Top 10 Best Printers

So you're looking for a printer for your home or office. You'd think that it would be a simple enough task. But then you're confronted with the sheer mass of choices out there, with varying feature sets, and suddenly, you've got printer panic. But you don't need to drown in inkjets and lasers. read more..

Microsoft "Would Not Condone" Sex-themed Kinect Game

We blogged about it; you talked about it; you couldn't click on it. Yes, the alleged sex-themed video game for Microsoft's Kinect has made the rounds since adult entertainment company ThriXXX announced that it had hacked the motion-tracking device to allow for, well, a way to use the sensor for, er, remote… input.
While the initial test of the software only allowed one to use one's hands to interact with the game / digital models, the company boasted that it was going to bring both full-body gestures (yikes) and support for voice commands in a later release. read more....

Google Really Gets Under People's Skin

Google's new Body Browser could be a valuable tool for physicians -- helping them explain medical conditions and surgeries to patients, among other things. It will also be of value to medical educators and students. One possible drawback, though, is that some people might be tempted to use it for self-diagnosis, which could be dangerous. "Information from the Internet nearly killed my daughter," warned author Robert Goldberg. "Twice." read more

Zalman Chassis GS1200

 Zalman Chassis GS1200, the successor  of Zalman GS1000 will be release sometime next year.  Currently the details surrounding Zalman's upcoming chassis are rather slim, however based on images supplied by the company, it will sport an all-black coating and feature an I/O panel consisting of one USB 3.0 port, three USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port and two audio connectors.

So far Zalman hasn't officially announced the chassis or provided pricing and availability, however we expect to see the GS1200 model next month during CES 2011.

LifeStudio Desk Plus

The Hard Drive Re-Invented
USB 2.0 External Drive - 500GB, 1TB & 2TB

The LifeStudio Desk external drive automatically finds and organizes photos, movies, music, and files into a stunning 3D wall* so you can easily view all your content from your computer and popular sites like Facebook™. The included auto-sync USB key delivers ultimate flexibility for your content on-the-go.   more....

The fastest gaming notebook ever to be unveiled at CES 2011

Driven by a desire to “insist on the best,” MSI will be exhibiting a number of powerful G Series gaming notebooks at 2011 CES, including the top end GT680—the “fastest notebook on the planet.” When tested with PC MARK Vantage tools, it attained a speed of 18,162 points. It has the fastest operating system in the world, performing some three times faster than the average speed of high end gaming books currently on the market.  read more.

Chrome Beta Testers Get Their Hands on Google's Little Black Book

Does Google intend to release Chrome as a full open source operating system for users to install willy-nilly on any old netbook? Or will it be available only embedded on specific netbooks that Google intends to sell? Google's limited beta for the OS is tied to an unbranded black netbook, the Cr-48, prompting some head-scratching over how it will distribute Chrome OS after the testing is over. more...

The Death of the Hard Drive

 Stop worrying about when the hard drive in your computer will die. Google wants to kill it permanently anyway.

The new Google Chrome operating system, which was unveiled Tuesday, as well as hints and suggestions from Apple and Microsoft, offers us a preview of the PC of the future. And it will come without that familiar whirring disk that has been the data heart of the PC for the past 25 years.

The Chrome OS will at first be available on all-black laptops from Samsung and Acer. And because the new platform stores everything -- files, applications, data bits and bytes, literally everything -- on online servers rather than on your home or office PC, those new PCs running it won't require gobs of storage. In fact, they won't require any storage at all.  more

World's First DX11 PCIe x1 Video Card

HIS today unveils the HIS 5450 Silence 1GB (64bit) DDR3 PCIe x1 Eyefinity graphics card, offering the best features and functionality in their class with AMD Eyefinity technology. Powered by the Radeon™ 5400 GPU, HIS 5450 Silence 1GB PCIe x1 delivers a state-of-the-art HD multimedia and medium gaming experience at a value price.

