All About Technology

Getting back to blogging

2012-11-13T10:24:00.001-08:00

Hey guys, I know no one reads this but anyways I am cming back to blogging seya guys sooooon

GEARS OF WAR 3

2011-09-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Gagan Gupta mirrorfeedback@indiatimes.com

The game series that propelled Xbox 360 way ahead of the competition in the early years is back with its final instalment.And with it comes one of the best and the most consistent trilogy in the history of action gaming.
The final part takes place eighteen months after the incidents of the previous game.The Imulsion infected lambent have become a new threat to mankind,along with the ever-present Locusts.The only person who has the cure for this new threat,and possibly the answer to the Locust invasion as well is Marcus Fenixs father,who is discovered to be still alive.Narration is the bigger focus here,sometimes even at the cost of not including the grand gaming moments that Gears 2 had.
Core gameplay mechanics stay unaltered.You still run cover-to-cover gunning down grumbs and lambent that come in your way (and this time,there are a hell lot coming your way).Not that you cant be heroic here,but the smartest thing to do would be to be near a cover area at all times.The good news for beginners is that the Easy mode here is actually very easy.It takes a lot to get you killed,the game helps you out with aim assist and lenient special gun reloads.

There are quite a few tweaks especially in the weapons area,but most of the gameplay was pretty much perfected in Gears of War 2,so the focus here was mainly on the narration and character development.If youve played the earlier games you will be
familiar with Marcus,Dom,Cole,
and Baird,but here you get to really know more about them as each of their personalities shine out.Its an emotional roller coaster that has moments that would get you teary eyed,but worry not.Its still as testosterone inducing as ever.
Visually,the standards are set pretty high here.Though Gears of War 2 really nailed the level design bit,with some of the most unique environments and set pieces ever,Gears 3 has a hell of a polished engine.The minute facial

twitches,every little environmental detail,and even the enemies look their best ever.It was obviously assumed that the game would look great,but the scope of the levels you deal with here just sets a new standard.That too without load times.
The soundtrack was brilliantly done here as well.The music would always pace itself according to the game scenario,but adding the heroic notes in the final battles really get me pumped up.Theres a piano rendition of Mad World in there that plays at one of the best moments in shooter history.Nuff said.While I still feel that Gears of War 2 was the best part of the trilogy,Gears of War 3 is a fitting conclusion that only enhances the significance of the previous games.Its like a Return of the Jedi to The Empire Strikes Back of gaming.Brilliant game,fitting conclusion,and a long-lasting multiplayer mode makes Gears of War 3 a must buy.If youve already played the previous games in the series then you dont need me to tell you that,do you

Get Live Darshan of Lord Ganesha Online

2011-09-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturti get darshan of the famous ganesh mandal like Ganesh Galli cha Ganapati (Lalbaugh), Girgaon Cha Maharaja (Girgaon) and Thanaycha Maharaja (Thane) live online 24X7 brought to you by www.liveganesha.com

To get darshan of the mandals click on the below links.

1 ) Ganesh Galli Cha Ganapati (Lalbaugh)

2 ) Girgaon Cha Raja (Girgaon)

3 ) Thanyacha Maharaja (Kisan Nagar 1, Thane)

World's first online virtual live event to stream Ganesha Ideal

2011-08-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

Permitted Mandals:
1) Ganesh Gulli Cha Ganpati
2) Thanyacha Maharaja
3) Hiramoti Nagar Cha Ganpati
4) Tanaji mitra mandal (jitendra avahad)

Counting more...

For more details on the event you can visit our website www.liveganesha.com or you can visit our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/liveganesha

On the auspicious occussion of Ganesh Chaturti Livegnesha.com is providing live streaming of ganesh mandals online. Become a sponser/partner and lets we make this event a huge success.

For More information regarding sponsorship or Mandals please do call us at 8097768936 / 9833794488 or send us an email at contact@liveganesha.com

A Concept By RecurSSion InfotecH.

Google Plus invitation

2011-07-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Three easy steps to get your Google Plus Account

Go to www.facebook.com/recurssioninfotech
Now Click on Like
Comment on the page

And you will get your Google Plus account in now time.So see you on Google Plus

iTongue Translator

2011-07-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

The iTongue Translator application can Optically translate from 9 languages (English,Chinese,French,German,Italian,Japanese,Portuguese,Russian,Spanish ) to 58 languages by just pointing your camera to the text you want to be translated The app is only for devices running iOS and is available for free from the iTunes stores.If your phone has a barcode scanner you can use the QR code to download the app directly to your device

source: mumbai mirror

Cars to friend drivers in new social network

2011-05-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

TOKYO Toyota Motor and cloud computing company Salesforce.com will build a social network service that will enable owners to become friends with their cars and get friendly,tweet-like reminders for maintenance checks and other notices.
Information technology and telematics are expected to play a key role in adding value to future cars,as consumers look for connectivity not just from their laptops and phones but also with their cars.Toyota has already developed its own telematics service to connect it with drivers and dealers.
Under the new private social network,called Toyota Friend, owners will be able to chat with their Toyotas like they would with a friend on Twitter or Facebook.
The car would have its own profile and send a message to the drivers phone,for instance,reminding him to recharge its depleted battery.The owner would be able to carry out a simple,twoway conversation with the car.
The service would be an extension of Toyotas network to be based on Microsofts cloud computing platform that would give customers across the world access to Toyotas digital services such as GPS and multimedia.Customers will be able to extend the private Toyota Friend network to include their family and friends through social networks.The service will be offered first in Japan with Toyotas first battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars due next year,Toyota said.REUTERS

President of Japans Toyota Motor Akio Toyoda (left) shakes hands with CEO of Salesforce.com Marc Benioff (right) during a press conference in Tokyo

IS THIS THE FUTURE OF COMPUTERS

2011-05-24T03:57:00.000-07:00

German designer Philipp Schaake displays his award winning design entitled Crowd,which enables users to transform its shape from tablet to notebook computer as the screen and keyboard are separated during a computer design contest in Tokyo on May 20,2011.Schaake received the runner-up prize of the Fujitsu Design Award 2011 with 10,000 euro prize money from Fujitsu.The grand prize winner Egle Ugintaite from Lithuania designed a cane which provides mobile navigation and health management services

Source: newspaper

Audi Calamaro Concept flying car

2011-05-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

The Audi Calamaro Concept was developed by Tibor for a design competition, organized by Porsche Hungary. The futuristic concept looks like a cross between a boat, a ski and perhaps even a stealth aircraft. According to the designer, the shape is inspired by “the bone of the cuttlefish”. Being a design of the future, we guess, the Calamaro will be powered by clean fuel options. We can’t really comprehend how this car will take off, land or even fly, simply because we can’t see any propellers, thrusters or for that matter, even exhausts.

source : link

New Buoyant-Aircraft Design Could Lead to Fleets of Efficient Cargo Zeppelins

2011-05-09T01:06:00.002-07:00

by eklipz

A California company is working on a new airship design that could solve one of the biggest problems facing buoyancy-aided aircraft — how to control floatworthiness without wasting fuel.
Aeros, founded by Russian-born entrepreneur Igor Pasternak, is working on a rigid-hulled airship that varies its buoyancy to take off and land vertically. By compressing and decompressing helium, the density in the ship can be varied as a means to control the ship’s static heaviness. Static heaviness is the ratio of buoyancy to gravity, and it’s the main variable that must be controlled to fly a ship along a predictable path.
Buoyant ships can float in the air because their fuel, usually helium these days, is lighter than the air. Any kid who has ever lost a balloon at the county fair understands, and rues, this phenomenon. The buoyant gas is counterbalanced by fuel, cargo or other ballast, allowing the ship to fly at a controlled altitude. But in order to move forward, a ship has to burn fuel, and this reduces its weight — so it would gain altitude. To balance the buoyancy, airships must vent their precious helium or let in regular air, but this wastes an expensive and diminishing resource.
Modern airship designs deal with this by employing non-rigid hulls, multi-lobed hulls containing different gases, taking on water ballast at cargo unloading docks, and so on. But Aeros uses a compression system instead, called Control of Static Heaviness (COSH). It involves a rigid airframe and a membrane containing helium gas. The membrane will contain pressurized tanks: More pressure in the tanks makes the vehicle heavier, and less makes it lighter, Aviation Week explains.
In 2012-2013, Aeros will test a ship called the Pelican, a 230-foot-long, 600,000-cubic-foot rigid air vehicle with the COSH system. The Pelican project is funded by the Pentagon’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office, after DARPA’s Walrus contest went the way of the dodo. Walrus was intended to loft an entire military battalion and all its equipment and plop it down somewhere else, but the project was later cancelled because it wasn’t feasible — the ship would have been so huge that it couldn’t fly above 10,000 feet, well within the range of surface-to-air weaponry.
Pelican still has some issues to iron out, such as providing enough lift to take off with a heavy load; the Register explains further. But on its face, changing gas density to control buoyancy seems like a novel solution to an old problem.

