Gadgets Launch And More

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 hot review

2012-10-28T02:47:00.002-07:00

Big phone, small tablet or in-between ‘phablet’? It’s a question that gets less and less important the more you get to grips with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. With its whopping 5.5in display it gives you more screen real estate than even Samsung’s own Galaxy S3 or the HTC One X and the kind of Web-browsing, game-playing, video-watching usability you’d expect from a 7 inch tablet. Yet it’s still (just about) small enough to wedge in a jacket pocket. Throw in Samsung’s S-Pen technology, and you have a device that won’t suit some users, but will prove indispensable to others. Most of all, it’s still a device unlike any other.

Design

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Galaxy Note 2 is big. Measuring 151 x 80.5 x 9.4mm, it’s slightly wider and taller (though a little thinner) than the original Note, and over a centimetre wider and taller than the Galaxy S3 – hardly the least obtrusive phone itself. You do feel a bit silly holding the thing up to your ear while making or taking calls, and even if you could cram it into your jeans pocket, you wouldn't look or feel comfortable walking around with it in there.

Get over the size, however, and it’s surprising how light and comfortable the Galaxy Note 2 feels. Despite the flexible, strip-away plastic back it never feels lightweight or plasticity it’s all nicely curved for the hand, and the metallic edge gives it extra weight and substance. It’s a good-looking, robust-feeling device.
Controls and connections are all in place, but discrete. There’s a volume rocker on the left-hand-edge, a power button on the right and a standard micro USB port at the bottom. The only control button on the front is a single pill-shaped home button, with touch-sensitive menu and back buttons to the left and right that only light up when activated. To find the micro SIM card slot and micro SD card slot, you have to peel away the back, also allowing you to get at and replace the battery. The Note 2 ships in 16, 32 and 64 GB variations, but it’s always good to be able to upgrade it with a micro SD card, and you don’t need to remove the battery to get at it either.

While it won’t be challenging the iPhone 5 in the pixel density stakes, the 5.5 inch AMOLED screen is a beauty. The 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution is actually lower than the 1,280 x 800 resolution of the original Note, but there’s compensation in the fact that there’s no pen-tile sub-pixel arrangement here, making everything look that little bit sharper. It’s a fantastically bright, fantastically clear screen, and if the colors sometimes look a little too vibrant, at least they’re consistently punchy and always hold up well, no matter what the lighting. If you’re playing games, browsing photo albums or watching movies, then this is a brilliant device to do so on, offering a bigger screen experience than any normal smartphone, but without the added size and weight of a tablet.
Of course, there are a few more questions when it comes to apps or browsing the Web; with the same resolution as the Galaxy S3, does the bigger screen of the Note 2 actually bring any benefits? On balance, we’d say so. It’s just that bit easier to read text without zooming in to the same degree, or to navigate around a page without prodding the wrong bit. The Note 2 also works better as an eBook reader, because you can see more text without decreasing the font size to the point of being illegible.
Overall, that larger screen helps make the Note 2 an incredibly versatile device.
Sound is another strength. While we've heard some 7 inch tablets deliver more powerful and better-rounded sound, the Note 2 fares better than most smartphones while watching films or playing games. Call quality is good, and the Note 2 works well to record voices or double up as a speakerphone. Samsung also gets kudos for shipping a half-decent pair of in-ear headphones in the box. They won’t stand up to a set of budget I Ems from Shore or Klipsch, but when combined with Samsung’s music player app and its Sound Alive EQ technology, you can get some very listenable results.

The reason the original Note caught the public imagination was its S-Pen stylus, which transformed the device from an oddball smartphone/tablet into something people wanted to work and play with. It all comes down to a combination of software and hardware, with Wac om providing digitalis technology to recognise the proximity of the stylus and sense the pressure with which it’s being applied (with support for up to 1,024 levels), while Samsung has provided software to harness these features to useful effect.
The stylus now resides in a slot at the bottom of the device, and it’s a slim but very manageable effort with a nice, rounded profile. The Note 2 actively recognizes when you've pulled the stylus from its sheath and takes you to a gallery of templates for the S Note note-taking app, where you can doodle, list or annotate to your heart’s content.
The app has some very smart handwriting recognition technology built in, which did an impressive job of converting the scrawl that once appalled my teachers into normal text (albeit with the assistance of some heavy auto-correct , and while you couldn't mistake S Note for an art package, there are enough line and color options to keep most doodlers busy in their next endless meeting. There’s also a neat screen recorder function, so that you can watch your notes and annotations appearing later in the order that you added them.

