x-technology_cy

Samsung Galaxy S5 Boot Loader Dead / FIX ( SM- G900F )

2016-06-26T11:12:00.000+03:00

- Download Odin

- Put Samsung Galaxy S5 to Download mode (Turn off the device,With the device turned off, press Volume Down, Home and Power Buttons simultaneously,Once you see the warning message, release all buttons,Press Volume Up to enter download mode,Now your device should be in download mode.)

- Download BOOT_LOADER_G900FXXU1ANG2.tar Link

- Connect Samsung on PC

-Open Odin and from BT Choose the downloded.

- Press Start

How to fix Kaspersky kltdi.sys BlueScreen on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP or Later Windows Version

2016-02-24T12:05:00.000+02:00

Step by Step fix error

Restart Server/PC and press F8 for Safe Mode
Choose Start Safe Mode with CMD
Press on cmd "explorer.exe"
Start - Run - regedit
Find the kltdi from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/services/kltdi
On kltdi find the start and double click on it.
Change the value from 1 to 4 and reboot (Boot=0,System=1,Automatic=2,Manual=3,Disabled=4)

Enjoy

How to Save battery on all Samsung Galaxy Smartphones

2016-02-16T09:08:00.001+02:00

How to Save battery on all Samsung Galaxy Smartphones

clear cache from setting->storage
go to recovery mode and clear cache memory (be careful not factory reset will lost your data)

Dlink DP-301P+ Setup - PSAdmin DP-301P+

2016-01-18T10:05:00.001+02:00

Plug in to the power and connect ethernet direct to pc.
The pc is necessary to run Windos 7 or older version of Windows

Install PS ADMIN from
http://support.dlink.com/ProductInfo.aspx?m=dp301p%2b

and run the application

in left site on PSAdmin is the active devices .

Change Value on Device and save confiquration

6 Steps to activate Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1 without product key

2015-09-02T18:32:00.000+03:00

First of all download , format and install Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1 operating system and skip the activation code
Open command prompt and type the following instruction: ( WMIC Path SoftwareLicensingService Get OA3xOriginalProductKey )
Copy the product key
From command prompt type the following instrustion : ( slui 3)
From activation window paste the product key and press enter
If the Windows activation code will hidden on BIOS will be activate in 2-3 seconds

Cytech Soutions

HP MICROSERVER GEN8 ELASTIX 2.5

2015-06-18T20:36:00.002+03:00

Put on your HP Microserver Gen8 2 hard disk (same capacity/size)
Switch on the machine and press F10 to enter on HP Inteligent Provisioning
Create Array with RAID 1 with HP Smart Array Controller
Choose Perform and Maintenance
Array Configuration Utility
Select your hard disks and create the array
Restart the machine
Press F9 for bios and change the Boot Configuration from HP Controller to AHCI
Restart the machine
Attach the usb cdrom with Elastix 2.5 on motherboard usb3
Swich on the machine and press F11 for boot option
Choose 1 fro cdrom and install the Elastix 2.5 Telephony Server.

HP ML10 RAID SETUP and Windows Server 2008 Installation

2015-04-27T17:53:00.001+03:00

First of all we have to enable raid controller

Press F9 during startup
From Advance Option
Sata Configuration
Embedded Sata Configuration
Select RAID
Go Back and from Drive Write Cache make it Disabled

Create Logical Drive

During startup press F8
Create logical drive with 2 hard disk Raid 1+0 or Raid 0, save it and reboot the machine.

Download from HP raid controller driver(HP Smart Array B110i Sata RAID Controller)

URL: HP Smart Array B110i
Select and Download Windows Server R2
Run the download and extract the driver to usb disk

OS Installation

Insert the usb with raid driver.
Now Boot with Windows Server 2008 installation disk or usb.
Proceed the installation and choose custom installation to select logical drive
There is no logical drive to select
Press F6 and choose from usb the HP Smart Array B110i Driver and press next
When installation of drivers complete you will see the unallocate logical drive to proceed installation

Cytech Solutions

Port forwarding on Mikrotik Routerboard (OS)

2015-04-02T06:58:00.002+03:00

-Login on 192.168.88.1
username: admin
password: blank
-IP-> Firewall -> NAT ->
-New Nat Rule By plus icon
-select on General TAP (Chain -> dst-nat, protocol: 6(tcp), dst-port: port number example 3389, in-interface: : ether1-gateway)
-select on Action TAP (Action:dst-nat, to addresses: ip address of device , to port : 3389

Why Android phones its better than iPhone

2015-01-30T15:34:00.000+02:00

Android	iPhone
Memory (increase by micoSD card)	Memory (fixed memory)
Battery (easy to change)	Battery (dificult)
Use as a Remote Control by Infrared	N/A
File Browsing by PC	N/A
Read all music archives	Only iTunes type
Charging by any micro usb	Only with iphone cable
Users on Same Device	Only one User
Multitasking	One application at time

Ref. Cytech Solutions

INSPIRE PRO 1.6 INSTALLATION ON WINDOWS 7

2015-01-26T11:11:00.004+02:00

STEPS:

RIGHT CLICK ON SETUP AND PROPERTIES
FROM COMPATIBILITY TAB SELECT RUN AS WINDOW XP
RUN SETUP AS ADMINISTRATOR
WEN FINISH THE INSTALLATION
DOWNLOAD THE PATCH Hdd32.zip FROM http://www.gtx.com/support/patches/Hdd32.zip
FINALLY EXTRACT THE HDD32.EXE PATCH AND RUN UNTIL FINISH THE PATCH INSTALLATION
CONNECT THE PARALLEL KEY ON PC AND RUN THE PROGRAM
THIS IS THE COMMON PROBLEM FROM INSPIRE INSTALLATION !!!
ENJOY!!!