Source: popsci

Eton’s Soulra XL solar-powered iPod boombox will cost $300, now ready for your pre-orders

2011-05-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

by eklipz on May 8th, 2011 at 10:36 AM in Gadgets

Summer’s nearly here, the sun shining bright — wouldn’t you like to share your tunes with friends with friends while basking in the light? That’s what Eton’s counting on as it prepares to ship the Soulra XL, the solar-powered iPod boombox formerly known as the Soulra 2. As we discovered at CES in January, its set of eight speakers get pretty loud, and Eton claims it charges twice as fast as its predecessor (five hours) thanks to a sizable monocrystal solar panel, and lasts five hours on a charge. It’ll juice your phone, too. All told, you’ll be schlepping around seven pounds and paying $300 for the privilege of completely cordless mobile sound. Sound like a deal to you? You’ll find Eton ready to shake your hand at our source link.
Source: Engadget, Eton

AUO’s 71-inch ultra-wide 3D LCD panel eyes-on

2011-05-09T01:04:00.001-07:00

by eklipz on May 8th, 2011 at 2:56 PM in Featured, HD

While strolling around Shenzhen earlier today, we decided to stop by at the China Optoelectronics Display Expo to feast our eyes on AUO’s “world’s largest” 71-inch 21:9 3D LCD panel. Phew, what a mouthful, but this 240Hz ultrawidescreen is indeed larger than the sub-60-inch offerings from Vizio, JVC, and Philips. But is it any good? We put on our passive 3D glasses and found the experience to be surprisingly comfortable and effective (even at about 40 degrees from the center before we hit the wall), though the glossy screen’s reflection of the neighboring booth was slightly off-putting. This would probably be less of a problem at your humble abode, anyhow.
In terms of availability, AUO told us that China-based TCL will be the first to pick up this beast of a panel, and the final product should be out in August. Apart from that, we couldn’t squeeze out further info about other brands, so you best be writing to your nearest dealership to import this exotic cinema TV. More eyes-on pics in the gallery below.

Source: Engadget

Tech Evangelists To Meet in DC to Figure Out the Future of the Postal Service

2011-05-09T01:03:00.002-07:00

by eklipz on May 8th, 2011 at 3:03 PM in Technology

By the year 2020, when we’re all using ubiquitous organic touchscreens, augmented reality social networks, and ultra-powerful computers to communicate, will we still be using the mail? A group of technology evangelists and postal advocates will gather this summer to talk about that, and what the U.S. Postal Service can do to make sure the answer is yes.
The PostalVision 2020 conference will highlight how social networks and electronic communications continue to reshape the role of mail. Participants include Vint Cerf, Google’s “chief Internet evangelist,” and Jeff Jarvis, a blogger and journalism educator who has asked whether the Postal Service is even necessary anymore. Plenty of postal advocates will also be on hand, including members of a panel who have suggested post offices start selling gift cards and other retail items.
The goal is to discuss how snail mail might be saved, through dramatic structural changes or methods like privatization.
The USPS is on track to lose about $7 billion during the current fiscal year, the Washington Post reports. With that hemorrhaging unlikely to stop anytime soon, it’s unlikely any investors would want to buy it.
John Callan, a mailing industry consultant who is organizing the meeting, told the Washington Post that the USPS is already working to address its current problems, but outsiders might have some useful ideas for its long-term future.
The meeting will also review what foreign postal services are doing — like forgoing stamps for digital codes sent via text, and scanning all mail into PDFs for digital delivery.
Eventually, postal services may be more useful for a much broader purpose than delivering coupons and J. Crew catalogs. The mail’s unparalleled ability to reach everyone, everywhere could be useful for a host of services — delivering drugs in case of a disease outbreak or bioterrorism, for instance. Or monitoring air quality and traffic in neighborhoods. Or playing a role in the delivery and maintenance of nationwide broadband services … the list goes on. For those reasons, at least, it could be well worth saving.
Source: popsci

NASA’s Next Mission Will Be a New Mars Lander, a Comet Hopper, or a Lunar Sailboat

2011-05-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

by eklipz on May 8th, 2011 at 3:09 PM in Science

If you could pick just one, would you A) send a new lander to Mars, B) send a robotic visitor to a comet, or C) send a ship to float in the hydrocarbon oceans of Titan?
NASA will pick one winner from these three projects, the space agency announced this week. The project will be capped at $425 million, not including the price of launch.
First on the table is the Mars Geophysical Monitoring Station, or GEMS, which will study the planet’s interior structure. It would carry three primary instruments, which would measure the planet’s wobble, marsquakes and geothermal heat flow. NASA says the mission could provide new information about the formation of rocky planets.
Next up is Comet Hopper, which will do just what it sounds like and alight briefly on a comet several times, observing how it changes as it interacts with the sun. Previous probes have already visited comets, smash wrecking balls into them and take their pictures, but this would study comets’ natural evolution.
And finally there’s the Titan Mare Explorer, TiME, which will float on one of the Saturnian moon’s massive oceans. It would be the second lander to alight on the moon after the Huygens probe, but the first to study an extraterrestrial body of water. It would study the methane-ethane oceans, possibly looking for any methane-eating inhabitants. It could also tell us whether Titan has a soggy interior, as some recently crunched Cassini data suggests.

All the missions will provide high returns at low cost, according to NASA.
Along with these missions, the space agency will choose among three technology demonstration projects designed to look for more comets, deep-space asteroids and near-Earth objects. NEOCam would be a space telescope positioned at a Lagrange point, where it would look for small bodies that cross Earth’s orbit, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Primitive Material Explorer (PriME) would study comet compositions, exploring their role in delivering water and other compounds to Earth.
And Whipple – ROSS (Reaching into the Outer Solar System) would validate a new method to search for distant celestial objects.
Those are smaller missions still in the planning phase, while the probe proposals are already fairly advanced.
Each of the probe proposals will get $3 million to build preliminary designs and test them, and NASA will review all three again in 2012, choosing one for launch.
Here’s an idea — why not let the public vote, American Idol-style, for the best one? Nothing against any of the hardworking principal investigators, but I’m going with the Titan float. Mars is great and all, and comets seem like fun to visit, but a Titan ocean lander seems like a no-brainer.
Source: popsci

Run android .apk file on your pc

2011-04-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

Android .apk is a extension for application file.Android contains various applications which are much more interesting to use.You may even don't know that these .apk files can run in your pc.That's true.The android applications can be used in your pc.But you may have to follow certain steps for doing this.You may even have to download programs.Here are the steps:-

1. First of all,you will have to download the android application .apk file.
2. Secondly,you may download the android SDK(software development kit) for your pc.
3. After you download both of these,you can now use it on your pc.
4. Just open the android software development kit.
5. You will have to download some plugins which the android sdk does automatically.
6. Now,click on the virtual devices in the top left corner of the sdk.
7. Create a virtual device and in the virtual device,add the .apk file you have downloaded.
8. Now open the virtual device and you will find that you can use the .apk file.
9. If these process doesn't helped you,Just download the android os iso file.
10. Go through the steps of How to use android in your pc of this blog.
11. Finally,You will find the problem solved.

