Technology News Center

HP DreamScreen 100

2009-11-29T10:44:00.002+07:00

With its new DreamScreen, HP reaches out beyond the familiar digital photo frame concept to include applications normally associated with stand-alone tablets. This 10-inch, $250 model incorporates wireless support for popular applications such as Facebook, Snapfish, Pandora, and HP's own packaging of Net radio stations, among other built-in audio and visual functions.

Sleek and minimalist in shiny black, the DreamScreen 100 is nevertheless better suited for sitting on a desktop than hanging on a wall. This is due both to its not inconsiderable weight and to the need to keep the unit plugged in at all times. So, even though it's ostensibly a wireless device, the DreamScreen is really tethered to one place.

Setting up the DreamScreen was almost unbelievably easy, even with the labor of entering passwords and network keys via the sturdy, yet sensitive remote. The interface is attractive, intuitive, and highly readable, with large icons and titles making each function abundantly clear. In addition, the frame comes with a CD that includes video tutorials and an intuitive desktop program that lets you drag and drop audio, photo, and video files from your PC into the 2GB of internal frame memory (this can also be done via a USB connection or media cards, including all the usual suspects, such as SDHC, MMC, MS, and USB flash drives, in addition to CompactFlash). You can also opt to wirelessly stream audio and photos--though not video--from your PC.

Of course, the DreamScreen still serves as a digital picture frame displaying BMP, JPEG, and PNG files (we wish that list included TIFFs). Like other frames, it allows you to program on and off times and includes both clock (with analog and digital flavors and alarm options) and calendar functions. The DreamScreen will also display the clock next to a slide show if you wish.

In our tests, the screen's display was impressive and crisp, rendering commendably accurate (if a touch cool) colors and snappy images in our slide shows. You can view slide shows with display intervals ranging from 5 seconds to 24 hours, with or without music. Audio comes from Pandora, which selects music it thinks you will like based on tastes you specify, or from your own library. Sound was a strong point in this frame: Although you won't get booming bass or extreme clarity, the DreamScreen cranks out audio that's better than what you get from most laptops--and it has an audio-out jack.

The DreamScreen also provides a Facebook application, allowing you to view friends' updates and photos, as well as upcoming events. You cannot, however, fully browse profiles or create your own status updates on the device ("keyboard" functionality is limited to entering network and application keys and passwords via the remote). The online photo application Snapfish is integrated into the frame, so you can view online albums on the DreamScreen.

HP's radio feature is neat, but has a few quirks: Navigation is limited (you can search only by location or genre, not by name), so adding stations to your favorites list is a chore involving lots of drilling. The DreamScreen will play MP3, PCM, WMA, and AAC audio files. It also supports MPG and MP4 video formats, both of which played smoothly and without issue in our tests.

HP claims that it plans to provide support for more applications, so hopefully we can look forward to seeing the integration of Flickr, Shutterfly, and more. And it would be especially cool if future updates include some sort of browser to allow for RSS feeds. At the moment, this frame is stuck between two worlds: A rather small digital picture frame or an exceptionally cool, multifunctional bedside alarm/clock radio. Until the DreamScreen offers more online functionality or HP drops its price, this super frame may remain a rather expensive toy for the desktop or kitchen counter.

Cyber Monday: E-Shop Til You Drop

2009-11-29T10:42:00.001+07:00

If Black Friday wasn't enough for you, you're in luck. Cyber Monday, which occurs Nov. 30 this year, brings a new round of dirt-cheap discounts. What's the distinction between these two marketing gimmicks? Well, Black Friday, the much-hyped start of the gift-buying season, came first. Originally a brick-and-mortar happening the day after Thanksgiving, BF has mutated into a November-long orgy of screaming buys. It has since moved online too;

Web-only retailers such as Amazon now offer just as many BF deals as their offline competitors.

Cyber Monday was cooked up in 2005 as Black Friday's online sibling, a virtual deal-a-thon where e-tailers could trot out their sweetest deals. Labeled the busiest online shopping day of the year--a claim that may or may not be true--Cyber Monday has since become a very big deal to online merchants.

How big? U.S. consumers last year spent $846 million dollars on Cyber Monday, a 15 percent increase over 2007, according to comScore. That explains why retailers continue to hype CM, despite the fact that Black Friday has usurped much of CM's online thunder.

So if Black Friday hasn't already maxed out your credit, here are some Cyber Monday tips worth following:

· As with Black Friday, check out deal sites such as dealnews.com and GottaDeal.com for Cyber Monday specials. Those sites' forums are often a great resource for bargain-hunting tips too.

· A Cyber Monday "deal" may not be so hot. Use price-comparison sites such as PriceGrabber.com and Shopping.com to be sure you're getting the best price.

· Be wary of fake holiday bargains that typically arrive via spam email.

· Don't be in such a rush to buy. If Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales prove disappointing, panicky retailers may be forced to cut prices even further as Christmas approaches.

· If last year is any indication, gamers may find plenty of Cyber Monday deals this time around.

Who knows, eventually every holiday shopping day may get its own marketing makeover. Some cell phone marketers are already pushing Mobile Tuesday, which follows Cyber Monday. What's next?

Verizon's Droid: 10 Apps to Get You Started

2009-11-29T10:40:00.001+07:00

So, you've got your spiffy new Motorola Droid phone from Verizon. Now what?

When it comes to applications, the Android ecosystem is pretty different from that other far more controlled alternative. Sure, the Android Market may not have 100,000 options just yet. But it does offer plenty of powerful programs -- somewhere around 10,000 total -- and, in a refreshing twist, it lets you decide what apps you want, instead of frequently censoring selections for you.

We've compiled a list of 10 top-notch Android apps to help get you going with your Android experience. These are all highly ranked programs that'll be strong starting points as you work to make the most of your new Droid device. After all, the much-discussed turn-by-turn GPS navigation system isn't the only thing out there.

Remember: This is only the beginning of the conversation. The Android Market is expanding every day, and there's no end to the interesting options it holds. If you have a favorite we didn't include, add it onto our list in the comments section below. Your recommendation will help other Droid users find even more cool ways to enjoy their new phones, too.

1. Twidroid

If you're a Twitter user and used to the iPhone, the first thing you might notice is that Tweetie isn't in the Android Market. Not to worry, though: Twidroid has your back. The Android-based Twitter app is available in a free and a pro (paid) version.

Both of Twidroid's offerings provide most every Twitter function you might need, from the basic -- viewing and sending tweets, following and unfollowing users, viewing profiles -- to the more advanced: saved searches, URL shortening, photo posting, and geo-location support. The pro version adds support for multiple accounts, bit.ly integration, video posting, and a handful of other options. It runs about $5.

2. Meebo for Android

Twitter? Check. Instant messaging? Check. Our second featured app will keep you connected to all of your IM accounts while you're roaming around with your new Droid. Meebo links multiple IM protocols into a single app that you can always keep running on your phone. AIM, MSN, Yahoo, MySpace IM, Google Talk, Jabber and ICQ are all supported -- and, if you create a Meebo account, you can save a collective log of all your chats that'll be accessible online.

3. Pandora on Android

Crank up the tunes on your new Droid immediately by installing Pandora's Android app, available for free in the Android Market. Like its online and on-the-iPhone counterpart, the Pandora Android app lets you listen to personalized radio stations based on your favorite artists or songs. Thanks to Android's multitasking capabilities, you'll be able to rock out while running other apps -- something the iPhone can't handle.

4. Google Voice for Mobile

File this one under "outlawed on iPhone," too. The official Google Voice for Mobile app fully integrates Google Voice functionality into your new Droid phone. Once installed, you can make outgoing calls from your Google Voice number with the touch of a button, right from your contacts list. You also gain easy access to voicemail and Google Voice-based SMS messaging.

The Google Voice for Mobile app is free to install and use. You do need to have an existing Google Voice account, however, for it to work.

5. Locale

Take control of your phone with Locale, one of the coolest apps available for Android. Locale lets you customize your phone's settings based on your location. You could program the app to set your phone to vibrate every time you're at your office, or set it to go silent when you enter the perimeter of your local movie theater. You can get advanced and make exceptions for VIP callers, too.

6. ActionComplete
Another handy location-aware app for Android is ActionComplete. ActionComplete is a high-tech to-do list for your Droid phone. It makes it easy to organize your tasks and appointments, using a system developed by "GTD" (Getting Things Done") guru David Allen. You can even set reminders that'll pop up based on where you are, allowing you to remind yourself of certain tasks at the office, others at the home, and so on.

7. Google Sky Map
Stare at the stars with Google Sky Map, the "mobile planetarium" for Android phones. The Google Sky Map app, free, actually overlays information about the night sky onto your Droid display. It uses a combination of GPS data, compass data, and date and time information to help you identify planets, stars, and constellations.

8. KeyRing
Get rid of all those annoying membership cards with KeyRing, an Android app that puts your barcodes into your Motorola Droid. Simply scan your various cards -- anything from gym memberships to drug store discount clubs -- and Key Ring will categorize them into a drop-down menu.
The next time you need a card, you just pull it up on your phone -- no need to actually carry the physical piece of plastic.

9. Compare Everywhere
While we're on the topic of barcodes, you may want to grab Compare Everywhere. With the program installed, you can scan a barcode in any store to get instant information about any product. Compare Everywhere will connect you to reviews and pricing details to make your shopping simpler.
Compare Everywhere is a free download.

10. Sherpa
Ready to explore? Check out Sherpa, an Android application that helps you find new places based on your own personal preferences. Sherpa "learns" your likes and dislikes, then uses your location information to suggest restaurants, stores, and attractions in your area that might float your boat.
The best part? Sherpa won't cost you a dime to download.

Got Apps?

So there you have it: 10 top-notch Android apps to get you started with your new Motorola Droid experience. There are so many more to explore, so help your fellow Droiders out and leave your recommendations below.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1: A Smooth, Stylish Touchscreen Camera

2009-11-29T10:34:00.001+07:00

The holiday season is here, as are the accompanying parties and celebratory events. If you're all gussied up, you might as well bring a camera like Sony's fashion-conscious, 10.2-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC TX1 ($380 as of 11/23/2009), a touchscreen camera that lets you party instead of fussing with camera settings.

Measuring 3.75 by 2.38 by 0.66 inches and weighing five ounces, the DSC-TX1 is small enough to fit into a coat pocket, and it won't take up a lot of room in a purse. The metal body has a front panel that slides down to reveal the camera's 4X Carl Zeiss optical-zoom lens, which has a range of 35mm to 140mm. A power button is on the top, so you can turn on the camera to peruse your pics and still have the lens protected while the camera is in your hands.

Next to the power button is the shutter button, which, like the rest of the camera, is narrow. When using autofocus, I had a difficult time feeling whether the button was pressed halfway down; I relied on the audible cue to tell me when I had pushed the shutter button down far enough for focus. Fortunately, the button responds well when you push it down completely to take a picture, and I saw no shutter lag.

The zoom toggle is conveniently placed next to the shutter button, and very little lag occurs when you're zooming in and out to find the proper zoom point. However, the switch is a bit loose and doesn't feel sturdy, which made me wonder if it would snap over time.

The DSC-TX1 has a three-inch LCD that looks gigantic; it takes up practically the whole back of the camera, which has none of the buttons you'd usually see, because the DSC-TX1 uses an entirely touchscreen interface.

The icons Sony uses are clear and intuitive; for example, the Mode icon, used to change the shooting mode, is labeled "Mode," the playback icon uses the familiar Play arrow, and the flash icon uses a lightning bolt-like arrow. The touchscreen itself works well. The icons are responsive, lighting up when you touch them, and the audible response provides good feedback (you can turn the audio off if you wish).

The problem with the touchscreen isn't in its implementation. The problem is whether it's entirely practical: The touchscreen is a time-hogging hindrance when you want to quickly change settings. With the typical mode dial that you find on most cameras, you can almost instantly change from, say, automatic mode to video mode by simply turning the dial. When you want to make such a change on the DSC-TX1, you have to push the Mode icon on the touchscreen, wait maybe a third of a second, and then press the icon of the mode you want. These steps take a couple of seconds, which doesn't sound like much, but in reality, it can be the difference between capturing or not capturing a key moment.

With this in mind, the DSC-TX1 is best for situations where you won't anticipate needing to adjust the camera (casual snapshot situations, parties, and other get-togethers), or when you don't think you'll need to switch between photo and video modes in an instant. Set the camera, and forget it.

If you do decide to change the recording mode, you have seven modes from which to choose. The Intelligent Auto Adjustment mode, which automatically sets the camera to what the manual calls a "guide," is what you'll probably have the camera set to most of the time. The camera has nine guides: Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Close Focus, Landscape, Portrait, Macro, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, and Twilight using a tripod. A Scene Selection mode lets you set the camera's settings to one of 12 scene types, such as Pet, Beach, Gourmet, and Snow. The other five recording modes are Sweep Panorama, Program Auto, Anti-Motion blur, Hand-held Twilight, and Movie Mode.

Using the Intelligent Auto Adjustment, you can see the camera change its settings. For example, if you're in a park and you aim at the scenery, the camera Intelligent Auto Adjustment switches to landscape mode. If you then decide to focus on an ant on the picnic table you're sitting at, the camera Intelligent Auto Adjustment switches to macro mode.

The Anti-Motion blur mode takes six pictures at one pressing of the shutter button. Sony says the camera then combines the information of all six pictures to create one sharp image. When I used this feature with moving people, I had a hard time noticing if the picture was truly a combination of information. To me, the pics looked like one blur-less image.

In my informal tests, the overall image quality was pleasing, with good color representation, although some skin tones weren't as smooth was they should be. The pictures also lacked sharpness; detail was noticeably soft. In pictures with shadows, image noise was visible.

In low-light situations--say, a fancy restaurant--the DMC-TX1 does a very good job of picking up detail, but images are still soft and lack sharpness, and you'll see some noise, but not enough to detract from the overall image quality. In fact, for common low-light scenarios, the quality is satisfying.

The DSC-TX1 has face detection, which sets the focus area on a person's face and optimizes exposure for portrait shots. It also has smile detection, which automatically triggers the camera to shoot when it detects a smile. The face detection worked fine, but the smile detection was hit-or-miss, even though you can set the smile detection to one of three levels, with a simple smile at the first level and a big toothy grin at the third level. Smile detection is very handy when you're doing a self-portrait.

Sony's implementation of Sweep Panorama in the DSC-TX1 is so well done that other camera manufacturers should consider a similar method; it's the same feature found in the Exmor sensor-equipped Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 and Cyber-shot DSC-WX1. When you take a panoramic picture, instead of taking multiple pictures that the camera stitches together, the DSC-TX1 has you simply pan from left to right in a single shot. The result is a seamless panorama that's very impressive. About the only problem is if you have extreme variances in brightness in a scene; detail in dark shadow areas are lost if the starting point is very bright.