Cytech Solutions

Easy Mikrotik RouterBoard SXT 2nd r2 - Bridge Setup

2014-07-02T08:41:00.002+03:00

Mikrotik RouterBoard SXT Setup

Connect the Ethernet on your pc
Make your ip static as (ip: 192.168.88.23 subnet:255.255.255.0)
3From your browser (192.168.88.1 username: admin password: (empty))
Select Quick Set
Select PTP Bridge

Disconnect Ethernet from your computer and connect on Router WAN interface

Cytech Solutions

Restore-Backup XMBC

2014-03-01T21:45:00.000+02:00

install XBMC
download the file from webserver(xbmc.rar)
extract all xbmc.rar on C:/ (hard disk)
open XBMC
System -> Addons -> Get Addons ->Programs Addons -> INSTALL XBMC BACKUP ADDON
When installation finish open the XBMC Addon -> configure -> browse file (c:/xbmc
File Selection -> check all
Close all and go to home
Go to programs -> xbmc backup -> resore-> and select the folder
Enjoy the tv

www.cytech-solutions.net

Toshiba Satellite A660-11M Screen Replace (~10 Minutes)

2014-01-18T13:28:00.000+02:00

Ref. CytechSolutions

How to remove Police Virus (trojan horse) with System Restore.

2013-09-27T07:26:00.002+03:00

Step1: Start the Computer in Safe mode with Command Prompt

Step2: Type on Command Prompt "rstrui.exe" (Restore Mode)

Step3: Now the restore window open and is ready to restore your system.

Step 4: Restore your system to the last good condition restore point.

Step 5: Restart your pc.

Ref. CytechSolutions

How to remove Police Virus (trojan horse)

2013-06-05T18:54:00.001+03:00

Step 1: Download malwarebytes and save it on usb flash drive

Step2: Restart the Computer in Safe mode with Command Prompt

Step3: Type on Command Prompt "explorer.exe"

Step4: Now the windows explorer and windows environment working without virus

Step 5: Find The malwarebytes from usb flash drive and intall it on computer

Step 6: Scan and clean your pc from viruses

Step 7: Restart your pc

XtechnologyCY.blogspot

Android Phones Will Power NASA's New Fleet of Mini-Satellites

2012-08-24T08:29:00.002+03:00

Hoping to inject new life into low-cost space exploration, NASA's 'PhoneSat' program will launch a series of Google Nexus One–controlled mini-satellites into space later this year.

While most of the recent media attention on NASA has understandably focused on the Curiosity rover on Mars, that’s not the only experiment that the space and aeronautics research agency has in the works. A team at NASA’s Ames Research center in Moffett Field, California, is working on the future launch of miniature satellites constructed with Android-powered Nexus One smartphones at the helm. Dubbed “PhoneSat,” this project is part of a larger experiment called the CubeSat Launch Initiative that incorporates small consumer electronics into working nanosatellites.

The PhoneSat launch has no firm date, but three PhoneSat units will be rocket-bound sometime in late 2012. (Hopefully, we’ll start seeing Tweets from PhoneSat’s currently quiet Twitter account.) However, there’s much to be excited about with the launch fast approaching. Here’s what we know so far.

PhoneSat’s Two-Design Plan

According to information provided by NASA’s Space Technology Program, the team has built two nanosatellite prototype models, which were originally going to be launched at different times. The first model, PhoneSat 1.0, has minimal functionality—the team wants to see if a mini-satellite with a smartphone can survive a short stint in space. A major gauge of success will be whether the satellite can send back operational health and picture data while in space. Besides a Nexus One, the main pieces of the satellite will include external batteries and an external radio beacon. A watchdog circuit will monitor the system and reboot the Nexus if necessary.

Assembly of PhoneSat 1.0. Photo

courtesy of NASA Ames Research Center, 2011.

All of this will be packaged in a 10-by-10-by-10-cm CubeSat shell—not much bigger than a coffee cup—and three of these units will be manufactured. Each unit clocks in at an impressively low 4 pounds. And what chariot will carry this mini-sat? An Antares rocket, a low-Earth-orbiting rocket that can carry up to 15,000 pounds.
A more advanced model, the PhoneSat 2.0, will improve on the capabilities of PhoneSat 1.0 by using a newer Samsung Nexus S; the satellite’s design will also include a two-way S-band radio, solar arrays, and a GPS receiver. The radio will command the satellite from the ground, while the solar panels will enable the unit to embark on a mission with a long duration. Also built into the PhoneSat 2.0 design are magnetorquer coils (electromagnets that interact with Earth’s magnetic field) and reaction wheels to control the unit’s orientation in space.
According to a NASA public relations representative, two PhoneSat 1.0 models and one PhoneSat 2.0 are scheduled to launch aboard the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket later this year.

Strides So Far

The PhoneSat team has been preparing for this mission for a few years now by running tests to push the Nexus One’s limits. In July 2010, two Nexus Ones were launched on rockets as a preliminary test of how the phones will handle high speeds and high altitude. One rocket crashed and destroyed the smartphone; the other landed with the Nexus One perfectly intact. PhoneSat 1.0 has also been tested in a thermal-vacuum chamber, on vibration and shock tables, and on high-altitude balloons, all with great success.
The philosophy behind these launches is quite similar to the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial mindset—to “launch the lowest-cost and easiest to build satellites ever flown in space,” as stated in a PhoneSat flight demonstration document. Each PhoneSat prototype costs about $3500 to build, and the NASA engineers use commercial off-the-shelf hardware in their designs, none of which have been modified. The engineers have not created any new technologies for this mission—they’re working entirely with widely available products.

What’s Next for PhoneSat?

Not only do these low-cost units show off how run-of-the-mill consumer devices can be used in larger space exploration experiments, they also will decrease development costs for future NASA small-spacecraft projects. The team plans to use the PhoneSats in future missions involving moon exploration, low-cost Earth observations, and testing of new technologies and components for space flight. Another mission scheduled for 2013 plans to use the PhoneSat 2.0 to conduct heliophysics measurements.
Ref:
Pcworld

Apple-Samsung Patent Battle Now in Jury's Hands

2012-08-22T17:11:00.000+03:00

A nine-person California jury will begin their deliberations Wednesday in the landmark patent battle between Apple and Samsung. The case, which has been argued since the beginning of the month, pits two of the world's largest electronics makers against each other and could result in billions of dollars in fines depending on the jury's decision.
The case revolves around a handful of patents covering the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad and some of the icons on the devices' home screens. It's one of several legal battles the companies are fighting around the world but, given its location in the heart of Silicon Valley and close to Apple's Cupertino headquarters, it is perhaps the most closely watched.