The HIS 5450 Series is designed to give you stunning high definition entertainment from your PC, no matter Blu-ray/HD DVD discs or other HD sources. Gamers will enjoy the ultimate immersive gaming experience with innovative "wrap around" multi-display capabilities. In addition, the HIS 5450 Silence 1GB is built as high-profile capable single-slot design with two low profile brackets included, making it possible to fit them in both full-height and half-height PCI Slots. more

AMD Releases Three New CPUs

"AMD announced today three new processors to round out its Phenom II and Athlon II lines. All three CPUs are designed to work in AMD's standard AM3 and AM2+ sockets. The 3.3-GHz Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition, Dual-core Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition and Athlon II X3 455. "read more....

VGA Given 5 Years to Live

"VGA, or video graphics array, has been with PCs almost since the get-go, but an agreement between AMD and Intel may spell doom for the technology within five years. The companies have agreed to begin abandoning VGA in favor of technologies like DisplayPort and HDMI. The decision was made due to the relatively bulky hardware VGA requires as well as the additional features digital technologies offer."  more

4 steps to set up your home wireless network

Use a wireless network to share Internet access, files, printers, and more.  You can  surf the Web while you're sitting on your couch or in your yard.

1. Choose your wireless equipment

The first step is to make sure that you have the equipment you need. You might notice that you can choose equipment that supports three different wireless networking technologies: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. I recommend  802.11g, because it offers excellent performance and is compatible with almost everything.



Shopping list

• Broadband Internet connection
• Wireless router
• A computer with built-in wireless networking support or a wireless network adapter
• A wireless router

The router converts the signals coming across your Internet connection into a wireless broadcast, sort of like a cordless phone base station. Be sure to get a wireless router, and not a wireless access point.

• A wireless network adapter

Network adapters wirelessly connect your computer to your wireless router. If you have a newer computer you may already have wireless capabilities built in. If this is the case, then you will not need a wireless network adapter. If you need to purchase an adapter for a desktop computer, buy a USB wireless network adapter. 


Note: To make setup easy, choose a network adapter made by the same vendor that made your wireless router. 

2. Connect your wireless router

Since you'll be temporarily disconnected from the Internet, print these instructions before you go any further.

• First, locate your cable modem or DSL modem and unplug it to turn it off.
• Next, connect your wireless router to your modem. Your modem should stay connected directly to the Internet.
• Next, connect your router to your modem:

If you currently have your computer connected directly to your modem: Unplug the network cable from the back of your computer, and plug it into the port labeled Internet, WAN, or WLAN on the back of your router.

If you do not currently have a computer connected to the Internet: Plug one end of a network cable (included with your router) into your modem, and plug the other end of the network cable into the Internet, WAN, or WLAN port on your wireless router.

If you currently have your computer connected to a router: Unplug the network cable connected to the Internet, WAN, or WLAN port from your current router, and plug this end of the cable into the Internet, WAN, or WLAN port on your wireless router. Then, unplug any other network cables, and plug them into the available ports on your wireless router. You no longer need your original router, because your new wireless router replaces it.

3. Configure your wireless router

Using the network cable that came with your wireless router, you should temporarily connect your computer to one of the open network ports on your wireless router (any port that isn't labeled Internet, WAN, or WLAN). If you need to, turn your computer on. It should automatically connect to your router.

Next, open Internet Explorer and type in the address to configure your router.

You might be prompted for a password. The address and password you use will vary depending on what type of router you have, so refer to the instructions included with your router.

As a quick reference, this table shows the default addresses, usernames, and passwords for some common router manufacturers.

Internet Explorer will show your router's configuration page. Most of the default settings should be fine, but you should configure three things:

Your wireless network name, known as the SSID. This name identifies your network. You should choose something unique that none of your neighbors will be using.

Wireless encryption (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which help protect your wireless network. For most routers, you will provide a passphrase that your router uses to generate several keys. Make sure your passphrase is unique and long (you don't need to memorize it).

Your administrative password, which controls your wireless network. Just like any other password, it should not be a word that you can find in the dictionary, and it should be a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Be sure you can remember this password, because you'll need it if you ever have to change your router's settings.

The exact steps you follow to configure these settings will vary depending on the type of router you have. After each configuration setting, be sure to click Save Settings, Apply, or OK to save your changes.