Source: refreshit

how to lower ping?

2011-04-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

How to lower your ping this question has been asked on the net a lot but to be frank there is no such thing a lowering your ping. Your ping request depends upon Quality router, Quality NIC, Quality ISP, antivirus programs and Software firewalls. If all the factors are good you will get a low ping. lets look at some examples.

here is speed test done from www.speedtest.net here i get 281ms ping reply.

Here is for www.bing.com here we have max 21ms reply.

for www.google.in we have max 41ms reply.

the other factor which affects ping is the distance form the server. the longer the distance from your pc to the server the more the ping delay.

Free seminars on Search Engine Optimization, CCNA, Earning Opportunities On The Internet

2011-04-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Recurssion Infotech is arranging for a free seminars on Search Engine Optimization, CCNA, and Earning Opportunities On The Internet. All the seminars will be conducted online you can view them from your home, office, college, no need to go any where.The seminars will be conducted on Saturday that is on 23rd April. To registration yourself for the seminars please follow the links below. This seminars are for free so grab the maximum out of it.

For Earning Opportunities On The Internet : CLICK HERE

For Search Engine Optimization : CLICK HERE

For CCNA : CLICK HERE

Top 500 Keywords In The Last 365 Days

2011-03-24T00:45:00.001-07:00

Last Update: Thursday, March 24, 2011

No	Keyword	Count
1	facebook	1519662
2	hotels	1427807
3	youtube	609552
4	craigslist	556933
5	google	510647
6	yahoo	409376
7	ebay	388129
8	facebook login	375321
9	yahoo mail	284784
10	aquarius	237328
11	gmail	210048
12	hotmail	207645
13	facebook.com	203374
14	mapquest	202372
15	yahoo.com	185181
16	you tube	181508
17	myspace	166992
18	walmart	146225
19	amazon	146134
20	google maps	137047
21	msn	121828
22	home depot	121216
23	hotmail.com	112914
24	aol	100257
25	google search	99800
26	aol.com	99114
27	cnn	93870
28	weather	89239
29	best buy	88387
30	google.com	87939
31	backpage	86668
32	lowes	84332
33	target	79342
34	amazon.com	79164
35	dogpile	78171
36	netflix	77839
37	espn	76495
38	bing	75464
39	wikipedia	75387
40	hot	75238
41	www.facebook.com	73667
42	sears	72842
43	craigs list	71253
44	fox news	68174
45	gmail.com	67855
46	white pages	66565
47	pthc	65259
48	youtube.com	63646
49	dictionary	61310
50	southwest airlines	60979
51	verizon wireless	58480
52	cars	54642
53	plenty of fish	52588
54	drudge report	51944
55	weather channel	51473
56	games	49285
57	kim kardashian	49165
58	youtube videos	48849
59	ls island	48723
60	nudist	48027
61	comcast.net	47019
62	elweb bbs livedoor gateway	46982
63	girls	46661
64	ebay.com	46379
65	msn.com	46178
66	occupation of america	45659
67	test	45569
68	news	44670
69	maps	43820
70	hulu	43681
71	google earth	43590
72	www.yahoo.com	43018
73	carmen electra	42766
74	weather.com	42229
75	miley cyrus	41807
76	msnbc	41244
77	imdb	41051
78	face book	40969
79	egotastic	40710
80	astrology	39846
81	por hub	39834
82	costco	39482
83	teeny angels	38929
84	empflix	38683
85	hotmail email	38403
86	katrina kaif without clothes	38370
87	elweb bbs	38353
88	bed bath and beyond	38306
89	map quest	38099
90	bank of america	38060
91	aol mail	37898
92	bikini	37607
93	v for victory	37400
94	craiglist com	36896
95	expedia	36762
96	tula tungkol sa kalikasan	36537
97	met art	36281
98	delta airlines	36155
99	mature	36087
100	dans movies	35750
101	www.google.com	35595
102	kwentong epiko ng ibalon	35177
103	sams club	34807
104	search engines	34628
105	kohls	34625
106	nfl	34016
107	sandra model	33995
108	altavista	33754
109	zodiac signs	33734
110	auto trader	33704
111	facebook log in	33541
112	yellow pages	33204
113	2 kids in a sandbox video	33182
114	usps	33108
115	travelocity	33005
116	women dressed and undressed	32824
117	megan fox	32799
118	paypal	32489
119	itunes	32328
120	ls dreams	32175
121	dogpile.com	31489
122	ebay motors	31464
123	kelly blue book	31353
124	amazon books	31312
125	dogs	31293
126	mothers day	31292
127	motherless	31186
128	lindsay lohan	31132
129	ask.com	31006
130	tmz	30732
131	chatroulette	30702
132	google images	30665
133	babes	30619
134	american airlines	30585
135	tube	30507
136	jessica alba	30469
137	drudge	30293
138	ups tracking	29686
139	verizon	29416
140	naturism	29189
141	dog	29165
142	grocery coupons	29127
143	youtube music videos	28975
144	flickr	28931
145	jessica simpson	28896
146	pic hunter	28723
147	myspace.com	28718
148	united airlines	28588
149	&quotbreak ground" &quotsquare feet"	28585
150	youtube broadcast yourself	28514
151	printable coupons	28501
152	movies	28475
153	skype	28429
154	mujeres eyaculando	28334
155	kmart	28323
156	a	28275
157	oops	28204
158	avizoon	28146
159	office depot	28129
160	firefox	28092
161	yahoomail	28080
162	radio shack	27851
163	cabelas	27560
164	lolicon	27447
165	tiny angels	27359
166	staples	26984
167	ask	26783
168	twitter	26709
169	music	26519
170	ovguide	26488
171	qvc	26471
172	barbecue tips and techniques	26466
173	justin bieber	26428
174	bp oil spill	26413
175	craigslist.com	26248
176	mortgage calculator	26206
177	irs	26067
178	jennifer aniston	25690
179	gmail sign in	25540
180	weather forecast	25466
181	asian	25172
182	hotmail sign in	25165
183	zodiac	25144
184	funny videos	25119
185	webkinz	25003
186	jobs	24945
187	chase	24868
188	comcast	24831
189	macys	24794
190	ups	24793
191	lingerie	24517
192	girl	24513
193	mga halimbawa ng sanaysay	24448
194	topless	24426
195	barnes and noble	24379
196	katy perry	24293
197	jebanje	24203
198	bbc news	24084
199	pertama kali bersetubuh	24065
200	facebook login page	24063
201	walmart.com	24021
202	the hunsyellow pages	24013
203	people search	23820
204	angelina jolie	23341
205	elephant tube	23295
206	poptropica	23209
207	huffington post	23152
208	busty	23083
209	homemade videos	23065
210	ipad	23032
211	cnn.com	23013
212	autozone	22933
213	wal mart	22556
214	kindle	22528
215	food network	22466
216	nifty	22398
217	lowes home improvement	22391
218	lil amber	22276
219	free galleries	22126
220	beeg	21984
221	besplatni domaci filmovi	21863
222	lucy pinder	21852
223	search engine list	21777
224	ikea	21707
225	miniclip	21691
226	plentyoffish	21648
227	sun safety tips	21637
228	sports	21605
229	rika nishimura	21572
230	metacafe	21571
231	nudism	21571
232	halimbawa ng maikling kuwento	21569
233	x videos	21482
234	rockettube	21324
235	toys r us	21312
236	airline tickets	21270
237	maxim	21232
238	funny	21188
239	milena velba	21171
240	foxnews	21074
241	southern charms	21035
242	movie trailers	21006
243	manhunt	20950
244	you tube videos	20877
245	breasts	20826
246	videos de mujeres eyaculando	20806
247	besplatni strani filmovi za gledanje sa prevodom	20749
248	amazon com	20665
249	direct tv	20661
250	harbor freight	20591
251	videos	20497
252	continental airlines	20433
253	vida guerra	20427
254	prom hairstyles	20402
255	cheap airline tickets	20389
256	orbitz	20376
257	pandora	20354
258	infospacegames.com	20347
259	limewire	20338
260	msn hotmail	20322
261	mga tulang pambata	20251
262	mga tulang pilipino	20195
263	jcpenney	20130
264	www.hotmail.com	20013
265	imgsrc	19913
266	at&t	19770
267	ticketmaster	19717
268	www.aol.com	19704
269	free games	19683
270	walgreens	19683
271	mapquest.com	19653
272	anime	19634
273	bret michaels	19568
274	fedex	19556
275	brooke burke	19531
276	dailymotion	19531
277	comphonorbig.asp?id=	19528
278	ls magazine	19504
279	noaa	19502
280	jessica biel	19424
281	juggworld	19392
282	american idol	19355
283	ninas cojiendo	19333
284	www.lobby.com	19296
285	online games	19274
286	pogo	19267
287	halimbawa ng tula	19249
288	realtor.com	19247
289	myspace login	19197
290	wikileaks	19165
291	photobucket	19125
292	love	19106
293	gmail login	19050
294	cats	19037
295	talumpati tungkol sa kalikasan	19028
296	kelly brook	19021
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Best computer: how to choose the right one

