New Electronics Reviews

The Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) is a fully functional computer running Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. The UMPC has all the functionality of Microsoft Windows XP Professional with additional functionality of the Tablet PC Future versions of the UMPC will run Windows Vista in continuation with the use of the Tablet PC features.

From a user point of view this means that there is no need of extra learning. The UMPC is portable, mobile and does anything that desktop, laptops and notebook PCs can do. Apart from accomplishing what many portable devices do today, everything you could do on large computers because it runs the full Windows XP operating system. Users work on the same operating system as well as use the same applications which were previously available only on desktop PCs, laptops and notebook computers. Beyond these features, the ultra-portable size; lower cost; inbuilt Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet Ports and support for technologies like GPS, makes the UMPC suitable to a wider range of compelling mobile PC experiences.

Some important features of the UMPC which is helping it in gradually capturing a sizeable share in the market are:

• It is smaller and much lighter than traditional notebooks and laptops

• It has multiple input methods, like a touch screen, stylus (write or select with a pen), input through speech, and optional Bluetooth or USB keyboard

• It runs on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 operating system

• It has a competitive pricing

• It has a 30 to 60 GB Hard disk drive

• The Processor is either an Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium M or a VIA C7-M

• It has some additional In-built features like GPS, Digital TV Tuner Card, fingerprint reader, Compact flash.

The benefits available to users are endless. Some of them are:

• Connect and communicate easier, in more places, and in more scenarios.

• Be productive anywhere and at any time.

• Be entertained and informed wherever they go.

• Experience more integrated digital entertainment experiences like music and gaming.

• Sharing digital images

• Mapping or following a GPS signal

• Browsing the Web

• Managing e-mail

• Communicating in real time

• Gaming

• Listening to music

• Controlling a television and other home electronics

• Watching recorded movies and television

• Watching and tracking sporting events, teams, and players

• Managing finances

• Managing food, recipe, and kitchen inventories

• Taking notes

• Conducting research

• Managing schedules

• Maintaining a To-Do list

Current Base Specification of a UMPC

While the exact specifications varies between Original Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEM), but the baseline specifications for UMPC are:

• Screen size: 7 inches or smaller

• Screen resolution: Minimum 800x480 resolution with 800x600 and 1024x600 available through video scaling technology

• Weight: less than 2 lbs

• Display Orientation: Landscape

• Input methods: Touch screen (type or select with a finger), stylus (write or select with a pen) , hardware controls (navigate and select with buttons on the UMPC), add on Bluetooth or USB-based keyboard

• Operating system: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (Very soon the OS on UMPC will be Windows Vista)

• Network connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Ethernet

• Battery life: 2.5 hours or more

• Processor: Intel Celeron M, Intel Pentium M, or VIA C7-M

• Storage: 30GB to 60GB hard drive

• Some UMPCs may include additional built-in features such as GPS, a webcam, fingerprint reader, digital TV tuners, and compact flash and SD card readers.

Despite issues with a short battery life, In the near future Ultra-mobile PCs will eventually become essential and omnipresent as mobile phones are today.

Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8


Top Brand HDTVs at Walmart.com from $384

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Labels: Computers

The new HP Pavilion TouchSmart IQ770 incorporates a PC, a 19 inch touch screen, a wireless keyboard and a mouse. The IQ770 is a HP’s new venture in home computing. The system is loaded with genuine Windows Vista Home Premium. The PC has an AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 dual-core processor, large and impressive 2GB of memory and a 320GB hard disk for storing lots of data, music, videos and digital photos. The HP IQ770 has a built-in DVD burner with LightScribe, a TV turner card and a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera.

The IQ770 runs the new Media Center Interface with the new HP SmartCenter front page. HP SmartCenter leverages the touchscreen, making the IQ770 a centralized information appliance. It displays information on the local weather, TV programs, music, games and many more. This is truly an all-in-one media center.

Pros:

• Compatible with Windows Vista TouchScreen features

• 2GB of RAM

• HP SmartCentre provides easy-to-use packages for day-to-day activites

• Stylus and Voice recording capability

• Nvidia Geforce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB memory

• Ships with Photosmart Touch editing software

Cons:

• Wireless access point required, not included.

• Fixed configuration, there are limitations on expandibility

• No high density optical drive

Specifications:

Processor: AMD Turion 64 X 2 Dual Core TL52 with AMD LIVE! Technology

Memory: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 320 GB 7200 rpm SATA

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium

Network Communication: 802.11 a/b/g and Gigabit Ethernet

Monitor: 19” LCD Touch Enabled

TV Tuner: NTSC and HDTV Tuner

Sound: Integrated Audio with 6 speakers and 2 built-in 12W speakers

Optical Drive: Multi drive DVD Burner

Web Camera: 1.3 megapixel

Ports: 2 USB and 1 IEEE 1394

Media Card: 8-in-1 media card reader

Summary:

HP Pavilion TouchSmart IQ770 is a great all in one system and uses the new technologies in Windows Vista quite effectively. It is suitable for those looking for a home PC to organize family schedules, or to have some entertainment media served up in the kitchen or another small room.

Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8


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Labels: Computers

The New Mac Pro is the world’s first 3.0GHz, 8-core Intel Xeon-based workstation. Based on Intel's 64-bit Xeon CPU, the Mac Pro has two dual-core processors. The new Mac Pro is the final Macintosh in Apple's line-up to make the shift from PowerPC processors to Intel processors. The standard configuration of the New Mac Pro consists of 2.66-GHz Xeon processors, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, a single 16x SuperDrive and the Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT graphics card with 256MB of video RAM. The Mac Pro not only runs Mac OS X and OS X applications at absolutely blazing speeds, but also Windows XP via Apple’s Boot Camp, the Mac Pro makes a better Windows workstation than almost any other Windows desktop.

Pros:

• Sleek, attractive and extremely quiet

• Internal Components can be easily self-serviced including the DVD drives and PCI expansion slot

• Well-built multi-core CPU performance

• Provided with 4 SATA II drive inlet and faster PCI

• Xeon-based PC Workstations or Quad G5 at affordable price

• Ability to run Auto-CAD via Windows XP along with Mac OS X

• Mac Pro accommodates up to four drives and 3 Terabyte of storage

• Offers eight DIMM slots to fill up to 16GB of RAM

• 5 USB Ports, 2 each Firewire 400 and 800 port

Cons:

• Standard GeForce 7300 GT video card underperforms in comparisons with PCs

• Airport and Bluetooth come with extra cost

• FB-DIMM memory is expensive

• Design Applications like Adobe Photoshop and Sketch Pro are not indigenous for Intel Macs

• Incompatible with "Classic" Mac applications and with a few PowerPC-based software and hardware

• Lacks support for SLI or Crossfire

Specifications:

• Processor: 3.0 Ghz, 4MB L2 Cache, 1333 MHz FSB

• Memory: 1 GB, Expandable to Max 16 GB, 8 DIMM Slots

• Hard Drive: 250 GB, Expandable to 3 TB

• Optical Drive: 16x Superdrive

• Network Connectivity: 2 Gigabit Ethernet Ports, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0

• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 1 single link and 1 dual link DVI Port

• Ports: 5 USB 2.0, 2 Firewire 400 and 2 Firewire 800

• Weight: 42.4 lb

• Audio: Digital in-and-out and Analog in-and-out

• Software: Mac OS X 10.4.7, iLife 08, Comic Life, FileMaker 8.5, Omni Outliner

Summary:

Apple’s Mac Pro consists of really awesome hardware features which provides great performance at a reasonable price. Particularly for 3D design, there is requirement of special configuration options but otherwise the Mac Pro can be considered as a professional class PC. With the new Mac Pro your imaginations finally meets its match.

Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8


Top Brand HDTVs at Walmart.com from $384

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Labels: Computers

The new Apple MacBook Pro gets easily placed in the elite class of laptops, with its high-end performance, features and built on Intel’s new attempt of dominating the notebooks market segment with its Core 2 Duo processor. The MacBook Pro is available in two models of 15.4 inches and 17 inch, at a starting price tag of US$1,999. The solid and well-built similarity with its aluminum-clad precursor versions and its thin frame makes it easily stuffed onto smaller laptop bags. It is provided with the minimalist layout characteristic feature with single power button, a full-scale keyboard, a considerably sized touchpad with the only mouse button, stereo speakers and built-in iSight camera.

Strengths:

• Classic and sleek design

• Exceptional Software Package

• New mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display for better and brighter display

• Wi-Fi 802.11n

• Illuminated keyboard, scrollable Touch Pad and Slot Loading drive

• Provides 4MB of Smart Cache, L2 cache that can be shared among the 2 cores

• Equipped with a FireWire 800 port and can burn dual-layer DVDs

• Stuffed with 2GB of RAM and an ultra speedy 256MB of video RAM

Drawbacks:

• Although the MacBook Pro has a thin frame but is heavy to be carried often

• Provided with only 2/3 USB 2.0 ports

• No internal Modem option

• Lacks Media Card Reader and other ports

• No PC Card slot

• Noisy Audio

• Shorter Warranty period in comparison to price

• Battery Life although increased would have been better

• Doesn’t support classic MAC OS Software

Specifications of the two MacBook Pro Models:

	15.4 Inch MacBook Pro	17 inch MacBook Pro
Processor	2.2GHz or 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo	2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory	2 GB	2 GB
Hard Drive	Up to 200 GB	Up to 250 GB
Weight	5.4 Pounds	6.8 Pounds
USB Ports	2 - USB 2.0 Ports	3 – USB 2.0 Ports
Network Support	Gigabit Ethernet Wi-Fi 802.11n Bluetooth 2.0+EDR	Gigabit Ethernet Wi-Fi 802.11n Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Optical Drive	8x double-layer-burning SuperDrive	8x double-layer-burning SuperDrive
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Keyboard	Illuminated Keyboard	Illuminated Keyboard
TrackPad	Scrolling	Scrolling

Summary:

The MacBook Pro conveys ultimate fashion, comes with an exclusive set of features and software, 802.11n Wi-Fi delivers up to five times the performance and two times the range compared to the 802.11g standard.. But a few transitional performance concerns prevents it from being amongst the most powerful laptops. It is one of the most suited laptop for power users but doesn’t come cheap.

Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8


Top Brand HDTVs at Walmart.com from $384

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Labels: Computers

The Nintendo Wii is the most compact of all the Next-Gen gaming consoles. The Wii is easily the smallest and lightest of the new generation of game machines, measuring 1.75 x 6.25 x 8.5 inches (Height x Width x Breadth)

The Nintendo Wii is powered by the IBM PowerPC processor and includes 512MB of internal memory for storing saved games, downloaded Virtual Console titles, and other data. The system has an onboard standard digital card slot for additional storage.

The Nintendo Wii accepts only the Wii discs (full-size 12cm) and older GameCube discs (mini 8cm), without the need for an extra adapter. To play games the Wii uses a controller which looks more like a remote of a TV than a gamepad. The Wii has a sensor bar which is a wired receiver unit that allows the console to communicate wirelessly (via Bluetooth) with up to four Wii Remotes at a time within a radius of 30 feet.

The Wii’s online capabilities works through a series of pages called Wii Channels which take advantage of WiiConnect24’s always-on features. The default Wii channels are:

• Weather forecast channel
• News Channel
• Message channel
• Photo Channel
• Avatar generating channel

There is also an Internet Channel is an Opera based Web browser for the Wii. The Internet Channel is currently available for free as a beta version, but when Opera releases the final version of the Internet Channel software, it will be available as a paid channel. URLs are entered via the Wii's onscreen keyboard, and favorite web pages can be stored in the browser's bookmarks.

The Nintendo Wii offers a surprise for sports fans. The system comes with Wii Sports, a simple but infectious sports game that lets users get a feel for the Wii's capabilities without investing in additional games.

Pros:

• Excellent controller design, offering unique motion-sensitive playing options
• Built-in Wi-Fi delivers free online services and gameplay
• Compatible with all GameCube games and controllers
• Built-in SD slot for storage and photo viewing
• Includes Wii Sports game
• Most affordable of all next-generation gaming systems
• Allows to download games from older consoles

Cons:

• Controller consumes a lot of batteries energy
• Lacks advanced HD graphics and SRS effect found on other systems (Xbox 360 and PS3)
• Requires a wired receiver unit to interface with wireless controllers
• Can't play Music CDs or Movie DVDs

Specifications:

• Processor: IBM PowerPC (RISC)
• Memory: 512 MB
• Weight: 3.84 lbs or 61.44 ozs
• Input Type: Joystick
• Media Support: Nintendo Wii disc, Nintendo GAMECUBE disc
• Wireless Network: 802.11 b/g built-in adapter
• Input/Output Connections: 4 pin USB type
• Battery: AA (x 2)
• Memory Card: Flash 512 MB

Summary:

The Nintendo Wii lacks the graphical capability and rich media features found in other game consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3, but the Nintendo Wii's affordable price, combination of unique controllers and prominence on fun game play makes this console hard to resist.

Nintendo Wii System: Fall Fun Bundle!
Includes Game System with Wii Sports and 4 Hot Games!
Buy.com Price: $418.88


Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8
$10 off $200 valid in our Computers, Software, Home Networking, Digital Cameras and Electronic Stores! exp 10/31/07

Top Brand HDTVs at Walmart.com from $384
TigerDirect's Liquidation Sale!
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Take advantage of online coupon savings at Office Depot.
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Labels: Miscellaneous

The Garmin Nuvi retains all the features that made the 660 the king of the hill before it, such as the ultra bright 4.3′ wide screen display, incredibly efficient bluetooth calling, and real time traffic conditions brought seamlessly into the navigation data. The Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS receiver has a bunch of new tricks up its sleeve that has already made it a must have unit for anyone looking to jump into the GPS market.