The DSC-TX1 is capable of shooting video at 1280-by-720 HD resolution, and the videos are saved in MP4 format. If you decide to drag-and-drop the DSC-TX1's videos from the MemoryStick card, know that the camera keeps the video in a separate folder from the still photos.

While shooting videos, the zoom works smoothly. The video quality is like that of the stills: soft, with some skin tones not as smooth as others, but overall acceptable quality.

The Cyber-shot DXC-TX1 works great as a casual camera at times when you would rather socialize and enjoy your company than mess with a camera's settings. It's about the size of a mobile phone--but it takes much better pictures--so you might consider leaving your phone behind and taking the DXC-TX1 to that party. The touchscreen interface borders on gimmicky rather than practical, but it is well done--and would work even better if it were combined with quick-access hardware controls.

Top 10 Black Friday Websites

2009-11-27T23:10:00.000+07:00

Black Friday is only days away, and while early sales have been heating up this year, the day after Thanksgiving will still be a day for big bargains. If you haven't already, you should get warmed up for the big shopping day by checking out PC World's 10 Fascinating Facts (they're really tips) for Black Friday 2009, 8 tech tools to keep you on top of this year's deals, and some online shopping pointers from Black Friday pros.

The only thing left to do is keep an eye on the hottest destinations on the Web touting Black Friday deals. Here's a list of Web sites you'll want to keep an eye on, so sync them across your computers with Chrome bookmarks, save them to delicious or just store them in your favorite browser. Whatever you do, don't miss out on these sites to help you find great bargains.

Amazon: The online retailer's Black Friday deals page is up and running. Not only can you get some great bargains on electronics, video games and DVDs, but every day Amazon is also offering some great limited time sales. Lightning deals that you've already missed include 101 Dalmatians (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) for $9.99 (67 percent off) and an eight-function bicycle computer for $24.99 (29 percent off), and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera for $621.99 (21 percent off).

Best Buy: You may waste hours lined up at the Geek Squad counter, but I can guarantee you these deals from Best Buy won't last. If Best Buy is on your hit list for Friday then check out Best Buy's Doorbusters. The in-store deals start at 5 a.m. local time, but the retailer is also handing out tickets for select items as early as 3 a.m. Best Buy will also be offering some, but not all, of its Black Friday deals through its Website starting on Thanksgiving Day, while supplies last of course.

Hot deals include a Palm Pre for $79.99 plus a two-year contract, Samsung 46-inch LCE HDTV for $999.99 and a Hewlett-Packard 15.6-inch laptop with an Intel Celeron processor for $197 (in store only).

Apple: No one has any idea what Apple has planned for Black Friday 2009, and historically the company has never had much in the way of super deals. But just in case this is the year for low prices, you'll want to keep Apple's Black Friday page bookmarked.

Two rumors have already surfaced about Apple's Black Friday plans, and both rumors came with supposed Apple advertisements boasting of the deals. One rumor says prices for Mac computers will be cut up to 25 percent, while a later one said the discount would only be 8 percent. Only a few days until we know for sure.

Dell: Dude, are you getting a Dell this year? You might, if you like what you see from Dell's Black Friday deals. You can get a Linux-based Dell Vostro 8.9-inch netbook with an 8GB solid-state drive for $184 or a Dell Vostro desktop with Windows 7 (32-bit), an 18.5-inch screen, 4GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, and a 15-month subscription to Norton Internet Security 2009 for $429.

Twitter: There are tons of Twitter accounts sending out Black Friday deals in real time, but the easiest one to find and follow is @BlackFriday. Even if you don't use Twitter, you can still take advantage of this microblogger by bookmarking the account page. You won't get the real-time functionality without a Twitter account, so you'll have to refresh your browser every few minutes to see what's new.

BlackFriday.FM: This is an easy-to-use site that has great Black Friday information. Here you can sign up for email updates, check out the sales for your favorite stores, and keep up on the latest Black Friday news. The site even features two links at the top right to Black Friday favorites Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

Follow this site on Twitter and Facebook.

tgiBlackFriday.com: The makers of the 2009 Black Friday iPhone App also have a companion Website. The column on the right of the site offers one-click filters to see what popular deals are available online, downloadable PDF scans of Black Friday ads, and a list of popular shopping categories like Computers and Office, Electronics and Toys and Games.

Follow tgibf on Twitter and Facebook.

BlackFriday2009: Unlike many of its competitors, this site is easy to view and navigate. Black Friday 2009 has the latest news about Black Friday right up front, as well as links to popular stores and a rotating selection of some of the site's favorite deals.

They've also got a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.

Black Friday@GottaDeal: It's not the prettiest site to look at, but you'll definitely find some deals. The best part about this site is its two online trackers: one shows you the items you can order online right now, and the other shows dates, times and discounts for the online sales from major retailers. No Twitter or Facebook here, but you can sign up for the site's email alerts.

BFads: This popular Black Friday site not only features deals listings, but you can also join the BFads community to swap tips with other savvy shoppers. If you want it, there is yet another Twitter stream for this site, as well as a Facebook page to keep you informed about Black Friday.

So there you have it. Ten sites you'll want to keep your eye on as we approach Friday, Nov. 27. Got any other favorite online destinations for Black Friday?

7 Hot Black Friday Laptop and Netbook Deals

2009-11-27T23:05:00.000+07:00

Are you in the market for a laptop or netbook this holiday season? Then check out the hot deals below. I've scoured the Web looking for the best Black Friday laptop and netbook deals priced less than $400. I've found offers from many major retailers, as well as some handy tips to help you map out this year's shopping strategy.
If you can't get enough laptop information, then you should also check out PC World's 2009 Holiday Laptop Gift Guide to see which computers promise to be on everyone's wish list this year.

Sub-$200

Best Buy is offering a $197 Hewlett-Packard laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) with a 15.6-inch screen and an Intel Celeron processor. Other specs include 2GB of RAM (expandable to 4GB), 160GB hard drive, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Missing features on this device include Bluetooth, Webcam, and TV Tuner.
This is an in-store only special, so if you've got your eye on the HP you'll have to line up early. You should also know that, according to Best Buy's Doorstoppers page, each store is only guaranteed to have a minimum of five laptops per store. So you might want to get in line early for this one. Doors open at 5 AM and Best Buy will be handing out tickets for select items as early as 3AM.

Not to be outdone by its big box rival, Wal-Mart is offering an eMachine running Windows 7 Home Premium for $198, according to . This computer also features a 15.6-inch screen, 2GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive.
If netbooks are your thing, check out Office Depot's ad over at tgiBlackFriday.com. The office supply store should be offering an Acer netbook with a 10.1-inch screen and an Intel Atom N270 processor for $199.99.
Dell is also offering a $199 netbook with its Inspiron Mini 9. This Linux-powered machine features an 8.9-inch screen, 1 GB RAM, Intel Atom N270 processor, and a 4GB solid-state drive. The netbook comes with a 0.3 megapixel Webcam, but you can upgrade to 1.3MP for just $10.

Sub-$300

HP 15.6-inch laptop

Staples is offering an HP 15.6-inch laptop for $299.98. You get an Intel Celeron processor, 3GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. On the downside, Staples' price includes a $50 Easy Rebate that you'll have to redeem online. Check out Staples' Rebate Center for more information about Easy Rebates.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10v

Dell has an Inspiron Mini 10v netbook running Windows XP Home Edition for $249, according to BlackFriday.FM.
Featured specs include an Intel Atom Processor N270, 10.1-inch LCD widescreen, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, Webcam, and a 15-month subscription to MacAfee Security Center.

Sub-$400

The Shack will be offering an Acer Aspire laptop for $399 running Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit). Specs include a 15.6-inch screen, AMD Athlon Dual-Core processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, and Webcam. Check out Radio Shack's ad on GottaDeal's Black Friday site.

Acer Aspire

Another special from Staples is an upgraded version of its sub-$300 deal. Get an HP laptop with a 15.6-inch screen and an Intel Pentium Processor T4300 for $399.98. You also get 4GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Details are on BFads.net.

How to Run Chrome OS From A USB Drive

2009-11-27T23:02:00.002+07:00

Have you already tried Chrome OS using a virtual machine, and were less than impressed? Well now you can get a feel for how Google's Web-centric operating system will run natively on your machine. The folks over at Engadget were able to boot Chromium OS -- the open source version of what will become Chrome OS -- off of a USB stick on a Dell Vostro A90 netbook. The USB bootable disc is based on the Chromium OS build of Twitter user Hexxeh, who set up a Web site where you can view all the instructions you need for getting your bootable USB up and running.

If you're ready to get your hands dirty and try out the new OS, here's what you need to know:

Get the Torrent

Before you do anything, you're going to need to download the Hexxeh's Chromium OS build. You can find a torrent link on Hexxeh's Website or you can use the mirror links found here and here courtesy of Engadget.

Set Up Your USB Stick

Hexxeh has some easy instructions for writing your Chromium OS image onto a USB stick. The instructions for Windows and Linux look pretty straightforward, but Mac users are going to have a slightly more complicated time.

Pick Your Machine

A major problem with Chromium OS right now is that its device drivers are in the very early stages of development. That means some parts of your computer may not respond when using Chromium OS. One of the most common problems being reported is the lack of Wi-Fi functionality. So you may have to use an Ethernet connection instead. You should also know there's no guarantee the OS will boot up at all.

If you're in the market for a netbook or laptop, and you plan on experimenting with Chromium, check out Google's list of devices that are known to work with the latest version of Chromium OS. The list is primarily for developers who want to work with the new OS, but there's no reason you can't use it as a buying guide. The device index features a sortable checklist that lets you know if the Wi-Fi and trackpad functions are working, as well as general comments and warnings specific to each device.

For example, you might want to stay away from the Asus Eee PC 900 if you plan to run Chrome right now. The netbook's Wi-Fi is supposed to work, but the device's fans may not run, which could cause your system to overheat. Other Wi-Fi-ready devices, according to Google's list, are the Toshiba mini NB205, and the Asus Eee PC 1008HA. The Lenovo ThinkPad T400 may also work after upgrading the Wi-Fi firmware. But before you go out and spend money on a new computer, read over Google's hardware list to make sure you are fully aware of the functionality and problems for the device you have in mind.

Booting From the USB

Once you've got your computer, and have gone through the steps of writing your bootable disc, you may find you can't get Chromium OS to boot on your Windows-based machine. If this happens, you may have to change the settings for how your machine boots up.

You can learn how to change the settings by checking out PC World's guide to installing Windows 7 on a netbook using a USB drive. The instructions are not Chromium-specific, but you should be able to figure out how to adapt this method for your purposes.

A word of warning: Changing the boot order means messing with your system's command prompt and BIOS. If that sounds scary, you might be better off picking up an official Chrome OS machine later next year. For the rest of you, let us know in the comments how Chromium is running on your netbook.

HDTV Buying Guide: Making Sense of the Specifications

2009-11-27T22:59:00.001+07:00

Whether you're buying your first HDTV or replacing an older model, you'll find all sorts of new specifications and features to consider when shopping. Some of these apply to both LCD and plasma sets, while others are significant for LCDs in particular. Here's a quick overview of the different choices and what they may mean for you.

Important Specifications for LCD and Plasma HDTVs

Resolution: Almost all sets 40 inches or larger have 1080p resolution, which is 1920 by 1080 pixels. The 1080p resolution will give you the maximum detail available for almost all HD content. For some smaller HDTV sizes, 1366 by 768 pixels is often a lower-cost choice, but a 720p set has to scale 1080p images down to match its native resolution. This interpolation may introduce imaging artifacts, and the image may not appear quite as sharp or have the depth of the picture on a 1080p set.

While 720p models are available in many sizes as a lower-cost option, they remain prevalent in the 40-inches-or-smaller category. If you're shopping for a small HDTV, expect to pay about a 20 to 25 percent premium (as of this writing) for a 1080p set over a 720p set. All else being equal, we recommend that you pick a 1080p model, which will better match much of the content you can now get from broadcast, streaming, and satellite services, and will match the native resolution of a Blu-ray Disc player.

Contrast: This spec refers to the difference between the darkest images and the lightest images that a screen can produce; in general, it is determined by how dark the blacks are. Contrast is probably the most important factor in determining image quality after resolution. If the blacks are gray and the contrast is lower, the whole image can look washed out. If the blacks are deep and strong, however, the image will look sharper and the colors will pop. Unfortunately, manufacturers' methods for measuring and specifying contrast are almost useless for helping you predict how the screen will look. Manufacturers use full-screen measurements, all black and all white, in a darkened room. An all-black or all-white screen is not what people watch, and in computer terms it conveys precisely zero bits of information. When you have actual content on the screen, you get internal reflections, ambient lighting effects, and other optical crosstalk that results in the light from one section of an image affecting the light levels of another.

Video connections: You have to get the image from your disc player or set-top box into the TV set, and to do so you need to use a video connection. Only three connectors--HDMI, component video, and "VGA"--can deliver HD-resolution images, and of those only HDMI is capable of providing full 1080p HD over an HDCP-protected connection.

HDMI: This is a digital connection, so it delivers the image data exactly as the player or set-top box sends it. HDMI can also carry sound--eliminating the need for extra cables--and it may let you control more than one device with a single click of the remote. The newest version of HDMI is 1.4, which adds more features such as the ability to carry a network connection, but it is not yet available on many devices. HDMI is definitely the connection of choice, as it gives you the most accurate transfer of the image data, and it also supports the HDCP copy-protection features that can help guarantee that you get the best-quality image from your source. One note: Making HDMI cables doesn't involve a lot of magic--a $12 cable bought on the Internet is likely to perform just as well as a $120 cable purchased in some stores. Try a cheap cable first, and if it works, you're done. If it doesn't, you can then try a more expensive cable to see if it solves the problem.
Component video: This connection relies on three separate RCA connectors, marked red, green, and blue. An analog connection, it can handle 1080p signals, but it cannot carry the HDCP copy-protection signal required for some devices. In theory, it may not be as good as a digital connection--especially over a long distance--but you're not likely to notice the difference.
VGA: This label is a misnomer, but it refers to the d-Sub 15 connector that computers use to make an analog connection to a display. In many ways, it's similar to the component video connection. Often it's the easiest way to link a computer to your HDTV. This connection can handle up to 1080p resolution HD.

In addition to those three connectors, you are also likely to find two others: S-Video and composite video. They can carry only standard-definition video images, typically from older devices such as a DVD player, a camcorder, or a VCR. Depending on how you set your HDTV, it can scale standard-def images up to HD (interpolation).

S-Video: This is a round DIN connector that offers slightly better quality than composite video connections do.
Composite video: This is a single RCA plug, typically yellow. Cables with this plug often also have the standard red and white RCA plugs for stereo audio channels.