2011-03-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

When buying a new computer, it's easy to become confused by the sheer volume of technical decisions that you'll have to make.

You might wonder how much RAM you'll need, for instance, which CPU or which graphics card to pick, what display to look for, which hard drive will be best for you - there are so many issues that it's difficult to know where to begin.
There is a simple way to at least begin cutting down the choices on offer, though. And that's to forget about the low-level technical specifications, and fine details like the brand of graphics card just for the moment and instead concentrate on something much more fundamental and important: what you will be expecting your new system to do.
So read on to find out how to buy the best computer for your needs…
Best computer: using your new PC
Take a moment to think about the sort of applications you'll want to run on your new PC, as these will help to decide which features your system will need.
If you only intend to run basic tasks - browsing the web, sending emails, running office-type software like Microsoft Word - then the good news is that most computers, even at the budget end of the market, will be able to cope with your requirements.
An entertainment PC can handle those basic jobs, too, but might also be used to watch TV and movies, listen to music, play some games, perhaps share music and video files across a home network. Systems like this need a little more in the way of hardware power, like a larger hard drive to store all your music and movies, as well as a big screen, a good sound card and speakers, but they still don't have to be too expensive.
If you want to play the latest games with the best possible performance, then you'll need a gaming PC. This can be much more expensive, as not only will you need a quality screen, a good sound card and speakers, but you'll also require a powerful graphics card, fast hard drive and a decent processor.
And if you're not a gamer, but need to run some heavy-duty software - editing HD videos, say - then you'll need a high-end performance PC. This should include a powerful CPU, plenty of memory, and a large, fast hard drive, so expect a sizeable bill. But you may not need the large screen or powerful graphics card of the entertainment or gaming systems, which will help to keep prices down a little.
Best computer: netbook, laptop or desktop?
With the basic applications of your new computer resolved, it's time to think about the type of system that might be appropriate: a netbook, laptop or desktop?
Netbooks are compact notebooks with small screens (typically 10 to 12 inches), and components that are more about saving battery life than delivering raw power. So expect a slow CPU, only a little RAM (1 to 2GB, usually), no DVD drive, not too much hard drive space, and so on.
This is all that you need for basic web browsing, emailing and similar tasks, though. Their small size makes netbooks extremely portable (most are only around 1-1.5kg), battery life is usually very good at 4 to 10 hours, and you can buy some great systems from as little as £249. Our articles on the best cheap notebook and the top 15 notebooks in the world today will tell you more.

Laptops can seem bulky by comparison to their tiny netbook cousins: they might be more than twice the weight, with larger screens, and more powerful CPUs, which means battery life may struggle to reach 3 hours in some cases.
Of course they can also handle much more powerful applications, though. If you'll be spending hours typing on the system then you'll appreciate the larger keyboard. The built-in DVD drive makes it easier to install software and create backups, and high-end laptops can even deliver very acceptable gaming performance.
Again, we've a guide to suit everyone: The best cheap laptop under £350 focuses on budget systems, while our article on the best student laptops and the best 13" laptops cover a wider range of systems.
The best gaming laptops guide reveals that you buy mobile gaming performance for as little as £599, while the more general Which laptop should I buy? article walks you through the buying process and explains how to make sure you get the right system for you.
If you don't need a computer you can carry around, though, a desktop will be your best option. These are larger, but deliver more power for your money, and are generally much easier to upgrade or reconfigure. So if you decide you need better gaming performance, say, you can just buy another graphics card at a later date, something that won't be possible at all with most netbooks or laptops.

If you'd like an idea of what's available in the desktop world than our guide to What's the best desktop PC for you? will point you to some great systems.
And if you're wondering whether you really need a PC at all - could a Mac be better? - then reading PC or Mac? should help you to decide.
But if you've already got a list of preferred PC manufacturers then it might be more interesting to think about the hardware that your new computer should include - and there's plenty to consider.
Best computer: technical specs
In the past, one of the first questions to ask about your new PC has been how much memory you'll need. These days, though, even many budget PCs come with 4GB of RAM, the maximum a 32-bit Windows system can use.
If you're short of cash and only want to run very basic programs, perhaps to browse the web or send emails, then you might just about get away with 2GB. Maybe. But opting for 4GB will help to improve your system's performance, even here, so avoid skimping on memory if you possibly can.
If you're buying a more high-end system, though, you might also want to consider the type of memory it should include to deliver the best results. Our articles on DDR2 vs DDR3 and How to buy RAM will tell you more.

It's a similar situation with hard drives. If you're buying a budget PC (around £400, say) then look for the highest capacity you can afford; we'd recommend at least 500GB, although even many budget PCs now include 1TB drives.
If you've more cash to spend, though, it's worth paying more attention to the technical details. Read How to buy the best new hard drive for a grounding in the basics. And if you've a big budget, then solid-state drives (SSDs) deliver the best performance around, though their capacities are low. Our guide to 12 top solid-state drives will highlight the key details you need.
To help you choose between a hard disk drive and a solid-state drive, take a look at our guide SSD vs HDD: which is best?
Then of course there's the issue of your computer's processor: which one is best? The good news here is that even the cheapest PCs now include CPUs with two cores, essentially separate processors that allow you to run multiple tasks at the same time. But even if money is tight, look for something with more cores, if you can: something like Intel's Core i3-530 or AMD's Athlon II X4 640 offer decent performance at a budget price.

If you're looking to build a high-end PC that will keep you happy for a few years, however, you'll benefit from spending more on a processor, and once again we've plenty of guides to help, covering everything from value CPUs to gaming processors, our pick of the best desktop processors, and a roundup of the best 14 CPUs currently available.
While we've hopefully covered most of your concerns here, there may be one or two other issues you want to consider.
If you aim to play the latest games on your computer, for instance, the choice of graphics card will be critical. Let us help you out with our guides to the 10 best graphics cards under £100 and 10 best graphics cards under £200, and our roundup of the 15 best graphics cards in the world today.
And whatever you're doing on your system, a quality LCD monitor will be crucial - so be sure to read our guide to the technical details you really need to know before you buy a monitor.
It's a lot to consider, then, but doing your homework now will really pay off later. And that's because understanding the features you need (and the ones you really don't) will both save you money and help you choose the best PC that will serve you well for years to come. Which, of course, is the best news of all, because your systems' extended life means you won't have to go computer shopping again for a long, long time.

SSD vs HDD: which is best?

2011-03-18T12:28:00.001-07:00

Buying a hard drive used to be simple. You'd find the three or four highest capacity drives you could afford, pick the fastest, and, well, that was it - just a few minutes online would be enough to locate some great products.