But the functionality doesn't end there. Open up the S-Planner calendar app and you can hover the pen over an event to see more detailed information, and there’s a similar preview feature in the email application. Hold the button on the pen down while you have another app open, and you get a screenshot you can annotate using S-Note’s tools before saving it to use or email later.
Beyond this, Samsung also includes an entertaining little app called Paper Artist, which enables you to take a photo or open up a new one then add a range of artistic filters locally using finger or stylus, with the effects happening as you watch in real time. I’d be hard pressed to say that it did anything useful or even that artistic, but it’s fun – and the Note 2 isn’t all about hard work by any means.

GALAXY NOTEBOOK: Regular-season finale used as warmup for playoffs

2012-10-28T02:39:00.002-07:00

he Galaxy close out their season today with a game that means little to them, so they might as well entitle it "How to succeed in soccer without really trying."

The objective when the Galaxy (15-12-6) take on Seattle (15-7-11) at Home Depot Center will be to get some playing time for their stars who are coming off injuries, get out healthy and prepare for Thursday's playoff game against Vancouver.

Landon Donovan (bone bruise in the knee) and David Beckham (sprained ankle) are expected to return, though it remains to be seen how long they'll play.

Then on Thursday, the Galaxy will be at home for a one-game knockout round for the right to take on San Jose in a home-and-home series.

"It's been a while for me so I want to get some minutes for sure," Donovan said. "It's a balance between being smart, not with just myself, but with everybody. It's about staying sharp, hopefully avoiding injury and being ready to go on Thursday."

While Seattle's first-round series with Real Salt Lake is already locked in, the result could determine how the that series is played in terms of the home field.

But the Galaxy don't expect the Sounders, under coach Sigi Schmid, to be all fanatic about it.

"Sigi's been around long enough to know he doesn't want any freak things to happen to his team so I'm sure they're going to be smart about it," Donovan said. "They have more to play for in the game than we do, but if you had an inexperienced coach who's

all gung-ho about going for it, it might be a little bit different. You know he'll be smart with his players."
That's the line the Galaxy are treading as well. Donovan and Beckham both trained consistently this week for the first time in weeks and they both think they'll need to be on the field to carry that progress into the postseason.

Of course, had the Galaxy taken care of business earlier in the season, they could have finished in the top three of the Western Conference and not had to worry about an extra play-in game.

"You want to finish higher and you want to finish in better position, but reaching the playoffs is always the goal at the start of the season and we've done that," Beckham said. "We're going to come up against good teams now.

"We have to be ready. It's the stage of the season now where it's do or die."

Assistant coach Dave Sarachan, who ran training for three days this week while the rest of the squad went to El Salvador for a Champions League game, has kept a sharp eye on Beckham and Donovan.

"They've made good progress this week," Sarachan said. "Now it's the determination of how many minutes, what makes sense because we know Thursday's the real target day."

Kid duty

The Galaxy's 3-2 victory over Metapan in the Champions League, completed with a very youthful squad, was eyed intently on television by the veterans who stayed home.

Naturally, they were impressed by the two-goal performance from 17-year-old Jack McBean.

"Jack's a strong kid," Beckham said. "It's good to see him getting goals like he did. At his age, he should have a lot of energy like he showed."

The set-up

Forward Robbie Keane, who has scored a team-leading 16 goals for the Galaxy this season, is looking at today's game as basically a scrimmage to build for the postseason.

"It's important to keep the momentum going and keep the fitness up," Keane said. "You feel better when you keep playing on a regular basis, and hopefully we're getting a lot of confidence for Thursday's game as well.

"I think we're more than ready. Over the last few months I think we've probably been the best team. But it means nothing if you don't perform in the playoffs."

Also, Keane was fined by Major League Soccer for criticizing the officials following a 2-2 tie against the San Jose Earthquakes last Sunday.

Microsoft and Google launches on Windows, Surface, iPads and Note

2012-10-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Apple began taking advance orders Friday. The white version of the iPad Mini quickly sold out on Apple's website, with deliveries now expected in two weeks rather than one. As of Friday afternoon, the black iPad Mini was still available for next Friday.

Apple is also refreshing its full-sized iPad, giving it a faster processor and faster Wi-Fi capabilities. Advance orders started Friday as well, with shipments in a week.

Meanwhile, Apple has unveiled a 13-inch version of a MacBook Pro with sharper, "Retina" display, complementing the 15-inch version unveiled in June. Apple also updated its iMac line.

Last month, Apple began selling its iPhone 5. The new phone is bigger, but thinner than previous models and works with faster cellular networks known as 4G.