How many connections do you need? Most HDTVs today offer at least three HDMI connectors, while many provide four, and some have even more. Get as many HDMI connections as you can; doing so will allow you the most flexibility in attaching devices. For instance, you'll probably want to connect a set-top DVR, a Blu-ray player, a camcorder, or other gadgets like Western Digital's WD TV Live HD media player, which links a hard drive and your network to your TV for displaying media content. If possible, use HDMI for your high-definition connections, and try to buy an HDTV that has one more connector than you currently need, to allow for the future expansion of your home entertainment system.

If you have too few HDMI ports on your set, you can always add a switch that will multiply how many devices you can connect to a single input on your HDTV; but this device adds a level of complexity and one more remote control to keep track of.

Energy Star logo: The U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly operate the Energy Star logo program, which sets energy-consumption standards for appliances and consumer electronics. The current standard is Energy Star 3.0. Version 4.0, with more-stringent requirements for televisions, is slated to take effect in May 2010. Manufacturers are eager to promote a TV's energy-efficient status, so it's a safe bet that sets with the Energy Star logo will consume less power than ones without.

Automatic brightness control: This function will adjust the brightness of your set's image depending on the amount of light in the room; it can be a significant power-saving feature.

Automatic volume leveling: This feature will reduce the difference in volume levels, especially between TV programs and their commercials, which tend to be much louder.

VESA mount holes: Many people now hang their flat-panel TVs on the wall, and they often do the installation job themselves instead of hiring someone. Most wall mounts are designed to match the standard VESA hole patterns, so you may find it easier to mount a flat-panel TV that offers one or more of these patterns on its case.

Internet connectivity: A growing number of HDTVs offer the ability to connect to your home network's router--either through a cable or wirelessly--so that you can view content stored on the computers on your network, or even access content from the Internet if you have broadband service. Different sets have different features, such as Amazon, Netflix, or YouTube, so if you want a particular service, make sure that it's included before you commit to an HDTV. Manufacturers are adding new services all the time, even to their existing models, so it pays to get the latest information. Note that if you use a wireless connection, 802.11n will give you the fastest performance.

3D display: This feature has been available in rear-projection models for years, but you'll start to see it in flat-panel HDTVs--both plasma and LCD--starting in 2010. It will take a few years for enough content to become available to make 3D TV worthwhile, just as in the early days of high definition, but it's a feature that could help future-proof your choice of set.

Specifications for LCD HDTVs

LED backlight: "LED TVs" are LCD TVs with an LED backlight instead of a standard fluorescent backlight. LEDs consume less power and produce better color response than traditional backlights do, and they also make it possible to create a much thinner LCD TV.
Dynamic backlight or local dimming: Some LCD TVs with LED backlights have the LEDs in a matrix behind the LCD panel, as opposed to other designs that put the LEDs along the edge of the panel to make a thinner TV set. It is possible to turn the LEDs in some sections down or even off, independently of the rest of the backlight. This means that the set can lower the backlight for portions of an image that are dimmer and do not need the backlight's full power. The result is that the set can increase the contrast significantly, as well as save energy.
120Hz refresh rate: A set running at the 120Hz rate takes the normal 60 images per second from the video signal and creates an intermediate image between every pair to create 120 images per second. This increase in refresh rate can help reduce motion blurring in LCD TVs.
240Hz refresh rate: Some sets double the 120Hz approach, creating three intermediate images per pair of frames. Other models simply use the 120 frames but flash the backlight two times per frame. Both of these approaches are intended to reduce motion blur even more, but you are not likely to notice the difference.

Speed Up Everything

2009-11-27T22:56:00.000+07:00

Has your PC lost its pep? How about your network connection, your printer, or even your phone? Here's our guide to giving your gear new life. Follow our tips, and you can fire up your system and your other tech essentials.

Supercharge Your PC's Hardware

To get top performance from your PC, use high-performance hardware. No amount of tweaking inside Windows can give you the same kind of speed boost that a few judicious hardware upgrades can--the most effective way to soup up any computer is to start by updating the components inside. Here we'll explain how to upgrade the two most vital components: the RAM and the graphics card.

WARNING: Before you attempt any of these upgrades, take precautions against static electricity by moving your PC to a clean, uncarpeted workspace and using an antistatic wrist strap to discharge any static electricity from your body.

Upgrade Your RAM

Hold the RAM module by the edge, seat one corner, and push the other end in.

Adding RAM is often the most cost-effective upgrade you can make to speed up a sluggish computer. When a system runs short of RAM, it must swap the overflow data to the hard drive, which can significantly slow performance. Here's how to add more memory to your desktop, laptop, or netbook.

RAM comes in many flavors, such as DDR2 and DDR3. Newer technologies offer faster performance, but most motherboards accept only one type of RAM. Check your PC's manual to find out what type of RAM modules you need and how you have to install them. RAM dealers such as Crucial and Kingston offer handy online tools that identify the appropriate RAM for many PCs and motherboards. Also, to take advantage of more than 4GB of RAM, your PC needs to run a 64-bit operating system; Windows 7 is available in a 64-bit version, and we highly recommend it.

To begin, open your PC's case and look for the memory slots. In laptops and netbooks the RAM slots are usually under a removable panel on the bottom of the machine. To remove existing RAM, release the clips at each end of the module so that it pops loose. With the slots clear, gently but firmly insert the new module.

On a desktop machine, it's often best to seat one corner of the module first and then press the other end into place. Once you've fully inserted the module, the clips should close to hold the memory securely. On a laptop or netbook, press the end with the metal leads into place first, and then press down until the clips snap tightly around the ends.

Replace Your Graphics Board

Some new graphics boards require a connection to the PC's power supply.

Even if you're not a gamer, upgrading your graphics board can give your PC a serious boost, since Windows 7 and Windows Vista both feature fancy effects in their user interface. Though you can upgrade the graphics on some laptops, in this article we'll focus on desktop PCs.

When shopping for a new graphics board, select one that fits the slot on your PC. In most newer systems, it will be a PCI-Express slot; some older systems may have only PCI or AGP slots. Fortunately, graphics card makers still sell products to fit older slots, so an outdated motherboard need not be a total obstacle.

With your new board at the ready, open the PC's case and locate the existing graphics card. Before attempting to pull it loose, remove the screw holding it down and release any plastic clips on the motherboard that may be securing it. Once the old card is out of the way, slide the new board straight down into the slot until it is firmly seated and the plastic clip on the motherboard has snapped tightly around it.

Newer PCI-Express graphics boards often use so much juice that they require a special PCI-E power line from the computer's power supply. If you've installed such a card, connect this power line (the board may have two) before closing up the case. Then boot the PC and install the drivers from the disc the manufacturer provided.

Streamline Windows

Whether you run Windows XP, Vista, or 7, you have a few really good ways to cut out the fluff and make your OS run more smoothly, quickly, and efficiently. By turning off unnecessary features and disabling unwanted startup programs, you can get an instant speed boost.

Knock Out the Fat

Windows--yes, even Windows XP--is loaded with effects that take up system resources without delivering meaningful user benefits. If you turn some of these items off, Windows can divert the resources to more useful activities, such as running your programs.
In Windows XP, open the System control panel and click the Advanced tab. Click Settings and then select the radio button marked Adjust for best performance. This will turn off some of the frilly effects, such as drop shadows under your menus, and make Windows a little snappier.
In Vista, start by disabling the resource hog known as the Sidebar. In both Vista and Windows 7, turn off the Aero environment to reclaim some of your PC's lost memory and processor power. To do this, right-click the desktop and choose Personalize from the context menu. In Vista, click Window color and appearance, and then uncheck the box for Enable Transparency. In Windows 7, select the theme labeled Windows 7 Basic.

Shut Down Memory-Hogging Apps

Once you've installed a fair amount of programs on your PC--your "core base" of apps, as it were--you'll want to check that you don't have any unwanted applications running in the background that could slow down your PC. Such programs may be designed to launch when Windows starts up so that you can load their corresponding applications faster. The problem is that they run all the time, regardless of whether you intend to use the parent application.
In Windows 7 or Vista, click Start and type msconfig in the 'Search programs and files' field. Press Enter. In the System Configuration window, select the Startup tab. In the Command column, look for any programs that you don't want to wait for at boot-up time. For example, take iTunes: If you've installed this application, you'll find both iTunesHelper.exe and QTTask.exe. They're unnecessary additions--the former launches when you start iTunes anyway, and the latter merely places a QuickTime icon in the corner of your screen for easy program launching. Uncheck both. Once you've checked all of the programs you want to launch at startup and unchecked the programs you don't, click OK.

In addition to startup programs, you can find services on your PC; Microsoft recommends trimming them as well. Click Start, type services.msc into the search field, and press Enter. Up pops the Services window, a list of options and executables that's even more confusing than the Startup window.
To identify which services to turn off (and which to leave on), check out Black Viper's exhaustive list of Windows 7's services across all of its various editions, along with a list of which services you should modify and how you should set their parameters. Armed with this advice, just double-click on any listed service. You need concern yourself only with the 'Startup type' listing in the screen that appears next. By switching among the Automatic, Manual, and Disabled modes, depending on Black Viper's recommendations, you'll be able to control exactly how services launch--if at all--during the Windows startup process and during your general use of the operating system. Every little bit helps.

Maintain Top Performance

If you want to keep your system fast, clear out your C:\Windows\Temp folder on occasion. Do it as soon as you boot into the OS, or even through Safe Mode, to ensure that you wipe every last unused file from your drive. In the same vein, don't use Windows 7's uninstall function or a program's default uninstall executable to remove an application from your drive. Instead, use the free Revo Uninstaller utility; this awesome application removes programs using their default uninstall routines, but it also goes one step further by scanning your system and Registry to clean away all traces of the program from your hard drive.

Accelerate Your Network

Network slowdowns can be tricky to troubleshoot. Much depends on what you're actually doing across your network--copying files to another system, for example, might slow to a crawl if you're writing to a NAS device attached to a poky PC in the next room. But a few general tweaks and tricks can still boost your network performance in Windows.

Update Firmware and Drivers

The first step in getting your network up to speed is to install the latest Windows updates and to download the newest drivers for your PC's network cards. Second, install the current firmware for your router. All of these items are essential to optimal network speeds, and you can usually locate them on the manufacturer's Web sites. If the release date for a given driver is more recent than the last time you can remember updating, you should probably update again. Most new routers make updating easy if you log in to the Web administration panel; typically it will have an option for you to download and install the latest firmware with just a click or two.

Adjust Network Card Settings

Once you have the latest software and firmware installed, try adjusting your network card's auto-negotiating setting. In the Control Panel, click Network and Sharing Center. From there, click Change Adapter Settings, and then right-click on your Local Area Connection and select Properties. In the screen that appears, click the Configure button under the Connect Using field. Select the Advanced tab. Set 'Link Speed & Duplex' to its highest available setting, such as 100 Mbps Full Duplex or 1000 Mbps Full Duplex

Make Windows Set You Free

Windows Vista has a wonderful habit of throttling down your network connection when you're playing multimedia files, to prevent movies from skipping during playback. You can adjust this throttling by editing the decimal value of the 'NetworkThrottlingIndex' key.

Press Windows-R, type regedit, and press Enter. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile key. Raise the decimal value of the 'NetworkThrottlingIndex' key to a higher number. Setting it to 100 disables the service; Microsoft recommends that you go no higher than 70, but there's no harm in testing settings to see what works for you.

Route Traffic Intelligently

Online games, streaming-media programs, Internet phone services, and peer-to-peer applications such as BitTorrent consume a lot of network bandwidth due to the massive amounts data they transmit. To reduce the amount of strain such apps put on your router and to improve your overall network performance, manage them more efficiently with your router's port-forwarding feature.

Log in to your router's configuration screen. Search for an option that lets you specify port forwarding; it will be labeled slightly differently from one router to another. Once you've found it, type in your system's internal IP address (usually in the form of 192.*.*.*), and then input the preferred port found in your application's configuration screen (for instance, in Skype it's located under Tools, Options, Advanced, Connection). Pick both TCP and UDP protocols for forwarding, and save your settings.

To see if your chosen port actually has a clear tunnel through your network to the Internet, fire up the application and visit CanYouSeeMe.org. Input your port number and click the Check button--if you get a 'success' response, you're all set.

Choose a Fast Hard Drive

Though we live in an age of cheap, readily available storage, the sheer number of choices available can make selecting the right drive a tricky proposition. But choosing a fast drive--whether internal or external--can have a massive impact on your PC's performance, as well as on that of your network. Here are some things to consider when selecting a new drive.

Decide Between Internal and External

The big advantage to external storage is obvious: You can hide it for safekeeping or take it with you on the road. Most home users choose external storage for backups. With an external drive, though, you'll probably sacrifice speed. External attachment technologies such as USB, FireWire 400/800, and ethernet are slower than the connections for internal storage; only eSATA can match the data-transfer speeds of internal drives. If you're faced with a choice and you want maximum compatibility, choose USB. A much better option is a triple- or quad-interface box (USB/FireWire 400/eSATA, or USB/FireWire 400-800/eSATA) that allows you the fastest possible connection under any circumstance.

Use Fast Connections

For internal storage, SATA connections are the best, fastest choice--and these days, SATA is most likely the primary (or only) drive connector in your PC. Drives with the older PATA connector are still available in up to 750GB capacities, so you can replace the PATA drive in an older system. If your older system has a SATA bus, however, use it instead.

SATA drives also have the unique ability to work externally, in eSATA enclosures. eSATA is far speedier than USB or FireWire, though your PC may require an add-on card to support this type of connector.

Examine Drive Specs

Outside of a laptop or netbook, it's rare these days to find a drive that runs at less than 7200 rpm; you shouldn't even consider anything slower for a desktop PC. Windows performance will improve noticeably as the speed of the hard drive increases.

You'll find 10,000-rpm and 15,000-rpm hard drives, but they carry a premium, and you might not notice much of a performance gain. Unless you have an eSATA connection, don't bother with such drives for external use--slower buses would merely throttle the drive's speed, negating any potential for extra performance.

The amount of cache on a drive affects performance, as well, but not usually significantly. You'll also see some ecofriendly drives with as much as 32GB of cache, and high-performance drives with only 8MB. Be sure to get 8MB or more; beyond that, however, don't worry about it.

Consider an SSD

Solid-state drives are all the rage these days, but the NAND flash memory used in the majority of SSDs varies wildly in speed. Most serve up data quickly, but some will bog down when writing data. Still, newer SSDs scream past disk-based rivals in performance tests, and faster models are rapidly becoming affordable.

When speed is paramount, study the fine print and opt for an SSD based on SLC (Single Level Cell) technology over an MLC (Multi Level Cell) model. Not only is SLC faster, but it should also last longer: SLC is rated for 100,000 writes as opposed to 10,000 for MLC. That said, 10,000 is actually a lot of writes for a data cell, so don't forgo MLC if you don't need ultrahigh speed or if you mostly want a laptop drive that can withstand a shock.