These days, though, it's a little more difficult, as you've two very different technologies to choose from. And so before you go shopping, you need to consider a very fundamental question. Conventional hard drives (HDD), or solid state drives (SSD): which is best?
SSD vs HDD: HDD technology
Standard HDD drives contain multiple disks called platters, which are covered in a magnetic coating and then rotated at high speed. Drive heads then move across the platters, changing the magnetisation of the material beneath to record data, or reading its state to return the stored information.
While the core HDD ideas are simple enough, allowing manufacturers to produce high capacity drives at very low prices, they do pose several problems.
Both reading and writing data requires a lot of work, for instance. Heads must move around, and the platter must spin to exactly the right point before the drive can do anything. This all takes time, and is why hard drives are one of the major performance bottlenecks in many PCs.
Having to move all these components around also means there's a constant power drain, an issue with laptops and netbooks.
And the drive heads gets incredibly close to the platter - a tiny fraction of the thickness of a human hair - so if there's a shock at the wrong time then the two may collide, damaging the drive and losing data. Drive manufacturers employ a range of technologies to prevent this from happening, and as a result these head crashes are rare, but they can't be ruled out entirely - there's always some risk.
You don't have to live with these issues, though: SSD technology can address them all, though at a significant price.
SSD vs HDD: The SSD alternative
Solid state drives (SSDs) take a very different approach to data storage.
They ditch the platters, the heads, all those fast-moving components which cause such problems, replacing them with something much simpler: memory chips. The exact type of chips vary, but most drives use flash memory (essentially the same technology that's used in cameras, MP3 players, memory cards and more) which is able to store data even without any power.
This technology can be expensive, and means SSD drives generally have low capacities and high prices.
But by way of compensation you do get excellent performance. A standard hard drive may take several seconds for its platters to reach full speed, for instance: SSDs are always ready to go immediately. And an SSD doesn't have to move its head around, or wait for the platter to reach a particular point before it can read data, so its access time can be 50 times faster than a regular drive.
SSD read and write speeds are much closer to HDD technology, though, so the overall performance gain won't be nearly so spectacular. Still, equipping a PC with a solid state drive could easily halve the time it takes to boot the system, and that's a benefit worth having.
Other SSD advantages include excellent shock resistance (you're not going to lose data just because you drop one). They're also silent, and lighter than their HDD cousins.
And SSDs have very low power consumption, especially when idle or reading data. The hard drive is responsible for only a small fraction of total power use, so this may only extend laptop battery life by 5 or 10 minutes, but, again, even that could be a benefit worth having.
HDD vs SSD
When you look at the two technologies, then, it's clear that solid state drives are technically superior in many areas. But there's a problem: they're also expensive, and with much lower capacities.
Right now, for instance, you can buy two terabyte HDD drives from as little as £87 (read our reviews of the five best 2TB hard drives).
Spend the same amount of cash on a solid state drive, though, and you'll get only around 3% of that capacity: 64GB, at best. Higher capacity drives are available, but they're prohibitively expensive: a 480GB model, say, might cost you close to £1,000.
Unless you have unlimited funds, then, your first drive for a desktop should always be a standard HDD model. Prices are incredibly low - you can buy a budget 750GB drive for under £30, say - and while the performance may not be up to SSD standards, it'll be adequate for most tasks, and the money you save can give you a more significant speed boost when used elsewhere (you might buy a faster CPU, for instance).
If you're looking to optimise an existing desktop, though, then an SSD can be very useful. The idea is that you buy a fast 40GB drive for under £100, where you'll install Windows, while your data and applications are then installed on a regular hard drive.
You'll then benefit from faster boot times, and a general speed boost as Windows components are loaded more quickly. And while your SSD is small, it'll still have the space to install one or two drive-intensive applications - games, say - to ensure they deliver the fastest possible speeds.
And of course SSDs can be particularly welcome in laptops, although this does depend on what you intend to do with them.
If you're planning to buy a laptop as a desktop replacement system, something that will run lots of applications, then again an SSD probably won't have the capacity to help.
But if you're building a simple laptop to satisfy only basic needs - browsing, email, word processing, say - then a 64GB SSD could be sufficient. And it actually begins to look like something of a bargain.
The drive will improve your system's performance, reduce noise and weight, and increase battery life, if only by a few minutes: not bad for something with a price tag of under £100. See our guide to the 12 best SSD drives to find out more.

Five best laptop speakers buy

2011-03-18T12:27:00.001-07:00

We're increasingly using our laptops as portable media players - from watching a film in bed to listening to music while we work or surfing the web away from home.

Although there are a few exceptions, most laptop speakers are small, underpowered and just not up for the task of playing media in all its glory.
As it is, the best speakers for a laptop are standalone external units created by some of the biggest names in audio technology.
We've gathered together five of the best laptop speakers on sale today. They come in all shapes and sizes but they have one thing in common: they'll transform your enjoyment of music and sound on your laptop.
1. Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N550
As well as poor sound reproduction, laptops have the problem of getting very hot whilst in use - especially when they are being used to watch high definition movies - and this can make them uncomfortable to use on your lap.

The Lapdesk N550 offers an elegant solution to both problems by combining high-quality stereo speakers with a laptop tray. The speakers connect to the laptop via USB, and buttons along the side let you alter the volume. The sound quality is a huge improvement on a laptop's standard speakers, and it's an excellent marriage of convenience and function.
£36.22 from Amazon
2. Altec Lansing InMotion AIR
When looking for the best speakers for laptops it doesn't mean that you have to settle for speakers that are attached by wires. These speakers connect to your laptop via Bluetooth - which offers enough bandwidth to transmit audio wirelessly without any noticeable loss in quality.

Altec Lansing has a 70 year history in audio technology - and its expertise is evident here in the great sound and build quality of these speakers. One of the benefits of using a laptop is freedom from wires, so why let your speakers hold you back?
£180, sellers listed at Altec Lansing
3. Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II
These laptop speakers are the most traditional. You need to plug them in to both the laptop and the mains power, and they lack the stylish design of the other speakers we've looked at. However, what they lack in portability and aesthetic charm they more than make up for in sound quality.

The Gigaworks T20 Series II speakers have been professionally designed and tuned for the best possible audio experience. Highs and midranges in particular are extremely well reproduced here.
£55.10 from Amazon
4. Altec Lansing Orbit IML237
If you've got an ultra-portable slim laptop or netbook that you take everywhere with you, then you're not going to want to get speakers that end up being twice the size of your machine.

The Altec Lansing Orbit speaker combines very good audio quality with a compact design that lets you easily carry it around with you.
£21.39 from Amazon
5. Mimi Qube Wifi Speaker
The Mimi Qube Wifi Speaker is another good looking single speaker laptop speaker and you can connect it wirelessly to your laptop with the included wireless dongle.

Even better, you can buy standalone speakers and connect an unlimited number of them wirelessly to your laptop - allowing you to surround yourself in music.
£34.22 from Amazon