Lawyers for Apple and Samsung spent their final afternoon in front of the jury Tuesday making their closing arguments.
During a 75-minute presentation, Apple lawyer Harold McElhinny reviewed some of the many hundreds of pages of evidence and testimony produced during the case and presented them as evidence that Samsung deliberately sought to produce what McElhinny called "iPhone knock-offs."
The documents included an internal Samsung analysis produced in 2007 that discusses the iPhone's strengths and press reports that trumpeted the iPhone's "revolutionary" design.
"In 2007, Steve Jobs shocked the phone world," McElhinny said. "A four-year effort had paid off. Apple turned over its future to designers and they came up with the iPhone."
Apple alleges that Samsung has sold 22.7 million cellphones in the U.S. since June 2010 that infringe on Apple's patents and, as such, argues that Samsung should be made to pay up to $2.75 billion in damages.
"Samsung makes fun of our damages claim. They make fun of us for asking for billions of dollars," McEhinny said. "The damages should be large because the infringement is massive."
If the jury decides there was infringement and that it was deliberate and willful, the judge in the case could triple the award.
Samsung lawyer Charles Verhoeven didn't argue that the phones weren't similar. Instead, he countered that similarities in the design were due to natural product evolution in the phone industry and that no evidence was presented showing consumers being confused by phones from the two companies.
"The reason they didn't provide any evidence is because there is none," he said. Apple is "asking you to prevent its biggest competitor from giving consumers what they want -- smartphones with big screens."
Verhoeven framed the case as a battle that could affect the entire business of innovation in the U.S.
"The real reason Apple is bringing this case is because rather than compete in the marketplace, Apple is seeking a competitive edge in the courtroom."
Verhoeven told the jury that no damages are due because there was no infringement, but if they disagree and decide money should be paid then they shouldn't pay attention to Apple's figures because they are based on revenue and not profit.
The closing arguments followed a morning in which the jury was read more than 100 pages of instructions for its deliberations. The case also involves two of Samsung's U.S. business units and alleges infringement by more than 20 of its handsets on some points. As a result, the jury faces more than 700 decisions on its verdict form.
The case, number 11-01846, is between Apple and Samsung in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Ref:
Pcworld

The Top-Performing Android Phones: Benchmark Blitz

2012-08-20T08:18:00.003+03:00

We put six Android phones through our suite of benchmark tests to see which ones had the best CPU, graphics, and browser performance.

HTC EVO 4G LTE

These days Android phones seem to be in an arms race when it comes to performance, with claims of faster processors, better graphics engines, and more cores. We put a few of the hottest Android phones available today through our rigorous suite of benchmark tests to see which ones live up to the performance hype.

The Samsung Galaxy S III (Verizon version) and the HTC EVO 4G LTE (on Sprint) have the same 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus carries an older dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP processor, but runs the new Android 4.1 (also known as Jelly Bean). Among the many highlights of the latest version of Android are smoother graphics and overall improved performance thanks to Project Butter: According to Google, Project Butter lets the CPU and graphics run in parallel, resulting in smoother, more responsive performance on Android devices.

LG Optimus 4X HD

Our sole quad-core phone in this test group is the LG Optimus 4X HD, which uses an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor. This phone, like other quad-core phones we’ve seen this year, is exclusively available overseas at the moment.
We also threw two older phones into the mix, the Samsung Galaxy Note (T-Mobile) and the Motorola Droid 4 (Verizon). The Samsung Galaxy Note has a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor, while the Motorola Droid 4 has a dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP processor (a slight variation of the processor in the Galaxy Nexus).
Because not all benchmarking programs are cross-platform, we selected only Android phones for this round of performance testing.

The Benchmarks Explained

PCWorld Labs analysts run each smartphone that comes to us through a rigorous set of tests. The first, AndEBench, is a third-party benchmark app for Android phones that measures the performance of the CPU and the Dalvik interpreter. (Dalvik is the virtual machine in Android that runs many of the operating system’s core functions.) We run two AndEBench tests: a native test and a Java test. The Labs analysts also run Geekbench, a cross-platform, multicore benchmark that measures processor and memory performance.
We test JavaScript performance using Sunspider, which measures page-load times in the browser. The Labs staff also designed an independent page-load test employing multiple JPG images, as well as text and tables. Our analysts evaluate the page-load time over a closed Wi-Fi network.
Finally, we run GLBenchmark, which measures graphics performance for OpenGL ES environments. We conduct one test with GLBenchmark Egypt 2.1.4 and one with GLBenchmark 2.1.4 Pro. Both tests measure results in frames per second; the more frames per second, the better the graphics performance is for the tested phone.

The Results

As you can see in the results charts below, the quad-core LG Optimus 4X HD smoked the competition on both AndEBench tests as well as on Geekbench. Interestingly, the Galaxy S III and the HTC EVO 4G LTE dominated in the PCWorld Page Load Tests, with the HTC EVO 4G LTE posting the fastest time at 6.5 seconds. The Galaxy Nexus recorded the fastest time on the Sunspider JavaScript Benchmark at 1.52 seconds; the HTC EVO 4G LTE finished closely behind it at 1.58 seconds. As for graphics performance, the LG Optimus 4X HD ruled the GLBenchmark Egypt Offscreen test. However, in the GLBenchmark Pro test, the Galaxy S III achieved the highest number of frames per second, with the HTC EVO coming in second.
Quad-core phones are scarce in the United States, but we’re hoping to see more toward the end of this year. We’re also anxious for Qualcomm’s quad-core S4 Pro chip to ship in smarpthones. The chipset, which is currently available only in a developer tablet, performed quite well in our benchmarks.
It is important to keep in mind that benchmarks don’t necessarily make or break a phone. Testing with real-world use scenarios, such as running multiple apps, transferring files, playing games, or watching video, is also important when you're judging a smartphone’s overall performance.

Ref:

Pcworld

Choose the Right Graphics Card: 2012 Edition

2012-08-11T08:53:00.002+03:00

GPUs today are more than just gaming accelerators. They speed up a wide range of applications, and this guide helps you pick the best match for your needs.