Tiger's Storefront

Most prominent of the new additions to its predecessor, is the integration and utility of MSN direct service built incredibly efficient into the experience. MSN Direct functionality brings the experience to new levels, with real up to the minute data displayed for you exact geographical location as determined by the super accurate tracking systems. Such features as gas prices, weather conditions, up to the second traffic conditions and local movie and entertainment information for areas right around your general area. The Nuvi 680 comes with a 1 year's subscription to MSN direct when you buy the unit, and will cost about $50 a year after that, or you can also pay a one time fee of $130 for Lifetime coverage.

MSN Direct Services available on the Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS unit are:

• MSN Direct - Movies
  The MSN Direct system will retrieve movie theater locations and what's playing at those theaters too, allowing you to search by movie or theater

• MSN Direct – Weather

• When you tap on the weather button you get a forecast for a city or town close to you.

• MSN Direct - Gas Prices
  MSN Direct covers about 100,000 gas stations across the country and the US has 121,000 gas stations. Cheaper prices come up Green and high prices come up Red.

• MSN Direct Traffic
  The Nuvi 680 uses MSN Direct Traffic. MSN Direct uses Traffic.com's data acquired by NAVTEQ, which relies on road sensors to gather information about traffic flow and anticipated delays along your route.

• MSN Direct Signals
  When the car is powered off, the MSN Direct receiver is working on battery power pulling down updated important data like movies, gas prices, traffic, weather.

Strengths:

• White backlit screen is easy to read even in sunlight

• Slim, portable design

• Integrated FM transmitter

• NAVTEQ Mapping Data

• Mapping data is stored in memory rather than a hard disk, making the unit very lightweight and less susceptible to hard disk failure or damage from dropping.

• Excellent performance from SiRF's Star III GPS chipset

• Excellent routing engine

• Fast boot/shutdown times

• Bluetooth / Cell phone integration works well and is thoughtfully implemented with features like call waiting, pausing music during a call etc.

• WebUpdater software makes updating the Nuvi 680’s internal software easy

• Fast CPU performance

• Good quality internal microphone works well for hand-free telephone.

• Long battery life (up to 8 hours per charge)

• Capability to add travel guides

• Ability to route to latitude/longitude coordinates

Drawbacks:

• Expensive

• Manual selection of FM radio stations.

• Weak FM transmitter. The unit needs to be very close to the car stereo for good performance

• Limited MSN Direct coverage areas.

• Can take up to 20 minutes to receive MSN-Direct data once you're in an MSN coverage area

• Route exclusion feature not available

• No multi-destination address optimizing

• No physical volume control

• No way to sort the address book alphabetically, the entries appear in order of closeness to your current position.

• No MP3 playlist capability

Specifications:

• 3D View: Yes

• Display Type: Touch

• Hard Drive: No

• Flash Memory Type: SD/MMC

• Preloaded maps: Yes (North America)

• Waterproof: No

• Weight: 0.39 lb

• Speakers: Built-in

• Power: Adapter, Battery

• Supports MP3: Yes

• PC Interface: USB, Bluetooth Wireless Technology

• Multi Segment Routing: No

Summary:

Garmin leads the market amongst all other GPS manufacturers with the introduction of real-time location-based services that go beyond traffic reports. The Garmin Nuvi 680 is a must have GPS unit for every long distance traveler. Having the MSN Direct Service onboard the Nuvi 680 is a great addition to an already excellent navigator.

Labels: GPS Navigators

A hard drive is a storage device that holds the data of a computer. Every computer needs a hard drive to store its programs like the operating system, applications and data or information, and this drive is placed inside the system unit which also has the motherboard, CPU, RAM Modules and PCI Cards. However with the growth and computer being used in diverse fields, different needs, threats, and circumstances have risen, this makes it compulsory to have an additional external hard drive for your computer. External hard drives are becoming extremely popular day by day.

External Hard Drives

An external hard drive is usually found outside the main computer tower or the system unit, having its own enclosure. The enclosure is slightly larger than the hard drive itself, and sometimes contains a cooling fan. External hard drives are portable and allows the user to store information on a hard drive that is not placed inside the computer, but rests on a tabletop or surface near the computer. The external hard drive is connected to the computer via a high-speed interface cable. The interface cable allows the external hard drive to communicate with the computer so that data may be passed back and forth. The most common types of interfaces being used today are USB and Fire Wire.

An external hard drive is a useful storage device. It allows the user to back up or store important information off the main drive, which could be threatened by online or offline activities. External hard drives are large in size ranging from 40 gigabytes to 500 gigabytes and can be used to store sensitive documents, DVD Images, large music files, disk partition images, movies, and even a backup of the main hard drive which is inside. All these can all be kept secure and safe on an external hard drive. Even while the computer is on and running, the external drive can be turned off to keep it safe from online threats.

Another big advantage of using an external hard drive is that it is portable and operates as it detected by the operating system (Plug-and-Play device). Any computer with a USB or FireWire capability will recognize the external hard drive as a storage device, and assign it a drive letter. The drive can then be accessed like a normal internal hard drive. It takes a few seconds to transfer huge files back and forth from work computers to home computers, to a friend's computer, or between your desktop and laptop. Just plug in the interface cable to quickly reconstruct a working environment, making your favorite programs portable. One can easily transfer entire gigabytes of data in a short span.

An external hard drive is removable and allows multiple users to each have a separate hard drive with the respective user's applications and data. In this manner, multiple users each having their own drives can effectively share a single computer system. External hard drive solves the problem of connecting a drive to a computer without opening up the computers.

Mini Hard Drives

Although its hard to beat flash-based drives when it comes to portability, but Mini hard drives or USB hard drives are often a better value for a long term investment and where durability is a factor. Most of these drives cost less than $200 and weigh less than 3 ounces. These drives are so small that they can fit in the palms of your hand. Today mini hard drives are available with a storage capacity from 4 gigabytes to 12 gigabytes and is sufficient to backup you data, important files, digital movies, photos and sensitive data. Mini drives are gaining popularity because vendors are making every effort to protect the spinning hard disk and also these drives last longer than a lot of the plastic flash drives in the market. These drives are the perfect media to carry you data along with you wherever you go.

Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8
$10 off $200 valid in our Computers, Software, Home Networking, Digital Cameras and Electronic Stores! exp 10/31/07

Top Brand HDTVs at Walmart.com from $384
TigerDirect's Liquidation Sale!
Save 30%-50% Off Select Clearance Items! Shop now and Save! (While Supplies Last)
Take advantage of online coupon savings at Office Depot.
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Labels: Miscellaneous

Sleek, slim and sophisticated design, crystal clear images, immense sound power and multimedia facilities; these are characteristics of today’s high definition televisions. These televisions are capable of processing digital signals and creating a ‘theatre-quality’ visual and acoustic experience. They however, will not be able to improve the quality of conventional analogue signals. So those channels may still look the same. There are quite a few manufacturers who compete in this niche segment of the television market like Vizio, Philips, and Sony. The products are priced higher than their conventional counterparts, naturally due to the host of features provided to the consumer.

