Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
ASUS is attempting to breathe new life into the netbook market with the $199 ASUS Eee PC X101 netbook. Offering portability, deep social networking integration, and MeeGo, an operating system optimized for netbooks and smartphones, the X101 is an inexpensive option for Facebookers and Tweeters with light productivity needs. Ultimately, this netbook’s biggest competition isn’t higher-priced netbooks but value-priced tablets. Read on to see how well this unique clamshell performs.
Design
The ASUS Eee PC X101 is a vision in white. The matte white plastic lid has a textured pattern reminiscent of canvas, with a chrome ASUS logo resting in the center (see below). The netbook’s interior completes the all-white aesthetic with a canvas pattern displayed on the palm rest and the top of the deck.
The 10.1-inch display is surrounded by a glossy white bezel, while the keyboard deck sits in a solid white matte panel. Aside from the thin strip of blue light surrounding the power button and the blue special function symbols on the keyboard keys, the X101 has few contrasting accents. The X101 is also available in black.
We barely noticed the 2 pound, 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.7-inch netbook in our messenger bag. Windows-powered netbooks, such as the HP Mini 1103 (2.8 pounds, 0.9 inches thick) and the Samsung NC110 (2.6 pounds, 0.9 inches), are thicker and heavier.
Keyboard and Clickpad
We found it difficult to type on the X101′s island-style keyboard. Despite the generous spacing between the keys with rounded corners, their small size–including an extremely undersized right Shift and Backspace keys–made it too easy to miss the mark. Feedback on the keyboard was slightly mushy, and there was a noticeable amount of keyboard flex.
The 3 x 2.25-inch Clickpad offered enough space to maneuver around, and it provided strong feedback for left and right clicks. However, we had difficulty scrolling and selecting individual lines of text. We also noticed that our palms repeatedly came in contact with the clickpad, causing the cursor to skip while typing.
Display and Audio
The ASUS Eee PC X101′s 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 resolution screen was moderately bright, achieving clear, vibrant images. Text on CNN.com and Laptopmag.com was sharp and clear, but watching video was a mixed bag. We saw deep rich reds and golds in the 480p YouTube videos of The Immortals and The Three Musketeers, but when we attempted to view the trailers in 720 and 1080p we noticed severe pixelation as well as long periods of buffering.
Click to enlarge
The X101 won’t receive any awards for its audio performance. Located on the bottom of the unit, the netbook’s speakers were unable to fill a small room. When we listened to Wilson Pickett’s “Land of 1,000 Dances,” we heard a clear and sufficiently loud vocals. The horns and guitar were equally clear, but we noticed that the X101 couldn’t compete with background noise.
Ports and Webcam
A USB 2.0 port sits on the right side of the Eee PC X101, as does a microSD slot, a combination microphone/headphone jack, and a secure lock slot. Another USB 2.0 slot and the power jack are found on the left. We were able to connect and use mice, flash drives, and external hard drives to the X101 with ease. The X101′s 0.3-megapixel webcam delivered bright images, but we noticed a fair amount of graininess despite attempting to make adjustments in the settings panel.
Setup
Getting started on the X101 is pretty fast and intuitive. After a 25-second boot, it took about 10 minutes to get everything up and running. Aside from installing DropBox and OpenOffice and reading and accepting software user agreements, most of our time was spent signing into our social networking outlets including Facebook, Flickr, Google Talk, and Twitter. We also added an e-mail account and calendar, as well as created a couple of To-Do lists.
MeeGo User Interface
At first glance, the MeeGo OS will look and feel quite foreign to those of us used to Windows or Mac OS. Instead of a traditional desktop, MeeGo takes us to MyZone, an interactive hub with a major focus on social networking. However, after a few minutes of use, we found MyZone intuitive and easy to use.