Modern graphics cards are intimidating, hulking beasts in a world of increasingly tiny PC components. Most of them are double-wide, occupying two expansion-slot spaces, even though they use only a single physical slot. Many require two power connectors and beefier-than-average power supplies. Their primary audience appears to be serious PC gamers, who use an arcane jargon of their own: frame rates, VSync, antialiasing.
Graphics processing units, or GPUs, are at the heart of these cards, and their sheer physical size and transistor count--some models have in excess of 4 billion transistors--help explain why they consume so much power and require sophisticated cooling systems. The transistor count also suggests why these new graphics chips aren't just graphics accelerators: They improve performance across a broad range of applications.

What's in a Card

Graphics cards are impressive pieces of hardware. Let's take a look at what one of the latest cards, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 680, looks like when it's stripped bare.

Though this photo shows a stripped-down GTX 680, most new cards have similar features under the hood.
The latest-generation midrange ($200 to $350) and high-end ($400 and up) graphics cards usually ship with at least 2GB and sometimes 3GB or more of very fast GDDR5 memory, which has a clock speed of 1500MHz but can clock effective speeds of up to 6000MHz (since the memory can move four data items per clock cycle).
Modern monitor connections are present, too. You'll rarely find a VGA connector, though most cards still ship with a DVI-to-VGA adapter if you really need it. Almost all cards include an HDMI port, and the latest products also offer some flavor of DisplayPort, the latest technology in display connections.

Questions to Ask

Now that you've seen what a card looks like when you rip off its cooling shroud, let's consider the cricual questions you should answer before buying a graphics card. Here are five important ones:

What types of games do you play?
What other applications do you run?
What is your budget for a graphics card?
What is your monitor's display resolution?
What is your PC's performance level?

What Types of Games Do You Play?
Some types of games demand more of a graphics card than others do. Here are rules of thumb that generally (but by no means always) hold true.

First- and third-person shooter games, like Spec Ops: the Line, are probably the most aggressive in pushing a graphics card to its performance limits. Newer shooters often take advantage of the latest hardware and software technologies in attempting to deliver the most immersive 3D graphics experience possible.
Strategy games tend to be somewhat less demanding graphically. Even strategy titles that can hammer a graphics card, like Total War: Shogun 2, are much more flexible about their settings and can run well on lower end hardware. Games such as Civilization V may support the latest graphics standards while running on fairly modest hardware.

Roleplaying games vary in their graphics requirements, but most are playable on midrange graphics cards priced at between $200 and $300 range. One exception to this rule is The Witcher 2, an extremely demanding game in part because it tries to do too much with DirectX 9, an older graphics interface. Still, even most action RPGs like Diablo III and hybrid shooter RPGs like Mass Effect 3 run acceptably on modestly priced hardware.
Massively multiplayer online games--particularly free-to-play titles--usually avoid taxing GPUs beyond what most current systems can handle, because they're trying to attract as large an audience as possible.
Indie games of all stripes tend to trail the graphics leading edge, and in many instances you can get by with a lower-cost card when playing them.
Finally, if you mostly play older games, your GPU needs are probably relatively modest.
What Other Applications Do You Run?
GPU-accelerated apps are becoming more common. The earliest use of GPU acceleration for consumer applications was for video transcoding. Applications such as CyberLink's Media Expresso have added support for additional graphics hardware and application programming interfaces (APIs) over time.
Photo- and video-editing applications followed. The latest version of Photoshop CS6 uses OpenGL for most of its rendering and GPU compute for accelerating the filters in the blur gallery. Musemage, developed in China, is a completely GPU-accelerated photo-editing application.
Windows 8 will use GPU acceleration in all 2D rendering, and Microsoft Office 2010 already supports graphics acceleration for Excel and PowerPoint charts. Even games use the GPU for more than just graphics--to handle accelerating physics, fluid dynamics, and special-effects calculations.
Web browsers are taking advantage of graphics cards, too. Google Chrome and Firefox take advantage of WebGL for 3D acceleration. Chrome, Internet Explorer 9, and Firefox use the GPU to accelerate 2D page rendering. If you use your GPU for nothing more than accelerating Windows and Web browsers, modern integrated graphics such as Intel's HD 4000 (included with all mobile Ivy Bridge processors) and AMD's Radeon GPU integrated into all A-series processors are good enough. But if you do more-demanding work, you may want a discrete graphics card. Even then, however, for most normal desktop use, you don't need to spend a bundle; a card priced at between $150 and $250 is definitely good enough.

The biggest problem with GPU-accelerated apps is that the concept is still fairly young, and therefore fragmented. Some applications may use Nvidia's proprietary CUDA framework exclusively. Others may use only Microsoft's DirectCompute programming interface, which supports all current hardware, but only on Windows machines. A few applications now use OpenCL, an open interface that works with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. However, not all cards have current OpenCL drivers. So you have to confirm that both your graphics card and your application will work with each other. Of course, the CPU can always serve as a fallback, in case GPU acceleration doesn't work for your particular application.
What Is Your Budget for a Graphics Card?
Economic reality may constrain even the most discriminating hardcore gamer. Unless you have unfathomably deep pockets, you'll need to balance your desires versus your wallet. Look for discounts and sales, both online and retail. And bear in mind that your monitor may strongly affect your graphics card choices.
What Is Your Monitor's Display Resolution?
If you have an older, 1680-by-1050-pixel monitor, a good $250 to $300 card is the most you'll need, even if you enable performance-sucking features such as antialiasing.
On the other hand, if you want to run three Full HD monitors in stereoscopic 3D mode, a single high-end card may not be enough.
For most of us, the happy medium lies somewhere between. Today's typical display is 1920 by 1080 (aka Full HD), and a $300 graphics card usually does fine with such a monitor, though you may have to forgo some of the "ultra" detail settings.
That said, higher-resolution displays are likely to become increasingly common in the future. Even today, prices for 2560 by 1440 monitors are gradually sinking toward an affordable level .
What Is Your PC's Performance Level?
If you're running on a PC with a Celeron or Athlon II CPU, you can get some extra graphics oomph by upgrading to a better graphics card, but the improvement will be limited. Your goal should be a balanced system. If you add a GTX 680 to a PC that runs on a 3.1GHz Athlon II processor, the GPU will spend far too much time waiting for the CPU to finish its tasks. And an idle GPU is a sign of wasted money.
You should also check your PC's age. If you're still rocking on an original Core 2 Duo E6400 and a motherboard with PCI Express 1.0, spending more than about $200 on a new graphics card is a bad investment. You'll be much better off if you save your money and put it toward a new system, or at least for a motherboard and CPU upgrade, in the near future.