Fire Up Your Printer

Raw printer speeds keep improving each year, but we always seem to want documents to come out just a little bit faster. Thankfully, you can use a few tricks to boost printer performance. Whether you got a bargain inkjet in a bundle with your home PC or you charged a thousand-dollar laser printer to your expense account, these suggestions will kick up your print speeds.

Reduce Print Quality

Often the devil is in the details--with printers, that means detailed prints take longer to produce. If you reduce the quality a little, you can churn out faster prints and save ink.

In any application, choose Print and select Properties. Printer settings will vary, depending on your model; in our case, we found the necessary settings under the Main tab for one printer and the Paper/Output tab for another. Reduce the print quality--try draft mode--and see if the quicker results are good enough.

Fit More on One Page

Print speed mostly depends on the amount of graphics and text on each page, but page quantity also matters. You can slice the time to print in half by formatting two document pages to a single sheet. This method works best for retaining pages of receipts, spreadsheets, or other documents that you'll reference only occasionally, since everything will be smaller.

Choose Print, and then Properties. Your next step might vary with your specific printer. For our test printer, we clicked the Layout/Watermark tab and picked 2 pages per sheet.

Pick a Fast Interface

The kind of connection you use to hook your printer to the PC directly affects its speed. If you have an inkjet, you probably connected it with USB 2.0, which should be about as fast as possible. But if you have a network printer--or if a networked PC acts as a print server for a USB printer--select the fastest available network connection.

We recommend connecting your network printer to your router with an ethernet cable rather than depending on a wireless signal. A wired connection is more reliable, and it's almost always faster. Wi-Fi speeds deteriorate with distance, so if you have to use a wireless signal, try to place your printer close to your router. If you must go with a wireless printer, be sure that either the printer itself or any wireless print server you may connect it to supports 802.11n, which is the fastest wireless standard available.

With a wired connection, see if your printer supports 100Base-T or gigabit ethernet. If so, verify that your router and network can handle those speeds--if they can't, you're creating a bottleneck, especially when sending graphics-heavy files to the printer. For a complete guide to gigabit ethernet, see "Upgrade to Gigabit Networking for Better Performance."

Print Websites Without Images

When you're printing information from the Web, ads and graphics will slow down the process. If you need to print a page, first look for a Print link; clicking on one will typically reformat the page without extras. Otherwise, you can manually disable the graphics.

In Internet Explorer, pick Tools, Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab, and scroll to the Multimedia section. Uncheck the box to Show pictures.

In Firefox, choose Tools, Options, and click the Content tab. Uncheck the box to Load images automatically.

In either browser, click the refresh button to reload the page without the images, and then choose Print. Afterward, toggle the Tools settings to restore the graphics.

Add RAM to Your Printer

High-end printers have shared design concepts with PCs for decades. You'll find a CPU, a networking interface, RAM, and other parts in laser printers starting at about $400. And just as with a PC, ample RAM can boost a printer's performance, so you should see if you can add more.

First, look up your printer's specs at the manufacturer's Website or through a Web search. If you want to download a PDF manual, search for something like "specific printer name manual", which will often lead you to the company's site. Note that some companies refer to "memory" instead of "RAM."

Now that you know whether your printer can take additional RAM and its maximum capacity, determine how much it currently has. Open the printer driver. In Windows 7, pick Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Devices and Printers. Right-click your printer, and pick Printer Properties.

You might have to dig around to get the details--various printer manufacturers provide this information in different locations in the software. If you don't see it in the driver software, check back in the manual.

Give Your Smartphone a Boost

Every day, avid smartphone users push their devices to the limit with downloads, Web browsing, and multitasking in various apps. All of that activity can lead to frustratingly sluggish phone performance. Smartphone slowness is mainly related to two things--limited memory and a drained battery--though other factors are involved, too. With some routine phone maintenance and the help of apps and accessories, you'll have your smartphone running as fast as it did on the day you bought it.

Clear Your Call Log and Old Texts

When was the last time you deleted your call log? It doesn't take up a ton of memory, but it does still eat up precious space. Old text messages, too, consume space, so unless you're holding on to them for sentimental reasons, delete as many as possible. Clear your call log and older texts about every ten days; set a calendar reminder if you're the forgetful type.

Clean Your Apps and Photos

If you're like most smartphone users, you've downloaded apps and games, and then eventually ignored most of them. Vampire games, apps that change the color of your BlackBerry trackball, and even old pictures you took all tend to lose their novelty with time. iPhone owners are especially prone to this problem, as the App Store has a universe of cool (and completely useless) apps. You don't want the phone's nonexpandable memory hogged by lame apps. Look through your apps and downloads occasionally, and delete any that you don't use. You could see an immediate speed boost.

Keep Your Battery Happy and Healthy

All of the wonderful things you can do on a smartphone (running multiple apps, taking photos, playing multimedia) take a toll on battery life, and a nearly drained battery significantly slows down smartphone performance. Consider investing in a battery pack to keep your phone running faster and longer. The Phonesuit MiLi Power Pack for the iPhone is slim enough to double as a protective case for your phone, and it provides an additional 6.5 hours of talk time. Also think about downloading a battery utility app. APNdroid (free at the Android Marketplace) selectively turns off your draining data connection while still allowing you to receive calls.

Use Wi-Fi When Possible

A no-brainer, but a sometimes forgotten tip: If Wi-Fi is available and your phone supports it, use it. Web browsing will be faster over Wi-Fi than over a 3G network. You can find some great apps for judging Wi-Fi signal strength. For the iPhone, we like WiFiFoFum, which scans for 802.11 wireless networks and displays their location in relation to you. A slightly different app, Free WiFi Café Spots, does exactly what the name implies and is very useful if you're searching for Wi-Fi on the go. This particular app is available for the iPhone and for BlackBerry OS, but you can find similar apps for other platforms.

Download Opera Mini 4.2

Tired of your smartphone's clunky browser? If you have an Android, BlackBerry (recent model), Symbian, or Windows Mobile handset, give the Opera Mini browser a try. Available in most app stores for free, it renders pages on a server and then compresses them by 90 percent. It uses relatively little of the phone's resources, resulting in a quicker Web surfing experience. It also helps you save time: When you first open a page, Opera Mini shows you an overview and suggests where you should start reading. And if you're entering an address, Opera Mini will recognize it and suggest completions based on your history and Bookmarks. Best of all, you can also search for text within a page to find exactly what you want, faster.

Delete Your Browser Cookies and Cache

If you use your mobile browser frequently, this is a good step to take to keep your phone running smoothly. The browser stores the content of pages so that they open faster the next time you visit them, but these temporary files take up memory. Clear your cache every 5 to 7 hours you spend surfing the Web.

Use the Most Recent Firmware

Firmware updates not only add new features to your OS, but they also fix bugs and other issues that might be slowing down your phone. Most firmware updates come over the air from either your carrier or your phone's manufacturer. Some handsets, such as the iPhone, require you to connect your phone to your PC to receive the update.

Speed Up Your Camera

Want to make your camera faster? You might not be able to swap out its components, but you do have a veritable smorgasbord of options for speeding up your digital photography. We have ways to freeze the action, reduce shutter lag, and reduce the time between taking a picture and doing something useful with it--like printing it or sharing it online.

Reduce Shutter Lag

If you have an older camera or an inexpensive point-and-shoot, you might be frustrated by shutter lag. You can do a couple of things to shorten that wait.

If your camera features a shutter priority mode, you can set it to ISO 100 to reduce the effects of shutter lag and take photos faster.

Shutter lag happens because your camera, set at its defaults, has a lot of things to do before it can take a photo. Reduce some of that workload by turning off a few of the automatic settings. Instead of using automatic ISO, set the camera's ISO to 100 or 200. Likewise, instead of automatic white balance, set your camera to a white balance that reflects your scene, like outdoor daylight or indoor incandescent. Most important, prepare for your shot by prefocusing: Point at your subject and press the shutter release halfway to lock your focus. When you're ready, press it the rest of the way to snap the photo. All of these tweaks together can shave several tenths of a second off your time, making your camera a lot snappier.

Save Photos Faster

After you press the shutter release, your camera processes and saves the image. Most cameras can process several photos at once and still be ready to take more. After a certain number of shots, though, the camera has to call a time-out before it can take any new pictures. You can do two things to relieve the bottleneck.

First, if you don't need to capture a bounty of 12-megapixel shots, use your camera controls to save the images at a lower resolution. That can significantly increase the number of photos your camera can handle without stopping.

Second, buy a faster memory card. Memory cards are rated with different speeds, and faster cards, while they cost more, can write photos from camera memory swiftly enough to improve performance noticeably when you're taking a lots of pictures in a row, such as a burst of action photos.

Capture Fast-Moving Subjects

Action photos--of rambunctious puppies, grade-school soccer games, air shows, and NASCAR races--are challenging, particularly with slower cameras. But stopping the action is generally just a matter of using a fast shutter speed.

Most DSLRs and some high-end point-and-shoots have a shutter priority mode, which lets you manually dial in the fastest speed available; the camera will accommodate with the appropriate aperture setting. (Alternatively, you can use aperture priority to choose the smallest f-stop number, and the camera will match that with the fastest shutter speed available.)

If that still isn't quite fast enough, increase the camera's ISO. By doubling the ISO from 100 to 200, for example, your camera can halve its shutter speed. By pushing the ISO to higher values, you can stop action even in relatively dim light. The cost, though, will be noisier photos.

If your camera doesn't include these controls, you can improve your action photos by panning. Track the subject in the viewfinder and twist your body as the subject moves across your field of vision. Snap the photo and continue to pan, following through as if you were swinging a baseball bat or a golf club. The background will blur, but the subject will be sharp and distinct.

Benchmark Your PC

If you're serious about improving your PC's performance, it helps to measure how fast (or how slow) it is to begin with.

Here at PC World, we've been developing our own powerful benchmark tool for years. WorldBench 6, the latest version, tests all facets of a PC's performance on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. At $249 for a single-user license, WorldBench isn't cheap, but it's a proven benchmark that's trusted by industry leaders ranging from Intel and HP to Microsoft and McAfee.

If you're on a tighter budget, you can find cheaper benchmarks that can give you an indication of your computer's speed. OpenSourceMark is, as its name implies, an open-source tool that you can download for free. This simple utility runs your PC through assorted operations, from spreadsheets to image editing. Armed with a starting score, you can then compare it with a post-upgrade score or see how much of an effect some of our Windows tweaks have on your machine's overall performance.

Better Broadband

While a variety of products on the market claim to boost your broadband Internet performance, none have proven effective enough for us to recommend them. If you're not getting the Internet speeds you're paying for, you can try a couple of basic fixes.

First, measure your connection speed at Speedtest.net. This quick assessment will give you a fairly accurate picture of your download and upload speeds. After the test, if the results are well below the advertised speeds for your service plan, you can call your carrier to complain. This is the single most effective thing you can do.

Second, ask your carrier whether a newer broadband modem is available, and try to get the provider to send you one. ISPs frequently upgrade their base equipment, and existing customers almost never receive notification. But if you ask for the latest model, many ISPs will send one out free of charge (especially if your contract has expired).

PC Performance Myths

You have lots of good ways to speed up your PC, but you'll encounter plenty of bogus tips, too. Here are three common PC speed-up tactics that just don't do the trick.

Cleaning the Registry

Hard-core Windows users love to tweak their system settings via the Registry Editor, and many claim to have elicited some performance benefits from doing so. The idea is that you can improve Windows' efficiency by weeding out broken entries in this giant database, you can save Windows some energy at boot time, and you can make Windows start and run faster. Unfortunately, there's no real evidence that this approach works, and you can do more harm than good by mucking around with the database that runs your whole PC.

Disabling System Restore

Many supposed Windows gurus will tell you that disabling the System Restore feature can speed up your computer by freeing up hard-drive space and preventing it from kicking in while you work. But since System Restore activates only when you install new applications or when your PC is idle, and since it uses only a small fraction of your hard drive anyway, turning off this feature robs you of a valuable safety measure without providing any real benefit.

Defragging Your Drive

Back in the days when drives were small and operating systems were simpler, running Defrag now and then was necessary to keep your computer running smoothly. But Windows XP, Vista, and 7 all include automated disk optimization, and it's rare for a drive to become so fragmented that it hampers performance. So, while firing up your Disk Defragmenter isn't likely to do any harm, it's usually a waste of your time.

5 Expectations for Google's Chrome OS Event

2009-11-19T12:40:00.000+07:00

Google will finally take the wrapper off its highly-anticipated Chrome operating system during a presentation at Google HQ on Thursday. The event will include a complete overview of the product featuring a Chrome OS demonstration and Q&A session. Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management and Matthew Papakipos, Google engineering director for Google Chrome OS, will speak at the event, according to TechCrunch.

Thursday's presentation will provide at least some answers to the many questions gone unanswered since Google announced the project in July. I have no doubt Google's event will inspire more questions than it answers, but at least it's a start. Here's what we're likely to find out:How Long Until Liftoff?

Part of Google's presentation on Thursday should include more information about when the OS will be available to consumers. It's possible Google will remain silent, and stick to its "second half of 2010" statement that we got earlier this year. But I'm hoping the company will be able to narrow it down to a particular month or at least a season.

What the Heck is Google Chrome OS?

Despite hyperbolic statements that Google dropped a nuclear bomb on Microsoft with its Chrome OS announcement, the fact is no one really knows what this system can do. Questions about Google Chrome OS's capabilities should disappear on Thursday. We should also find out whether Chrome OS is just another Linux distribution or something entirely new.

Where Do Developers Fit in?

Part of Google's promise when it announced Chrome OS is that it would make the operating system's code open source by the end of the year. If Google makes good on its promise tomorrow, where will developers fit into Google's ecosystem?

Google is making strides to involve developers in creating Google Chrome extensions and Google Wave applications. But an operating system that will supposedly change everything should present new opportunities for developers. What will those be? Is Google hoping its developer community will simply help the company improve the OS, or does Google have a more interesting plan in the works?

What's Up With the Hardware?

When Google starts the Chrome OS demo on Thursday, everyone will want to know what kind of computer is running the OS, and when we can expect to see consumer products on store shelves.

We already know that some of Google's Chrome OS partners include Acer, ASUS, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, and Toshiba, but when will we see some merchandise and what will it be? Google said Chrome OS will be available on netbooks to start, but what about the specs? For instance, does Google believe a Web-centric netbook should come with a lot of storage space? Does it even need a hard drive? What about RAM or optical disc drives?

Wave and Microsoft

I'm also interested to see if Google highlights Chrome OS's integration with Google Wave. As anybody who's on Wave can tell you, Google Wave is the coolest spot on the Web, but there's not much to do right now. How important is this revamped e-mail project to Google, and how will Chrome OS complement it?

