Tech Pedia » Review

Microsoft Morro Antivirus vs Premium Anti-Virus Packages

Om — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:56:45 +0000

Microsoft Corporation has started providing a new consumer security solution in form of Microsoft Morro antivirus that is focused on the protection of core anti-malware for addressing the necessity of a solution for the security of PCs, in accordance with the demands of the emerging markets, fast increase of the everyday increasing malware & Trojans, and the smaller PC form factors.

Microsoft Morro Antivirus

Microsoft Morro Antivirus vs Other Premium Anti-Virus Solutions
Free and Microsoft? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, Microsoft Morro Antivirus is the codename given to this antivirus from the house of Microsoft Corporation that matches the capabilities of Avira, Norton, MacAfee, and the likes of them. Comprehensive protection is offered by Microsoft Morro from malware, Trojans, root kits, spyware and viruses.

The users are being protected from the online world that is full of malicious stuff. It is the best solution for the less powerful PCs, making such PCs ideal for the scenarios involving low bandwidth and it’s designed for the smaller footprint PCs. No charge has been taken from the customers for this recent solution offered by Microsoft.

The design of this antivirus was done by the concern of the customers of Microsoft across the world to have an ongoing and comprehensive protection from the latest viruses, Trojans and also already existing malwares.

The free antivirus, Morro has brought a good number of customers to Microsoft mainly from the areas where people had stopped buying PCs because of the malware’s growth. Morro was built on the engine of an award winning malware protection. Morro takes the advantage of the same technology of the core anti-malware.

It had been awarded with the Checkmark Certification from west Coast labs , Award of VB100 from Virus Bulletin, and also got a certification from International Computer Security Association Labs. Same kind of very effective protection against the malware by the new solution as it was provided by the solutions of Microsoft enterprise.

The first software with all kinds of packages launched in the market of technology was Windows Live one care. It has many other features like the automated PC tune-up and printer sharing that are of no security. Morro has the capability of providing the important features according to the need of the users without the systems resources overuse. Better protection from the online threats is the advantage of Morro antivirus.

Where to Find Microsoft Morro Antivirus?

Standalone download of MS Morro is available online, and it provides the protection from malware & Trojans to all the current operating systems including Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

When MS Morro is used, it connects to the primary enhancements and the ongoing security of Windows as well as the Internet Explorer. A free and robust security solution was recently offered to the customers that helped in protecting the PCs from numerous threats online.

When Morro was being made available in the market the direct sales of Windows Live One care were phased out. Internal testing was done on this free antivirus service of Microsoft, and there is still a large scope of improvement in the current version of Microsoft Morro, nevertheless it provides excellent PC protection that too without spending even a penny!

Aviton AZ281MA GPS Review

Om — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:51:30 +0000

If you’ve been looking for an Aviton GPS review over the internet, there are good chances that you might not have found much information about it. Basically, Aviton is a Russian manufacturer and the company website is also in Russian language. There’s very little information available about the manufacturer and its offerings in English. So, this article will serve the purpose of a handy guide to know more about Aviton, and the Aviton GPS unit, especially for those who’re planning to buy one of these GPS units in near future.

About the Manufacturer

Aviton isn’t as popular as the likes of Garmin and TomTom, though the company has been in the market of electronic components for over a decade now.

Aviton is a Russian company that deals with telecommunication systems, and electronic equipment manufacturing. The company also makes stepper motors, compact DC motors and high precision drives, components for automation, switching power supplies, and wide varieties of electronic components. Aviton is relatively new to the market of GPS navigation devices, but considering their extensive experience in the field of electronic items, you can expect high quality in its GPS products and good value for your money.

Salient Features

Turning the focus towards the Aviton GPS navigation device, it comes with an elegant 3.5″ inches wide screen. The device has 64MB of RAM and 1927MB (a weird figure though) of non-volatile memory called MLC.

The Aviton GPS may not be worthy enough to challenge the likes of Garmin 885T, Garmin Nuvifone and other high end GPS devices, but it comes with impressive iGo navigation software featuring 2D and 3D mapping and much more; so it is bound to catch the eyes of its potential buyers.