Now, you should disconnect the network cable from your computer.

4. Connect your computers to the wireless network

If your computer does not have wireless network support built in, plug your network adapter into your USB port, and place the antenna on top of your computer (in the case of a desktop computer), or insert the network adapter into an empty PC card slot (in the case of a laptop). Windows will automatically detect the new adapter, and may prompt you to insert the CD that came with your adapter. The on-screen instructions will guide you through the configuration process.

Gigabyte Killer Motherboard

G1-Killer Motherboard......

Android (operating system)

Android is a mobile operating system initially developed by Android Inc. Android was purchased by Google in 2005. Android is based upon a modified version of the Linux kernel. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android. Android has a large community of developers writing application programs ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. There are currently over 100,000 apps available for Android. Android Market is the online app store run by Google, though apps can be downloaded from third party sites. Developers write in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries. The Android operating system software stack consists of Java applications running on a Java based object oriented application framework on top of Java core libraries running on a Dalvik virtual machine featuring JIT compilation. Libraries written in C include the surface manager, OpenCore media framework, SQLite relational database management system, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics API, WebKit layout engine, SGL graphics engine, SSL, and Bionic libc. The Android operating system consists of 12 million lines of code including 3 million lines of XML, 2.8 million lines of C, 2.1 million lines of Java, and 1.75 million lines of C++.

ASUS YOUR PRIDE

SHARE YOUR ASUS MOTHERBOARD STORY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN GREAT ASUS PRIZES!

Desktop PC Buying Guide

When buying a new computer you may consider what you want to use your new desktop for and your budget. Are you an avid photographer looking for a speedy but cost-effective platform for editing high-resolution photos? Are you just a basic computer user, surfing the net and checking e-mails everyday and making some reports and presentation?  There are three major categories of desktop, each with its own range of price and performance: compact PCs, all-in-one PCs, and classic tower PCs (budget, mainstream, and performance). Each style of machine has different strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the one that’s best for you depends largely on how you plan to use it.

1. Compact PCs

As the smallest members of the desktop computer family, compact PCs often omit features to deliver computing power in a space-saving package. The combination of energy-efficient components, quiet operation, and small size makes compact PCs ideal for people who want a nonintrusive machine

2. All-in-One Desktops

All-in-One PCs are self-contained: components are mounted behind a display, with screen sizes ranging between 18- and 27-inches. With no cords to manage or peripherals to juggle, setting up your new all-in-one PC can be as simple as pulling the machine out of the box and plugging it in.

3. Budget PCs

A budget tower desktop carries standard desktop components, older hardware or inexpensive, low-end processors. Typically, these PCs are minitower systems, with fewer drive bays than a full tower has.

4. Mainstream PCs

Higher up in the desktop chain, you’ll find machines aimed at mainstream users and carry at least 500GB hard drives and about 4GB of RAM. Powered by dual-core and lower-end quad-core processors, they deliver better performance than budget desktops, without breaking the bank.

5. Performance PCs

Occupying the high end of the spectrum are performance desktops.  Most performance PCs are full tower systems, equipped with a slew of drive bays and expansion slots. Designed to tackle challenging tasks, they come equipped with the latest and greatest Intel and AMD dual- and quad-core processors, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and at least one discrete graphics card.

Kingston Launches HyperX External USB 3.0 SSDs

The HyperX MAX 3.0 has a read speed of up to 195MB/sec., and a write speed of up to 160MB/sec., when paired with a USB 3.0 compatible device. It is also fully compatible with USB 2.0 devices, but the speed defaults back to USB 2.0 capability.

How to Turn Recent Items On or Off in Windows 7

Recent Items is a list of your recently used files on the right side of the Start Menu, Taskbar Windows Explorer icon link, in the Navigaton Pane Recent Places, and in Jump Lists. This will show you how to turn Recent Items on or off in Windows 7.

C:\Users\(User Name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent Items

If you go to the Recent Items folder location above and you have a yellow folder named Recent instead of one named Recent Items with a icon, then right click on the Recent folder and click Delete. Type shell:recent in the white line (Start Search) area of the Start Menu and press Enter. Logoff and logon, or restart the computer, to rebuild the folder back to the default Recent Items. Recent Items will not function correctly if is not set as the default Recent Items folder.

