Tech Pedia » Computer Hardware

Adam Tablet PC Yorks Apple’s iPad

Abhinav Kaiser — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:25:31 +0000

Apple’s iPad is perhaps one of the few products from the company where the concept is unoriginal, and consequently has failed to take off. First it was the Chinese ExoPC Slate which carried Windows 7, it offered all the features that iPad would and beyond. Apple is currently in a legal feud with the Chinese manufacturer over patent issues.

A new tablet PC that has all the ingredients to beat both the Apple’s and Chinese products was on display as Consumer Electronic Show (CES) earlier this year. The Indian product is named after Westerners’ first man, Adam. At this point in time, the product is showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Adam tablet PC is a brainchild of Hyderabad based Notion Ink. The screen size is quite large at 10″ and is powered by nVidia’s Tegra 2 chip. PixelQI screen has a dual mode, one mode operates as a normal LCD screen, the second ensures that text can be read with clarity even in bright sunshine. With the backlight off, the company claims that it can increase battery life between charges by a factor of five. And, the combination of the screen and the processor can enhance the performance greatly.

The surprise element here is that the product is coming out of India, which is traditionally not known for its hardware prowess. The country is known for its software delivery, that too, specifically for clients who outsource work, and original designs and creative products are definitely barren here.

With the launch of Adam, experts believe that India is moving to a stronger position in the world of gadgetry and software products.

Adam will hit the shelves across US retail outlets in July. While the pricing details have not been divulged, it is firmly believed that the iPad killer will surely go one up in terms of pricing.

10 of the Most Compact Printers Ever Made

Abhinav Kaiser — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:59:53 +0000

In the world of printers, bigger is often considered better. A large printer is typically capable of holding a variety of different kinds of ink and paper, which means it offers a combination of maximum productivity with maximum convenience. However, a big printer has a matching footprint and if you don’t have a lot of space for it this can become a huge problem. It’s especially bad for road warriors who need a portable printer that they can take with them and their laptop down to the local coffee shop or to a meeting on the other side of the world. For situations like these, you need a small printer. Here’s a look at eleven of the smallest ones ever made!

1. PrintBrush

PrintBrush: This one hasn’t actually hit the shelves yet but it’s due out within a year and has more than a few people wagging their tongues about what an excellent little printer it is. Reportedly planned to be the smallest full-size document printer ever, the PrintBrush will weigh less than nine ounces. It is said to be a silent printer which means that it can be easily used in meetings, public spaces and even public transportation. It will run on a rechargeable battery, which means power won’t be an issue, and is expected to be priced around $199 at launch.

2. Pentax PocketJet

Pentax PocketJet: Every different printer user has unique needs, which are completely catered for by the four different PocketJet portable prints that are available. Among the options available are a wired and a wireless printer offering 200 dpi or 300 dpi resolution. A full kit includes software, cables, power cord, Ni-MH battery, carrying case and a box of paper, giving everything you need to create a professional quality document. The printer costs around $500, depending on the style of PocketJet that catches your eye.

3. HP Deskjet 450

HP Deskjet 450: This is a high-quality portable printer designed specifically for creating professionally styled text and brilliant quality photo images. The Deskjet 450 prints at a rate of 9 pages per minutes and uses unique inkjet technology which allows it to produce 400+ pages before the ink needs to be changed. The HP Deskjet 450 offers both convenience and functionality for road warriors looking for a portable printer. It weighs just over four pounds and is priced at around $450.

4. Brother MPrint

Brother MPrint: This is an ultra-light portable printer weighing in at only 11 ounces. Despite its small size, the Brother MPrint is a fully functioning printer which can print on a number of different types of paper including notepaper and labels. It’s designed to work as a printer for laptops and smart phones and provides a great printing solution for professionals who regularly work when on the road. It utilizes a rechargeable ion battery and different models of the MPrint may support Bluetooth. It is priced at around $500.