PHONE RIVAL

Apple's leading rival, Samsung Electronics Co., came out with a new version of its flagship phone, the Galaxy S III, months ago. But Samsung is known for releasing products throughout the year, each targeted at a different base of consumers.

For those who like to work with a stylus, the Galaxy Note II smartphone came out this week. T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular are selling it now. Verizon and AT&T are taking advance orders for shipments in the coming weeks.

The Note comes on the heels of Samsung's campaign touting its Galaxy S III phone as its "next big thing." The Note is even bigger, with a 5.5 inch screen, compared with the S III's 4.8 inches and the iPhone 5's 4 inches, all measured diagonally.

The Note runs the latest version of Google's Android system, Jelly Bean.

TABLET RIVALS

Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire is one of the smaller tablets with decent sales. Last month, it started shipping an updated version with a faster processor, more memory and longer battery life. It also cut the price to $159, from $199, making it far cheaper than the iPad, which starts at $399.

Amazon is also releasing higher-end models under the Kindle Fire HD line. A 7-inch one goes for $199 and an 8.9-inch one for $299. There's also a $499 model that can use the 4G cellular networks that phone companies have been building. A data plan will cost an extra $50 a year. The smaller HD model is already available, while the larger ones will be available Nov. 20.

Barnes and Noble Inc. is also updating its Nook tablets. The new Nook HD will come in two sizes, one at 7 inches (starting at $199) and one at 9 inches (starting at $269). They will be out Thursday.

In addition to the new HD screen and a lighter body, Barnes & Noble is increasing the services the Nook offers. It's adding a video purchase and rental service, allowing users to maintain different profiles and making it easier to browse titles in its book and magazine stores.

Google has an event in New York on Monday. All the company is saying is that it has to do with Android. Google started selling the Nexus 7 over the summer and could use the event to announce an update.

Toys R Us, meanwhile, is making a 7-inch Tabeo tablet aimed at children. It goes for $150.

CALLING ON WINDOWS

Microsoft Corp. released a new version of the Windows operating system on Friday, one that's designed to work on both traditional computers and tablet devices. Desktops, laptops and tablet computers with Windows 8 started going on sale Friday.

Microsoft also released its own tablet computer, the Surface. It's new territory for Microsoft, which typically leaves it to others to make devices using its software. Now, it will be competing against its partners.

One model will run on the same type of lower-energy chips used in the iPad. It will start at $499, also like the newest, full-sized iPads. A keyboard cover will cost another $100. Sales started Friday.

A heavier, more expensive version will run on Intel chips and be capable of running standard Windows applications. Microsoft hasn't announced the date or price for that yet.

A new version of the Windows Phone system is coming out this fall as well. Once-dominant phone maker Nokia Corp. has been struggling in the shadow of Apple and Android, and it's counting on the new Windows system for a revival. Nokia and Microsoft have unveiled two new devices, but few details are available on when and where they would go on sale.

NEW BLACKBERRY'S

A year ago, Research In Motion Ltd. disclosed that it was working on a next-generation phone system for the BlackBerry, which now looks ancient next to the iPhone and Android devices. It was supposed to be out in time for this year's holiday season. That won't happen.

In June, RIM pushed the release of BlackBerry 10 devices into early next year, saying it wasn't ready. That means RIM will not only compete with the new iPhone and Android devices out this fall, but it will also have to contend with the new Windows devices.

PLAYING GAMES

Nintendo's new Wii U game machine will go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 18. A basic, white model will cost $300. A deluxe black version for another $50 comes with an extra game and more accessories. The Game-pad touch-screen controller for it will offer new ways to play.

In "New Super Mario Bros. U.," for example, players holding the old Wii controllers control Mario, Luigi and other characters. The person with the Game-pad can help them along by using a stylus to create stepping stones for the characters or stun enemies.

Players can also turn off the TV entirely and play on the Game-pad.

Nintendo Co. has been trying to drum up excitement for the Wii U, the first major gaming console to launch since 2006.

The company also announced new entertainment features for the console. Called Nintendo TVii, the service collects all the ways users have to watch movies, TV shows and sports. This includes pay-TV accounts along with services such as Hulu and Netflix. The Game-pad works as a fancy remote controller and will let viewers comment on what they are watching.

TVii will be available Nov. 18 as well, at no extra cost.