 Turn Recent Items On or Off

1. Right click on the Start button and click on Properties.

2. To Turn Recent Items On.

A) Check the Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar box.
(See screenshot below step 4)

 NOTE: If you just turned on Recent Items, then it may take a bit after opening the recents items a few times before they actually show up.

B) Go to step 4.

 3. To Turn Recent Items Off

A) Uncheck the Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar box. (See screenshot below step 4)


4. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

Add or Remove Recent Items from the Start Menu

NOTE: This will allow you to add or remove the Recent Items button from the right dark side of the Start Menu. If you add it, then you will need to turn on Recent Items on OPTION ONE above to have them listed.

1. Open the Start Menu Customize window.

2. Scroll down a bit, and check the Recent Items box, and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

3. Click on OK.

Asus' Sabertooth P67 Mobo Has a Tactical Vest

  

Asus revealed some of its upcoming motherboards and one of them in particular caught our eye.
It's an upcoming P67 that'll support Sandy Bridge CPUs, and it has what Asus calls the "Tactical Vest."

USB 3.0 Is Even Better Now

USB 3.0 devices can deliver data to and from PCs in a hurry. But you already knew that. What makes these new USB 3.0 devices even better?

1. Cirago CDD2000 USB 3.0 Hard Drive Docking Station.

- Works with SATA drives

- Stays cool

- Nice design

- Excellent transfer speeds

- Quick set up

- No activity LED

2. Iomega eGo

- Lots of storage space

- Rubber bumper

- Good transfer speeds

- Included software and encryption

- Three-year warranty

- Clunky and heavy

- Requires extra slot for power for USB 2.0

3. Cirago CST6000

- Sleek aluminum case

- LED transfer light 

- Light

- Small capacity

- One-year warranty

- Slow

- Separate power cable for USB 2.0

4. Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Flash Drive

- Rugged design

- Doesn’t require separate power for USB 2.0 transfers

- Five-year warranty 

- Fast

- Heats up

- Chunky case

5.LaCie 2big USB 3.0

- Beautiful design

- Three RAID modes  

- Fast

- Three-year warranty

- Comes with USB 3.0 card and software

- Gets warm

The new gaming keyboards

The new gaming keyboards from Logitech, Razer, SteelSeries, Thermaltake and Gigabyte. Five will enter, one (or maybe two) will leave.


1. Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510

 

 2.Thermaltake Challenger Pro

 3. Gigabyte GK-K8100 Aivia

 

 4. Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical

 

5.SteelSeries 6Gv2 Mechanical

Googler Offered $3.5M to Turn Down Facebook

It's a common trick of the trade. You're looking for a raise but your employer won't give you one. So, you tell them you're going to go work for a competitor, hoping they'll so scared of losing you to the competition, they'll offer you more money to stay. Well, I don’t know if that was this Googler's plan when he told his employer that he had been offered a job at Facebook, but he definitely got offered a very handsome bonus to stay in Mountain View.

TechCrunch reports that Google recently offered a staff engineer $3.5 million in restricted stock to stop him leaving for Facebook. It's not clear whether or not this person had already received a job offer from the biggest social network in town, but Michael Arrington writes that he was being "heavily romanced" by Facebook.

TC reports that this isn't the first time this has happened. In fact, though the search giant won't make a nice counteroffer for everyone trying to leave, Google will often go to great lengths to stop staff leaving for the likes of Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn. By the sounds of things, this particular deal is bigger than the rest. That $3.5 million in restricted stock will vest over time, so it's not surprising to learn that the engineer reportedly accepted and stayed at Google. Wouldn't you?

Read more about Google's method of retaining engineers and other valuable members of staff on TechCrunch.

Source: TechCrunch

Nvidia Powers China to Get Fastest Supercomputer

Hopefully the battle of which nation has the fastest supercomputer will become the new space race, though we doubt that there will be as much public interest this time around.

China is now home to the world's fastest supercomputer (30 percent faster than the best in the U.S.), and it's partially thanks to Nvidia.