5. Polaroid Digital Mobile Phone Printer

Polaroid Digital Mobile Phone Printer: This is the most interesting new product about to be released for those people who would like to print the pictures they take with their camera phones. It is not a traditional printer in the sense that it is not designed to be compatible with technologies other than mobile phones or digital cameras. Moreover it is completely untraditional in that it prints small (2″ x 3″) photos using an inkless technology. The Polaroid Digital Mobile Phone Printer is most certainly different and is incredibly compact. Weighing in at only eight ounces when it is carrying the rechargeable battery, the Polaroid Digital Mobile Phone Printer is an incredible accessory and will be available at a cost of only $80.

6. Canon BJC-85

Canon BJC-85: This is a bubble jet printer that offers full printing capabilities on a range of different papers including standard A4 and envelopes with an astounding print rate of about 5 pages per minute, creating documents with an incredible resolution of 720 x 361 dpi. The BJC-85 weighs less than five pounds including the battery and other accessories and is considered to be a great portable printer for the business traveler. It is priced at around $299.

7. Samsung Color Laser Printers

Samsung Color Laser Printers: Samsung has recently announced that they have developed two new color laser printers that are smaller than any created before. These are still fairly large printers as far as portable printers go because of the fact that laser printing technology needs more room than inkjet printing. Nevertheless, these small products are so compact that they could be considered portable. One of the printers even has a built-in scanner, so that you really get the full package with these small printers. The bad news is that the company has only announced that they have produced these printers and haven’t specified when, where and at what price they will release these handy gizmos. It’s something to keep an eye on in the future.

8. Xyron Design Runner

Xyron Design Runner: This design printer isn’t necessarily for everyone but it’s a great niche printer for artists and scrap bookers. If you know someone who makes family scrapbooks out of photos as soon as they are printed, consider getting them this as a gift to round out his or her travel needs. It prints out text, images and borders and can be used to print on paper, fabric and even wood. It’s tiny in size, operates on two 9-volt batteries, and only costs about $99.99.

9. HP OfficeJet H470B

HP OfficeJet H470B: This is a five pound mobile printer which is designed to give full printing capabilities in a portable format. It can print up to 22 pages per minute for low quality printing (text-based drafts) but can also offer high-quality printing at speeds of about 7 pages per minute. The HP OfficeJet H470B is able to support a wide range of paper sizes up to 8″ x 14″ and is priced at around $300.

10. Canon Pixma IP90

Canon Pixma IP90: This is primarily designed as a photo printer so the IP90 prints high quality color images on paper intended for photographs. However, the Canon Pixma IP90 can also be used as a basic portable printer with added photo printing features. It can print a range of sizes up to a normal A4 and has features which allow you to save ink without reducing color quality in order to get the best value for money. It weighs around three pounds and is priced at a reasonable $330.

About the Author

When Tom Walker isn’t writing exceptional blog posts, he is indulging in his passion for gadgets and technological marvels as well as making sure that he is completely up to date with Twitter. Tom mostly writes about HP Laserjet cartridges for a well known supplier of printer cartridges called Cartridge Save, who are based in Manchester, England.

Apple Expands the IMac Line-Up!

Om — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:43:58 +0000

Apple has updated their iMac line-up by introducing two new models. The first screen measuring up to 21.5 inches, while the other measuring up to 27 inches. To provide an elegant look to the screens, both of them are enclosed in edge-to-edge glass shield.

The backlit by LED gives the screen a vibrant and bright look, while working. As far as the power options are considered, there are few options offered for each screen.

Both the screens will have either a 3.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 6 MB of L2 cache or 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 3 MB of L2 cache.

The other option available to the 27 inch screen is a 2.66 GHz Quad core Intel Core i5 processor that has 8 MB of L3 cache with additional Turbo Boost Dynamic performance extended up to 3.2 GHz.

You can also choose the other option offered, a 2.8 GHz quad core Intel core i7 processor that has 8 MB of L3 cache in addition to the turbo boost performance up to 3.4 GHz. Apart from this it is also hyper threaded up to 8 virtual cores.

For those who need additional memory, the standard 4 GB memory can also be upgraded to 16 GB. The storage capacity of 21.5 inch screen is up to 500 GB or an optional 1TB or 2 TB, whereas the 27 inch screen will have 1 TB as standard and 2TB as optional.

How much RAM do you need to Run Windows 7?

