MegaTechNews - Stuff For People Who Like Gadgets!

Microsoft Uses Siri to Take Aim at Apple

Dylan Duarte — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:55:17 +0000

Competitors taking jabs at one another is nothing new. Oftentimes it’s petty, but sometimes it’s really funny, funny enough that those on both sides of the field can enjoy it. That’s how I feel about Microsoft’s latest ad for Windows 8, which is called “Less talking, more doing” and uses Apple’s own Siri to poke fun at the iPad.

Of course, funny or not, ads like this are going to bring about the inner fanboys and start intense online battles, but I have no doubt that the respective companies just kick their feet up and enjoy the show. That’s more …

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MEGATech Reviews – Tep Wireless Pocket WiFi Mobile Hotspot Rental

Michael Kwan — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:57 +0000

I recently returned from a three-week trip through Europe. I drank the wine, explored the museums and experienced the cultures, but being the hopelessly geeky person that I am, I also felt compelled to stay connected to the Internet all the time. And that's how I came to learn about Tep Wireless and their pocket WiFi rental service. We've all heard the horror stories of people traveling abroad, roaming with their smartphones and coming home to find a positively enormous cell phone bill in the five-figure range. I wasn't going to do that, but I didn't want to rely on public Wi-Fi access points either. Tep Wireless sounded like it could be one of the more affordable solutions that would actually get the job done.

What Is Tep Wireless?

Basically, you are able to rent a pocket Wi-Fi device from Tep Wireless, you are provided with a certain amount of data in your package, and then you can travel to the international destination of your choosing knowing that you'll have the Internet in your pocket. You do need tell them ahead of time where you are going, as this can affect rates, as well as how long you plan on using the service. The pocket Wi-Fi device, in case you aren't as familiar, is simply a mobile hotspot. Some of you may know it as a "MiFi" device. Tep doesn't necessarily specify exactly which model you will receive, but the 3G service should be fundamentally the same. The device lets you connect up to five devices at one time and the price includes your data plan as well as the hotspot rental.

Getting the Package Before Leaving

You might remember when I wrote a guide for travelling techie types several years back. Many of those things still apply, like remembering to charge your batteries and why you should bring along a surge-protecting power bar. These days, though, making sure you stay connected on the go is actually a lot easier and more affordable. In the case of Tep Wireless, I placed my order a few weeks before my trip and the package arrived about three or four days before my planned departure. Inside the package, I found everything that I needed, including a handy travel bag to hold it all together. There was the hotspot itself, of course, as well as a spare battery, wall charger (compatible with my European destination), USB charging cable and some basic documentation. Strangely, while the hotspot was a Huawei device, it came with a Samsung charger. Go figure. As far as cost is concerned, I booked the rental for a three-week period, covering multiple countries in Europe, including 1GB total for the rental period. For me, that came to $143, plus $19.95 for them to ship (via FedEx) to my door. I opted to organize my own return of the device, since they only had prepaid options for UK and US. All said, my rental was $162.95. Going to the website today, it seems the price has gone up (about $180 for three weeks, plus shipping). It's possible this is due to increased demand during the summer months, but I can't say for sure. There are upgrade options to get more data if you need it. In the case of a three-week rental, which defaults to 1GB, you can add an extra 50MB/day for $3.95/day or an extra 150MB/day for $7.95/day. We kept our usage relatively modest for our three weeks, going through about 800MB or so, but of course your mileage will vary.

Seamless Connectivity Across Borders?

If you've ever used any other mobile hotspot-type device in the past, then you'll have no trouble figuring out how to use the Tep pocket Wi-Fi. The SSID and password are printed on a sticker on the back, making it easy to connect your smartphone, tablet or whatever else you need to use. This particular Huawei model had four indicator lights on the front: wireless signal, Wi-Fi, battery and messages. As with most other mobile hotspots, this one also took a few moments to grab a signal each time I turned it on. This varied, depending on where I was at the time, but I was usually up and running in about 20-30 seconds. I never had the hotspot on right at the moment I was crossing a border from one country to the next. That being said, each time I turned it on, there was never an issue with connecting to the local network and getting my access to the web. It was pretty seamless.