Revealed at HPC 2010 China is the new supercomputer called Tianhe-1A, which has set a new performance record of 2.507 petaflops, as measured by the LINPACK benchmark, making it the fastest system in China and in the world today.

Tianhe-1A couples massively parallel GPUs with multi-core CPUs, using 7,168 Nvidia Tesla M2050 GPUs and 14,336 CPUs. Nvidia is proud of its GPU contribution as it would require more than 50,000 CPUs and twice as much floor space to deliver the same performance using CPUs alone.

More importantly, a 2.507 petaflop system built entirely with CPUs would consume more than 12 megawatts. Thanks to the use of GPUs in a heterogeneous computing environment, Tianhe-1A consumes only 4.04 megawatts, making it 3 times more power efficient -- the difference in power consumption is enough to provide electricity to over 5000 homes for a year.

Tianhe-1A was designed by the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) in China. The system is housed at National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin and is already fully operational.

"The performance and efficiency of Tianhe-1A was simply not possible without GPUs," said Guangming Liu, chief of National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin. "The scientific research that is now possible with a system of this scale is almost without limits; we could not be more pleased with the results."

The Tianhe-1A supercomputer will be operated as an open access system to use for large scale scientific computations.

"GPUs are redefining high performance computing," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "With the Tianhe-1A, GPUs now power two of the top three fastest computers in the world today. These GPU supercomputers are essential tools for scientists looking to turbocharge their rate of discovery."

Palit GTX460 Sonic 2GB

Palit Microsystems Ltd. introduced the GTX460 Sonic 2GB, its latest entry in the GTX 460 series. As the name implies, the card provides 2GB of GDDR5 high speed memory clocked at 3.6 GHz on a 256-bit memory bandwidth. The card also has a factory-overclocked core speed of 700 MHz--25 MHz higher than the reference speed.

What is Windows XP Safe Mode?

What is Windows XP Safe Mode and why is it needed? Windows XP Safe Mode is a way for Windows XP to load when there is a problem that prevents it loading normally. It allows you to trouble shoot Windows in order to determine what is preventing Windows XP to load properly.

When windows XP cannot load properly it may prevent you using some of the utilities such as System Restore that will return the system to a previous state. Booting in Windows XP Safe Mode bypasses the loading of a lot of programs, one that may be causing your problem.  You may have just installed a program that has caused you windows to load incorrectly. Booting in windows xp safe mode gives you the opportunity to recover from this by de-installing the program.

So how do you get into Windows XP Safe Mode? To get into safe mode reboot your computer. As the computer is booting keep pressing the “F8 Key”. You should find this usually in the top row on your keyboard. Doing this should eventually bring up the “Windows Advanced Options Menu” as shown below. You will find your mouse is inoperative so you will have to use your keyboard arrow keys to move to “Safe Mode”. Press the enter key on your keyboard to invoke Windows XP Safe Mode.

Windows Advanced Options Menu
Please select an option:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging
Enable VGA mode
Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)
Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)
Debugging Mode

Start Windows Normally
Reboot
Return to OS Choices Menu

As your computer is booting up in Windows XP Safe Mode, you will get the option either to go to the System Restore menu, or continue to boot to the safe mode of windows xp. To exit Windows XP Safe Mode all you have to do is restart your computer.

There are a few options for booting up in Windows XP Safe Mode, they are:

Safe Mode

This is the basic Windows XP Safe Mode option and is what most users will want to choose when troubleshooting their computer. In this mode you can perform basic Windows operations such as using the control panel.

Safe Mode with Networking

There are times when you may need access to the Internet to download drivers to replace one that is causing problems or other software.

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

This Safe Mode boots and allows you to use the command prompt. (MS-DOS prompt). This should only be used by advanced users.

You should practice booting in Windows XP Safe Mode so you get familiar with it. You do not want to be caught short if something happens to your system and then find you have problems entering it. Don’t worry you can’t stuff anything up practicing this.

Now you know how to invoke Windows XP Safe Mode and have fixed your problem you may want to learn how to defrag your hard drive.

