Dell Has a Tablet Computer Too...

For the last few months, in the tech and gadget world, the Apple iPad, has been all the rage. But Apple isn't the only company working on a tablet computer. Dell, for example, is currently working on building the Mini 5 (though the name may change). According to the company, the five-inch touchscreen will debut in "a couple of months," but they wouldn't give away any pricing information. The iPad will sell for anywhere from $500 - $830.

The Mini 5 will feature a five-megapixel camera on the back, as well a front-facing webcam-like camera that can be used for video-conferencing. In addition, it will have a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity options, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1-GHz processor. It will run Google's Android operating system (version 2.0 or higher), and has a 16:9 aspect ratio - the iPad's is 4:3. Due to the size, it'll look more like a Sony PSP than an iPad.

Wired.com spoke to Neeraj Choubey, the general manager of the tablets division at Dell and he had this to say about the device, "It’s a device optimized for media consumption. It will offer the full web-browsing experience so you have something that you are holding in your hand that replaces everything the smartphone does and takes on quite a bit of the features of a laptop."

He also said the computer will be the first in a series. Others would have varying screen sizes, potentially creating better competition for the iPad. Most people don't realize that tablet computers have been around for years; they just aren't very popular. Many experts believe the iPad will change all that and drive up the competition. With the Mini 5 coming out, this is something Dell seems to understand.

Dell already sells some mobile products, but not in the United States. Its smartphones are available in Brazil and China. The Mini 5 would most likely take advantage of the apps that are available on the smartphones. Also, it's expected to have specialized tools, programs for business users, strong movies and music experience, web surfing, flash, and quick access to email, YouTube, Amazon's MP3 store. In addition, it will have spreadsheet, presentation maker, and documents, as well as supporting voice recognition. All of these features will set the standard for Dell's entire line of tablets.

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Buffalo Kokuyo Reveals 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub

USB 2.0 is slowly becoming "so last year" as companies begin to roll out devices all ready for the upcoming USB 3.0. One of the first companies to make a USB 3.0 device is none other than Buffalo Kokuyo with their 4-port USB 3.0 hub. The next wave is coming in so we might as well get ready for it.

The BSH4A03U3 is a 4-port USB hub that supports USB 3.0. The upper surface of the hub is ordained with blue LED lights and a high quality finish. The device comes with an included AC adapter that allows HDD portable devices, external USB DVD drive devices and power-hungry devices to connect with four connections possible at the same time.

The USB hub is compatible with both Windows and Mac Operating systems that includes Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows XP and Mac OS 10.4. The hub transfers USB 3.0 data at 5Gbps and transfers USB 2.0 data at 480Mbps.

A good thing about the hub is that it won't clutter your desktop space as the device itself is relatively compact. The hub is compatible with conventional USB 2.0/1.1 and can connect directly with your existing PC. The 4-port USB 3.0 hub is already available in Korea for around $89 US, which seems a bit steep to some people. You can also get the device in either black or white.

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HP Mini 210-1064/66/68 (New)

Processor         :Intel Atom N450 (1.66GHz; 512KB L2; 667MHz FSB)
Memory               : 1GB DDR2
Graphics Card     : Intel GMA 3150 Video Graphic
Display           : 10.1" LED Display
Audio             :Build-in Stereo Speaker
Hard Drive        : 250GB HDD SATA
Optical Drive     :-
Connectivity      :Fast Ethernet 10/100; WiFi; Bluetooth
I/O Ports         :Card Reader; Webcam; USB 2.0
Others            :-
Operating System  : Windows 7 Starter
Chassis & Weight  :Red/Blue/Silver
Box Includes      :Complete Charger; CD Recovery or Driver Built-in; Manual Book
Warranty          :1-Year Warranty HP Indonesia

PRICE US$ 409

Final Results of the Great 99 cent Experiment

So were you wondering if my crazy 99 cent WinPatrol PLUS Experiment was a success? I promised to provide the numbers so I’ll let you decide for yourself.  I do recommend you read beyond the initial numbers

The goals of the experiment were some what vague so the results cover a wide range of marketing principles. Ultimately, I wanted to find out if traditional software vendors would need to make changes to compete with the concept of 99 cent downloads available to pocket computers like the iPhone and Droid.

Financial
From a financial standpoint the results of this experiment were great. Even at 99 cents the volume of sales over a 50 hour period made the extra work worthwhile.

Sales generated just under $15,000 in raw income while adding about 15,000 new WinPatrol PLUS members. The majority of new members had never tried WinPatrol prior to the experiment but a large number were long time users of the Free version who just couldn’t afford the current $29.95 cost to upgrade.

The most painful part of this newly generated income was the large portion taken away by online payment processing. When you sell a product for 99 cents the credit card companies take a huge chunk. On a normal $29.95 WinPatrol PLUS transaction PayPal gets about 5% of the sale. When its on  $0.99, PayPal gets a full 25%. I don’t have all the final numbers from Visa and MasterCard but it appears their cut was even more.

Apple actually gets 30% of all sales so this part of the experiment makes for a good comparison. Developers have some advantages in the App Store like the built in ownership protection. I already have people posting their 99 cent PLUS codes on keygen sites for pirated software.

A number of companies have tried to create online stores for the traditional software marketplace but they’ve had limited success. We really need a simple easy method for users to download and purchase software. There are companies out there very close to making this happen but just need critical mass of users to make it acceptable.

Public Relations
If my goal was great Public Relations then the experiment was certainly a success.  One of my biggest fears was backlash from current WinPatrol PLUS members who may have recently paid $29.95. The objections to this experiment I can count on one hand.  Most current members helped spread the news to family and friends and some even purchased a 99 cent license just to participate and show their support.

As I said, many of our new PLUS members had never heard of WinPatrol so I easily have over 10,000 new WinPatrol users who are now in a position to tell their friends and family about WinPatrol. Once someone installs and understands what WinPatrol can do we usually have a long time loyal friend. Last year I had a total of four customers actually requested a refund.  Not many products can claim a satisfaction record like that.

Extra Work
While sales exceeded my expectations so did my work load. For over a week life for both my wife Cindi and I has revolved around this experiment.  A lot of the extra work could have been avoided if I created an additional (mirror) download website for the WinPatrol setup program. While I knew I had the bandwidth to handle the influx in purchases I neglected to realize most of our new fans would also need to download the WinPatrol setup program as part of the process. Once someone starts a download that holds up a connection to our server and physical connections do have a limit.

During the peak of our sale the 3rd party store, which doesn’t run on our servers, held up great. When users returned to receive their PLUS code we failed due to lack of connections.  The result was way more Emails than I could handle in a timely fashion. This process has taken up my days and nights but I must say people have been extremely polite and understanding.

Family Support
The work load on my wife Cindi was also overwhelming.   In many cases, when people didn’t receive their PLUS code, they’d go in to try again. Realizing what we had going on Cindi decided to process and review each order manually. While processing orders Cindi could see if the same person ordered more than once.  She would process the first order normally but make sure any subsequent orders were not charged to the customers credit card. It’s possible some of these orders were intentional but our priority was to make sure nobody was over charged so she reviewed each order personally. This may be more than you needed to know but I can’t help but praise my valentine.

E-Mail Overload
While having over 10,000 new WinPatrol PLUS members is great I’m not exactly setup like most businesses.  I have always read each support@WinPatrol.com Email and I respond personally.  My normal day does not end until all Email has been answered. Luckily, WinPatrol is easy to use and most of my daily Email consists of requests for lost PLUS codes. Most of the Email from the new users were questions I’ve answered before but they did add to already “I didn’t get my PLUS code” messages.  At times it was refreshing when I got a spam message which I knew I could just delete.

Meeting Expectations
One thing we did have in common with the 99 cent software sales in the App Store or Droid Market were expectations. When people only pay 99 cents they don’t expect much.  I would have had more Email but many people may not think asking for help is included in the price.  I’ve been tracking activations and found another surprise. Less than half of the new customers have followed the instructions to activate their PLUS features. I’m sure some are still exploring the Free benefits but some have admitted “I don’t know when I’ll get around to it. I just figured for 99 cents what can I lose?” I’m sure there are some out there who really don’t have a clue what they purchased and haven’t even downloaded the Free WinPatrol.

Conclusion
I’ve crunched the numbers and have evaluated hundreds of comments. There’s no doubt that how we purchase software is changing. Most users have accepted downloading as a software delivery method. We all live in an immediate world which has helped people accept online software delivery.

Based on the experiment I would be best off by selling WinPatrol PLUS for $9.99 but without free updates. It has been recommended I make WinPatrol PLUS a yearly subscription. I don’t expect to make any chances in the near future.  What do you think?

