friendly wireless solar keyboard by Logitech. Powered by light and built from fully recyclable plastic, this super-slim keyboard that only measures at 1/3 of an inch boasts dual solar panels that sits on both side of the Logitech logo on top of the keys. It keeps the keyboard charged while you type without the hassle of battery replacement. With plug and play simplicity, just plug in the USB receiver and you can start typing.

Logitech puts in a lot of effort when it comes to the environment and no doubt about it when it comes to the K750. A great innovation in typing technology, the keyboard has a PVC-free chassis and even its packaging is made from recycled material. The dual solar panels on top of the keys power the integrated ML2032 lithium manganese button-cell rechargeable battery that then pushes power to the keyboard. The solar panels can also draw perpetual power from artificial light sources--in other words, you don't have to raise the keyboard to the sun for it to work; the fluorescent bulbs above you will charge it just fine. Logitech claims that a single 2-hour charge will retain power for three months in total darkness, or more if you remember to flip the on/off switch when you step away.

The K750 uses Logitech's PerfectStroke key design that adds exactly 3.2mm of space between each key and uniform tactile feedback across the entire concave key surface. In practice, the key response is similar to that of an IBM ThinkPad laptop, so if you're used to typing on a regular keyboard, the K750 will be an acquired taste. Your accuracy might suffer in the interim, but we actually found ourselves typing faster after less than a week of using it.

With USB ports quickly filling up with hardwired peripherals like speakers, mice, and Webcams, we're happy to see that the K750 integrates Logitech's 2.4GHz Unifying USB microreceiver. The Mini-USB plug sticks out less than an inch from any standard USB and can work in conjunction with up to six other Logitech input devices for up to 10 meters away from the source.

With an exception of an integrated palm rest and glossy black chassis that reveals fingerprints and scratches, overall this eco-friendly affordable keyboard will definitely help you to reduce energy consumption and save money by not investing in batteries. Unlike the mechanical keyboards currently popular in the peripheral market, this input device uses scissor switches underneath that register key presses with a lighter touch, and give the additional benefit of low noise and comfort.

Microsoft Surface Pro

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:22:00 +0000

One of the most highly anticipated product by Microsoft has finally been released into the market. The Microsoft Surface, known for its sophisticated VaporMg liquid metal magnesium design is the first attempt by Microsoft to compete in the tablet world. The latest variant of the tablet, Surface Pro, is a more powerful version of the first Surface tablet released six months ago. It is loaded with the latest 3rd gen Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM and a bigger 64GB/128GB storage space. The 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro has been sold out within hours of its release in the Microsoft online store.

You'd be forgiven for taking a casual glance at the Surface Pro and thinking that Microsoft designers basically phoned it in here; that they took the dark, angular, visually distinctive look of the Surface RT, made it a fraction of an inch thicker to make room for a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U processor (plus requisite active cooling) and called it a day. Look closer -- or, better yet, hold them at the same time -- and you'll see this is more than a processor transplant.

Indeed, the biggest change is in the dimensions: 10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53 inches (27.45 x 17.3 x 1.35cm) vs. 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 (22.45 x 17.2 x 0.94cm). (At just under two pounds, it's about 25 percent heavier, too.) But rather than just being a thicker version of the same, the Surface Pro looks as if it had an additional plate grafted on the back. The flat kickstand mounted on the rear returns, but here it's set a few millimeters away from the edges of the chassis. This forms a line that is continued around the entire device, a slight and curious gap between the back and the sides.

The Surface Pro resolution is added by stepping up to 1,920 x 1,080 makes things a little more complicated. Here we have a 10.6-inch display that looks great, offering very nice contrast and brightness, plus viewing angles that maintain that contrast from just about wherever you can see the display. (Helpful, that, because the non-adjustable kickstand means you'll quite often be looking at this thing from a less-than-optimal perspective.) It's optically bonded, like on the RT, which reduces glare when compared to a traditional glossy panel.

It's that higher resolution that we occasionally struggled with when running desktop apps. By default, the tablet is set to scale text to 150 percent its original size, making most (but not all) menus and buttons huge and reasonably finger-friendly. That's great when you're actually using your fingers, but it results in a lot of wasted space on the display when you're using a mouse. More troublingly, it made the text and icons in many apps appear rather blurry.