Best CPU 2011: 8 reviewed and rated

2011-03-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

Every year, CPUs get faster. That's how PC technology rolls. But once in a while, a new processor comes along that slaps the market upside the head and forces a change in expectations in terms of value and performance. Intel's new Sandy Bridge chips do just that.
They're game changers for both good and bad. For starters they're bonkers quick. The new quad-core Core i7 2600K is so fast, it makes Intel's six-core Core i7s look overpriced and silly.
Sandy Bridge also brings several new technologies to the table including a pukka fusion architecture - that's CPU and graphics processing on the same slice of silicon - and heterogeneous computing. If that sounds like digital double-speak it essentially means the new Sandy Bridge chips have specialised circuitry designed to do specific jobs, such as video encoding, faster than ever before.
Of course, Intel's Sandy Bridge processors don't make every other CPU on sale instantly redundant. But they do demand a reassessment of what represents both value for money and a sensible upgrade path.
If, for instance, you are currently running an older Intel Core 2 processor, does it make sense to build a new system based on the Intel LGA1,156 socket bearing in mind that Sandy Bridge chips require the latest LGA1,155 socket?
Likewise, while many AMD CPUs certainly offer superb value for money, the performance gap to Intel has now grown to truly epic proportions. Chips towards the top of AMD's price list certainly look precariously positioned.
Then there's the question of overclocking. It's disappointing that Intel has decided to severely limit overclocking with most Sandy Bridge chips. Even so, the unlocked K series are absolute screamers.
You could also argue Intel's latest chips are so powerful, overclocking is unnecessary.
The other major question Sandy Bridge poses is whether you need a discrete graphics card. For sure, if you're remotely serious about gaming, a pukka graphics card is essential. But for everyone else Intel's latest integrated video core is good enough for light gaming and has a superb 2D feature set. Time to reveal our thoughts…
If you're boning up for any kind of CPU upgrade or overhaul, you need to know about Intel's new Sandy Bridge chips. That's not because they're the only sensible choice. It's a question of context. You simply cannot judge the merits of other CPUs or appreciate the direction of PC technology development unless you understand what makes Sandy Bridge chips tick.
First, you'll need to identify the new Sandy Bridge processors in Intel's stupidly overcomplicated price lists. In its infinite wisdom, Intel has carried over the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 branding. Similarly, Intel has maintained the essential meaninglessness of those labels.
Yes, performance and features tend to improve as the number increases. But just like existing i3, i5 and i7 chips, there's no consistency. A Sandy Bridge Core i5 might have two cores. But it might also have four. Dumb.
Anyhow, the way you identify the new Sandy Bridge processors is the quadruple-digit '2000' suffix. Thus, the Core i5 2500 is a quad-core chip supporting four threads and an official clockspeed of 3.3GHz, while a Core i7 2600 is a quad-core chip with eight threads and a 3.4GHz clock. Got that?
At launch, there are 13 Sandy Bridge processors ranging from dual-core, quad-thread chips through to quad-core, eight-thread models. As if that wasn't baffling enough, some of those 13 launch CPUs are further distinguished by a suffix letter.
T and S series processors are low power variants. For instance, the Core i5 2500T is rated at just 45W compared to the 95W of the standard i5 2500.
Finally, there are the K series chips. Currently, there are just two, the i5 2500K and i7 2600K. They're identical to their letterless brethren save for one crucial feature, an unlocked CPU mulitplier.
As we'll see, thanks to Intel's new attitude to overclocking that's an extremely important distinction.
Subtle details
In terms of basic architecture, the CPU side of Sandy Bridge doesn't look that special at first glance. Intel is sticking with dual and quad-core models at launch with six and eight-core versions to follow.
Intel hasn't revealed launch dates for these more powerful chips, but we're expecting the six-core model in the second half of 2011 and the eight-core monster in 2012.
All Sandy Bridge processors are sired by Intel's most advanced 32nm production process, which is around half way through its two-year shelf life. Internally, Intel has overhauled Sandy Bridge's execution cores, netting roughly 10 per cent more performance per core and per clock cycle.
If that doesn't sound dramatic, Intel has seriously cranked up the clocks. That's not immediately obvious from the headline specifications. The top 2600K chip, for instance, is officially a 3.4GHz. That's only slightly quicker than Intel's performance king, the 3.33GHz Core i7 980X.
But here's the thing. The 2600K slots in at the high end of Intel's mid range. It costs about the same as the existing Core i7 875K, a 3.06GHz processor. That's not all. With Sandy Bridge, Intel has introduced the 2.0 revision of its Turbo Boost technology.
You can read our detailed thoughts on Turbo Boost 2.0, both good and bad, in the 2600K review. But for now, simply know this. In our experience, the 2600K runs at 3.8GHz regardless of how many cores are active. It's one quick puppy.
Raw CPU power alone would be enough to recommend the new Sandy Bridge family. And yet these chips have some seriously special sauce that has nothing to do with traditional PC processing.
Instead, Sandy Bridge breaks new ground in graphics. Firstly, it's the first bona fide fusion processor. That means it has both CPU cores and graphics processing on a single slice of silicon. It's all part of a broader trend towards system-on-a-chip (SoC) in all digital devices.
Smartphones are rapidly closing in on full SoC status and PCs won't be too far behind. Admittedly, it'll be a few years yet before the graphics core integrated into a CPU is good enough for proper gaming. But with Sandy Bridge, Intel has really lifted the game for integrated graphics.
The new HD Graphics 3000 core in the i5 2500K and i6 2600K is at least twice as fast as any previous integrated GPU. That's the good news. The bad news is that the HD Graphics 3000 and its 12 execution units is limited to those two models.
All other desktop Sandy Bridge processors make do with the HD Graphics 2000 and six execution units. What makes that really bizarre is that the other six execution units are indeed present in the other Sandy Bridge models. Intel, in its wisdom, has simply turned them off for marketing reasons.
Given that the 2500K ans 2600K are enthusiast-class chips with unlocked multipliers and therefore likely to be paired with discrete graphics cards, it's a crazy decision. If any Sandy Bridge processors really need higher performing integrated graphics, it's the lower end models that will end up in those set-top boxes and super-quiet media centres that could benefit from a boost in gaming performance.

Whatever, there's one further aspect to Sandy Bridge's near-SoC architecture and it involves another buzz term, heterogeneous computing. The idea here is that computer chips will increasingly combine both general purpose processors and purpose-built units capable of crunching particular workloads super fast thanks to hardware acceleration.
In other words, the future of PC processors is not more and more cores. In fact, it might well turn out to be the case that four traditional processor cores are enough for any future consumer-level computing task. But, courtesy of ever increasing transistor counts, those cores will be joined by a number a special-purpose units designed to tear through tasks like video encoding, encryption and, further out, perhaps even facial recognition. The specifics are hard to predict, but with Sandy Bridge, that process has started.
The relevant feature is the Quick Sync Video transcoder engine. Built into the integrated graphics core, Quick Sync Video combines dedicated circuitry with the parallel processing capability of the 3D execution units to deliver massive video transcoding performance.
Compared to even the immense software encoding capability of the Core i7 2600K, Quick Sync Video is at least three to four times quicker in comparable video encoding benchmarks. Then factor in the 2-4x performance advantage of the best Sandy Bridge chip compared to the likes of an old Core 2 Duo CPU and you have a double-digit factor performance improvement for video encoding alone.
Impressive as that is, Intel has made using Quick Sync Video thoroughly problematical thanks to limitations involving chipsets and discrete graphics. You can read more about those issues in the Core i5 2500K and and Core i7 2600K reviews. But the gist is that the people most likely to want to use Quick Sync Video are also the most likely to run into problems due to how Intel and the motherboard manufacturers have implemented the new features. It's pretty dumb.
The final part of the Sandy Bridge puzzle is overclocking. You could say Intel has spoilt us in recent years. After all, we've become accustom to 1GHz-plus overclocks on the majority of Intel chips. Just hop into the BIOS, give the baseclock a bump and say hello to 4GHz computing.
With Sandy Bridge, however, the party is over. The K Series chips aside, overclocking is limited to a maximum of 400MHz additional clockspeed using the partially unlocked CPU multiplier.
Admittedly, the K series chips are unlocked up to a theoretical 5.7GHz. But they're slightly more expensive chips - costing between £20 and £40 more than the standard model. The beauty of the old regime was that you could pick up a low-clocked cheapo version and crank it up to beyond-Extreme-Edition clocks. Those simple days are now over.
Down the upgrade path
If that's everything you need to know about Sandy Bridge, how does it plug into the CPU-upgrade conundrum?
Much depends on both the socket and CPU you are running. Starting with Intel platforms, the first thing you can do is disregard the LGA1,366 socket completely. In our esteemed opinion, it's a dead platform.
For starters, the only LGA1,366 chips that are faster than the best Sandy Bridge CPUs are the offensively overpriced Gulftown Core i7 900 series six-core models. Making matters worse, LGA1,366 is not long for this world.
When Intel brings out more powerful Sandy Bridge derived chips later this year with added cores, they'll come with yet another new socket, known as LGA2,011. Essentially, there is no upgrade path from a Gulftown processor.
Another easy Intel platform to deal with is any kind of quad-core processor in the LGA 775 socket. If your current rig fits that description, don't bother with a simple CPU upgrade. Either live with what you have for a while longer or go all the way with a Sandy Bridge based solution.
On the other hand, if you're running a low-clocked dual-core chip on LGA 775, you have more options. You could pick up a cheap quad-core Yorkfield CPU, such as the Core 2 Quad Q8300 and clock the twangers off it. We'd certainly recommend that option if it's gaming that really gets you going.
Alternatively, if video encoding is your bag, you might like to go for an AMD system based on one of the Phenom II X6 Thuban six-core processors. These can be had for less than £150. Factor in the typically low cost of AMD motherboards plus a little overclocking and you have a fairly funky encoding rig for a surprisingly low outlay.
As for owners of LGA1,156 systems, it's you we feel most sorry for. Intel has seriously shifted the boundaries in terms of price and performance with Sandy Bridge and we reckon it's shocking that LGA1,156 owners have been left behind.
To make it absolutely clear, we believe Intel could have architected Sandy Bridge to be largely or entirely compatible with existing LGA1,156 motherboards with few if any architectural compromises. Whatever the truth, the fact is there's nowhere to go for LGA1,156 users.