We should also get a sense of how Chrome OS might fare against Windows. Who knows -- Microsoft may even issue a statement about it. Let's be honest; it's laughable to think the most dominant operating system since the human brain is going to be upended by a fancy Web browser. But hey, you never know.

Chrome OS Doubts

Although a lot of excitement surrounds Chrome OS, I can't help thinking the importance of this product is already overblown. I mean, if you wanted a lightweight operating system that just gets to the Web faster, why not pick up a copy of Linux, and just run Firefox on it? If you want one-clic shortcuts to get to specific Web apps you can use Mozilla's Prism for that. You'll also have access to a huge library of Firefox add-ons to enhance your browsing experience.

Will Chrome OS be any different than what I've described above? Maybe a little, but I'm not getting my hopes up for Thursday's announcement. What about you?

PS3 Firmware 3.10 Released, Adds Facebook Support

2009-11-19T12:39:00.000+07:00

Before you ask, no, the PS3 isn't getting an Xbox 360-equivalent Facebook interface in today's version 3.10 Facebook-angled firmware release. That's the bad news. The good news, if you're PS3-do-or-die, is that it actually adds a few bits Microsoft's implementation doesn't support yet.

For starters, the newly integrated Facebook icon--it's parked at the bottom of the XMB's account management menu--allows you the option to pipe game trophies direct to your Facebook news feed as they're acquired. Existing trophies come across in bundle updates--no deluges of individual bronze, silver, and gold missives cluttering your news outflow--after which they'll ping in dynamically, one at a time.

You can also opt to share your PlayStation Store purchases and in-game events, but what about the tempest in a teacup over Uncharted 2's game event Twitter updates? What if you want to filter specific events and purchases?

"We put a lot of things in place to make it really flexible," said PSN director Eric Lempel in a phone interview. "So you can post what you'd like to post, especially if you're playing a game that maybe you don't want all your friends knowing about."

Translation: If you turn on game events or store purchase information, you'll be prompted by the system each time there's an opportunity to post something--nothing goes out without your say-so.

"For example, say you're in a racing game and you've just scored record time on some track," said Lempel. "You'll then get a note asking if you want to post the record to Facebook. You'll just click a button to say 'yes' or 'no'."

Which events qualify for updates? "That'll be up to individual developers," said Lempel.

By contrast, trophy information gets pushed out automatically, meaning it's all-or-nothing when the option's enabled.

"We didn't want trophy-sharing to become something intrusive in the games," said Lempel. "And just the way it works technically, it's the best way for that to happen."

Trophy synchronization's been a sore point for some PS3 gamers, who dislike that it has to be performed manually, or that it can take awhile to complete. I asked Lempel whether Sony plans to automate or speed up the process.

"Not at this time," he said. "You're still synchronizing trophies as you do today in this update, by either clicking on the trophy icon or comparing your trophies to a friend's."

5 Reasons Why Google Should Not Sell Handsets

2009-11-19T12:37:00.000+07:00

Rumors are once again swirling around the idea that a Google-branded "Superphone" will hit the market next year. How stupid do these people think Google is?

Well, TechCrunch's Michael Arrington seems to think "pretty stupid," yet lays out and interesting, if not compelling, case for Google selling a phone directly to consumers. At inflated prices for lack of a subsiding carrier, no less.

There is simply no sane reason for Google to compete with handset companies. First, it could kill Android and Chrome OS. Second, Google can get everything it wants following the much easier path of letting handset companies do what they do best.

Here are my five reasons why Google should run far and fast from the handset business:

Google's business model does not require it - Unless Google is planning to abandon its model of being a services business, it makes no sense to Google to start selling its own hardware. It simply does not need to. Why choose a hard way to earn a buck when the easy one is working so well?
It would alienate handset makers - Unless Google believes it can become the King of Smartphones the way it already dominates search, how do you justify what a Google-branded phone would do to the rest of the industry? Why would anyone want to support Android with Google selling against them?
Google can already get the hardware it wants - If Google's goal is creating a big platform for Android, the company needs to work with hardware companies to perfect their designs and how hardware, operating system, and applications work together. If Google can work with other companies on results as good as Android, Google will prove the "PC business model" can work for handsets, too.
Sets a bad precedent - Suppose Google does a handset of its own-competing with everyone in the industry and reducing support for Android-what would this mean for Chrome OS? Suppose you are a netbook maker, would you want Google selling hardware against your own? Better to partner with a company you understand-Microsoft-than one with seemingly no limit on its ambition. A Google-branded phone could render Chrome OS DOA.
Hardware is a very tough game - I do not want to underestimate Google's accomplishments, but the mass-market hardware business is hugely different from software and services and not nearly as profitable. Again, I wonder why Google would want the pain that comes from selling hardware.

Google may choose to offer its logo as a branding tool for highest-end Android devices that support Google apps and other services. That could make sense, provided it was offered to all hardware vendors that met certain standards.

In summary: It is very likely that there is a Google superphone for 2010 in development, just as Google was involved in the development a Google superphone for 2009-called the Droid.

The 2010 Googlephone may and probably does exist; it just will not show up in the market with only Google's name on it. There is simply no logical reason for Google to wade into a swamp it can so easily avoid.

Windows 7 Ads: Microsoft Tarts Up the Desktop

2009-11-14T23:32:00.000+07:00

If this is part of Redmond's alleged scheme to steal the Mac's look, it's got the wrong idea.

Microsoft has announced plans to peddle Windows 7 desktop space to advertisers, who'll create Windows UI themes--customized backgrounds, audio clips, and other elements--that highlight their brand, Computerworld reports. In fact, some advertiser themes are already available in the Windows 7 Personalization Gallery, including desktop pitches for soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Pepsi), autos (Ducati, Ferrari, Infiniti), and big-budget Hollywood blockbusters (Avatar).

Ad-themed desktops are new for Microsoft, which has long allowed PC manufacturers to customize the desktop. Hardware vendors like Acer, Dell, HP, and Sony often muck up the Windows UI with background logos and countless icons for trial apps and other crapware. (Those trial apps provide an additional revenue stream, an ugly necessity in the low-margin world of Windows PCs.) Too often the hardware guys' appalling makeover turns an aesthetically appealing UI into a tacky swap meet.

The advertiser themes are different, however, in that they won't be foisted on unsuspecting users. Rather, you'll have to download and install the ad pitch yourself. As a result, I doubt many Windows 7 users will gripe about ad themes. Hey, if you're a Preparation H fan, why not devote the desktop to your favorite ointment?

Nevertheless, I think ad themes are a bad idea. They may boost Microsoft's bottom line a bit, but they run counter to Redmond's grand scheme of creating an elegant Windows 7 experience.

Microsoft may have refuted the claims of its blabbermouth employee who told a British publication that Windows 7 cribbed its sleek appearance from Mac OS X. (Bad career move there.) But any casual observer can tell that Windows has borrowed more than a few UI concepts from Apple over the years. I don't see why things would change now.

Redmond's situation is complex. Unlike Apple, it doesn't control the entire Windows ecosphere. It makes the software but not the hardware. Consumers typically obtain Windows via a third party--the the PC vendor, which works its toxic voodoo on the desktop. Furthermore, Microsoft and its OEM partners don't enjoy Apple's generous profit margins, and therefore must find creative ways to boost revenues.

If Microsoft truly wants a Mac-like experience for Windows 7 users, it should lock down the desktop. Non-commercial themes are OK, but tacky ads, movie promos, and other cheese ball garbage must go.

To paraphrase Ron Burgundy: Keep it classy, Microsoft.

Nokia Booklet 3G

2009-11-14T23:29:00.000+07:00

The Booklet 3G netbook is rugged and solidly built--but some quirks make it a slightly too-pricey portable.

Nokia spokespeople are quick to correct you if you slip and call the Booklet 3G a netbook. Well, let's see: It has a tiny, clamshell, laptop-like design. It has meager specs (1GB of RAM, Intel's Z530 1.6-GHz Atom CPU, and a 4200-rpm 120GB hard drive). It has a 10.1-inch screen. Last time I checked, that was pretty much the definition of a netbook. The Booklet 3G just happens to be a reasonably well-constructed model with a focus on being 3G wireless-ready. But are you willing to shell out $599, sans contract (price as of 11/13/09), for Nokia's maiden effort in the netbook market (or $299 subsidized through an AT&T data plan)?

As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly enamored with what lies under the Booklet's hood--certainly not at the asking price. Though the PC World Labs haven't yet completed their rounds of WorldBench 6 tests, I did take the Booklet out for a quick, subjective performance spin. From a cold start, it takes 45 seconds to boot into the Windows 7 Starter Edition desktop. Try opening up more than two applications at a time, and brace for the lag. As for battery life, we can't give you final results on that yet, either, but one spokesperson shared anecdotally that the battery will last for over 7 hours. We'll update you on its performance marks as soon as possible.

The nondescript guts aren't the real story here, however--it's the Booklet 3G's upscale lines. The machine's smart styling is almost techno-retro, making this little laptop look like, well, a large cell phone. The glossy plastic lid may be a smudge magnet, but it nicely offsets the sturdy aluminum case. The mouse buttons have a swooping design. Heck, I half expected to see a version of Snakes running on this thing. In short, Nokia seems to think that it's still 2002--and I'm okay with that.
But then you try to use the machine. The 10.1-inch screen, with its native 1280 by 720 resolution (not to mention the unit's HDMI output), may fool you into thinking that you'll be able to enjoy HD video on it. Between the Booklet 3G's poky processor and its low-speed hard drive, I found it tough to watch a 480-by-320-resolution video running full screen. The colors and contrast seemed a bit muted, and as if that weren't enough, the glare coming off the screen was extremely noticeable unless I looked at the display dead-on. I could do my morning shave looking at that reflection.

Something else I noticed while trying to watch video on a bus: The hinge mechanism has almost no grip. The slightest bump kicks the screen back. As a test, I tried just slightly flicking my wrist while holding the machine, and the screen flopped out. That's a huge pet peeve of mine, and a strike against the Booklet 3G.
I should note that the keyboard is tiny. I'm talking small, scrunched keys, the kind where my fingertip dwarfs the entire button. Over time, I grew accustomed to the size, but I wouldn't recommend it for long typing sessions (like the time I spent typing this review...ouch). On the other hand, I really liked the touchpad: Spacious, with two big, satisfying mouse buttons, it makes navigating a whole lot easier.
Measuring 10.4 by 7.3 by 0.8 inches and weighing about 2.7 pounds, the unit feels substantial in your hands. On the edges are three USB ports (two on the left side), plus a combo mic and headphone jack (so you can plug in a cell phone headset). I especially recommend sticking with headphones, because the two built-in speakers barely rise above a whisper--and when I tried to crank up Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," the speakers cracked.
Also on the side are the power switch and, behind a flap, the SD and SIM card slots. I presume that the easily accessible SIM card slot allows for the closed-case design and permits international travelers to pop in a region-friendly card wherever they may land. Otherwise, the case is fairly clean.
As for software, the big draw looks to be Nokia Ovi Suite, the company's set of connectivity apps, which didn't come with our initial test machine. We are hoping to get a closer look at that prior to assigning the Booklet 3G a final score. But going by what we have seen so far, it could be a little tough to give this netbook a hearty recommendation.
The sturdy frame and reasonably slick lines of the Nokia Booklet 3G show that the company has what it takes to make a smart-looking portable. But considering the poor choice of components (really, a tiny, slow hard drive?) and the above-mentioned quirks, this is a too-pricey portable. If someone tried selling me the Booklet 3G at $599, I'd balk. The $299 subsidized deal may rope some people in--until they realize that they would need to shell out $60 per month in data costs.
As opinionated as this review may seem right now, I'm holding off on giving you my final judgment until we get results back from the lab tests. We will update the review as soon as possible. But I'd recommend looking at more reasonably priced netbooks like, say, the $400 HP Mini 311 (with a decent GPU) first.

YouTube Goes High Definition with 1080p Videos

2009-11-14T23:25:00.003+07:00

YouTube says it will start supporting 1080p high-definition video in full resolution starting next week. The Google-owned video-sharing site will add support for viewing videos in 720p or 1080p resolutions, depending on the resolution of the original source.

YouTube has been supporting HD videos for over a year now, and the maximum resolution output today is 720p. But the video-sharing site explains on its blog that as resolution of consumer cameras increases, this will give users a better way to enjoy high quality content.

The YouTube 1080p HD mode is targeted mainly at users with big monitors and a fast computer, as even the 720p HD mode on YouTube can put a strain on many of the regular PCs out there. For those with less capable computers, the 720p HD mode will still be offered as an alternative to the higher resolution mode.

YouTube also said that videos that have already been uploaded in 1080p (but are only displayed in 720p at the moment) are halfway through the process of re-encoding and the video-sharing site will start rolling out the higher resolution versions in due course.

Hunter Walk, director of product management at YouTube, said in an interview with NewTeeVee that the site has seen a tenfold increase in 1080p video uploads from users, from 1 percent to 10 percent in recent months. He did not comment on how much strain 1080p videos will put on YouTube's infrastructure.

Earlier this year, YouTube also partnered with Hollywood studios, bringing movies and TV shows to U.S. consumers via its video network. Some of the big partners named were Sony, CBS, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, BBC, and independent film studio Lions Gate Entertainment. Higher-quality content output would also help YouTube better compete with the likes of Hulu and Netflix.

Top 20 Windows 7 Tips

2009-11-12T09:43:00.004+07:00

Here are 20 tricks to tweak Windows 7 into the interface that works best for you.

Just got your hands on Windows 7 and want to bend it to your will? No problem. We've got plenty of tips, hacks and secrets to keep you busy for a long time, including automatically opening Windows Explorer to a folder of your choice, speeding up taskbar thumbnails, finding hidden desktop themes, forcing User Account Control to act the way you'd like, keeping your Explorer searches secret from others, and more.

So check out these tips. If you like them, we'll keep more coming.

General tips

We'll start with a few nifty tips that can make your desktop more interesting, make it easier to get around and increase your computer's power efficiency.

Use Hidden International Wallpapers and Themes

When you first install Windows 7, it asks for your language, time and currency. Based on your responses, it installs a set of wallpapers and themes. If you choose English (United States) for your time and currency format, for example, the available desktop backgrounds and themes will include a United States section with scenery from locations such as Maine, the Southwest and so on.

Hidden, though, are background scenery and themes from other English-speaking countries -- Australia, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa. Normally, you can't access those backgrounds or themes, but there is a simple way you can install and use them:

1. In the search box in the Start menu, type C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT and press Enter. (Note: If Windows 7 is installed in a drive other than C:, use that letter instead.)

2. Windows Explorer will launch and show you a list of subfolders under C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT: MCT-AU, MCT-CA, MCT-GB, MCT-US, and MCT-ZA. Each subfolder has wallpapers for a specific country: AU for Australia, CA for Canada, GB for Great Britain, US for the United States, and ZA for South Africa.