Latest additon to Sony’s BRAVIA product line is the Sony KDL-40V2500. It is packed with all characteristics of the HDTV. It has a very sleek design and can be mounted on the wall or on a detachable swivel base. This pedestal allows for 30-degree swivel to the right and left, a forward tilt of 3 degrees and backward tilt of 8 degrees, enabling the product to be conveniently positioned. The speakers are located at the bottom of the TV, making the design highly compact.

This 40-inch TV has high-resolution LCD display, with Full HD supporting 1920 X 1080 pixel display, and 1080p content. It has a response time of 8 ms, with the screen content being refreshed once in 8 milli seconds; rendering blur-free high-action images in a life-like manner. Digital comb filters, wider screen aspect ratio and high contrast ratio gives the viewer a crisper wide screen images. In built stereo speakers with 20-watt output capacity, along with the Digital Dolby decoder, and TruSurround XT provide an amazing surround sound experience. This model can also be intergrated with other home theatre devices or even your personal computer through a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) to provide a true multi media experience.

Apart from the technicalities, Sony KDL-40V2500 offers easy menu access using WEGA GATE feature. The widescreen aspect ratio enables the viewer to watch a normal picture in wide screen mode. Parental Control feature allows parents to rate channels and allow access to channels based on their rating. Additionally, the viewer has a facility to freeze an image in a second window for reference purpose, while the program can be viewed in the primary window.

As for the downside, 1080p ouput can be achieved only by using the HDMI and not from other components like gaming devices and DVD players. For those of you, used to the picture-in-picture mode, the feature is missing in this model. Inspite of the 8 ms response time cited, occasionally there is a blur on fast-moving images.

Also, there seems to be a problem with overscanning of television channels, you may not be able to watch your main program and a ticker from another channel at the same time. This may also be due to an incorrect setting.

This product, with its accessories (tabletop stand, coaxial cable, HD15-to-HD15 cable, remote control (with batteries), operating manual) comes with 1-year warranty on parts and labour and in-house service warranty. On the whole this model of BRAVIA, is worth the investment, offering a truly high-end television experience. Latest addition to BRAVIA series, "Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture" lives up to its name.

Deals of Interest

Emerson 32" LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, LC320EM8
$10 off $200 valid in our Computers, Software, Home Networking, Digital Cameras and Electronic Stores! exp 10/31/07

Top Brand HDTVs at Walmart.com from $384
TigerDirect's Liquidation Sale!
Save 30%-50% Off Select Clearance Items! Shop now and Save! (While Supplies Last)
Take advantage of online coupon savings at Office Depot.
Save 30% - 50% on Select Clearance Items at Office Depot! While Supplies Last!

Labels: lcd, sony, TVs

With the Samsung LNT4042 40 inch LCD HDTV, you bring home a better viewing experience on a large screen. You’ll witness your TV programming with greater impact, movies with more depth, and games with more intensity. The unit has a LCD native resolution of 1,366x768 supporting up to 720p HDTV and comes in a glossy black case with speakers mounted to the sides. The Samsung 40 inch LCD TV also includes a couple of extra features which are usually skipped by other entry level LCD sets like picture-in-picture and a swivel stand. The real nice part of this LCD model is that it comes at an extremely affordable price tag for a top-brand in the industry.

In addition, the 40-inch comes with three HDMI inputs instead of the usual two HDMI inputs found on most cheap LCD TVs. Some other important specs include a high contrast ratio of 7000:1 and a wide angle of view of up to 178/178. This has been made possible with the use of S-PVA (Super Patterned Vertical Alignment), which divides each sub-pixel into two segments per color for a more refined consistency in colors, contrast, and brightness at the wider viewing angles.

Strengths:

• Fabulous picture quality and sound

• Beautiful HD resolution.

• A strong swivel base

• Ease of programming.

• Good color depth and clarity of display

• Rich in features

• Good channel response time

• Easy upgradeable firmware

• Variety of Input options

Weaknesses:

• It has only a one year warranty

Specifications:

• 720p (1366 x 768) resolution

• NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner built in

• Widescreen (16:9)

• 7000:1 contrast ratio

• 3 HDMI inputs

• SRS TruSurround

• Side A/V Inputs

• PC Compatible

• VESA Compatible

• VChip System

Summary:

This is one of the best 720p HDTV in terms of the picture quality, reliability, and design. Samsung's attention to precision is totally evident. This is an amazing and impressing TV with the many modern and up to the mark features. Indeed a TV for someone who trust’s in quality and reliability.

Labels: TVs

Taking into consideration the rapid rate of change in computer and related technologies today, what is in store for us in the future? Several new computer designs are currently being researched by leading PC manufacturers. Some of these designs have yielded promising test results, and possibly will lead to new types of computer architecture some of which are listed below.

1. Quantum Computing Model: It is based on reading the alignments of individual atoms in a magnetic field. They aren't limited by the binary nature of the classical physical world of bits, however they depend on observing the state an atom or quantum bits that might represent a one or a zero, for reasons that atoms change energy states very quickly, much quickly than even the fastest computer processors.

2. Molecular Computing Model: On this architecture researchers are trying to create tiny circuits out of single molecules instead of the current transistors we are using. Its effect will reduce the size of a computer processor to the size of a molecule.

3. DNA Computing Model: The DNA model is based on reading the condition of a DNA molecule as either “open” or “closed”.

All the models potentially reduce the size of the basic processor to the nanometer (billionth of a meter) range, thereby providing for power computing, complex problem solving and computers to be smaller than the size of a living cell. Hewlett Packard (HP) has won the Nano-chip Patent.

The latest and the greatest processor I currently find in the computer world is the new Intel Core 2 Quad Processor. I find it to be the most powerful processor available in the market right now. One could use it to do almost anything, from creating multimedia, wiping out your gaming enemies, or running computer intensive applications at one time, the new Intel quad-core processor will change the way you do everything.

Labels: Computers

The FreeAgent Desktop drive is the best place to gather and access all of your important photos, movies, music, games and documents. Simply plug in the power and the USB cable and you’re ready to go. The Seagate freeagent takes up less room on your desk than a stapler and is included with a five year limited warranty.

The Seagate FreeAgent Desktop drives are available in 3 models with different storage capacity:

i) ST305004FDA1E1-RK
ii) ST303204FDA1E1-RK
iii) ST302504FDA1E1-RK

The ST305004FDA1E1-RK is a 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive. This Hard Drive from Seagate is a high capacity drive with an interface that allows it to be connected via USB 2.0 and operates at a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. The drive also features a bus transfer rate of 60 MB/sec using USB 2.0, making the drive an excellent solution for video editing, high-resolution imaging, data backup or just for general storage. The drive has plug-n-play features and runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows XP OS. On the MAC OS it runs on Power PC G3, G4 or G5 processor OS X 10.3.9 or higher. The drive comes with a 5 year warranty. The strengths of the drive are it is fast and quite while in-operation. The only weakness of the drive is that its bulky and heavy.