Wireless Speeds and Usage Details

The Tep Wireless pocket Wi-Fi is a 3G device, usually with a theoretical maximum download speed of 7.2Mbps. Tep supports a huge number of countries from all around the world, including France, Italy, Taiwan, South Africa, Japan, Egypt, Guatamala, and Australia. As you can probably guess, the actual performance will vary considerably from country to country, network to network. For my part, I never felt particularly lacking for speed, given the circumstances. Battery life was typical of a mobile hotspot, lasting in the range of about 4-5 hours with intermittent use. There was a spare battery included, but I also packed along a portable battery pack too for both the hotspot and my smartphone. While it would have been nice to have a proper "account" page or portal to access, the only way you can check how much data you've been using is to dial into 192.168.0.1 while connected to the hotspot. The actual software and UI will vary from device to device, but I had to choose "classic" view with the Huawei and then navigate to the lower-left corner. One bit of advice is that you should clear out the history as soon as you get the device, as the usage history may include the previous renter. It did for me.

MEGATechie Trusty Travel Companion or MEGATechie Pricey Portable Web?

Compared to how much you'd pay at home for your wireless data, Tep Wireless is going to sound expensive. It worked out to over $6 a day for me, not including shipping. If you rent for a shorter period, it can work out to as much as $12.50 per day (for Europe). However, we have to realize this is an entirely different beast. For starters, the price includes the rental of the mobile hotspot itself. It's unlikely that you'd buy a pocket WiFi for every country you plan on visiting. It's not cheap, per se, but when you are traveling abroad and you want mobile access to the Internet, a service like that offered by Tep Wireless is certainly worthwhile. In our case, as there were two of us, we were effectively able to "share" the cost since we could both connect to the hotspot at the same time. Compare this to getting two separate prepaid SIM cards... and separate SIMs for every country we visited. This is far more convenient, especially with the shipping options. I can't say first-hand how Tep Wireless compares to competitors like XCom Global, but I'd definitely recommend you consider it if you are traveling and need Internet access on the go.

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The News: Thursday, May 23 Edition

Beth Snyder — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:22 +0000

Huh. We seem to have hit one of those points where I have pretty much nothing to say. I've had a couple of days off, both of my hockey teams have also had a couple of days off (although the Wings play tonight), and I haven't seen or talked to the guy except for briefly on Tuesday. All of which tells me I need to figure out something to do with my time other than what I've been doing, because while I've been busy as heck, apparently it's nothing all that exciting. That's kind of sad. TechRadar gets us started with the DinoPC Titanosaurus Rex TweakTown shares its thoughts on the Seagate Laptop Thin 500GB Hybrid SSHD ST500LM000 The SSD Review points and clicks the A4Tech Bloody Gun3 UC3 Headshot V8 Gaming Mouse eTeknix goes inside the Streacom F7C EVO HTPC Chassis TestFreaks gets into the Seidio Active Case Combo for HTC One Guru3D takes a look at the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost OC WindForce 2X TechwareLabs counters with the PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Gaming Video Card NinjaLane checks out the Adata DashDrive Elite UE700 32GB Flash Drive TechReviewSource spends some time with Google Play Music ThinkComputers hooks up with the Rosewill T600N Wireless Router Pro-Clockers chills out with the Thermaltake Non-Interference Cooler NiC F4 CPU Cooler Technic3D examines the ASUS P8Z77 WS Mainboard Phoronix reports Intel Linux OpenGL Driver Leading Over Apple OS X NikKTech focuses on the Oregon Scientific ATC9K Action Camera Finally, HardwareHeaven tries on a Turtle Beach XP Seven Tournament Grade Gaming Headset (video review)

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Mimoco Announces Limited Edition Sulu MIMOBOT® USB Flash Drive

Beth Snyder — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:01:38 +0000

Mimoco has done it again, this time in the form of a Mr. Sulu MIMOBOT flash drive. If I were to actually buy every single one of their drives that I really want, I would have to get a fourth job. And marry a millionaire. Since neither of those things is likely to happen, I'll content myself with drooling over each press releases as they come out, and share with you the fabulousness that is everything put out by the folks at Mimoco. Sulu is another of their limited edition, hand-numbered flash drives, and there are only 1,000 of them in existence. One of the (many) things I love about Mimoco, though, is that even though these are obviously going to quickly become a collector's item, their pricing remains the same as any of their regular drives (ranging from $24.95 US for 8GB through $129.99 US for 132GB...with the $49.99 US 32GB version coming in USB 3.0). As always, the drive comes pre-loaded with all the software goodies you've come to expect, including wallpapers, avatars and icons. It also features Sulu sound bites that are played each time you plug in or remove the flash drive from your computer, as well as other Star Trek sounds. Sulu is wearing his signature gold Starfleet uniform, and brandishing a phaser (which is hopefully set to stun). And I think it bears quite a nice resemblance to George Takei, too!