Overall performance of the Intel Core i5 Surface Pro more than met our expectations. A cold boot is completed in eight seconds or less, which is quite impressive indeed, and apps launched snappily and reacted well. Performance here is definitely adequate to get some serious work done, impressions that were backed by our benchmarks. The Surface Pro attained a 4,673 average score in PCMark 7 and 3,811 in 3DMark06, marks that favorably compare to the similarly specced Acer Iconia W700.

The Microsoft Surface Pro is a full-featured tablet that can be transformed into a notebook with its detachable colorful touch or type cover keyboard. It makes a very good replacement for your old netbook, with a more powerful processor, bigger RAM, bigger storage space and Windows 8 Pro. Best thing is it can handle all your apps with ease including Windows 7 desktop apps. However, being a high performance tablet notebook that has desktop capabilities, the Microsoft Surface Pro has a pretty bad battery life despite having a bigger 42.5Wh battery.

Razer Edge

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:54:00 +0000

The year of the tablets has just gone extreme with the introduction of the world's first tablet designed for PC gamers. It isn't just an ordinary tablet with gaming capabilities. It is a tablet that comes with 4 different modes to suit the gamer, ultimately making it a unique and innovative tablet that stands out from the crowd. The 4 different modes namely the Tablet mode, the Keyboard mode, the Mobile Console mode and the Home Console mode target mainly the 4 types of gamers which consists of the tablet gamers, notebook gamers, PSP gamers and the Xbox/PS3 gamers.

Mobile Console Mode
The Razer Edge is powered by 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 processors with NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 2GB DDR3 graphics in a 10.1” high definition multi-touch display, and a rugged 128GB/256GB high-speed solid state drive that screams incredible performance in a portable form-factor. The Gamepad Controller for the Razer Edge makes it the only tablet in the world that allows for console style gaming on the go with full PC game support, immersive vibration-feedback and direct reflective acoustics.

Tablet Mode
Without the gamepad controller, the Razer Edge is a full-fledged tablet, ready to play all of your favorite touch screen games and applications. With Windows 8, gamers will have access to the largest library of games in the world, so you’re not waiting on the most popular games and software.

Home Console Mode
The Docking Station for the Razer Edge expands connectivity to 3x USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, and MIC in/Stereo out. Ready to connect your favorite peripherals, controllers, external display, headset, speakers, and charge your Razer Edge all at the same time. The docking station also supports your favorite Razer gear for the unfair advantage. Take advantage of the complete home console gaming experience. It’s the most versatile tablet ever.

Keyboard Mode
The Keyboard Dock for the Razer Edge is optimized for PC games and applications by converting the Edge to a notebook style PC. It is designed to channel sound through a direct reflective acoustic chamber, enhancing the Edge's native speakers for an immersive gaming experience. Also with the optional extended battery, you’ll enjoy additional game time.

For gamers who would like to feel the 4 in 1 gaming experience; having a tablet, laptop, PSP and Xbox in one device, the Razer Edge is the best gaming device you could ever bought. Imagine the power of bulky Alienware notebook in a portable tablet form factor that you bring anywhere without adding much weight to your backpack.

Samsung SSD 840 Pro

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:38:00 +0000

One of the best upgrade a PC can receive is the changing of HDD to SSD. It breathes new life to a PC by tremendously increasing the sequential read/write and boot time by using NAND flash memory instead of a spinning drive and right now we are gonna check out one of the fastest and most energy efficient SSD in the market, the Samsung 840 PRO.

Samsung SSD 840 PRO is based on proprietary Samsung triple core MDX controller consisting of three Arm Cortex R4s running at around 300MHz with 512MB of LPDDR2-1066. The new-generation 2bpc 21nm MLC NAND coupled with a 400Mbps Toggle 2.0 interface is capable of delivering up to 540MB/s and 520MB/s of sequential read and write speeds for ultra fast file transfers including random speeds of up to 100K IOPS for the fastest real-world performance. Samsung 840-series SSDs are available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities.