What is hard disk cloning?

 We have all heard about cloning animals and somewhere even humans have been tried. But what about cloning the hard disk drive of your PC. Cloning is creating an exact copy of your hard disk onto another hard disk. With hard disk cloning you can copy your PC's hard disk, every last bit of it, and then use that disk as if it was the original.

Hard disk drive cloning is something that you need to do to safeguard not only your data but your complete operating system as well. Hard drives go bad sometimes, and other times you may want to upgrade to a bigger hard drive or even move to a more powerful PC. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to be able to get a new hard drive and make it an exact replica of your old one. Cloning your hard disk drive will do this for you.

The easiest way to clone a hard disk drive is to use a good hard drive cloning software. If you use cloning software, all you have to do is install the disk, follow its instructions and then it will start the cloning process.

Your other option then is to store it on a DVD, if it can fit, or the hard drive you actually plan on copying it to. To do this you need to have the disk in a disk USB enclosure or actually installed in your PC.

The hard disk drive cloning procedure is preferable to just a simple backup of your data. If the disk fails and you only have a data backup you would have to reinstall Windows and all the applications you had installed. With a cloned disk drive you not only have a replica of you original disk but you can even retrieve individual data and files from it if you have accidentally deleted.

Periodically cloning a hard disk drive means that you would always have an up to date hard drive clone. So if anything should happen, you can just boot from your other hard drive.

Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750

Logitech release the new and futuristic keyboard. A keyboard that powers itself whenever there’s light using integrated solar panels — no power bricks or charging cables needed. But, even though it’s powered by light, the keyboard can operate for up to three months in total darkness.

Ultra-slim notebook power adapter from Cooler Master

Tired of carrying that bulky notebook power adapter? What if you also have to bring along multiple chargers for other devices? Cooler Master is here to help with the new USNA95 notebook power adapter that is not only slim and light, but it also charges anything USB devices (even at the same time as you’re charging your notebook). The USNA95 is compatible with a wide range of notebooks from all the major manufacturers.



* High output
* Compact size and modular cable
* USB charging
* Nine interchangable charger tips

visit:: coolermaster

YouTube Down

It seems that the issues were resolved, and that YouTube is once again fully operational.
YouTube is currently experiencing some downtime issues, reporting a “Http/1.1 Service Unavailable” error or a a 500 Internal Server error. It’s been going on for approximately 20 minutes, and Twitter is already abuzz about the downtime.
Currently there’s no word from Google about the issues, but given its recent troubles with Chinese hackers, as well as hacker attacks on Baidu and other large web services, it’s not too far-fetched to think this downtime is a result of a cyber attack. We’ll let you know when we find out more.

5 Simple Ways to Cool a Hot Notebook

Getting Into Windows Power Manager

Some of the tips below involve editing the advanced power settings in Windows Power Options.  To access the advanced power settings:

1.  Open Power Options either by clicking the icon in the All Control Panel Options menu or by double-clicking the Windows battery icon in your system tray.


2. Select Change plan settings next to the power plan you are using (balanced, power saver, etc).

3. Select Change advanced power settings.

Tip #1: Enable Active Cooling

Make sure that, in the Windows power settings or in your notebook’s proprietary power management software, the highest level of cooling is enabled. The menu option for enabling active cooling varies from notebook to notebook, but in some cases, the option will actually say “active cooling” and in others the option will say “maximum performance” as opposed to “maximum battery life.”

Always, select more cooling performance. This will keep the fan running longer and stronger to cool the system.

Tip #2: Enable all power saving options for the CPU, graphics, wireless card, etc.

It’s simple physics. The more power your notebook consumes, the more heat it generates. If you’re willing to sacrifice a little performance by running your notebook’s key components in low power modes, it will generate less heat.

To use less juice and generate less heat, we recommend changing the advanced settings in the Windows power manager’s, both for “on battery” and “plugged in” states:

    * Wireless Adapter Settings: Maximum Power Saving
    * Link State Power Management: Maximum power savings
    * Graphics Power Plan: Maximum Battery life or the equivalent, based on what video card your notebook
       has installed.
    * PCI Express -> Link State Power Management: Maximum power savings
    * Processor power management -> Maximum processor state: Set to a lower percentage such as
      30-percent. You will want to experiment with this setting as it could severely impact performance by
      literally throttling down the CPU.


