Fujitsu LifeBook SH530

Fujitsu LifeBook SH530

05:55 AM Nov 25, 2010

Screen Size 13.3 inches

Weight 1.99kg

Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium

Processor Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz)

Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 512MB VRAM

Storage 500GB

Memory 4GB

Connectivity Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet

Other Features 1.3-megapixel webcam, SuperMulti DVD Double Layer drive, SD/SDHC/Memory Stick card slots, stereo speakers, microphone, HDMI port

Price Not available (usual price: $1,588)

The Fujitsu LifeBook SH530 has a 13.3-inch high-definition LED screen and an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics processor with 512MB of dedicated video RAM for improved graphics performance. Your favourite tunes will sound sweet, too, thanks to the stereo speakers on this multimedia machine.

Make use of the 1.3-megapixel webcam to have a chat with loved ones, long-distance. A spill-resistant keyboard helps to stop nasty spills from reaching the motherboard.

Choose from two classic colours - matt black and matt red.

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Dell XPS 14

Dell XPS 14

05:55 AM Nov 25, 2010

Screen Size 14 inches

Weight From 2.43kg

Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium

Processor Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz) or i7-740QM

Graphics 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 420M or 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 425M

Storage 500GB

Memory 4GB or 6GB DDR3

Connectivity Bluetooth, WiFi

Other Features DVD Double Layer drive, 2.0-megapixel webcam

Price Not available (usual price: from $1,499), with free upgrade to 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, Belkin EVO backpack, McAfee SecurityCenter (15-month subscription)

If 3D is your thing, consider the Dell XPS 14 notebook. It's 3D TV-ready, and includes software that enables you to connect to new 3D high-definition television sets and play PC games, watch Blu-ray movies, and browse photos and videos in stereoscopic 3D.

Built-in JBL speakers help complete your multimedia experience on this laptop. Send some long-distance love with the 2.0-megapixel webcam.

The XPS 14 can be your companion for work as well, with its fast Intel Core i5 or i7 processors to help you stay on top of your tasks.

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Toshiba Portege R700-2008U

Toshiba Portege R700-2008U

05:55 AM Nov 25, 2010


Screen Size 13.3 inches

Weight From 1.39kg

Operating System Windows 7 Professional

Processor Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 2.80GHz)

Graphics Intel HD Graphics

Storage 500GB

Memory 4GB DDR3 (after free upgrade)

Connectivity Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet

Other Features DVD SuperMulti drive, webcam, Microsoft Office Starter 2010, HDD Protection (3D Motion Sensor), Toshiba PC Diagnostic tool, fingerprint reader

Price $2,099, with gifts while stocks last - Norton Internet Security worth $59, 2GB Kingston KTT RAM upgrade worth $159, Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010, three-year international warranty extension worth $309


At only 19mm thin, the Toshiba Portege R700-2008U is one lean machine. It's also powered by a mean Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz processor, which has Turbo Boost up to 2.80GHz for extra zip when you are racing against the clock.

This laptop has the potential to be your trusty companion - it is a lightweight 1.39kg, and has a spill-resistant keyboard. The included Toshiba PC Diagnostic tool will also help you with your troubleshooting quests. The built-in webcam boasts facial recognition technology.

With 500GB of storage, it will be some time before you run out of space for all your files. A slew of free gifts - including a memory upgrade, Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010 and a three-year international warranty extension - help make it worth your while to consider this notebook.

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Software Review: Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac

Virtualisation made easy

Software Review: Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac

by Trevor Tan
05:55 AM Dec 03, 2010

IN CASE you didn't know, Apple computers are able to run the Windows operating system (OS), using either the Mac OS X's BootCamp utility or via virtualisation software such as the latest Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac (PD6).

While you need to restart your computer to boot up Windows, performance with BootCamp is guaranteed. With virtualisation software, running your Windows applications on Mac OS X results in a performance dip.

So, how does PD6 fare? Let's find out.

After installing PD6 on my modest 2GHz Intel Core MacBook, setting up a new virtual OS (or virtual machine) is easy. Insert an OS disc or use an image file, follow the on-screen instructions, and wait for the OS installation to complete.