Computer Magazines - HP Mini 5102

by Cisco Cheng

The HP Mini 2140 started out as a very desirable business netbook, and it just kept getting better from there. A product of two years' worth of improvements, the HP Mini 5102 is a masterfully engineered netbook that small business users, government officials, and even school children could carry around with pride. Everything about it is as impressively executed as the previous Mini 5101, from the metallic frame, the world-class keyboard and mouse buttons, to the all-day battery life. This version comes with a variety of improvements, including a new Intel Atom processor (and platform), almost 11 hours of battery life (via the optional 6-cell battery, though) , and new options for a carrying handle and touch screen. Although the $400, HP "Smartbuy" configuration, with the 29Wh battery (4-cell), is a terrific buy, we suggest paying $25 more to upgrade to the 6-cell option.

Design
The 5102 carries on the tradition of surrounding the lid with metail trim. Others, like the Nokia Booklet 3G, upped the ante by being entirely made out of metals, but the 5102 is still one of the best looking netbooks on the market. The Toshiba mini NB205 pulls off a gorgeous look with plastics, as they are textured, available in different colors, and guard against smudges and finger prints. With the previous Mini 5101, a black version was the only color option; the 5102 offers two others: Red and Blue. On select units, HP will even let you custom-configure a carrying handle that's attached to the back—ideal for school children. At 2.8 pounds (with a 6-cell battery), it's roughly the same weight as the 5101 (2.9 lbs), the NB205 (2.9 lbs), and the Samsung N120 (2.9 lbs).

Not a whole lot has changed in its interior either. The 5102 standardizes on a 10-inch widescreen and the commonly used 1,024-by-600 resolution, although a 1,366-by-768 resolution is available as a pricey option. Higher resolutions come naturally in bigger netbooks such as the HP Mini 311 (1,366-by-768) and Lenovo IdeaPad S12 (1,280-by-800); netbooks with 10-inch screens usually default to a lower resolution.

The combination of the typing and navigating experiences on the Mini 5102 is still one of the best in the industry. Though it isn't full size (95%), the island-style keyboard is well made and can accommodate those with stubby fingers. It rivals the full size ones found in the Toshiba NB205 and Lenovo S12. The mouse buttons, meanwhile, are some of the softest and most click-friendly around.

Features
The Mini 5102 has one of the strongest feature sets in its class. The standard ones include a fast spinning (7200rpm), 160GB hard drive, three USB ports, Ethernet, media card reader, and VGA Out. Wireless cards include Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi on a standard configuration; HP is offering embedded 3G (through Qualcomm's Gobi) as an option. Other options, such as a higher capacity hard drive (250GB), SSDs, and a Broadcom HD decoder chip, were carried over from the 5101. The touch screen option, on the other hand, is the newest addition, which will let your fingers do the navigating. The only other netbook that will have this many options is the Dell Mini 10.

The 5102 comes with a wealth of software—almost too much in some cases. But the useful ones include Quicklook and Quickweb—pre-boot environments that sync with Microsoft Outlook and accesses a Web browser and wireless, respectively. HP is also throwing in Corel Home Office, so you don't necessarily have to purchase a Microsoft Office license, say, for your business. The 5102 also includes many of the HP "ProtectTools" that have made the Elitebook and ProBook business lines so well known. 

Performance
A new Intel processor and surrounding components usually imply faster speeds. But even though the 5102 graduates to the 1.67GHz, Intel Atom N450 processor and new GMA 3150 graphics, its performance on our benchmark tests don't bear that out. Compared with the HP 5101, the 5102 actually suffered in performance tests such as SYSMark 2007 Preview and Windows Media Encoder 9 (video encoding). Its SYSMark Overall score trailed the 5101 and Toshiba NB205 by three points, while video encoding tests fell behind by 14 seconds. Keep in mind, though, this unit tested with Windows 7 Starter, a more demanding OS, instead of Windows XP Home Edition. In the real world, regardless of operating systems, these speed differences are negligible.

Despite the lack of speed improvements, using Intel's new Atom platform did have a huge impact on one performance aspect—battery life. On MobileMark 2007, the 5102 scored almost 11 hours (10:52) with a 6-cell battery. Granted, this is a higher capacity (66Wh) 6-cell than the one previously used by the 5101 (55Wh), so credit should be given to the size of the battery, as well as a more energy efficient platform. Eleven hours of battery life easily bested the 5101 (7:20) and the NB205 (8:27). Unfortunately, the $400 configuration includes a 29Wh (4-cell) battery only, which netted 4 hours 5 minute score in MobileMark tests—a far cry from what was achieved with the 6-cell battery. I'd opt for upgrading to the 6-cell battery for $25 more.

HP is a colossal company, with many environmentally-conscious practices already in place. The 5102 is certified under Energy Star's 5.0 specifications and easily meets RoHS requirements. Because it has an excellent recycling program in place and eliminates hazardous materials from its parts by using components such as an LED screen, the 5102 also qualified for EPEAT Gold. Our own tests, using a P3 International Kill-A-Watt meter, revealed an energy reading of 11 Watts during idle state—3 Watts below Energy Star's threshold. Taking all of this into consideration, the 5102 easily earned our GreenTech seal of approval.

Despite a high cost premium over netbooks such as the Toshiba mini NB205 ($400) and Samsung N120 ($380), the HP Mini 5102 remains one of my top netbook recommendations (though the Toshiba mini NB205 is still king of the hill, so to speak). Its use of metals and what seems like unlimited add-on features are tops among netbook manufacturers. Though there weren't any improvements in raw horsepower, the 5102 receives a new 6-cell battery, which drained well past the 10-hour mark. Too bad, though, that many of the 5102's "optional" features, are costly add-ons. Still, it's worth spending the extra money on top of the $400 "SmartBuy" configuration. 

Computer Magazines - 10 great iPhone apps for business users

InfoWorld presents a grab bag of handy productivity apps that can make your iPhone as useful as it can be

As a member of the nomadic business class, I appreciate how Apple has managed to make a device as small as the iPhone a truly useful enterprise tool. Thanks to the wildly successful App Store, an amazing number and variety of apps promise to keep me organized, on time, on track, and productive even if my ever-present laptop isn't available.

The question for me, as it is for most users, is exactly which App Store apps will make the iPhone as useful as it can be. What follows is my own personal top 10 list, plus a few extras for good measure. If you use your iPhone (or iPod Touch) for business purposes, you'll likely come to rely on a few of these apps too.

There were a few ground rules I used in putting this group together -- guidelines that made sense to me, as I think they will to a lot of other users. First, because I'm living inside the current economy, I wanted the applications to be as inexpensive as possible. A bargain-priced iPhone app that requires an expensive desktop app or subscription was at a serious disadvantage.

Second, I wanted my iPhone software to work, to the greatest extent possible, with software I was already using on my laptop. I know that this introduces some biases, but the companion services and applications I'll mention are popular and widely adopted, so this is not as great a limitation as it might otherwise be.

Finally, there are more than 100,000 applications available on the Apple App Store. I didn't try them all. I didn't even try to try them all. I talked to other users, peered over the shoulder of iPhone-wielding business folks, and read reviews, articles, and blog posts from as many people as I could to narrow the field -- pretty much the same process most business users go through when selecting software. The following list of applications, then, is the one I've come to depend on. I'll look forward to reader comments telling me what I've missed.

Dropbox
When you need to move files back and forth between two (or more) computers on the same desk or in the same office, you have a number of options. When you need to move files between devices in different states, your options are rather more limited, and most of those options are in the cloud. One of the most popular for desktop computers is Dropbox, which is now available for the iPhone.

With Dropbox, you designate a desktop folder or subdirectory to synchronize, and then sit back and let the cloud-based storage system do its thing. On the iPhone, Dropbox allows you to upload and download files, and it provide links to individual files for collaborators to share entire subdirectories with coworkers. Dropbox also lets you view common file types like documents, spreadsheets, and photos.

For a business user on the go, the ability to provide the link through e-mail is critical, and the ability to view the files can be a lifesaver. In my case, I was already using Dropbox as a way to share files between my Macintosh and Windows machines, and the Web-based interface allowed me to reach my files when I was away from any of my computers.

Computer Magazines - InfoWorld's 2010 Technology of the Year Awards

The InfoWorld Test Center picks the year's best and most innovative hardware and software for business and IT professionals

If you caught "InfoWorld's top 10 emerging enterprise technologies" in November, you had a running start on our 2010 Technology of the Year Awards. MapReduce, desktop virtualization, I/O virtualization, NoSQL databases, cross-platform mobile application development, and application whitelisting topped our list of high-impact technologies, and not surprisingly, all are represented in our list of top products as well.

