TechSau

How To Install CommentLuv on Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:40:00 +0000

Replace Blogger’s Default Commenting System

Before you publish a post on your Blogspot blog you need to replace the default commenting system. Here’s why – basically the default commenting system on Blogger sucks! You can find some Blogger hacks, but Goggle has come a long way with making improvements to the Blogger publishing platform but they have done nothing to improve the commenting system in over a year.

There’s a fast and easy solution for you and it doesn’t require any technical skills or template modification. Join the CommentLuv community and install the plugin!

Install Intense Debate Commenting System

Register for an account with Intense Debate. Then install the Intense Debate commenting system on your Blogger Blog. Don’t worry if you’ve had the blog for a long time, Intense Debate will still work smoothly. Ms. Ileane’s Blog was about six months old before I installed Intense Debate and I didn’t have any issues or lose any comments.

via basicblogtips

5 Basic Things To Be Avoided To Get More Comments

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:25:00 +0000

Everybody here would like to get comments for the work they have done and blogging is no different. We spend a whole lot of time writing content for our readers. Have we satisfied and provided good content to them? We can only get to know that through comments on the post.

Not many people comment unless the work is genuinely appreciated. Studies have pointed out that only 1 out of 100 readers leave behind a comment on blogs. That may be true to a certain extent but not 100% for sure. People do love to comment if you entice them to do so.

Sometimes an offer to do something works better than just looking for someone to accept offers that you have not disclosed publicly.

In this post of mine I will discuss five things which you need to avoid so that getting comments might not be so difficult.

via comluv

How to Install the Recent Comments Widget For Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Before installing the Recent Comments Widget, take a look at the following Settings in the Widget Installer.

This should be the URL of a blogger Blog. If you are installing the Widget on the same blog then you can leave this field blank . This field is useful for those who have multiple blogs..
Number of comments – The number of comments to be displayed in the Widget
Show comment date – If you want to show the comment date, then tick this option
Show post title – If you want to show the title of the post on which comment has been made, then tick this option
Summary Size : If the comment is more than this size in length, then the rest of the comment will be chopped off

Now that you are clear with the settings, click on the below button to add the Widget to your Blog.

via bloggerplugins

5 Reasons I Changed From Blogger Comments To Disqus Comments

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:17:00 +0000

You may have noticed i changed the blogs default comment system to Disqus comments this week.The decision to make what is a major change to Spice Up Your Blog was not taken lightly.

Comments are important to all bloggers and the feedback from comments can determine the direction we take going forward.On a Help blog like this it's also important to make it easy for people to ask questions and also easy for me to reply.

The change to Disqus probably would have been made earlier, but the comments already left on posts in the archive would have been deleted and for me this wasn't an option.There was an option to use Disqus comments only on new posts, but it looked odd when you went from a post with Blogger comments to a post with Disqus comments and Visa-versa.

Recently Disqus added the option to Import all the existing comments onto their system and that was the green light needed for me to make the change.

How To Change Linkwithin Widget's Text and Style

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:59:00 +0000

If your using Blogger you no doubt use Linkwithin Related Posts Widget for showing similar posts with a thumbnail.

It's incredibly easy to install and it actually works just as advertised one of the best Blogger Widgets out there hands down.

I recommend you start using it to decrease your bounce-rate immediatly.

I was browsing one of my posts after I published it to ensure everything looked good and noticed how my Linkwithin "You might also like:" text looked rather boring and didn't match my sites style.

Being the blog template tweaker I am I quickly set out to change it to match my other headers. It was a rather easy fix, and here's what I did.

via thelinkmedic

ASUS Eee PC X101 MeeGo Netbook to Retail for 169€ in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 07:35:00 +0000

The ASUS Eee PC X101 netbook is an ultra thin netbook running the Linux operating system MeeGo has an official ASUS product page. It features a matte 10-inch 1024 x 600 resolution display, single core Intel Atom N435 CPU at 1.33GHz, 8GB SSD, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 2x USB 2.0, microSD card slot, headphone, Kensington key lock and a 2600mAh 28Wh battery.

We have word from EeePC.it that ASUS has given them an unoffical heads up that the X101 will be selling in Germany mid-August for 169€. We have yet to see it pop up on Amazon or any other reseller yet, but we’ll keep an eye out.

The X101 went up for pre-order in the US through Directron for $209 which is only $10 higher then predicted at $199. However, they say they are shipping directly from the maufacturer, so I’d say hold off for a more official reseller. If you’re not sold on MeeGo (Which I think is a mistake) there is meant to be the X101H which will be running Windows 7 that should cost you around $310. If you want to check out our hands on video from Computex we’ve got it here below:

Via EeePc.it

ASUS Padfone – why parents will love it

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:10:00 +0000

It’s easy to forget that often the people who buy technology are not necessarily the ones who are childfree, income heavy, and travel mad, but actually parents whose use of tech can often be as innovative as the technology itself.

The recent conceptual announcement by ASUS is something that is simply perfect for the parent. In fact, I am willing to bet that a mum or dad or two were a part of the design team. Think about it. Here you have a smart phone. This nifty phone will let you reply to emails (awesome for the school run), take photographs (you forgot camera and is school play), make mini movies (also school play, video camera in same bag as camera), and stay in touch with family and friends via easy access social media.