Key Terms

Here are a few key terms that can help you become a smarter shopper.
DirectX 11/DirectX 11.1
DirectX is the programming interface that most Windows-based PC games use. All of the latest graphics cards support the latest DirectX 11 API. If a card supports DirectX 11, it necessarily supports a bunch of features. For example, a card's packaging may mention "hardware tessellation" as if it were an exclusive feature, but all cards that support DirectX 11 must also support hardware tessellation.
Tessellation
This term refers to the graphics card's ability to generate additional game geometry, making characters and other objects with lots of curved surfaces look smoother.
Antialiasing
Using antialiasing (AA) is still one of the best ways to improve a 3D image. Antialiasing blends the colors of nearby pixels and smooths the contrast between them. Doing so minimizes the classic "jaggies" effect that you may sometimes see in diagonal lines during gameplay.
GPU makers have implemented increasingly sophisticated antialiasing methods, including ways of blending pixel colors over time. Nvidia's TXAA is one example of this.

SLI (Nvidia) or CrossFire X (AMD)
If you want to run the highest AA levels on displays with resolutions of 1920 by 1200 or larger, or if you want to run stereoscopic 3D, as with Nvidia's 3D Vision, you may have to install two cards instead of one. The two cards are connected to each other via a short data cable so that they remain synchronized and effectively behave as a single graphics card with nearly double the performance.
DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI
These are ports used to connect monitor cables. If you must connect via VGA--which I strongly advise you not to do--you'll need a DVI-to-VGA adapter. Most retail boxed cards include such an adapter.
DisplayPort and HDMI pose their own challenges. Cards may use mini-HDMI or mini-DisplayPort connectors. If the vendor doesn't include adapters in the box, you'll have to hunt them down on your own.
DVI-Dual Link connections can drive very-high-resolution 30-inch displays, but not all DVI connectors are created equal. Single-link connectors max out at 1920 by 1200, so check the product information if you need more.
HDMI's latest version is 1.4a, and you'll need that if you want to run 3D Blu-ray movies or to run 120Hz monitors in stereoscopic 3D.
DisplayPort is now at version 1.2, and most of its coolest features as yet go unused. DisplayPort 1.2 will permit you to daisy-chain two displays off a single port, but no monitors with DisplayPort 1.2 support currently exist, though they should begin to arrive before the end of 2012.

Buying Considerations

Like most tech products, graphics cards are segmented by price. Expensive cards tend to be more capable; and less expensive ones usually offer lower performance, consume less power, and are smaller in size (and so fit into a greater range of PC cases).
$400 and Up
The highest-priced cards deliver the strongest graphics performance, but they're also more power hungry. Both Nvidia and AMD have released a new generation of GPUs that are more power-efficient than their predecessors, but you'll still want a good 600-watt power supply to run these types of cards. At the extreme high end are dual-GPU cards, such as Nvidia's GTX 690. You can expect to spend close to $1000 for one of these.

One Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 or AMD Radeon HD 7970 should be able to run most games at high frame rates on 1080p monitors with settings at very high. Some games may show frame rate stuttering at ultra detail levels, so you'll need to test each game. If you have a high-end, 30-inch display running at 2560 by 1600, you'll need to manage your detail settings more carefully, unless you have a dual-GPU card, like the GTX 690, or are willing to install two discrete graphics cards.
$300 to $350
Cards in this category include the Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 and the AMD Radeon HD 7950. They offer performance that is nearly as good as that of the high-end models, but at a more modest price. If you stick with a 1080p or 1920 by 1200 display with one of these cards, you should be in good shape.
$200 to $300
At this level you may have to start making some sacrifices in detail settings. For GPUs such as the AMD Radeon HD 7870, that means running at "high" rather than at "very high" detail level, and it almost certainly means disabling antialiasing.

$100 to $200
Cards in this price range will run most games at modest detail levels, though in some cases you may have to dial back resolution as well. For example, if you have a Full HD monitor, you may want to fall back to 1680-by-1050-pixel or even 1440-by-900-pixel resolution to achieve playable frame rates.
Under $100
These low-end cards are fine for most mainstream, GPU-accelerated applications, but their utility in gaming is pretty limited. For many current-generation PC games, you'll need to dial back detail levels to their lowest settings to get good frame rates.

Other Considerations

Most recent graphics cards ship with more than 1GB of video memory. If you have a mainstream, 1080p display and don't use antialiasing, you probably don't need more than 1GB, but if you turn up the game's quality settings, you'll want more. Perhaps the most memory-hungry game I've encountered is Shogun 2: Total War, which can easily consume most of a 2GB frame buffer if you dial up all of the detail and AA levels.
When shopping for a card, be sure to pick a dealer that has a good return policy. Even though there are few incompatibilities, and the reliability of graphics cards is pretty good, it's reassuring to know that you can return a defective or incompatible card without incurring a restocking fee.
Warranties tend to vary. If you typically hang on to your graphics card for years, you may want to spend a few dollars more to pick up a card with a long or limited-lifetime warranty.
After buying the card, of course, you'll want to install it. PCWorld offers a handy guide to upgrading your graphics card. If you can turn a screwdriver, you can handle this upgrade.
With your new card installed and running, check out the latest crop of PC games. But beware: Once you get started on some of the immersive new titles that are available, you may find yourself still at the keyboard as birds begin announcing the coming dawn. That's when you'll know that you have both a great game and the right graphics card.

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Pcworld

EnemyGraph Facebook Application

2012-08-10T19:34:00.005+03:00

UPDATE: you can follow the trending & top enemies on enemygraph.com and my ongoing comments on the project on twitter. For press see bottom of this post.
For the past six months my research group has been looking into an app that explores social dissonance on Facebook. Today we are announcing the public release of EnemyGraph. The project was developed principally by graduate student Bradley Griffith with invaluable help from undergraduate Harrison Massey.
EnemyGraph is an application that allows you to list your “enemies”. Any Facebook friend or user of the app can be an enemy. More importantly, you can also make any page or group on Facebook an “enemy”. This covers almost everything including people, places and things. During our testing testing triangles and q-tips were trending, along with politicians, music groups, and math.