For any of the countries whose wallpaper and themes you want to use, go into its Theme folder, for example, C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT\MCT-ZA\Theme. Double-click the theme you see there (for example ZA).

A South Africa theme, ready to use.

3. That will install a shortcut to the theme and wallpapers in the Personalization section of Control Panel.

You can now use them as you would any other theme or background, by right-clicking the desktop, choosing Personalize, and choosing a background or theme. They will be listed in their own section.

Shake Your Desktop Free of Clutter

If you frequently run multiple programs simultaneously, your desktop can get extremely cluttered. This can get annoying if you're working on one program and want to minimize all the other windows -- in previous versions of Windows you had to minimize them individually.

With Windows 7's "shake" feature, though, you can minimize every window except the one in which you're currently working -- in a single step. Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to keep on the desktop; while still holding the title bar, shake it quickly back and forth until all of the other windows minimize to the taskbar. Then let go. To make them return, shake the title bar again.

You can accomplish the same thing by pressing the Window key-Home key combination -- although doing that is not nearly as much fun.

Get a Power Efficiency Report

Have a laptop and want to get more battery life out of it? Windows 7 includes a hidden built-in tool that will examine your laptop's energy use and make recommendations on how to improve it. To use it:

1. Run a command prompt as an administrator. To do this, type cmd in the search box, and when the cmd icon appears, right-click it and choose "Run as administrator."

2. At the command line, type in the following:

powercfg -energy -output \Folder\Energy_Report.html

where \Folder represents the folder where you want the report to be placed.

3. For about a minute, Windows 7 will ex

Modify UAC

A laptop's power efficiency report.

The User Account Control security feature was one of the most reviled additions to Windows Vista, with good reason -- its constant warning messages asking for permission to continue many operations drove users around the bend. UAC has been significantly improved in Windows 7 so that it's not as intrusive as in Vista, but you can still tweak it if you like.
Here's how to turn UAC on or off, and make it less or more intrusive than the default:
1. Go to the Control Panel --> User Accounts and Family Safety.
2. Click User Accounts, then click Change User Account Control settings.

Modifying UAC.

3. From the screen that appears, use the slider to select the level of protection you want. Here are the four levels and what they mean:
Always notify me. Think of this as UAC Classic. It works like Vista's UAC: When you make changes to your system, when software is installed or when a program tries to make a change to your system, an annoying prompt appears.
Default -- Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer. This is, obviously, the default; make a change yourself and UAC leaves you alone. When a program makes a change, a prompt appears and your desktop goes dark, just like it does in Vista. Otherwise, UAC sits there silently.
Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop). This setting is identical to the default setting, with one difference: It won't dim your desktop so that you only see the UAC prompt asking you to take action. This presents a slightly elevated security risk over the default setting, because theoretically a program could allow a malicious program to interfere with the UAC prompt.
Never notify me when: In this one, UAC is completely turned off. This is, of course, an insecure option and not recommended for most users.
After you make the selection, click OK. Depending on the selection you made, you may need to restart your system for it to take effect.

amine the behavior of your laptop. It will then analyze it and create a report in HTML format in the folder you specified. Double-click the file, and you'll get a report -- follow its recommendations for ways to improve power performance.

Start Menu tips

Many people overlook the Start Menu, rarely using it except as a jumping off point to run an application or get to the Control Panel. But there's actually plenty you can do with it.

Search the Internet from the Start Menu

The Start Menu's search box is a convenient way to search through your PC -- but you can also have it do double-duty and perform Internet searches as well. To enable this feature:
1. In the Start Menu search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press Enter to run the Group Policy Editor.
2. Go to User Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Start Menu and Taskbar.
3. Double-click "Add Search Internet link to Start Menu," and from the screen that appears, select Enabled. Then click OK and close the Group Policy Editor.

Enabling Internet search from the Start Menu.

4. From now on, when you type a search term in the Search box on the Start Menu, a "Search the Internet" link will appear. Click the link to launch the search in your default browser with your default search engine.

Customize the Shut Down Button

The default action of the Start Menu's Shut down button is to turn off your PC. If you want to use the button for another action, such as restarting your PC, you click the arrow to the right of the Shut down button and select an action from the drop-down menu.
What if you rarely shut your PC down completely but frequently restart it? You can change the Shut down button's default action to be Restart -- or Switch user, Log off, Lock, Sleep or Hibernate.
To change your default, right-click the Start button and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the "Power button action" drop-down menu and select which action you want to be the default. Then click OK, and OK again.

Add a Videos Link to the Start Menu

The Windows 7 Start Menu includes links to your Pictures and Music folders, but not to your Videos folder. If you watch a lot of videos and want a link to them on your Start Menu, here's what you can do:

Displaying the Videos folder on the Start Menu.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Properties.
2. On the screen that appears, go to the Start Menu tab and click Customize.
3. In the dialog box that appears, scroll to the bottom, look for the Videos section, select "Display as a link," and click OK and then OK again.
If you'd prefer that Videos display as a menu, with links to files and submenus, instead select "Display as a menu."

Windows Explorer tips

Windows Explorer is the heart and soul of the Windows interface, and overall it works quite well. But you can make it better.

Use check boxes to select multiple files

In order to select multiple files for an operation such as copying, moving or deleting in Windows Explorer, you generally use the keyboard and the mouse, Ctrl-clicking every file you want to select. But if you're mouse-centric, there's a way to select multiple files in Windows 7 using only your mouse, via check boxes. To do it:
1. In Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then select "Folder and search options."
2. Click the View tab.
3. In Advanced Settings, scroll down and check the box next to "Use check boxes to select items." Click OK.
4. From now on, when you hover your mouse over a file in Windows Explorer, a check box will appear next to it; click it to select the file. Once a file is selected, the checked box remains next to it; if you uncheck it, the box will disappear when you move your mouse away.

Selecting multiple files using your mouse and check boxes.

Open a command prompt at any folder

Command prompt fans will welcome this tip. With it, when you're in Windows Explorer, you can open a command prompt to any folder. This tip does exactly what the Windows XP PowerToy "Open Command Window Here" does.
To use it, hold down the Shift key and right-click a folder, then choose "Open command window here" from the context menu that appears. (Note that this tip doesn't work in the Documents folder.)

Protect the privacy of your Explorer searches

Select "Enabled" to protect search privacy.

When you search through your PC from Windows Explorer, you can see the most recent searches that have been performed. If you share a PC and don't want others to see what you've searched for, you can turn off the recent searches feature:
1. In the Start menu's Search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press Enter to launch the Group Policy Editor.
2. Go to User Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Windows Explorer.
3. Double-click "Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box" and select Enabled from the screen that appears. Then click OK. The recent searches feature will now be turned off.

Set a New Windows Explorer Launch Folder

When you run Windows Explorer, it always opens to the Libraries folder. That's fine if you use Microsoft's default file organization, which designates Libraries as the overall container for your folders. But what if you don't? You might prefer to have Windows Explorer open to Computer or any other folder you choose. Here's how to do it:

Changing the default Explorer location.

1. Right-click the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar (it's the one that looks like a folder), and then right-click the Windows Explorer icon from the context menu that appears and select Properties. The Windows Explorer Properties dialog box appears.
2. You'll have to edit the Target field on the Shortcut tab of this dialog box in order to change the default location at which Explorer opens.
If you want Explorer to open to a specific folder, simply enter the name of the folder, substituting your folder name for Folder, below, like this:
%windir%\explorer.exe c:\Folder
So to open Explorer to the folder named Budget, you would type this in the Target field:
%windir%\explorer.exe c:\Budget
If you want Explorer to open to special, pre-set locations, such as Computer, you'll need to enter special syntax in the Target field. Following is a list of three common locations and the syntax to use, followed by the syntax for the Libraries folder in case you ever want to revert to the default.

Computer: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
My Documents: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
Network: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Libraries: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe

3. After you've changed the Target field, click OK. Next time you launch Windows Explorer, it will open to the new location you've designated.

Show all Your Drives in Windows Explorer

Depending on your system settings, when you go to Computer in Windows Explorer, you may be in for a shock -- you may not see all your drives such as memory card readers if those drives are empty. If this disconcerts you, there's a simple way for you to see them even if there's nothing there:

Having Explorer show empty drives.

1. Launch Windows Explorer and press the Alt button to reveal the top menu.
2. Select Tools --> Folder Options and click the View tab.
3. Under "Advanced settings," uncheck the box next to "Hide empty drives in the Computer folder." Click OK. The drives will now always be visible.

Build Your Own Internet Search Connector

Windows 7 has a very useful new feature called a Search Connector that lets you search through a Web site from right inside Windows Explorer. With it, you type in a search term and select the Search Connector for the site you want to search; Explorer searches the Web site without having to open Internet Explorer, and the results appear inside Windows Explorer. Click any of the results to head there using your default Web browser.
Normally, you'll need to get each Search Connector from the Web site through which you want to search, and very few Connectors are available. Sites normally need to adhere to OpenSearch standards in order for their Connectors to work.
However, there's a work-around that will let you easily build your own Search Connector for any site, using Windows Live Search as a kind of go-between. Don't worry, you don't need to know any code to write a Connector. Just follow these steps:
1. Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad. The text you'll need to change is in bold, all-caps text:

NAME YOUR SEARCH
DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH
SITENAME.COM&web.count=50"/>
SITENAME.COM"/>

Adding a new Search Connector.

2. In place of NAME YOUR SEARCH, type in the name of the search as you want it to appear. In our case, we're going to build a Search Connector for Computerworld, so we'll just type in Computerworld.
3. In place of DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH, type in a longer description of the search. In our instance, it will be Search through Computerworld.
4. In the two SITENAME.COM entries, enter the Web site's domain. Don't use the http:// or www -- just the domain name. In our instance it will be computerworld.com.
5. To the right of "count=", type in the number or results you want to appear. In our instance, we'll keep it at 50.
6. In our example, here's what the code should look like (no bold necessary):

Computerworld
Search through Computerworld
computerworld.com&web.count=50"/>
computerworld.com"/>

Results from a custom Search Connector.

7. Save the file in Notepad, choose UTF-8 from the Encoding drop-down box near the bottom of the Save As screen, and give it an .osdx extension. In our instance, we'll call the file Computerworld.osdx.
8. In Windows Explorer, right-click the .osdx file and select Create Search Connector. The Search Connector will be created.
9. You can now use the Search Connector. To get to it, in Windows Explorer go to YourName --> Searches --> Connector, where YourName is your account name, and Connector is the name of the Connector.

Taskbar Tips

One of the most significant changes to the Windows 7 interface is its new taskbar, which acts more like the Mac OS X dock than the Windows taskbar of old. Here are a few quick tips for using the new taskbar and tweaks for taking charge of it.

Speed Up the Display of Thumbnails on the Taskbar

One of the nicest things about the taskbar is that when you hover your mouse over the icons in it, you can see thumbnail previews of all open windows for each of those applications. When you do so, there is a slight delay before the thumbnail appears. But you can make the thumbnails display more quickly by using a Registry hack.
Important: Always create a Restore Point before editing the Windows Registry. If you don't know how to create a Restore Point or find your way around the Windows Registry, see "The tweaker's guide to the Windows Registry."

The taskbar in thumbnail view.

1. Launch the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Search box and pressing Enter.
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse.
3. Double-click MouseHoverTime. The default value you'll see is 400 -- which means 400 milliseconds. Type in a new, smaller value -- 150 is a good bet. Then click OK and exit the Registry Editor. You'll have to log off or restart your computer for the change to take effect.

Rearrange Taskbar Icons

It's easy to rearrange the icons across the bottom of the screen -- simply drag an icon to where you want it to live. You can also add icons to the taskbar by dragging them from an application, and delete the icons by highlighting them and pressing the Delete key.

Take Control of the Taskbar Notification Area

The notification area, at the far right of the taskbar, shows system messages and alerts, and displays the icons of programs and services that typically run in the background, such as Windows 7's wireless service. But what determines when, how and which icons show up there seems one of Windows' great mysteries.

Customizing the taskbar notification area.

There's a simple way to find out, and better yet, to customize it.
1. Right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and from the dialog box in the notification area section, click Customize.
2. For each application, select from the drop-down box whether you want the icon and notifications to always be displayed, to never be displayed or to have an icon appear only when there's a notification of some kind. Click OK when you're done.
You can also customize the system icons and services that appear there, including the clock, volume, network, power and Action Center icons. At the bottom of the same screen, click "Turn system icons on or off," and from the screen that appears, choose whether to turn on or off the icon and notifications. Click OK twice when you're done.

See Taskbar Thumbnails Without a Mouse

If you're a fan of using the keyboard rather than your mouse whenever possible, you can move your cursor from icon to icon in the taskbar without a mouse -- and still see thumbnail previews. Press Windows key-T, and you'll move the focus to the leftmost icon on the taskbar. Then, while still pressing the Windows key, press T again to change the focus to the next icon to the right. You can keep doing this as long as you like.

Launch Taskbar Apps Without a Mouse

Likewise, you can launch any program on the taskbar without the mouse. Press the Windows key and the number that corresponds to the position of the application on the taskbar -- for example, Windows key-1 to launch the left-most application on the taskbar, Windows key-2 to launch the second left-most application and so on.

Run Multiple Copies of Applications from the Taskbar

The Windows 7 taskbar serves a dual purpose, which can get confusing at times. It's used to launch programs, and also to switch between programs that are running. So you launch a program by clicking its icon, and also switch to that program after it's running by clicking its icon.
But what if you want to launch a second instance of the program? Once the program is running, it seems there's no way to launch a second instance, because when you click its icon, you only switch to the running instance.
There's a simple fix: If a program is already running and you want to launch a second instance from the taskbar, hold down the Shift key and click the icon. A second instance will launch. You can keep launching new instances this way.

Get back the Quick Launch bar

Windows 7's new taskbar functions as a program launcher as well as task switcher. As a result, the old Quick Launch bar, the area on the left side of the taskbar that contained shortcuts for frequently used programs, has been banished. However, if you really miss the little applet, you can add it back. Here's how to do it:
1. Right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars --> New Toolbar.
2 . You'll be asked to select a folder for where the new toolbar should live. In the Folder text box at the bottom of the dialog box, enter this text:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
After you do that, click Select Folder. A link for the Quick Launch bar will be added to the taskbar. It will be on the right of the taskbar, just to the left of the Notification area.

The Quick Launch bar docked on the right.

It's not particularly useful docked all the way to the right with no application icons showing, so we're going to have to do a bit of work on it to make it useful. Right-click the taskbar and, in the pop-up menu, remove the check next to "Lock the taskbar." Now right-click Quick Launch and remove the checks next to Show Text and Show Title.
Once you've done that, drag the vertical triple dotted line next to the Quick Launch bar to the left until you expose its icons. To prevent further changes, right-click the taskbar and check Lock the taskbar. You can now use the Quick Launch bar as you could in Windows XP and Vista, including adding icons to it and deleting them.