Useful, brilliant, and indispensible. Few parents are without the helpful extras of a smart phone nowadays. However, the battery life can die at inconvenient times ( grocery run, car breakdown, nappy crisis) and the small screen isn’t ideal for tiny fingers.

So imagine being able to slot your aforementioned smartphone into a pad. You aren’t losing any applications, in fact they are seamlessly transferred, but all your work and fun are translated onto a bigger screen. Two incredibly versatile devices converge to become one. The pad will charge the phone while you play, and you can immediately use the larger screen and controls to your advantage while you work or travel. And ASUS have invented this very device.

When you consider how many educational apps are being created for Android Market right now, and how long holiday trips can be, this is a nifty idea indeed. If you happen to get a call while using the Pad format you merely whack in your headphones, or use your Bluetooth headset, and take the call. Or you can slip the smartphone out the slot and talk.

This enormously clever idea was announced at Computex 2011, and ASUS were quoted as saying that the Padfone lets the tablet make use of the smartphone’s 3G connection, that the dual interfaces ensure enhanced user experiences, and that the layout automatically adjusts according to the required activities.

It is going to be very interesting to see how the Padfone pans out – what pricing structure it will get and when it will delicately land on UK shores. Either way it is definitely worth looking into if you fancy a device that will translate well into the busy home.

Five fabulous free android apps for mums

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:59:00 +0000

Expecting a baby? Trying to plan for a new addition to the family? Want to save money on the weekly shop? I’ve gone forth and uncovered five absolutely delicious apps that will do all of the above and that will work a charm with your Android tablet – your ASUS Eee Pad Transformer.

1. My Days

This free app lets you track your period and ovulation so you can plan ahead and for the best times to make a baby. The app is very easy to use and has had some excellent reviews. Recommended by several different mums who’ve gone on to successfully conceive, My Days is the first of our five fabulous android apps for mums.

2. 50,000 Baby Names

Choosing the name of your baby can be a little, well, fraught. Your partner doesn’t like a name because it reminds them of someone vile they went to school with, you don’t like their choice of name because it reminds you of that smelly uncle. So make some tea and sit back together with this app and go through the extensive list of names and their meanings. Don’t forget to keep a pen and paper to one side to write the shortlist – this app may be handy but it doesn’t let you save your choices.

3. Mom 2 Be

When I was pregnant I loved the daily updates and statistics that various parenting sites would send me and I wish this app had been around. Mom 2 Be will send you baby relevant information in daily bites that will fascinate. You’ll find out how many weeks you have left, what trimester you’re in and more.

4. Shopsavvy

Shopsavvy is a great free app for mums as it will help you to save money while you shop. Download the app, go shopping and use the app to snap pictures of an item’s barcode to find the best available prices for the item. Very helpful if you don’t quite trust that deal or need a couple of pennies shaved off your shop as you stock up on very expensive baby items. This is brilliant for finding value for money on big things like cots, prams and sterilisers.

5. White Noise Lite

Of all my free Android app for mums, this is a weird one. I discovered it purely by chance as I was going through the app store searching for “white goods”. Up came this app that will play white noise to your baby and help them to go to sleep. Less expensive and unwieldy as a vacuum cleaner and a lot less irritating than the TV, this app will play a variety of sounds from white noise to beach waves or the airplane.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Review

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:37:00 +0000

The ASUS Transformer has to be one of the most sought after tablets currently on the market, its great price combined with superb build quality AND the optional docking station makes it a great deal. When this 10 inch tablet is paired up with its keyboard it does look like it could be a netbook from ASUS and it weighs in at around the same weight at 2.8 pounds and is 1 inch thick.

Its thinner then your average netbook and offers a similar 9 hours of battery life and took 2 1/2 to charge compared to the iPad 2 which takes 5 hours to charge (iPad 2 battery life is 10 1/2 hours in case you were wondering). The Transformer measures 10.7 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches, which is about the same size as the Acer A500, but a little larger than the Motorola Xoom (9.6 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches).

The design of the tablet is very sleek with its texture brown back which is finger print resistant and very elegant. We liked that the bezel incorporated the same brushed metal as the lid which allowed the screen to remain finger print free when just holding it. The touch screen was very responsive and the browsing experience was among the best compared to the other android 3.0 tablets.

The big question is always applications and the most interesting pre-loaded app was MyNet, which lets you stream multimedia across your home network using DLNA. The ability to access attached storage drive to stream movies, music, and photos makes the tablet more usable.

Polaris Office a great inclusion since I had to purchase OfficeHD for my xoom at $14.99. This is a word processor that it lets you make simple changes to text, color change, lists and inserting images. Very handy and actually saves you money since you would need to buy this program if you were to use your tablet for any type of note taking or productivity.

MyContent is ASUS’ version of Dropbox and works the same as you can upload files to the cloud and sync them across multiple platforms. The service is backed by ASUS webstorage and is free for the first year (2GB standard, unlimited after registration). After that there are several plans (all unlimited for the U.S.) ranging from a month-to-month fee of $4.99 to a two-year plan at $69.99.

Looking at the a few of the standard apps like the music player and browser but the one that disappoints the most is the eBook reader. It really doesn’t impress compared to the stock inclusion of the other Android 3.0 tablets on the market.