Most social networks attempt to connect people based on affinities: you like a certain band or film or sports team, I like them, therefore we should be friends. But people are also connected and motivated by things they dislike. Alliances are created, conversations are generated, friendships are stressed, stretched, and/or enhanced.
Facebook runs queries to find affinities. EnemyGraph runs what we call dissonance queries. So if you have said you like, say, Portlandia on your profile page, and in our app one of your friends has declared them an “enemy” we will post this “dissonance report” in the app. In other words we point out a difference you have with a friend and offer it up for conversation, as opposed to a similarity. Relationships always include differences, and often these differences are a critical part of the fabric of a friendship. In the country club atmosphere of Facebook and it’s platform such differences are ignored. It’s not part of their “social philosophy”.

EnemyGraph is a critique the social philosophy of Facebook. On it’s developer splash page Facebook invites us to “Hack the Graph” - and so we did. We give them a couple of weeks at best before they shut us down for broadening the conversation and for “utilizing community, building conversation, and curating identity” their three elements of social design. EnemyGraph is a kind of social media blasphemy.
The ironic thing is - and this is a byproduct of the project rather than the intention - we are generating a whole new set of personal data that could potentially be mined. I found it a compelling tool for self expression, at least as powerful as the likes list on your Facebook profile page. Often, it tells you a great deal about a person in a way that an affirmative list can not. The first thing my colleague Dave Parry though of to list, for example, was venison, which says a lot by itself.
I’m sure there are new algorithms that can be developed around what you can sell some one when they don’t like X or Y, and conversely what they will like, what kind of person they are, etc. Or, similar to an idea Clive Thompson mentioned to me, find out what I might like or dislike based on a set of dislikes I share with others. We’ve thought about it and think there’s actually a positive social value in all this. Alliances between people around social and political issues are one thing. There are also interesting ways to connect to people that you never would have known by affinities alone. The group that has made venison an enemy might have never encountered one another. And of course there are also likely ways to structure business around it (which is why Andrew Famiglietti thinks maybe Facebook will leave EnemyGraph up, even while they hold their nose). But our interest for this project is a simple, expressive, often fun critique of the lopsided Facebook approach to online mediated social interaction.

A few people have asked us about the potential for misuse. Beyond the obvious fact that every tool can be misused ours is all opt in. Also, based on our test group, it’s also mostly in jest. (I’ve been to top enemy among my friends all through testing). If you are not friends with someone, or not a user of the app, or generally not famous, you cannot be listed as an “enemy”. We will also monitor the app closely for abuse.

Because of the fact that you can make pretty much any object, place, or thing that has a FB page an “enemy” EnemyGraph is in some ways an unfortunate name. So it’s not just a list of people. In fact you can have an entire list with no people on it at all. In a way we are misusing the word “enemy” just as much as Facebook and others have misused “friend”.
One early user described EnemyGraph as a way to “interact with your friends over common enemies … creating alliances based on shared animosities”.
How the project was made:
When I saw the first friends list at the beginning of the social media era the first thing I thought was “where’s the enemies list?” No one ever made one, so we did. We actually started out working on something called UnFriends. It was in the aftermath of undetweetable, which generated plenty of attention, but was shut down by Twitter in 5 days. After coming across some language from Facebook saying an app cannot encourage unfriending we decided to shelve what was nearing a finished application. We knew it would last only a day or so. So we moved on to what at first we called EnemyList, which was just that simple. Once we figured out you could add any FB page it became EnemyGraph - playing off “social graph”. The project was developed almost entirely by Bradley Griffith over the course of a few months, with invaluable research help from Harrison Massey. Bradley is an Emerging Media + Communication (EMAC) graduate student and Harrison is an undergraduate.

As to how it fits in with the research agenda of my lab, we look at EnemyGraph as a test to learn from for the new project we are about to start on for this semester. Because these kinds of tools have not been available previously we are interested to see how they are used. We plan to take what we learn and apply it to an outside of Facebook site that explores similar territory, but in a broader fashion.
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Deanterry

How to Fix Your Wi-Fi Network: 7 Tips

2012-08-10T08:09:00.003+03:00

A quick guide to fixing the most common Wi-Fi problems that crop up at home, in the office, or on the road.

Wireless Internet networks afford us the luxury of browsing the Web cable-free, but a connection that relies on radio waves is subject to failure due to interference, signal range limits, hardware problems, and operator error. With that in mind, we've put together a quick guide to the most common Wi-Fi troubles and how to fix them.

If you're struggling with your Wi-Fi network at home or in the office, read on to discover a few different ways to troubleshoot your Wi-Fi woes and restore your wireless network.

Check Your Laptop for a Wi-Fi Button or Switch

Having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi in your favorite coffee shop or airport lounge? The problem might be right under your fingertips. If your laptop or netbook isn't connecting to a local wireless router at all and you can't view a list of nearby wireless networks, check to see if your laptop has a Wi-Fi button or switch that you may have pressed accidently. Many laptops include a function button (labeled with an icon representing a wireless router or network) on the top of the keyboard, or a switch on the front or sides of the laptop. If you find such a button, check to see whether pressing it enables you to get connected.

Reboot Your Computer and Your Wireless Router

If you still can't connect a computer or device, reboot it. This step sounds simple, but your router, your PC's Wi-Fi adapter, or your operating system may have a software or firmware problem that a simple reboot would fix. If some or all of your devices refuse to connect, try unplugging the router for 5 to 10 seconds and then plugging it back in. This technique of "power cycling" your router is a tried-and-true method for restoring a previously functional wireless network to good working order.