Other product categories yielding 2010 Technology of the Year Award winners include CPUs, blade servers, server virtualization, SANs, development tools, cloud services, social networking software, and smartphones. Some of the picks were no-brainers, such as Intel's amazing Nehalem processor and Cisco's revolutionary Unified Computing System; others required careful consideration and even debate.

Our most difficult dilemma was between Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7. Mac OS X was not only our reigning champ, but Snow Leopard edged Windows 7 in our PC vs. Mac deathmatch. We also recognize that Snow Leopard, a wholly 64-bit Intel-based OS that finally sheds the baggage of Apple's PowerPC days, is the culmination of an extremely well-executed transformation of Mac OS X. But for its dramatic and sorely needed improvement over Windows Vista, Windows 7 wins our award.

Read on to discover the rest of the year's winners (including a special nod to venerable Windows XP) and our reasoning behind the choices.

Intel Nehalem Processor (Xeon 5500 Series)
The usual progression of processor performance dictates that we enjoy a new generation of chips every couple of years. Attaching the term "generation" to this biannual ritual of incremental feature additions has robbed the term of its importance as the marker of a new epoch. Instead, users have had to settle for hard-to-perceive performance benefits as processors excitedly moved from single to dual to quad core.

Then, suddenly this year, Intel upended the apple cart by releasing Nehalem, a chip so vastly different from its predecessors that it might honestly mark not just a new generation but the beginning of a whole new era in the storied history of the x86 processor.

Not only did Nehalem deliver the key technology advantages that AMD had been touting for years in its Opteron processors -- namely, its memory management -- but it broke new ground in power consumption and performance balancing, and it did so in dramatic fashion.

Nehalem is the first x86 processor to have multiple cores and multiple threads within those cores. If you like parallel, Nehalem gives you eight pipelines per chip. And unlike some RISC architectures that have multithreaded cores, these pipelines are capable of heavy work.

If parallel isn't of interest, Intel gives you Turbo Boost mode that enables the clock of operating cores to be increased within the thermal constraints of the chip. If other cores are quiescent, the remaining cores can be boosted by as much as 11 bin speeds, meaning 11-step increments, which gooses a sub-3GHz processor well past that threshold.

Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710

Technology buffs are becoming more spoiled by the day, especially with all the wireless tech that has been pouring into our laps over the past few years. It seems that if any piece of tech we want to get comes with a cord we immediately shun it like the plague. Well its a good thing companies are realizing that absolutely nobody wants a wired device anymore because most companies are trying their hardest to make all devices wireless and all wireless devices last longer.

Logitech is taking wireless connectivity to the next level with their wireless Desktop MK710 keyboard and mouse combo. The keyboard and mouse work just like any other wireless device with one huge selling point, a supposed 3 year battery life for both the keyboard and mouse which is a feat Logitech says it is the first to achieve.

To achieve this long battery life, Logitech uses aggressive power-saving algorithms. Now, when people hear this they tend to worry that the algorithms may cause lag but Logitech assures us that even with the algorithms users will not experience any unseemly lag. Being able to experience 36 straight months on a single set of batteries without having to deal with ridiculous lag is something that grabs the attention of a lot of tech junkies.

According to Logitech's Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Control devices Business Unit Rory Dooley, "No one thinks about changing batteries until they have to, but when that time comes it can stop you in your tracks. With its industry-first three-year battery life for a combo, you might just forget the logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 uses batteries at all."

Another key feature with the MK710 mouse and keyboard combo is the single Logitech Unifying Receiver, a single, tiny receiver plugged into one of your computer's USB ports that connects both your keyboard and mouse through a single port. The single receiver is small and being able to connect both devices greatly diminishes your computer's clutter.

The keyboard itself features Logitech's incurve keys as well as a cushioned palm rest. The keyboard also features an LCD dashboard which gives you the status of Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, Number Lock and battery life. The mouse is a midsize Logitech laser mouse that comes complete with hyper-fast scrolling. The mouse has a right handed design with three customizable thumb buttons in close reach of each other. Both devices run on Logitech Advanced 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. Typical wireless systems run on 27MHz systems and Logitech's 2.4GHz system allows a much faster transmission of information. The 2.4GHz system also comes with a 128-bit AES encryption that ensures all of your important data is safe and secure.

The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 is hitting stor shelves in Europe this month and will becoming to us Americans in April under a $99.99 price tag.

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Computer Magazines - Hands On with the Apple iPad (with Video)

After what felt like years of waiting and tons of speculation, Steve Jobs finally unveiled Apple's long-rumored tablet, the iPad, yesterday in San Francisco and PCMag was there. The event was more heavily attended than any Apple press meeting we've attended in the same theater. After Jobs' keynote, a showroom with several iPads (and at least one person guarding each one of them) was swarming with camera crews. Still, I was able to log considerable time with the device. Until we get the iPad into the lab for a full review, which could be several weeks, here are my initial impressions:

A Tablet for Work and Play
First off, what this thing can do is mind-boggling. Running an OS similar to the current iPhone operating system and powered by a custom-designed Apple 1-GHz processor, the A4, the iPad is lightning-fast. The 1,024-by-768, 9.7-inch LED-backlit touch screen is as beautiful as you would imagine a sprawling iPhone display would be. New apps and games developed specifically for the iPad do amazing things with the additional screen real estate, but if you think it's just a toy, you're wrong.

A designed-for-iPad iWork suite, which was also announced, offers credible, touch-enabled word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software for business users.

Holding this aluminum-and-glass beauty in my hand, I did wonder: Who will buy the iPad? It's hard to say, but at $499 (16GB), $599 (32GB), and $699 (64GB), it's certainly not cheap—plus you need to tack on $130 to each of those price points if you want AT&T 3G connectivity. (Data plans don't require a contract and you can choose either a $14.99 per month, 250MB option, or a $29.99/month unlimited plan; all models include 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.) It seems like the iPad will appeal to business travelers who want a lightweight, but still useful, portable workstation that doubles as a digital entertainment device, or to deep-pocketed early adopters. It's more difficult to envision my morning subway commute populated with iPads the way it is with iPhones and iPods, for one obvious reason: This thing is big.

And at 1.5 pounds, it's not exactly light, either. Lighter than most laptops? Yes. But to hold it while watching even a half-hour TV show could get uncomfortable. Plus a 10-inch sheet of glass is delicate. Grasping it with one hand to shoot to our hands-on video made me very, very nervous. I don't want to see what a shattered iPad looks like. You could set it in your lap to watch video, but this is one area where laptops—and perhaps even netbooks—still have an advantage: a flip-up screen, by nature, includes a built-in stand. You'll have to buy an accessory case that can double as a stand to get the same experience when sitting at a desk or in an airline seat.

iBooks is probably the most revolutionary aspect of the iPad. The biggest question: Can Apple do for digital books what it did for digital music? Pulling a book off the virtual shelf seems a bit too cute for me, but the page turning graphics are actually quite stunning, and the pages themselves look fantastic. Apple was not demoing the iBook Store, so what you saw in the Keynote video is what we have to go on right now. Amazon may have beaten Apple to the e-book arena initially, but it seems the Kindle might have a hard time competing with the iPad in the long-term. For the Kindle, no matter how attractive its e-ink display is, it's no match for the full color touch screen of the iPad. And when you factor in apps, a built-in iPod, and a better browser, it's tough to deny the comparative appeal of the iPad. The thing is though, you can get a Kindle for $259, but the least-expensive iPad will cost you almost twice that.

Apps, Maps, Photos, and More
A big screen means more intricate apps; The New York Times, for one, is astounding—it looks like the company has mastered a truly interactive app that both captures the spirit of the printed newspaper and the efficiency of the NYT Web site. It will be interesting to see what the iPad can do for newspapers and magazines. Expect to see apps from Condé Nast, Hearst, and Time Inc.

Even the more subtle advancements are exciting. I didn't think Apple could make photo organization easier or more fun than it has with iPhoto. The iPad puts all of the iPhoto functionality literally in your hands. Organizing photos by face or place is a blast and pinching and expanding on a photo album's icon shows you all the photos in a jumbled virtual pile that expands into an organized thumbnail layout. Stuff like this makes the iPad feel a lot like a toy—a really cool one.

The Google Maps app, which can find you at your current location, lets you type a term as vague as "Tex Mex," and then sprinkles the map with the nearest restaurants locations. You even get a street view, which looks amazing on the iPad's display. It's almost easier to navigate with your fingers on the big touch screen than it is with a mouse on a PC.