• 500 GB storage capacity
• USB 2.0 interface
• Seagate’s 5 year limited warranty
• Plug-n-play
• Windows 2000, XP, Vista O/S
• Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.6 or higher

ST303204FDA1E1-RK with 320GB of storage capacity is no bigger than a stapler. This External Hard Drive from Seagate allows it to be connected via USB 2.0 and operates at a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. The drive also features a bus transfer rate of 48 MB/sec using USB 2.0. The drive is an excellent solution for data backup, high-resolution imaging or just for general storage. The drive has plug-n-play features and runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows XP OS. On the MAC OS it runs on Power PC G3, G4 or G5 processor OS X 10.3.9 or higher and on Intel Core Duo processor it runs on OS X 10.4.6 or higher. The drive comes with a 5 year warranty. The strengths of the drive is its silent operation and the only minor drawback is the absence of an on/off switch.

• 320 GB storage capacity
• USB 2.0 interface
• Seagate’s 5 year limited warranty
• Plug-n-play
• Windows 2000, XP, Vista O/S
• Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.6 or higher

The ST302504FDA1E1-RK model comes with a maximum storage capacity of 250 GB. This External Hard Drive from Seagate allows it to be connected via USB 2.0 and operates at a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. The drive features a maximum transfer rate of 480 MB per sec using a USB 2.0 interface for connectivity.. The drive is an excellent solution for data backup, high-resolution imaging or just for general storage. The drive has plug-n-play features and runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows XP OS. On the MAC OS it runs on Power PC G3, G4 or G5 processor OS X 10.3.9 or higher and on Intel Core Duo processor it runs on OS X 10.4.6 or higher. The drive comes with a 5 year warranty. The strengths of the drive is its silent operation, easy to install and some drawbacks are absence of backup software, no activity light indicator and the drive only stands in vertical position.

• 250 GB storage capacity
• USB 2.0 interface
• Seagate’s 5 year limited warranty
• Plug-n-play
• Windows 2000, XP, Vista O/S
• Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.6 or higher

Overall the three Seagate Freeagent Desktop models at reasonable price tags make them appealing, especially considering they are Seagate products with a five year limited warranty.

Labels: Miscellaneous

The latest cell phone from Samsung is the Helio Fin. Not only is this the smallest and lightest Helio phone, its also the thinnest flip phone. New on the Fin is Garmin's mobile GPS application, which gives voiced turn-by-turn directions to specified addresses, or to search for POI such as restaurants, bars, ATMs, and gas stations. The GPS service on the Fin costs $3 per day, at the moment there are no monthly plans available.

On the Fin's Web browser you can zoom pages and images on the fly, while there is a mini-map that shows you your position relative to the rest of the page. Web pages are rendered to the phone with the help of Google optimization. The Helio Fin has a built-in 3.0 megapixel camera, which produces impressively sharp snapshots for a cell phone. Other worth mentioning features on the Fin are voice calling, three-way calling and a loud speakerphone.

Pros:
• Faster surfing with the speedy 3G network
• Impressive GPS Application from Garmin
• Shoot Pictures and Videos and instantly upload to YouTube and Flickr
• Watch movies provided by Helio Video Feeds
• Supports 3D gaming
• Receive customize RSS feeds from your favorite websites
• Ready to use Google Map service for mobiles
• Send images and videos to friends


Cons:
• Lacks a QWERTY keypad


Special Features:
Great Helio Services including GPS
3.0 Megapixel Camera
Ultimate Inbox
HTML Browser
RSS Feeds
Speedy 3G Network
Weighs 3.4 ounces
2.25 inch display and flat keypad
Supports stereo Bluetooth headsets
Supports Micro SD memory
Supports Audio format AAC and MP3
Supports Video format H.264 and MPEG-4


Summary:

The Helio Fin with its impressive services, built-in features, affordable cost and its thin design has great value for money. The camera is very easy to use and the fact that the pictures and video upload almost immediately is a huge plus point. The phone is very user friendly, and anyone from an amateur to an expert can handle it with ease. The thin Fin is definitely in.

Labels: Cell Phones

With the Panasonic 42 inch Plasma Screen HDTV you can turn your living room into a movie theater and experience an amazing level of multimedia excitement. On this TV not only can you watch your favorite programs, movies but also can view pictures taken from your digital camera via the built-in SD Card slot. The unit has a high 10000:1 contrast ratio, which lends itself to the perception of image quality.

This Panasonic HDTV set uses an exclusive circuit known as Real Black Drive that decreases the required idle energy by as much as 90% when compared with typical designs. Less idle energy produces less idle light in dark areas so black areas are darker. While most digital displays today only support a maximum of 16.7 million colors, this HDTV stands out with being able to reproduce 29 billion colors, to better match the capabilities of the human eye towards color that's more true to life.

Pros:

• Excellent picture quality
• Large screen size of 42 inches
• Sharp picture clarity
• Attractive appearance
• Many plug-ins
• Stand and remote control included with the unit

Cons:

Two speakers of 10W each are not powerful enough for a 42" TV.
This unit does not come with S-Video or Composite Video inputs in the front panel.

Features:

1080p Up-Conversion DRP (Digital Re-Mastering Processor)
3,072 Equivalent Steps of Gradation
Up to 29 Billion Displayable Colors
Max. 10,000:1 Contrast ratio
Built-in SD Card Memory Slot
Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
EZ SyncTM HDAVI Control
Digital Optimizer
Sub-Pixel Controller
Advanced 3D Color Management

Specifications:

Diagonal Screen Size: 42 inches
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (Widescreen)
HDTV Compatibility: 480p/720p/1080i/1080p
Displayable Colors: Maximum of 29 Billion
Shades of Gradation: 3,072
Contrast Ratio: Up to 10,000:1
Weight 59.6 lbs
Progressive Scan: Yes
Video Noise Reduction: Yes
Color Purity Optimizer (3D Color Management): Yes
Speakers: 2 (10W each)
Surround Sound: Yes
Connection options: 2 HDMI, 1 Component input with 2 stereo audio and One SD Card Input
Tuners: NTSC (Standard analog broadcasts) and ATSC (SDTV and HDTV broadcasts)
Photo Viewer: Yes (Through SD Slot)
OSD Languages English/Spanish/French

Summary:

This Panasonic HDTV presents the best deal for a 42 inch plasma, amongst any of the major makers. With sharp and outstanding picture quality, a massive view screen size, easy to setup, built-in advance features and the Panasonic brand name, it offers the best value for the buck.

Labels: TVs

The New iMac desktop offers more features and better performance than several Windows-based PCs in conjunction with high-class design and strong built. The new Apple iMac ships in two 20 inch models and a single 24 inch model. The new iMacs spot a glossy display and come with a black cloth to keep the extremely-reflective display smudge free. It is powered by a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 processor, a 320 GB serial ATA hard drive, 2 GB of memory, ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics with 256MB of GDDR3 memory, and a slot-loading SuperDrive DVD burner. Network connection options include Gigabit Ethernet, AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking, integrated Bluetooth 2.0, and an infrared receiver for use with the included remote control. The new iMacs use Intel's Santa Rosa platform, which provides a higher front side bus speed and integrated support for Wi-Fi standard 802.11n.