Change the Wi-Fi Channel on the Router

Most Wi-Fi routers and devices use the 2.4GHz radio band, which has 11 channels in the United States. Unfortunately, only 3 of the 11 channels can run simultaneously without overlapping or interfering with each other: channels 1, 6, and 11. Worse, many routers are set to broadcast on channel 6 by default. Consequently, interference from other routers in the vicinity is a common source of connectivity problems, especially in densely populated areas such as apartment complexes and shopping centers. Other radios that use the 2.4GHz band--for example, baby monitors and cordless phones--and other electrical devices (such as microwave ovens) can interfere with Wi-Fi signals, too.
To see if other wireless routers might be interfering, take a look at the list of nearby wireless networks. If you're using Windows, click the network icon in the lower right corner. If you see other network names, especially those with more than one bar of signal, they could be interfering with your signal.
You can try to dodge interference by changing your router to another channel. You can blindly choose a channel (going with 1 or 11 is probably your best bet) or you can make a better-educated selection by checking to see which channels nearby networks are using so you can use a different channel. You can check with a free program like InSSIDer or Vistumbler, or use the Web-based Meraki WiFi Stumbler. If you don't have access to one of these applications on your laptop, you can use a free app like Wifi Analyzer (on Android devices) or Wi-Fi Finder (on Apple iOS devices) on your smartphone or tablet to scan for Wi-Fi networks.
Once you've decided on a channel to switch to, you'll need to log in to your router's control panel and change the channel. To access the router's Web-based control panel, open a new window in your browser while you're connected to your router's wireless network and then type in its IP address (most commonly 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).
Logiin page for a D-Link router.
If you don't know your router's IP address, refer to the wireless connection details: In the lower-right corner of your Windows desktop, right-click the network icon and open the Network and Sharing Center. Select the wireless network that you wish to view, and click the Details button. You should now see the router's IP address listed as the Default Gateway.
Next, log in to your router control panel with the appropriate username and password. If you don't know the password, you may never have changed it--so try the default password, which you can look up on RouterPasswords.com. If your Internet service provider supplied your router, you may have to call your ISP for help in accessing the password.
Wireless settings on a D-Link router.
After logging in to the router, find the wireless settings and change the channel. Many routers have an automatic channel selection feature; if yours does, you can disable it and manually choose a channel. Again, for maximum performance, try to stick with channel 1 or 11. Once you've saved and applied the settings, your router may reboot; if so, reconnect and then check to see whether your connectivity problem persists. If so, you may need to try another channel.

Check and Reposition the Wireless Router

If the connection difficulty seems to arise only when you're rather far away from your wireless router, the problem could be that you're on the fringe of the router's coverage zone. The simple way to fix this is to buy a router with better range, but you can take some other steps before going to the trouble (and expense) of buying a new router. First, make sure that your router's antennas are securely attached and are positioned upright. Next, confirm that the router isn't buried or blocked behind large objects that might cause the signal to degrade faster than it normally would. For best results, place your router out in the open so the signal can travel freely.
For best results, try moving your wireless router to the center of the room, with a clear line of sight to each of your wireless devices.
If you still aren't getting the Wi-Fi range you'd like, consider moving the router and the modem to a more central location within your desired coverage area. Of course, your placement options are limited: The router must be near another cable or telephone jack. Most cable modems can plug into any cable outlet, and DSL modems usually plug into other telephone jacks--but remember to switch out any filters that might be attached.

Restore the Router's Settings to the Factory Defaults

If you continue to have trouble getting various computers and devices to connect to your router, you can try restoring the router's settings to their factory default values. Unfortunately, this wipes out all of the settings, so you'll have to secure your home or office Wi-Fi again, and you may have to reconfigure your Internet connection settings. When you're ready to restore the router, find the small reset button or hole on the router's back, and use a pen or paperclip to press and hold the button for at least 10 seconds.

Reinstall the Wireless Adapter Driver or Software

If after completely resetting the router, you find that connection problems involving a single PC on your Wi-Fi network still haven't gone away, consider reinstalling the driver and/or software for the Wi-Fi adapter on that PC. The first step in this process is to download the latest network adapter driver or software from your computer manufacturer's website (or from the site of the adapter's manufacturer, if you purchased the adapter separately). From there, carefully follow the manufacturer's directions for reinstalling the software on your adapater. Reboot your PC afterward, and you should be good to go.

Upgrade the Router Firmware

If connection problems survive the reinstallation of your network adapter drivers, ityour router may sufer from a technical issue. Router vendors typically release firmware updates for their routers to fix known issues and sometimes even to add new features.
Most modern routers let you upgrade their firmware directly from the router control panel.
To see if there's a new firmware release for your router, first log into its web-based control panel (see the section above for help) and check which firmware version you have installed, usually shown on a system or status page. Next, navigate to the website of the router's manufacturer and check the support/downloads section for the newest firmware release for your particular model. Chances are you don't have the latest version; if so, download the latest firmware and follow the instructions on how to update it.
If that doesn't fix your problem, you could also try seeking out open-source router firmware and experimenting with using it to improve your Wi-Fi network. For more details on that process, check out our guide to enhancing your router with open-source software. If you try all these different solutions and your Wi-Fi network is still having problems, it may be time to invest in some new networking hardware (or just head on down to Starbuck's and borrow theirs.)

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Pcworld

iOS 6 Passbook App Shown Off In A Real-World Scenario, Looks Impressive [VIDEO]

2012-08-09T22:14:00.002+03:00

When Tim Cook and his cohorts took to the stage to introduce us to the next-generation of iOS, we were pretty much expecting most of the announcements which were rumored beforehand. However, as the demonstration of iOS 6 continued, there was a couple of little additions that took us by surprise and had managed to slip through the rumor net which led up to the event. One of those surprises came in the form of Passbook, a new iOS stock app which offers a new and efficient way for users to store tickets, coupons, gift cards and vouchers in one central place for easy access later on.

Fast-forward a month or so and we started to see the bigger picture for the Passbook app as Apple were awarded a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office which was heavily Passbook-based and focused on allowing users to seamlessly check into services at an airport. The ticketing side of things is only really one trick in Passbook’s box, as Apple is creating a system and service that is not only time and location-based, but has the ability to let users do wondrous things like get into a movie, redeem coupons or check into flights all from their iPhone or iPod touch.

