Boris | 2:26 am | July 29, 2008 | Laptop News
Researchers claim that Asus Eee PC has been the greatest hit in the mobile devices sector this year. Yet the 8.9-inch laptop is one step away from true mobility - there is no go-anywhere Internet access. In other words, you are still in a Wi-Fi hotspot which doesn’t appear to meet the needs of today’s Eee user. Well, you can always try a 3G dongle with your laptop but nowadays there is a rather high competition in gadgets and gizmos for the few USB ports.
Asustek has announced that Asus Eee PC 3G will be released in September this year. The lightweight netbook will feature integrated 3G module that lets its owners get fast wireless Internet everywhere they go. Unlike some feverishly pitched 3G handsets, the hardware is not likely to be locked to only one provider and the laptop battery will not be sealed - you will be able to carry it around even with an extended capacity pack.
I would also like it to have some new striking twist on the design, making the laptop stand out from the rest of the ultraportable crowd of laptop midgets. But even as it is now, Asus Eee PC with built-in internet connection will guarantee your morning cappa break will never be the same again.
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maksim | 8:04 pm | July 12, 2008 | Mobile Broadband
Almost 5 months ago I have compared prices of UK mobile broadband offers, making an easy prediction that the competition will be tightening and prices falling. This week, I have updated our price comparison, and the results are predictable: prices are going down and the number of providers is going up.
Two new providers have entered the market, Orange and o2. Weirdly, o2 only lets its existing mobile or home broadband customers to buy mobile broadband and, even though I did include o2 in the table below, this limitation pretty much rules o2 out of competition with other networks.
UK Mobile Broadband Offers Comparison Table (Contract)
Dizzying array of options in the table may look confusing, but at the end it all comes down to just a handful of realistic options, after we tidy it up a bit.
To avoid being stuck with a service that in a year will be slow and expensive, I suggest to stay away from long-term contracts. 5 pounds off the monthly bill are not worth the lengthy commitment.
Speed that networks claim they are able to provide is not necessarily what you will get at the end. It depends greatly on the location. Vodafone’s claim to have 7.2 download speed is simply misleading, as this is only possible in select central London locations.
The offers can be divided into two groups: the ones for occasional users with modest download limits (enough for email, browsing, chats, maybe a little bit of online radio and mp3 downloads), and more capable ones with download limits that will not stress you out if you decide to watch BBC iPlayer on Brighton beach.
For occasional users, there are two clear leaders: 3(Three) 12 months 3gb and Vodafone 12 months 3gb. Orange trails behind with similar offer but an 18-months contract, and at the end is T-mobile with luducrous idea of banning Skype and other VoIP applications on cheaper packages.
For agressive consumers, two good options are T-Mobile 12 months 10gb for £35, and 3(Three) 18 months 15gb for 30gb. I would probably go for latter one, 15gb is a lot, enough in my case to replace home broadband altogether.
UK Mobile Broadband Offers Comparison Table (Pay As You Go)
In the battle for the best mobile broadband Pay As You Go deal, 3(Three) came first again. Vodafone may seem like the decent option for some, but there is a 30 day cancellation notice, and that is just too much hassle. 3(Three) is without doubt the smartest choice, with easy option of £10 top-up for each Gb used.
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maksim | 5:10 pm | July 10, 2008 | Laptop News
What is the difference between a girl and a laptop? You would not say “You look like a breadknife, babycake” to a girl, as a compliment to her slim shape. She will take her revenge by comparing you with Chandler from “Friends”, or worse, beat you to death with steak tenderiser.
Yet, when it comes to laptops, this is as good a compliment as it gets. And Macbook Air deservedly holds the crown as the next best thing to a bread knife in the world of laptops. There has been several attempts to cut bakery with it, and at least one recorded case of hurting a human, yet not in a severe way.
Understandably, people are reluctant to use it as a cutting tool on a regular basis by the high cost of the “knife”, and the fear of damaging the blade. After all, it is not as if you can just sharpen the sides after it gets blunt. You may shave off the hard drive after too many grindings. Yet, this may change now.
A Macbook Air was dropped on a Moscow street, with the screen open, flipping while flying towards the ground, and then hard-landing on asphalt. It has not only survived and is working “as new”, according to the owner, but has also sustained surprisingly minor damage. There are just a couple of small dents and a slightly bent top corner that looks like it can easily be bent back.