We’ve done a size comparison to the Acer Iconia, iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab, but comparing it to the Iconia we’ve decided that the Transformer comes out a head. We’ve also got a walk through of the pre-installed apps and a Quadrant benchmarks in the video below. We haven’t been able to get our hands on the docking station, its on a 20 day back order so we’ll be sure to do another review when we’re able to pick up that piece of hardware for $149.00. You’ll also see that this is a very stylish tablet with wide viewing angles, a Tegra processor so the graphics performance and general surfability all for a CHEAP price of $399.

For the price we have to say the Transformer is the best Honeycomb tablet currently on the market.

Source: youtube via petitpetit via netbooknews

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Docking Station Review

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:28:00 +0000

When asked if tablets are going to replace Netbooks, my answer has always been, Tablets are for consuming content, Netbooks are for creating it. However, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 with its detachable keyboard is changing the game completely. Tablets are great for watching videos and basic Web browsing, but they’re not as efficient for work as a keyboard-and-mouse combination.

What we have with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Docking Station ($139) which snaps onto the bottom of the Transformer turning the tablet into a netbook. This is a tablet that suddenly has a mouse, keyboard, USB slots, card reader, and more. It’s a useful accessory that distinguishes the Transformer from other Honeycomb tablets The biggest advantage of the Docking Station over any other keyboard is that it’s loaded with Honeycomb-specific keys. There’s a dedicated Search button, lots of media and brightness buttons, a Back button, Lock and Unlock keys, and more.

One of its other great advantages is that because of the you really don’t ever need to touch the screen. As soon as you dock the Transformer, a cursor pops up on the screen, and you use it as you would any other mouse. The touchpad is extremely responsive and fast, and even includes useful features like two-finger scrolling as well as two finger swipe to change screens in Android. For many people this is a huge advantage over the iPad’s keyboard dock accessory, which has no trackpad. In fact, the iPad cannot be paired with any type of mouse, as the screen can only be operated by touch.

There is also another segment of the consumer population which won’t find the trackpad useful at all and will opt for the touch screen only. Its a matter of work flow but having the option clearly puts the docking station ahead. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Docking Station really does make the Transformer into a productivity device. Its netbook sized keyboard is 92% of a regular sized keyboard. The only real design fault is that the right shift key is a tab small, which is something that’s tough to get used to, but its by no means a deal breaker. The docking process also takes a little getting used to but when you put it up against the plethora of Honeycomb tablets on the market or headed that way, the Docking Station does much to separate the

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 from the pack, and help it bridge the consumption and creation gap. If you are even considering getting an Android tablet make the most out of your technology and get the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101. The 16GB version is $450 and the 32GB comes in a $500, the docking station is an extra $139 but it adds 7 hours of battery life giving you a total of 16 Hours of computing. No netbook on the market can offer you that and it turns a consumption only device into a content creation power house.

Article Source: Asus_Eee_Pad_Transformer

ASUS Eee PC X101H Get Torndown by the FCC

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

If you think the ASUS Eee PC X101 sounds familiar as the super thin MeeGo netbook, you’d be right, but the H at the end indicated that its going to be the version that’s running Windows. Other then the operating system there is a notable difference between the two netbooks, and that’s it’s thickness, the H is 22mm thick compared to 17.6mm on the MeeGo version.

The X101H is expected to have similar specs to the X101 with a single-core Intel Atom N435 processor, 1GB DDR3 RAM, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and a 10.1-inch WSVGA screen. If you want to check out the teardown photo’s of this much anticipated netbook, we’ve got them below.

Just $199: The ultra-portable X101 netbook with MeeGo

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:51:00 +0000

The Eee PC X101

ASUS has announced just its ultra-portable X101 to upset the netbook norm. Remember when the Eee PC 701 launched? At $199 the X101 is cheaper than that, plus its larger (10″ vs 7″) and inevitably has a better hardware spec as well. Four years of tech advancements later and the effect of taking the netbook back to its (Linux+budget) roots clearly has its advantages.

The X101 actually comes in two flavours – the MeeGo orientated original flavour, and the X101H Windows 7 version too. Obviously we’re more interested in the MeeGo one as it’s sufficiently new and fresh enough to tantalize our geek organ. If you’re unsure about MeeGo and ASUS’ additions like MyZone, you can always wind back to last weeks look to see what all the fuss is about.

The full spec list for the X101 is as follows:

262 x 180 x 17.6mm
Around 900g with three cell battery
10.1″ LED backlight monitor (1,204 x 600)
Intel next generation Atom CPU
Up to 2GB DDR3
8GB SSD
802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth
Two USB 2.0
One combo audio jack for headphone/headset
MicroSD card reader
0.3MP camera

The X101H with Windows 7 has a slightly different hardware spec (and price) to the MeeGo X101: it uses a larger 250/320GB hard drive to cram the OS and all your other Windows apps on, although this does make it ever-so-slightly more portly at 22mm deep.

ASUS Reduces Eee PC Volumes Thanks to the Transformer’s Success

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:47:00 +0000

ASUS is seeing better than expected Eee Pad Transformer sales and due to its versatile form factor its decreasing its Eee PC volumes to compensate. With its detachable keyboard the Transformer fills the same category as the average netbook, its not surprising that a tablet that offers productivity is competing for the same audience.