The MeeGo UI displayed our Twitter and Facebook feeds on the home screen via two large, dedicated widgets that updated every few seconds. A set of icons including ASUS App Store, DropBox, E-mail, Messenger, and sit in a 3 x 3 grid in the top-left corner. Panels for Appointments and Tasks and an Unread Messages prompt sit directly below the icon widgets. The right side of the hub displayed a few of our most recent activities (i.e. web surfing, videos, images) in three large squares comprised of an image and title.
To navigate MeeGo, you use a toolbar located on the top of the screen that can be accessed by mousing over it or hitting the Home icon key on the keyboard. The bar displays eight out of 10 icons that grant access to various parts of the interface. When we needed to access all our open pages, we used the Zones icon, which kept a running tab of all open web browsers documents, images, and media.
Media
Clicking the Media icon on the X101 took us to a stripped-down media manager where we could view and play our audio tracks, podcasts, video, and radio stations using Banshee Media Player. We used the Amazon MP3 Store to add more tracks and Internet Archive digital library for audiobooks, concerts, and lectures. To add new radio stations and podcasts, we simply went to each category and clicked on the “Add Station” or “Subscribe to Podcast” option in the top nav bar, added a description and the URL, and hit save.
People
The People hub is where you can instant message using an all-in-one client that supports Google Talk, Facebook messenger, and AIM . When we received a message and weren’t on the People page, a medium-sized conversation bubble with the message flashed in the bottom-right corner, and a small flashing icon would pop up in the lower left-hand corner to indicate we had a new message. We used the Status page to toggle between status updates on all of our social networks.
Web
The Internet option launches the Chromium web browser, where we could install useful web apps such as Gmail Offline and Google Reader. When we came across one of our favorite poems, we highlighted the entire piece and copied it. From there, it automatically pasted to the Pasteboard, MeeGo’s answer to the Clipboard, which saved us a few seconds. We downloaded a variety of productivity and diversionary widgets on the Gadgets page.
However, we encountered difficulty when we attempted to download the Solar System and Tree Frog widgets. Instead of loading the apps to the Gadget board, the green add button turned red with an error message or just remained inactive. We also found that programs that offer feed-based widgets, such as Daily Horoscope and Romantic Quote of Day, couldn’t load even after we deleted and reloaded them.
Apps
Clicking Applications in the top nav bar took us to a page where all of our apps downloaded from the ASUS App Store were organized into a number of categories, including Games, Media, Office, and System Tools. We liked having the ability to switch out the apps displayed in the app box in MyZone by clicking on the little pin located next to the app icon.
Devices and Settings
The Devices page on the X101 lets you access USB connected peripherals, as well as files and system settings. It took less than a second for the netbook to recognize our external hard drive and list it under the Other Devices panel. From there we could open, edit, delete, or copy files. The file manager was very simple, with rudimentary icons representing our files. With no Microsoft Office installed, we relied on OpenOffice to open our Word and Excel documents. A separate image viewer handles photos.
Similar to a traditional OS, the Your Computer panel allowed us to access the data we stored on the X101′s 8GB of storage. The panel was broken out into six folders: Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Trash. The Status & Settings panel displayed battery life, storage used, volume, and display brightness. Clicking the All Settings button in the panel gave us access to a number of settings including System Info, Wallpaper and Fonts, Email Settings, Printing, Network Proxy, and Keyboard.
Performance
Powered by a 1.33-GHz Intel Atom N435 CPU with 1GB of RAM, the ASUS X101 has just enough performance and speed to handle all your social networking, web surfing, and light productivity needs. While we were able to run nine to 10 apps in MeeGo OS, one of which was a Chromium web browser with six open tabs, video took a major hit with jerky playback on YouTube at full screen. 720p video did not run well even as the only tab.
Overall, using MeeGo OS is an easy and intuitive experience. The stripped-down presentation made apps and files easily to locate and manage. Our biggest complaint is the time it took to switch between apps (a little clock appears to let you know when you’re going to wait). There were quite a few instances where it took upwards of five seconds to switch between tabs. On a few occasions, the OS froze, forcing us the reboot the netbook.