The Samsung SSD 840 PRO provides workstation-class performance for seamless video editing or the ultimate gaming experience while safeguarding your data. Samsung-designed multi core controller and firmware ensure long-term sustained computing with superior write performance for non-compressible data like images, music and videos. AES 256-bit full disk encryption provides advanced data security.

Weighing at only 62.5 grams, it is 100% Samsung designed and manufactured using the highest industry standards and advanced Samsung memory technology. No moving parts mean no hard-drive spin-ups, no noise and superior data protection. As the first SSD to support Device Sleep mode for Windows 8/Haswell chipsets, it also features industry-leading energy efficiency that provides up to 50 minutes longer battery life.

If you aspire your desktop or notebook to be one of the fastest around, do not miss this chance to upgrade your HDD to the Samsung 840 PRO which is one of the best SSDs in the market featuring the new 4th generation MDX controller from Samsung. It comes with Samsung Smart Data Migration Software, Samsung SSD Magician software CD, user manual & 5 year warranty.

Acer Aspire S7

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:37:00 +0000

Acer has recently launched their new touch-enabled Windows 8 Ultrabooks dubbed the Aspire S7. Calling it an upgrade of Aspire S5, the Aspire S7 has a super-slim finely textured aluminium unibody design and comes with glossy Gorilla Glass 2 for the 13.3 or 11.6 inch Full HD screen. As an Acer notebook enthusiast, I was always looking forward for an Acer notebook that is ultraportable and has a slim, unibody aluminium design just like Apple's Macbook at an affordable price.

The white Gorilla Glass 2 is radically thin, supremely strong, scratch resistant and easy to clean. It makes the beauty of the 13.3 inch Aspire S7 gleam at an ultra-thin 11.9 mm. The 11.6 inch model with its sleek aluminum unibody is just 12.2 mm slim. Either way, the Aspire S7 gives you the freedom to go anywhere, carefree and looking fabulous. The Aspire S7 crisp Full HD 1920x1080 display generates deep detail and 10-point touch puts control at your fingertips. Able to open 180 degrees, this ultrabook can be laid flat and used from both sides for terrific teamwork.

In the park, on the bus, out camping or wherever it's dark, you can rest assured there will be light. The Aspire S7 electroluminescent backlit keyboard illuminates automatically, optimizing its glow to suit the ambient light and keep your eyes comfortable.

The Aspire S7 is always cool under fire with its unique twin air cooling system. One fan pulling in cool air and another releasing warm air. Weighing at only 1.3kg, it is comfortable in your lap and under your palms. Smart technology makes this ultrabook experience a real joy all the time.

The Aspire S7 features the latest third generation Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5/i7 with integrated Intel HD graphics 4000, 4GB DDR3 RAM and 128GB/256GB SSD. It also comes with USB 3.0, Micro HDMI, Dolby home theater speaker system and a 4 cell 4680mAh battery that is quoted to last at least 6 hours.

The Acer Aspire S7 makes a perfect college companion and business partner that does not add much weight in your backpack or when carrying it by hand. With super fast computing power, capacitive touch screen and gleaming white Gorilla Glass design, you will be able to breeze through presentations with style.

Western Digital VelociRaptor

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:04:00 +0000

Alrighty guys, today we're gonna checkout the world's fastest SATA hard drive, the Western Digital VelociRaptor which runs at 10000 RPM instead of the standard 7200 RPM. The Western Digital VelociRaptor is the first consumer internal hard drive that runs at 10000 RPM with a capacity of up to 1TB in an attempt to take on the SSD market with faster speed and capacity. While most SSDs can only provide high speed and performance, they are very limited in terms of capacity storage space.

Designed around a 10,000 RPM spin speed, the Western Digital VelociRaptor SATA 6 Gb/s drives include a 64 MB cache and deliver the ultimate performance for photo and video editing. With 1.4 million hours MTBF, these drives have the highest available reliability rating on a high capacity SATA drive. In addition, these drives feature a 5-year limited warranty.

The Western Digital VelociRaptor features state-of-the-art technology delivers a balance of high performance 10000 RPM and high capacity of up to 1TB, perfect for data-intensive workloads that require large amounts of storage such as video editing, 3D rendering and scientific modeling. Consumes less idle power and uses similar active power as the previous generation WD VelociRaptor, while offering higher capacity and performance.