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NVIDIA’s Tegra 4i Processor Shows Off 150Mbps LTE at CTIA 2013

Dylan Duarte — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:54:10 +0000

Between the NVIDIA SHIELD, the company pledging support for the Xbox One, and now a successful tech demo at CTIA 2013 in Las Vegas, NVIDIA can't keep themselves out of the news. The Tegra 4i, NVIDIA's mainstream mobile processor that includes a built-in i500 LTE modem, had a very successful showing this week, going through 150Mbps of LTE data. The processor was first shown at Mobile World Congress in February at Cat 3 100mbps, but has since gone through a software update. Nothing has been changed regarding the hardware. Since the modem is designed with Deep Execution Processors, it's forty percent smaller than traditional LTE modems. The modem is also multi-mode, offering 4G LTE Advanced while being backward compatible so that it can offer LTE Cat 3, 3G, and 2G, meaning that the modem will be effective even in areas where LTE networks aren't available.

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The News: Wednesday, May 22 Edition

Beth Snyder — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:21 +0000

My AHL team won last night! So now we move on to the conference finals (Friday and Saturday nights at home for games one and two), and hopefully to play for the Calder Cup after that. Have to wait until tomorrow for the next Red Wings game, but I can do that. Today I've got to get serious about being domestic...laundry is taking over my bedroom, the dust bunnies are almost big enough to fight back, and I haven't cooked a meal in well over a week. Since a line of thunderstorms rolled in overnight and it doesn't appear to be interested in stopping any time soon, it's the perfect opportunity to get my house back in order. And probably take a nap...I sleep like a baby during storms. eTeknix starts us off with the NZXT H630 Ultra Tower Chassis BigBruin wants you to Win a Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB 2133MHz Memory Kit NikKTech announces its SteelSeries Joint Giveaway - Three 6Gv2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboards Up For Grabs TweakTown hooks up with the Transcend StoreJet Cloud 32GB Wireless Storage Device MadShrimps tries on a Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 5 Gaming Headset techPowerUp goes inside the Cooltek Coolcube Maxi Black Pro-Clockers gets into the Kingston MobileLite Wireless Legit Reviews examines the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming Series Motherboard TechRadar takes a look at Google Glass PureOverclock tests out the PowerColor 7790 Turbo Duo The SSD Review weighs in on the Seagate 600 Pro SSD (400GB) LanOC taps away at the Truly Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard Model 207 APH Networks beats the heat with the Noctua NF-S12A FLX, NF-S12A PWM, NF-S12A ULN Cooling Fan HardwareHeaven checks out some GUNNAR Intercept Gaming Eyewear (Video Review with Kaeyi Dream) Finally, Hardware Canucks shares its thoughts on the Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB Hard Drive

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NVIDIA Pledges PhysX and APEX Support for Xbox One

Dylan Duarte — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:21:46 +0000

Fresh off the Xbox One announcement, NVIDIA has pledged its support to the console with its popular NVIDIA PhysX and APEX software development kits, which help developers with things like collision detection, particle systems, and even the simulation of rigid bodies, which is more important and less gross than it sounds. Together, the two technologies allow for physics-based effects in physics-enabled environments, and have played a part in the development of a multitude of games. They're designed to run on a variety of CPUs and the Xbox One definitely has some real power under the hood. This gesture is especially surprising given that Microsoft and NVIDIA are now in direct competition what with NVIDIA SHIELD portable gaming console scheduled to hit the market in June. The Xbox One is undoubtedly a powerful console, but will gamers prefer that over the SHIELD, which is a controller with a tiny screen attached to it? That was a joke.