According the sources at Digitimes the Eee Pad Transformer should reach 700,000-800,000 units in the third quarter for a total of two million units in 2011. In Q3 ASUS is rumored to be launching the Transformer 2 featuring Nvidia’s new quad-core Tegra 3 or Kal-El processor.

Actually it is not just the netbook category that ASUS is seeing declining volumes, the entire notebook segment has been slowly sloaping downward, it was netbook sales that actually helped to stabalize the entire segment. It seems that tablets are due to take over with their slow and stready uptake in the mainstream market.

Sourece: Digitimes via netbooknews

ASUS Eee PC X101 Gets Official Walk Through (video)

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:40:00 +0000

ASUS In Style, the official ASUS promotional channel has come out with a video walking through the X101 hardware as well as a quick highlight of the MeeGo software. Below you’ll find MyZone – a tool for our social networks like Facebook and Twitter, you’ll also have access to the web using the pre-installed Chrome browser. Open Office is also pre loaded as well as a language-learning software. What’s key to note is that it comes with an AppStore (Intel’s AppUp!) where you can get more apps and you’ll also have the option to grab content from ASUS vibe, their own entertainment portal.

Here is the official walk through for you to enjoy.

Source: YouTube via netbooknews

Grab an Acer Aspire One D255E for $210 ($70 Off)

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Forget about MeeGo and $199 netbooks – wait for deal like this to come along. eBay Daily Deals is offering the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One D255E for $209.99 with free shipping. It originally costs $279.99 so you save yourself $70. Unfortunately, it’s the variety that sports a single core Atom N455 processor with a 3-cell battery. Other specs include 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB HDD, 1024 x 600 resolution display, integrated graphics, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Windows 7 Starter. You get what you pay for? I’m still more than happy with my aging three year old Samsung N140 if that helps..

Source: netbooknews via eBay Daily Deals

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 & 10.1, Thinnest Tablets On the Market

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Samsung had the first real Android tablet to market with the Galaxytab 7 and they have just proven that they are here to stay in the Android game. At CTIA 2011 they’ve announced 8.9″ and 10.1″ tablets thinner then Apple’s iPad 2 (.33 and .34 respectively)! They will be running Nvidia’s Tegra 2 solution and on top of Honeycomb we’ll be seeing a TouchWiz UX.

photo via engadget

This extra has the ability to resize widgets and this is meant to apply to not only their own but to Google’s as well. The Mini Apps Tray we heard about in the leak which hides on the bottom of the screen and appears to be helpful for quickly launching apps. Joanna over at Engadget show a bit of video of this, do you think you would use this over Honeycomb’s own app launcher, to be honest we’re not sure if we would.

Another interesting bit of news, the 10.1″ that we are seeing here looks significantly more polished and thin then the 10.1 they came out with at MWC. It seems they will not be bringing out that 10.1 except with Vodafone UK, they rest of the world is getting this new and improved version (I bet Vodafone is pleased about these developments)

As for pricing and availability the WiFi 10.1 will hit on June 8th with the 16GB version will cost you $499 and the 32GB $599. The 8.9 is $469 and $569 for 16GB and 32GB, respectively.

Press Release:

Samsung Unveils GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9, World’s Thinnest Mobile Tablets

Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9 to feature the first customized Android™ 3.0 experience
ORLANDO, March 22, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the global leader in Android™ mobile devices, announced two new additions to its family of GALAXY Tabs, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9, the world’s thinnest mobile tablets, measuring just 8.6 millimeters.

The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 feature Samsung’s own TouchWiz user interface implemented on the Android™ 3.0 (Honeycomb) platform, offering superior multi-tasking and enhanced user interaction and navigation.

“The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are remarkable examples of Samsung’s constant innovation and show our dedication to designing premium tablets that fit the unique needs of consumers around the world”, said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. “By combining Samsung’s innovations in design and display with
our exciting new user experience, we’ve created a new class of products that will lead the tablet market.”

Thinner & Lighter
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are the thinnest mobile tablets available. The GALAXY Tab 10.1 weighs 595 grams and 8.9 weighs 470 grams. Combining the GALAXY Tabs’ ultra-thin form factor with a lightweight design adds to the outstanding mobility of these two products.

Super Fast
The new GALAXY Tabs will support HSPA+ network speeds of up to 21Mbps as well as Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity to deliver rapid mobile download speeds and reduce data transfer times. Also, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 include a 1GHz dual core application processor for a powerful multimedia and web browsing experience.

Customized User Experience “Samsung TouchWiz UX”
Samsung’s TouchWiz user experience is designed with a Live Panel menu users can customize to display a variety of content on the home screen including digital pictures, favorite Web sites and social network feeds.
In addition, the interface includes an application tray of commonly used features such as task manager, calendar and music player which can be launched while other major applications are also in use, including large file downloads and document editing. This Mini Apps Tray provides a mixture of convenience and flexibility previously unheard of with tablet devices.