The Quick Launch bar, restored to usefulness.

Demon's Souls, The Hardest Game You've Ever Played

2009-11-11T12:08:00.003+07:00

Demon's Souls is hard. Harder than sailing through Nintendo's Punch-Out!! cheat-free. Harder than solving a Rubik's Cube blindfolded. Harder than luring CBS to feature you for ranking "top Guitar Hero III player in the world." Harder than scoring a fabled 3,333,360 points in Pac-Man…

Okay, maybe not harder than playing a perfect game of Pac-Man.

Still.

Atlus's action-adventure comes to the PlayStation 3 in the guise of a role-playing game about a guy who storms through gloom-lit milieus gashing, skewering, and occasionally fricasseeing demons that upon dispatch, no great surprise, relinquish souls. Those souls--bluish orbs of light that whoosh toward you like iron fillings to an electromagnet--count as currency you stockpile to improve your abilities. Grueling opponents, neck-snapping traps, startling ambushes, and set-piece encounters snarl your progress and slow what might otherwise seem a casual jaunt through a handful of smallish gothic castles, gloaming prison-towers, and ramshackle, fire-washed under-cities.

Along the way you'll slaughter throngs of sword-slinging creatures and flank others with slow-fire bows or thrusting spears. Having to master melee maneuvers and suss the precise tactical timing of opponents turns encounters into hard-fought battles that belie the conventional "lawnmowing" hack-and-slash motif. Dungeons with skeletons and stingrays, giant ticks and bearbugs, dreglings and dragons--huge, beautifully rendered, terrifyingly relentless dragons--splay between worlds accessed through sculpted stone portals. These gateways lodge along a curved, crumbling staircase at the heart of a hub-area known as the Nexus, to which you'll often return to collect your wits and possibly enhance them. Merchants here and scattered in hidden niches hawk battle kit like "crushing maces" and "spiraling rapiers" and "fluted helmets," all upgradeable by snatching shards from enemies and hoarding these until you've enough to smith better.

The world itself seems cobbled from crafty lies and paranoid truths, a massively-single-player multiverse in which players connect silently to one another and paint flickering ruby-colored text missives on floors and steps. Other players wink in and out, like ghosts bleeding through reality rubbed thin. Bloodstains trigger holographic replays of another player's final moments--a warning, a solution, even a voyeuristic bit of lurid spectacle.

Orbis terrarum memor ipsum, "The world remembers itself," to paraphrase Bill Pullman in Lost Highway, "the way I want you to remember it, not necessarily the way it happened."

"This is it," claims a message beside a gaping hole to blackness. The new single by Michael Jackson cues in my brain before I can dash the through. The hole beckons, but I push on. "Be wary of the enemy's sneak attack," warns another. Unperturbed, I turn my back to peer down some stairs leading to a portcullis, and sure enough--wham!--up creeps ol' tall, tatty, and moldering, who gets off two solid brain-thumping whacks before I've wheeled and laid him flat. "It's safe here," reads a third message just outside a pitch-dark doorway leading into a tower. Thank goodness. I venture in…and five torch-swinging creatures lurch toward and then set me alight.

After dispatching them--barely--I spy another message scrawled just this side of the door's threshold.

"Beware of false messages," it reads.

Above all, though, Demon's Souls is about dying. Lots of dying. As a matter of form, or even a function of necessity.

But it's also about coming to terms with death. Not in a morosely Leo Tolstoy Death of Ivan Ilyich way, all paranoid obsessing and gasping surrender, but more in a "get used to repeating yourself" Bill-Murray-in-What-About-Bob? capacity.

Death in the Rider-Waite tarot sense, then, where the armor-clad skeleton riding a pale horse signifies the unsung beginning at the out-edge of ending. Death as mutable. Death as change. Death as inescapable and intervalic, pulling even as you push forward, like a Chinese finger puzzle constricting in proportion to force exerted.

Consequently your senses heighten and your reflexes tighten in anticipation of perpetual, instantaneous failure. You're not allowed to pause, meaning everything's always happening now. Bring up the real-time inventory screen in unexplored areas at your peril. If you die, you lose all the souls you've won. Make it back to your the bloodstain where you just died before dying again, and you'll reclaim all the souls you've lost. Die before doing so, however, and you'll lose all but the souls you've collected up to that point.

Life, as well as life-once-removed, begin to feel like gothic-flavored investment banking. You might have thirty-thousand souls, say, a considerable amount early on, the fruit of a hard-fought stretch: Do you proceed at risk of dying in a hellishly difficult area that might take three or four tries getting back to? Or do you carry your trove to a warp point--it can take several minutes to retrace your steps--to level up in the Nexus?

It's gaming on tenterhooks, an experimental experience drizzled in dread and diffused like a slow-churning fog. The slightest victories seem magnified tenfold, your satisfaction measured on a microcosmic scale, simple rewards sliced into elemental bits and meted out sparingly.

You might call it a "how many" and "how long" game, as in "How many souls can you accrue before dying?" and "How long can avoid munching precious bits of healing grass or using up rare, expensive firebombs?" Dying swiftly and repeatedly breeds frustration. Frustration leads to sloppy, flailing streaks of rush-back-to-where-you-left-off play. Carelessness leads to more dying, then fatigue, then forced reconsideration, thoughtful repetition-bolstered tactical planning, and finally--oh so gratifyingly--winning through.

I've "won through" the first segment of the first world dozens of times. Each time I start the game, I swing through this area like a warm-up lap, practicing carefully honed swings and sprinting swing-in-place blade-twirls. Each pass takes ever-so-slightly less effort--a barely perceptible but nevertheless measurable sign of progress.

I can't stop playing the game. When I have to stop playing it, I'm thinking what I'll do when I'm back to it. Instead of dropping off to sleep at night, I lie awake conjuring eldritch-lit maze-worlds, probing the parapets and crenellations, rehearsing tactical paths through select areas that seem to offer better loot drops depending on the order in which you dispatch denizens.

I've miles to go before I'm finished, for all the dozens of hours I've played. I've yet to invoke blue eye stones and conjure nearby others into my game for assistance, or ply black stones to invade another's world in a game of PVP cat and mouse. I'm still plumbing the depths of the "world tendency" effects, which alter spawn types and drop rates, open locks and modify attack strengths, and determine whether key characters--or their ominous dark phantom others--appear. Most of all, I'm awestruck by the way the game's compulsive simplicity gradually gives way to a kind of fractal, flexible complexity.

And I've never enjoyed losing this badly, this frequently, this devastatingly, this much.

Sony VAIO X Series

2009-11-11T11:49:00.002+07:00

Sleek, sexy, and slim, the Sony VAIO X Series is the perfect netbook for the stylish, executive jet-setter. While this machine is smaller than most netbooks and measures just 0.55 inch thick, it packs a bit more gusto--and, starting at $1299 (our unit sells for $1499, as of 11/10/09), it carries an over-the-top price tag that screams, "CEO only!"

I quickly fell for the golden, brushed-aluminum body and the matching widely spaced keys. (Not feeling flashy enough for the limited-edition gold version, like the one we received? The X Series also comes in black.) Measuring 10.95 by 7.29 by 0.55 inches and weighing 1.6 pounds, the X Series out-smalls the MacBook Air and gives the upcoming Dell Adamo XPS a run for its money.
The X Series boasts an 11.1-inch screen that measures merely 0.125 inch thick. The laptop comes with two interchangeable batteries: a standard (3.5-hour) battery and a larger, heavier, battery-and-stand combo that supposedly lasts for up to 14 hours, according to Sony spokespeople. We're still waiting on PC World Labs test results. The additional battery brings the weight of the X Series to approximately 2.2 pounds. (For reference, the popular MacBook Air weighs about 3 pounds.)
Though the laptop may look like a Jaguar, it runs like a Ford Taurus.The ultrathin ultraportable features a 128GB solid-state drive, 2GB of RAM, and a 2GHz Intel Atom Z550 processor. As with the battery, we can't tell you exactly what that means in terms of a WorldBench 6 score just yet--the netbook is still running through our tests. In my subjective tests, the X Series ran Windows 7 Home Premium Edition smoothly enough, though I did find the machine slowing down when I tried to get more than three programs running at the same time.
The X Series features a 1366-by-768-pixel, 11.1-inch LCD screen--theoretically, you could get 720p video to run on this machine. Streaming HD (480p) video from Hulu was fantastic: Image quality was crisp and clear, and colors looked fully saturated. Since the machine supports 720p resolutions, we had to throw our higher-quality test video (of a shuttle launch) at it; the result was a herky-jerky viewing experience, however. Your HD-video mileage will vary.
The LED-backlit screen looks good both indoors and out. At the highest brightness setting, it was still readable in sunlight (using the highest brightness setting, however, will cut the battery life to 2.5 hours on the standard battery and 12 hours on the extra-life battery).The only problem: The higher resolution hurts the VAIO X Series. I, admittedly, have bad eyes, but looking at the tiny screen started to give me a headache after about half an hour. Fortunately, I did have the option of zooming (stutteringly) in.
Also featured on the X Series are a multigesture touchpad and a built-in Webcam. The touchpad supports gestures such as the iPhone "pinch" for zooming in/out, and a two-finger horizontal "swipe" for flicking through photos. Most of the gestures work, though not as smoothly as they do on Mac touchpads.
The keyboard offers widely spaced and separate buttons, commonly associated with a MacBook (though, in all fairness, Sony implemented them first). It isn't the worst small keyboard I've ever used, but sacrificing some prettiness for usefulness might have made sense on Sony's part. While the spaced keys are attractive, they're unnaturally small. My fingers (and I have small hands, and seriously delicate fingers) slipped off of the keys so often that typing this review on the X Series was a hassle. I also found that the Shift key and the spacebar were somewhat unresponsive on our test unit, but Sony spokespeople assured us that this is a one-off issue unique to our machine. If we discover otherwise, we'll let you know when we update the final review.
The touchpad also seemed ridiculously small, considering all the space (clearly for aesthetic concerns) surrounding it. The mousing surface measures about 2 by 1.5 inches, and the buttons are 1 by 0.5 inches. And they don't appear to be well made. The touchpad is flimsy, and the buttons seem like they'll be quick to break--it's almost as if Sony is really trying to push its matching wireless mouse.
Elsewhere, the X Series makes room for a Memory Stick Pro slot and an SD Card slot (both located right under the touchpad), a headphone jack, two USB 2.0 ports, a VGA-out, and an ethernet port that conveniently folds out (to keep the machine ultrathin). Don't go looking for an optical drive, though--that's extra.
The included software was pretty basic: Microsoft Works SE 9.0, a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, a 30-day trial of Norton Internet Security, and some of the standard bloatware. (A 90-day trial of AOL? Last time I checked, it wasn't 1998 anymore.) Sony also tosses in a bundle of multimedia tools, such as the VAIO Video & Photo Suite and the Sony Picture Utility.
Overall, the Sony VAIO X Series exudes sex appeal. However, if you plan on actually using it, the netbook becomes less attractive. The keyboard leaves something to be desired; after about 4 hours of typing, I am starting to get used to it, but I'm also starting to understand what carpal tunnel syndrome feels like. Bear in mind that we're still waiting on lab results, so we can't pass final judgment just yet. Once we get the results back, we will update this review.

Windows 7 May Be Secure, but Are Windows Users Safe?

2009-11-11T11:47:00.000+07:00

Windows 7 users got a nice surprise on Tuesday when Microsoft released its first set of security patches since unveiling the new operating system last month. Of the 15 bugs patched, none affected Windows 7.

When Microsoft launched Windows 7, it was billed as the company's most secure release ever -- the culmination of a nine-year "Trustworthy Computing" effort to shore up a product line that had been riddled with major security holes.

But does stress-tested software really matter to Microsoft's customers, seemingly besieged by more online attacks than ever before? Microsoft had years to improve Windows XP, but the Conficker worm, which began spreading last year, is now thought to have infected more than 7 million Windows machines. And for every Windows bug that gets squashed, hackers seem to find new problems in the software that runs on top of Microsoft's operating system -- Flash Player, QuickTime and Java.

"Windows 7 is definitely by far the most secure system they've shipped," said Dave Aitel, chief technology officer with Immunity, a security company that spends a lot of time finding the latest software bugs. "I guess the question that everybody is asking right now is, 'Is this enough?'"

The man behind Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, says the industry still has work to do. "We've made huge progress with respect to security around the core OS technology in the Windows PC," he said in a recent interview. "But as we did that and the 'Net became more prevalent, the bad guys continued to evolve their attacks."

This is Microsoft's conundrum. Windows may be safer, but cyber-criminals still have plenty of other places to attack. And when you can hit hundreds of millions of users with a single attack, why change the game plan? So most of the worst attacks today still target PCs running Windows, whether the OS itself is secure or not.

Take spear-phishing. Attackers are getting so good at sending these highly customized e-mail messages, complete with malicious attachments, that the underlying security of Windows is almost irrelevant.

"The problem with the targeted attacks is that there's so much money that they can actually trump the security," said Alan Paller, director of research for the SANS Institute, a security training company. "The amount of money that governments and large industrial crime groups have to spend is enough to trump any of the defenses we have."

In a report released last month for a congressional advisory panel, Northrop Grumman analysts detailed exactly how this happens. Looking at known attacks, the report found that targets are carefully selected, and then sent very believable e-mails with maliciously encoded attachments that exploit bugs in a product such as Adobe Reader -- something that's outside of Microsoft's control. The victim opens the .pdf and suddenly attackers have a foothold on the network.

Microsoft customers like Paul Melson think there will be much broader enterprise adoption of Windows 7 than there was with Vista, which was largely ignored by corporate users. But while Microsoft has its own house in order, security is still a problem on the Windows platform, according to Melson, a manager of information security with Priority Health.

"As long as third-party patching continues to be a challenge, client security will continue to be at the forefront of information security defense and incident response," he said via e-mail. "Windows 7 won't significantly reduce client-side attacks that lead to compromises, but I don't think that Microsoft should bear the burden for it, either."

Microsoft thinks it can go a long way toward solving this type of problem by improving the way people identify each other on the Internet. For the past few years it has promoted an idea it calls "end-to-end" trust, saying it wants to develop better identification mechanisms for people, computers and software on the Internet.

Microsoft has taken its first step in this direction with its Windows CardSpace identity management software. It could help give people a better sense of who they're really dealing with on the Internet, but whether the rest of the industry will buy into this vision remains to be seen.

"This is the next phase in the battle for trustworthy computing and that is still getting ramped up," Mundie said. "Clearly there's always more to do."