Safari on the iPad seems fairly similar to the mobile version for the iPhone. What's great though, is with the added surface area, pull-down menus no longer hide the content, as they do on the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen. The tool bar takes up less overall "visual" space too. Typing on the large virtual keyboard is effortless in both landscape and portrait modes; given the large screen, there's plenty of room between keys. One major bummer: Like the iPhone version, this iteration of Safari doesn't support Flash, so there'll be no Hulu-watching—at least not for now.

The iPod is also a fantastic upgrade from the iPhone or iPod touch. Playlists, Genius Mixes, and Videos all appear in a left-hand margin just as they do in iTunes, with a window in the middle displaying the content. Whether you're watching video or just viewing album art, the screen is sharp, bright, and the accelerometer is extremely responsive. Video playback is offered in "full HD," but it doesn't fill the entire screen in this mode. You can tap on the screen, and the video will fill the entire display, but you leave full HD mode.

While the first incarnation of Apple's iPad is truly impressive, its best features are yet to come. We have no idea what future iPad apps are in store for us, but just about the entire print industry is banking on this device to be its second chance in the digital world. And game developers seem to be salivating at the screen's size and full multi-touch surface. What we have already, however, is pretty darn good. We'll put the iPad through its paces in our lab when it is released in late March. Check back for a full review.

Computer Magazines - Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13

by Cisco Cheng

Lenovo's ThinkPad series has clung to the same corporate look longer than any other in the business, but it could only go so long before customers get the impression that they're buying the same thing over and over again. So how do you redesign something that's considered blasphemy to redesign? Well, you take baby steps. Case in point: the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 ($899 direct). In terms of industrial design, the ThinkPad Edge 13 is a compelling makeover for a laptop that bears the sacred ThinkPad seal. It even dared to alter the prized keyboard while keeping its signature Trackpoint and mouse buttons. As a category, the Edge 13 is a CULV laptop, meaning it carries Intel's ultra low voltage processor and gets you at least 7 hours of battery life. It's a decent entry-level laptop for a small business.

Design
Aside from the black color and the familiar ThinkPad logo, the Edge 13 bears little resemblance to the ThinkPad X301. The lid is trimmed with silver and it's glossy, destined to be laden with finger prints and smudges. A matted black and a red version will be available as well, paring down the unsightly marks. Overall, though, the new design lacks the luxurious appeal of aluminum metals, which can be found in lightweight laptops like the HP ProBook 5310m and ASUS UL30A-A1.

At 3.9 pounds, the Edge 13 weighs about the same as the ASUS UL30A-A1 (3.9 lbs) and HP 5310m (3.8 lbs). The Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T (3.6 lbs) and Dell Vostro V13 (3.6 lbs) are lighter and measure less than an inch thick (the Edge 13's dimensions are slightly thicker at 12.9-by-9-by-1.1 inches, HWD). A 13-inch widescreen is the common denominator among this group, and the one on the Edge 13 is generic at best in that its resolution tops out at 1,366-by-768—like the rest of them. Upgrading to a class-act like the Lenovo ThinkPad X301, on the other hand, bumps the maximum resolution to 1,440-by-900.

Features
The keyboard is perhaps the ThinkPad's most celebrated feature, and changing it would be considered sacrilegious to some. Apparently, that's exactly what Lenovo did with the Edge line, although the actual typing experience might surprise you. The Edge 13 adopts the island-style layout made popular by the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch, and used in consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) CPU-equipped laptops like the Acer AS3810T and ASUS UL30A-1—and it's the best one yet.

The keys are isolated from one other, but they're large enough so that it doesn't feel like typing on little squares. Each key cap is curved and raised high enough so that the ThinkPad "feeling" is still there, once you get past the new look. The transition is made even easier by bringing over the original ThinkPad navigating experience. So, yes, the signature red pointing stick and soft mouse buttons are present, as well as the additional touchpad and another pair of mouse buttons.

The Edge 13's feature set isn't better or worse than any other CULV or small business laptop. Like its peers, it doesn't have an internal optical drive, which isn't necessarily a flaw. I'm a big proponent of getting of rid it in lightweight form factors. The Lenovo X301, if you choose to upgrade, has one built-in. The three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and multimedia card reader are all present. The HDMI-port lets users stream their presentations and videos to an external display that supports the format. It also has an option for WiMax through Intel, and embedded 3G, with Qualcomm's Gobi wireless.

Performance
The Edge 13 is one of the few laptops that are not launching with Intel's latest "Arrandale" platform, which will have processor names like Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3. Instead, it uses a previous generation CULV platform, complete with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 (1.3GHz), 4GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. These processors are slightly slower, but what you lose in speed, you'll gain back in battery efficiency. The UL30A-A1, Dell Vostro V13, and Acer Timeline AS3810T follow the same processor principles, as they use similar Ultra Low Voltage processors.

The Edge 13 fared the worst in PCMark Vantage, an overall performance benchmark test, scoring just 2,338 points. Its video encoding and Cinebench R10 scores were in line with that of the ASUS UL30A-A1, but trailed the Acer AS3810T by a significant margin. The ProBook 5310m, on the other hand, uses a standard voltage processor (Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300), so it took the middle ground, favoring both speed and battery life and therefore dominated in speed tests.

With CULV laptops, battery life is the biggest claim to fame. Although the Edge 13's 63WH (6-cell) scored almost 7 hours (6:58) in MobileMark 2007 tests, it came up well short against the ASUS UL30A-A1 (10:27) and ASUS A3810T (8:39). The Edge 13 did beat the 5310m (5:18), though, since it uses a more energy efficient processor and a bigger battery.

Since Lenovo's acquisition of the ThinkPad brand, it hasn't launched another line with the ThinkPad moniker until now. The ThinkPad Edge 13 lives up to its namesake's typing and navigating experience, though its shiny plastics aren't as classy as the metals found in the HP ProBook 5310m and the Asus UL30A-A1. And while 7 hours of battery life is commendable, other CULVs are scoring in the 8-10 hour range and selling for less. It's still a solid buy, though, if you can snag it for less than its listed price ($899). Otherwise, go with the HP 5310m or ASUS UL30A-A1.

Computer Magazines - Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B

Editors' Note: The Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B initial run of units has sold out. According to Sony, the system will be available once again in Feburary 2010.

by Joel Santo Domingo

Among the all in one all-in-one desktop PC, the Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B ($2,000 list) is certainly one of the best looking. It has the look of a 24-inch HDTV, an intentional design choice. Inside that sexy shell is the heart of a power user's PC: quad-core Intel processor, 6GB of memory, 1TB hard drive, Blu-ray burner, and a decent Nvidia graphics card. Placement in the kitchen, den, home office, and living room come to mind, but like its Sony VAIO all in one predecessors, it will even work in the most design critical room in the house: the bedroom.

Design
The VAIO VPC-L117FX/B looks like it could be a Sony Bravia HDTV. That is one of its greatest strengths, since it can blend in anywhere a smaller (20- to 36-inch) HDTV fits. It can even replace a TV in the bedroom, since it has a built-in Blu-ray drive, ATSC tuner, and HDMI-in ports. Viewing Blu-ray videos on the VAIO give you that "view through a window" effect that makes it seem like the action is happening on the other side of the display glass. We tested the system with films made before (Coming to America, The Warriors) and after the advent of CGI (Star Trek, Mission Impossible II). All of the films looked great. The picture is vivid, accurate, and noise-free. The HDMI-in port lets you connect a game system like a Sony Playstation 3 or a set-top box like the one from you cable TV company. The built-in tuner grabs over the air HDTV signals and displays them in Windows 7's built-in Media Center interface. There's a slot built into the base of the unit, so you can stow the wireless keyboard out of the way when you're not using it, and the keyboard and mouse can easily reach a bed or couch 10 to 15 feet away. The system is wall mountable with a kit you can buy separately.

The all-in-one comes with five USB ports, a FireWire/i.Link port, and that 24-inch 1,920 by 1,080 resolution screen (which is true 1080p HD). This is truly a power-users' system, and it better be one for $2,000. The system also comes with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and an IR remote control so you can work almost completely wireless.