With AMD not currently offering anything to beat LGA1,156 systems, it's an all or nothing upgrade to LGA1,155. Sickening stuff given that LGA1,156 has been around for barely 18 months.
But what AMD systems? Traditionally, AMD pays a lot more attention to both the long term interests of its customers and backwards compatibility. Socket AM2 dates back to 2006 and yet all of AMD's current chips are theoretically compatible with AM2 boards and ye olde DDR2 memory.
In practice, your mileage will vary according to BIOS support. But there are plenty of old AM2 boards, for instance, that support the latest six-core Phenom II X6 chips. Therefore, if you have an AM2 or indeed an AM2+ board and a processor dating back to that era, it's extremely likely the most cost effective upgrade path will be an new chip from AMD. Hell, even if your budget is super-tight, you have options.
The Athlon II X4 645 quad-core is great for multi-threaded software if not so stellar for gaming. It's yours for under £90. A bargain in other words.
For AM3 owners, things are a little more complicated. If you already have a quad-core processor and gaming glory is your thing, a six-core Phenom II X6 isn't going to do much for you. In that case, you have two choices. Either you go turncoat and switch to Intel Sandy Bridge or you ride out the clock until the second half of 2011 and await the arrival of Bulldozer.
We won't know for sure until it's release, but it's currently looking like AMD's mythical Bulldozer architecture won't be compatible with the AM3 socket. Assuming your current system performance isn't getting you down, we'd be very tempted to at least wait and see whether Bulldozer delivers on the promise of a radical new CPU architecture before upgrading.
All of which means a few universal conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, both of Intel's LGA1,156 and LGA1,366 platforms should be avoided in terms of buying both a CPU and motherboard. Only LGA1,155 makes sense from Intel.
At the same time, AMD remains surprisingly relevant mainly thanks to the provision of lengthy backwards compatibility. It's a lesson Intel would be well advised to learn. That might just happen if AMD's upcoming Bulldozer chips really take the fight to Intel. Only then will Intel be forced to treat its customers right.

10 best alternative operating systems

2011-03-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Right now, someone, somewhere is developing the killer operating system feature of the future - a feature that will change computing and make us wonder how we lived without it.

However, the person responsible probably isn't grafting away in the labs of Microsoft, Apple or Red Hat - he or she is more likely to be working in a bedroom or loft.
Big companies can grow reticent to change, slow to move and adopt new technologies. Features must be escalated through approval bodies, management and bean-counters. Hobbyist projects don't have those commercial pressures and can experiment freely.
It might seem audacious to claim that the next Windows is cooking in some part-time coder's house, but it's nothing new. Microsoft's OS empire started with the purchase of QDOS, which stood for 'Quick and Dirty Operating System'. Apple didn't create Mac OS X out of thin air, but took an open source kernel and some BSD code (grounded in academia) to get the foundations of its operating system working.
The most successful projects often begin life in ways we'd never expect, and it can take a while for their potential to be fully realised.

Into the future
We'll look at the best alternative operating systems, with the potential to change the computing landscape over the next decade. There's only one rule - no Microsoft, Apple or Linux.
While some of these new operating systems are still relatively early in development, the technology that they're introducing could make its way into the next round of updates for the mainstream OSes we use. Helpfully, you can try these projects without having to repartition your hard drive thanks to the excellent (and free) PC virtualisation and emulation tool available from www.virtualbox.org.
These OSes are all supplied as disk images - usually CD ISOs - so you can install VirtualBox, grab the ISO and tell VirtualBox to boot from it to try it out. You can burn the ISO files to CD-Rs and boot them on your real PC if you want to see how they handle the bare metal, but remember that mid-development releases could contain bugs.

10. GNU/HURD

Fighting for microkernels
www.gnu.org/software/hurd
The GNU project started in 1984 to create a completely free software Unix OS. By the early '90s it had many tools finished, but still no kernel. Linux arrived and was paired with GNU to form what we now call Linux (also known as GNU/Linux).
However, the GNU project has been developing a kernel called HURD. This is based on the Mach microkernel, as used in Mac OS X, and consists of servers running in their own address spaces.

There are services for hardware drivers, filesystems, authentication and more. These are more isolated than in a typical OS, so HURD should - in theory - be more reliable. It will also be easier to update and replace OS components without reboots.

9. JNode
Desktop Java to the extreme
www.jnode.org
Java's heyday on the desktop is long gone, with web-based games and apps mostly delivered by Flash and HTML5. But there's one project that aims to prove that Java can still hack it when it comes to desktop computing - JNode.
Apart from a very small assembly language core, the vast majority of the JNode operating system is written in Java. JNode's goal is to run any Java application, although it's currently only at version 0.2.8.

The interface is simple, there's some decent documentation online, and progress is being made towards 0.3. Planned future features include lower memory consumption, wireless networking and more hardware acceleration for video.

8. FreeVMS
Industrial strength OS
www.freevms.net
Back in the '70s and '80s, the main competitor to Unix on big-iron hardware was VMS. Famed for its stability, running on chunky fridge-like boxes called VAXes, it included advanced clustering and security features for its time, along with an automatic versioning file system.
Dave Cutler, one of the designers of the VMS operating system, went on to lead development of Windows NT, but OpenVMS stuck around and now runs on Itanium systems.

FreeVMS is striving to build on VMS's feature set, although unlike many clone projects where developers can get easy access to the original OS, VMS gurus are hard to find. FreeVMS is currently only at version 0.4, but is still making solid progress.

7. DexOS
Mini OS with console-like GUI
www.dex4u.com
For a desktop operating system, we expect the usual assortment of window furniture, panels and launchers. DexOS is a small project that provides a more console-like approach.
This works in two ways: the graphical front-end is more like a video game launcher than a traditional OS, and programmers can easily access the bare metal for maximum performance. It's an intriguing concept, and the take up of Android and iOS in the last couple of years has shown that traditional desktop computing metaphors are starting to look long in the tooth.

DexOS demonstrates what a bunch of part time hobbyist coders can achieve, without lots of funding or commercial backing.

6. Inferno
Sharing, everywhere
www.vitanuova.com/inferno/
Inferno has been doing the rounds for almost a decade, and in some respects it's still way ahead of other OSes. Inferno is built to be a distributed OS - it's designed to share resources across machines.
Using a protocol called Styx, systems running Inferno can share hardware and networking devices with one another seamlessly. For instance, an application on Inferno box A is able to access the hard drive of Inferno box B without knowing it's actually on a remote machine.

Inferno applications are written in a language called Limbo, which is compiled down to code for a virtual machine called Dis, so they're portable across the various architectures Inferno supports.

5. KolibriOS
The fastest GUI OS in existence?
www.kolibrios.org
Operating systems used to be written in assembly language, but you'd be hard pressed to find much in the source tree of a modern OS. It's true that programming in assembly is hard work, but it can often lead to results that a typical compiler can't compete with.

KolibriOS, a fork of MenuetOS, is written entirely in assembly, and it shows - it's tiny (4.9MB for the ISO) and ridiculously fast (booting in a couple of seconds). Despite this, it includes a web browser, mail client, games, desktop utilities, impressive demos and more, all running at light speed.
They're nowhere near as feature-packed as their Windows counterparts, but they underline how much bloat and wastefulness we're now used to.