Installing the 32-bit Windows XP on my machine took 30 minutes. But, it booted up in under 30 seconds - much faster than my office PC that runs the same OS.

You can use your virtual OS in Window, Full-Screen or Coherence mode, which is my favourite: It hides the entire Windows XP screen while displaying the Windows programs on the Mac OS X desktop.

Overall, PD6 unites both operating systems wonderfully. For instance, there's no need for a shared folder as the files you save on your Mac will show up on Windows and vice versa. OS X's Spotlight can search for your Windows applications as well. Plus, when you plug in a USB device, PD6 will ask if you want to plug into the running Virtual OS or the Mac OS X.

Browsing and starting up applications in Windows XP feels much smoother and faster than any other virtualisation software I have used.

The virtual 32-bit Windows XP scores a decent 445.2 in the PerformanceTest Benchmark Software. In comparison, a Dell Latitude D620 with similar specifications running the same OS scores 503. Thus, the performance of the virtual machine is not far from that of a real PC.

Of course, you can also install other operating systems, such as Ubuntu Linux or Google's Chrome OS. PD6 even offers the option to download Chrome so you can get a sneak preview of the upcoming OS.

What's intriguing about PD6 is it allows you to run Windows applications with the Parallel Mobile Apps for iPhone and iPad. As long as the computer, which has PD6 installed, is switched on and online, you can use the Parallels Mobile app on iPhone and iPad to remotely access PD6 via a log-in.

It feels surreal to use Internet Explorer in Windows XP on my iPad. Even if you do not need this function to quickly retrieve a file, you can always wow your friends swiping around in Windows XP on your Apple tablet.



Get the Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac at $129.

Source; www.todayonline.com

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Speaker Review: Philips SPA5210/97

Raising the bar


Speaker Review: Philips SPA5210/97

by Hedirman Supian
05:55 AM Nov 26, 2010

ALTHOUGH computer makers have improved laptop speakers enough, the audio is usually marred by poor quality or low volume.

The Philips SPA5210/97 sound bar ($76.90) hopes to be a portable remedy for this.

The sound bar fits easily on the top of your laptop screen. It's USB-powered and the cable has been thoughtfully designed to wrap around the perimeter of its body. The speaker even comes with a carrying pouch.

You can make it fit quite snug by adjusting its plastic clips and tightening a rear clip to secure it in place. The clips are rubberised so there's less of a chance it might cause a scratch on your machine.

We tested its fit on laptops that measured 11.6, 13.3 and 15.4 inches. While it's reasonably lightweight, it can drag down the screen lids of machines smaller than 13 inches.

Setup is a cinch. The plug-and-play device is automatically recognised on both Mac and Windows-based computers. There are no drivers or software downloads involved.

We tested its audio reproduction capabilities with a range of music, as well as a few movies. The sound quality for the low and mid range of the audio is decent and certainly a tad louder than the built-in speakers on our test laptops. But the low end of the range, although audible, was missing a certain oomph. Audio does tend to get slightly distorted when you crank it up at high levels.

Stick to headphones if you're an audio snob. But if you would like to share your music or listen to audio at a decent volume, this well-designed and simple-to-set-up sound bar from Philips is hard to beat. Hedirman Supian

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Digital Camera Review: Canon EOS 60D

Superb for its price


Digital Camera Review: Canon EOS 60D

by Trevor Tan
05:55 AM Nov 26, 2010


DO WE need another digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera in the market? Canon obviously thinks so when it released its latest EOS 60D ($1,599, body only), successor to the 50D.

Sporting an 18-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS image sensor (1.6x crop factor), a Digic 4 image processor and 3-inch vari-angle LCD screen, the 60D features nine cross-type auto focus points with a 63-zone metering system. It shoots still images up to 5.3 frames per second (fps) and full high-definition (HD) 1920x1080 videos at 30fps.

Despite its light weight (755g, with battery) and small frame (14.5x10.6x7.9cm), the camera feels stout and offers a good grip. It is pretty durable, surviving a careless drop without any operational hitch. The small built-in pop-up flash gives a surprisingly nice fill-in and delivers respectable results in slow-synchronised flash mode, too.