Features
The system's touchscreen is responsive, though it takes a few seconds for your finger to learn exactly where to point to get the screen to recognize your commands. The HP TouchSmart systems are a little more forgiving with finger placement, but both the Sony and HP all in one PC's screens are multi-touch enabled and can use standard Windows 7 touch command functions like swipe, flick, pinch, and rotate. The system's quad-core processor makes the Sony VPC-L117FX/B just a little more responsive than the TouchSmart 600, but you're unlikely to notice the difference unless you have the two side by side. Aside from the usual Windows 7 apps, the VAIO VPC-L117FX/B comes with VAIO Media Gallery, a unified multimedia viewing interface that lets you quickly view all your music, photos, and videos on a variety of formats, including neat calendar-organized formats. This serves a range of users from the "messy but organized" types to the obsessive compulsives that have to have their photos organized by time stamps. Media Gallery allows you to group photos arbitrarily or via searchable criteria; then you can create a quick slideshow with a couple of touches, then export to VAIO Movie Story. VAIO Movie Story is a quick way to create well, if not edited, then concatenated home movie made of your pictures, clips from your digital camera, and clips from your cell phone. Movie Story can either use music you choose, or it will check the videos with an algorithm and automatically suggest or add music. You can then burn the resulting movie to DVD or Blu-ray disc, save the file in a variety of media formats (including MPEG-2, MP4, etc.), or export your file to a Sony Media device like a PSP or a Mylo. I'd like to see an integrated export to iTunes/iPod or better yet an export to Facebook or Youtube, but you could of course do that manually after you create a file.

The VAIO VPC-L117FX/B comes with Google's Chrome as its default browser, but like all Windows 7 PCs, it also comes with Internet Explorer 8. I found that touch navigation works better in IE8, since I couldn't scroll slowly in Chrome—it only recognized flick commands like page forward/back and page up/down. Scrolling up and down in IE8 using finger gestures was smooth and worked as expected. I'm sure Google will improve the interface over time, but for now IE8 is the better touch-enabled browser on the VAIO.

Aside from the useful software above, there's very little in the way of bloatware on the VAIO VPC-L117FX/B. There's a copy of Microsoft Works, which is useful. Then there's an installer for a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, which is the right way to both satisfy Microsoft's agreements with Sony, and to avoid the dreaded "pre-installed Office" syndrome. Likewise, there's a link to Quicken's Website for offers on QuickBooks and Quicken, but you have to download and install them. Believe me, this is a good thing. You don't have to install Office or Quickbooks unless you want to, so there's nothing to clean up and therefore no stray .DLL files or leftover detritus to muck up your hard drive. If there's any drawback to the Sony VAIO Media software, it's that it's not as modular as HP's TouchSmart interface, with its widgets and iPod Touch-style apps. On the other hand, VAIO Media Gallery and Movie Story are some of the most intuitive and easiest to use pack-in multimedia apps outside of Apple's iLife (iMovie, iDVD, etc.).

Performance
Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B The VAIO VPC-L117FX/B's performance is very good, thanks to its Intel Core 2 Quad 8400S processor and Nvidia GeForce GT 240M graphics, though it's tied for the class leader in only one of our standard benchmark tests. The VAIO is speedy at the PhotoShop CS4 test with a class-leading 1 minute 39 seconds, tied with the Gateway One ZX6810-01. It's also only one second behind the Gateway FX6810-01 at the Windows Media Encoder test (43 seconds), which makes the VAIO VPC-L117FX/B an excellent choice for the multimedia enthusiast. It's other scores are competitive in the field of multimedia all in one desktops, including the dual-core powered Apple iMac 27-inch (Core 2 Duo), Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 (3011-4BU), and the Editor's Choice HP TouchSmart 600-1055 PC. The VAIO VPC-L117FX/B can be used for light gaming: it played World in Conflict at a smooth 39 frames per second (fps), but is a little too slow playing Crysis at our standard settings (30fps). If you push the quality levels and/or resolution down you can likely get a playable frame rate in Crysis. The GPU does help with programs like Microsoft's Virtual Earth and HD video playback from the web.

As a high-end all-in-one desktop PC, the Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B is a little pricey at about $2,000, but you can just about rationalize the added expense if you consider the system has one of the best quality screens in the business, Blu-ray burner (as opposed to just a player for the Lenovo A600 and HP TouchSmart 600), and its looks more like an HDTV than a PC, unlike the iMac, Gateway One, Lenovo IdeaCentre, and HP TouchSmart. That said, these other four are a lot less expensive, especially in the case of the Gateway One and Lenovo A600 (both $1,399 list). The Gateway One is the performance leader overall, with a speedy Solid State Drive (SSD) helping its quad-core processor take five wins out of the seven benchmark tests. However, the Editor's Choice winning HP TouchSmart 600-1055 has the most polished implementation of touch technology in Windows 7, along with the best bang for the buck ($1,599 list) out of all the multimedia all in ones. The Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B is a "better quality" choice if you're willing to spend the bucks, but you'd have to be a individual who's really hard to please to justify an almost $500 price premium.

Closing Sale of WinPatrol Merchandise

This week will be the final opportunity to purchase one of our 1 GB WinPatrol Wristbands or sharp looking WinPatrol shorts shirts. If you’ve ever wanted one, this will be your last chance. Both items are $24.95 USD plus shipping.

1 GB Wristband with WinPatrolToGo
Very Limited Quantities
Click to Order

 

 
Available in Small, Large, Extra Large only
Click to Order

This week will be the final week either of these items will be available to the public in our online store. We have limited quantities and I do not expect to order more. Next week I’ll be attending an event in Redmond where I’ll be seeing many long time friends and supporters.  If I have any shirts or wristbands left I will be giving them away at the Microsoft “Most Valuable Professional” Summit. If you’re an MVP don’t count on any being left.  Order now.  ;)

Computer Magazines - IE8 Tops Browser Market Share

Probably not a whole lot to be surprised about here, but Microsoft is patting itself of the back because, in spite of increased competition from alternative browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, the latest version of Internet Explorer now how the highest marketshare on a worldwide basis, according to Net MarketShare's January report.

The browser grabbed 27.9 percent usage, itself only a fraction of the total IE market share, which is closer to 62 percent, in spite of an aggressive push on the part of Web designers to wean users off of old versions of the browser.

The Internet Explorer team echoed the call to update from Internet Explorer 6 in a blog post today.

Posted By:  Brian Heater

Computer Magazines - HDTVs for the Big Game

It's not too late to score a big deal on an HDTV for the Super Bowl. Some of our top-rated sets are selling for as much as 50 percent off.

by  Wendy Sheehan Donnell

3D TV was all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, but you won't be able to get a 3D-capable HDTV until later this year. And honestly, not everyone wants to shell out the thousands of dollars it will cost to bring 3D to your living room. Especially when right now, big-screen HDTV prices are lower than they've ever been.

If you've been thinking of upgrading to HD, or even if you're on to your second or third flat-panel set, it's a great time to buy an HDTV. And what better excuse than the biggest football game of the year? After all, live action sporting events are an ideal showcase for the virtues of high definition viewing.

Since the Super Bowl is right around the corner, and most of America will be huddled around the TV for the big game, we swept the Web for the best bargains on our top-rated HDTVs. All the deals we found come with free standard shipping, but if you want your set for game day, you might need to cough up extra for expedited shipping. Still, with prices anywhere from 30 to 50 percent off list, you're still ahead of the game. 

Computer Magazines - Apple releases iPhone OS 3.1.3 to fix software, security issues

Apple released version 3.1.3 of its iPhone operating system for the iPhone and iPod touch, promising to address a number of known software and security issues related to CoreAudio, ImageIO, Recovery Mode and WebKit. According to Apple, the CoreAudio patch blocks "maliciously crafted" MP4 audio files, while the ImageIO patch prohibits malicious TIFF images. The Recovery Mode update solves memory corruption issues enabling unauthorized persons with physical access to the device to bypass the passcode and access personal data, while WebKit receives two patches, one correcting an HTML 5-related hiccups that may cause mail to load remote audio and video files when remote image-loading is disabled and the other blocking WebKit from accessing a malicious FTP server. In addition, iPhone OS 3.1.3 resolves a bug that causes apps to crash when using a Japanese Kana keyboard, and also improves the accuracy of battery-level reporting on the iPhone 3GS.

Apple did not disclose when it plans to upgrade iPhone and iPod touch devices to iPhone OS 3.2, announced last week in conjunction with its forthcoming iPad tablet device. The iPhone SDK 3.2 beta includes a simulator enabling developers to format their user interface for the larger screen size, test an app's memory usage and abbreviate the debug cycle in the design process. Other elements of the SDK include an iPad programming guide, user experience guidelines and tools for creating universal applications that run across iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices.

Computer Magazines - Microsoft probes Windows 7 laptop battery problems

Laptop users claim the new Windows 7 OS has permanently crippled their batteries

Microsoft said Tuesday it is looking into battery problems apparently affecting Windows 7 notebooks.

Users have complained of battery issues -- including premature warnings that the power is exhausted, as well as more dire demands to replace the battery -- for months, long before Windows 7 went final.