While this will definitely come across as great news for people who like to cut, slice, and chop in style, there can also be a flipside to this. How about the Air being classed as a weapon and not allowed on airplanes anymore?
(more…)
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Sasha | 4:43 pm | June 12, 2008 | Uncategorized
Internet Service Providers can prove many people have difficulty locating what Internet actually is. They receive hundreds of calls daily and can prove that such substance as Internet is still beyond understanding for a certain number of users. Here are some of the most interesting enquiries:
- I’d like to buy the Internet. Do you know how much it is?
- I would like a CD with the Internet on it.
- Can you copy the Internet for me on this pen drive?
- I would like an Internet please.
- I just downloaded the Internet. How do I use it?
- Excuse me, could you sell me an Internet?
- I don’t have a computer at home. Is the Internet available in book form?
- Will the Internet be open on Memorial Day tomorrow?
- We’re getting an Internet from you. Are you guys having any problems sending out your Internets?
- The Internet is running too slow. Could you reboot it please?
- Hi. Is this the Internet?
- Do you own the Internet?
- I broke the Internet! Can you fix it for me?
- I can’t send an email. Is the Internet full?
Some people make cheques payable to the Internet when buying things online.
Problems with email are not rare as well.
A Customer Support Centre received a phone call one day with a complaint that the reply to the enquiry emailed was some satanic message that she didn’t dare to open. On a further investigation it turned out the message received was under a subject “Message from MAILER-DAEMON.”
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Christine | 11:20 am | May 7, 2008 | Laptop Accessories
The good thing about modern industrial designers is that some of them are brave enough to realize and present the wildest of their ideas. And it’s even more amazing how exactly they do it: with utmost seriousness, not giving a hint of childish excitement.
One example is “Beauty and the Geek” jeans, which is an incredible combination of a pair of jeans, a keyboard, a joystick controller and a pocket for a mouse (which is the only thing that seems to be more or less normal). The product, however, looks more like a fake. If it’s not, I am impressed by the unbelievable self-confidence of the author Erik De Nijs.
Another example of the idea that is supposed to be taken seriously is Body-Technology Interfaces. The name sounds very intelligent, but the actual product looks way too futuristic, not to say silly.
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Sasha | 6:30 pm | April 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
Everything turned upside down when the computer came into our life and became our family member. However, it has not always been a loved one - often perfectly normal and even wise people loose every trace of the common sense in front of a PC. There are millions of stories. Here are some examples of these computer legends.
Many people are confused about the location of the “any” key is on their keyboards when the “Press Any Key” message is displayed. The “OK” button has also never been found.
One man was not sure if it was safe to insert a CD in his computer because the disc had a hole in the middle.
An office technician got a call from a not too experienced user describing the problem with his computer. The tech concluded “It looks like the computer needs to be serviced. Please turn it off first, unplug the power cord and bring it in for inspection”. The guy showed up later with the power cord in his hands.
A tech received a call the other day: “I threw my mouse at a wall. Do you think I might have damaged it? It’s not working properly”
A man who had just bought a new desktop requested to change his computer cup holder as it broke down really fast. The service team were surprised to find out that what was described and used as a cup holder was a simple CD drive.
Technical Support received a phone call asking how to turn off a computer. They replied: “Click on start, then shutdown, then select shutdown from the list, and click on OK.”
About thirty minutes later they got a call back from the same customer. “I did what you said, and now my screen is all black and I can’t do anything on my computer!”
Here’s another problem, the system won’t boot up. The user had an enquiry “My Caps Lock indicator lights up when I boot the PC, Caps Lock must be on, can this be the problem?”
And if you have a smile on your face it rather means it’s been a while since you acted in a similar way with your first computer.
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Christine | 2:29 am | April 23, 2008 | Laptop Bags
Thin body often means fragile nature - both metaphorically and literally. Macbook Air has been designed to look very light, and although this airy design catches the eye, the body of the laptop seems to be a bit too slim - so slim that it always makes me think of all kinds of damage that it may be prone to. And when there’s something to be protected, there will always be something to protect it. In case of Macbook Air a strong, cleverly designed laptop bag can be a life-saver.