Battery Life
ASUS claims that in optimal settings, the X101 should offer up to 4 hours battery life. In our tests, which involved continuous web surfing coupled with social networking and streaming music from Slacker Radio, we got 3 hours and 25 minutes of battery life from the netbook. The HP Mini 1103 and the Samsung NC110 easily outlasted the X101, clocking in 8:27 and 7:08, respectively.
Configurations and Support
The $199 ASUS Eee PC comes bundled with a 1.33-GHz Intel Atom N435 CPU with 1GB of RAM, an 8GB SSD, and an Intel GMA 3150 GPU. The X101 has a 1-year global warranty with 24/7 tech support. See ASUS fared in this year’s Tech Support Showdown and Best & Worst Brands report.
Verdict
The ASUS Eee PC X101 is a sleek and ultra-light netbook with an engaging and intuitive interface. We also like how the MeeGo OS puts social networking front and center. However, we were turned off by the cramped keyboard, sluggish performance, and short battery life. Yes, $199 is cheap, but you can get a better-equipped Windows netbook with much more storage and endurance for just $30 more.
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Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Buying of new car
Buying your first car is not an easy task, when you are not aware of the thing which you have not used ever. The first car buying would always be an experience for every single person whether he is a teenager or adult mature person. There are some steps which you must follow up for buying your first car: do your homework, like plan up the budget that how much you can spend on buying new car, list down the features you want to have in the car. You should not go for buying an expensive car when you are buying the car for the first time because it would not be a good idea.
Some tips for buying a new car
The next tip is to not assume that the sticker price or the price tag contains the fixed price or actual purchase price. You should rate the car by analyzing the dealer’s price which can be seen through websites. You need to negotiate one thing at one time, like if you are negotiating the particular feature of the car then don’t start discussion on any other thing for example the price of the car. Try to arrange the finances in advance for the car. And do not pay for the features which you do not want in your car.
Relevant things to buying a car
Every kind of personal vehicle is like the family member to him. Mostly the youngsters love their vehicles whether it would be car or motorcycle. The service of the car is not so easy and it should not be done by the car owner himself. As it is not an easy task to wash your car or motorcycle because there are many parts of the car which are not water proof and get spoiled. Now you must be thinking that how to wash the car while keeping such parts safe so I must tell you that you can use any shopping bag in which the water does not enter. However these are the common statements which should be kept in mind while washing your car.
How to buy second hand car?
If you are going to buy the second hand car then you must look up for following things: The auto repair is also a part of service station and car showrooms, most of the service station provides you the auto repair as some time the cars get damage during the wash and do not get the ignition due to wetness so in such situation the auto repair staff is used for making the car good. The scooter service is also done by the same service station as there are many service stations which are providing you the good services.
How to buy car for teenager?
If your teenager is going to buy his/her first car, then you must educate your teen. You should check the cars for quality. Share the costs of the car and get your car insured especially if it is for teenager. Go and look up for teen features, the features and applications of the car which are liked by teenagers and younger generation group.
Nadine Myrick is from Pass Certification. Let’s take advantage of Pass Certification self paced Microsoft Certifications training and pass your IT exams on first try.
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Sunday, January 15th, 2012
Here are the steps to teach you how to start a business. Take these steps in order and don’t skip any to maximize your business startup success:
Step 1: Daunting odds don’t have to stop you. Read this short introduction to taking the right approach to making real money when starting a business.
Step 2: Find the “Entrepreneur Source” to help you prepare yourself to become successful (don’t skip this all-important step, it will tell you what to expect when you start your business and how to be prepared for it). Decide whether to start part time or full time.
Step 3: Determine your personal and business goals so you can decide whether your business idea is right for you!
Step 4: The advantages and disadvantages of working from home.
Step 5: Whether buying a franchise is right for you. Also, how to decide which franchise to choose. (Coming soon)
Step 6: Ideas for a small business.