[ Get InfoWorld's 21-page hands-on look at the new version of Windows. | The real-world state of Windows: Check out InfoWorld's live Windows Pulse monitors of users' app preferences and PC configurations. | Looking for the ultimate laptop? It doesn't exist yet, so InfoWorld designed the perfect notebook. See how close your laptop comes to our dream machine. ]

Microsoft claimed that the problem was in the Windows 7 tool that decided when the battery had been drained, or was unable to hold a charge. "We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners, which appears to be related to system firmware (BIOS)," a Microsoft spokeswoman said today, referring to the firmware that boots the PC and initializes the hardware components. "The warning received in Windows 7 uses firmware information to determine if battery replacement is needed."

A very long thread on Microsoft's support site dedicated to Windows 7 battery problems kicked off in early June 2009, and remains active; more than a dozen new messages were posted on Tuesday, for example.

While some users on that thread agree with Microsoft that the warnings are spurious, others believe that the new operating system has permanently crippled their batteries.

"I have tried charging the battery while the computer is off or in another OS, and it does not work," said someone identified as "DanLee81" today. "It will charge for a few minutes, then stop. The battery will say it's full when it actually only has a few minutes of charge, and when you take out the A/C, it will either last for a few minutes, or completely shut off your laptop. This behavior happens in all [OSes] after Windows 7 damages the battery, not just within Windows 7."

Others reported that their batteries underperformed, even after they abandoned Windows 7 and returned their notebooks to running Windows XP or Vista, or switched to Linux . "Rolling back does not work either," said "Dreklia" in another message on Tuesday. "I feel rip[ped] off!"

Computer Magazines - Dissecting the iPad

Dan, Lance and Sascha get into a big fight over the iPad. Then we talk about visiting a chip fab plant and the excellent new Chrome 4.0 Web browser. And Dan's Power Tool is back!

On the show this week:

• Apple's iPad
• Visiting a Chip Fab Plant
• Chrome 4.0 browser
• Chrome Extensions
• Dan's Power Tool: Yelp for the iPhone

Host: Lance Ulanoff
Co-Hosts: Dan Costa, Sascha Segan
Guests: Matthew Murray, Michael Muchmore
Engineer: Zach Honig

Have your tech question or comment read on the air! Simply call our Google Voice Mailbox at 917-284-8278 and leave a short message.

Follow PCMag Radio team for the latest tech news and more:
@lanceulanoff (http://twitter.com/lanceulanoff)
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@zachhonig (http://twitter.com/zachhonig)

Contact the PCMag Radio crew at Radio@pcmag.com!

All this and more on PCMag Radio (http://go.pcmag.com/radio).

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Computer Magazines - AOL Slows Profit Loses--Still Down 17-Percent

AOL this week release its 2009 earnings report, its first as a standalone company in nearly a decade. The consensus seems to be that they're pretty bad, but, well, all things considered, they could probably be worse. The bottom line is a 17 percent drop year-over-year, from $974 million to $810 million.

The company's overall revenue dropped only eight percent. "Only" because this sector has declined more rapidly in the past. The biggest hit here seems to be in search revenue, which dropped 19 percent.

According to Business Insider, the hit comes because most of those using AOL search are dial-up subscribers, and, well, that space is declining pretty rapidly. AOL Subscriptions dropped 28 percent.

Computer Magazines - Why Chrome Will be Your Next Browser

Google's Web browser is about to make the leap from upstart to leader of the pack.

by  Lance Ulanoff

Google Chrome's market share numbers are skyrocketing, blowing past Safari and Opera to become the number three most-widely-used Web browser. That's pretty impressive, and I don't think it's going to stop there. I fully expect it to overtake Firefox and challenge, if not beat, Microsoft Internet Explorer sometime in the next 5 years.

It took Firefox most of this decade to achieve its solid number two status, but the one-and-a-half-year-old Chrome is growing faster and, in some ways, developing more quickly than Firefox ever did. The question, though, is not whether or not Chrome will beat other browsers, but why it is rising while Firefox seems to have stalled or is falling.

Over the years, most tech-savvy users I've talked to have said they run Firefox. It's faster—I agree—and it has amazing features, which is true. The Awesome bar, also known as Firefox's address bar, works better than virtually any other address bar in the business. When I start to type in a URL, its best guesses are almost always on target. Those same tech-savvy users have always touted Firefox's extensive add-on library. I use a handful of them, but I'm not an extension nut like some people I know. I find it fascinating how, say, a "27 Best Firefox Extensions" story can kill on Digg and drive thousands of page views. What, exactly, is the attraction to stuff you can add to your browser? Does everything we use need to be customized?

Firefox has also, traditionally, been faster than the competition. It usually loaded pages lickety split, and it did so with an admirable level of precision. The pages looked the way they should and everything worked—most of the time.

Here at PCMag, many of our developers use Firefox when coding updates for our Web sites. That was fine until I tried to look at the updates in Internet Explorer and wondered why they didn't work. I'd march over to the developer and wag my finger in his face, "Why are you coding for Firefox? Don't you know that 90 percent of the Web uses Internet Explorer?" This was years ago, of course. The developer would smile and shrug his shoulders. Eventually, he'd fix the code so it worked in Internet Explorer as well.

In essence, Firefox had the growing support of average consumers and the critical support of early adopters, the tech-heads who were building the Web.

When Google launched Chrome in 2008, it was almost laughably under-powered, but it was wicked fast. It let you search right inside the address bar (a feature I love to this day) and loaded pretty much every page (almost always with an odd HTML translation error or two). Wonkiness aside, it just worked. We were all impressed with Google's first effort. Chrome beta was followed in a remarkably short time by a full-blown first version. Now, less than 2 years later, we're testing Google Chrome 4.0. Firefox is still beta testing version 3.6!

As Chrome has risen, something disturbing has happened on the Firefox side. I've heard grumblings from people who previously supported Firefox, saying that it seemed slower, bloated, and, worse yet, that it's a resource hog. This is the worst thing you can say about a Web browser.

Web browsers are the ultimate Internet utility and the one that we most need to get the heck out of the way. If using it is weighing your system down, then it's no good. All modern browsers—Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, Firefox, and Chrome—use tabbed browsing. This means they all have to manage multiple instances of themselves, with each one featuring full-blown Web pages that could be running everything from basic HTML to Flash video. I do not envy the developer's task.

Microsoft has made some strides with Internet Explorer, a perennial resource hog. It's a slightly better task citizen. Still, each tab is a separate process and all of them together can bring your system to a halt. Firefox lumps all the tasks into one, but the overall process number can get pretty big and, to be honest, it can get a bit slow at times. What's worse is when it becomes unstable and crashes. Internet Explorer does this, too. Chrome spawns multiple processes when you launch new tabs as well, but it just seems to handle the whole thing better.

Every week I participate in a radio show where I have to answer listener's questions. I can answer some questions off the top of my head, but with some, I need an assist. Usually, my Web site or a search engine can help me unlock at least the start of the answer. But once I find something, I don't want to switch away from that Web page, so I open a new tab. I used to try this with IE and with Firefox. After a half dozen tabs, both made my system feel like it was swimming through molasses. Not Chrome. I open almost a dozen tabs and it still simply screams.

At its core, Google Chrome is a very good Web browser (I know it, like Safari, is based on Webkit, but I could never warm up to Safari.). It's still not as full featured as competitors and there are, to this day, pages (even my own PCMag.com) that it does not render 100 percent correctly. On the other hand, Google is updating the browser on an almost weekly basis. Recently, it added bookmark sync and now it has a growing list of extensions—just like Firefox.

As it grows more popular, Chrome will surely suffer from one of the growing pains common among popular Web browsers: Someone will exploit its vulnerabilities. Google automatically updates Chrome when you launch it, so I'm positive it'll take care of these issues as soon as they crop up.

Microsoft and Mozilla may be glancing confidently in their side-view mirrors right now, pleased that Chrome is, at just 5 percent, a mere spec in the distance. However, they may want to pay closer attention to that little note printed faintly on the glass: "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear." 

Brand New Computer? Read Me First!

Did you think I was going to start out by telling you all to install WinPatrol as soon as you opened up your new computer? Guess again.  I always try to write my articles from a different point of view and today may not be what you expect.

For the 2nd time I’ve had to return the Dell All-in-One Multi-Touch computer system that I’ve been dreaming about for months. The first unit had to go back because Dell shipped the wrong configuration. The 2nd system had to go back due to internal hardware failure. I should have known something was wrong when I could hear loose parts when I took the computer out of the box.

My point today is take a little time to insure your brand new computer is everything it should be or you may be sorry. Before you install your favorite software on your brand new system I have a few  recommendations.

1) Create a physical folder for documentation.
This folder should include your invoice, Service Tag number, your customer number, Order or Purchase number and any information required to identify your purchase. Keep your original DVD’s in the folder. At some time in the future you will need them and want them handy.

Write these numbers down before your computer goes under the desk or so you don’t have to keep tipping it upside down to find it again.