Strengths:

• Sleek and thin-framed than its predecessor
• Composed of more Recyclable Materials
• Reduction in Cable quantity
• Can support a one terabyte drive
• Enhanced iLife 08 Digital Media Suite
• True Dual-monitor usage through Mini-DVI port
• iMac is provided with a FireWire 800 port, for faster data transfers
  

Weaknesses:

• No Media Card Slot
• No TV Tuner functionality
• Glossy screen has reflection issues without antiglare option
• Wireless Keyboard and the mouse come as spare
• Not so good Phone Support
• Not many applications are optimized for Intel so slowness in running these programs
• Lacks High-Density Resolution
• Not upgraded to Apple’s latest Leopard OS
  

Specifications of the iMac:


20 inch iMac
24 inch iMac
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.40 GHz
Intel Core 2 Extreme 2.8GHz
Memory
1 GB
2 GB
Video Card
ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro
FSB
800 MHz
667 MHz
Hard Drive
320 GB
500 GB
Weight
20 lb
25.4 lb
Display
LCD 20 inch
LCD 24 inch
Wireless
802.11 b/g/n
Airport Extreme 802.11 n

Summary:

The new iMac is a well-designed desktop which provides everything a casual or professional Mac user needs. Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop. For a professional user or anyone who regularly uses graphics applications like Adobe Photoshop, Video and Audio Editing Software can have multiple reasons to consider iMac as their next desktop. The iMac is absolute awesome.

Labels: apple, imac, reviews

The iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply tapping a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically synchronizes all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. The iPhone with a sleek interface, top quality music and video features, and a modern design touch is truly the next generation mobile phone. The touch screen is easier to use and the multimedia performs well. Its Safari browser provides a superb Web surfing experience, and it offers easy-to-use applications. But a host of missing features, dependency on a sluggish EDGE network, and variable call quality makes one feel that it is a phone after all.

Positives:

Built with world-class engineering design, the iPhone is truly the next-generation smart phone with all of its advanced features. The features include high-quality audio and video playback competent with an iPod, splendid performance of the speakerphone and Bluetooth features integrated in this handset. Built-in features to suit web and photo browsing, with superior e-mail client and facility to view Word, PDF and Excel files. The iPhone also has a surprisingly strong performance for web and video browsing when switched to the Wi-Fi network.

Negatives:

The Apple iPhone is available with a 2-year AT&T contract and is not compatible with any other wireless carrier options. This device lacks an instant messaging support and has high-priced SMS features. The dimensions, current price, storage limitation and inability of user-replaceable battery limits the market slot. Usage of iPod accessories, not so satisfactory docking with computer and ambiguity over long-term stability and warranty replacement queries dampen the spirits among majority of buyers. Another feature which is absent is a FM radio.

Specifications:
• Display: 3.5 inch Touchscreen
• Capacity: 8 GB Flash drive
• Operating System: OS X
• Network Support: GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz
• Data Transmission: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0
• Camera : 2.0 Megapixels
• Audio Formats: AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV
• Video Formats: H 264, .M4V, MP4, .MOV, MPEG-4
• Headphones: Stereo headphones with in-built microphone
• System Requirements:

1. MAC : USB 2.0 port, MAC OS X 10.4.10 or higher, iTunes 7.3 or higher
2. Windows: USB 2.0 port, Windows Vista, Windows XP with SP2, iTunes 7.3 or higher

• Maximum Operating Altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)
• Power and battery: Built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery

Summary:

The Apple iPhone has a striking high-resolution display with a silky design and moden easy-to-use multi-touch user interface. It provides a wonderful experience of Web Surfing through its Safari browser. Even though it lacks some important utilities with a slow data network and inconsistent call quality, it sets a standard for an integrated cell phone and MP3 player.

Labels: Cell Phones

MP3 players are also called Digital Audio Players which stores, organizes and plays audio files. MP3 is the common name for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 and it is an audio encoding format. MP3 is an audio-specific format. This uses a loss specific compression algorithm which eliminates certain parts of the sound which is outside the normal hearing range and cannot be heard by the human ears. The audio is encoded by pulse-code modulation.

Internal functioning of a MP3 player:

Digitized Music: The music is stored like any other computer data file in a long series of 1’s and 0’s in MP3 format. The MP3 player can read the digital file and hence produce music.
Compression of the Data file – The codecs (compression decompression) algorithm helps to compress the songs into minimal size with nominal loss of quality. The codecs algorithm has been developed by using the psychoacoustics (perception of sound by brain) and perceptual coding (elimination of indiscernible sounds) principles.

Play Music

An MP3 player utilizes a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) to convert the 1s and 0s into analog signal which can then be amplified and be broadcasted over headphones or speakers. The MP3 player when plays the music compressed by codec, the software on its chip (known as firmware) applies the codec to decode the file and sends the decompressed 1s and 0s to the DAC.

File Format Compatibility: Although MP3 was the first format or codec to be widely accepted but now a variety of codecs (Any type of format which is used to compress a file) are supported by MP3 players. Listed below are formats supported by MP3 players:

• AA
• AAC
• ATRAC3
• FLAC
• MP3
• MP3Pro
• OGG
• WAV/AIFF
• WMA

Different types of MP3 Players according to the storage device they use to read the music from are:

Hard-drive based MP3 Player

These are believed to be the king amongst the MP3 players. A few years back they were available with a capacity of 5GB and today they are available with capacities of 120 GB. One can store his entire music library on these players.

Micro Hard-drive based MP3 Player

These MP3 players currently hold up to 12GB, so they are suitable only for people who want to bring along a selection of songs or music in their collection. The sales of these players have dropped considerably and these players are making way for flash based MP3 players.

Flash-based MP3 Player

These MP3 players use flash memory to store music, data, and sometimes photo and video files. While most players offer about 4GB or approximately around 68 hours of storage, they have distinctive advantage over their MP3 hard drives as they're smaller and more affordable. Very soon the market will witness these players with 8 GB capacities.


With the rise in competition among the MP3 Player manufacturers in the market, every MP3 Player is adding supplementary features in order to sustain the competition. The ten Prime MP3 Player features which are provided as add-ons are as follows:

• Color screens, photo viewing, and video playback
• Radio
• Wireless capability
• Music Recording
• Voice Recording
• Data storage
• Personal information management
• Sound-tweaking options
• Advanced playback features
• Enhanced battery type and more battery life

Labels: MP3 Players

GPS or Global positioning systems, are systems of satellites and receiving devices which are used to calculate exact positions on the Earth. GPS is used in navigation and its precision supports cadastral surveying. The GPS navigation system has got much better in recent years, but they still can't match the best built-in factory systems for overall navigation functionality. It's clear that the aftermarket systems are now setting the pace in terms of innovation, integration, and features. For example, while few factory systems offer real-time traffic reports, it's quickly becoming an important feature for aftermarket GPS systems.