Abhinav Kaiser — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:13:58 +0000

Since the launch of Windows 7, I have been pestered with this question and I will dedicate this post to those people who made me write this by their constant lurking.

Microsoft recommends 1GB RAM to run Windows 32 bit and 2GB for the 64 bit version.

Suppose, you have 4GB RAM like I do, your Windows 7 32-bit will be able to utilize the available memory but, your 64 bit system can utilize it a lot more, maybe to the fullest. You will be getting full out of your RAM if you are using 64 bit system.

I have seen that Windows 7 64 bit works great with 4GB RAM and I am pretty sure, that if I add 4GB RAM additionally, it will perform better. More the merrier!

But, it was observed that while running high end games and memory sucking applications, performance was inhibited at 4GB RAM, and a friend who runs 8GB with similar configuration faces problems too, but not the magnitude as I do.

But, at the end of the day, it matters what processor you are running and the graphic card/graphic memory that you employ. Everything does not rest on your system RAM’s shoulders.

Make sure your hardware is compatible with 64 bits as most applications that we use on a regular basis are 32 bits, and they work just fine on a 64 bit operating system.

Remember, there’s no Flash Player for 64 bits yet, but most browsers are still 32 bits, and run find on Windows 64 bit.

Dropcam – The Computerless WiFi Webcam System

Om — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:27:06 +0000

This is the new era where you can use your webcams without the need of any computer. Though there are some existing devices of this kind, the Dropcam Computerless Wifi Webcam system is the latest and one of the best devices that you can try out.

The package offered by this device enables you to connect several cameras to the internet through WiFi or wired Ethernet. It does not involve much work to be done by you, and the simple things that you have to do are to set it up, plug it in and continue streaming.

The video recording rate of this system is 320×240 pixels at the rate of 15 frames per second. The WiFi webcam weighs only 3 ounces and it is thick by one inch.

The only cable that you need to connect via WiFi is power outlet. The new system can be connected either to wireless or to any wired network in your home.

The cameras can also used to watch kids during the day time and you can also watch even at night but in low light. This system also has DVD oriented Pro service setup that allows you to watch the daily activities in your office with activity sensing systems.

The base price of the Dropcam Computerless WiFi Webcam is around $240 and the service cost up to $9 every month. The system can be setup in just 30 seconds, it can be expanded very easily! – No computer needed, it has 100 hours DVR storage and can be accessed anywhere!

Howto : Fix Slow Computers

Weston Campbell — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:51:35 +0000

Why is my computer running slow? Why does it take forever to start up or open programs or browse web pages? These are questions we hear constantly from users.

Thankfully help is at hand. Below are some simple yet effective computer maintenance tasks that can help improve the performance of your computer.

And ALL the tools are FREE.

Inside the computer

• Is your PC clean inside? Dust can build up on the fans etc resulting in bad airflow which in turn can cause the PC to overheat. An overheating PC can cause all sorts of problems such random reboots, screen freezes etc. Use a can of canned air to remove the dust like this one. For temperature monitoring there are a number of good freeware programs that can identify the temperature of your fans, processor, hard drives etc.

Check out: Core Temp or Speed Fan or Everest.

Power supply

• Your computer’s power supply unit (PSU) powers all the components in your PC. The more components you add the more power it needs. Should your PSU be failing or lacking in power then computer performance can be degraded causing all sorts of strange problems. An easy way to check if your PSU is not supplying enough power is by downloading SpeedFan. Once downloaded and installed, open up SpeedFan and look at the voltages on the bottom left of the Readings tab. Look at the +3.3v, +5v and +12v inputs at the bottom left. Your voltages should be within + or – 5% of these. If they are not then test the system with a new / known to work PSU.

Real time security programs

• Having more than one real anti-virus scanner and or malware / spyware program may seem like a good idea and provide you with extra layers of security. However having more than one real time scanner can actually degrade performance as each scanner in turn checks files. We advise that one real time anti-virus and one real time malware / adware / spyware scanner be installed on any system.