Step 7: Register a business name and get your licenses as appropriate.
Step 8: Decisions about financing your business startup. You should know your resources such as merchant express credit card services and the importance of a business plan in accessing those resources.
Step 9: Choose the right business organization.
Step 10: Choose carefully your accountant, your marketing adviser/coach, your payroll service or software, and your attorney.
Step 11: The importance of a startup marketing plan and the eight strategies every startup business should include in their marketing plan.
Step 12: The business plan and why it is crucial to the success of your business.
Step 13: Accounting help designed to help you understand the basics of accounting, get accounting help, and find simple accounting software that is right for your business. Consider reporting features offered by Chase Ink business credit card to help monitor expenses.
Step 14: How to take advantage of tax breaks.
Step 15: Chances are these days that a website will contribute greatly to your business even if you are not planning an online business. We provide you with a step-by-step guide to get the most out of your online presence without spending the thousands of dollars you would have to pay somebody to do it for you.
Step 16: Use our resource page to find the very best in online resources that you will need to start your business. One of the most powerful, yet ignored weapons in your marketing weapon store are your business cards. Another great resource is relationship management which can streamline the repetitive tasks of starting your own business.
By following all the above steps in order you will not only learn how to start a business, you will be on the best track for business success.
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Monday, October 24th, 2011
Microsoft’s been pushing tablet computers for the best part of a decade, so you can imagine how happy the iPad’s success makes them.
But Microsoft doesn’t give up easily, and Windows 8 tablets will emerge. So what’s Steve Ballmer going to be shouting about when he shows them off?
Windows 8 tablets will have a new touch interface
As we saw from the recent Windows 8 preview, Windows 8 tablets will have a marvellous new interface that looks rather like Windows Phone 7.
“Fast, fluid and dynamic, the experience has been transformed while keeping the power, flexibility and connectivity of Windows intact,” says Microsoft’s head of Windows Experience Julie Larson-Green.
“Although the new user interface is designed and optimized for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. Our approach means no compromises — you get to use whatever kind of device you prefer, with peripherals you choose, to run the apps you love. This is sure to inspire a new generation of hardware and software development, improving the experience for PC users around the world.”
Microsoft has drip fed sneak peeks at theinterface,unveiling the start menu in a video that also reveals how ISO files will be natively mounted in the new OS.
This week, Microsoft has had to defend the decisions it made with the Start Menu in Windows 8.
Windows 8 tablets’ release date
In December 2011, the New York Times wrote that Microsoft would unveil tablets running Windows 8 at CES 2011 in January, which proved to be incorrect.
The NYT credited an unnamed source for the leak, which suggests that Microsoft’s keynote will be enlivened by the arrival of the next generation of Windows, as well as Samsung and Dell tablets. As it turned out, no Windows 8 tablets were shown at the show.
However, the Windows 8 release date may be sooner than you think.
Speculation is rife that a Windows 8 beta will surface at Build, a developer conference being held by Microsoft in September.
On 8 September 2011, rumours around a Windows 8 tablet being shown off at Build gathered pace with Korea Economic Daily citing sources who say that a Samsung-made Windows 8 tablet will be making an appearance. Reuters also reported that Steven Sinofsky will present an onstage demo of Windows 8 running on a tablet.
That means Windows 8 tablets could be out by early 2012 – after CES 2012.
According to Bloomberg there will be no Windows for tablets until 2012. As we reported on 4 March 2011, sources told Bloomberg that a tablet-friendly version of Windows will be tested at the end of this year and not released until the summer of 2012.
Microsoft may launch its own Windows 8 tablet
New rumours suggest that Microsoft is working on an own-brand tablet to launch running Windows 8. The speculation comes from Taipei, with sources claiming that the tablet will make use of a Texas Instruments chip and will launch by the end of 2012.
Digitimes, which first published the rumour, claims its sources say that Microsoft is also looking to launch a tablet brand, as it did in gaming with the Xbox.