The Ultimate Entertainment Hub
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are pre-loaded with Readers Hub and Music Hub giving consumers instant access to more than 2.2 million books, 2,000 newspaper (49 languages), 2,300 magazines (22 languages), and 13 million songs. The devices are also designed with Samsung’s Social Hub, which will aggregate email, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface.
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 feature a 3 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera, providing smooth transition and seamless 1080p HD video and Flash playback for a rich entertainment experience.

Ready for Business
The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 will include an industry leading suite of solutions designed to give enterprise customers and IT managers more security. Developed in collaboration with industry-leading partners such as Cisco, Sybase, SAP and Citrix, Samsung’s enterprise mobility solutions will provide flexibility and connectivity for mobile workforces, ensuring that users are able to operate more efficiently on–the-move.

GALAXY Tab 10.1
GALAXY Tab 10.1, with its WXGA TFT LCD display (1280 x 800) powered by 1GHz dual core AP, is 8.6mm thin and weighs only 595g. It is the perfect device for sharing and enjoying media content with family and friends. In addition, with its surround-sound stereo speakers and support for Flash 10.2, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 will deliver premium entertainment experience whether watching videos, movies or playing games.

GALAXY Tab 8.9
At just 8.6mm thin and weighing only 470g, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 is the perfect device for today’s mobile professional. Whether writing emails on a trip or reading an eBook on the couch, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 provides the ultimate tablet experience without compromising mobility.

The GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 now join the original 7-inch GALAXY Tab to provide consumers with an unmatched array of choices to select the mobile tablet experience that fits their needs the best.

iPhone w/ Trackball & Android – Shenzen’s HTT Magic Hands On

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Sascha was able to get his hands on a Shenzen product that is essentially an iPhone design with a Blackberry trackball rocking Android 1.6, this little mashup is called the HTT Magic. I’m not really sure how many companies they were trying to start law suits with when they created this bad boy but we have to admit that it was fun to play with.

Source netbooknews via youtube

Which Netbook’s Top the Hackintosh Lists Today?

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:17:00 +0000

Remember back when Netbook’s first came out and Hackintosh was all the rage? Back then the Dell Mini 9 and Mini 10 at the time were absolute stars, but also Eee PC 1201NL 1005HAB and delivered perfect compatibility, meaning WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth and sleep all worked like a charm. And what about today? Which netbooks top the Hackintosh charts?

The issue today with Hackintosh is since Intel launched the Pinetrail platform which moved from the GMA950 GPU to the GMA3150 and the limited version the GMA3100 there seemed to be issues to put things lightly. My Mac Netbook breaks down the compatibility of Hackintosh Netbooks and they have a great chart that breaks things down for you here.

What we can hope for is that Cedar Trail’s launch in September will be more Hackintosh freidly because the Pinetrail platform dampened a very robust community of hackers! If you’re looking to Hackintosh something relatively new my pick of the litter is the Alienware M11x. What about you? Check out the compatibility list here and let me know what tops your pick for Hackintoshing a Netbook.

Via NetbookNews.de

Acer Aspire One D255 10" Netbook Review

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:23:00 +0000

The Acer Aspire One D255 – Acer’s first dual-core netbook, and one of the first 10-inchers anywhere to use Intel’s new Atom N550 processor. Looks wise it has a thin profile & is lighter then the average netbook weighing in at 2.6 pounds. The exterior is glossy but could be worse as a finger print magnet. On the inside however is a glossy bezel around a extremely glossy screen, making the whole thing even more reflective.

Though the keys are large and extend end-to-end across the chassis, we found the overall typing experience cramped because of the narrow chassis and short palm rest that had our wrists hanging over the front lip. In addition, we noticed a little flex when we pressed down on the G and H keys. Despite all of this this is not a bad keyboard, I was able to type this article at a reasonable speed though it does seem like I have to go back more then usual to correct spelling errors due to button mashing or mistyping.

The 3 x 1.5-inch touchpad suffers from very serious inaccuracy problems. As we navigated around the desktop, occasionally the pointer would suddenly jump a few pixels and other times it seemed to slow to a crawl. Everyone who was given a demo unit at IDF a few weeks ago experienced this. To me this is unacceptable a decent track pad is a key element in my productivity on a netbook. It doesn’t take too much more effort to go back and spell check my work, I should be doing that more anyways, but not being able to surf quickly because of a crappy inaccurate track pad is more then I can handle.

If you are one of those people who NEED an external mouse then this should not stop you from picking this up, if you light to keep your bag stream line, I would skip it. But I have strong feels about crappy track pads and messy lower right hand corners of keyboards. On the Acer D255 the page up and down are squeezed in neatly beside the arrow up key, so far I haven’t experienced any accidental page jumps, which is a plus for this keyboard.

The 1.3-megapixel webcam produced blurry images that were completely washed out under fluorescent light. In ideal conditions you could make out may facial features but I wouldn’t want to have this be a regular skype experience, in a pinch, but by no means everyday.

If you like to watch YouTube in full-screen 720p you will be in heaven as playback was smooth. Native 720p files also played with out issue, we tried out the Predator Trailer in HD using VLC Player. Unfortunately, when just listening to music when we moved the pointer around during audio playback, we occasionally noticed some distortion as the audio itself seemed to slow down at times. (Thanks Avrim from LaptopMag, we hadn’t noticed this until he pointed it out!)