A brief of some of the new functionalities in GPS Navigators are:

• Real-time local information: Using this functionality a user will be able to link to MSN Direct to provide in addition to traffic and weather, such local information as fuel prices in nearby gas stations and movie times in local theaters.
• Dual-function capabilities: The GPS Navigators perform the functions of both an automobile navigation system and a wilderness or marine GPS unit. It provides both road maps and topology maps coverage.
• Internet searches and automatic map updates: This new functionality augments its internal points-of-interest (POI) database with Internet searches through Yahoo! local search. This functionality will enable the system to provide more detailed POI results than typical database-driven units can. The functionality will also be able to receive automatic map and software updates either by Wi-Fi or a cellular modem.
• Car to Car Communication: This new functionality addresses traffic in two ways. It comes with a preloaded database of historical traffic flow information for all major roads, which it will use in combination with real-time reports to calculate the fastest route. It will also be able to relay traffic speed data wirelessly to other GPS units to provide additional real-time information.
• Satellite Radio Integration: Using this functionality one can receive Sirius satellite radio signals and transmit them through a car's audio system through a FM modulator.
• Improved search functionality for addresses.
• Speed camera warnings functionality is available in 17 countries with over 16000 speed camera locations. The speed camera database is updated with new speed cameras every week.
• Improved routing mode where the estimated time of Arrival (ETA) and the distance left to destination can be viewed from the main navigation window.
• Integration: Some companies have integrated their GPS system into devices like smart phones with the navigation database built in. Another GPS manufacturer has integrated its GPS system into a back-up warning system.

Labels: GPS Navigators

Cell phones are growing exceptionally fast both in number and type, and it has become tough to maintain with the technological advances of the cell phone industry. Although we cannot draw a strong line of difference between a cell phone and a smart phone but a smart phone is considered as a next-generation multifunctional cell phone which provides various features like voice communication, text-messaging, data-processing and superior wireless connectivity. New phones with advanced accessories are coming up in the market everyday. Smart Phones can be considered as a combination of a powerful cell phone and a wireless-enabled PDA.

The advanced features transform a simple cell phone into a Smart Phone. Here are a list of the advanced features which come coupled with the cell phones.

Cell Phone Digital Camera

All the modern cell phones comprise of the built-in Camera feature. This enables the users to take clear digital pictures with their handsets, which can viewed, can be sent to family and friends, downloaded to PCs. Currently the standard resolution is 1.3 mega pixel but phones with high resolution built in camera are also found. Some Camera phones are also provided with built-in flash and ability to take self-portraits. Many camera cell phones also allow to capture videos; store, play and send the video clips.

Cell Phone as Music Player

Advanced Cell Phone models allow downloading and playing MP3 music. Different Cell phone models provide different MP3 facilities and even some models only support MP3 ringtones but not MP3 music. iTunes is one of the most admired media player launched by Apple. Nowadays music crazy users can go for Cell Phones with iTunes Player which allows them to download, manage and play digital audio files through their handsets.

GPS Service Support

GPS stands for Global Positioning System and it is a satellite-based technology which allows determining the user’s location. Advanced cell phones are GPS-enabled and this feature allows the user to receive directions through a map generated on the user’s screen and to locate their loved ones (if they have GPS-enabled devices).

Internet in your pocket

Internet has already come onto the Cell phones. Some advanced cell phones provide full HTML browsers. The entire top Search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN are now accessible at all the advanced internet-enabled Cell Phones to the users.

Attachment Viewing and E-Mail

Modern Cell phones are provided with the capability to open and view e-mail attachments in Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats. Advanced Cell phones provide the facility to open attachments in Microsoft Office applications

Bluetooth Wireless Technology

Bluetooth is one of the most accepted short-range wireless technologies which allow connecting and transmitting data between devices like cell phones, headsets, laptops, printers etc. Bluetooth-enabled cell phones are provided with different capabilities ranging from simple transmission of signal to a wireless headset, to sending out wireless signals to other Bluetooth-enabled devices and send data.

Cell Phone FM Radio

Cell Phones are equipped with FM-radio capability which allows the Users to set FM radio stations and listen to the radio stations through their headsets. Some phones have the in-built FM-radio facility but some use the headset cord as the antenna to pick radio signals.

Voice-driven menus

A voice-driven control on a Cell phone allows the User to choose the menu by commanding through speech rather than entering the menus through the keypad. This facility acts as a gift for physically-challenged persons and also allows people to keeps their hands free for other activities like driving, typing, etc.

Phone as a Modem

Some advanced Cell phone models are used as modem to connect Computers to the Web. Web-enabled Cell phones which allow digital data transmission can be used to connect the computer to the internet.

PC Synchronization

This feature allows the Users to connect the Cell phone to a PC and synchronize information such as calendar, to-do lists, phonebook entries, messages, files and folders.

Labels: Cell Phones

A camcorder is a handy electronic device which allows recording videos, images and audio onto an internal storage device which could be on a 8mm tape or digital form. Camcorders have been around since the early 1980s. The early camcorders were bulky and large in size. Today camcorders are A camcorder can be divided into two basic units, one being a video camera and another video cassette recorder, hence the name is derived by combining both names. Initially the camcorders used analog videotape but since mid-1990s camcorders recording digital video have become the standard.

Camcorders comprise of 3 chief components:
• Recorder
• Lens
• Imager

The light is gathered by the lens and is focused on the imager. In today’s camcorders the imager is usually a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensor whereas earlier camcorders used vidicon or hivicon tubes. The incident light is converted into video signal by the imager. The recorder at the end encodes the video signal into a storable form. The lens and the imager together are commonly referred to as the camera unit.

There are two type of Camcorders, namely:

• Analog Camcorders
• Digital Camcorders.

Analog Camcorders: Analog Camcorders record video and audio signals in an analog track on a video tape. Every time a copy of the tape is made, some image and audio quality is lost. Analog formats include:

• Standard VHS (Video Home System): It is a half inch video tape format.
• VHS-C (Video Home System-Compact): It is a compact version of the standard VHS format used in camcorders.
• Super VHS: A superior or improved version of the standard Video Home System
• Super VHS-C: A compact version of the Super VHS format
• 8MM: Is an actual film format and denotes the actual size of the negative film in millimeters.
• Hi-8: It is a high density 8 mm camcorder tape
  

Digital Camcorders

Digital Camcorders record information digitally in form of bytes. The image and audio quality is not affected as it is duplicated from the bytes. Digital video can be easily downloaded to a computer where it can be edited and even posted onto the web. Digital videos usually have a much superior resolution than the analog video. A new class of digital camcorders use internal hard drives to store the video directly. These have the advantage of allowing video to be copied directly to the hard-disk rather than being played through and recorded by the computer.