If you ordered your computer online you probably created an account. Copy down your log in name and account password.

2) Know and understand your Return Policy.
Go online and print out the return policy for your computer.  If you think you have 30 days think again. 

I recently experienced the Dell return policy so I have some specific tips to pass along.

“You must contact Customer Service within 21 days of the invoice date.”

That’s not the date your computer arrived. If the computer is a gift or not planned to be used immediately you should keep reading this article. 

“Unless the product is defective or the return is a direct result of a Dell error, a restocking fee may apply of up to 15% of the purchase price paid, plus any applicable sales tax.”

My inappropriate tip is on your first call tell them there was an error in the system configuration. Imply that you ordered a more expensive configuration and you want to return quickly so you re-order a new system online. If you tell them the computer is broken you’ll be forced through a time consuming series of phone calls with technical support to document your system is really broken.

Lenovo says “Lenovo will accept the return or exchange of a product in its original, sealed package (except gift cards) for a full refund in cases of Lenovo error. Returns allowed for any other reason will be subject to a restocking fee equal to 15% of the purchase amount. All returns must be initiated within 21 days of the invoice date.“

Apple requests your attention immediately. “For eligible Mac, iPod, and third-party products, you have up to 14 calendar days from the time you receive your item(s) to initiate a return. A 10% restocking fee will be assessed for opened items. Shipping fees are not refundable.”


3) Keep all your packing materials.
Keep all the baggies and even the little twist ties available and pack them in the original box. Keep the original box somewhere safe “just in case”.


4) Run Available System Tests
Before installing any new software, including the final installation of the operating system, verify your hardware is working. It should meet the same test requirements it passed before it left factory no matter how many pot holes it hit along the way. 

I know you’re excited but trust me, you never know what could have happen during shipment. If you know from the start that all your hardware works as expected you’re in a good position. You can probably be confident it will continue to work correctly for many years to come.

One of the improvements computer OEM’s have made over years has been to include diagnostic tests directly in the firmware. These tests are typically available by pressing one of the function keys while the system boots. Memory and hard drive tests may be time consuming but knowing you don’t have a hardware problem will make you feel better if your system dies after installing your favorite software.

5) Run all Windows System Updates
After you complete the installation of the operating system and before you start surfing the net, before you install your favorite programs like WinPatrol, you’ll want to run all available system updates. There are two reasons why this is important.

First, until you’ve run all the security updates your system is wide open for possible security breaches. Running updates will be a multi-step process. Once you run your first set of updates, there will be another set that depend on the previous updates before they can run. You should expect multiple re-boots during this process.

Secondly, running system updates may result in your system becoming unstable. I’ve written about my hatred of system updates before but on brand new machines updates bring an added dilemma.

Prior to shipping, your computer company will usually do a good job at testing the configuration you’ve requested. They want to make sure all the default hardware and software work together. That doesn’t mean they’ve tested your system with all the current updates including any new hardware drivers.  This is specially a danger with new Windows 7 systems. I had one company update their drivers and software three times within an eight day period. You’ll want to know if your brand new computer is still like new and compatible after it’s been updated.

 

6) Have Fun
Isn’t it great to know you have a brand new system and everything works perfectly? Now you can follow everyone else’s advice and install all your favorite software like WinPatrol.

Computer Magazines - IBM buying MDM vendor Initiate Systems

The move follows Informatica's acquisition last week of Initiate's rival, master data management vendor Siperian

 InfoWorld Home / Data Management / News / IBM buying MDM vendor Initiate Systems

IBM buying MDM vendor Initiate Systems
The move follows Informatica's acquisition last week of Initiate's rival, master data management vendor Siperian
By Chris Kanaracus

IBM announced Wednesday that it plans to buy MDM (master data management) vendor Initiate Systems. Terms of the deal, which is scheduled to close in the first quarter, were not disclosed.

Master data refers to classes of information such as products or suppliers that are common to a number of systems and applications within a company. MDM software is used to make sure master data entities are kept consistent and accurate.

[ Discover what's new in business applications with InfoWorld's Technology: Applications newsletter and Killer Apps blog. ]

Vendors have been moving to add MDM capabilities to their lineups. Just last week, IBM rival Informatica announced the acquisition of Siperian. IBM's move was not unexpected. Altimeter Group analyst Ray Wang recently predicted Big Blue would buy Initiate as a response.

One MDM competitor responded quickly to IBM's announcement Wednesday.

"By acquiring a niche vendor like Initiate, they bolster their portfolio of industry-specific tools that help integrate data, but do little to provide a stronger information management platform for their customers," Kalido CEO Bill Hewitt said in a statement. "This acquisition will be delivered like so many others; with dozens of IBM global services consultants to 'knit' the patchwork of tools together."

IBM executives are expected to discuss the deal further during a conference call Wednesday.

Computer Magazines - Jewish Groups Protest 'Mussolini' App

Jewish groups and Holocaust survivors are protesting one of Italy's top-selling iPhone apps: It's called iMussolini.

The app contains audio, video, and text of 100 of Mussolini's speeches dating back to 1914. iMussolini has thus far out sold the X-ray app, which "allows you to see your friends naked," as well as the film-based video game, Avatar.

Mussolini is known for his speeches, his anti-Semetic views and race laws, and his alignment with Nazi Germany during World War II. Tullia Zevi, former head of the Jewish community in Rome, told the Times Online that the app represented "the slide towards legitimizing fascism and the rehabilitation of Mussolini".

iPhone Italy has said the app was "not a political item, but one of history".

Computer Magazines - Is the iPad enterprise-ready? Probably not, but I'll still buy one

The iPad will be at best no more enterprise-friendly than the iPhone, though VDI options could make it work for some shops

Before I say another word, let me first proclaim I am not an iPad hater. I am already on a list to buy one. I will be the first one on my block, in my city, maybe even my state to own one. But it is not coming with me to work, even if it does contain a version of iWork. The iPad is a great tool for mobile Web surfing (which is, let's face it, pitiful on a smartphone's small screen), a great way to show pictures, and a nice e-book reader. But it is not enterprise-ready!

At least that is what I'm told. But -- wait a minute -- has this thing been released yet? Are we saying it is impossible for Apple to add features between now and the release date (somewhere around the end of March, beginning of April)? Are we saying it isn't possible for vendors to develop more enterprise-ready apps?

[ Read Randall C. Kennedy's very reasonable approach to why a netbook trumps the iPad in "iPad, the netbook killer? I think not!" Then check out Galen Gruman's equally compelling argument "Apple's iPad will kill the iPhone -- and the mobile Web." ]

The iPad's native failings
It's very possible that some of the enterprise limitations may be hurdles that cannot be overcome until a later version of the iPad is released (as was the case with the original iPhone). Let's consider two failing points for enterprise usage for the iPad:

    * The iPad cannot multitask. The iPad simply cannot do more than one thing at a time. Again, I don't think Version 2 will have that issue, but until we see the next iteration, we can't be too sure. Personally, I thought this first version would have a camera, webcam, and more, so I'm surprised that Apple is releasing it knowing that it will endure more criticism than praise.
    * It's hard to control app delivery. Unless your business is a hodgepodge of technologies with people using whatever they want, the lack of app-installation controls through group policies or any other standard method for deploying apps just isn't going to work on the iPad. It's unclear whether Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility and its iTunes-based app-management capability will work with the iPad (Apple hasn't said), but even if they do, they're not suited for managing more than a few dozen local users.

Then there are the issues many IT shops have around the iPhone's limited support of Exchange ActiveSync policies, which presumably the iPad will also support. I say "presumably" because Apple's Web site never mentions Exchange e-mail in the context of the iPad, and a 451 Group analyst claims that Apple has stripped out the iPhone's Exchange, VPN, and configuration management capabilities from the iPad. The analyst, Chris Hazelton, tells InfoWorld that he made this statement because Apple's documentation did not mention these capabilities at all, and Apple has not responded to his requests to verify his assumption they had been removed from the iPad. (Apple did not respond to InfoWorld either when we asked for verification.)

The VDI possibility
Citrix Systems plans to deliver an iPad client that can run Windows 7 from the iPad, based on the same capability in its Citrix Receiver iPhone app. This would essentially turn your iPad into a thin client, perfect for VDI deployments of Windows 7. This thin-client approach eliminates issues around multitasking, application delivery, and security. Basically, it says to users, "Use whatever system you like, so long as you can RDP in." Logically, Citrix is working on its own version of this to work with Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp, but you can bet there will be other VDI offerings from other vendors.

One possible downside to the VDI approach is that the iPad is a touchscreen device, and its virtual keyboard and screen-based gestures may not work well through an RDP session. Also, while the iPad will support keyboards, I haven't seen a mouse connection in the mix just yet.