There are not many bags to fit this graceful laptop at the moment, and Orbino bags with their truly Italian design and hand-crafted leather are bound for success. The only thing that may put the owners of precious Airbooks off is the price, but they really don’t have much choice now (in fact, they will probably not have much choice in the future either, as Macbook Air is very unlikely to become as popular as basic Macbooks).
Via Shiny Shiny
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Christine | 10:05 pm | April 16, 2008 | Uncategorized
The voices telling us about eco-friendly laptops are getting louder, but so far they sound, to put it mildly, boring and unimaginative. Certainly, with winter temperatures getting closer to summer ones each year it is silly not to consider environment these days. However, it seems that “eco-friendly” developers experience some kind of a creative thinking crisis.
Most of new nature-oriented concepts of laptops or actual products are based on wood (examples include Micro-Star International GX-620, Swedx monitor, Thallbach USB-drive, Asus Eco Book, followed by new WoodShell concept). And it looks as if one designer came up with the idea and herds of others took it up.
These devices scream “I am ecology-friendly!”, but are they really? One wooden laptop born means one tree dead. With so many wooden designs today it’s high time that some other options are considered.
And again, here comes Fujitsu. First they used corn to produce plastic for their laptops, and now they have developed new bio-based plastic for their FMV-BIBLO NX95Y/D. Which is definitely a welcome change for those hungry for new ideas.
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Sasha | 8:52 pm | April 11, 2008 | Security
The name Virus or Worm itself bears the symbol of danger. But there was a time not so long ago when viruses were written just for the fun of it - not to create any real harm, but rather to see if they worked. One of the first virus ever created was a pure joke, it only displayed a message on the computer screen “I’m hungry!! Please insert a burger into the floppy drive”.
Even now we come across this relatively harmless unusual software. Here are some examples.
A Trojan - Burglar.A - besides stealing passwords and doing other malicious actions, gives the user of the computer his/her exact location using Google Maps. The computer is infected, but at least you are not lost. Might be of some use after a Friday night out.
The Caric-A Worm: Former US president Bill Clinton provided a lot of fodder for the gossip mills and so this famous worm proved. This malicious program was activated after opening an email’s attachment and displayed a cartoon of Clinton playing the saxophone equipped with a bra popping out of the sax’s mouth. The writers of this worm tried to be clever by adding a line to the end of the email, presumably from anti-virus vendor McAfee, which claimed the email contained no viruses.
Undercover agent aka perfect surveillance tool - the XPCSpy - saved each button pressed, made screen shots, made a log of visited web-pages, opened windows, launched applications and read e-mail and chat messages. Nothing can be kept to oneself.
Ketawa.A became the joker of the year. While doing its dirty tricks, the Trojan displayed a joke to entertain the user. Unfortunately users where not quite eased with the joke, as it was in Indonesian. Let’s hope at least Indonesians had a laugh.
Next worm - BotVoice.A can be also called a polite swindler, because after the dirty job was done, it said: “Your computer has been infected, I repeat, you computer has been infected and your system files have been erased. I’m sorry! Have a nice day!”.
However, we only find this software creative and ingenious when other people experience it. Even though many of the above make us smile it’s better to keep away from this kind of threats.
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Christine | 10:18 pm | April 9, 2008 | Laptop Accessories
“Small” is today’s technology’s favourite word. “Small” is almost a synonym to “captivating”; you manage to turn an already small thing into a tiny one and you are the man of the hour, the hero, the genius. Looks like the fame of these “minimizers” keeps designers awake at night. Otherwise it’s hard to explain why 2 ultra-small pointing devices have appeared lately.
Swiftpoint SLIDER fits around the thumb and is claimed to fulfill all functions of the mouse. It is however doubtful that this slider will be able to replace a standard mouse. If it does, you’ll have to hit the space button with you forefinger or your long finger which will remind of playing the piano rather than typing.
“I-T” Click, Click is controlled with the index finger and again - the thumb. The upper button is supposed to function as the left key and the left one - as the right key, which is indeed confusing. Besides, it is so small that a poodle can swallow it.
Conclusion: “small” does not always go side-by-side with “sensible” or “convenient”. Small cars do not survive in accidents, tiny cell-phones have buttons that only Thumbelina can push, and thin laptops can be accidentally thrown out with a pile of old magazines.
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