Engadget posted on 8 July 2011 that Dell is to follow up the Streak line with a Peju tablet that will run Windows – possibly in late 2011 – so no Windows 8 initially.
Windows 8 tablets manufacturers
It’s no surprise to see the names Dell and Samsung in the NYT piece: both firms have close relationships with Microsoft, although it’s interesting to see Microsoft getting groovy with an Android tablet manufacturer. We’d expect to see something like the leaked “Lap PC” from HP too.
UPDATE: A Samsung Windows 8 tablet was shown off at Microsoft’s Build conference on 13 September 2011.
On 9 May 2011, we reported on a rumour of a forthcoming Nokia Windows 8 tablet. The info comes from phone commentator Eldar Murtazin, who wrote on the Mobile Review forum that Nokia will launch a tablet in 2012, possibly pushed back to 2013.
Motorola says it is “completely open to Windows as a platform” according to Cnet. During an earnings call in mid August, Nvidia’s Jen-Hsun Huang also said: I’m very bullish about Windows 8,” said Jen-Hsun, “I think it’s going to be an amazing operating system. Windows 8 tablets and Windows 8 clam shells that Tegra is going into, I hope will translate into real growth for our company in the second half of next year.”
“We’re not leading the charge on Windows 8, but as we become comfortable that [Windows 8] is a viable ecosystem [and] that the quality of innovation and quality of services and quality of capabilities [are] being delivered there, we will certainly be open to that,” he said in response to a question.
It seems attendees to Microsoft’s Build conference in September might well be very lucky indeed – rumours abound that they will be presented with Windows 8 running on a quad-core tablet to test.
Windows 8 tablets will probably look like iPads
While Dell makes some unusually shaped tablets already, the Samsung tablet is “similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin.” Unlike the iPad, “it also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing.”
Windows 8 tablets will be designed for business use
“The company believes there is a huge market for business people who want to enjoy a slate for reading newspapers and magazines and then work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work,” the NYT says, quoting the inevitable “person familiar with the company’s tablet plans”.
Windows 8 tablets will have apps and an app store
Apps are a big part of Windows 8, with Microsoft convinced that “app development will move to the web” and building a Windows Store with manufacturer-specific entrances. Again, we saw a lot more detail on this from the Windows 8 preview.
There have also been some leaked Windows 8 tablet apps.
read the rest article at : http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/windows-8-tablets-what-you-need-to-know-916134
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Monday, October 3rd, 2011
Amazon’s killer blow – the Kindle Fire – seems nowhere near, in my opinion, as glossy as the Apple iPad 2. Sorry, I started this review in an anti-Amazon way.
This 7-inch tablet computer is priced at $199, less than half the price of iPad, but it is more like an entry point for retailers and less of an ecosystem of apps and iTunes as the competitor. It is made more for the purpose of drawing loyal users and persuading them to buy more from its other online products.
Keeping aside my own negativity, Kindle Fire is surely going to create some tough competition in the tablet computer market. It is said Kindle Fire is at its best for the purpose of reading and online shopping. Downloading great varieties of apps along with games from the Amazon app store is what going to build up craze among potential tablet buyers. Instant streaming of thousands of movies right from the device is an exclusive feature.
Based on the design of Kindle e-readers of Amazon, Kindle Fire is the first in the series to have color screen and having a fast duel-core processor.
The screen resolution is only 1024 x 600 and internal storage is 8GB. For those tablet users who wants to store more movies, TV shows and games, Kindle Fire will be a bit disappointing. However, free cloud storage for Amazon contents are there as a help. More to this, the screen resolution of iPad is 1024 x 600. This may also be a matter of cross thinking before buying the Amazon tablet.