What is great about the VDI approach is that businesses are already considering VDI deployments and thinking about using their XP-era PCs as the terminals to Windows 7 RDP. How great would it be for a user to connect to Windows 7 from a desktop via VDI solution while at their desk, then walk into a conference room and grab the iPad to bring their Windows 7 session with them? The screen isn't huge, but it may be big enough. The iPad's 9.7-inch screen size is close to the typical netbook range of 10.1 to 11.6 inches, after all.

All the leading netbooks have an integrated webcam -- the iPad doesn't, but maybe Version 2 will, or someone will create a plug-in accessory. However, netbooks are at least a pound heavier the 1.5-pound iPad. Disk space becomes a moot point if you are using the iPad for personal use externally and as a VDI thin client internally.

Netbooks have the edge, but I'll get an iPad anyhow
Still -- and this doesn't happen often -- I'm going to side with my esteemed colleague Randall C. Kennedy on this one. He makes a great case for why the netbook is a better enterprise solution for a person who wants or needs mobility and requires something in between a laptop and a mobile phone.

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to seeing what the new Windows 7 tablets bring to the discussion over the iPad, as well as seeing if iPad Version 2 comes to the table with a more enterprise-friendly offer, as Apple did with the iPhone.

Right now, I don't think the iPad is enterprise-ready. And I don't think Apple cares. For that matter, neither do I. I'm buying one -- even if I have to pack my laptop along when I take trips. With the iPad, it'll still easier to watch movies and read books on the plane.

Where do you stand? In your industry, do you see a positive use for the iPad from an enterprise perspective? Would using it as a thin client be a motivating factor to allow these in-house?

This article, "Is the iPad enterprise-ready? Probably not, but I'll still buy one," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in desktop virtualization, the iPad, and netbooks at InfoWorld.com.

Computer Magazines - Eight PHP power tools

Eclipse PDT, NetBeans, NuSphere PhpED, and Zend Studio lead a capable field of IDEs for Web developers

Though precise statistics are difficult to obtain, PHP is undeniably a top choice as a Website building language. Since October 2009, the TIOBE Programming Community Index has PHP holding third place -- behind Java and C -- among programming languages overall. Regardless of the exact extent of PHP's usage, you need only consider that Web sites such as Facebook -- which manages millions of users and petabytes of content -- use PHP; workloads of that magnitude demand a serious programming language and supporting environment.

You can't build a world-class Website without a good development environment. In the case of PHP, the development environment must be particularly capable; a PHP programmer will rarely be programming only in PHP. PHP is necessarily entwined with HTML and JavaScript on the front end and with SQL on the back end. Consequently, a good PHP IDE must allow the developer to work with equal ease in multiple languages (both programming and markup) and contexts.

In this article, we examine eight IDEs: ActiveState's Komodo IDE, CodeLobster PHP Edition, Eclipse PHP Development Tools (PDT), MPSoftware's phpDesigner, NetBeans IDE for PHP, NuSphere's PhpED, WaterProof's PHPEdit, and Zend Studio. All of these PHP toolkits offer strong support for the other languages and environments (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL database) that a PHP developer encounters. The key differences we discovered were in the tools they provide (HTML inspector, SQL management system) for various tasks, the quality of their documentation, and general ease-of-use.

In our estimation, four of these IDEs rise to the top. Zend Studio is an excellent PHP IDE once you become familiar with the Eclipse landscape. NuSphere's PhpED is also first rate and deserves your consideration if you need a professional-quality IDE and support. If you're on a budget or you can make it without technical support, Eclipse PDT and NetBeans are exceptional tools.

As always, development tool choice is heavily influenced by personal idiosyncrasies. For example, we know good developers who love Eclipse, and we know good developers who despise it. All the IDEs in this roundup are either free or available for a reasonable trial period. Use our commentary as a guide, but you owe it to yourself to spend some time with each IDE that appears to have the proper mixture of features needed on your PHP project.

Innovative Technique Can Spot Errors in Key Technological Systems; Early Alerts for Satellites, Weather Instruments

An innovative computational technique that draws on statistics, imaging and other disciplines has the capability to detect errors in sensitive technological systems ranging from satellites to weather instruments.

The patented technique, known as the Intelligent Outlier Detection Algorithm, or IODA, is described this month in the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology.

IODA offers the potential to alert operators to faulty readings or other problems associated with failing sensors. If sensors malfunction and begin transmitting bad data, computers programmed with the algorithm could identify the problem and isolate that bad data.

IODA was developed by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU).

The National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR's sponsor, funded the research. "This technology will have broad applicability in many new areas," says Steve Nelson, NSF program director for NCAR.

The developers of the algorithm say its principles can eventually be used in a vast range of technological settings, including cars and other transportation systems, power plants, satellites and space exploration, and data from radars and other observing instruments.

"This could, at least in theory, enable operators to keep a system performing even while it's failing," says Andrew Weekley, a software engineer at NCAR who led the algorithm development effort. "When a system starts to fail, it's absolutely critical to be able to control it as long as possible. That can make the difference between disaster or not."

IODA is designed to perform quality control on time series data--that is, data collected over time, such as wind speeds over the course of a month.

The algorithm, an expert system that draws on statistics, graph theory, image processing and decision trees, can be applied in cases where the correct assessment of data is critical, the incoming data are too numerous for a human to easily review, or the consequences of a sensor failure would be significant.

At present the algorithm consists of several thousand lines of a technical computing language known as MATLAB. The researchers may expand and translate it into a computer programming language such as C so it can be used for commercial purposes.

Ensuring the quality of incoming time series data is a priority for virtually any organization involved in complex operations. If sensors begin relaying inaccurate information, it can be highly challenging for personnel or automated systems to separate good data from bad, especially in cases involving enormous amounts of information.

Typically, to identify bad data, complex operations may rely on multiple sensors, as well as algorithms that characterize specific relationships among the data being collected, and identify failures when the data unexpectedly change.

A drawback in most of these algorithms, however, is they are designed for a particular type of time series and can fail catastrophically when applied to different types of data, especially in situations where there are numerous and sometimes subtle errors.

IODA, however, compares incoming data to common patterns of failure--an approach that can be applied broadly because it is independent of a specific sensor or measurement.

Weekley and co-authors took a new approach to the problem when they began developing IODA 10 years ago. Whereas existing methods treat the data as a function of time, Weekley conceived of an algorithm that treats the data as an image.

This approach mimics the way a person might look at a plot of data points to spot an inconsistency.

For example, if a person looked at a line drawn between points on a graph that represented morning temperatures rising from 50 to 70 degrees, and then spotted a place where that smooth line was broken, dipping precipitously because of numerous data points down at 10 degrees, the person would immediately suspect there was a bad sensor reading.

In cases where there are thousands or even millions of data points about temperature or other variables, pinpointing the bad ones can be more difficult.

But Weekley thought that a computer could be programmed to recognize common patterns of failure through image processing techniques.

Then, like a person eyeing data, the computer could identify problems with data points such as jumps and intermittency; view patterns in the data; and determine not only whether a particular datum is bad but also characterize how it is inaccurate.

"Our thought was to organize a sequence of data as an image and apply image processing techniques to identify a failure unambiguously," Weekley says. "We thought that, by using image processing, we could teach the system to detect inconsistencies, somewhat like a person would."

The research team came up with ways of arranging data points in a time series into clusters, both in a domain that represents the data points over time and in another domain known as delay space.

Delay space, which offers another way to detect differences in the data, is a technique that pairs a data point in the time series with the previous value.

Using the clusters from both the time domain and delay space, bad data are separated into their own cluster, clearly distinct from the cluster of accurate data. At the same time, IODA can calculate quality scores indicating if each individual data point is good or bad.

"I would say the approach we report in the paper is a radical departure from the usual techniques found in the time series literature," says Kent Goodrich, a CU mathematician and a co-author of the paper.

"The image processing and other techniques are not new, but the use of these images and techniques together in a time series application is new. IODA is able to characterize good and bad points very well in some commonly encountered situations."

When the research team tested IODA, they found it accurately isolated incorrect data in several cases.

For example, they applied the algorithm to wind readings from anemometers in Alaska that contained faulty errors due to a loose nut, which left the anemometers unable to consistently measure gusts in high-wind situations. The algorithm identified the bad readings, separating them into a series of clusters away from the good data.

"This technique has very broad implications," Weekley says. "Virtually all control systems rely on time series data at some level, and the ability to identify suspect data along with the possible failure is very useful in creating systems that are more robust.

"We think it is a powerful methodology that could be applied to almost all sequences of measurements that vary over time."