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Microsoft Unveils the Xbox One

Dylan Duarte — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:45:29 +0000

So, Microsoft has officially unveiled the Xbox One, a new console that should be very exciting to those who love watching media and playing sports games. Like the Xbox 360, the Xbox One is being promoted as an all-in-one media solution, and while that's fine and dandy, the people who will be lining up on day one will be doing so for the games. Every Xbox One with come with a Kinect 2.0. The new Kinect records at 60fps using a 1080p sensor and promises much better movement detection, detecting things like a twist of the wrist. It can even read your heartbeat. The sensor field has been expanded by 60 percent. With a mandatory Kinect (the system won't function without it), voice control is now an even bigger part of the experience. Everyone remembers the "always-on" controversy, which at one point got so heated it cost a man his job. Fortunately, the Xbox One will not require constant Internet connectivity. However, the system will be equipped with Azure computing, which will allow develops to require that their games are always played online. Further, games will be tied to your Xbox Live account, which seems to mean no more used games. Microsoft has yet to really elaborate on this. Xbox 360 games will not be playable on the Xbox One. Like the PlayStation 4, sharing your gameplay videos is a big part of the Xbox One experience, and the console will have built-in editing sharing tools. The new controller doesn't look too different (which is a plus, in my mind), but has an integrated battery compartment, which makes for a lower profile. It also supports Wi-Fi Direct and has a high-precision D-Pad. The triggers have also been reworked. The cloud plays a big part in everything, allowing you to back up your media, game saves, what have you. Microsoft made a point to say that you will still be able to watch live TV and play games if your connection drops. Microsoft announced a partnership with Electronic Arts and showcased sports games like FIFA 14, Madden 25, NBA Live 14, and the new UFC title. They also touched on exclusives, saying that Microsoft Studios will release fifteen titles in the console's first year, eight of which will be new IPs. The Xbox One will get exclusive content from the NFL through a new partnership and Steven Spielberg is also creating a live-action HALO show that will be coming to Xbox. All in all, I'm extremely disappointed. Although I hate the term, I am a "hardcore" gamer, and the only thing I'm remotely excited about is the eight new IPs. Once I see what those are, then maybe I'll change my tune, but I need to accept that I'm no longer Microsoft's target demographic.

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Olympus to Drop Entry Level Compact Cameras

Allan Schroeder — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:43:06 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Olympus is set to cease production and stop selling their entry level model point & shoot cameras. Olympus will cease production on their "V" Series cameras due to declining demand and lower than anticipated profits. Olympus' compact camera division posted a loss for the last fiscal year, and indication of decreased demand and the rising popularity of smartphone cameras. Olympus will shift focus to concentrate on their higher end DSLR and micro 4/3 camera lineup. Olympus sold 5.1 million compact cameras in 2012 but only expects to sell 2.7 million this year. Olympus is not alone as other manufacturers are reporting simliar numbers. Canon Camera reported a 34% loss for their compact camera division for the first quarter this year. Many smartphones offer similar image quality to entry level compact cameras but have the added ability to edit and upload images to sites such as Instagram and Facebook, a major selling point and feature favoured by users. While higher end compacts have some connectivity, the lower end product lines do not get the majority of these features and are quickly left behind by the advances in smartphone camera technology. Source: Wall Street Journal

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The News: Tuesday, May 21 Edition

Beth Snyder — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:03:45 +0000

My goodness but the little things pile up when you don't get a day off in over a week! First and foremost this morning, I slept. A lot. I really, really needed it. Then the guy called, and he stopped by for a bit to return my jewelry box (he borrowed it so he could finish it and also to take it to his woodworkers' guild meeting). Now we're enjoying a pop-up thunderstorm with pouring down rain, while I do laundry. Tonight apparently we're going to my sister's house for dinner, so I still don't have to cook. And...the Red Wings won last night! It's shaping up to be a pretty good Tuesday all around, even if I am several hours late doing this post. Futurelooks gets us started with its Weekly Giveaway 2 of 3 – Win an ADATA XPG v1.0 1866mhz 8GB (4GB x 2) Memory Kit HardwareHeaven goes mobile with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone TweakTown takes on Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon PC ModSynergy checks out the Jabra Drive Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone NikKTech gets into the Sandberg iConheli Bluetooth Helicopter RBMods points and clicks the Mionix Naos 8200 Gaming mouse eTeknix weighs in on the Crucial M500 480GB SSD Hi Tech Legion goes inside the Thermaltake Armor Revo Gene Mid Tower Computer Case Benchmark Reviews counters with the Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Case MadShrimps examines the HIS 7790 iCooler Turbo 1GB GDDR5 Video Card KitGuru spends some time with the ARIA Gladiator 6300-HD7870LE AMD 4.10ghz 6 core System ChewOnTech shares its thoughts on the Jawbone UP Wristband Bjorn3D tests out some G.Skill RipjawsX F3-2133C9D-16GXH TechReviewSource sits down with the Sony VAIO T Series 15 To close out this selection, ThinkComputers explores the SilverStone DS322 Dual Bay USB 3.0 Enclosure

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