At Modern Warfare 2 Launch, Activation Honors Vets

2009-11-11T11:43:00.001+07:00

Activision Blizzard will make a $1 million donation to unemployed military vets through their Call of Duty Endowment (CODE,) a charity foundation intended to help veterans find gainful employment.

According to a Washington Post article published yesterday, the CODE (which coincidentally makes its first donation concurrently with the Modern Warfare 2 release) is meant to support organizations which train veterans to operate in a profit-driven industry after years of public service. A 2008 Veteran's Affairs study cited by the Post claims that veterans are more comfortable working in public positions and have difficulty adjusting to a career in private industry, in part because "service members perform their duties within tightly defined skill sets and are not working towards creating a profit during their military tenure."

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick bemoans the disproportionate unemployment rate among veterans, claiming that society does not do enough to support our armed forces when they retire from active duty. "The joblessness rate that [veterans] should have should be far less than the national average, not more," said Kotick. "How do you expect people to actually join the military if when they leave the military they can't integrate back into the free market they're supposed to be protecting?"

Honest or not, statistics gathered by public and private researchers support Kotick's concern. U.S. unemployment rates finally breached 10 percent this month (the first time since 1983,) yet in 2008 more than 18 percent of recent veterans (1-3 years since discharge) were unemployed. That's almost double the national average, and organizations like CODE intend to assist government aid programs by giving veterans the training and connections they need to start a new career. To that end CODE is funneling $125,000 to help the Paralyzed Veterans of America build a vocational rehab center.

Activision has a history of associating with the U.S. military (the publisher regularly makes donations of games and consoles to service members through the USO) and now they've called on those connections to bring a number of high-profile military leaders out of retirement to join CODE's Board of Directors, including Army General James Marks. Activision's glamorization of modern warfare may be controversial, but it's refreshing to see a games publisher written up in a national newspaper for something other than sex, blood or violence.

Facebook Denies Hijack

2009-11-11T11:38:00.001+07:00

A group calling itself "Control Your Info" appears to have taken control of several dozen Facebook groups, inserting its own logo and stating "Hello, we hereby announce that we have officially hijacked your Facebook group."

With a link back to a site, the apparent members -- using the names "Bella Roregit," "Burstin Woltan" and "Janis Roukkos" -- began leaving their mark on various Facebook groups intended for topics that include entertainment, business and sports. The Control Your Info statements declared: "This means we control a certain part of the information about you in Facebook. If we wanted, we could make you appear in a bad way which could damage you severely."

According to the Control Your Info Web site, the group's mission is to bring attention to security weaknesses in social media.

"Social media has become a natural part of most people's daily lives. Unfortunately, the security aspects of social media have been more or less neglected." Control Your Info did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its activities.

Facebook, however, has issued a statement about the incident that says, "There has been no hijacking and there is no confidential information at risk. The groups in question have been abandoned by their previous owners, which means any group member has the option to make themselves an administrator in order to continue communication to the group. Group administrators have no access to private user information and group members can leave a group at any time. For small groups, administrators can simply edit a group name or info, moderate discussion and message group members. The names of large groups cannot be changed nor can anyone message all members. In the rare instances when we find a group has been changed inappropriately, we will disable the group, which is the action we plan for these groups."

Some users in the groups affected by the Control Your Info takeover were obviously displeased about the turn of events and scornful of Control Your info's explanation about how it's making a point about security by taking control.

"I have an idea, why don't I teach you about traffic safety by running you over with my car? wrote one irate Facebook user in a group that had been commandeered by Control Your Info. "Is that how it works?

Michael Sutton, vice president of security research at zScaler, said he doesn't think the Control Your Info takeovers constitute a major security concern. That's because the person who creates a group of this sort on Facebook is by default the administrator, and when this individual decides to abandon that by de-listing as the admin, anyone else in the group can step in to promote themselves be the administrator. That's the way Facebook designed this type of group and is clear about it, though other types of Facebook groups, such as closed ones, have different security procedures. In that case, the Control Your Info people simply did a search to discover the type of Facebook groups that had the administrator position abandoned, and stepped in with their dramatic hijacking routine. "This is really making a mountain out of a molehill," he said.

Tomtom XXL 540S

2009-11-11T11:29:00.002+07:00

These days, 4.3-inch-diasgonal screens are the standard size on dedicated GPS navigation devices; but for some drivers, that size is still too small.In response, most of the top-tier GPS manufacturers, have introduced models with bigger screens--anywhere from 4.7 to 5.2 inches. TomTom's two offerings, the XXL 540S and the XXL 530S, have 5-inch screens. I recently took the XXL 540S for a test drive.

The XXL 540S ($300, as of November 4, 2009), the $200 TomTom One 140S, and the $250 TomTom XL 340S share a virtually identical feature set. For its part, the $280 XXL 530s lacks a lane guidance feature and maps of Mexico, and has a smaller points-of-interest (POI) database.

The $50 premium that the XXL 540S commands over the XL 340S may sound steep when you consider that you're getting a screen diagonal that's only 0.7 inch longer; but that works out to 33 percent more display real estate, and it's a welcome addition. The XXL 540S has the same easy-to-use interface and menu system that virtually all other TomTom products do, but it's easier to see on a bigger screen.

Tapping anywhere on the map view takes you to the main menu with two screens of options, including 'Navigate to', 'Help me', 'Change Preferences', 'Map Corrections', and route/itinerary planning. The 540S supports multisegment routing, so you can plan a trip with multiple intermediate waypoints. The 'Help me' Menu gives you options for driving, phoning, or walking to help; provides you with your exact location; and includes a basic first-aid guide.

You have a full range of "navigate to" options including addresses, POIs, favorites, home, recent destinations, a point on map, your previous stop, and latitude/longitude coordinates. The 540S includes a generous 7 million POI database that you can search by category or by name. You can specify searches limited to destinations near your location, in a city, or near your home, or (if you have an active route) POIs along your route or near a specified destination.

Like most TomTom products, the XXL 540S comes with IQ Routes, which can calculate routes and estimate times of arrival based on historical traffic data rather than on speed limits. For example, a trip from New Jersey to Manhattan takes longer during weekday rush-hour traffic than on a weekend or at midday. The XXL 540S takes such variability into account in generating recommended routes. And even without a live traffic receiver, its travel-time estimates are pretty accurate.

The test routes I generated were the ones that I would normally take--a good sign. After devising a route, the 540S provides excellent options including listing directions turn-by-turn, displaying maneuvers as images, showing a route summary, or demonstrating the trip. Initial route calculation for longer trips took somewhat slower than on many competing devices, but recalculation after a missed turn was snappy. Satellite acquisition times, following downloads of quick-fix data, were almost instantaneous. The device's audio feature pronounced street names clearly and at an appropriate level (volume is linked to the vehicle speed).

You can customize the status bar on the map view with the data you'd like to see. I updated my review unit to show remaining time, remaining distance, arrival time, vehicle speed, vehicle direction, lane guidance, speed limit, and compass. For a less cluttered screen, you can deselect as many options as you like.

The XXL 540S lacks some features (such as a Bluetooth phone interface, a multimedia player, and built-in live traffic) that you might expect on a premium-priced GPS device; TomTom saves those features for its high-end Go series of products. Nevertheless, the XXL 540S is upgradable to live traffic if you buy an optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver for $60; that price includes a year's subscription to traffic data, after which thedata costs $60 per year.

I plugged in the optional traffic receiver, and the XXL 540S recognized it and immediately started downloading traffic information. On my road tests with the traffic receiver attached, I received notices about delays along my route, but the XXL 540S assured me that I was still on the fastest route.

Using the free, downloadable TomTom Home application (available for PC or Mac), you can keep your 540S up-to-date with the latest firmware release, GPS quick-fix data, and community-based map updates, and you can purchase additional voices as well as 12 months of map updates. Map Share technology lets you update road closures, name changes, street direction changes and POIs. You can choose to share your updates with the TomTom community, and you can update your device from the community-supplied data.

I've tested and reviewed other TomTom units in the past and liked the company's standard interface; but for me, the 5-inch screen makes the XXL 540S a winner.

Why is My Computer Slowing Down?

2009-11-11T09:13:00.000+07:00

A number of issues can slow down a once fast PC. Here are some of the most common.

An overloaded and fragmented hard drive. If your drive is too full (more than about 80 percent), or too fragmented (the two often go together), it could be slowing down your PC, especially if you don't have much RAM.

Defragging is the easiest solution, so you should try that first. To defrag in XP, select Start, then My Computer. Right-click your C: drive and select Properties. Click the Tools tab, then Defragment Now. Vista defrags automatically--or at least it does so in theory. See Vista Defrag Problems for details. Or you can go with a third-party defragger. Forum regular Flashorn recommends the free MyDefrag, which looked pretty good when I checked it out.

If your drive is getting full and defragging doesn't help, you may have to make hard decisions about what you can delete or off-loaded to an external drive. Or you could replace the drive with a larger one.

Avoid new programs. Software has a way of cancelling out Moore's Law--as hardware gets faster, software gets slower. (I attended a programming conference once where Bill Gates advised programmers to write for the most powerful PC currently available, because that would match a normal PC when their product was released.) So if you keep buying the latest office suite or photo editor, performance will suffer.

Watch your security software. You can avoid upgrading Office and Photoshop, but you have to keep your security software up to date or you risk infection. Major security suites like Norton and McAfee use a lot of resources, and keep using more with each major upgrade. They can seriously slow down an older PC. Consider switching to smaller, sleeker (and often free) alternatives.

Reduce the autoloaders. Your security programs probably aren't the only ones that load automatically each time you boot and stay in memory, although they may be the only ones that should. Any number of programs you've installed may have inserted a piece of themselves into Windows' Startup list, and could thus be slowing you down.

And remember, when it comes to upgrading your hardware, adding RAM is relatively cheap and usually very effective.

Windows 7 For Less: Where to Find Discounts

2009-11-11T09:07:00.003+07:00

If you're still thinking about stepping to Windows 7, but are appalled by the usual pricing, you might want to check out some special deals now available from Microsoft and some of its retail partners. Each of these offers comes with some catches, though.

I first spotted a mention of Windows 7 discounts in Kim Komando's CyberSpeak column in USA Today. ZDNet's Ed Bott dives down into a lot of details.

In one deal, the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack, you can get up to 58 percent off if you have two or more PCs at home and want to upgrade them. The package of two DVDs includes one copy each of the 32- and 64-bit Windows Home Premium upgrade installation media, with a single activation key good for activation on up to three PCs. Pricing is $149.99 from The Microsoft Store, but you might be able to buy the pack for less elsewhere online.

In another offer, when you buy a new PC running Windows 7, you can get a second copy of Windows 7 for use with another PC at a price break of up to 50 percent. In addition to The Microsoft Store, participating retailers include Tiger Direct, Newegg.com, Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Amazon, Walmart, Office Depot, Costco, and Buy.com.

A third deal, known as the Anytime Upgrade, is for someone who already has a Windows 7 PC, but wants to upgrade to another edition of the new OS, With the Anytime Upgrade, you can move from the Windows 7 Home Premium Edition to Win 7 Professional for $89.95 direct from Microsoft. In comparison, a Windows 7 Professional retail upgrade would cost you $199.99, for example.

But what if you have a single older PC and you want to upgrade it to Windows 7? As reported in Computerworld, you can buy an OEM or "system builder" edition of Windows 7 for slightly less than Microsoft's upgrade edition through an online retailer such as Tiger Direct or Newegg. You'll get a full license with the OEM edition, but with several stipulations. The OEM edition comes without customer support, it can only be used for a clean install, and the license bans users from transferring the OS from one PC to another.

Snow Leopard Versus Windows 7 (Part 2)

2009-09-07T06:32:00.009+07:00

The Dock and Stacks: A Rough Equivalent to Pinning

Snow Leopard has no features directly comparable to the jump list's pinning feature. Instead, Mac users can use stacks in the Dock to provide quick access to folders and files (drag any folder to the Dock to create a stack). In Snow Leopard, Apple refreshes stacks: You can view unlimited items in a stack by using Grid view (thanks to the addition of scrollbars), and you can drill down into folders without having to open any Finder windows. In addition, you can drag and drop any file into the Dock for quick access.

Bolstered OS X Inline Previews

To augment the preview features (Quick Look, Cover Flow, basic icon previews) present in Leopard, Apple adds an enhanced inline preview to the Finder’s icon view in Snow Leopard. When you view a folder that uses icons of 64 by 64 pixels or larger, mousing over your files will display preview/playback controls. If you mouse over an audio or video file, you’ll have access to a play button. If you mouse over a Word doc, a PowerPoint presentation, or a PDF (among other common file formats), you’ll get forward and back arrows for paging through a document.

Windows 7 's Preview Pane

Windows 7 has an optional preview pane for use in any Explorer window. Select a file, and the preview will appear in the preview pane. Compared to Snow Leopard’s preview feature, Windows 7’s seems pretty basic (text loses all formatting, for example), but it’s better than nothing. Also, as was the case with Vista, folder icons in Windows 7 give you a peek at the folder's contents.

Improved Windows Management

Exposé, a part of Mac OS X since 2003, learns some new tricks in Snow Leopard. Most notably, you can now click and hold the Dock icon for any open app in order to view all open windows for that app. This feature now extends to minimized windows--whereas in previous versions of OS X, Exposé ignored any windows that you sent to the Dock. In Snow Leopard, a thumbnail in Exposé represents each of these windows.

Also, Snow Leopard now arranges windows in a grid when you view them in Exposé. Previously, windows seemed to scale down in a haphazard fashion. I actually prefer the old method of handling Exposé: With the new Exposé arrangement, I find that all of the windows end up about the same size, which makes finding what I’m looking for more difficult, but this issue is very much a matter of personal preference.

Aero Peek

Windows 7 brings a new window management tool to the table, too. Called Aero Peek, this feature helps you see the window you want to jump to next. To use Aero Peek, click the taskbar icon for the app associated with the window you’re looking for, and then mouse over the thumbnails. All other windows will go transparent, leaving only the window you mouse over visible.

Clearing the Desktop

The most useful aspect of Aero Peek is its desktop peek feature. If you want to take a quick look at the desktop without hiding all of your windows, simply move your mouse pointer to the lower-right corner of the taskbar; at once, all windows will turn transparent. Click the lower-right corner of the taskbar to hide all open windows and see the desktop; click again to get back to work. This option is roughly equivalent to the Show Desktop feature in OS X's Exposé, which moves all windows off your screen with a keystroke (or with a flick of the mouse, if you have set a hot-corner for Exposé).

Both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard are solid updates to their respective operating systems, but I can't say that either one will persuade many users of the competing OS to cross to the other side. If you're perfectly happy with Windows, Snow Leopard probably won't make you lust for a Mac. Likewise, if you're a Mac user and weren't considering switching to Windows before, Windows 7 is unlikely to change your mind.