Nokia Asha 308 launched At Price Rs 5,865 in india

2012-10-22T16:24:00.001-07:00

Nokia has launched one of its latest phones from the Asha line in India. The Nokia Asha 308 is now available on Nokia India’s online store for a price of Rs 5,865. The phone runs on Nokia’s S40 full-touch interface.The new device offers a fluid 'swipe' user interface and an open environment for third-party application development, characteristics that have earned the complete Asha Touch range full smartphone classification from global market research companies and analysts such as GfK and IDC.

Nokia Asha 308:

3-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 400 x 240 pixels

EDGE/GPRS

Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP

2 megapixel camera, VGA frontfacing camera

ccording to Nokia, the Asha 308 and Nokia Asha 309 phones are its most affordable capacitive touchscreen devices to date. A view shared by independent analysts is that the Asha line represents great smartphones available for less than USD 99. "Nokia's Asha Touch family delivers all the core smartphone experiences, and with the new software developer kit, provides ever-increasing flexibility for developers to build compelling new experiences for consumers," said Will Stofega, Mobile Phone Program Director, IDC.

Nokia also introduced two extensions to its Xpress Browser Internet platform, which the company calls the only cloud-based web browser to support web apps.

The Nokia Nearby web app helps people discover new places by searching nearby locations and presenting the options on a map. The service is available via Nokia Xpress Browser or as a feature within Nokia Maps.

The Nokia Life+ web app will give millions of people access to content that spans education, health and infotainment to enhance their daily lives. Nokia Life+ is available in English across 18 countries, with local versions coming to India, China and Indonesia in the fourth quarter of this year. Nokia Life+ can be accessed through Nokia Xpress Browser or the Nokia Store.

Both the services work with Asha Touch smartphones. In addition to these services, Nokia also introduced a new web-based tool that makes it even easier to build new applications. With Nokia Xpress Web App Builder, publishers can create appealing web apps for Asha Touch devices, and even novices can turn their web content into a fun and sophisticated web app for Nokia consumers.

Karbonn’s first made-in-India tablet Agnee to hit markets by Diwali

2012-10-17T19:56:00.003-07:00

NEW Delhi: Following the launch of three smartphones last weekend, Karbonn Mobiles today launched Agnee, it’s 3G tablet, completely made in India.

The tablet is powered by Qualcomm Technologies Inc’s SnapDragon processor and has been designed and developed by Karbonn in collaboration with Innominds Technologies – the USP of the tablet being its iCare content platform, which will provide education solutions and a platform for a comprehensive and collaborative platform for students and faculty.

“Karbonn Mobiles is envisioned to introduce innovative technology across the globe. We are pleased to announce Karbonn AGNEE, the first Made in India 3G tablet which will surely take a step forward in making engaged mobility solutions a reality for the Indian consumers,” Pradeep Jain, managing director, Karbonn Mobiles said at the release event.

The first variation of the table to be launched will be the Agnee L model, which is the most basic. The Agnee L will have a 7 inch display with a 4.0 Android OS – which the manufacturers say can be updated as and when Android updates. The table will have two cameras – in the front and at the rear. The front facing camera has a resolution of 1.3 MP front. The tablet will be priced below Rs 10,000.

Anil Katakam, Executive Vice President, Innominds Technologies said, “We have taken Qualcomm’s reference design and built it from scratch. This tablet is a collaboration between Innominds and Karbonn.””

Aside from iCare, the tablet’s content platform, which will support both rich text and HTML, the tablet will also support 22 Indian languages.

“This is not the 3G dongle enabled tablet – it’s 3G is both voice and data enabled tablet. It is going to be customised to the Indian experience in terms of the apps and experience. That’s what’s going to be different. Ours will also be the first tablet to support 22 Indian languages,” added Katakam.

The apps for the tablet will be broadly based on education, entertainment and general interests like newspapers, reading, usage and directory related services. And while some apps will be free of cost, many will have free trial periods which will eventually become paid apps.

Karbonn Mobiles plans to launch the product in the next three to four weeks – hoping to ride on the festive fever by aiming for a pre-Diwali release.

Karbonn Mobiles is one among the may local companies like Micromax that is competing with international brands like Samsung and Apple Inc. In India’s smartphone and tablet space.

According to a CyberMedia Research (CMR) India Quarterly Media Tablets Market Review, as of the second quarter of 2012, close to 90 vendors launched new tablets in the market, with the average price of a tablet having dropped to a little above Rs 13,000 from Rs 26,000 in Q1 of 2012. A majority of vendors in early 2012 launched their products in the Rs 5,000-10,000 price range, making India’s nascent tablet a very competitive one.