Widely used consumer Digital formats are:

• MiniDV (Mini Digital Video): It is a video cassette designed for use in Digital Camcorders. These tapes can be copied repeatedly without any loss of quality. A single tape can hold around 3 hours of recording.
• Digital8: This recording format uses DV compression to store data digitally on 8mm tape. These camcorders are able to run both 8mm and Hi8 tapes, making them a good choice for people upgrading from an existing 8mm format.
• DVD (Digital Video Disc): DVDs are of the same size as a CD but store seven times more data than a CD on a single side. These have gained popularity because of the cheap DVDs available and portability.
• Memory Card: Are storage devices used to store data, such as digital photos or movie files. They storage capacity is less compared to the other digital formats and are available in capacities of 8, 32 and 256 MB.
  

Camcorders are priced basically depending on the media being used and level of quality. A good quality MiniDV camcorder may be available for under 300 USD, while a hard-drive based camcorder will cost around 600 USD.

Labels: Camcorders

The development of the modern day computer was the result of advances in technologies and man's need to quantify. The history of computer development is often referred to in reference to the different generations of computing devices which were used over a period of time. Each generation of computer is characterized by a major technological development that fundamentally changed the way computers operate, resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper, more powerful and more efficient and reliable devices.

Abacus is considered the first computer which was developed by the Chinese in 3000 B.C. Abacus is a counting board which could only perform addition and subtractions.

There are five generations of computers:

First Generation:

The computers built during the period 1940 to 1956 are referred to as the first generation computers. The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums to store data. Due to the use of these components their size was massive taking up almost an entire room. They were very expensive to operate and in addition used a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat due to which they had a low MTBF (mean time between failure), which was often the cause of malfunctions. First generation computers relied on machine language in the form of 0’s and 1’s to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tapes, and output was displayed on printouts.
The UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) and ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) are examples of first-generation computing devices.

Second Generation:

The computers built between the year 1956 and 1963 are called the second generation computers. These computers were built with transistors which replaced vacuum tubes of the first generation. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement over the vacuum tube.

Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.
Second-generation computers used assembly languages which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. During the time when assembly language programming was going on High level Programming languages like COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) and FORTRAN (Formula Translator) were being developed. The second generation computers were the first that stored their instructions in their memory, which used magnetic core technology instead of the Magnetic drum. The computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.

Third Generation:

The computers built during the period 1964 to 1971 were referred to as third generation computers. The third generation computers replaced the transistor which was used in second generation computers with Integrated Circuits (ICs). The ICs are miniature transistors placed on silicon chips which were called semiconductors. This drastically increased the speed and efficiency and decreased the size and cost of computers.

Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards, monitor and an operating system acted as a medium to take the input, get it processed and provide the output. This system allowed the computers to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. During this generation computers for the first time became acceptable to a mass audience because they were smaller, cheaper and could be easily programmed unlike their predecessors. The language used by this generation computers was High Level Language (HLL) which was easy to understand as it hand English words.

The “LILLIAC IV” is an example of a third generation computer.

Fourth Generation:

The computers built from the year 1971 to date are referred to as the fourth and some as the fifth generation computers. The microprocessor which was a thousands of ICs built onto a single silicon chip was used. The size reduced drastically. Computers which were as big as an entire room were now small and could fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, had all the components of a computer namely the central processing unit (CPU), memory to input/output controls, all on a single chip.

In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user and following steps in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved out of the sphere of desktop computers and moved into many areas of life as more and more everyday products like (Refrigerators, Microwave Ovens, Mobile Phones, and Washing Machines) began to use microprocessors.

As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form a network and this eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of Graphical User Interfaces (Windows), the mouse (pointing device) and handheld devices (mobile phones).

Fifth Generation:

Fifth generation computing devices work on artificial intelligence and are still in development, though there are some applications which purely belong to the fifth generation such as voice recognition that are being used today. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quantum Computers, Molecular Computers and the use of nanotechnology in the fifth generation will completely change the face of computers in years to come. The goal of fifth generation computing is to develop devices that responds to natural language as inputs and are capable of learning, self organizing and providing the output. Many of this generation computers operate without the help of humans.

Labels: Computers

Bluetooth was first developed by Ericsson in 1999, it provides a way for different devices to communicate with each other by sending data via a secure, low cost, short range radio frequency. Using this technology, cell phones can talk to headsets, PCs can talk to printers or keyboards, and handhelds can talk to each other without any wires. The International Data Corporation estimates that by the end of 2007 there would be approximately 100 million Bluetooth devices across the world. Bluetooth has witnessed a 60 percent annual growth from the year 2003 onwards.

Bluetooth Headsets

Bluetooth headsets allows hands-free phone use without connecting a single wire. Bluetooth headsets offer a suitable and easy to use wireless connection between a headset and an array of products like wireless phones, computers, cameras, GPS devices, and handheld devices. Bluetooth headsets vary a great deal in price. Some headsets can be found for $30 or less, while others cost $200 and more. A Bluetooth headset can never be as small or light as small wired headsets, because it needs to include a battery and extra electronic circuitry. All Bluetooth headsets manufactured till date have concentrated on offering as small as possible single piece designs. The idea of having a headband on Bluetooth headsets has never been implemented.

It is also possible to use Bluetooth headsets with devices which do not support the Bluetooth technology. To connect such devices you would need a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into some port of the non-Bluetooth device. The adapter links with your headset as if it were a Bluetooth device, and then links with your device as if it were a regular headset. Some of the latest Bluetooth headsets models include these adapters.

All Bluetooth Class 2 devices are designed to have a range of 10 meters (approximately 33 feet). However, this range can vary depending upon the direct open view between the headset and the device. Its always advisable to calibrate the range of your device with the Bluetooth headset so that you are aware of the maximum possible distance you can be from the device and still have a reliable connection.

Till date Bluetooth headsets are manufactured in two main styles. One style is where the headset is held in place by a loop around the ear. These types are generally more comfortable but less secure. The other type is held in place by being physically blocked into your ear. These are less comfortable but at sometimes are more secure.

Bluetooth headsets have a greater advantage than regular wired headsets. Some of them are:

• Firstly Bluetooth are available for prices which are somewhat close to what one would pay for regular wired headsets.
• In some countries, talking over a cell phone while driving is not allowed, use of Bluetooth headsets can avoid you from getting into trouble and at the same time allow you to talk and concentrate on your driving.
• Wired headset maybe reasonable solutions for many people, but they factually tie you to your cell phone. Using a Bluetooth headset you can have your cell phone anywhere within the working range but still receive and make calls.
• A Bluetooth headset can also be used to connect with other devices such as your computer. This can be very convenient as it allows to use the same Bluetooth headset simultaneously for cell phone calls as well as computer calls.
• If one has several different Bluetooth equipped phones, then one Bluetooth headset would work with all of them easily. Incase if you decide to replace your phone and go in for a new phone, the same Bluetooth headset will work with your new phone. With Bluetooth headsets one doesn’t need to worry about matching headsets to phones.
  

Bluetooth headsets can offer a great deal of ease and flexibility, even though sometimes are expensive. A good Bluetooth headset is one which you can easily handle by understanding it, setting it up and using it. It makes your life easier. A bad Bluetooth headset is the opposite.

Labels: Bluetooth Headsets