For those who have used a Canon EOS DSLR, you will be at home with the placement of the controls and buttons. The addition of a dedicated movie button near where your thumb usually rests is a nice touch, as it makes video recording a breeze. However, you can't press the movie button to shoot videos on the fly; you need to switch to video mode first. When the movie mode is not activated, it serves as a Live View toggle button.

Startup and shutdown are instantaneous if you turn off the auto sensor cleaning. If not, it will take up to three seconds. The auto focusing speed is quite good but there are quirks. Using the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 (28.8-216mm in 35mm equivalent) kit lens, auto focusing can go haywire at times, taking nearly a second to focus, especially in high lighting contrast situations.

The 60D will not auto focus during video recording when you are zooming or panning. You can half-press the shutter release to auto focus again, but it can take more than two seconds to focus. I recommend manual focus during video recording.

The still images shot are gorgeous, with sharp rendering of details and accurate colour reproduction. Noise performance is amazing, with noise artifacts not seen till ISO 3200. Even at ISO 6400, the chromatic noise that surfaced is still acceptable. The full HD videos shot are equally impressive and picked up only slight wind and ambient audio.

Even though the 60D supports in-camera RAW image processing, it is the built-in creative filters, such as "Toy Camera" nostalgic effect and "Miniature" tilt-shift lens effect (my favourite), which will interest most.

However, you can only apply the filters to your pictures after you shoot them. The good thing is you can choose the pictures you want for the different effects and you don't have to wait a few seconds for the camera to process the picture after you shoot it. But you lose the immediacy of seeing the "filtered" pictures. Perhaps, an option to allow users to shoot in the creative filters mode could be added in firmware updates.

Source: www.todayonline.com

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Smartphone Review: Huawei IDEOS U8150

Competent and easy on the wallet

Smartphone Review: Huawei IDEOS U8150

by Trevor Tan
05:55 AM Nov 19, 2010

THE black minimalist front of this mobile phone gives no indication of its brand. Turn to its back and you will spot a Google logo and an IDEOS badge. Is this another G-Phone? No, it's Huawei's entry-level 3.5G smartphone, the IDEOS U8150 ($339, without contract).

Just slightly bigger than a credit card, gentlemen might find this phone a tad small. But the size and its weight (110g) should be ideal for ladies. While the U8150 is smooth to hold, the plasticky back cover can be slip-prone.

Using a rather modest 528MHz processor to run Android 2.2 (Froyo), the U8150 has 512MB NAND memory and 256MB RAM. Powering it up for the first time took an excruciating 71 seconds.

So don't bet on running any memory-intensive apps. Still, the phone comes pre-loaded with a pretty comprehensive suite of apps that includes Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps and Gmail. You can access up to five windows of apps (16 apps per window) on the home screen of the phone.

With Froyo, you can now run more Android apps from your microSD card (supported up to 32GB). Ironically, the phone does not support Flash, a feature that Android crows about.

The 2.8-inch QVGA 320x240 capacitive touchscreen pales in comparison to the high-resolution displays of some smartphones. The screen is fairly responsive, with occasional lags probably caused by the slow processor.

Despite the small screen size, I find myself able to type quickly without much error using the virtual Qwerty keyboard. Call reception is clear.

The still and moving images taken with the 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera are too soft and noisy for my taste. In addition, you can only shoot when a microSD card has been slotted into the phone. The card slot is located behind the battery and its lack of tactile response means you will not know if you have slotted the card in correctly.

The best part of the U8150 is its ability to turn into a wireless router via its 3G Internet connection. Speeds reach 7.2Mbps and you can connect up to eight WiFi-enabled devices simultaneously. You don't have to carry an extra device with you and you can configure the WiFi connection with a password. The resulting WiFi connection is amazingly stable when used on my mobile phone, laptop and tablet at the same time.

Note that with WiFi tethering switched on, the phone gets hot easily and the battery goes flat in three hours. Without tethering, the battery can last you two days with light surfing, messaging and phone calls.

While it might not be a Ferrari speedster, the Huawei IDEOS U8150 is a competent and wallet-friendly Toyota that humbly does the job and even offers the convenience of a portable wireless router.

Source: www.todayonline.com

 

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