The Western Digital VelociRaptor 2.5-inch hard drive is enclosed in a backplane-ready 3.5-inch mounting frame with a built-in heat sink that keeps this powerful little drive extra cool when installed in high-performance desktop chassis. It also ensures reliability for applications that perform a high incidence of read/write operations at the same physical location on the disk.

If you're looking for an internal drive that gives both performance and storage capacity, look no further. The Western Digital VelociRaptor runs at 10000 RPM and comes in capacity variants of 300GB, 600GB and 1TB. However, these drives are designed for use in servers or desktop workstations and are unsuitable for use in laptops.

Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3-1600 Laptop Memory

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Today I'm gonna review about the Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3-1600 high-performance laptop memory kit which I recently bought. If you use your notebook for heavy-duty applications like video editing, virtual machines or simply playing high demanding games, your notebook should have as much memory as possible.

Adding a 8GB or 16GB SoDIMM upgrade kit will allow you to multitask between more programs at once, load and edit larger files without having to wait for data to buffer to the drive. Vengeance laptop memory upgrade kits are designed to work with any PC or notebook which accepts standard DDR3 SODIMMs.

The Corsair Vengeance laptop memory kit comes with 2x4GB DDR3 204 pin SoDIMM memory modules. It has a speed rating of 1600Mhz (PC3-12800) and a latency of 9-9-9-24. It runs on a standard voltage of 1.5V. There is also a Low Profile version of Corsair Vengeance memory designed to keep your laptops running longer.

Many laptops even those sold as performance systems come equipped with memory that's not capable of running at the maximum speed supported by the processor. If your notebook is equipped with a 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5 or Core i7 processor, it will automatically detect the faster speed supported by the Corsair Vengeance laptop memory upgrade kit. No BIOS adjustments are necessary to take advantage of the faster memory speed.

Corsair Vengeance memory is backward compatible with notebooks which use first-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Even if your notebook doesn't use the latest-generation processor, you can still upgrade to 8GB using only two memory slots, and enjoy the confidence of Corsair's renowned service and support.

Previously when I was using Strontium 2x2GB DDR3-1333 memory for my laptop, I notice a lot of slowdown when I was using Adobe Photoshop. When it comes to opening my Windows XP virtual machine at VirtualBox, my host system lagging was unbearable, it takes at least 10s to open Microsoft Word. Even when playing Battlefield 3, the character gets shot many times because the fps was too low.

With the Corsair Vengeance high performance DDR3-1600 Laptop Memory, I can open 2 virtual machines without any massive slowdown on my host system. All my games - Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead 2 & Battlefield 3 ran very smooth after upgrade. There is hardly any noticeable lag when I was playing games. Even my laptop seems to boot way faster than before. The Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3-1600 laptop memory upgrade kit is a must-have for serious road warriors who do photo or video editing, ran virtual machines or simply wants to win the next BF3 community challenge.

Sennheiser HD 203 Headphones

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 06:41:00 +0000

Hey guys, today I'm gonna talk about the Sennheiser HD 203 headphones which I recently bought. I was initially looking for a cheap and good pair of headphones to replace my Samsung earpiece that comes with the Galaxy S II phone as it is already damaged to the extent that no sound was coming out from the right side.

Ok, first and foremost, let's talk about the packaging. When the shipment arrive at my home on Dec 22nd, I noticed that the headphones' has an excessive packaging by the manufacturer. Even with a pair of scissors, I'm still having difficulties opening it and taking out the headphones.

The design of the headphones was pretty dull with the silver headband and the dark gray earcups. And of course the black background and white 'Sennheiser HD 203 logo' at each side. As the Sennheiser HD 203 was classified as DJ headphones, they were designed primarily for home and studio use and therefore not portable with the 3 metre long cord.

When it comes to comfort, the Sennheiser HD 203 was one of the most comfortable headphones I've tried. It comes with replaceable leather oval earcups and also a cushion padding at the top. The earcups can also be adjusted through the slider mechanism at each side to best fits the head size. It can used for long hours of movies, gaming or simply listening to music.