It also renders accurate view of streets that you navigate through. You get access to 53 maps, including maps of all 50 states of US, as well as Puerto Rico and Columbia. Moreover, you can also find a base elevation map derived from US Geological Survey.

Just like every other high quality navigator unit, the Aviton GPS unit also comes with the auto-route feature. With the help of re-route calculator, it re-calculates the new route and points back in right direction whenever you deviate from your original path. The device also gives out voice prompts apart from displaying text information on its visual display, though it lacks the “text-to-speech” converter.

Hence, the Aviton GPS can audibly announce “turn left” to alert you about the upcoming left turn, but it can’t make announcements like “turn right on 31st Avenue”, due to lack of “text-to-speech”converter in the device.

Design and Navigation

The Aviton AZ281MA GPS unit comes in a sleek, easily pocket-able design. The unit is extremely portable and you won’t feel its presence in your pocket. Its menu navigation is absolutely hassle-free.

What’s more, navigation program by Nav-N-Go is quite impressive and the device runs on Atlas III dual core processor (very much a combination of GPS chipset and an Intel clone), which ensures quick responses to all the navigational operations. You can make use of the Aviton GPS unit in pedestrian navigation and car navigation modes, as and when required, making it a versatile choice.

Package Contents and Pricing

When you open a box-piece, you’ll be happy to find a dash mount, quick-start guide, and windshield mount, apart from the DC adaptor, USB cable, a rechargeable Li-polymer battery, and of course the Aviton AZ281MA GPS unit.

The suction mount is quite adjustable, which grabs any flat part of a windshield very well, while the cradle sticks on to the end of suction mount effortlessly.

The Aviton GPS unit also has a SD card slot, which provides the much needed flexibility to expand the memory of the device. All this and more is available at a reasonable price of just $119.99 online.

Overall Performance

Looking at the pros of Aviton GPS, it is quite user-friendly, easy to use, sleek, and handy to carry around. With its voice prompts, driving becomes a snap, and its maps are also upgradeable.

Considering some of the downsides of the device, you can’t easily cancel a route in progress, and on many occasions, it doesn’t give you the best route possible.

But, with so much on the offer at a reasonable price of just $119.99, it is definitely a great deal.

Simplified Guide to Build a Homemade Digital TV (HDTV) Antenna in 30Minutes

Om — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:03:54 +0000

Sure thing, you can pick-up a ready-made HDTV antenna, but for the DIY lovers and those who don’t want to shell out even a penny on buying one, here’s a handy guide to make a homemade HDTV antenna within an hour or so.

Overview

Ready-to-use Yagi style HDTV antennas are available for under $100 in the market, though they may not be the most comfortable ones to use. Some of these come with a rotor, but no indicator. And, you may definitely have a hard time pointing the antenna in the right direction.

More so, dealing with digital signals with moving antenna isn’t going to be pretty; it may take several minutes for signals to stabilize, meaning you’ll have to do several iterations that too very slowly, to get the best results.

Well, worry no more about these problems – here are some simple steps to build your own homemade HDTV antenna, which is bound to produce far better results than your old analog antenna. You may not have to face a lot of drop-outs with this, and homemade HDTV antennas are far more economical, literally costing you few dollars at the most.

Eight Simple Steps to Build a Homemade UHF Antenna

1. Pick a small plywood piece (or other weather resistant or weather impervious material) – say 30×16 inches in size, and some grates from an old oven or a couple of metal drying racks.

2. Wrap the piece with the aluminum foil type of high temperature duct tape.

3. Now, cut a 2 X 4 to the proper length and prepare a notch cut in the bottom (so as to be able to mount it in the rotor or on the mast). For instance if your board is 30×16, you may want to keep a 5 inch notch cut.

4. Lay down the 2 X 4, lay the board face down on top of it and center it, and nail it in with some roofing nails.

5. Next, you need to figure out the place for bowties, and then the matching transformer needs to be connected at the center.