As for benchmarks, on PCMark05, a benchmark that measures overall performance, the system scored 1,696, about 15 percent higher than the category average of 1,428 and noticeably higher than the single-core Toshiba NB305 (1380). Just in case you’re wondering how it stands up against other dual core netbooks on the market the ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM managed a higher score of 1,729. On 3DMark06, an overall graphics benchmark, the D255 scored only 151, less than the netbook category average of 293 but about on par with the Samsung N150 Plus (156) and the Toshiba NB 305 (151). The Ion-powered ASUS 1215N scored a whopping 2,692.

The ACER D255 lasted 8 hours and 14 minutes on the LAPTOP Magazine Battery Test, which involves continuous surfing over Wi-Fi.

Conclusion

The price is the most compelling feature of this netbook, as it comes in at $329 (see Amazon.com). The battery life is over 8 hours of web surfing & it is very thin and light. But if it were my $329 I would want a track pad that was usable and if I wasn’t so tech savy on un-installing bloatware & crapware the unit would be unusable. If you after the price and are ok knowing that your netbook is going to need some love and attention before you can start using it & like to carry around a mouse, then the ACER D255 might be the right netbook for you. But I would save my money for a netbook that would make me feel good about lightening my wallet and grant me gadget bragging rights that go further then the dual core N550 processor.

If keyboard and trackpad are what you are after check out the Toshiba N305 review here, for productivity it offers the largest trackpad in the segment.

Acer D255 Specifications:

CPU: 1.5-GHz Intel Atom N550
Operating System: MS Windows 7 Starter Edition
RAM/Upgradable to: 1GB/2GB
Hard Drive Size: 250GB
Display Size: 10.1 inches
Native Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels
Size: 10.17 x 7.28 x 0.95 inches
Weight: 2.4 pounds

Updates:

Windows XP 32/64bit Driver all version download here
Windows Vista 32/64bit Driver all version download here
Windows 7 32/64bit Driver all version download here

Acer Aspire 4738Z Notebook Review & Drivers

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:14:00 +0000

Acer Aspire 4738Z is one of the cheap basic notebook in market. It is popular for it’s low price tag. We get Acer Aspire 4738Z with intel Pentium dual core processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, 14″ HD LED screen, 8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.

This notebook comes with twin color body panel with textured matte finish, which helps in no scratches on body panel. The matte finish is in top lid and in keypad cover. The keys are a little over-height, and without numeric pad which may cause typing prob to high-speed typers, but that’s not a major negativity. The model is cute and simple, with all ports(power, usb, etc) in sides, no port is in backside so you never have to reverse the notebook for connecting peripherals.

The processor is Intel® Pentium® processor P6100 (3 MB L3 cache, 2.0 GHz, DDR3 1066 MHz, 35 W), supporting Intel® 64 architecture, Intel® Smart Cache Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset. The graphics quality is also considerable. No frame drops at 720p HD playback in it’s 1366×768 14″ screen. It gives Intel® HD Graphics with 128 MB of dedicated system memory, supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 10, which is again good for gaming.

When it comes to storage, this notebook provides an awesome 500GB HDD, for meeting all our daily storage needs. The optical drive is 8X DVD and 24X CD writer and reader. The audio is Realtek HD audio, but the inbuilt speaker is mono, so it will not sound good while playing HD audio in inbuilt speakers, but sound in external speakers are good. The 2GB DDR3 , upgradable upto 8GB is a good thing as DDR3 RAMs are faster and cheaper than DDR2 RAM.. It also features SD and MMC card reader with external display support as VGA port up to 2560 x 1600: 60 Hz and HDMI™ port up to 1920 x 1080: 60 Hz.

The ports given are,

2-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC)
Three USB 2.0 ports
HDMI™ port with HDCP support
External display (VGA) port
Headphone/speaker/line-out jack
Microphone-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
DC-in jack for AC adapter

But Acer cut down the price by not giving any windows version with it. It comes with a pre-installed version of Linux OS, Linpus Linux(based on Fedora). We have installed a copy of Windows 7 in it and we got great Windows Experience Index score of 3.9 that means it’s more capable of computing than daily basic computing need.

All it comes with a free executive carry case by Acer and one year on site warranty by Acer.

Pros:

Compact 14″ size
HD Graphics, and 1080p HDMI output
OnLive warranty
Bluetooth 3.0, Good battery life.

Cons:

Poor built-in audio (mono)
Lacks numeric keypad
Comes without Windows

Updates:

Windows XP 32/64bit Drivers Download mirror1 mirror2 mirror3 mirror4 mirror5
Windows Vista All version 32/64bit Drivers Download mirror1 mirror2 mirror3 mirror4
Windows 7 All version 32/64bit Drivers Download mirror1 mirror2 mirror3 mirror4

Lenovo IdeaPad P1 Windows 7 Tablet with Business and Entertainment Apps

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:57:00 +0000

Lenovo announced the IdeaPad P1 Tablet 10.1-inch provided by Microsoft Windows 7 for home and office with electricity. It has an Intel 1.5 GHz, multi-touch display with optional touch pen, Adobe Flash Player and support HD playback and Microsoft Security Essentials for safety.

At only 14.5 mm thick and weighs less than 2 kg, the ThinkPad P1 Tablet also offers a USB port and microSD card slot for file synchronization and integration external device, integrated front webcam for Internet chat rooms Lenovo App Manager and move immediately from one company to entertainment applications.