Top 5 Best laptops 2012

2012-10-14T23:45:00.001-07:00

1.Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Best high-end laptop

The newly redesigned MacBook Pro with Retina Display combines an amazing screen with just enough of the MacBook Air design to feel like a new animal, and to take its place as the best of the current MacBook breed

2.Apple MacBook Air review (13-inch, Summer 2012)

The good: The 13-inch MacBook Air has new Intel CPUs, better battery life, and an improved 720p Webcam, and finally adds USB 3.0 ports, while shaving $100 off the price from last year's models.

The bad: The design, while strong, stays largely the same: there's no Ethernet port, and the base SSD storage option of 128GB is smaller than a standard hard drive, though common for ultrabooks.

The bottom line: This year's MacBook Air opts for gradual improvements rather than anything revolutionary, but lowered prices continue to make it the go-to mainstream recommendation for any MacBook owner-to-be.

Not too long ago, the MacBook Air practically stood alone in the computer landscape with its unique blend of design, size, and performance, an improvement on the thin laptop with low-voltage CPU. The MacBook Air, in turn, influenced the arrival of the ultrabook, and a wave of newly designed Windows ultrathin computers aspiring to one-up the Air at its own game.

The 2012 MacBook Air no longer stands as the coolest Mac laptop: that crown has been temporarily stolen by the Retina Display MacBook Pro. Nor is it as unusual. However, it still remains the best example of an ultrathin laptop -- for its construction quality, performance, and ergonomics.

The 13-inch Air has the same looks as last year, and nearly the same build, with a few key differences: a new third-gen Intel Core i5 processor, USB 3.0 ports (replacing the previous USB 2.0), a higher-def 720p Webcam, and an altered MagSafe 2 charge cable and connector. Also, both 13-inch MacBook Pro models now cost $100 less, bringing the entry-level model with 128GB solid-state drive (SSD) to $1,199, the exact same cost as the 13-inch MacBook Pro. While the new Air doesn't have Mountain Lion, the next version of OS X, installed, a free upgrade will be made available when it's released.

The improvements in this year's 13-inch Air are far less dramatic than last year's, both from a features and performance standpoint, but the Air is truly the go-to MacBook now, and even more affordable, although its cost still looms well above that of most Windows ultrabooks. Because of that and its excellent performance, the MacBook Air remains the MacBook of the current batch we'd most recommend.

Want a MacBook that's easily portable? This is it. Want a back-to-school MacBook? This is the one. And, until the $2,199 Retina Display MacBook Pro drops in price, the $1,199 13-inch Air remains the MacBook for the masses. It's lighter, it performs better than ever, and it's less expensive, and in head-to-head tests with the 2012 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Air performed very closely, and had better battery life: nearly 45 minutes better than the 2011 MacBook Air.

Owners of last year's Air need not consider an upgrade, but if you haven't pulled the trigger on getting an Air yet, this is the best time to leap on board.

Price as reviewed	$1,199
Processor	1.8GHz Intel Core i5 ULV (third-gen)
Memory	4GB, 1,600MHz DDR3
Hard drive	128GB SSD
Chipset	Intel HM77
Graphics	Intel HD 4000
Operating system	OS X Lion 10.7.4
Dimensions (WD)	12.7x8.9 inches
Height	0.11-0.68 inch
Screen size (diagonal)	13.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	2.98 pounds / 3.68 pounds
Category	ultrabook

The all-aluminum unibody design of the MacBook Air has become iconic, and its rock-solid wedge-shaped build has influenced many of the current crop of Windows ultrabooks. However, just as the iPhone started iconic and gradually found itself surrounded by a sea of similar competitors, the MacBook Air now sits among ultrabooks, no longer as much of a stand-out it was a year ago. That doesn't mean the Air is any less comfortable or excellently built, but the look, going on a few years old, is less surprising.

he 13-inch Air is still one of the thinnest laptops around, but it does have a screen bezel that's larger than the current norm in high-end ultrabooks. The keyboard, wide and comfortable with slightly shallow keys, also has quite a bit of extra space around it. It's hard not to imagine a 13-inch Air that's a little more compact, perhaps shrinking to a smaller footprint. That's a small quibble, though; at 2.96 pounds, this laptop is unlikely to feel imposing in any bag.

The new 13-inch Air has one small but important change: it uses a different charge cable, called MagSafe 2, that replaces last year's MagSafe. It looks similar, but it's actually wider and flatter, and requires a differently shaped power cable that juts out from the side of the Air rather than hugging the side like existing MagSafe cords. I prefer the older design, and unfortunately, old MagSafe cables you have lying around will now require a $9.99 adapter to work with your new Air. Keep that in mind.