6. Grab a few screws and washers, and four coat hangers. It’s time to get rid of the head of these hangers and cut the base to form couple of V-sections from each of them.

Moving on, you need to trim these 8 V-sections in such a way that their legs are about 7 inches long, and then polish or roughen the elbows of these V sections with sand paper just where they make contact with the washer.

7. You need to find more coat hangers, or probably anything stiff that can do the trick. Having done that, it’s time to put your V sections under each washer, with the wire.

Next, tighten the screw, but before that you may want to ensure that your wires and V’s have same length so as to create the right phasing. More so, the wires will crisscross on the ends, but you’ll have to keep at least one of them insulated.

8. Finally, you’re good to go ahead and connect your matching transformer in the middle, and check that the Vs are parallel with the foil background and placed uniformly.

Now, it’s time to bid a happy goodbye to all the age old crappy antennas that you’ve (if any) and install your latest DIY creation.

Note: This antenna is expected to work well with UHF frequencies, and you can’t expect it to catch the weakest VHF channels for sure.

Further Improvements and Points to Remember

Here are some points to keep in mind -

• For better results, you may want to add a reflector four inches behind the antenna. This can be any type of lightweight mesh material, and it should protrude beyond the bowties equally on all sides.

• Position the bowties as precisely as you can.

• Exact measurements will always produce better results.

• If you use copper wire in the bowties, try to keep it as straight as possible.

Disclaimer: There are several ways to make a homemade HDTV antenna and this is just one of the simpler ways, though you can’t expect the best results with this.

Bugatti Rocks – Check this Out!

Om — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:46:49 +0000

Very few people know that Bugatti, the world leaders in automotives and fashion wear now produce electronic gadgets as well. They have come up with a new Vera Kettle that is a real art piece that performs its task as well.

Now you need not worry about quenching you hot drink every time you wish to. This electronic kettle has put in the technology and elegance in the right ratio. The kettle will achieve the required temperature and the heating will the uniform thus helping you to make those hot favorite hot beverages.

The handle has the touch buttons that include the temperature control, auto cut off and other sophisticated controls. The handle also has a display screen in it. Easy operation of the kettle is guaranteed by the ability to rotate the device for a full 360 degrees on the base. The maximum thermal efficiency is achieved by the design that equips both the latest technological developments and the stylish conical design, both of which go hand in hand. This also helps in significantly diminishing the energy consumption.

VERA can also add to the appearance apart from its performance as it is available in various colors like white, cream, black, orange, yellow, lilac, chrome, red and green apple and many other colors as well. Many models come in dual colors also. The pricing, though has not be reveled still.

A true master piece indeed!

Latest Sound Link Wireless Music System from Bose!

Om — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:20:24 +0000

The new sound system from Bose is mainly designed for the people who like to listen to music without sitting in front of the computer or any other source of music devices.

It allows the user to operate it from anywhere around the device with its excellent wireless connectivity.

The single piece portable device, Bose Sound link Wireless Music System from the famous audio device manufacturer Bose, uses the wireless network and an additional USB key that must be plugged onto your computer.

Most of the music systems need separate software to be installed, which is more time consuming, but to reduce this burden, Bose music system has been designed such that it does not require any software to be installed and you can directly plug and play!

As the computer has become a home entertainment device and a storage system for digital music, the new system developed by the Bose allows you to enjoy the music stored on your hard drive.

The other choices included in the device are that you can also stream music from online radio or any other kind of music sources.
The new Bose sound link wireless music system is a portable music player system, and the rechargeable lithium ion battery in the device allows the device to provide the battery backup for three hours.

The new music system can be yours for $549.95!

Transcend MP330 Music Player Review

Om — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:11:29 +0000

Transcend has officially announced the release of new digital music player called MP330. The new player can recognize various audio formats like FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), MP3, WAV, WMA along with digitally protected WMA DRM10 music file formats. The 90dB high signal to noise ratio in the music player translates into a high quality audio output.