4. OpenBSD
Security before style
www.openbsd.org
Security is OpenBSD's mantra. Unlike other operating systems, which consider security a feature like performance or prettiness, the OpenBSD team won't add any code unless it's sure that it's completely free of security holes.
It audits parts of the codebase for vulnerabilities, and have made modifications to the standard C libraries to prevent buffer overruns and other problems.

OpenBSD was the first non-research OS to integrate many features we now take for granted, including address space layout randomisation, which puts libraries and memory sections in random locations in RAM, so crackers can't assume their location.

3. AROS
Something for Amiga lovers
http://aros.sourceforge.net
You may have fond memories of the Amiga. The dazzling graphics and crisp sound (when PCs were faffing around with text mode and beeps), the super-fast multi-tasking, and the, er, lack of protected memory…
Well, forget that last one. It was one of the best-loved computers of all time, and it still has many fans today.

AROS - the Amiga Research Operating System - is intensely fast. Blisteringly so. It apes the Amiga design, both superficially and with its inner workings, and is designed to be source compatible with AmigaOS 3.1 (software written for the old Amiga OS should only need a recompile to work).
AROS has great potential as a light and fast OS for low-end netbooks and tablets.

2. ReactOS
Open source Windows clone that could save businesses a fortune
www.reactos.org
If you've dabbled in Linux, you may have heard of WINE, a compatibility layer that lets certain Windows programs run on Linux. Effectively, it intercepts calls to the Windows API, replacing them with Linux equivalents. It includes its own batch of DLLs, but it can use native Windows DLLs too for improved software compatibility.
WINE's compatibility ranges from superb to terrible, with the focus on triple-A applications such as Microsoft Office and Photoshop. Generally, older applications work better, and anything that doesn't poke around in the undocumented internals of Windows has a chance of running.
However, WINE mixes up the Windows and Unix approaches to operating systems, with the end result being a pretty ugly mess. It also can't use Windows drivers.

ReactOS aims to fix all this. Instead of being a layer on top of another OS, ReactOS is a completely standalone project, bootable from an install or live CD. It does use WINE DLLs, but it has its own bootloader, kernel and other low-level facilities that should - in theory - make it compatible with Windows drivers.
ReactOS aims to be an open source, drop-in replacement for Windows. This gives it potential to radically shake up the market. ReactOS, a Windows clone, could one day be the next Windows - at least, for a good chunk of people. That sounds outrageous, but the vast majority of Windows boxes run a very small range of programs: IE or Firefox, MS Office and a couple of games, with a bit of Photoshop or Dreamweaver.
ReactOS doesn't have to run 50,000 Windows applications adequately; it just needs to run the top 10 well. Imagine you're a netbook manufacturer in a crowded market, and you want to get your prices down as low as possible. Instead of paying licenses to Microsoft for Windows, you could install ReactOS on your machines for free, put a list of ticks on the box saying 'Runs Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Photoshop and World of Warcraft' and save a lot of money.
Or imagine that you're a business with 5,000 Windows PCs that need upgrading because XP is end of life. Instead of buying 5,000 Windows 7 licenses, you could drop ReactOS any PCs that just run Office and Outlook.
These scenarios are still a while off: ReactOS is only at version 0.3.12, having been developed since the late '90s, and there's still a lot of work to be done. But compatibility is improving and you can see the status of your favourite programs at www.reactos.org/compat.

1. Haiku
The lightning-fast BeOS lives on in the speedy, simple Haiku
www.haiku-os.org
And so we come to the number one project - the OS most likely to be the next big desktop hit. Why have we chosen Haiku for this slot?
Firstly, it intends to simply recreate an existing operating system, BeOS, but as open source. There's no room for changes of direction, random new features or endless arguments on mailing lists about trivial design decisions.
Secondly, the developers are passionate about their work - they love BeOS. Thirdly, a great deal of attention has been paid to presentation, documentation and the other bits developers often ignore because they'd rather be hacking code.
If you were active in the PC world in the late 1990s, you may remember BeOS. Designed for the PowerPC, it was ported to the x86 PC architecture, offering a unique experience that was designed from the ground-up for desktop computing.
BeOS demos typically showed several spinning OpenGL teapots running flawlessly on screen as multiple MP3s played in the background. In the days of Windows 9x and Mac OS 8/9, BeOS's stellar performance, simplicity and lack of historical baggage won it an army of hardcore fans.
Its file system supported attributes for storing metadata, with features making it rather like a database.
However, from a commercial perspective, BeOS suffered greatly. Be Inc, the OS's makers, found it very hard to break into the Windows-dominated PC market. Ultimately, Be Inc sued Microsoft for allegedly preventing PC makers from selling BeOS machines; Microsoft never admitted guilt, but settled out of court for $23 million. However, by this point it was too late for BeOS to gain a serious foothold in the market.

Haiku, formerly known as OpenBeOS, began life in 2001 and is now capable of running many older BeOS programs (along with newer ports like Firefox). It retains the clean, modern architecture and desktop design of BeOS, but with added support for more recent hardware devices.
The developers are huge BeOS fans - they stuck by the OS in hard times and still champion its strengths today. They've also put a lot of effort into making the website look smart and ensuring the documentation is thorough.
Haiku offers a chance to bring speed, simplicity and enjoyment back to computing. It's a system designed purely as a modern, graphical desktop operating system without carrying sacks of historical baggage.

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First published in PC Plus Issue 305

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iPhone as a bicycle speedometer: special bag sensor data transmitted

2011-03-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

Showing the first current speed and the clock and lap time. Even basic GPS functions such as compass, altitude and slope meter are possible, while allowing additional information such as sensors calories or heart rate. The ANT + protocol allows it to forward the data from the iBike Dash CC to the iPhone, where the evaluation is a free app.

Thanks to the computing power of the possible functions of the iPhone to be exhausted to a maximum. Thus, there are individual, in the heart rhythm customized training programs to improve endurance and performance, which indicates a zone system such as whether one should exercise more or less.

The statistics function allows comparison of actual and previous trips on the same route. The data can also be exported to the computer, and also is the phone while driving. How deep must purchase willing to reach into the bag depends on the choice of the version. At the entry level model with the naked speedo module of the cost point is 200 dollars from 300 dollars it is also a spare battery, built-in wind speed meter and a chest strap to monitor heart activity.

The luxury version at $ 700, finally, shows the exact force, what cadence sensors are in use. (Pte)

Cheap drinking water from the salty seas

2011-03-16T01:12:00.000-07:00

Afaster,better and cheaper desalination process enhanced by carbon nanotubes has been developed by New Jersey Institute of Technology professor Somenath Mitra.
The process creates a unique architecture for the membrane distillation process by using carbon nanotubes in the membrane pores.Conventional approaches to desalination are thermal distillation and reverse osmosis.
Unfortunately the current membrane distillation method is too expensive for use in countries and municipalities that need potable water, said Mitra.Generally only industry,where waste heat is freely available,uses this process.However,were hoping our new work will have far-reaching consequences bringing good,clean water to the people who need it.

WHAT IS MEMBRANE DISTILLATION

Membrane distillation is a water purification process in which heated salt water passes through a tube-like membrane,called a hollow fibre.Think of your intestines, said Mitra.Its designed in such a way that nutrition passes through but not the waste. Using a similar structure,membrane distillation allows only water vapour to pass through the walls of the hollow tube,but not the liquid.
When the system works,potable water emerges from the net flux of water vapour which moves from the warm to the cool side.At the same time,saline or salt water passes as body waste would through the fibre.
Membrane distillation offers several advantages.Its a clean,non-toxic technology and can be carried out at 60-90 degrees centigrade.This temperature is significantly lower than conventional distillation.
Together these benefits lead to a greener process which could make membrane distillation economically competitive with existing desalination technologies and we hope could provide potable water where it is most needed, said Mitra.

Somenath Mitra working in his lab