The Air has a shallower keyboard than the type that's on Apple's MacBook Pros and the wireless Bluetooth keyboard you get with an iMac, but it's just as great for typing. The backlighting adjusts well to ambient light. Like on all Macs, a row of function-reversed buttons control volume, screen brightness, and other functions. A button to the top right, normally the eject button, powers up the Air. It's still a tiny bit weird that this isn't a hard circular power button instead, like on the Pros.

The large multitouch and multifinger clickpad still stands as the best touch pad in the industry. It never hiccups, and gestures are as silky-smooth as on an iPad. It remains a perfect synchronization of hardware and software, and no Windows ultrabook has been able to match it. Competitors now offer similarly sized pads, but not ones of similar quality.

Unlike the 11-inch MacBook Air's, the 13-inch screen is not a 16:9 display, maintaining the same aspect ratio fragmentation as last year's Airs. The screen area also lacks the edge-to-edge glass over a black bezel found in other MacBooks; instead the screen is surrounded by a thick silver bezel. On the positive side, the native resolution of the display is 1,440x900 pixels, which is a better than the current 13-inch standard of 1,366x768 pixels. In head-to-head comparisons, the new 13-inch Pro's glass showed far more glare than the Air's, which is treated with an antiglare coating. The 13-inch MacBook Pro screen has a lower resolution of 1,280x800, and does not offer any higher-res screen upgrades, meaning it has the highest-resolution 13-inch display you can get on an Air; if you want a Retina Display, you'll have to pay up for that far larger $2,199 next-gen 15-inch Pro.

The MacBook Air comes with OS X Lion 10.7.4 preinstalled, but owners will be grandfathered in to a free OS upgrade to Mountain Lion when it's released -- a $19.99 value. Apple's standard suite of iLife software is preinstalled as well, giving you GarageBand, iPhoto, and iMovie.

The Air's speakers are oddly quiet, especially compared with those of ultrabooks such as the Sony Vaio T. They're fine for solo streaming of TV and movies, and game audio, but in a crowded room you'll prefer headphones.

A new HD Webcam has an increased 720p resolution, catching up to the quality of the Webcams in other Macs. FaceTime calls look far crisper, and it's a welcome upgrade.

2.Samsung Series 7 Gamer

Best gaming laptop

The Samsung Series 7 Gamer is huge, expensive, and unattractive, but it's also one of the best gaming laptops that we've seen this year. If you don't mind its beefy 17-inch form, you won’t be disappointed.

3.Acer Aspire S5
Thinnest ultrabook

Even thinner and lighter than a 13-inch MacBook Air, the Acer Aspire S5 is a great example of an ambitious ultrabook, held back by a few flaws and its high price.

4.Dell Inspiron 14z (June 2012)

Best budget laptop

Dell has managed to give a very upscale feel to its mainstream Inspiron 14z, a 14-inch ultrabook that comfortably juggles price, design, and performance.

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display review

2012-10-14T23:18:00.001-07:00

The good: The unprecedented high-resolution screen on the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display makes images -- even simple text -- look beautifully clear. Despite a redesigned, lightweight body, the powerful components, including an Nvidia GPU, compare well to recent high-end desktop replacements. Overdue new ports, including USB 3.0 and HDMI, are welcome.

The bad: With a $2,199 entry-level price tag, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display costs more than the typical American mortgage. The lack of onboard Ethernet jack, FireWire, or an optical drive can be inconvenient at times. Despite being thinner and lighter, it's not as travel-friendly as a true ultrabook or MacBook Air.
The bottom line: The newly redesigned MacBook Pro with Retina Display combines an amazing screen with just enough of the MacBook Air design to feel like a new animal, and to take its place as the best of the current MacBook breed.

The release of a brand-new Apple laptop design is rare, and always accompanied by much fanfare. The new MacBook Pro with Retina Display is no exception, especially as it introduces a new screen technology to laptops, while pulling in influences from the MacBook Air, existing Pro, and even the third-generation iPad.

At a starting price of $2,199, the Retina MacBook Pro is in a different tier of product than other recently spec-bumped Airs and Pros, but it also offers a mix of design and features that can't be duplicated in other Mac laptops: a quad-core processor in a body that's svelte (but not quite ultrabook-thin), discrete graphics, a super high-res display, and -- new to any MacBook -- HDMI.