Apart from the high quality sound, it also offers seven different advanced equalizer effects, USB connector and a bright OLED display that allows you to transfer files from and into the device very easily, which is found in most of the other sound devices available today.

The Transcend MP330 Music player is available in various storage sizes such as 2GB, 4GB and in 8GB. The music player is offered in only black and white colors. The only thing lacking in this device is the choice of various color options.

The other features in the music player include special user customizable option, FM radio, play along with display and support for 14 languages. All the functions can be accessed very easily through specially designed navigation buttons and intuitive interface.

The built-in USB connector in the music player allows you to operate like any other USB flash drive, which allows you to transfer music files without the need of any external cables.

The sade part of the story is that the new model is offered in only two colors – white and black! Sounds pretty boring, isn’t it? Well, you’ll have to live on with it, though the music files can be transferred very easily onto and from the device.

Garmin 255 Series Auto GPS Review

Om — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:05:08 +0000

Garmin 255 series is highly impressive as an entry level auto GPS navigator. With its main advantage being highly portable, the 255 includes HotFix technology, text to speech and a large collection of points of interest.

255W offers a very nice widescreen display of 4.3 inches, which makes the maps easy to read and comes with intuitive user interface for which, Garmin has always been famous for.

But, it also provides more information like the speed limits and the current speed. It is also included with the characteristics, which are found on very costly units like photo navigation, text to speech converter, content with an optional receiver and support for the traffic of FM or traffic, which is MSN enhanced.

There is also another latest option, which lets you send the addresses exclusively from MapQuest or Google Maps when the unit is connected to a PC or laptop/netbook. Upgrades of performance over the previous models include a HotFix technology and a faster processor, which provides faster satellite lock.

One of the complaints about the former models of Garmin was its slow satellite lock and hence it is a welcome upgrade. As expected, there’s a large collection of Points of Interest by making it easy to find the locally situated restaurants, hotels, entertainment and gas stations.

Sure thing, the Garmin 255 is not the cheapest auto GPS navigator among the various models of Garmin, but the unit is surely quite affordable. If the user has less money Garmin 255 has another model of same functions with a non-widescreen display of 3.5 inches. While driving it makes slightly difficult to read.

It is packed with many characteristics, especially for the price of the unit but it still remains easy in the usage of the unit remarkably. If you find pricing of 255W to be slightly more for its class, then the next best option is indeed the Garmin 255.

V Series GPS Navigational Systems

Om — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:53:06 +0000

Garmin has been the leader in the GPS navigation units, but what has really given boost to the V-series is the sheer fact that voice control of the device is simply superb. Even if your accent has a mother-tongue influence, the device manages to understand the voice commands even from non-native English speakers.

V Series GPS Units versus Garmin and Other Top Brands

Remember, it is not just about finding a voice-activated GPS unit, but finding the one, which understands all kinds of accents with equal ease.

Today, Navigon 7200T, Magellan Maestro 4250, TomTom GO 930 GPS, and Garmin Nuvi 880 are some of the top voice activated GPS devices, but the V Series Navigational Systems have got something special about them.

Don’t Be a Victim like Ozzy Ozbourne

In one of the Ozzy Ozbourne’s MTV shows in 2006, he tried using his uber-cool voice-activated telephone plugged on to his scintillating new BMW, though results were nothing more than embarrassment.

No wonder, telephone failed to understand his broad Midlands accent and refused to accept any of his slurred commands.

Finally Ozzy got fed up and since the device did not understand any of the command it trying telling it to **** off – surprisingly, it did understand that after all!

So, a GPS unit with such a hopeless voice control isn’t something that you should put your money on. It is important that the device understands your voice commands easily and let’s you feed street addresses to set the destination effortlessly.

Therefore, despite reasonable pricing, and great performance, V Series Navigational Systems could never make it big in the market. But, now with their latest launch on the corner (expected soon), Novogo might be able to compete with the top notch devices, and secure a spot in the line up of the reputed voice-activated GPS units.

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.