Lenovo IdeaPad P1 Windows 7 Tablet with Business and Entertainment Apps Pricing and Availability

The ThinkPad P1 Tablet is available in the fourth quarter of 2011

Sony S2 Preview, PlayStation Suite Compatible and Potential To Be A Game-Changer

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:55:00 +0000

The Sony S2 tablet, we were thrilled. Since we have some other examples of this in the past, no power saw Honeycomb, they were not supported by a company with the resources and experience in the design of Sony. The S2 is two-fold to 5.5-inch screens, like an open book. This makes it much more pocket money from your average 10in shelf, and protects the screen from wear and tear.

As for the rest of the unit, it is perfectly glossy black with matte white or glass inside and black on the outside. So yes, the glare and reflections are potential problems, but at least from the outside should be covered with fingerprints and scratches visible. Its rounded edges and bent backwards (s) should be good in the hand S2, and it looks attractive in a cute way. Our only complaint is with the yellow plug, the somewhat discordant with the rest of the Beauty of Black and White.

Unfortunately, the S2 is not an infrared transmitter S1 more like his brother, a real shame that this is one of our most popular items on your device 9.4in. Connectivity is also a bit lacking, with no HDMI, but a USB 2.0 port to do this soon. And as S1, he “cast on TV” Sony still maintained function: Take the tablet in front of your TV, you slide your finger across the screen quickly, and you have to be displayed on the tray are displayed on your television – ingenious !

Another unique feature of tablets Sony PlayStation suite compatibility. As with the company Xpreia, it gives you access to an amazing variety of games, including a PlayStation favorites and new titles designed specifically for mobile devices and their intestines Tegra second In yet another nice touch, you can use a PS3 controller to plug your good games, though with two screens, the S2 already offer a better gaming experience, that of the tablets that lacks the physical control of it most.

Where equipment is concerned, we are proposing with the same internal Tegra 2 S1 S2 and Sony will use both Wi-Fi and 3G standard, which means that it is aimed at both mobile and have concentrated markets.

If Sony can make the 5.5-inch dual-screen with the beautiful game honeycomb OS, applications and content, these two clamshell tablet Tegra the potential to be a game changer has. There is already a hand-held form factor is a significant advantage on the shelves iPad and other content, and more on what could be a winner based.

Apple MacBook Air Laptop with Thunderbolt and Latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge Processors

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:53:00 +0000

Apple has updated its MacBook Air laptop ultra-thin, with the next-generation processors, high-speed IO Thunderbolt technology, a backlit keyboard and Mac OS X Lion, the operating system from Apple news. Apple says the MacBook Air stands up to twice the performance of the previous generation, it offers more flash memory for snapshots on the reactivity and a portable compact design.

MacBook Air is in the models 11 inches and 13 inches and retains the same design as the models of last year. The rugged aluminum unibody MacBook Air measures an incredibly thin 0.11 mm at the thinnest point and 0.68 inches at its thickest. Flash memory allows the MacBook Air to switch quickly and offer fast access to data, improved reliability and energy efficiency remarkably. The 11-inch model weighs 2.38 pounds and offers up to 5 hours of battery life, while 13 inches weighs 2.96 pounds and offers up to 7 hours.

With the latest Intel Core i7 and i5 dual-core processors, the new MacBook Pro delivers up to two times faster than the previous generation, and has all the power you need to edit photos and movies that make FaceTime calls, play games and working with documents and presentations. MacBook Air also offers Intel HD 3000 Graphics and delivers up to 4 GB 1333 MHz faster.

Thunderbolt IO technology can offer expansion opportunities never available to users of MacBook Air with a single cable to the user in high-performance devices and the new Apple display Thunderbolt to combine the ultimate docking station for your laptop Mac. Thunderbolt can be easily adapted to support legacy ports such as FireWire and Gigabit Ethernet.

MacBook Air comes with a full-size keyboard and a backlit innovative multi-touch trackpad. Designed for comfort and easy typing using the keyboard light sensor for automatic detection of a change in ambient light and adjusts the brightness of the keys to any environment. The multi-touch trackpad supports multi-Lion new touch gestures like the live scrolling, tapping or pinching your fingers to zoom on a Web page or an image and drag left or right to a page, or switch between open applications, switch screen.

MacBook Air includes a bright, high resolution LED backlight, the thin, but surprisingly the resolution of a much larger, bigger screen. With high-speed Wi-Fi, you can wirelessly download applications from the App Store Mac get music and movies from iTunes on Time Capsule backup data and files quickly and easily with drop. The MacBook Air features Bluetooth for wireless devices and two USB ports for easy connectivity for wired and wireless devices you use every day.

Apple makes the area of the green industry and the new portable MacBook Air is Energy Star 5.2 Requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status. Each MacBook unibody enclosure High recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit display, the mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac laptops contain no brominated flame retardants, are free of PVC and are made from recyclable materials.

Every MacBook Air comes with Mac OS X to create Lion, the eighth major release of the latest operating system and iLife applications, and shared great pictures, movies and music. Lion introduced more than 250 new features for the Mac, including multi-touch gestures, system-wide support for full-screen applications, Mission Control, a new vision at all on your Mac, the Mac App Store, to find the best choice and to explore great software, built into the OS, Launchpad, a new home for all your applications and a completely redesigned application mail.