This is the biggest change to the Pro's aesthetics since it adopted the now-familiar aluminum unibody construction in 2008. Updated periodically with new processors and new features, the MacBook Pro line remains a familiar sight in offices (especially in creative fields) and coffee shops. And, while that pre-existing 15-inch model is still considered thin for a midsize computer, recent challenges from Window-powered ultrabooks and even Apple's own MacBook Air have clearly influenced this split in the MacBook Pro family tree, leading to a thinner, more forward-looking offshoot (which will live alongside the thicker, non-Retina 15 and 13-inch Pro laptops).

Note that the 2012 MacBook Air and Pro lineups have been updated to Intel's third-generation Core i-series processors, also known as Ivy Bridge, and this new MacBook Pro with Retina Display starts out there. As Apple laptops have at times taken a while to trade up to Intel's latest hardware, it's nice to see Ivy Bridge arrive in a timely manner.

Of course, the real highlight is that new Retina Display. Its resolution is 2,880x1,800 pixels, providing a level of detail never seen on a laptop before. The highest standard Windows laptop screen resolution is 1,920x1,080 pixels, the same as an HDTV. That previous high-water mark has been fine in my experience, but even that can make text and images look small on a 15-inch laptop. Apple solves this via a different dot pitch for the screen, much as it did on the third-gen iPad.

In person, the Retina Display looks great, although you're more likely to notice it when comparing to a non-Retina laptop. It'll likely be more useful for heavy readers or Photoshop/Final Cut users at first, and we'll have to see how long it takes for other popular programs to update themselves to take advantage of the new screen.

In the end, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, while expensive, is the best all-around MacBook Apple now makes -- unless you absolutely, positively need a built-in optical drive or Ethernet jack (both are available via external dongles or peripherals). It provides desktop-replacement-level performance, but is nearly as slim as an imagined 15-inch MacBook Air would be, even if it's a little heavier than it looks. Because it eclipses the previous MacBook Pro in many ways, it earns a CNET Editors' Choice nod.

Still, it feels like a rest stop on the road to somewhere else, a not-too-distant future when all laptops are paper-thin and feather light, with powerful hardware, wide connectivity, and generous solid-state storage that rivals bulky old platter hard drives. Don't be shocked to see Retina screens filter down to less expensive models at some point in the not-too-distant future. We're not there yet, but this is a big step in that direction.

Price as reviewed	$2,199
Processor	2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM
Memory	8GB, 1600MHz DDR3
Hard drive	256GB SSD
Chipset	Intel HM77
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M / Intel HD 4000
Operating system	OS X Lion 10.7.4
Dimensions (WD)	14.1 x 9.7 inches
Height	0.7 inch
Screen size (diagonal)	15.4 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	4.6/5.4 pounds
Category	Midsize

In hands-on use, the new, thinner 15-inch MacBook Pro is both familiar and very different from what we've seen before. This is not an ultrabook (or an ultrathin laptop, as one would call these systems before Intel invented the ultrabook term), nor is it a full midsize laptop. Instead, it's an entirely new take that skirts the two, taking features from both sides of the aisle.

In the hand, at 0.7 inch, it's nearly as thin as a MacBook Air, at least the thicker end of that tapered system. But it's heavier than it looks, closer to a Pro, at 4.6 pounds. In other words, this is not the ultimate mobile laptop for people who have to jog around from place to place all day long, five or more days per week.

Still, it feels like a nice shift from the current Pro, which is what I'd call a "carry it around twice per week, tops" laptop. More often than that, especially with the traditional 15-inch MacBook Pro, and it really drags you down. I could see carrying this new, thinner Pro around with you several days per week, or maybe to and from work on a daily subway commute at a stretch.

From a distance, this could be mistaken for an Air, but up close, it's a different story. The design of the speakers, on either side of the keyboard, is lifted from the MacBook Pro. Along with the slablike, non-tapered body, I'd say the new Pro leans 70/30 or more toward the Pro rather than the Air in terms of design DNA.

The keyboard and trackpad are essentially the same as seen on the last several generations of MacBook, which is a good thing. Other laptops have matched, but not surpassed, the backlit Apple keyboard. And the trackpad, with its multifinger gestures, remains the industry leader. There are some patents, secret sauce, and OS-level sleight of hand behind this, but the practical result is touchpad experience far more satisfying than on any other laptop.

The Retina (left) and non-Retina MacBook Pro displays compared.

How To Buy New Must-Have Products For Next To Nothing

2012-10-01T11:44:00.001-07:00

Few things match the thrill of getting an incredible deal on an item we really crave. It’s a basic human response that we all can relate to.

That’s why auctions are so much fun – they present the titillating chance of scoring something for a lot less than we would expect. And that leaves us feeling great, because we now have the object of our desire and we have money left in our pocket.