When I bought the Sennheiser HD 203, it was priced at US$29.89 from Amazon. Actually, I was pretty stunned to see a Sennheiser headphone at such a low price point. After inclusive of tax and shipping, I paid a total price of US$40 for the headphones. Here in Singapore, the Sennheiser HD 203 retail price was at SG$79.90 (US$65.32). I save US$25!. Without further delay, I grabbed the deal from Amazon and received it 2 weeks later.

This is the most important part when it comes to buying headphones. The sound quality. The Sennheiser HD 203 is a sharp-sounding pair of headphones. It produces crisp, clear and vivid sound. The highs, mids and lows are all well-balanced. The bass is not overpowering as compared to Beats by Dre headphones and you can hear the vocals and the acoustics perfectly.

If you're just looking for a cheap pair of headphones that has a good overall sound quality, I would highly recommend the Sennheiser HD 203 as it is one of the best & most comfortable pair of headphones that is below 50 bucks. The Sennheiser HD 203 comes with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack, a separate 6.3mm stereo jack adapter and 2 years international warranty.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:24:00 +0000

Amazon's Kindle Fire quickly became a powerhouse of media content consumption when it was introduced in 2011, and Amazon's looking to maintain that momentum with the just-announced Kindle Fire HD. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took the stage in Santa Monica, Calif. on Thursday to introduce the Kindle Fire HD, a new umbrella that covers 7- and 8.9-inch tablets with a variety of data options.

The depth of the hardware improvements can’t be overemphasized. The very first thing I noticed when I picked up the Kindle Fire HD was how the new rounded edges nestled into my hands more naturally than the chunky, square edges of the original Fire. While the screen is still 7 inches, the face of Fire HD is larger than that of its predecessor: it’s 2 millimeters taller and 17 millimeters wider. But what the Fire HD has gained in 2-D real estate, it’s lost in height and weight, measuring 1 millimeter slimmer and 18 grams lighter. That might not sound like a lot, but the device is noticeably lighter.

The original Fire oddly lacked external volume controls, so you had to tap through the menus just to raise or lower the sound. This super-annoying quirk has been corrected, and volume buttons now sit flush along the tablet’s tapered edge, next to the sleep button. The old protruding sleep button is gone, too. It’s now recessed, so it’s much harder to accidentally press it by placing the tablet on a table or in a cradle while holding it in portrait mode. Goodbye, inadvertent sleeping.

The new display is much nicer, a 1,280 x 800 IPS panel with a pixel density of 216 ppi. When viewed next to the Nexus 7, the Kindle Fire HD’s display is clearly crisper and has better contrast, though neither can compete with the latest iPad’s Retina display. The Fire HD’s display is also notable for its glare protection. It won’t eliminate glare entirely, but it does have less glare than the iPad and Nexus 7, making it easier to use in less-than-optimal lighting situations.

Like the previous Kindle Fire, the HD model runs a version of Android that’s been dressed up and customized by Amazon — though the Fire now runs Android 4.0 instead of stale old 2.3, and performs much better because of it.

Lenovo IdeaTab S2109

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:06:00 +0000

On Wednesday, Lenovo announced the upcoming IdeaTab S2109, an Android-based tablet with "amped up" multimedia features. It's also one of the lightest 9.7-inch tablets on the market, weighing in at just 1.27 pounds and measuring just 1/3-inches thick. The pricetag is rather lightweight too, starting at $349.

"The IdeaTab S2109 tablet is an entertainment maven’s dream device, boasting powerful processing and graphics for multimedia use," said Yao Li, director of Innovation Product Operations, Lenovo. "The tablet’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS and amped-up features give consumers something that will keep them conveniently entertained anywhere, anytime in an incredibly slim package."

Lenovo's new IdeaTab S2109 tablet features a unibody shell with a gunmetal finish. Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" is the OS of choice, backed by a Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual core SoC. Additional specs include up to 1 GB of RAM, an extra-bright IPS display, HDMI output, four SRS surround sound speakers, and a battery life of up to 10 hours.