Tip #3: Unplug Your Notebook

Some notebooks are manufactured to consume more power (and generate more heat) when plugged in than on battery alone, even with the exact same power settings enabled. After lowering all your power saving settings (as in tip #2), you may want to try pulling the plug.

Tip #4: Put the notebook on a table or desk

Many of a notebook’s vents are located on the bottom of its chassis, so when you put the notebook on your lap, you’re partially obstructing those vents.  And if you put the notebook on a on a fabric surface like a bed or couch, you’re really choking its airflow. If the bottom of your notebook is getting really hot, consider putting it on a table or using a lapdesk that sits between you and the notebook.

Tip #5: Using a cooling pad 

Some might say that this is the most obvious tip and should appear first, but cooling pads add bulk to your notebook bag and make your system less portable.

Out of the Box Laptop Tips

   1.Cut the Crapware
   2.Install Your Own Security Software
   3.Download and Install All Windows Updates
   4.Speed Up Your Browser
   5.Install Your Plug-ins
   6.Pin or Create Hot Keys for Your Favorite Apps
   7.Uncombine Your Taskbar Icons
   8.Disable Alternate Boot Devices in Your BIOS
   9.Unhide Extensions, Files, and Folders
   10. Speed Up Your Boot Time
   11. Tweak Your Power Settings

Laptop 2010

1. Apple: Best Laptop Brand 2010 Winner 

Out of our eight categories, Apple brings home the gold in four, with one—Performance Reviews—carrying the heaviest weight of all the criteria. Plus, the company ranked second in the keyboard and touchpad category. There’s no question about it: Apple is the bestnotebook manufacturer and brand around. With every new product release, we eagerly anticipate its arrival, as do hordes of consumers who routinely flock to Apple Stores. Additionally, its support is second to none. We look forward to a bright future for this top brand, as its introduction of the iPad seeks to pioneer a whole new category of mobile computing. Read more.

2. Lenovo: Best Brand 2010 Runner-Up

Not only did Lenovo have a very good year, but things are looking even brighter with the expected arrival of its breathtaking Skylight smartbook and innovative U1 Hybrid tablet-notebook.  Read more.

3. Sony
Strong support and top-notch designs make Sony’s products well worth the premium. Read more.

4. Toshiba
An emphasis on delivering compelling industrial designs and innovative features at affordable prices make this brand one of our favorites. Read more

5. ASUS
Once known only for its netbooks, ASUS has evolved into an innovative notebook maker, keeping the likes of HP and Dell on their toes. Read more.

6. HP
HP continues to offer slick designs and good performance for the money, but its lackluster support and customer satisfaction among readers dragged its overall rating down. Read more.

7. Dell
Despite lukewarm reviews and some ergonomic complaints, Dell’s overall designs have improved a great  

deal. Read more

8. Samsung
We’re a bit underwhelmed by Samsung’s offerings of late, but we hope the company can turn things around.
Read more.

9. Acer
Although we were disappointed with Acer’s tech support, the company generally offers the best value in most categories. Read more.

10. Gateway
While we’re not exactly sure why Acer is keeping this brand around, Gateway does provide good design and performance for your buck.
Read more.

11. MSI
Lukewarm reviews and poor tech support cancelled out our positive feelings about this brand’s strong ultraportable line. Read more

12. Fujitsu
Bringing up the rear, a varied selection of Tablet PCs and relatively good tech support are the only real positives aboutthis brand. Read more.

Tips of Making your Computer Live Longer...

Here are a few useful little tips that might extend the life your computer.


1. Shut it Down: This may sound simple but many of us just close the lid, turn of the monitor or set it to sleep mode. Completely shutting your computer down will keep it from overheating and leaking memory.

2. Defrag!: Again, another simple "duh" moment. Defrag your computer. Most PCs will even let you set up a regular defrag schedule once a week. Cleaning up your files on a regular basis will also keep your computer functioning at optimal speed.