In an overall review of this Amazon Silk powered Kindle Fire, it will be a strong tablet for book lovers and one who want to have access to Android apps, movies and TV shows. So, parents may prefer it more for their kids than any other tablets available in the market.
sources
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Friday, September 9th, 2011
its only rumours that apple will release the iphone 5 , and i search on google what are iphone 5 design look like. if this design are used by apple it would be great because iphone 5 seems to have a wider display so a brushes application artist could paint on this apple device easily.
iphone 5 front design
black iphone 5
back iphone 5 design
Posted in art, gadget | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 5th, 2011
if we compare the ipad 2 with galaxy tab new 10.1, they have similar features and similar price. but what about the operating system? the samsung galaxy tab has android honeycomb whisch is free while apple had paid oprating system. so apple ipad 2 is far cheaper than galaxy tab 
i definitely choose apple ipad 2!
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Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Vintage or fresh out of the box, Seiko’s military watches are some of the best looking timepieces around. These badboys are the real deal with all the oldschool sex appeal you can shake a stick at. Just looking at my own Timex now I feel like I might as well be wearing something I snagged out of a Cracker Jack box. Obviously Seiko’s generation one models, like the pilot’s watch seen above, are going to run you a little more change ($300+) than something new (the last two models seen below) off of eBay ($54+), but boy are they worth every penny. If you are in the market for a new timepiece or just want to geek out over some tickers peep the goods…
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Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
I have been using Apple’s first generation iPad ever since it was launched in the UK last year and its becomes an integral part of my daily life, is the new second generation iPad 2 from Apple worth an upgrade?
When the iPad 2 was launched, I substituted my first generation iPad and have been using the new Apple iPad 2 for the past month, and yes the new iPad is slimmer, sleeker and faster than the first generation version and also has a few unique features only the iPad 2 can perform, but does the new iPad 2 have the magic to tempt new owners to take the plunge?
(more…)
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Thursday, April 28th, 2011
High speed internet has been the top news of all and sundry of the world due to economic changes which tend to force people to move to a better internet connection. There have been progressive reports on investment of super-speed internet all around the world.
Super-speed broadband internet has gone live in parts of Cornwall under a £132 million investment programme launched last year by BT with additional funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The new faster broadband service is available to over 1,000 customers with 14,000 more expected to be live in a matter of days. 50 customers in the area have already been connected. Around 80% of households and businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are expected to have access to faster broadband Internet through this deployment by 2014.
The first enabled areas are Chiverton Cross and Chacewater with St Agnes, St Day, Portreath, Devoran, Leedstown, Stenalees and Par expected to be live before the end of the month. These first enablements are part of a pilot scheme being run in advance of the main rollout which is expected to focus initially in South East Cornwall. The Original Announcement of the scheme quoted a high penetration of full fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) at around 50% which will offer a fast (up-to 110Mbps) and future proof option to many people in the area, but pilot connections are on a fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) basis which offers only up-to 40Mbps.
Presently this scheme has started to make an important contribution to the success of the Cornwall economy and to the lives of Cornish residents. There have been a team of about 50 engineers, contractors, planners and technicians working together to ensure that the project is able to deliver the immense benefits of super-speed broadband internet to customers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as soon as possible. The amount of optical fibre cable already installed – more than 150 kilometers – would stretch more than the length of Cornwall.
The Communications Workers Union (CWU) has called for the government to use money raised from the recently announced 900 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum auctions to be used for broadband rollout. To date, the government has committed only £530m to be made available within this parliament to help fund broadband delivery to broadband internet hotspots and slow spots. The CWU suggest that the money raised, which is likely to several billion pounds, should be used for reinforcing our broadband infrastructure.
These brings about the plea of the CWU as they welcome the Ofcom sale of 4G spectrum and also urge the government to seize this opportunity to use the funds as a welcome windfall to inject much-needed cash into the superspeed broadband Internet infrastructure across the UK.
Early investment in universal broadband will pay dividends many times over so we urge for the swift action to put the UK at the head of the superfast broadband revolution in other to bring a greater future ahead.
This is a guest article by Paul who helps you learn how to get the best mobile broadband with free laptop
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