Marketers know this and exploit it all the time –hence the profusion of sales, discounts, coupons, and the like… so much so, in fact, that we become numb to the tactic. People just don’t believe they’re really getting a bargain.

But now there’s a new online company that has actually figured out a way to sell new must-have consumer products for jaw-dropping prices.

It’s called Quibids – and it turns out that they are selling everything from the latest new Apple iPads and iPods, to MAC and PC notebooks, to HDTV’s and gift cards from the top retailers at prices as low as 5% of regular retail prices.

Now, of course, anyone in the right mind would be skeptical of such a claim – so we looked into it to learn just how they do it.

It turns out that both the prices and the products are real. Quibids runs a unique version of the traditional auction - when you bid on an item you actually get charged a small fee of about 60 cents. Collectively, the amount collected for all of the bids on an item allows the company to sell the item at price far below actual retail and even below the wholesale price they paid the manufacturer for it.

Figuring out how many bids to place and when to place them involves a little strategy but on QuiBids it’s actually a lot of fun. Each auction has a strict time limit and when you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in. If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out – you win the item for that price. According to QuiBids CEO Matt Beckham, “Thousands of people are trying QuiBids every day – and then coming back again and again - so we must be doing something right.”

For the auction winner, the true cost of the item is slightly higher than their winning bid price because they have also spent a little for their bids, but this amount is usually modest, and the savings still work out to be spectacular in most cases.

And then there’s the “Buy Now” feature. This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price. So, you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything.

So, if you want real deals - like a new iPad for under $34, a new Nikon Digital SLR Camera for less than $24 or a new 46” LED HDTV for under $25 – check out the action at QuiBids.

top 5 Best Tablets Below 15,000

2012-10-01T08:11:00.001-07:00

top 5 Best Tablets Below 15,000

There is no denying that tablets are more portable than notebooks with better battery life in a significant light weight. Many professionals have started using tablets over notebooks because of its portability and better performance. If you are in a profession where you need to travel a lot carrying a bulky laptop all the way, then it’s time to switch on to tablet for better experience. Here are the best tablets which suites your personality within your budget. Have a look at the best tablet under 15,000.

Acer showcased its new affordable yet powerful tablet – Tab A110 at Computex Taipei. The tablet is engineered with the high-performing quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 - 1.2GHz processor and runs on the latest Android 4.0 operating system. The device is expected to reach markets in the third quarter of 2012 with a price tag of around 12, 000 (a rough conversion of $200). Acer Tab A110 sports a 7 inch touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, 1GB of RAM, 8 GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot to expand the memory up to 32 GB, front-facing camera, USB port, 3G connectivity and a HDMI port with dual-display support.

Zync Z990 Plus is an upgrade version of its previous model Zync Z990. The Updated tablet comes with 1.5 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. The tablet sports 7 inch multi-touch display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, 4GB of internal memory and can be expandable up to 32 GB using microSD card. Similar to the previous tablet, it also features 0.3 MP front facing camera for video calling. The company is promoting it as an entertainment device as it comes bundled with one month free subscription for BigFlix
via a dedicated app.Price: 8,449

3. Milagrow TabTop
This tablet from Milagrow comes in two models 4 GB and 16 GB. The company claims it to be the thinnest 7-inch tablet in India measuring only 6.5 mm thickness. Both the variants of this tablet are powered by 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, Dual Mali 400 MP graphics processor, 512 MB RAM and runs on the Android 4.0 operating system. It sports a 4:3 ratio (800x600 pixels) screen, 1.3 MP
front camera, 4000mAH lithium battery and supports Wi-Fi, LAN, VPN, Ethernet and has a micro slot for expanding the memory up to 32 GB.

4. KloudPad

UK based company introduced the first ever 3G Android 4.0 based tablet for India by the name KloudPad. The tablet meant for educational purpose as it comes loaded with contents of CBSE and ICSE courses and also has application like Edu TV and Attano eBook app. As the device come with 3G functionality, it enhances the study reference and learning experience for students.

Price: 10,990 to 13,990

5. HCL Me Tab X1
This tablet runs on Android 2.3 operating system, is powered by 1 GHz processor, 512 MB storage capacity. It features internal memory of 4 GB, expandable up to 32 GB, a 2 megapixel front camera and supports full HD video and Flash. For connectivity, it has micro USB port, mini HDMI, Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth. You can use a Bluetooth headset to make calls or a wired head phone. There is no option for video calling in the dialer but you have to use a third party app for it.
Price: 10,333