Apple MacBook Air Laptop with Thunderbolt and Latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge Processors Prices and Availabilit

The 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air are for order online stores / distribution of Apple and the Apple stores as of today, 21 July 2011 are available:

$ 999 for the 1.6 GHz 11-inch MacBook Pro with 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB flash memory.
$ 1,199 for the 1.6 GHz 11-inch MacBook Pro with 4 GB of RAM and 128 MB flash memory
$ 1,299 for the 1.7 GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro with 4 GB of RAM and 128 MB flash memory
$ 1,599 for the 1.7 GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro with 4 GB of RAM and 256 MB flash memory

Configure-to-order options and accessories include a 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7, additional flash memory, MacBook Air SuperDrive, and a USB Ethernet adapter.

Platinum Multi Game Arcade Coffee Table with Hi-Fi, Flat Screen TV and Internet

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:50:00 +0000

The Platinum Multi Table Games Arcade Game of Liberty is a combination of a coffee table and a high-quality multimedia hub. Presented by Microsoft Windows OS, the device has a 22-inch LCD, an Intel dual core and a Logitech wireless touchpad. The company claims to combine the Platinum Arcade Game Table Multi easily on your Hi-Fi, flat screen TV and the Internet, surf to the web, listen to your songs and movies, all of which can be controlled from the comfort of your coffee table .

The Platinum combines modern design with advanced technology – a high-functional coffee table-quality, multimedia hub!

Table Platinum is the perfect example of the marriage between design and function really works – a modern, sleek looking piece of furniture that doubles as a standalone media hub.

Combining the latest technology, including a 22-inch LCD monitor, an Intel dual-core, Microsoft Windows, a Logitech wireless touchpad and the latest in the design of Colombia demonstrates, Platinum, you can have all your games, music, photos and files in the same readily available as tea, coffee and pastries.

Platinum Multi Game Arcade Coffee Table features:

Made in Britain from stainless steel
22” LCD
Intel Dual Core
Microsoft Windows 7
Logitech Wireless Touchpad
Easily connects to your hi-fi, flat screen TV and Internet

All this in the comfort of your couch – what could be better!

Platinum Multi Game Arcade Coffee Table Price and Availability
The multi-Platinum selling arcade game table for £ 3000 about 4825 $.

Westinghouse LD-2680 and LD-4258 LED HDTVs with Audio Entertainment Experience Deeper Bass Surround Sound

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:47:00 +0000

Westinghouse launches two high-definition TVs with LED backlighting, 26-inch LD-2680 LD-42-inch and 4258, with its SRS TruSurround HD audio solution. Both models feature 1920 × 1080 Full HD resolution, edge-lit LCD technology and perspective 176/176-degree. The LD-2680 has a dynamic contrast ratio of 100,000:1 and the second is a typical 4000:1 contrast.

DL-2680-4258 and two AP Progressive scan, 3D noise reduction, deinterlacing, 3D comb filter is adaptive. The AP-4258 adds 120Hz refresh rate. They offer two HDMI and D-Sub, Component, Composite.

As the world’s most popular audio solution for flat panel displays, offers SRS TruSurround HD impressive listening experience with the handling of multi-channel playback of audio content over two speakers. Additionally, SRS TruSurround HD enhances the entertainment experience of consumers with deeper bass sound for intense sequences of action, clarity of dialogue for better speech intelligibility, definition and control for maximum crystal-clear reproduction of high frequencies. Combined with the image quality of HD-Westinghouse LED can enjoy the user a remarkably satisfying viewing experience.

officially as one of the biggest brands in America and recognized leader in the industry surround sound, audio and voice technologies, today announced the availability of its popular SRS TruSurround HD ™ audio solution on the new HD LCD TV models Westinghouse Digital.

“We have worked closely with Westinghouse Digital to ensure that their lovely new HDTV is optimized to the listening experience more realistic and natural surround deliver its integrated speakers and we look forward to further expanding our partnership other TVs of the company and product lines will benefit.”

“Our technology, TruSurround HD is the most popular industry solution, virtual surround sound, and we are pleased that customers Westinghouse Digital now take advantage of the situation, the benefits of this powerful audio technology to improve the comfort of your own home,” said Allen H. Gharapetian, Sr. Vice President of Marketing for SRS Labs, Inc. “We have worked closely with Westinghouse Digital to ensure that their lovely new HDTV is optimized to make the most realistic and natural surround sound experience possible through their built-in speakers deliver and We look forward to further expanding our partnership with other TVs and the company’s product lines. ”

SRS TruSurround HD models equipped with Westinghouse Digital is the “LED HDTV (model AP-2680) and 42″ 26 LED HDTV (model AP-4258), both with Full HD 1080p. Westinghouse Digital has to ship with the thin profile of AP-2680 and is currently at Costco, while the DL-4258 is available at BestBuy.

To commemorate this announcement SRS is running much to give each of the two models Westinghouse HDTV with LED SRS TruSurround HD. The competition is now more than 16 August. To enter for a chance to win, visit www.srslabs.com / tvsweeps.