Temp files

• Clean out your temp files. As time goes by your computer builds up temporary files from installing programs, browsing the internet etc. These can really slow down your PC and make anti-virus / malware scans take a lot longer. You can do this manually by closing all programs and type %temp% then Enter in to the Run box. A list of files / folders will appear. To select them all press Ctrl+A then press the Delete key. Remember to empty the Recycle Bin. Or use a program such as TFC.

Programs

• Uninstall any old, demo or not required / used programs. Use either the uninstaller that comes with the program or Add / Remove from the Control Panel. DO NOT just delete the program shortcut or the folder in \Program Files.

Startup / Autoruns

• Reduce the number of programs that autorun on startup. Do you really need PowerDVD to run on startup? DO NOT use msconfig to permanently disable start up items as this is meant for troubleshooting purposes only. Use StartUp Lite or Autoruns instead.

System memory

• Does your computer have enough memory? More is definately always better and please don’t confuse RAM memory with hard disk space. Right click My Computer and select Properties to find out how much RAM you have. As a basic rule we recommend atleast 512 MB for XP and 1 GB for Vista. You can check the correct memory upgrade for your computer using Crucial scan my system tool or CPUID.

Hard drive space

• Is your hard drive nearly full. Go to My Computer and right click your C: drive and select properties. A dialogue box with a pie chart will appear showing you both used and free space among other hard drive tools.

Hard drive defrag

• Defrag your hard disk using these with freeware programs such as: DIRMS & Buzzsaw or MyDefrag.

Hard drive diagnostics

• Check your hard drive’s health using diagnostic tools supplied by the manufacturer – Seagate / Maxtor, Western Digital, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Samsung.

File system

• Check your hard disk for errors. For XP go here. For Vista go here.

Swap / page file

• Check your swap file size. This should be atleast the size of the amount of RAM installed in your PC but not more than 4GB and you must have the available space on your hard drive. 98 / XP guide.

System files

• Check your System Files for errors using sfc / scannow. For an XP guide go here. For Vista go here.

Services

• Stop all unnecessary services being careful to retain the required ones. XP guide here. Vista guide here.

Viruses / Malware

• Scan for viruses / malware using the guide here.

Drivers

• Update all your drivers

Windows updates

• Keep up to date with Windows Update by turning ON Automatic Updates.
XP guide. Vista guide.

Software updates

• Keep all your software up to date with FileHippo Update checker.

System restore

• Once done, create a new System Restore point and get rid of ALL old, possibly infected ones. XP guide here. Vista guide here.

Following these steps will help you maintain a healthy system.

Sony VGN-Z598U/B Review

Om — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:34:49 +0000

Sony VGN-Z598 U/B is a multimedia business machine, which comes with dynamic power. This is a light weight, well featured, uniquely designed notebook. It is equipped with a pair of 128 GB solid drives. The machine has twin SSDs, which contribute heavily to render high performance on a consistent basis. Here’s a detailed review of the latest killer machine VGN-Z598U/B, from the house of Sony.

The Asus U6V is considered as the major competitor of Sony VGN-Z598 U/B.

Although the multimedia machine is powerful, it is just 3.3 pounds in terms of its weight, and the device weighs just 4.2 pounds including its power cord.

Another advantage of Sony VGN-Z598 U/B is its prolonged battery stamina.

This business-class notebook can run for more than 4 hours and its display is also quite amicable with 13.1 inch screen as well as wonderful backlight.

Wide screen of this device comes pretty handy in watching videos and positioning more than one file side by side.

While using the Sony VGN-Z598 U/B, even direct sunlight also doesn’t cause any problem because, its LED image can display resolution up to 1600 / 900 pixels. The cutout keyboard system as well as key spacing of it helps in making the device even more beautiful.

Sony VGN – Z598 U/B is also equipped with certain notable features such as a Fire wire 4 pin jack, USB 2.0 port, A/V ends and a PC Express card slot etc. moreover, the basic model is equipped with VGA port in place of Blue-ray drive in VGN – Z598 U/B device.

The software such as VAIO control system, Microsoft works, video editor program and video content exporter comes as a part of default bundled package with Sony VGN-Z598 U/B.

CyberPower LAN Mini H2O – The World’s Smallest Water Cooled Gaming Desktop

Om — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:24:31 +0000

CyberPower is ready to launch its brand new Mini H2O desktop. The latest gaming machine from the producer of dominant gaming rigs is the smallest water cooled gaming rig ever produced in the world, to date.