Until iOS 6 is launched to the world and we can actually get our hands on a fully functioning Passbook app, we will have to rely on iOptimal’s simulated shopping experience to give us a real-world example of how Apple’s latest software could work on a daily basis. The company behind the video make their living as an app services company and have used their own expertise and knowledge in the field to throw together a creation that can interact with Passbook in order to show what is possible with the app.
The simulated experience revolves around the use of an internal mapping system built into a demonstration app that shows the purposely created coupons and discount offers from local vendors within a half mile radius of the experiment zone. Pulling up the coupons and adding them to Passbook allows the shopper to redeem the offer in the store and then have the barcode scanned by the vendor to ‘consume’ the coupon and therefore destroying it. The video doesn’t really show us anything which Apple hadn’t covered in their Passbook discussion on-stage, but it is the first time that we have seen someone actually attempt to show it off from the perspective of the everyday user.

We still don’t really have any concrete understanding of what Apple intends to do with Passbook in the long-term, and although its current form serves as a great option for those who regularly make use of store cards and coupon type offerings, we can’t help but think that Apple have some master plan for when they eventually introduce NFC technology into their devices.
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Redmondpie

The Clutch Looks Like More Than Just Another iPad Case

2012-08-09T11:18:00.001+03:00

Let’s face it: This is a world that’s packed to capacity with iPad cases. Do we really need one more? If you’ve seen the Clutch by DC Mobile Design, you might be willing to say “yes”.

Using a snap-on frame to attach a cylindrical handle, it’s less of a “case” than a system of handling your iPad. With it, you can comfortably hold an iPad in portrait or landscape orientation while on the move without getting your greasy meathooks all over the screen. Once you put your iPad down, the adjustable handle props it up at an angle (how much of an angle is up to you) and comfortably view or type away.

“It’s comfortable in any sized hand,” says Jamie Daigle of DC Mobile Design in the Kickstarter video. “Also, you can store your cables inside the handle” he continues while showing how the end of the cylinder pops off to reveal a hollow interior holding a coiled-up USB cable.
What’s particularly nice about the Clutch is that the handle can be repositioned to prop the iPad up in either orientation at very steep or shallow angles. Other devices will give it some elevation, but the Clutch can range from a barely-slanted-towards-you level to nearly-upright, like a picture frame.
They’re looking for a stiff $75,000 by January 18, 2012… and are only up to a little over $3000 as of this writing. If, therefore, you’d like to get your hands on a Clutch of your own it might not be a bad idea to head over to Kickstarter and open up your wallet.
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Pcworld

The Sad Lives of Smartphone Slaves

2012-08-09T08:13:00.001+03:00

Too many people experience life through tiny device screen, and that ain't living.

We've all seen the funny YouTube videos of a person walking into a mall fountain or a glass door because they were so engrossed in their smartphones.

And most of us saw that commercial last year -- I think it was for Verizon, but I'm not even sure, to be honest -- of a young guy walking out of his home and onto the street without even having to stop playing his video game because he could transfer it from his computer right to his smartphone!

The overall vibe of the commercial was that being able to do this -- "this" being ignoring the reality all around you while you walk around and play a video game on a tiny screen -- was somehow "cool."
Of course, it' not cool. It's incredibly dorky, and the young guy in the commercial -- at least to me -- seemed like a pathetic, myopic loser with no social skills or appreciation of life around him.
As for the "funny" YouTube videos, it seems that "distracted walking" is becoming less of an opportunity for us to enjoy some good ol' slapstick comedy and more of a physical danger for the people who can't bear to glance up from their electronic devices.
However, the saddest example of smartphone addiction involves not people glued to their 3.5-inch screens while in transit or at a restaurant, but when they insist on experiencing a special event through the puny prism of their personal devices.
There's a great article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about concert-goers videotaping shows and then posting to Facebook, YouTube and other social media sites -- all in an effort to "capture" that special moment and, more importantly, share it with the world.
The problem is, there's really only one way to truly "capture" a moment, and that's to focus on it in real life and absorb it all in your head and heart. Even a professionally produced video isn't going to provide an experience remotely comparable to actually being there. Does anyone doubt that attending The Band's farewell concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1976 was a far superior experience than watching footage of the show in Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz"?
"Waltz" is considered by many to be the greatest live-concert film ever made, yet watching it -- even on a larger-than-smartphone screen -- is simply not the same as having been there. Really, how could it be?
Yet people with far inferior video equipment and talent will waste precious minutes at expensive shows in order to document the event for themselves and others. But rather than enhance a memory, I'd argue that smartphone (and tablet) videos from concerts diminish the memory.
Can the person who videotaped this Lady Gaga concert look at the footage and say it truly recaptures the moment? Or genuinely conveys the awesomeness of the show to people who weren't there?
I like what Ed Robertson, lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, said in the Journal-Constitution article about fans using their devices to video instead of just watching and enjoying the show:

"I find it very, very strange. I think people are far more engaged with their gadgets than the place they're in and the experience they could be having. I love the Foo Fighters and went to see them. Dave [Grohl] goes out on this long stage, and it's just a sea of people holding up phones and cameras. Why don't you make eye contact and not worry about tweeting about it? I hope the novelty of this connection and technology will wear out and people will realize that the authentic experience is so much more rewarding."

I do too, Ed. Perhaps the only chance of that happening is to develop an app for it. When the device owner begins videotaping that special moment they're about to miss in real time, the app could say, "Hey, put the stupid phone down and live a little. You'll be glad you did."
Chris Nerney writes ITworld's Tech Business Today blog. Follow Chris on Twitter at @ChrisNerney. For the latest IT news, analysis and how-tos, follow ITworld on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
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Pcworld

GM developing Wi-Fi app to help pedestrians avoid being hit [w/video]

2012-08-08T14:54:00.001+03:00

Since even the threat of serious injury or death isn't enough to keep people engrossed in their phones from walking out into traffic, General Motors is developing a new pedestrian safety technology that will sense the phone itself. Using Wi-Fi Direct, a peer-to-peer wireless standard that's like a medium-range Bluetooth, a car would be able to detect a smartphone directly and alert the driver in time to avoid kneecapping the pedestrian.

GM says that Wi-Fi Direct would allow devices to connect in one second, rather than the seven to eight that devices would need when connecting through a cell tower. While GM is still developing the concept, it also has plans for a smartphone app that would warn approaching vehicles. It could be used by bike messengers, construction workers, and others who are frequently at risk of being hit by traffic.

Scroll down to read the full press release and watch a video explaining the concept.
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Autoblog