3. Virus Scan: During your regularly scheduled defrag, go ahead and run a scan for viruses, spy ware, malware, all that bad stuff you can pick on the internet. Find a good program to keep your PC"s health good. (Keep it Clean!)

These might not be the most enlightening tips, but they"ll go along way in keeping your computer chugging along for an extra year or so.

OLED DISPLAYS

What is OLED?

An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), is as the name suggests a light-emitting diode made of organic compounds. Often referred to as a light emitting polymer (LEP), an OLED is for all intents and purposes the next-generation of LEDs - the lights surrounding us in everyday life through various devices such as TVs, clocks and signs.

Unlike traditional LEDs, the OLED variety feature layers of organic, light-emitting material placed between an anode and a cathode. When an electric current is passed through, the recombining of electrons and electron holes cause the organic layer to emit a brilliant white light. That, of course, is a gross simplification of a technology that involves the precise manipulation of electrons, but it gives readers a basic idea.

Putting them into practise, numerous OLEDs - produced using varying organic materials to create different colours - are then combined in an array to form a matrix of pixels that create a colour display.

As is the case with current-generation LCD displays, OLEDs are most commonly produced in two varieties - Passive Matrix (PMOLED) and Active Matrix (AMOLED). Although the working principal of each OLED variety remains similar, they differ in the arrangement of pixels. An AMOLED will generally feature an array of OLEDs printed onto a thin film transistor (TFT). AMOLED displays are considered to have greater potential and offer sunlight readability, ultra-fast response times, ultra-high contrast ratios and exceptional viewing angles.


What are the benefits?

Knowing what an OLED is, you may believe it to be awfully similar to a traditional LED. Although both live to achieve a similar goal - producing light - there are notable benefits to OLED.

First and foremost, OLEDs feature emissive layers that can themselves produce light. This technology eliminates the need for a backlight and an OLED display is consequently more energy efficient and less likely to produce large amounts of heat.

Furthermore, without the need for a backlight and with diodes constructed of just a few thin layers, OLED technology allows for the construction of incredibly thin displays. Even at this early stage, OLED TVs are known to measure as little as 3mm, far thinner than even the most modern LCD/Plasma panels.

Despite their ultra-slim dimensions, OLED TVs are also capable of producing a far better image than either LCD or Plasma alternatives. Thanks to the brilliant light produced by the organic material, OLED displays are able to provide incredible contrast ratios, vivid colours, improved brightness, a much faster response time, a near-limitless viewing angle and an overall sharper image.

On top of all that, the thin nature of OLEDs allow for them to be printed onto varying forms of material - paving the way for ultra sharp, colour displays that are flexible and almost paper like.


Are there any disadvantages?

OLEDs sound too good to be true, but there are a few drawbacks you'll need to be aware of.

The most obvious drawback is the limited lifespan of the organic material used. As an example, one of the first widely-available OLED TVs - the Sony XEL-1 - has a quoted lifespan of approximately 30,000 hours. That equates to a life of just over 10 years if used for eight hours per day. Sounds plentiful, but it's about half the lifespan of an LCD screen.

Although manufacturers are quickly showing success in extending the lifespan of OLED TVs through new technologies, another disadvantage that remains is cost. Despite the obvious performance benefits, OLED technology remains expensive to manufacture and TVs based on the technology are consequently wildly expensive.


Closing thoughts

The benefits of OLED technology are clear to see (excuse the pun), and the promise of a brighter, sharper and more vivid image, combined with lower energy consumption, clearly has widespread appeal.

Although the technology is seen as the logical successor to LCD and Plasma TVs, OLED displays are also becoming increasingly popular in mobile form factors. Today, a handful of mobile phones - including the Nokia N85 and Samsung Jet - incorporate OLED displays under 4in in size. Similarly, the Zune HD portable media player from Microsoft features a 3.3in OLED display.

Although it may be some time before OLED TVs are widely available in big-screen form factors at prices able to rival current LCDs, the technology continues to hold a lot of potential. Expect to see and hear a lot more about OLED technology in the coming years.




source: www.scan.co.uk