The dimensions of the new water cooled gaming desktop are as follows. It has length of 11.25 inches, width of 8.75 inches and height of 7 inches respectively.

Surprisingly, the weight of the desktop is just 10 lbs, which is far less in comparison to several other competitors in the market.

The power to the desktop comes from the Intel Core 2 Quad processor and also possesses graphics cards produced by ATI ad NVIDIA.

The salient features of the water cooled desktop include –

• 500 GB hard drive
• 4 GB DDR2 RAM
• DVD burner
• Latest NVIDIA Graphics Card (CyberPower hasn’t officially declared the graphic chipset to be used)
• Bluetooth
• WiFi
• Intel i7 Series Processors (again specifics not unveiled)

It would be quite interesting to see what kind of price tag would this little beauty bear, and will the CyberPower LAN Mini H2O mark the emergence of Intel Nelham processor family in the market.

Lot many things remain unanswered at this point of time, but as of now, with the available specifics, CyberPower LAN Mini H2O definitely looks to be a promising offering.

Dell UltraSharp 2007FP Monitor Review

Om — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:17:48 +0000

Dell has got just about everything right with the UltraSharp 2007FP. The initial price tag of $539 was definitely on the higher side, but now this amazing monitor is available at well under the $400 mark, making it highly competitive in the market.

Though there are several close competitors to the 2007FP, the combination of good looks, ergonomic design, and additional practical goodies is more than enough to equally please the home and business users.

Let us consider the main Pros and Cons of the
Pros

- Excellent image quality
- lots of adjustments options
- composite and S-Video ports
- USB hub
- picture-in-picture window.

Cons

- No dedicated brightness or contrast buttons
- onscreen menu is difficult to navigate
- base is slightly wobbly.

Sure thing, the expensive ones in the 20 inch LCD line-up including the likes of HP LP2065 and Samsung SyncMaster 204T have an edge over the 2007FP, but they badly lack the affordability and variety of inputs offered by the Dell UltraSharp 2007FP

The 20.1-inch Dell 2007FP features the same two-tone color scheme and attractive, versatile design as other members of the UltraSharp family.

A thin, black bezel frames the screen, and a slim neck extends from a Y-shape base, thereby offering exceptional flexibility, with 45 degrees of swivel to the right and left and five inches of height adjustment.

What’s more, the panel also pivots from landscape to portrait mode and tilts 5 degrees forward and 20 degrees back.

The pivoting action is a bit stiff though and but the overall merits of the design easily outweigh these minor drawbacks.

So, overall the Dell UltraSharp 2007FP Monitor is definitely worth your money, considering its pricing and other options in its class.

Micro Express’ MicroFlex 92B Announced

Om — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:40:02 +0000

The Micro Express’ MicroFlex 92B system comes with a 2.93 GHz Intel core processor. The hard drive has massive storage space, and speed up to 10,000 rpm at 1333m MHz. Except this, the system comes with a pre-installed Windows Vista OS. To discover more, continue reading…

The system comes with wireless keyboard and mouse. The device is also provided with Western Digital Velociraptor drive. The PC was rated 6th amongst the top 138 high performing desktop PCs.

The hardcore gamers will definitely love this system as it comes with ATI Radeon HD 4870×2 graphics card to enhance the gaming experience.

Moreover, this card is considered as one of the fastest graphics cards currently available in the market. Sufficient upgrades can be made to the MicroFlex 92 B’s Triton chassis.

The Micro Express’ MicroFlex 92B system supports eight USB connections via the rear panel. The system has good connectivitiy with eSATA port, a Firewire 400 port, an Ethernet port, in built 5.1 surrounding dual sound system as well as an optical PDIF connection.

A media card reader is also provided. Application launching buttons, media control switches, assignable function buttons are certain key features of Micro Express’s wireless keyboard.

Overall, MicroFlex 92 B is a high speed, high performance gaming monster with loads of advanced features. Moreover, this desktop PC is expected to be offered at a reasonable price too. Let us wait and watch how it performs in the market.