Also on the hardware list is a microSD card slot, a microUSB port for charging and connecting other devices, and a 1.3MP front webcam for crystal-clear video chatting. Running on top of Google's Android 4.0 will be Lenovo's own user-friendly interface, displaying custom content in addition to providing easy access to the Lenovo App Store and Google Play.

Presently Lenovo doesn't offer a detailed list of specs, as the tablet isn't due to arrive until early June. That said, storage capacities and pricing is unknown at this point. The product website states the tablet will offer "up to 1 GB LPDDR2 memory" and "up to 32 GB storage," so we expect to see multiple options next week.

Amazon Kindle Fire

noreply@blogger.com (fifif330) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:00:00 +0000

In the world of tablets, there are great products and there are cheap products, but very few great, cheap products. Fortunately, for those of you unwilling to shell out US$500 for an Apple iPad 2, and wary of buying a piece of junk, Amazon's US$159 tablet should be at the top of your wish list.

The Kindle Fire is not the best tablet we've seen this year, but we have to give credit to Amazon for seeing something that no other manufacturer--not even Apple--was able to grasp. When you look at the gap between what tablets are capable of doing, and what people actually use them for, you'll find that most people just want to be entertained.

The Kindle Fire is here to entertain us, and at US$159, we suspect many will take Amazon up on the offer. It is a tablet with a 7-inch screen, giving it a similar look and feel as the RIM BlackBerry Playbook or Samsung Galaxy Tab 7. It runs a heavily modified version of Google's operating system and includes 8GB of internal memory.

With it, you can read e-books using Amazon's popular Kindle software, download Android apps and games using Amazon's Appstore, purchase music using Amazon's MP3 store, and watch videos using Amazon's video on-demand and download services. The common thread here is that Amazon's digital stores and services are all loaded and ready to go out of the box. In fact, there's no getting around them since they're baked into the home screen navigation.

For software, you're really limited to the Amazon way of doing things. You can download third-party apps, but they come by way of Amazon's app store. The underlying software may be Google's, but key Android features, such as Maps, Gmail, Calendar Navigation, and the Google App Market, are all absent. The unspoken deal you're making with Amazon here is that in exchange for an inexpensive tablet, you're agreeing to get your apps, your games, your books, your music, and your videos through its services.

It's a benevolent dictatorship, though, and to be fair Apple runs its tablet the same way. Just like the iPad, Amazon seems open to the idea that offering competing services, such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Rhapsody, Pandora, comiXology, and others. To see what apps are available, just head over to Amazon's online app store and poke around.

The other good news is that Amazon's services don't suck. Their music store is absolutely on par with iTunes in terms of selection, and their prices are cheaper in most cases. Amazon's e-book store is arguably the most popular in the industry and put the Kindle brand on the map. Their freshly unveiled Newsstand offers over 400 full-color magazines and newspapers at launch, which can be purchased as single issues or subscriptions. An overview of their selection can be seen on Amazon's site.

The Kindle Fire includes a dual-core processor, a Micro-USB 2.0 port, and an estimated 8 hours of battery life. It's also worth noting that unlike the iPad 2, the Kindle Fire supports Adobe Flash Web content. In our video battery life test, the Kindle Fire managed 6.8 hours, which is acceptable, but not as good as the iPad 2.

Finally, there's the screen. In our experience, the telltale sign of any sub-US$300 tablet is poor screen quality. On paper, Amazon's tablet seems to buck this trend. The Kindle Fire offers a 1,024 x 600-pixel resolution display using the same wide-angle IPS screen technology as the iPad. Unfortunately, the screen's brightness doesn't live up to the iPad's, but it's in the same ballpark and is bright enough to look great indoors. If you want something that will look great in direct sunlight, we're sure Amazon would be happy to add an e-ink Kindle to your order.

Also bear in mind that Amazon is rumored to be working on a version of the Kindle Fire with a larger screen. That's a tempting proposition, but there's practically no chance it will be offered at this same price.

Will there be a better version of this 7-inch Kindle Fire down the road? No doubt. The current design is relatively clunky, and the included features are meager even by 2010 standards. Knowing that, is it still worth the US$159 gamble? In my eyes, yes. It's Amazon's services--not the hardware--that make this device so appealing.